Celebrating the Birthday of St. John the Baptist

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Grasshopper Parfaits to celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist!

#nowtomakesomethingicaneat

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Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars made with Avocado and Coconut! After nearly 4 months (113 days to be exact) on an incredibly strict Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet I finally added something back in... a little cocoa powder to make the chocolate layer for these treats... to celebrate today's solemnity! I'm praying that it doesn't end up being one of my triggers, but so far so good!

The Birthday of Saint John the Baptist from SAINTS: A Year in Faith and Art

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I posted the recipe over at Catholic Cuisine. You can find it here: Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter. ~

 O glorious Saint John the Baptist, greatest prophet among those born of woman, although thou wast sanctified in thy mother's womb and didst lead a most innocent life, nevertheless it was thy will to retire into the wilderness, there to devote thyself to the practice of austerity and penance; obtain for us of thy Lord the grace to be wholly detached, at least in our hearts, from earthly goods, and to practice Christian mortification with interior recollection and with the spirit of holy prayer.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us! 

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Magnus of Orkney

"St Magnus, Earl of Orkney, was a man of extraordinary distinction, tall, with a fine, intelligent look about him. He was a man of strict virtue, successful in war, wise, eloquent, generous and magnanimous, open-handed with money, sound with advice and altogether the most popular of men."

The Orkneyinga Saga

April 16th is the feast of St. Magnus, Earl of Orkney. He has been one of our oldest son's favorite saints ever since he first listened to The Last Viking (The Story of St. Magnus) audio story when he was seven years old. The story of St. Magnus is a pretty intense and one that we probably should have saved until the boys were teens before sharing it with them... Nevertheless, the heroic life of St. Magnus made a strong impression. You can see him dressed up as St. Magnus in 2007 here!

It's hard to find books and statues of St. Magnus, but in addition to the inspiring audio story, Captain was also given a signed copy of author Susan Peek's St. Magnus, The Last Viking for his 14th birthday which he couldn't put down. Last December St. Nicholas left a beautifully painted St. Magnus in his slippers from Catholic Folk Toys. 

Our Thursdays are extra full days this school year, which doesn't leave much time for additional crafts, but I did manage to come up with a special afternoon snack with a few ingredients I found in the cupboard!  You can find the directions for these Viking Shield Cookies over at Catholic Cuisine.

Prayer to St Magnus

Sancti Magni Martyris tui, Domine, merita pretiosa nos tueantur, in quibus Majestatis tuae opera praedicantes, et praesens capiamus adjutorium pariter et futurum.

May the precious merits of Thy martyr St Magnus protect us, O Lord, by which, preaching the works of Thy Majesty, may we receive Thine aid both now and forever.

Saint Magnus, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of Ireland

The feast of St. Brigid, the "Mary of the Gael," is celebrated on the first of February.  You can read more about this well loved Irish saint here. I actually wasn't planning on doing anything extra to celebrate her feast day this year, especially since it happened to fall on (Super Bowl) Sunday…

I had been admiring the Saint Brigid painting as Audrey Eclectic was posting pictures of her progress on Instagram, but I didn't plan on purchasing it... Then one afternoon my daughter was asking questions about Confirmation and whether or not she could choose two saints. I asked her why she wanted to know and she said that she loves St. Rose and St. Brigid and wasn't sure she could pick between the two. Shortly after our conversation I logged into Etsy and there was the painting! I happened to have some money in my PayPal acct from some books I just resold so I purchased it right then and there. I considered saving it for her Confirmation, but that is still years away and she has a special devotion to her now so I surprised her with it on Sunday morning! She loves her new painting and we are still trying to decide the perfect place to hang it in her bedroom. 

Between the conversation with my daughter and the new painting I was inspired to try and do a little something extra to celebrate St. Brigid's feast day after all. I gathered our picture books, printed some coloring pages, pulled the box of chenille pipe cleaners out of my closet, and we were ready to go!

.: STORY TIME :. 

Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story 

by Bryce Milligan (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)

"Brigid's Cloak retells an ancient tale about one of Ireland's most beloved saints. On the day she is born Brigid receives a brilliant blue cloak from a mysterious Druid. Years later, the young girl still wears the now tattered but beloved cloak while she tends her sheep. Is it her imagination that suddenly takes her to an unfamiliar land? Or is it something far greater that leads Brigid to a crowded inn in a town called Bethlehem?"

Some Additional Stories of St. Brigid found in Our Collection:

Saint Brigid (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson

Saint Brigid and the Cows (Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow) by Eric A. Kimmel

Saint Brigid (Saints for Girls) by Eve Rouke

St. Brigid and the Cows by Eva K. Betz

The Life of St. Brigid: Abbess of Kildare by Jane G. Meyer

Twenty Tales of Irish Saints

Note: You can listen to the FREE audio of The Life of St. Brigid: Abbess of Kildare here. 

Saint Brigid found in Saints: Lives and Illuminations

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Saints for Girls and Saints for Boys? ;) 

.: COLORING PAGES :. 

Saint Brigid Coloring Page from Waltzing Matilda

Note: A St. Brigid Coloring Page can also be found in Fenestrae Fidei

by Rose, who just turned 5

I asked if he could hold his picture so I could take a picture! This is what I got... I love him so much!

.: CRAFT - ST. BRIGID'S CROSS :. 

Can you tell which one the boys made? #seahawks #patriots #beavers

We've made these a couple times in the past and find these step-by-step pictures helpful. 

Supplies For each Cross: 

16 piece of pipe cleaner, straw, or other weaving material, each 8" in length

Note: Save some of the short pieces to tie the ends. Some of my children also used their remaining 4" lengths of pipe cleaner to create miniature crosses.

.: THE IRISH RULE OF HOSPITALITY :.

I saw a stranger yestreen; 


I put food in the eating place, 


Drink in the drinking place, 


Music in the listening place, 


And in the name of the Triune 


He blessed myself and my house, 


My cattle and my dear ones,

And the lark said in her song 


Often, often, often, 


Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise, 

Often, often, often, 


Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.

The Irish Rule of Hospitality

St. Brigid of Kildare was well known for her hospitality and generosity inspiring the standard used in the Irish Rule of Hospitality. May we always follow St. Brigid's example and receive the Christ in the stranger's guise. 

Saige was baptized "Brigid" and given a miniature St. Brigid cross as well as Caroline's Calf, Garnet

.: CATHOLIC CUISINE :.

I wish I had a great lake of ale for the King of kings, and the family of heaven to drink it through time eternal. I wish I had the meats of belief and genuine piety, the flails of penance, and the men of heaven in my house.

~ St. Brigid of Ireland 

 
St. Brigid is the patron saint for numerous things including cattle and dairy work. She was said to be the best mead and ale maker in all of Ireland, as well as an excellent cook. One way to celebrate this Abbess from Kildare is to enjoy a steaming bowl of Irish Beef stew… made with Ireland’s own Guinness Draught!

You can find my favorite recipe for Irish Beef and Guinness Stew over at Catholic Cuisine. 

Some of us have been fighting a stomach bug this past week, so I decided to save the stew for next weekend (it ties in perfectly to our birthday theme for Ranger!) and I served Chicken Soup (straight from the pantry! lol) instead.  As Mary pointed out, St. Brigid is also the patron of those who raise chickens. Perfect!

O God, bless my pantry!

Pantry which the Lord has blessed.

Mary’s Son, my friend,

come and bless my pantry!

- St. Brigid of Ireland

To go along with our chicken soup I decided to let the children try and create "St. Brigid's Cross Dinner Rolls." I pulled out some frozen dinner rolls from the freezer and let them thaw for about an hour while they painted their pictures.

 I wasn't sure if they would turn out, but they actually did and the kids loved them! I'll have to post the directions over at Catholic Cuisine sometime before her feast day next year.

+ A FEW MORE LINKS +

St. Brigid's Oaten Bread from Ireland

Irish Potato Pancakes

Traditional Irish Soda Bread 

8x10 St. Brigid Print

White Vintage Style Taper Candle Holder

100% Pure Beeswax Taper - Raw

Woodcut Irish Blessings Celtic Cross

Scroll through all St. Brigid posts in the Archives

Ranger's LEGO contribution to the decorations for the feast of St. Brigid! 

.: PRAYER :. 

Saint Brigid, Mary of Ireland ask for us all today, 

The courage to do God’s bidding whatever the world may say. 

The grace to be strong and valiant, the grace to be firm and true, 

The grace to be faithful always to God, His Mother, and You. 

Saint Brigid, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Andrew the Apostle

The Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle is celebrated on November 30th. The beginning of Advent is alway determined by St. Andrew’s Day. The Sunday nearest to his feast is always the First Sunday in Advent. If November 30th falls on a Monday through Wednesday, Advent begins the Sunday preceding; if it falls on Thursday through Saturday Advent begins the Sunday following. This year the feast of St. Andrew happened to fall ON the First Sunday of Advent.



St. Andrew is a patron saint of one of our boys and we had so much fun celebrating his feast day in addition to our usual First Sunday of Advent family activities, stories, and prayers. 

.: STORY TIME :.

Saint Andrew from Book of Saints for Catholic Children

Andrew the Apostle by S.E. Danielski

Additional Stories can be found in the following books:

The Apostles of Jesus by Father Lovasik (not pictured)
The Twelve Apostles by Marianna Mayer

Saint Andrew from Lives and Legends of the Saints
Saint Andrew from Saints: A Year in Faith and Art

.: COLORING PAGES :. 

Saint Andrew Coloring Pages from Catholic Playground

Saint Andrew Holy Cards from StellaMarigoldArt

(Note: Now is the perfect time to order paper dolls for the upcoming feasts of St. Nicholas and St. Lucy!) 

.: CRAFT - ADVENT CANDLES :. 

The beginning of Advent is alway determined by St. Andrew’s Day so I decided to have the children roll 100% Beeswax Advent Candles using this lovely Advent Candle Kit. It is one of our Advent & Christmas Favorites from Holy Heroes!

Like the candles we've rolled in the past, these were so simple to make, even the little ones were able to help with a little supervision.

Advent Candle Kit

 

.: SNACKS :. 

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4: 18-20

St. Andrew's Fishers of Men Snack

.: CATHOLIC CUISINE :. 

Andreasherzen 

(St. Andrew's Hearts)
Breakfast for dinner… Yum!!! 

I adapted a recipe from Cooking with the Saints and baked them in this Traditional Heart Waffle Maker. They turned out amazing! We won't be waiting a year to make them again… As soon as I have a chance to share the recipe at Catholic Cuisine, I'll update this post with the link.

+ A Few More Links + 

Venite Adoremus Apron

Heritage Lace Silent Night Table Runner

Enesco Pllars Advent Wreath

Cloister Shoppe 100% Beeswax Advent Candles

18" Madonna and Child

.: PRAYER - ST. ANDREW CHRISTMAS NOVENA  :. 

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

St. Andrew the Apostle, Ora Pro Nobis!