Celebrating the Feast of Saint Patrick

After Sunday morning Mass on March 17th, the feast of St. Patrick, we headed back home to make our annual Shamrock Cinnamon Rolls for with Sunday brunch, then get started on our Irish Beef and Guinness Stew and Irish Soda Bread. ☘️

I hadn't done much to prepare, other than order each of the kids and our priests St. Patrick's Day Potatoes and grocery shop the day before.  It is so nice to have a house full of helpful teens who want to pick up my slack when it comes to some of their favorite family traditions/patron saint feast days, since I haven't been feeling very well or had much energy this pregnancy.

 

We all made sure to wear green and our oldest son had his underneath his Mass shirt. One of my brothers-in-law (Fr. J Gordon) sent Sean and I each a "Can't Keep Calm I'm Irish" t-shirt, but my pregnant tummy isn't fitting into t-shirts very well these days so I let our oldest son have mine.

The Rhymed Life of St. Patrick • St. Patrick from Naturally Catholic

While the girls shaped and baked the Shamrock Cinnamon Rolls (also pictured here and here) and decorated Chocolate Coins with images of St. Patrick, I read some of The Rhymed Life of St. Patrick from our March Book Basket/Cart to the little ones. ☘

Sean made another amazing Paleo Spinach and Bacon Frittata to go along with the Shamrock Cinnamon Rolls.

The boys hung a couple flags from the second floor interior balcony, turned on some Irish music, and volunteered to make this year's Irish Beef and Guinness Stew and Traditional Irish Soda Bread. I wasn't able to make it for St. Patrick's Day last year (since I spent that weekend at the hospital with my brother's family - Happy birthday up in heaven to sweet little Millie!) so the boys ended up teaching themselves to make those particular recipes last spring while the rest of us were in Arizona visiting my mother-in-law. They're becoming quite efficient in the kitchen!

 

 

It all turned out beautifully and delicious!
(Ora et Labora Apron can be found over at Catholic Cuisine)

St. Patrick T-Shirt from Totally Catholic Tees • March Picture Books

Reading the sermon for the day from our copy of the Sermons of the Cure of Ars
which was recently touched to the Reliquary containing The Heart of a Priest

☘️ St. Patrick, pray for us! ☘️

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun

"The world waited for October 13, the day of the great miracle that the Lady had promised would take place..."

This year we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Fatima apparitions and the Miracle of the Sun. Here are seven ways to commemorate this special anniversary with children:

1 – Picture Books

Here is the list of the books that are pictured on our book cart above:

• Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue
• Mother of God Coloring Book
• An Alphabet of the Altar
• Mary Most Holy Coloring Book
• Mary Holds My Hand: A Child's Book of Rosary Meditations
• Mary Mother of Jesus
• Mary and the 50 States
• Our Lady Goes a-Maying
• Our Lady of Fatima Coloring Book (not pictured)
• Mary
• The Children of Fatima by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (Also Available from TAN)
• Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Foxe Hume (Vision)
• Jacinta's Story (OOP - purchased a used copy in very good condition) 
• Most Beautiful Story Coloring Book 
• Mary and the Little Shepherd's of Fatima (arrived in an Easter Basket this year!) 
• The Children of Fatima (OOP - purchased a used copy in very good condition) 
• The Holy Rosary
• My First Pictures of Mary

The Rosary for Little Catholics (reprint of the original 1952 edition)

The Children of Fatima

** Also, a print edition of this beautiful brand new graphic novel will be released soon and I look forward to adding it to our collection! **

2 – Coloring Pages

I love the beautiful coloring page from Catholic Playground: Our Lady of Fatima Coloring Page. It's the one that we printed out to color this year.

Here is a Rosary Diagram coloring page from St. Anne's Helper. You can also find coloring pages for all the mysteries of the rosary on their website too! 

Download and Print these Our Lady of Fatima Holy Cards and Coloring Page from my friend Aleesa's Etsy shop. 

You can find many more options through an online search. 

Our Lady of Fatima Coloring Page (printed on card stock) • Watercolor Crayon Set • Water Brush

3  – Our Lady's Rosary Craft

When we made rosaries for a service project a few years ago, my friend Aleesa sent us extra supplies to make one for each of the kids to keep as well. After making thirty-five to giveaway we never did get to those extras... I pulled the supplies out to the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun! It was a perfect craft for the anniversary of the apparitions this year.

 

4 – Audio + Video

The Day the Sun Danced DVD - one of my own childhood favorites!
This film accurately portrays the story of Our Lady's appearances to the three children in 1917. From the angel's appearance to the Miracle of the Sun, the full story is so captivatingly presented that young viewers will want to watch it again and again.

Secrets from Heaven: The Story of the Children of Fatima (Glory Stories: Volume XIII) is available from Holy Heroes

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima DVD

5 – Catholic Cuisine

Mary Machado, one of my contributors over at Catholic Cuisine, kindly took the time to compile all the past posts for easy reference! We decided to make her Spinning Sun Cake for our family celebration, spinning it on our Cake Turntable/Rotating Cake Stand.

6 – Favorite Dolls

Our Lady of Fatima from Shining Light Dolls

Grimms Stacking Blocks • Our Lady of Fatima from Naturally Catholic 

**I also love the Our Lady of Fatima doll that my friend Ann-Marie makes and sells.**

7 – Pray the Rosary

Our Lady of Fatima, Ora Pro Nobis!

On the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta

Morning: 

Slightly Sweet Chai Tea with Coconut Milk on our first official day of school (we've been working on a couple subjects for a few weeks now) and the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta 💙 The girls are planning to bake Chai Cupcakes after they finish their schoolwork!

Evening: 

The girls baked Chai Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Chai Sprinkles while I was at work yesterday afternoon/evening. I was so impressed when I came home to find this platter of leftover cupcakes on the kitchen island!

Saint Teresa of Calcutta dolls from Catholic Folk Toys and Almond Rod Toys

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us! 

Celebrating the Feast of Saint Patrick

From Instagram on St. Patrick's Day 2017: I haven't spent much time in the kitchen this St. Patrick's Day, but the kids did wake up to some new picture books and yummy treats! ☘👊🏻
#whathappenedtostpatricksfinger #fistpumpinsaint #seescandies #happystpatricksday

Lorica of St. Patrick

I bind unto myself today

The strong name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same, 

The Three in One and One in Three. 

I bind this day to me for ever,

By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;

His baptism in the Jordan River;

His death on cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb;

His riding up the heavenly way;

His coming at the day of doom;

I bind unto myself today. 

May you have: A world of wishes at your command. God and His angels close to hand. Friends and family their love impart, and Irish blessings in your heart! 💚☘

I bind unto myself the power

Of the great love of the Cherubim;

The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;

The service of the Seraphim,

Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,

The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,

All good deeds done unto the Lord,

And purity of virgin souls. 

I bind unto myself today

The virtues of the starlit heaven,

The glorious sun's life-giving ray,

The whiteness of the moon at even,

The flashing of the lightning free,

The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks, 

The stable earth, the deep salt sea,

Around the old eternal rocks.

Download my printable images to create our St. Patrick Gold Coins over at Dropbox: Regular Size and Small Size.
(Pictured in the archives here and over at Catholic Cuisine here.)

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, his shield to ward,

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard. 

Photo Credit: Twinkle Toes (who is still recovering from a bad case of poison oak)
"What do you get when you cross poison oak with a four-leaf clover? A rash of good luck. 🍀
Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

Against the demon snares of sin,

The vice that gives temptation force,

The natural lusts that war within,

The hostile men that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,

In every place and in all hours

Against their fierce hostility,

I bind to me these holy powers. 

Photo Credit: Captain (St. Patrick is one of his patron saints)
"Thanks Dad and Mom for the Saint Patrick day treats.😋"

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,

Against false words of heresy,

Against the knowledge that defiles,

Against the heart's idolatry,

Against the wizard's evil craft,

Against the death-wound and the burning

The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,

Protect me, Christ, till thy returning. 

St. Patrick Handmade Saint from Naturally Catholic • Saint Patrick Tee from Totally Catholic Tees

The boys requested Irish Beef and Guinness Stew and Traditional Irish Soda Bread with Kerrygold Irish Butter for this year's celebration ☘ I served it a day late since St. Patrick's feast fell on a Lenten Friday this year, plus they were gone all of St. Patrick's Day for their first golf tournament of the season!

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. 

Our kids decided that our annual Shamrock Cinnamon Rolls (also pictured here) were too much of a "dessert" (which they choose to give up this lent - the older kids saved the St. Patrick's Day candies I gave them too) so I put them back in the fridge on Friday and made them for our Sunday brunch instead! ☘

I bind unto myself the name,

The strong name of the Trinity;

By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,

Of whom all nature hath creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

Praise to the Lord of my salvation,

salvation is of Christ the Lord.

St. Patrick, ora pro nobis!