Lent Calendars

On Ash Wednesday we pulled out our annual Lenten Calendar for our little ones... 

We've been using variations of this calendar for the past 18 years! 

You can find the free printable documents for our current version in the archives: 

A Lenten Calendar for Catholic Children {revised}

Another annual favorite is the lovely printable calendar from Kimberly's daughter Lydia. These two requested it before I had a chance to even look for the download this year! It can be found here.

Ever since their gorgeous Easter Calendar last year we have also really loved incorporating the illustrated calendars from Liturgy of the Home! 

I printed out the first part of the Illustrated Lent Calendar and hung it on the bottom half of one of my pantry doors for our little ones to discover and study. 

Illustrated Lent Calendar 2021

 

It didn’t take our three year old long to spot St. Peter’s Chair, when I asked if she could find it after she woke up Monday morning, on the feast of the Chair of St Peter! Even my brother-in-law (our local pastor) was amazed at all the details included for each day when the children were showing it to him yesterday afternoon when he joined us for lunch.

 

You can read more about how our family has observed Lent in the past here:

The Lenten Season In Our Catholic Home

Our Lent & Easter Book Baskets

Grant us Lord, the grace to begin the Christian's war of defense with holy fasts: that, as we do battle with the spirts of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial.

Summer 2020 :: The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

During our visit to the East Coast last summer, my brother and I were able to visit the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized a saint. 

The Stone House is one of the very first houses that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton lived in after arriving in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

 

Unfortunately, we arrived to the Stone House and White House after hours so they were locked but we were able to look in the windows to see the rooms in which St. Elizabeth Ann Seton taught, cooked, went to Mass, and (maybe) died.

 

Some of the pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped but here is the chapel. 

We tried to figure out if this is the bed where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton died but there are also rooms upstairs in the White House so we weren't sure. If any of you know which room she passed away in, let me know!

 

In the picture to the right, you may notice a small building in the cemetery. That's the Mortuary Chapel where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's body was eventually placed. Her son, William Seton, was away at sea at the time of her death but when he returned six months later, he had this chapel built in honor of his mother. Her body was then transferred to the chapel's vault until the time of her beatification. 

St. Elizabeth's body is now inside the Shrine's Basilica (we were also not able to enter due to after hours). It was such a blessing to be able to visit this shrine. Having written a paper on St. Elizabeth Ann Seton a few months before this trip, I was so excited to be able to see her home and learn more about her life in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

If you'd like to learn more you can Explore the Shrine and find many Resources on their website. 

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for us!

Summer 2020 :: Our First Flight & Washington DC

I've asked our eldest daughter to share some of her recent adventures here on the blog. She'll be sharing one or two posts a week, as time allows. It'll be a great opportunity for her to learn how to blog and share some of what we've been up to at the same time! Thank you, "Twinkle Toes!" 

 

Last summer I traveled back east for a college visit (I'll share more about that soon) which provided the opportunity to visit cousins, go sightseeing, experience my first flight across the country with my younger brother, and more. 

 

         

It was so amazing to see the breathtaking views looking down from 30,000 feet up in the sky!

On the third day of our trip, my cousins, younger brother, and I explored Washington D.C. Most of the museums were closed due to covid but we were able to still see the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, Second Division Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the White House, Washington Monument, and the United States Capital.  

While we were at the Vietnam Memorial, we had the privilege to meet the Archbishop of Washington D.C. You can spot him (in plain clothes) in the middle of the picture above. 

  

 

Snuggles, who is studying about World War I this year, was so excited to see the familiar names on the monument and explained what the flaming sword symbolizes to his cousins and me. 

   

  

Having grown up on the other side of the country from our cousins, it was wonderful to spend time with their family and get to know them a little better!

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

Celebrating Candlemas

“Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who came to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.” 🕯

January was hard. I didn’t mean to disappear but it was one thing after the next and I’ve been too overwhelmed to spend time online... I think we can maybe see the light at the end of this round of challenges... I was finally able to make it to Mass last night for the first time in nearly a month, and then back for Mass again this afternoon which was followed by the blessing of throats! 

We arrived to the church 45 minutes early last night since our older girls are in the choir and had a pre-Mass practice... I loved overhearing our nine year old when he leaned over, while holding his Candlemas Candle with the drip plate, and whispered to his dad, “This looks just like the cookies we made this afternoon!”

Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates

Traditionally called Candlemas, candles are blessed on this day (February 2nd) to help us remember the words of holy Simeon who called the babe in his arms, "A light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel." Luke 2: 32. 

 These Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates are a fun way to celebrate this feast with children!

 

 

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." ~ St. Francis of Assisi