Let the Little Ones Come

Please pray...

...for the Barrett family who have lost their oldest son and big brother, Ryan, in a drowning.    I cannot imagine the suffering and loss they are feeling at this moment.  May your prayers and mine  hold them up during this devastating time.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon him. May the soul of Ryan Barrett and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.

St. Matthew Karol, Pray for Us.

Please hold Emily, John and their beautiful family in prayer.  Sweet, precious baby Matthew is home with Our Lord.

Baby Matthew

Emily's friend Sue has posted pictures and an update on precious baby Matthew on God's Canvas.   Please continue to pray mightily for this beautiful child of God and for his mother and father.  Thanks be to God that he has been baptised and held by his loving parents.   Please pray for a miracle.

Please pray for baby Matthew

Our family has been praying for Emily's precious baby Matthew for many months.  We are not alone.  He is a much-loved and prayed-for baby.  

He was born yesterday just after midnight.  Please help me to storm heaven for a miracle for this beautiful baby.

Many thanks.

Bring Luke Dillier Home! ETA: Home Safe and Sound

 

The media is picking up the story (a little).  The family has a facebook page that they update regularly.

Please pray.

ETA:  Luke was found the day I posted--in the afternoon...he is now home safely with his family.  Thanks be to God!

A Lovely Discovery and the Feast of St. Anne

St. Mary, Grandmother of the Theotokos

A few months ago, my little Rose, who has St. Anne as one of her patrons, cozied up to me with a ding-whopper of a question.  "Mommy, what was St. Anne's mommy's name?"   I had no idea.  I struggled to get my gray cells to search for this answer, but quickly realized that I had never known the answer to this question.  I did a bit of research on some of my best sites about our faith and opened a few of our saints books, but none of them mentioned St. Anne's mother at all and only briefly mentioned that she came from a holy Jewish home.  

Imagine my surprise when Katherine (who did not know the name, either when I had quizzed her during my search) emailed me a week or so ago with an image of this lovely icon, St. Mary, Grandmother of the Theotokos that she saw on a blog that she follows. It appears that our Blessed Mother was named after her grandmother.  Fitting, isnt it?  Needless to say, Rose was thrilled to know the name of her beloved St. Anne's mother.

So, in the icon, above, we see St. Mary, mother of St. Anne, first, then her daugher, St. Anne, then our Blessed Mother who tenderly holds our sweet infant Lord.  I just love it.

Even though St. Anne's feast is superceded this year as it falls on Sunday, we still plan on celebrating here with a ginger cake that Rose chose for her Name Day.  May St. Mary and her daughter St. Anne, intercede for us all before the throne of Our Lord  and help us to live a holy life.

Sixty Saints for Girls and Boys

 

 I cannot believe that in all of my 14 years of parenting, I have not heard of Joan Windham.  I just recently discovered the treasure of books that she has written on the lives of the saints and I am overjoyed to have new stories to read to my little ones.  

Windham has written many books but most of her saints stories are included in the anthologies:  Sixty Saints for Girls and Sixty Saints for Boys.

The stories are a perfect length to read aloud in one sitting for the younger set or to be read alone by the older set!   I used her story on St. Catherine of Siena when I taught Little Flowers this past year and the story was fabulous--very detailed and written so engagingly.  I haven't been so excited about a saints book since I discovered Ethel Pochocki's Once Upon a Time Saints books.  :)

Oh, and I just discovered that Pochocki has written a third volume in her saints series.  A great idea for a Christmas gift!  ;)

Hidden Treasure

An ancient image of St. Paul has been unearthed (literally) in the catacombs near his basilica in Rome!

Please pray...

...for Emily and John's precious little baby boy.  

A Very Special Novena

 

Our family will begin this novena today for a very special intention close to our hearts.   The novena ends on the day of the Martin's beatification, Oct. 19.  Venerable Louis and Zelie, pray for us!  Little Flower, St. Therese, pray for us!

Prayer to Venerable Louis and Zélie Martin to obtain favours through their intercession:

 

God Our Father, we praise You for Louis and Zélie Martin, a truly faithful husband and wife, who lived their Christian life in an exemplary way through their duties in life and practice of Gospel teaching. In bringing up a large family, in spite of trials, bereavements and suffering, they showed immense trust in You and obedience to Your will.

 

Lord deign to manifest Your will in their regard and grant me the favours I implore while praying that the father and mother of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus be presented as models of family life today.

Amen.