10th Anniversary of Ordination & First Mass

Happy 10th Anniversary to Father Dennis Gordon, FSSP! 

It's hard to believe it has been ten years today since we made that last long road trip to attend his ordination on May 30, 2008.

  

Tomorrow it will have been ten years since our oldest son received his First Holy Communion from his Uncle/Godfather at his Godfather's very first Mass and Sean and I were *Almost* Excommunicated... Time sure is passing quickly!

We had hoped to travel up to Father's parish (St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church!) up in Idaho this week but it didn't work out. Instead we are praying extra for him today and one of the girls baked another French Vanilla Fleur De Lis Cake for dessert.

Would you please take a moment to offer a prayer for Father Gordon and for all priests? The following prayer for priests was written by St. Therese:

O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.

Paper Dolls on the Feast of Saint Joan of Arc

The Story of St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc Paper Dolls 

(Our 8 year old received these in her Easter Basket last month. 

They are also available from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts) 

On the Feast of St. Joan of Arc

French Vanilla Fleur De Lis Cake (baked in this pan)

Recalling St. Joan of Arc's banner, "bearing at her request, the words, "Jesus Maria," along with a figure of God the Father, to whom two kneeling angels were presenting a fleur-de-lis, the royal emblem of France," we decided to bake a simple French Vanilla cake in my favorite Fleur de Lis pan for today's feast of St. Joan of Arc!  The kids also spent some time reading The Story of Joan of Arc. 

The Story of St. Joan of Arc by Maurice Boutet De Monvel • St. Joan of Arc from Naturally Catholic

Our son was given this beautiful book (an unabridged republication of the edition published by the Century Company, New York, 1912) following his First Holy Communion last summer at St. Joan of Arc Parish where his uncle is currently pastor.

"Maurice Boutet de Monvel's simple but moving retelling of her story features a series of imaginative illustrations that won the artist international fame. All forty-five of the images from his 1896 deluxe picture book appear here in full color, reflecting the saint's enduring symbolic power as well as her deep humility." - The Story of St. Joan of Arc

According to this picture book St. Joan of Arc and I share a birthday ♥

It's worth purchasing this book just for the captivating illustrations. So beautiful and inspiring! It's such a lovely addition to our collection. You can find the rest of our books about St. Joan of Arc listed in Our May Book Basket.

In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even in your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen.

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us! 

Catholic Child {Sponsored Giveaway}

Catholic Child has always been one of my favorite places to find beautiful treasures for our family. I still remember poring over their catalogs when our oldest was a baby. One of the very first things I purchased was our Advent Calendar which is still a family favorite. Our Baby Jesus was also purchased from Catholic Child and has been a beautiful addition to our Advent and Christmas celebrations. Other favorites (which are still currently available) include the pewter crib medals, sculpted Baptismal Candles, games and craft kits, and puzzles. Catholic Child is a great place to find gifts for all occasions!

With the feasts of St. Joan of Arc coming up on May 30th, Catholic Child has offered to give a St. Joan of Arc PAL Set to one of my visitors here at Shower Roses!

Here is the description from Catholic Child: 

Our PAL (Pillowcase And Literature) Sets double the faith and learning fun! We started with a fascinating historical novel on the life of Joan of Arc, and then added our Joan of Arc Prayer Pillowcase to set your youngster up for a cozy, inspiring read.
You can purchase these items separately, but you save $4 when you buy our PAL Set.

The Pillowcase: Imagine an unschooled, teenaged girl standing victorious amongst seasoned warriors on the battlefield. Incredible. But, through the hand of God, true! Our compelling portrait of Joan of Arc, the "Maid," captures the essence of that miracle. Her strong spirit and enduring faith radiate from this vibrant composition, and are reiterated through the companion prayer, which reminds us to put our complete trust and faith in God. Our one-of-a-kind inspirational pillowcase is designed and printed in the USA, is always soft to the touch, and is ready to endure repeated washings. The poly/cotton pillowcase measures 20" x 31" and fits both standard and queen sized pillows.
And
The Literature: Momentous and miraculous recorded events of young Joan's calling are brought to life, comic book style, in this masterfully illustrated novel, Joan of Arc, Quest for Peace. There's nothing comic about what she endured for her Faith, however, and Joan's life story is one to inspire and encourage today's youth, particularly our daughters. The appealingly timeless comic book style narrative shares all in a reverent way: good and evil, conspiracy and intrigue, mystery and miracle, and best of all, sound theology throughout! Includes a Glossary and a special "What happened to Them?" section for readers eager to learn more. Paperback, 54 pages, 8" x 10". Ages 8-12.

Prayer to St. Joan

I pray that I may be as strong in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me remember that what is worthwhile can be won when I persevere. Help me hold firm in my faith, and to believe, as my Heavenly Father does, in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen

Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Couple More Bargain Priced Books

I noticed that many of you seemed interested in my last Bargain Book post, at least according to all the copies of Saint Louis and the Last Crusade purchased through my link - thanks! Our copy already arrived! Originally published in 1958, it looks wonderful! The old re-published books are almost always my favorites... Anyways, I thought I'd share a couple more book deals I ran across this past week. I'm always watching for the extra great sales to stretch my homeschool book budget as far as possible! ;)

        

Alexander the Great by Demi is currently 75% off and is one of the recommended titles for our Ancient History Study next year!

Joan of Arc (also just $5 for the hardcover with prime!) is also on it's way to our home and will eventually find a place on the shelf (after Chiquita's birthday) with all of our other saint themed picture books.

We already own The Legend of St. Nicholas, Mother Teresa, Mary and The Empty Pot by Demi, and we all love the beautiful illustrations in these books, so I think these will make a nice addition to our collection! (Note: These are not currently discounted to 75% off.)

And speaking of deals I also noticed that Shadow in the Dark, which Rascal received in his Easter Basket has dropped to 44% off!  He has already finished reading it and is wishing he had book 2 of the series, The Haunted Cathedral which is also 44% off... He needs to loose a tooth or something so I can slip it under his pillow.  His birthday already passed and Christmas is still a long way off!   However, at the rate the weeks are flying by this year, it will be here in no time... 

I'm off to marinate the hamburgers for dinner...
I know it's Friday, but we are still Celebrating the Octave of Easter after all!
 Have a great weekend!

St. Joan of Arc, Maid of Lorraine :: All Saints' Day Costume

Even though Chiquita dressed as Mother Teresa for our Parish Party, she had been planning on dressing as St. Joan of Arc on All Hallows' Eve.

Originally I thought she would just wear one of the boys' knight costumes, but that was not exactly what she had in mind.   She wanted to dress as "The Maid of Lorraine" looking more like the picture in our Picture Book of Saints.

We actually didn't even put together her costume until an hour or so before the party, but we were both very pleased with how it turned out!

She wore a simple white shirt, the breastplate that my brothers used when we were younger, and one of my gray knit knee-length fold-over skirts, pinned to fit her tiny little waist.

The white flag was simply a piece of an old sheet pinned to a wooden dowel, and she pulled out our Fleur-di-lis Sword & Shield Set made by Schylling.    We finished her costume with a ring of flowers similar to this one (thanks for the suggestion, Charlotte!) and that was it!

O Lord, You raised up in a wondrous manner St. Joan, Your Virgin, to defend the Faith and her country. Grant that through her prayers Your Church may enjoy lasting peace.

Our Cast of Saints ~ 2012

From Oldest to Youngest : St. Paul (as depicted in the Picture Book of Saints), St. George, St. Brigid, St. Joan of Arc, St. Micael the Archangel, St. Thérèse de Lisieux, and St. Francis of Assisi

Happy Feast of All Saints!  

Little Flowers Girls' Club ~ The Gift of Fortitude

Last Thursday afternoon we had our 5th Little Flowers Girls' Club meeting for Wreath IV, and first meeting since December!

I hadn't intended on taking such a long baby break - just January and February - but March and April were filled with sickness for half the girls in my group, so our meeting kept getting postponed.

My girls (and their momma!) were so excited to finally have friends over again.   The meeting began at 3:30, but we happily visited with guests until about 9pm, long after the meeting had ended.  It was so nice!

This meeting focused on the gift of Fortitude and St. Joan of Arc.  Despite the months I had to prepare, by Thursday morning I hadn't done a thing to get ready, but thankfully everything fell into place.  Here are a few highlights from our meeting:

~ Coloring Pages ~

St. Joan of Arc from CHC

St. Joan of Arc 2 from CHC

St. Joan of Arc from St. John's

St. Joan of Arc from St. Anne's Helper

My mother-in-law also sent each of the girls in my group a copy of The Way of the Cross Coloring Book which was recently published by Aquinas Kids.   Even though I wasn't able to get them to the girls during Lent they were all very excited and loved looking through the beautiful pages.  

~ Wreath IV Lap Book ~

We had a short lesson on the gift of Fortitude and St. Joan of Arc, and then continued our lesson by reviewing our Lap Book mini-books from our last meeting, and then working on the new additions for the gift of Fortitude.

Here is an overview of what was completed (*some are taken home to complete):

• Review last month's gift and add Mini Books that were completed at home
• Add Definition and Motto for the Gift of Fortitude
• Add the correct Jewel to the Treasure Box
• Complete the Saint Profile*
• Complete the Convert Profile*
• Research and Complete the Mini Book "Church Struggles from History that required Fortitude" to share at the next meeting*

 

Additional Resources:

Joan of Arc Resource and Activity Book (pdf)

Glory Stories Volume 6: The Story of Saint Joan of Arc

The Story of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

Saint Joan of Arc: God's Soldier (Encounter the Saints)

Joan of Arc: The Lily Maid

St. Joan of Arc Paper Dolls

The Young People's Book of Saints

Golden Legend of Young Saints

Movie Suggestion from Member's Guide:
The Scarlet and the Black

~ Notebook Pages ~

For the notebook pages, I used the motto for fortitude, a quote from St. Joan of Arc, an image (in the public domain) of St. Joan of Arc, a definition on the gift of Fortitude from My Catholic Faith, along with a short prayer for Fortitude (St. Augustine) with an invocation to St. Joan of Arc.

You can download my document here.

Here is a picture of the sample page I (very quickly) created
(and cropped from the picture above):

Here are a the girls' completed notebook pages:

~ Craft ~

Last summer, I had planned to order the Banner and Woven Cross Kits from Illuminated Ink for St. Joan of Arc and the Gift of Fortitude... Lena also shared an excellent craft for the gift of Fortitude, that I would have loved to try had our meeting taken place during Lent as we had originally planned.   Instead I ended up using a craft that I purchased a few years ago, having the girls paint Stained Glass Cross Suncatchers.  I'm pretty sure that I had purchased these at Walmart, but you can find a similar kit here.

We hung them on the window to see how they'd look:

*my girls' are missing from this picture, and currently hanging on their bedroom window.

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

~ Snack Time ~

Saintly Symbols Cupcakes :: St. Joan of Arc

One of the symbols for St. Joan of Arc is the Fleur-di-lis. 

White Cupcakes (baked in Yellow Cupcake Liners), topped with some homemade frosting, gold sprinkles, and a chocolate fleur de lis (made with this Candy Mold). 

The feast of St. Joan of Arc is celebrated on May 30th. 

~ Group Photo ~ 

Grant me the Gift of Fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us!