Category Archives: catholicism

catholicism, Domestic Church, siblings

Embracing Motherhood

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Can’t take credit for the title of this post as it is borrowed from a blog we featured two weeks ago with this title! (to visit this blog, click on the image above). Motherhood, it has changed my life! I became a mommy over 12 years ago when I took a home pregnancy test and found out that in my womb a tiny baby was growing and developing! My whole world changed! My plans for my future changed as well! I’ve been blessed with this experience several times since this first event. The outcome, four little angels on Earth, two little ones in heaven! Looking forward to more children is exciting! I love the look on my DH’s face when I give him the news, the children as well! The one I always worry about is my eldest who will be 12 next February. I’ve always been careful about preparing him for the next baby especially because he is seven, eight, and ten years older than his siblings.

To my surprise, last Sunday right before going up for Communion, he leans over and whispers, “Mami, I want you to have another baby!”. I was shocked, mainly because I wasn’t expecting this plus our youngest is only 13 months old. As I looked around us, I noticed there was a new born baby in sight and this must have triggered this thought in his sweet mind! Although, our youngest is only 13 months old when compared to the new born he looks old, lol! So I asked him, after Mass, “where did that come from?” and “our little one is still a baby”. His answer, “it’s not the same, he’s walking, talking-some, expressing himself and showing his personality! While new babies are so quiet and sweet and yummy to hold and have an amazing smell!” I wanted to cry from the excitement! He loves babies and misses the joy of a new one. In thinking about this, he has prayed and hoped for all of his siblings. I remember him wanting one since he was very small, and every time he prayed, BINGO! God does hear prayers of our children! While I’m not here to announce that we are expecting, just yet…I wanted to share this sweet moment I had with my son. LOL!

With this in mind, I want to remind you that we are wrapping things up for this month’s topic on the Domestic Church. Tomorrow is the last day to enter your chance to win one of Donna-Marie Cooper O’Doyle’s books, Grace Cafe and Domestic Church: Room by Room.

Last Chance!
Want to know how to win one of her fantastic books? It’s simple… do one or more of the following:

  1. Leave a comment after this post, a similar experience you have had with your children and their love for more children in your Domestic Church.
  2. Post a picture of your kids with a new baby!
  3. Subscribe to our RSS feed (see the button above on the left).
  4. Blog about this topic and link back to this blog. Remember to come back and leave a comment with your link to get credit for your post on “Embracing Motherhood”.
  5. Add yourself to our “Follow Us” section.

Each of the above options will give you an entry per item you do, so you have four chances of entering! At the end of the month, we will post the two winners. It’s that easy!

So Mamas, start commenting, posting, blogging, adding, etc.! to get your hands on these great books!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Catholic wife and mother of five, author, journalist, speaker, reviewer, catechist, Lay Missionary of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Order) and lover of nature. Widely published and deeply experienced in both family life and religious life, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle counted Blessed Teresa of Calcutta among her personal friends. She maintains numerous Web sites and has founded several Catholic apostolates and ministries. For more information on this wonderful Catholic author, please visit here. For a daily dose of inspiration, visit Donna’s blog at http://viewdomesticchurch.blogspot.com/.

For a review of the Domestic Church book, check out this Catholic Blogging Homeschooling Mama’s site.

Thank you for following Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints! Visit us again soon!
catholicism

Prayers for the Fidelity in a Mother’s Vocation

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“Dear God, give me the grace to appreciate the dignity of motherhood, which Thou hast been pleased to bestow upon me, and to fulfill its duties according to Thy Will. By my prayers and good example, may I lead my husband and my children closer to Thy Sacred Heart. Make me a devoted wife to my husband and a good mother to my children after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Almighty God, I thank Thee for the blessed care and protection with which Thou hast embraced my family. I humbly submit to Thy decrees and resign myself to Thy Pivine Providence. I grasp Thy guiding hand, and I shall never follow my own ways lest they lead me astray. Thy good pleasure shall be my happiness; Thy commandments shall be my only rule of conduct. Thy Will shall be my will, and Thy service shall be the object of all my desires.

Lord, grant me peace of mind because of my trust in Thy Providence, an unwavering and cheerful courage founded on my faith in Thy tremendous love, faithfulness to duty resulting from a constant awareness of Thy presence, and a firm hope of eternal reward.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I implore Thy blessing upon my family that we all may serve Thee faithfully in this life and deserve to be reunited in the eternal happiness of Thy heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

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catholicism, Domestic Church, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Domestic Church: Room by Room – Family Altars

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This month, we have been discussing how our homes are our Domestic Church. In my quest for new ideas to bring into our home, I virtually met up at Faith and Family Connect, with Catholic author, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle. She has written several books on this topic and we spoke about my desire to spread the news of her wonderful book entitled, The Domestic Church: Room by Room. At the end of August, we will raffle off two of her books to two different Catholic Mamas.

One will be the aforementioned title and the other is her book, Grace Cafe: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering. I will give you details on how to sign up for the giveaway at the end of this post. 😉

My family’s decision to homeschool (after many months of prayer), was only made possible because the Lord willed it. In turn, our lives have changed tremendously for the best. We are a more united and prayerful family than we were a year ago. As I reflected on this past year, I realized we grew stronger as a couple and as a family and it had to do with two things, one, opening our lives more to the Lord, and two, creating a Domestic Church within our home.

So how do you create a domestic church, you may ask? Lets begin, room by room and see the appearance of our homes. As I think of this a little further…and pray tons, I realized that our home was missing something. We have the Sacramentals all over the house, rosaries, crucifixes, etc., and yes, we are missing statues! but, that’s not what I was searching for. We are missing a central location for prayer. When I taught in Catholic schools (my pre-homeschooling life) all of the classrooms had something in common – no matter what grade and that was a prayer table or classroom altar. So, this is what our home (and homeschool) is missing, a Family Altar! The next question would be, where? What better place than the center of our home, the mantle of our fireplace! This is the place I would I love to create our Family Altar. It is my nature to jump right to it and get it all done! But as my tech guy (my DH, that is) and I prayed about it, we thought it would be great if this was our first homeschool Religion project! So I’m looking for ideas….I found this wonderful site with tons of ideas:

“In contradistinction to the typical home which has a television set as its centerpiece, the focal point of a Catholic home should be the family altar — a place where the family can gather to offer up their prayers to the Most Holy Trinity and to ask the Saints to pray for them. Morning Offerings, family Rosaries, prayers for special intentions, family novenas, Lectio Divina, etc., can all be made here.

Family altars, ideally, should be on the Eastern wall of a home, in the same orientation as church buildings. The altar can be as simple or as elaborate as one desires, but should be beautiful and conducive to contemplation. A few key items to be placed on or around the altar table are:

Crucifix
Sacred Scripture (Douay-Rheims)
Missal(s)
icons (statues and/or two-dimensional)
a Holy Water font
 a cellar of blessed salt
charcoal incense burner
Rosaries
vigil candles, candles blessed at Candlemas (to burn on All Saints Day and in times of trouble), and Baptismal candles (for use at weddings and during Unction)

Other things one might want to consider are the Breviary or the Little Office of Our Lady, Holy Cards, flowers, prie-dieux, the names of dead family members printed on beautiful parchment so we may be reminded to pray for them (having their funeral holy cards there would be nice, too), pictures of the Stations of the Cross or the Mysteries of the Rosary, something with which to play sacred music and Gregorian chant, sick call sets, palm branches from Palm Sunday, certificate of a papal blessing, etc.”

If you visit the wonderful folks at fisheaters.com, you can see more ideas beyond the Family Altar as well on this very same topic of creating a Domestic Church. A great site! I also searched the web and found some pictures and examples of Family Altars. I can’t wait to get started, with my family, on ours. If you already have a Family Altar, I’d love to see a picture of yours! Do share!


So, want to know how to win one of her fantastic books? It’s simple… do one or more of the following:

  1. Leave a comment after this post, on what we’d find on your FAMILY ALTAR and why they are so important in your Domestic Church. (if this is new to you, comment on if this is something you’d consider doing with your own family).
  2. Post a picture of your Family Altar (if you have one already).
  3. Subscribe to our RSS feed (see the button above on the left).
  4. Blog about this topic and link back to this blog. Remember to come back and leave a comment with your link to get credit for your post on “Family Altars”.
  5. Add yourself to our “Follow Us” section.

Each of the above options will give you an entry per item you do, so you have four chances of entering! At the end of the month, we will post the two winners. It’s that easy!

So Mamas, start commenting, posting, blogging, adding, etc.! to get your hands on these great books!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Widely published and deeply experienced in both family life and religious life, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle counted Blessed Teresa of Calcutta among her personal friends. She maintains numerous Web sites and has founded several Catholic apostolates and ministries. For more information on this wonderful Catholic author, please visit here. For a daily dose of inspiration, visit Donna’s blog at http://viewdomesticchurch.blogspot.com/.

For a review of the Domestic Church book, check out this Catholic Blogging Homeschooling Mama’s site.

Thank you for following Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints! Visit us again soon!
catholicism, promultis, resources

Pro Multis celebrates 16th year in business

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I received this e-mail from some friends. My DH knows them well and manages their website, promultis.com. I was excited to see this e-mail and that they are celebrating 16 years of commitment to the Lord and wanted to share it with you. Bonnie and Al Huntz are the owners, they raised six children and are enjoying the fruits of their labors as their children are now homeschooling their grandchildren! Please join me in praying that this wonderful Catholic business continues for at least another 16 years. Here’s the e-mail:

Pro Multis Catholic Books and Gift Center, 1850 Colvin Blvd., Tonawanda, was opened Aug. 15, 1993, the same day as the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Owners Al and Bonnie Huntz were looking for something that would become an important part of their Catholic evangelization.

Al said, “I enjoy meeting new and interesting people just about every day and also being able to help some of them in matters concerning the Catholic faith. Today Pro Multis has become a success and the store has grown into the largest and most comprehensive Catholic store in Western New York and Southern Ontario. They are known for their wide selection of Catholic books, rosaries, medals, CDs, DVDs, wall art, wall crucifixes, and Confirmation gift items.

Al pointed out how happy and proud him and his wife are to be celebrating their 16th year in the business. They will, however, be closed Aug. 15 for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, as is customary for them to close on all holy days of obligation of the Catholic church. Pro Multis takes pride in carrying several items that are hard to find anywhere else in the area. They sell many traditional items that were popular prior to the Vatican Council II, as well as Latin books and missals in English, French, Spanish and Italian.

They also are noted for their wide selection of used books. And, they specialize in mail orders for items that are not available in the store. Pro Multis Catholic Books and Gift Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
To learn more about the store or to order items online visit www.promultis.com.

Thank you for following Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints! Visit us again soon!
catholicism, Domestic Church, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Domestic Church: Room by Room – Sacramentals

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As many of you have read in our introductory post, this blog has been completely directed from God. He stirred in me to start this and I will do as He wishes with it…which leads me to something really exciting! How important is it that we surround ourselves with all things Catholic? I’m not implying that we lock ourselves in our homes and don’t socialize with others that aren’t; this, actually, would go against our Church teachings. What I’m saying is that for us to go out and spread the Word of God, we have to start with a solid foundation in our homes.

This month, we will be having active discussions on creating a Domestic Church in our homes. In my quest for new ideas in our home, I virtually met up at Faith and Family Connect, with Catholic author, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle. She has written several books on this topic and we spoke about my desire to spread the news of her wonderful book entitled, The Domestic Church: Room by Room. At the end of August, we will raffle off two of her books to two different Catholic Mamas.

One will be the aforementioned title and the other is her book, Grace Cafe: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering. I will give you details on how to sign up for the giveaway at the end of this post. 😉

My family’s decision to homeschool (after many months of prayer), was only made possible because the Lord willed it. In turn, our lives have changed tremendously for the best. We are a more united and prayerful family than we were a year ago. As I reflected on this past year, I realized we grew stronger as a couple and as a family and it had to do with two things, one, opening our lives more to the Lord, and two, creating a Domestic Church within our home.

So how do you create a domestic church, you may ask? Lets begin, room by room and see the appearance of our homes. As I think of this, it reminds me of something Father John Corapi said once – possibly in his conversion story. (If you haven’t had a chance to hear it, it is the BEST and most powerful conversion story-see next short blog, a condensed version of it!) Long story short, as the Lord was calling him back to Church, he wanted to be in a safe place, “were Satan would be scared to go” and he decided (with his mother’s persuasion) to go back home and contemplate on his life. Why was his parent’s home a safe place? It wasn’t that this home was in another state it was the fact that it was bombarded with Sacramentals! There are pictures of Mary, Jesus, the saints, Crucifixes, scapulars, saint relics, family altars, Holy Water fonts, etc., there. He says it best and in the funniest way, his parents home said to Satan in big block letter, “KEEP OUT! or ELSE!” So for starters, look around your home. Does it say, this is a Catholic home? Do you have all the sacramentals that our rich faith avails us? What are sacramentals? Here’s a great excerpt written by Catholic author, Regina Doman on this subject:

“Sacramentals run the gamut from blessings of consecrated virgins to articles such as relics and rosaries. Some, such as holy water, are used by almost every Catholic. Others are more personal, such as devotionals to a particular saint.

Sacramentals have embellished the official liturgies of the Church or sprung from the cultures of different peoples and different times.

For being Catholic is more than the bare bones: attending Mass, receiving Communion twice a year, going to confession, getting confirmed, married and buried in the Church. It is even more than practicing virtues and avoiding sin. It is a way of life in which the body, its senses and spirit are intermingled.

Sacramentals, by their very voluntariness, their apparent status as extras, can supply the externals that make the Catholic way of life singular and outstanding.

Sacramentals are not superstitions, holdovers from pre-Christian days, or Catholic substitutes for the longing of pagans to dance around trees and mutter spells. There is a part of us that longs for something tangible we can hold on to, something to look at, something to touch, something to sing, chant or recite, something that interacts with the senses. The sacraments, those sacred mixtures of matter and the Holy Spirit, fulfill that need. And so, in a lesser way, do sacramentals.”

To read the whole article, go here.

So, want to know how to win one of her fantastic books? It’s simple… do one or more of the following:

  1. Leave a comment after this post, on what Sacramentals we’d find in your home and why are they so important in your Domestic Church.
  2. Subscribe to our RSS feed (see the button above on the left).
  3. Blog about this topic and link back to this blog. Remember to come back and leave a comment with your link to get credit for your post on “Sacramentals”.
  4. Add yourself to our “Follow Us” section.

Each of the above options will give you an entry per item you do, so you have four chances of entering! At the end of the month, we will post the two winners. It’s that easy!

So Mamas, start commenting, posting, blogging, adding, etc.! to get your hands on these great books!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Widely published and deeply experienced in both family life and religious life, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle counted Blessed Teresa of Calcutta among her personal friends. She maintains numerous Web sites and has founded several Catholic apostolates and ministries. For more information on this wonderful Catholic author, please visit here. For a daily dose of inspiration, visit Donna’s blog at http://viewdomesticchurch.blogspot.com/.

For a review of the Domestic Church book, check out this Catholic Blogging Homeschooling Mama’s site.

Thank you for following Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints! Visit us again soon!
catholicism

Mass Control

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http://www.catholicsupply.com/BOOKS/87266.jpg
I found this article on Catholic Exchange and found it very insightful. Something we struggle with constantly with our four blessings, particularly number two and three who are four and three years old right now…this mother of seven shares her ideas on Mass Control.

Here’s an excerpt:

As the parents of seven children, my husband and I have worked hard over the years at keeping our little ones under control during Sunday Mass. We have experimented with various ideas as well as asking our friends and family for advice.

Everyone has their own thoughts about how to handle children at Mass. Some families choose to leave little ones at home, while the adults attend separately. This works well for the families I know, as it gives Mom and Dad the opportunity to spend some quiet time with Our Lord and allows them to get the most out of the Mass. Once their young children are mature enough to behave in church without a lot of intervention, they bring them along.

We have a different philosophy at our house. We prefer to attend Mass as a family. I want my children to feel at home going to church from the earliest age. It’s been a long time since I could really concentrate on the beauty of the Mass, but I am confident the Lord understands my dilemma. For those of you who share this philosophy, I present the following top-ten list on keeping the peace during Mass.

To see this list, go to Mass Control

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catholicism

Papa Ben & Obama

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I’m certain that I wasn’t alone today in prayer for our Holy Father’s meeting with US President Barak Obama. I prayed that the Holy Ghost would guide Papa Ben and that Mr. Obama would open his mind and ears to hear the TRUTH! I know, it’s a stretch but hey, I believe in miracles!

Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to hear the powerful words of Pope Benedict XVI to Mr. Obama. I’ll just have to be satisfied with the vatican’s statement on the meeting and the BBC’s video above. ;p

This afternoon, Friday 10 July 2009, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in Audience the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. Barack H. Obama. Prior to the Audience, the President met His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, and also His Excellency Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.

In the course of their cordial exchanges the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interests of all and which constitute a great challenge for the future of every nation and for the true progress of peoples, such as the defence and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience.

Reference was also made to immigration with particular attention to the matter of reuniting families.

The meeting focused as well upon matters of international politics, especially in light of the outcome of the G8 Summit. The conversation also dealt with the peace process in the Middle East, on which there was general agreement, and with other regional situations. Certain current issues were then considered, such as dialogue between cultures and religions, the global economic crisis and its ethical implications, food security, development aid especially for Africa and Latin America, and the problem of drug trafficking. Finally, the importance of educating young people everywhere in the value of tolerance was highlighted.

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catholicism, vocations

Fishers of Men

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Click on the image above to visit the USCCB and see the newly ordained. PLEASE join me in praying for them!

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“I attribute my vocation to the witness of many good priests that I have met and the prayers of dedicated religious sisters. Without the witness of those many good priests in my life and the graces received through the prayers of cloistered Carmelite sisters, I would probably not have considered a vocation to the priesthood.
Father Aaron Ferris
Diocese of Grand Rapids

“People would be surprised to know that I have a regular story. Played high school sports…some baseball in College. Always liked going to Mass. Have a strong love for Mary and do not think I would have entered seminary without her maternal love.”
Father Theodore Lange
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

 “People would be surprised to know that I was encouraged in my vocation to religious life through my experience of Christian fraternity as an undergraduate at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and confirmed in that vocation through the many graces that accompanied my battle with brain cancer.”
Father Jonah Pollock, O.P.
Order of Preachers, Province of St. Joseph

“Christmas of 1987, as I was preparing to receive my First Communion, I learned about the Catholic faith, Jesus’ ministry, and what a vocation to priesthood meant. I remembered telling my Dad about my interest in becoming a priest. My Dad smiled at me and told me to put it into Gods hands.”
Father Quy Vo
Diocese of Albany


To read more quotes, go here.

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catholicism, vocations

The Mystery of the Rosary and the Real Presence of Christ

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I’m a devout follower of Father Corapi. He is such an amazing preacher. I’ve been trying to catch up and view all of the episodes off of EWTN of which I’ve programmed to record on our DVR. I’ve heard him speak on both of the subjects in the title of this post. Such amazing clarity in his words! If you’ve never had a chance to hear him, and your cable provider offers EWTN, you have to watch him at some point! If you know who I’m talking about, you MUST agree that he is amazing! His conversion story is also!!! As I was searching some information on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, I was blessed to have found this video on youtube.

Here we have both the Rosary and the Real Presence of Christ together in the video presented by none other than the amazing and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta! “How can anyone think about the Gospels, and not see Mary is there in the beginning and in the end of the Gospels?” Mother of Mercy, pray for us!

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