Cottage Blessings

Eighty-eight years ago today

a baby boy was born in Wadowice, Poland who would grow up to change the world.

Happy Birthday, Pope John Paul II! We miss you.

Beauty lies in many eyes,

particularly those of the children of our homeschooling group.

Here are perhaps a little more than half the children who attended our annual May Crowning yesterday. By the time this group shot was taken, most of the others had already skipped off to the swings, scooters, and snack tables. As usual, blue was the color of the day.

Before the guests arrived, I stockpiled a basket full of medals, cards and books for the children.

The ribbons and medals were part of a simple craft planned for the children--beribboned medals to wear to the crowning. Browsing the craft store, I found favor ties meant for weddings and thought they would be perfect for making wearable pins, particularly because the lilies, white flowers and bells (reminding me of the Bell's of St. Mary's) are so perfect for Our Lady. When crafting for a crowd, it helps to save precious time, and favor ties meant less cutting and measuring of ribbon.

Here is one of the gorgeous little rosary books I picked up for the children--small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but featuring full color illustrations of all four mysteries (yes, even the Luminous). These books will need to wait a bit though--in the hustle and bustle of the day's events, I forgot to give them out!

The simplest, quickest Marian activity in the world, step-by-step:

The children worked on the pins as they arrived:

My girls love to add their own stamp of creativity to any idea, so here are a few samples they made in the morning:

[Cost per project: about 75 to 99 cents, except for larger medals.]

We began the Crowning with a procession led by the first communicants, followed by all the children. Our music--including Queen of the Holy Rosary, Regina Coeli, Bring Flow'rs of the Fairest, Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above and others were led by the girls from Our Lady of the Angels Choir under the direction of Miss Lynn Wilson. (I am proud to say that Agnes and Theresa are members.) We said the rosary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. [From the appendix of True Devotion to Mary, Montfort Publications.] I had originally hoped to fill a basket with the petitions of all our group members, but this is another of those things that was lost in the shuffle of a busy day.

As you can see, our festive Marian Lanterns made a fitting backdrop for the occasion:

The sight of first communicants in May makes my heart sing--how well I remember being among the joyful first communicants processing into the school yard of St. Mary's School many, many years ago. We too sang "Bring Flowers of the Fairest." The Catholic Faith is the stuff of beautiful memories.

The crowning moment:

And how much do you love this picture of our gorgeous first communicants with Heather's daughter Lily smiling directly at the face of Our Blessed Mother?! I have no doubt Our Lady is smiling right back!

May the grace of the mystery of the Coronation of the Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth, come down into our hearts.

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May Crowning trivia: Our three first communicants banner image was taken during last year's crowning.

Summer Reading

Maureen Wittman has some marvelous books to sell. Now is the perfect time to purchase For the Love of Literature and The Catholic Homeschool Companion--just in time for lounging around the pool!

Novena to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Day 9

MARY, THE DISPENSATRIX OF EUCHARISTIC GRACES

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

O Virgin Immaculate, Mother most loving and admirable Model of adorers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, thou
art also the dispensatrix of the graces necessary to fulfill that great duty! Grant us, then, we beseech thee, as the
fruit of this novena, the virtues that will render our adoration less unworthy of thy Divine Son. Teach us to honor
so well this Mystery of mysteries that we may receive here below the graces it contains, in order to enjoy in
heaven the eternal life of which it is the pledge!

Versicle, response and prayer as on the first day.

Prayers from Novena Calendar.

Novena to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Day 8

MARY, THE MODEL OF PRAYER

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

O Virgin Immaculate, while the Apostles went to preach the Gospel, thou didst remain close to the tabernacle,
supplicating for them the goodness of the Savior, and thy prayer obtained for them the grace to convert the
world! Teach us to pray, above all, to pray near the tabernacle, where Jesus wills to abide continually in order to
hear our petitions. Teach us to pray for the extension of the Eucharistic kingdom, for the salvation of the whole
world, for the exaltation of the Holy Church, and most especially for the sanctification of the clergy and the
conversion of sinners.

Versicle, Response, and Prayer as on the first day.

Prayers from Novena Calendar.

"Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry"

What perfect words of advice from wonderworker, St. Pio!

To learn more about his life, please visit EWTN's Padre Pio website.

Here is remarkably clear footage of Padre Pio celebrating his last Mass along with the funeral of St. Pio.

[Warning: There are some virulent anti-Catholic comments beneath the "last Mass" video. We pray, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."]

Please pray for a woman from my parish named Antoinetta. She approached me after Mass today looking for advice on how to become more involved at church. Then she confided that she is experiencing deep pain over the loss of her husband Francisco five years ago. She said she can hardly stand it anymore and hopes further involvement in the parish will ease her sorrow.

Francisco is the baptismal name of St. Pio. Through the intercession of this great Capuchin, we ask consolation for Antoinetta and the repose of the soul of her husband.

St. Pio (May 25, 1887 to September 23, 1968)

[Padre Pio photo from this page at EWTN.]

Novena to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Day 7

MARY, THE MODEL OF REPARATION

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

O Virgin Immaculate, thou didst adore thy Divine Son in His state of perpetual Victim, always immolated on our
altars, incessantly demanding, by His death, grace and mercy for sinners. We unite with thy dolors and thy perfect
reparation. We desire to accept our daily trials for love of Him, and with thee to console Jesus for the ingratitude
of men and the outrages He daily receives in the Blessed Sacrament.

Versicle, Response, and Prayer as on the first day.

Prayers from Novena Calendar.

Crafting for a Crowd: Marian Lanterns

In the memoir of her life, Sister Lucia of Fatima looks back upon how she and her cousins, Blessed Francisco and Jacinta liked to call the moon "Our Lady's Lantern." This is perfect imagery because the moon gets it light from the sun, or, in Our Lady's case, from the Son. In honor of this recollection--with the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima right around the corner--we shared these "Marian lanterns" with the children of our local group.

Paper lanterns are readily available at the craft or party store and come in a wide array of colors. [Ours looked something like this, but they were only $1.49 each at Michael's Craft Store. SEE UPDATE BELOW.] Holy pictures, glitter, ribbon and silk flowers were all we needed to create a festive display for our upcoming May Crowning. The pictures tell the tale:

And now, some notes from the "Live and Learn" files:

1. Laminated holy cards are difficult to glue onto round surfaces, particularly without a glue gun.

2. Big round lanterns roll, presenting something of a difficulty for very young children. They were all so excited about this craft though that they did not let this daunt them for long!

3. If you decide to change the date of your May Crowning, make sure the friends who live furthest away and have the most children hear about it before they travel hours to be there. If you do make a mistake of this magnitude, hope that the victim has a heart of gold and will forgive you immediately.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . . .

Over the weekend, with the assistance of a glue gun, the older girls and I made a few more beauties to decorate the family room for May:

Fatima Lantern

The holy card image shows the vision Sister Lucia had just before leaving Fatima to begin her life as a nun. She sees grace and mercy flowing from Our Lord on the cross.

We added a pretty watering can to remind us of the showers of grace available to all who seek them.

Mount Carmel Lantern

[You will note that this is a beautiful and reverent use for an old scapular we had been keeping in a drawer. We attached it so that it would still be usable in the future.]

Holy Name of Mary Lantern (work in progress)

Queen of Peace Lantern

May Our Lady shed her light into our hearts, during this month of May and always!

Warning: Although these paper lanterns are designed for use with an actual lightbulb, once decorated, this becomes a fire hazard. (Candles would not be safe for these lanterns either.)

Variations on a theme

If you will not have time to complete a project like this during May, how about saving the idea for All Saints Day on November 1st? Collect holy cards to create a range of saints' lanterns with your family or homeschooling group. These would make a festive decoration if placed outside the house for All Hallows Eve or at the center of your group's All Saints Day party. Liturgical colors, such as red for martyrs, would add to the beauty and symbolism.

If you can't find paper lanterns, there are many ways to improvise. Decorate colored bags, large paper mache or styrofoam balls, discarded Christmas ornaments or bright coffee cans.

Cost per project: $1.49 for each lantern, plus embellishments. Figure at least $2 to $3 each.

[UPDATE: We used 8 inch lanterns made by a company called Darice. I could not find them online, but managed to find these reasonably priced substitutes in a wide array of colors.]

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Coming Soon

Some of my local friends may be wondering why I did not post last week's project: "Spiritual Ships." The story will be appearing in the first issue of the new magazine, mater et magistra (formerly Heart and Mind).

The closing statement

in this story says it all.

Novena to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Day 6

MARY, THE MODEL OF THANKSGIVING

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

O Virgin Immaculate, who didst return to Jesus so perfect Thanksgiving for the institution of the Divine Eucharist
and the ineffable Gift in which the Savior exhausted His power and the treasures of His Heart, teach us to thank
thy Divine Son for this great benefit, and especially to make our thanksgiving well when we have had the
happiness of receiving Him in Holy Communion.

Versicle, Response, and Prayer as on the first day.

[Prayers from Novena Calendar.]