Each month I like to choose a few saints from the liturgical calendar to celebrate. Sometimes I have my act together and plan the whole month ahead of time, and sometimes I find out that it’s a feast day when I’m reading morning prayer from my Magnificat and scramble to find an appropriate coloring page/craft/book/baking … Read more
This past week I began reading the writings of St. Bernadette. She’s a saint that is not entirely new to me, but one that I admit that I’ve glossed over until now. Bernadette always struck me as quite holy, but slightly uninteresting, which is only a result of my own ignorance and failure to look … Read more
“With ever growing confidence we pray for heavenly defense.” These words from the morning hymn from the Magnificat kicked me in the stomach today. Ever growing. Is my confidence in the Lord ever growing? The honest answer is no. My confidence in the Lord, like my faith, can easily stagnate if I let it. Sometimes … Read more
Gram has struggled with bouts of depression for a long time. At least since moving here, probably longer. At 96 she’s lost more friends and family members than she has left. She’s outlived two of her children. I’m the first to admit that I can’t understand the depth of those losses because I haven’t lived … Read more
One of the hardest parts of elder care, at least for me, is finding the right balance between what Gram is capable of and what she needs help with. As she’s gotten older, we’ve seen new losses of capacity, most of which happened gradually, though looking back at where she was 4 years ago and … Read more
This morning we took a family church tour. We are beyond blessed to be members at a parish as welcoming to young families as St. Paul’s is, and I am so grateful to Fr. Craig, our associate pastor, who took time out of his busy schedule to show my kids (and Mark, my Mom, and … Read more
Tonight while we were decorating the Christmas tree, or rather, preparing to decorate the Christmas tree, which, with three littles, took about 3 hours, Gram was remembering aloud how her father always insisted on decorating their tree himself growing up. It was his gift to the family. I asked about her mother, hoping to spark … Read more
These are words my son shouted from the front pew at mass two weeks ago. This past Sunday he yelled (again from the front pew), “That guy is drinking Jesus’ blood again!!” Soooooooooo, yea. On the one hand, we have successfully managed to instill in his little heart a belief in the True Presence. On … Read more
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, which means that Advent is one week away. Advent is one of my favorite seasons, and it’s where we began when we first started to try to live more liturgically. It’s a great season to begin because it’s the beginning of the new Church year. It’s … Read more
Tonight was my second opportunity to pray Lectio Divina with Gianna. As promised, here are the nuts and bolts for the process. First of all, I encourage reading the entirety of the passage from a real Bible, not just an excerpt from a tablet or other device. Maria Montessori, a Catholic herself, wrote in her … Read more