Giving Passover it's definitive meaning

Passover begins at sundown today and that reminds me of one of our family's fun memories involving a celebration of a Christianized version of Passover. All the proper foods were prepared and we each had a simplified script which gave an idea of what Jesus was doing at the Last Supper. We set a place for Elijah and hid some matzah and typically invited another family to celebrate with us.

I'd be in way over my head to give you advice about how to truly celebrate a Seder meal, but I am certain that knowing what Jesus did on His last days and remembering it in some way will make the event more meaningful to your family.

If you'd like a serious celebration, start with this impressive resource. If you'd like something simpler or for shorter attention spans, go to the library tomorrow and check out a picture book or two on the topic. You'll find there are many choices available. If you'd like to plan your dinner to support the fun, you may find some helpful suggestions here.

No matter how you mark the occasion, be sure to end by putting it in context of the New Covenant in Christ. The Catechism tells us that "By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning." If you attend Mass on Holy Thursday (and you know the Church Ladies recommend you do), the readings will be about God establishing Passover as described in detail in the book of Exodus, and Christ's last celebration of it from the book of John. It's hard to find a better example of Saint Augustine's declaration that "the New Testament likes hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New."

Image Credit: Francisco de Zurbaran, Agnus Dei

Lent for Children: A Thought a Day

Are you looking for a simple way to help your children grow in holiness this Lent? Take a peek at this Lenten devotional from 1951, scanned and reformatted for you to print today. These lovely meditations are the perfect length for children and are challenging enough that they won't feel patronized.

Today's, for example:

When the priest put ashes on your forehead yesterday, he reminded you (in Latin) that you are made of dust. But your body of dust is the less important part of the REAL YOU. As if this body were an old garment, you put it off for awhile and go alone to God. You will find God a loving Father if you loved Him and tried to please Him here; and some day you will put on again this same garment made gloriously new and beautiful.

Resolve today to show your love by spending a good Lent.

Say often through the day:

May I so live that I may be

Ready, dear Lord, when You call for me.

She also has Stations of the Cross cards here.
Thanks to Grace for the links.

UPDATE: The updated link with added artwork and quotes is here. Thanks for the correction Jennifer!

Patron Saints are here!

The home formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph has always been regarded as a school of love, prayer and work. The promoters of this church wanted to set before the world love, work and service lived in the presence of God, as the Holy Family lived them.
[Pope Benedict XVI, Dedication of Sagrada Familia]

The custom of assigning patron saints is an old and venerable one. Some cultures and communities have done this before the First Sunday of Advent, others on the feast of the Epiphany. The last quarter of 2010 was a busy one for your Church Ladies, but we are glad to offer the drawing now.

2011's theme is the Celebrating the Family, in conjunction with the dedication of Sagrada Familia; saints are chosen randomly from within our master list. Please email us at psochurchladies(at)gmail(dot)com to receive a saint.

We are also happy to share the list so you can hold your own drawing with your school or family.

Celebrating Sunday: Epiphany of the Lord

Reflection:

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;

the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
[Ps 72, 10-11]

Recipe:
Crockpot Indian Butter Chicken

Other Epiphany Links:
2011 Epiphany Proclamation

Epiphany Blessing for the Home

Epiphany Baking

Image: Pieter Aertsen, Adoration of the Magi, 1560.

About Celebrating Sunday

A new tradition for Gaudete Sunday

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.

(Is 35, 1-2)

Sunday's first reading sparked a new tradition at our house. Especially amid the chill of winter, buying flowers for the dining table reminds us at every meal of the fulfillment of Isaiah's messianic prophecies in the birth of Christ.

Image source

Today's Word: Procession

Procession (pro-SEH-shuhn) - Sacred parades, either inside or outside the church, in which clergy and faithful travel from one place to another, giving praise, thanks, and worship to God.

You may be familiar with traditional Advent Posadas, have fond memories of May Crownings or have participated in city-wide, elaborate Corpus Christi processions, but remember, you can also duplicate the very Catholic tradition of the procession in your domestic church.

Epiphany is the traditional time to bless your home, but I also know of families who place a figure of the Christ Child in their creche on Christmas Eve with procession and song and some who return the "Alleluia" to their family prayer table at Easter with a joyful procession. It's important to consider the age and attention span of your kids when planning your event, but even very small children can appreciate the solemnity of the occasion.

I suggest you map out your route ahead of time (following the simplest progression through your home) and that you give each family member something relevant to carry. At least one candle is a must, but safety is primary - use glass globes (tested ahead of time to make sure they don't get hot on the bottom), or electric flameless candles. A Crucifix, icon, or other relevant picture works well, as does a Bible, a container of holy water, or even incense.

It is traditional to sing as you walk and I'm sure you'll have no trouble coming up with appropriate songs that your family knows. You can simplify even further by singing the same song more than once. If you have a budding musician, make their Advent practice assignment a song you can use.

At each stop (even if there's only one), you want a short time of prayer. Of course this can be spontaneous prayer, but it may be more in keeping with the occasion to have something prepared. Assign a leader and begin with the Sign of the Cross. Your procession will have a more liturgical feel if you begin each stop the same way ("A reading from the book of Luke," or "Our hope is in the name of the Lord/who made heaven and earth," or even "Peace be with you/and also with you.") You could break up an appropriate Bible story and read part at each stop, or if you are blessing your home at Epiphany, stop at each room and ask the Lord's blessing for the intended use of each. ("Lord bless this dining room and all our activities here." Then invite anyone to add a petition.)

Conclude by asking the Lord's blessing on all of you, and by blessing your children by tracing a small cross on their foreheads.

The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc. CCC 1674

See also the Directory on Popular Piety, paragraph 118.

November Home Altars

We're just about to celebrate the Feast of All Saints, so this piece showing the Holy Trinity surrounded by Saints filling heaven would be a great addition to your home altar. (Extra points to those of you who can identify any of the Saints pictured.)

If you'd like something that includes purgatory, you might want to try one of these. This one by Giovanni Crespi depicts a soul being released from purgatory because of prayers offered by those on earth. What a beautiful reminder to all of us!

You also might want to consider simply placing family photos on your prayer table as a reminder to pray for the souls of those who have died and to also pray for those still living as you work to finish the race.

Art for Home Altars

I've been working on a little project to keep home altars (a.k.a prayer tables, sacred spaces, etc.) up to date in simple ways. I'm an absolute devotee of having a space like this in my home. It's a peaceful haven, a public witness, and a constant reminder to my family of the True Center of our lives. You can read more about the details here and here.

One of the easiest ways to keep your prayer center up to date is with free (or almost free) art from religious calendars and the internet. We've posted lots of art and art links on this blog over the years and will continue to do so (we're big fans), so keep checking in for more.

For ease of use nothing beats a clear acrylic free-standing frames available from those gigantic discount stores. They're very inexpensive and the art can be easily changed by just sliding it out - no assembly required! My favorite size is 8 X 10, but they also come in smaller sizes that would be suitable for holy card art, inspirational quotes, Christmas card art, etc.

To begin with, I'm planning to print this piece by Domenico Feti of a boy and his guardian angel. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is coming up on October 2 and I like this strong, kind angel pointing the way to heaven. The demon fleeing the scene is a nice reminder of Who's in charge!

To capture this image, I will right click on the picture and chose the "Copy Image" option.

From there, open a word processing program like MS Word or MS Publisher and paste it onto a blank page by either hitting Ctrl and V or Paste Special on the Edit menu. I haven't tried it, but assume Open Office programs would work the same way.

This particular piece pasted in as an 8 x 10, so I just need to print and slide it in my frame. I recommend heavier paper if possible so it doesn't wrinkle if you use it more than once. When you're done with it, if you're like Lucy just neatly file it away. If you're like me, put it in a box with the other 100 pieces and shuffle through them every year to find it.

Uniting the Faith with Daily Life

In this week's Lesson Plan feature in the Catholic Spirit (diocesan paper of St. Paul/Minneapolis) Maria Wiering has a great article on simple ways you can work to build a Catholic culture in your family.

Do you go to Mass on Sunday, but feel like Monday — and Tuesday, Wednesday and the rest — are detached from what you experience at church? For many Catholics, it’s a challenge to unite faith and the normal tasks of daily life. There’s something about a meeting at the office, or washing dishes, or shopping for groceries that seems very ordinary and outside of God’s interest in our lives.

Yet, St. Ignatius of Loyola preached that it is possible to find God in all things. With this in mind, it doesn’t hurt to add a few things in your day that are specifically about reminding yourself that what you have on Sunday should be part of every day.

I've listed the basics below so you can grade yourself, but go to her article for the details of each. There are simple ideas and some that will require a little more commitment. Almost all will work with family members of every age and there are definitely some you can try today.

1. ___Feast on feasts
2. ___Talk about the readings at Sunday brunch
3. ___Say your bedtime prayers
4. ___Learn about each day's saint
5. ___Follow the liturgical seasons
6. ___Greet the day
7. ___Pray the Rosary
8. ___Hang your crucifixes
9. ___Attend a funeral
10. ___Have your home blessed
11. ___Make a pilgrimage
12. ___Recite the Angelus
13. ___Bless your door
14. ___Thank your priest
15. ___Pray before car rides
16. ___Attend religious ed.
17. ___Give something up
18. ___Mail a holy card
19. ___Read a book
20. ___Open your Bible
21. ___Attend a daily Mass
22. ___Look at art
23. ___Eat together
24. ___Pray for the Pope's intentions
25. ___Pray for the Pope
26. ___Volunteer for a cause
27. ___Talk about God
28. ___Memorize a psalm
29. ___Visit an empty church
30. ___List your prayers
31. ___Plant a garden
32. ___Be grateful
33. ___Light a candle
34. ___Try adoration
35. ___Leave out your nativity set
36. ___Make a confession
37. ___Schedule that retreat

And this is my prayer: that your live may increase

ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,

to discern what is of value, so that you may be

pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness

that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

~Philippians 1: 9-11

Feast of the Assumption

"What son would not bring his mother back to life
and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?"
(St Francis de Sales)

Feast of the Assumption links:
*Pope Pius XII's Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus: Defining the Dogma of the Assumption (November 1950).

*Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption in the domestic church (Mary Reed Newland)

*Catholic Cuisine's Feast of the Assumption recipes

Image source:
Pietro Perugino, "Assumption of the Virgin"
c. 1506

"This wonderful exchange"

Visit our friends at Ecclesia Domestica to see the creative design for their foyer wall that incorporates their family portraits along with those of some of their extended family in heaven. It's a great witness to all who visit their home, and a constant reminder to their children of these holy examples.

In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things." In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin. CCC 1475

The ways of her household

From Jamie:

I didn't know how much pleasure I would get out of that machine over the next fifteen years. My husband has never understood my itch to make clothing. Sewing rompers, knitting socks -- he thinks it's a little like digging a well in your backyard and carrying the water inside even though the municipal water is perfectly safe and there for the pouring. It strikes some Proverbs 31 chord in me, though. It reminds me of the women in other parts of the world who have made most of the clothes I wear, out of necessity and not out of spare-time privilege. It draws on my little store of hard-won knowledge, ferreted out through hours of deciphering pattern-speak -- hours in which an armhole facing became a series of sensible steps and not a mystery akin to transmission rebuilding.

These days making clothing is an underappreciated art. When I pin a dart or turn a sock heel I wonder about the women who first figured those things out, the tricks for accommodating their loved ones' angles and curves. The clothes we make for our children are born of our hands' skill and our hearts' tenderness. "Here," they say, "it's a tough world out there. Here is something to keep you comfortable, protected." No matter how soft the fabric, they look to me like armor.

[full post at Light and Momentary]

Image source

Feeding the Hungry (party style)

I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I found it in some publication in some parish's pamphlet rack about a year ago. It's such a wonderful idea on so many levels, that I just had to share it with you all.

Instead of donating the regular type of items to your local food shelf, consider assembling "birthday bags" for kids of different ages. These can be as simple or elaborate as you'd like and provide the makings for a birthday celebration.

On the most basic level, a bag should contain a cake mix, canned frosting, and some cake decorations. You could also add festive paper plates and napkins, a drink mix, balloons, noise-makers and party hats. An even more elaborate bag could include a simple party game (check your local dollar store), some kind of craft project, and prizes for party-goers.

I think this would be a fun project for any kind of church service group or even the participants of the next birthday party you host for your children.

Lucy the Chair Lady

"[Rose] had also begged from an old aunt at Beverley Farms a couple droll little armchairs in white painted wood with covers of antique needlework. One had 'Chit' embroidered on the middle of its cushion, the other 'Chat.' These stood suggestively at the corners of the hearth.

"'Now Katy, said Rose, seating herself in 'Chit', pull up 'Chat' and let us begin.'"
[Susan Coolidge, What Katy Did Next]

You really can get just about everything here at Church Ladies- recently, there's been everything from spirituality to college football to needlework to great art to recipes. What can we say? We're women of many interests.

Here follows a double endorsement- both for the Katy books and for taking a stab at upholstery. Let's start with the former.

The Katy books chronicle the life of the Carr family in 1860s America. It is a lovely series about a family living out Christian values and a beautiful testimony to the friendship between siblings. Although the fictional Katy Carr is contemporary with Laura Ingalls Wilder, she has a very life. Katy grows up in a well established small Midwestern town, goes to boarding school out East, and travels to Europe; her siblings are a part of the great expansion of the West. I think the Katy books would make for delightful family reading- they are wholesome without being moralizing, like most literature branded Christian fiction.

Now for the heavier topic. Yours truly has a big heart.... especially for lonely chairs. It started innocently enough. I needed an extra chair for living room. Enter a nice chair from the consignment store. Then came the Holy Rosary parish rummage sale. It took 3 trips with my compact car, but I hauled 5 hand-carved cherry chairs home... for the grand total of $25. Another one of my collection, found on a street corner in a college town, is the most historic. When re-covering it, I discovered a manufacturing sticker dating the chair's construction to Matoon, IL, 1912 and freighted to Boise. I can only image the stories it could tell. And over Memorial Day weekend this year, I found a solid cherry captain's chair on my way to the market.

Changing the seat cover on a chair is one of the easiest skills. My mother taught me how when I was 5. All you need is a screwdriver and a staple gun (with staples at least 1/2" long).

If you are starting with a reclaimed chair, wash the wooden portion with oil soap. Dry it, then unscrew the pad. This is also a good time to rub the wooden frame with Old English scratch cover, in light or dark wood as appropriate.

Examine the condition of the chair cushion. If it's intact and clean, you can cover right over it. However, if the cover is in poor condition or has holes with padding exposed, you'll need to re-cover it with vinyl (more later).

Now comes the fun part, the trip to the fabric store. Don't panic- upholstery fabric can be expensive, but 1/2 a yard will cover 2 chairs, if lining up a motif isn't necessary, and some of the chains often have 50% off sales on decorator fabric. Also, check out the clearance/remnant section. Apparel or quilting fabric alone really isn't strong enough for upholstery, but if you find a print that's absolutely perfect, you can fuse it to a heavy-weight fabric, although it will be more prone to stains, since it isn't scotch-guarded like upholstery fabrics. If the original chair pad is a bright color or in poor condition, you will also need some lightweight vinyl in the same quantities as the decorative material.

If you are a handy needle-woman, you might be interested in embroidering or knitting a cover. Napa Needlepoint has some helpful guidelines for material & design selection for embroidery; here is a delightful knitted seat.

Re-covering the seat is as easy as can be. You use the same technique whether you are starting with vinyl or decorative fabric. Cut your fabric into a rectangle about 6-8" bigger than the pad, with the motife located as desired. Put the chair pad on the ground face up, then use a few straight pins to put the fabric in place. Flip it over, and pull a side taught, then staple in place about 1" from the edge, and again 3" from the edge. Repeat all the way around, taking care at the corners, then trim the excess. Screw the pad back in place, remove the pins, and you're done!

I'm torn...

Spotted in the preschool room of a local parish -

On one hand, I appreciate the sturdy construction in this play set - solid birch, no small parts, obviously this set has survived parish life since the 70's...

On the other hand, what I don't like is the complete lack of beauty! Where's the color? Where's the artistry? (Where's the gender?)

But again on the positive side, I love the idea of children "playing church." It encourages them to pay attention when they're at Mass, and to reproduce what they see in their play time. It brings Church out into the world; a child's interpretation of ite missa est. Many priests have fond childhood memories of gathering their siblings or neighborhood children together to read the Gospel and distribute Ritz cracker communion, and that should be encouraged.

But on the fourth hand, I cringe at the description on the box. "Let young children experience the Mass in a way they enjoy most - through personal involvement and imagination. For ages 5-11." I'm possibly reading too much into it, but isn't using one's imagination to create a Mass that we will enjoy most the summation of pretty much every liturgical abuse around?

But I see the potential. Cut and sand that round altar into something a little more rectangular, paint a roman collar onto Father, have some tiny brocade vestments available, and include a children's missal to guide the imagination, and it has possibilities.

Hint of the Day: Strawberries

Yes, my egg slicer actually does look like this....

If you work gently, you can use an egg slicer for large batches of perfectly sliced strawberries.

The Bounty List

I was intrigued by this conversation (login required) from a while back on the Ravelry forums, in which people were asked to post items for which they always purchased name brands. The Bounty List, so called because of the original posters preferred paper towels, ended up as ten pages of posters favorite products. For myself, high up on the list would be:

• Hellman's Mayonnaise
• Jacob's Cream Crackers (when I can get them)
• Thomas English Muffins
• Burt's Bees Chapstick
• King Arthur Flour (for breads)
• Method French Lavender Surface Cleaner

So, what are some of your favorite "accept no substitutes" products?

*Disclaimer: We are not being compensated, no affiliation, you know the drill....

I keep forgetting to invite you!

If you are in Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend, please join us at the 12th annual Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair. Our keynote speaker is the ever-popular Dr. Ray Guarendi and we're featuring several other fun, inspirational, and informative speakers. You can learn more about some of them from their online presence, (Father Sam Medley, Maureen Wittmann, Margaret Berns, Cathie Baier, and Ana Braga-Henebry), or check out the Conference speaker page for everyone's bios.

In addition, we have over 100 tables of vendors selling new books, used books, fun things to make your school more entertaining, useful services, Catholic colleges, and the list goes on!

You can register through May 9th at the low pre-registration price (and there's no additional charge for registering online) but registrations will also be taken at the door during the event. It's a great weekend with a Catholic theme and we hope to see you there!

Celebrating Sunday

Reflection:
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
[Jn 13, 34]

Recipe:
With unseasonably warm weather in New England, and limited potable water in Boston, I'm not cooking since pots and dishes can't be washed easily. Grill out, and enjoy this parish potluck classic on the side.

Ramen Noodle Salad

Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 T minced fresh ginger (Church Ladies LOVE ginger)

2 packages uncooked ramen noodles, broken (seasoning packet discarded)

20 oz finely sliced mixed vegetables, such as cabbage, scallions, carrots, and broccoli stems, or use prepackaged coleslaw or broccoli slaw

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Whisk dressing together until it forms an emulsion. Fold in noodles, then vegetables. Let chill, covered, at least six hours. Stir almonds right before serving.

About Celebrating Sunday

Belated pictures of Easter Handiwork

The lamb cake made his usual appearance!

The purple, pink, and yellow eggs were hot dyed with natural ingredients (red cabbage, beet juice, and onion skins, respectively). I boiled the cabbage leaves and onion skins with 1/4 cup vinegar for about half an hour before I added the eggs; the beet juice was drained from a can of beets. After cooking the eggs, I drained them and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes so their yolks would not turn green (I didn't want to undo all my hard work with the traditional ice water bath).

The red eggs were cold dyed, a great way to get intense color without a lot of food coloring. I added a little red food coloring to the cooled onion peel liquid and kept the hard-boiled eggs it for 2 days.