Category Archives: Catholic Company Product Review

Catholic Company Product Review, Mother Teresa and Me

Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship (A Book Review-Final)

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When I started reading this book, I was so excited to share with our readers about it that I stopped in the middle and created a preview review of this amazing book.

Then I was off to finishing this book and couldn’t help it and just had to finish the book; I couldn’t put it down again! The author gives you an different view of the real Blessed Mother Teresa by sharing personal letters that she sent her as well as quoting her through various conversations they had over the phone or in person. I’ve always been drawn, from an early age, to service to others. I’ve gone to “extremes” and worked in soup kitchens or volunteered at orphanages in the past. Since starting my own family, I haven’t been able to do these “extreme” works of mercy and felt bad because of it. After reading this book I realized that as mothers, we have to server those around us and also that food isn’t always what others need. There are people around us all the time that need time, love and compassion, as well as our prayers! Starvation isn’t always related to food and nourishment, it also has to do with being and feeling wanted, needed, and loved! How many times do we treat someone in our own families poorly because they “bother us”?

On this note, I’ve gotten to meditating on the idea that those people that you and I might not like, Jesus and Mary LOVE them as much as he loves you and me! What a concept! If we keep this in mind every time we come across people in our own families that “drive us nuts”, “get on our nerves or under our skin”, just think, “but Jesus loves them, so why shouldn’t I?” I’m certain there are times when you and I do things that make you wonder who would love us after they knew our worse sins. The beautiful aspect of being Catholic is that our Lord gave us the amazing Sacrament of Reconciliation and since He loves us he forgives us, so why not do the same for those around us? As, the author states in her book, there is a Calcutta all over the world.

Another thing that stayed with me from this book is that we constantly make excuses for not serving others or doing more for our own faith. We say things like, “If only I had more money to share”, “If I had more time”, “If I had more energy”….we waste so much precious time with “Ifs” and not doing enough for our own family members! God has placed you were you are for a reason, he didn’t give you more money, time, energy, etc., because He has sent you what you need for the mission He wants you to endure!

This book has been a wake up call for me in so many aspects of my life as a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, etc.. Instead of waking up each morning and wishing I had more of this or that, now I wake up and ask, “Okay Lord, what do you need from me today?”

Thank you, Donna-Marie, for writing this marvelous book! It truly has been like a mini retreat for me; one which I will definitely turn to in a couple of months because this is the kind of book you’ll want to read again and again!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Mother Teresa and Me .

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Catholic Company Product Review

Mercy Minutes

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Mercy Minutes – Daily Gems from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalski.

This little book, coveniently small enough to be easily carried in a purse, is packed with inspirational and spiritual guidance. It is set up for everyday of the year and also includes passages from St. Maria Faustina Kowalski’s diary. It is easy to read and meditate on as well as full of spiritually rich words!

I loved the themes which help guide your spiritual life and able to transform you. Some of my favorite themes are Confession, God’s will, trusting Him, and God’s mercifulness for us! This is a great book to own for anyone looking to deepen their love for the Lord and increase their Faith in Him. Truly a must have!

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Catholic Company Product Review

Catholic Parent Know-How: Faith Filled Summer Activities – A Review

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Some of our readers may have noticed that I added a logo on the right side of this blog when I became official “Product Reviewers for the Catholic Company.” Every so often, as I receive new material, you will see posts on books/items from their company of which I will write a review for. Feel free to comment or ask any questions, should you have them.

Catholic Parent Know-How: Faith Filled Summer Activities
As this is my first review, and we were about to start our home school year, I started small and selected a small magazine/pamphlet type of item to review. This is entitled Catholic Parent Know-How: Faith Filled Summer Activities. Truly when I received it and saw that it was only eight pages long, I thought it was just a skim of activities you could do in the summer and then add religion. Boy was I wrong! Those eight pages were packed with ideas all based on celebrating the beauty of our faith during the hot summer months.
This soft-cover booklet, is designed and written much in the style of any magazine. Begining with a letter from the author, Ken Ogorek, with an introduction to this booklet. The eight pages are packed with ideas on how to incorporate prayer life into the fun activities you will do during the summer months with your children. It discusses topics like vacations, family reunions, and trips, as well as quiet time at home. It truly gives you a different perspective of how Catholics should relax in the hot summer months but not in their active faith life.
I was extremely impressed when I came to page five entitled, “How Smart Am I?” Here the author discusses Dr. Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (M. I.). This takes me back to the years I taught Kindergarten at a local public school in Florida. The school had adopted the usage of the M. I. in lesson plans and in the classroom. In a nutshell it exlains how everyone is gifted or smart in one or more things. For example, some people are Mathematical, while others are more linguistic. For more info on this, Google it since it is really interesting. When you include this in your lesson plans, you target every type of child in the classroom. The author was targeting these multiple intelligences and designed eight faith filled summer activities, one for each! I was impressed!!!! To say the least.
Yet, my favorite article is found on page seven, entitled “What Will the Neighbors Think?” This article was directed at celebrating August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgen Mary into Heaven as a family! The author gives bold suggestions such as blue decoratios, wearing blue, and praying a family rosary in honor of our Blessed Mother! It was great!
This is the type of booklet that you would find as you are exiting out the door of your Church. If you see “Catholic Parent Know-How” don’t pass it up, there are a couple more written by this same author. If you click on the picture of this booklet, it will take you to the Catholic Company page. You may also order them there, but they come in packs of 10 (so you could share with your family and friends).
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Catholic Parent -Faith-Filled Summer -Pkg 10.
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