Bible Study Mass

Now that we wrapped up our latest study, we were blest to have a special Mass for the feast of St. Gianna at our home with Bible study.  It was so nice.  (Andrew was thrilled to have his first time "serving".)  Perks of having a priest for a brother! 

Thank you, Fr. Jon!

Mass helpers

 Rebecca practiced over & over & over for reading at Mass.  There were a lot of not only hard to read words but completely new vocabulary words for her.  She needed to be a tad closer to the microphone but overall did awesome!  There was that one mix up of two new words where she said, "Love one another with genuine AFFLICTION," but we won't mention that.

She also took up offertory later in the week.  So much excitement!  I love how enthusiastic she was to help out at Mass.

Reading at Mass

Another year & another chance for Andrew to read at Mass.  He really loves to do it & it's fun to watch him.

A Priest Forever

So blest to have attended the 1st Mass of Fr. Adam Sparling yesterday.  Amazing!  I feel a special connection to him & his classmates, since they were my last at St. Gregory's.  Looking up at the sanctuary, I saw it half-filled with former students... some now priests, some deacons, one a religious brother, some still seminarians, some husbands & dads... in the pews even more of the latter.  What an incredible gift to have watched these men grow in holiness & now to see them taking such strong roles in our Church & world.  I feel incredibly blest!  We all should.

Reading

Andrew is an avid reader.  He will read for most of the day if he's able.  His favorites right now are the Magic Treehouse series, anything related to Star Wars, & Charlie Brown's Question and Answer Books.  Lots of good reading material!

My favorite though is when he is able to read for Mass.  He read the very long & complicated 1st reading in early October.  He practiced & practiced... I had to even look up how to pronounce a few of those words!  I was so proud of him. 

Kicking off another year

 We kicked off our 3rd year of GodTeens with Mass, ice cream, & fun on the playground.  They really have become a part of our family.  So thankful for the chance to be with them!

In memoriam

 On Saturday, August 25th, my brother celebrated a special Mass for us.  As we approached Zachary's due date on September 1st, we wanted to pray in thanksgiving for him & for all those around us who also have little saints in Heaven. 

We gathered at Blessed Sacrament for a beautiful Mass with about 15 other families.  During the opening hymn each family presented flowers to Mary trusting that she now holds them in her arms.

 My sweet friend Karen agreed to lead music for us.  Afterwards, we all gathered for cookies & lemonade.  It was a nice chance to pray with each other, support each other, & celebrate, too.  God has placed so many blessings in our lives; some just happen to be crosses. 

 So thankful for this community of friends!  Our common bonds go beyond the loss of a child but sometimes that bond runs deeper than any other.  I feel that I can truly express myself around them & sympathize as well.  It has easily been the hardest cross that I've had to carry so far.  And, yet, it has already born so much fruit.

Thank you to all who came, all who helped with the Mass, all who brought goodies, all who shared comfort, & all who offered prayers during this special Mass.  Thank you, Fr. Jon, for offering it for our families.

God is good.  All the time.

 

"And we know that in all things,

God works for the good of those who love Him."

~ Romans 8:28 

Jolly old St. Nicholas

I've always loved the feast of St. Nicholas. My mom has always made it an extra special day for us. So, we got out our stockings & Santa hats, St. Nicholas statues, books, & video, gifts to unwrap from my parents, & hit the hay. We awoke to a jubilant table full of celebrating. After school we celebrated with some neighborhood friends, too.

Teresa FINALLY let Alison hold her...a gift!

Pin the cross on the miter

Hmm... I'll take this one.Christmas cookie decoratingThen we celebrated Mass at our home that evening for Bible Study. My brother came over & let the kids help him set up.We were able to sing some old Newman Center tunes, Andrew rang the bells (huge thrill!), & appreciate the Mass even more after our study of it's Biblical origins. Rebecca helped me earlier in the day to make these chocolate peanut butter balls & Christmas veggie tree. What a fabulous day!

Exciting first

Last Friday Andrew read for the first time at Mass. He was super excited. The older kids still did the actual readings, but for the week the 1st graders were all over the petitions.

It also happened to be the last day of school before All Saints Day, so the 6th graders all dressed up as a saint. This picture is terrible, but you get the idea.

That also means it was the same day as the Halloween parties, so the kids all were out of uniform. Andrew was so excited to wear his skeleton shirt, but decided it would be best not to wear it while reading at Mass... I agreed! He did a really good job. It was funny to hear him over the microphone, though. Those four missing front teeth sure change his little voice!

I'm so glad that he loves Mass. I'm so glad that he gets excited about taking up the Offertory or reading the petitions. I'm so glad we are able to send him to a Catholic school where he can go everyday. Though we're still working on the how-he-treats-his-sisters application, it's amazing all the knowledge & love he takes away from each Mass. Thank you, Jesus!