Sacraments
The Blessing of Children
On Saturday, October 28, we had the privilege of witnessing our tenth godchild’s baptism. I was surprised and honored when our godson’s mother called and asked if we would be godparents to their soon to be adopted baby boy. Little did she know that Mikhael would be born one month early and shortly after calling…
Read MoreEncouraging Confession
A few weeks ago, a friend asked me how we encourage our children to go to confession. I shared the following with her. I am sharing it here just in case it helps any other mothers. In my family, we make it a habit to go to confession on the First Friday/First Saturday of each…
Read MoreAidan’s Baptism
“When a child is given to his parents, a crown is made for that child in Heaven, and woe to the parents who raise a child without consciousness of that eternal crown!” ~ Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Life is Worth Living ~ On June 19, our little boy was baptized after Sunday Mass by our…
Read MoreFinnian’s First Holy Communion
Ready to leave for Mass During the weeks leading up to Finnian’s First Holy Communion, he was bubbling over with excitement. On Mother’s Day, he came to me and said, “Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mommy, and happy quizzing day to me.” Fr. S. and Fr. V. were going to be quizzing the First Commumion…
Read More2013 A Year in Review
Last year, I posted a year in review a couple of days early. This year, it’s better late than never… In January, we celebrated some birthdays and Baptism anniversaries with family and friends. I also continued to take a lot of photos of our little boy. February saw our little boy crawling and pulling himself…
Read MoreConfirmation 2013
On Saturday, December 21, Theresa was blessed to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Brendan had the privilege of serving for the Confirmation ceremony. Cecilia, I sign thee with the Sign of the Cross+ and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation: In the name of the Father+, and of the Son+, and of the…
Read MoreBaptism Anniversary Presents
Each year, we celebrate our children’s Baptism anniversaries by going to Mass if possible, having a Mass offered for them (not always on their anniversary), giving our son/daughter a religious gift, and having a special dessert after dinner. With our first child, we started by giving her a book each year; however, as our family…
Read MoreFirst Holy Communion
On Sunday, May 6, Patrick was delighted to receive his First Holy Communion. With Theresa’s and my help, he had been patiently preparing at home since September and in our parish’s First Communion class since January. As the day got closer, we used Preparing for My First Holy Communion and Patrick carefully contemplated what he would offer to…
Read MoreBaptism
On Mary’s day, the first Saturday in May, after Patrick’s First Confession, Mass, and his First Holy Communion practice, our pastor baptized Kieran. Much to my joy, Kieran’s baptism was followed by our pastor consecrating him to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May Our Blessed Mother always protect and watch over Kieran! Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that…
Read MoreFirst Confession
On Saturday, May 5, Patrick went to confession for the first time. After confessing his sins to Fr. Harkins, FSSP, Patrick said to me, “Mommy, I like going to confession. It is fun!” When we arrived home, he asked me, “Do I have to sin before I can go to confession again?” “As the Father…
Read MoreBaptism
“-Receive the sacraments soon and frequently. This cannot be emphasized enough. Baptize babies immediately. If Aunt Martha can’t make it for two months to see the baby, go ahead and throw the baptismal party when it’s convenient for her, but don’t postpone the sacrament to fit her or anyone’s schedule. It is most important that…
Read MoreBrendan’s Confirmation
On Wednesday, January 11, Brendan, his father and I went to his Confirmation evening of recollection. The evening began with a monastic type of potluck dinner, during which all of the participants remained silent while our pastor read to us about Maria (a holy young girl who lived in Mexico). After dinner, we proceeded to…
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