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! ☘️

St. Patrick's Day Parade

When our girls were little they had the opportunity to take nine Irish Dance lessons one spring leading up to our parish's St. Patrick's Day Celebration. The girls have always wished to continue learning to Irish Dance, but there just weren't any options near our old home. When we moved to Idaho last fall they were so excited to be able to join the classes here which are taught by a fellow parishioner out of her home. This weekend they got to dance their way through downtown Coeur d'Alene in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade! Meanwhile the rest of our family enjoyed watching the parade with friends. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

New Additions to Our Book Baskets + Giveaway

As we continue celebrating the Easter season, I have some really great giveaways to host, both here on the blog and over on Instagram, starting with this one sponsored by St. Augustine Academy Press.

I get excited about each and every book that St. Augustine Academy Press republishes and am very happy to be able to share the latest three releases with you all. I don't have them in my hands yet, but they will be coming soon and the the publisher has generously offered to send a set of the three new books to one of you too!

Updated with a couple of my own photos now that our copies arrived. The books are even lovelier in person than I had expected!

Here's a peek at the new covers and the original pages: 

The Rhymed Life of St. Patrick

“…in lively recitative ballad verse, Katharine Tynan tells the entire story of St. Patrick, without missing a single incident of any significance or importance. The book consists of thirty-two large folio pages, where 'a rivulet' of large, opulent type 'meanders through a meadow of margin,' set off by artistic illustrations. If Blessed Patrick and sweet St. Bride only respond to the prayer of the Envoy, and 'Bless this book and scatter it wide,' old and young may easily acquire and retain a comprehensive, if not complete, knowledge of all that is to be known of Ireland’s patron saint."

--from a review in The Catholic World, December 1907

I've never seen this book before and can't wait to read it with our children! 

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A Child's Rule of Life
“It is not every one that can keep his childhood. Father Benson has, and speaks to children bout the great, big eternal things in a child’s way. The little ones will be delighted to learn these verses by heart, and thus almost unconsciously gain a deep knowledge of Christian doctrine, and a love and habit of Catholic practice.

The Rule takes the little child from the moment it awakes…through his morning prayers; going to church; hearing Mass; saying grace; reciting lessons; practicing obedience; confessing his sins; receiving Holy Communion; evening prayers, and bed. Round them all Father Benson has put the fragrance of verse that will make them sweet and delightful to the child mind.”

--from a review in The Catholic World, May 1913

We have an out of print copy of the Neumann Press edition and I'm so happy to see this back in print again! 

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Old Testament Rhymes

“A book intended to give to children a general idea of the course of Old Testament history from the Fall to the Redemption, especially of those incidents and personages that point to Christ. The rhymes are designedly simple and colloquial, as the book is meant for smaller children only, and the narrative may be thought very sketchy; but it is hoped that the book will form a kind of “thread,” easily discernible, on which the child may learn to connect his more explicit and detailed lessons.”

(taken from an advertisement for the book by its original publisher in 1913, Longmans, Green & Co.)

We have an out of print copy of the Neumann Press edition and I'm so happy to see this back in print again! 

.: Giveaway :. 

The publisher has generously offered to send a set of all three books - The Rhymed Life of St. Patrick, A Child's Rule of Life and Old Testament Rhymes - to one of my visitors!

(Giveaway closes on April 24th. Winner will be announced in this post on April 25, 2018)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to visit St. Augustine Academy Press 

I'm also giving away a set over on Instagram so make sure and enter over there too! 

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!