Filled with Joy

St. Jerome Emiliani

Feast Day:  February 8

patron saint of orphans and abandoned children

St. Jerome Emiliani was a commander in charge of a fortress in Venice, Italy.  He was captured and put into chains in a dark dungeon.  He didn't care much about God because he didn't think he needed Him.  While in that dungeon, however, Jerome decided to get rid of the chains that bound him.  He let go of his worldly attachments and embraced God.

When he finally was able to escape, he hung his metal chains in the nearby church of Treviso -- in gratitude not only for being freed from physical prison but from his spiritual dungeon as well.

 Jerome cared for the children who had no one.  He cared so much that he became their family, and used his own money to rent a house for the orphans.  He made sure they ate, were clothed, and educated them. He opened orphanages and hospitals.

~ Activity ~

Make paper chains. 

 

 Explain spiritual chains can keep us prisoners in sin and away from a relationship with God.

Break free from the chains that bind you!

 
~~Prayer~~

Saint Jerome Emiliani, watch over all children who are abandoned or unloved. Give us the courage to show them God's love through our care. Help us to lose the chains that keep us from living the life God intended for us.

 Amen

St. Agnes Lambs

Familia Catolica introduced me to Liturgical Folders.  They are a perfect way to display and store the information we want to focus on for a saint..  Much simpler than a lapbook, but it can be as simple as a coloring sheet with a prayer or filled with as many details as we feel up to including.

 

The St. Agnes coloring page can be found here in her sidebar.

This is the first time we have celebrated the Feast of St Agnes.  We learned a lot during our internet search for information about her and how this day is celebrated.

My children wanted to know why she was pictured with a lamb, and why were there so many crafts and foods on blogs?

We found out that Agnes in Latin means "lamb" and "pure or chaste" in Greek. 

 There is a tradition of blessing lambs on her feast day.  That wool is used to make palliums that every year on June 29, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Pope places a pallium around the neck of each new Archbishop.

 

Simple marshmallow Lamb Cupcakes

 Prayer to St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

O Little St. Agnes, so young and yet made so strong and wise by the power of God, protect by your prayers all the young people of every place whose goodness and purity are threatened by the evils and impurities of this world.

Give them strength in temptation and a true repentance when they fail.

Help them to find true Christian friends to accompany them in following the Lamb of God and finding safe pastures in His Church and in her holy sacraments.

May you lead us to the wedding banquet of heaven to rejoice with you and all the holy virgin martyrs in Christ who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

Feast of St. Nicholas ~~ 2010

 All of my children put their shoes under the Christmas tree to be filled with gifts from St. Nicholas. Tradition calls for chocolate coins!  Everything else is a surprise. Well, Anthony doesn't have any shoes, yet.  He's still in socks, but he got a few baby treats.

 

While they colored pictures of St. Nicholas from Paper Dali , I made St. Nicholas pancakes for breakfast.

 

Miraculous Medal Craft

The Miraculous Medal coloring pages came from Familia Catolica.  It's a wonderful website with many ideas to celebrate the liturgical year.

 

 

 

For now, it hangs over our family altar. 

Celebrating ~ St. Martin de Porres

Since we plan to make our traditional treats, I wanted to share this archived post from last year's celebration:

Feast Day: St. Martin de Porres, November 3

Patron Saint of my husband and eldest son.

St. Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579. He was the illegitimite son of a Spanish nobleman and black woman. Juan, his father, had a disdain for Martin's dark skin color. He abandoned his family, leaving Martin with the stigma of coming from a home with no father, mixed blood, and very poor. He apprenticed as a barber-surgeon.

(My children outlined then colored this beautiful St. Martin de Porres Icon that I plan to purchase.)

At the age of 15, he began working as a lay helper in the Dominican monastery's infirmary helping sick people. His superiors dropped the stipulations that "no black person may be received to the holy habit or profession of our order" and Martin took vows as a Dominican brother. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Martin was humble and charitable, helping everyone in need.

Patron Saint of black and mixed race people, social justice, racial harmony, hairdressers, barbers, poor people...

He is the first Black saint of the Americas.

Peruvian Garlic Chicken

 

St. Martin de Porres showed love and kindness to all people and creatures.

There is a tale of his kindness even to the mice that were eating the sacred linens in the sacristy.

It inspired us to come up with this fun, absolutely adorable dessert.

 

~ Chocolate Mice ~

Simple enough my girls were able to assemble without help.

To you Saint Martin de Porres we prayerfully lift up our hearts filled with serene confidence and devotion. Mindful of your unbounded and helpful charity to all levels of society and also of your meekness and humility of heart, we offer our petitions to you. Pour out upon our families the precious gifts of your solicitous and generous intercession; show to the people of every race and every color the paths of unity and of justice; implore from our Father in heaven the coming of his kingdom, so that through mutual benevolence in God men may increase the fruits of grace and merit the rewards of eternal life.

Amen.

St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!

 

Easter Lamb Cake

 

St. Nicholas Pancakes

These are a first for us, but I really wanted to suprise my children with these special pancakes for the Feast of St. Nicholas.

 

There are several places to find a "recipe" for Santa pancakes, but I used our regular pancake recipe.  Cherry pie filling to shape the hat and one for the nose, sliced banana eyes and around the pancake for the sideburns and beard. Of course, the whipping cream for the finishing touches. 

Feast Day ~~ St. John Berchmans

 

To An Altar Boy

  

 

To be Christ's page at the altar,

To serve Him freely there.

Where even the Angels falter,

Bowed low in reverent prayer.

 

To touch the throne most holy,

To hand the gifts for the feast,

To see Him meekly, lowly,

Descend at the word of the priest.

 

To hear man's poor petition,

To sound the silver bell,

When He in sweet submission,

Comes down with us to dwell.

 

No grander mission surely

Could Saints or men enjoy;

No heart should love more purely,

Than yours my altar boy.

 

God bless you, lad, forever,

And keep you in His care,

And Guard you that you never

Belie the robes you wear.

 

For white bespeaks untainted

A heart both tried and true;

And red tolls love the sainted

The holy martyrs knew.

 

Throughout life, then, endeavor

God's graces to employ;

And be in heart forever

A holy altar boy.

 

  ~~by St. John Berchman

  (Patron of Altar Servers)

St. Martin de Porres

Today we celebrated my husband and Nicholas' patron saint, St Martin de Porres. 

 O God, the rewarder of the humble, you raised up the blessed confessor Martin to the kingdom of heaven. May his merits and prayers help us to imitate his humility on earth that we may be exalted with him in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Feast of the Archangels

We are creating a litugical year notebook.

 

I'm thankful for Charlotte's coloring pages. 
 

Devils food cake.....what's left of it.  All four kids had their hand in making it.  By the time I remembered to grab the camera, it was only a sweet memory.