A faithful Catholic women.

Last night, I came across a new Catholic women's blog. Thanks to Ebeth for linking to her.

The new blog has a great post and I wanted to spread the word also.

Read the post here. 

Here is the statement Caroline has asked us to post which I am in full agreement with:

I am a faithful practising Roman Catholic woman, who attends Mass at least once a week and who believes in and practices the Church’s teachings, specifically pertaining to matters on sexuality, contraception, abortion, marriage and the ordination of women. I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is sympathetic to and representative of the needs and concerns of women and their children, wherever they may be in the world. I would like to offer our new Pope Francis, my prayers and support and thank him for his continued protection and support of mothers and their unborn children. I fully endorse Church doctrine in relation to women’s issues.

Thankful Thursday. We have a new Pope. Giving thanks for the church.

Last night before I went to bed, I set my alarm for 4.30 because I knew that that was the time that smoke would be coming out of the Vatican chimney. I woke up pretty quickly and went to facebook because I knew that my peeps would be posting if we had a new Pope. I noticed after a couple of minutes that my conclave app had an update and it was saying White smoke coming out of the Vatican chimney so jumped out of bed and got Steve up too. We turned on EWTN and saw the Vatican chimney and the Vatican Bells ringing. We sat waiting for the announcement and then Pope Francis came out. It was quite a joyful moment for us all here. Because it was so early, I taped the program for the children to watch rather than waking them so early.

A couple of years ago, a non Catholic challenged me in my faith in God because I am Catholic. At the time, he said to  me that we could discuss anything I wanted and he would prove to me that the Catholic church was not from God and that in being a Catholic, I was not following God's plan for my life.

I challenged him with the fact that God started a church and that the Bible was a product of the church, not the church a product of the bible. We had quite a few notes back and forth about this and he showed me lots of Catholic sinners and lots of how his own interpretation of the bible contradicted some of the churches teachings. At the end of it though, he wasn't able to show me that Jesus didn't start a church because it is obvious from scripture that he did.

I am so grateful that God started the Catholic church and that the church guides us in to full truth. He promised us that the gates of hell would never prevail against her and that he would be with us always. For me, the new Pope is a sign that God is faithful in his words and that he is with us.

Therese.

Ash Wednesday.

Today is the start of lent and it is time to give things up that we are attached to and to give alms to those less fortunate than ourselves.

In our family we will be having two  nights a week that are computer and television free.

My own penance will be to have no sugar in my coffee and to go without soft drinks. I am also going to work on making my prayer times more consistent since consistency is my word for the year.

As a family, we will have a prayer basket on the table. In the basket we will put family and friends names. Each night before the family meal, we will draw out the names of friends and say a special prayer for them then. This is an idea I got from  Alison at Totus Tuus.

I guess since we had the announcement of the Pope's resignation the church will be going without a Pope for lent. Well at least for some of it. I was saddened and shocked when I first heard the news but I know that the Holy Father is following the leading of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit will guide the church to her new leader. I really hope we have a new Pope by Holy Week.

I hope you all have a blessed and holy lent.

Therese.

St Therese

46 years ago, I was due to be born on the 3rd of October. My mother and father chose the name Therese Angela as the feast of St Therese was on the 3rd and the feast of the Guardian Angels on the 2nd. I was born on the 1st and years after I was born, the feast of St. Therese was changed to the 1st. Since my parents named me after St. Therese, I did have a small devotion to her and asked her often to intercede for me but I didn't really realise just how holy her life was.

A couple of times, I started reading her autobiography but  found it hard to read and just a bit too fluffy.  

In 2001, we moved away from family and friends for a job that Steve got with Catholic Education. The year was really tough on us. We were adjusting to living away from family and friends, Tom got type one diabetes, Amelia was born and Steve found teaching very difficult. It was a year full of challenges for us.

I was feeling quite annoyed with God and kept on asking him why we were dealing with so much. I cannot remember how I came across St. Therese's autobiography but I remember thinking that I should try and read it one more time and that maybe I could get something out of it.

The story touched me profoundly. I realised just how holy St. Therese was and that her little way was indeed something that could help me live a full life. I knew that been named after such a holy person was a real gift. I also realised just how rich the Catholic church was with patron saints to give us good examples in living the faith. They are just like big brothers and sisters encouraging us and leading us by example.

Thank you St. Therese for your little way and for being such a good example in living a life for God Thank you also for your intercession for my family and me.

Therese.

Confirmation.

During May, Tom started his confirmation preparation with our parish priest. Tom and I have been for lessons for the last three Thursdays. We are working our way through the book Sacrament of Confirmation Catechetics by Fr. Peter Murphy. It is a great program and is preparing Tom for the sacrament really well.

Today we also watched this video:



For his saint, Tom has chosen St. Dominic Salvio.

This weekend, Tom and I will go to Whyalla to buy fabric for some new pants, a good shirt and jacket to wear. Maybe just this once, I can finish them before the day he is confirmed. It has become tradition for me to be putting finishing touches on outfits just a couple of hours before they are due at the church.

He will be confirmed on the 16th of June by Bishop O'Kelly. Between now and then, we will be praying this prayer each day for Tom.

I have also added the Prayer to the Holy Spirit to my sidebar.

Thankful Thursday.

Yesterday it was Steve's 20th anniversary of being a Catholic. He was baptised, confirmed and received Holy Communion for the first time at the Easter vigil in 1992.

Over those 20 years, Steve's and my faith have both grown. We have come to appreciate so many good things about the church and all she teaches.

When Steve first joined the church, I knew faith was something I wanted to pass onto our children, but I think I was more motivated by the culture that I had been brought up in than a commitment to God.

One of the things I love about Steve is when he takes on something new, he takes it on 150%. He did this with his new found faith. For a long time before I meet him, he had been reading the bible. He didn't really know if it was true in  his head but he hoped it was. He was waiting for someone to prove to him that it was true.

Hearing about apparitions and hearing about some of the saints that have had miraculous things happen was the proof he needed. He took on following God and the teachings of the church with the same zeal that he took all other things on.

At first I was worried. I didn't want to be to committed to God. It was okay to believe in him and go to church each week but to take on everything the church taught was just too legalistic and extreme.

Steve was a great example to me though. I realised over time, just how much happier he was within himself and how he was a better husband because of his faith and his commitment to God.

So today I give thanks for Steve and his faith in God. I give thanks that he took on the teachings of the church with such zeal and encouraged me too as well. I give thanks for all the church teaches and that she tells us what is right and what is wrong.

Happy anniversary Steve.

Therese.

Weekend Wrap Up with the Triduum.

Alleluia. Jesus has indeed risen. 

We have had a wonderful and holy Triduum. 

Thursday night, Steve and I went to Holy Thursday Mass. We took Tom with us but the other children stayed home. Tom processed in with the Chrism oil since he is going to be confirmed this year. 

After mass, I took Tom home and then went back to the church for Adoration. I stayed until 11.00 and it was great to sit in the quiet and be with Jesus. 

Friday morning we were up for Stations of the Cross at 10.00 and then back for the 3.00 service. Catholic's do not celebrate mass on Good Friday. We have the readings, veneration of the cross and communion. The hosts are consecrated at Holy Thursday mass. 

I spent Saturday doing house work and cooking. We made coconut ice and chocolate crackles. 

Today we went to Sunday mass and celebrated the Resurrection. Tom and I did some more cooking in the afternoon and made some pound cakes for the Asylum seekers that are living here in Port Augusta. 

We have two weeks of holidays now and I am looking forward to having some relaxation time. 

I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Therese. 

Holy Thursday.

Can you stay awake just one hour?

Holy Thursday. The day Jesus gave us the Holy Eucharist and was betrayed by Judas. I really love Holy Thursday mass and adoration after.



I hope you all have a blessed Triduum.

Feast of St Joseph

I was actually going to post about Joseph's feast day yesterday but was way too tired last night so I have left it till now.

On Monday, it was the Feast of St. Joseph. St. Joseph has been one of my favourite saints to go to for prayers. I am always asking him to pray for us. I believe it was through his intercession that we found our house and Steve got his job here.

I think every time I was pregnant, I suggested Joseph for a boy. When  I was pregnant with Joseph and we found out he was a boy, I said straight away to Steve that I wanted to call him Joseph Benedict. I kept on calling him Joseph all through the pregnancy and was pretty confident that by the end of it, Steve would agree.

When my waters broke and we were driving to the hospital, Steve said, he wanted to have James for the middle name. I said that was fine. I just wanted my Joseph.

So for Joseph's feast day, we started with Mass. There was morning tea after and then on Monday night, Fr. Paul came around for tea. I baked Vanilla and Cream Cheese Pound Cakes for the feast. It was a great day.

Happy Feast day Joseph.

Quick 7.

-1-

Netball.

Tomorrow morning the girls have games first thing in the morning. Amelia plays at 9.00 and Brigette at 10.00. At least it will be over early and we should get a lot of other things done.

-2-

Sewing.

I have traced most of the pattern that I was frightened to sew. Looking at the pattern, it doesn't seem as frightening and the instructions make more sense. I am hoping to finish tracing the pattern tonight and get it cut out tomorrow morning. (If I can get up early enough).

-3-

Musical Theatre.

This year, Madeline, Brigette, Tom, Amelia and Christopher are all in musical theatre. It takes up a lot of our time but they all enjoy it a lot. On Sunday, there is going to be a sewing bee for it so I am going along to help sew some of the costumes.

-4-

Pumps.

Christopher is having a lot of trouble with his pump breaking at the end of the tubing. I think he is just too rough with it. I think he will need to have the pump put in a backpack where he cannot touch it. I am the one that operates the pump all the time anyway so there is no need for him to have any access to it. I hope I can work out a pattern for a backpack fairly easily. Tom had one before but they were way over priced so I am going to have a go of making one before I buy one.

-5-

Joseph.

Joseph is walking with one of his feet turning out. We are noticing it more now that he has been walking for a few weeks. He pulls it around in an odd way too. Next Tuesday we are seeing the doctor and seeing if he thinks we need a referral on for it. Prayers for him would be appreciated.

-6-

Second Term.

Second term only has another three weeks to go. We will have two weeks holidays and then term three will start. I cannot believe we are already half way through the term.

-7-

St Ann.

I have a picture of St. Ann on my sewing table now. Steve is going to put it on the wall in there this weekend. Honey found out that St. Ann is the patron saint for sewers. I am going to be asking for her intercession a lot when I do my coat I think.

Have a great weekend everyone. Don't forget to drop over to Jen from Conversion Diary for other people's quick 7.

Happy Birthday to the Church.

Today is the churches birthday. Over 2000 years ago, the church was born at Pentecost. We had an ecumenical service with the Anglicans in our church tonight followed by cake and drinks.

Happy Birthday to the church.

First day back.

Today was our first day of term two. We got of to a bit of a rough start but I was happy that the children got everything done that I planned for the day.

We are revamping Tom and Amelia's spelling program. They did a progress test and I was a bit disappointed with their results. I have always wondered how to teach spelling and struggled with the program I have written for them both. It is one of the hardest areas of their curriculum for me. I am getting a new program from IEW called The phonetic zoo. From the reading I have done about it, this program has much more success in teaching children spelling and retaining the information. What I find with the spelling we do at the moment is both Tom and Amelia do well in the test I give at the end of the week, but they are not retaining the information long term. That is the main goal so I need to do a revamp. I am glad I have found a program that I can try for this.

We are going to be doing a unit of work this term on the Saints. The children have all chosen a saint that they will study.

Tom is studying St. Matthew. Amelia is studying St. Helen and Christopher will study St. Christopher.

We will also be learning about Divine Mercy Devotion and St. Faustina.

Our time table is still the same as I posted last year except for kindergarten pickups.

Happy Easter.

Jesus is risen. He has conquered death and saved us all.

I have had a great holy week. Steve and I did a lot of exercising and praying together. On Thursday night we were both able to stay for adoration after the Holy Thursday mass since we now have older children to look after the little ones.

We stayed for 2 hours. It was a great way to spend the evening.

I will be doing a lot of other posts this week about what we have all been up to and how we are spending our holidays.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Holy week

I have decided to get off the internet for Holy Week. I will keep all my followers in my prayers. I hope you all have a holy and blessed Holy Week.

Therese.

Last week of term.

This week is the last week of term one. We are winding up tomorrow because it will be Brigettes last day at school too.

Today we went to Port Pirie for the Chrism Mass.

Tomorrow I have a few plans for lessons with the children that will be to wind up our term. I think we should be finished by lunch time so I will start preparing for next term on Thursday and Friday.

I am looking forward to the two week break. It is going to be good to be on holidays for holy week.

Feast of St. Joseph

Happy feast day Joseph.

We had pancakes, bacon and chocolate milk for breakfast this morning to celebrate Joseph's feast day.

We haven't really celebrated the children's saint days much before but I am going to make more of an effort to do it now.

Catholic resources for home school.

I n the sidebar, I have a link to That Resource Site.

It is a great resource for anyone doing Catholic home school. They are not only for religious study though, they have all kinds of resources.

Over the last few weeks, I have been thinking about how can I teach our children more about the virtues and living them daily. I know that living them as much as I can is a help to them but I wanted something concrete to teach them.

This morning I got up early because I knew it was going to be very hot and one of the first things I did was google teaching Catholic virtues resource.

The top link was That Resource Site. and I thought, why didn't I think of there first?

They have some great work sheets that I have looked at. At the moment, our brother printer, is in being fixed but as soon as we get it back, I will be printing off all the resources to teach the children about virtues.

Abba's Little Girl: When Catholics Come To Know Him

Last night I was looking through my google reader and had read everything that was new. I was looking at some of the other features of it and found that there was a place I could click on and see what posts I had shared with other bloggers. I don't remember actually sharing any posts but they were there so maybe I did it without even realising.

Anyway, one post that I had shared from back in 2009 grabbed my attention.

Here is a link to the post.

Abba's Little Girl: When Catholics Come To Know Him

The Catholicism Project.

H/T to Esther.

4th Week of Advent.

I just found this site.

Wish I had found it at the beginning of Advent. At least I have it for next year and we can do the prayers this week.

Enjoy the last week of Advent. Come Lord Jesus.