JOYfilledfamily BLOG

Saint Tiles

February 10, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Crafts, St. Sc, St. Scholastica

Equipping Catholic Families – Unique Handmade Gifts Linky

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Here’s a simple and inexpensive craft that I use to help celebrate the liturgical year. It’s much more affordable for us to make these than purchase numerous statues of the saints. These tiles are also much easier to store. They are long lasting.

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SUPPLIES:

tile (I was gifted a FREE box of tiles that were left over from a home project.)
image (I like to recycle calendars for this craft)
scissors
mod podge
foam brush
nail file

follow the detailed directions from this craft.

cut image.

adhere image to tile with mod podge.

file edges with the nail file.

cover the image with more mod podge.

let dry.

optional: repeat the steps for the back of the tile.

Love Notebooks

February 10, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Crafts, St. Valentine's Day

I made these notebooks to give away for St. Valentine’s Day. The notebooks are small composition books. I use the books for my Daily Examen, an Ignatian Exercise that I adopted back in 2009.

Rose uses the small notebooks for sermon notes. Sweetie and Sparkles just enjoy the beauty of the notebooks and have multipurposes for them.

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SUPPLIES:

notebook
image (we used the images found here. note that inkjet printed images will bleed.)
scissors
mod podge
foam brush
nail file
embellishments

trim image to desired size

spread mod podge to surface of the notebook. i placed waxed paper between the front cover and additional pages to avoid gluing the pages together.

place image on notebook

file edges with a nail file

let set.

spread additional layers of mod podge onto of the image. let set. repeat

repeat the above steps for the back cover.

do not place the image completely over the spine as in the image on the right. this will break the spine. leave the spine free as shown in the image on the left.

add embellishments. i added glitter.

let dry.

place decorated notebooks under some weights (I used 2 phonebooks). this will set the notebooks back to their original shape.

Beautiful Images for Free

February 10, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: FREE, Saint Cards, St. Valentine's Day

We’ve been making many craft items and holy cards with the beautiful images found at Holy Reflections. I found this resource during Christmas and have been hooked ever since. Holy Reflections is a true treasure and gift of love.

There is a beautiful collection of Love items for Valentines that can be printed for free.

There are many images that would be nice for St. Valentine’s Cards. Here are a couple of examples.

ALL FOR JESUS!

Anima Christi

Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. Scholastica

February 10, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 02 February Saints, St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica was the sister of St. Benedict. Embracing the rule of her brother, she founded the Order of Benedictine nuns. She died in 543.

SAINT SCHOLASTICA

Virgin

Traditional & New Calendars February 10

The worshipful Scholastica, the sister of our Father Benedict, was hallowed unto the Lord Almighty from a child. Her custom was to come to see her brother once every year. And when she came, the man of God went down unto her, not far from the gate, but, as it were, within the borders of the monastery. And there was a day when she came, as her custom was, and her worshipful brother went down to her, and his disciples with him. Then they passed the whole day together, praising God, and speaking one to the other of spiritual things. And when the night came, they brake bread together. And while they were yet at table, and conversed together on spiritual things, the hour was late. Then the holy woman his sister besought him, saying : Leave me not, I pray thee, this night, but let us speak even until morning of the gladness of the eternal life. He answered her : What is it that thou sayest, my sister? I can by no means remain out of my cell. Now the firmament was so clear that there were no clouds in the sky. Then the holy nun, when she had heard the words of her brother, that he would not abide with her, clasped her hands on the table, and laid her face on her hands, and besought the Lord Almighty. And it came to pass that when she lifted up her head from the table, there were great thunderings and lightnings, and a flood of rain, insomuch that neither the worshipful Benedict nor the brethren that were with him could move as much as a foot over the threshold of the place where they sat.

O God, Who didst cause the soul of the
blessed Virgin Scholastica to enter Heaven
in the form of a dove, to show us the way
of innocence grant, by her prayers and
merits, that we may live in such innocence,
as to deserve to attain eternal joys.
Through our Lord. ~ Collect

It is usual in the art to represent St. Scholastica in the black habit of a Benedictine nun, as in the image at above. The book represents the Rule of St. Benedict, the basis for monasticism in the West. The dove reflects the account of St. Scholastica’s death in which Benedict is said to have seen her soul flying up to Heaven in the form of a dove. The object in her right hand, which here seems to be some sort of standard, is more commonly a crozier, representing her abbatial authority.

Patron: Against rain; convulsive children; nuns; storms.

Symbols: Nun with crozier and crucifix; nun with dove flying from her mouth.

RESOURCES

St. Scholastic for Kids – Bio and prayers
St. Scholastica Bio for Kids – Loyola Press
Holy Twins Study – Mosaic Sample
St. Benedict Medal Coloring Page – copy, paste and resize image
St. Scholastica Bio – EWTN
Letter Attributed to St. Scholastica
THE ABBEY OF MONTECASSINO – Museum
Litany of St. Scholastica

in regards to Lent….”My venerable brother says that we are to “guard ourselves from faults” during this holy time. To do this, one must “always remember all God’s commandments, and constantly turn over in one’s heart how hell will burn those who despise him by their sins and how eternal life has been prepared for those who fear him” (RB 7:11). My brother calls this the first step of humility. As for me, my faults appear daily in the bright mirror of the Scriptures. I have no excuse for putting off the labour of my conversion. As the psalmist says: “Thou hast set our evil-doings before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance” (Ps 89:8). ~ St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica Prayer

O God, to show us where innocence leads, you made the soul of your virgin Saint Scholastica soar to heaven like a dove in flight. Grant through her merits and her prayers that we may so live in innocence as to attain to joys everlasting. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

St. Valentine’s Pizza

February 9, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Recipe, St. Valentine's Day

A yummy and semi healthy treat.

I found my inspiration from here.

I used a boxed brownie mix and did not use the suggest cream cheese spread.

St. Frances de Chantal

February 7, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 08 August Saints, Little Flowers, Love of Our Neighbor, St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Jane Frances Fremiot, Baroness de Chantal, the foundress and first Mother Superior of the Order of the Visitation, is honored by the Church for the holiness of her youth, of her married life, of her widowhood, and of her life in religion.

"One thing alone is necessary: it is to have God. In short, then, no matter what is going on, we must hold both our attention and our love on God, not wasting our time in studying what is happening to ourselves or what its cause is. Our Lord asks this of us." ~ St. Jane Frances de Chantal, (56) Wings to the Lord: Thoughts on Prayer by St. Jane Frances de Chantal

SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL
Widow

1572 – 1641

August 21st in the Traditional Calendar ~ August 18 New Calendar (USA)

Born of noble parents at Dijon in Burgundy, Jane Frances Frémiot de Chantal lost her mother while she was still a girl, and commended herself to the care of the Virgin Mother of God. Her father gave her in marriage to the Baron de Chantal, and she showed herself to be a valiant woman above all others, making herself all things to all persons. When her husband was killed while hunting, she made a vow of continence, and she so mastered herself that she did not hesitate to act as godmother to the son of the man who killed her husband. Lest later on she should be moved from her determination to observe chastity, she renewed her vow and inscribed the most holy Name of Jesus on her breast with a hot iron. With St. Francis de Sales as her spiritual director, who taught her the divine will, she laid the foundations of the religious Institute of the Visitation of Holy Mary, which she spread fare and wide. Finally she bound herself by a vow always to do what she understood to be most perfect. Full of merits, she went to the Lord on the 13th day of December, 1641, at Moulins, and was enrolled among the Saints by Clement XIII.

"Often pray spontaneously to God, whenever you can, and in whatever setting, always seeing God in your heart and your heart in God." ~ St. Francis de Chantal

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At the age of twenty-one Jane married the young Baron de Chantal,

Jane in her widow’s veil.

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"Love! love! love! my daughters; I know nothing else." ~ St. Jane Frances de Chantal

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Jane receiving the Constitutions for her community from Francis.

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”You have sent me the leaves of the tree: send me some of its fruits, in order that I may judge of them; I set little value on simple leaves. All I can say at present is that the fruits of a good heart that God nourishes are total oblivion of self, an unbounded love of humiliations, and a limitless joy for all that is done to advance God’s glory." ~ Saint Frances de Chantal

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RESOURCES:

St. Agnes Love of God Info Page – inspiration found here by Jessica
St. Frances de Chantal Bio – EWTN
St. Frances de Chantal Bio – Catholic
St. Jane Frances de Chantal – Catholic Culture
Patron Saint of Girls – The Life of St. Frances de Chantal
St. Jane Frances de Chantal – A Biographical Sketch
St. Frances de Chantal Thoughts on Prayer
Novena to St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Video on the Visitation Order – Founded by St. Francis de Sales & St. Jane Frances de Chantal

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"If we patiently accept through love all that God allows to happen, then we will begin to taste even here on earth something of the delights the saints experience in heaven. But for this we must serve God willingly and lovingly, seeking to obey the Divine Will rather than to follow our own inclinations and desires. For the perfection of love demands that we desire for ourselves only whatever God wills. Let us implore the good God unceasingly to grant us this grace!"

~St. Jane Frances de Chantal

St. Valentine’s Clips

February 3, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Crafts, St. Valentine's Day

My girls are out growing my bows. I think I may have burnt them out. I couldn’t resist, they had a head full of hair since birth.

They both are fond of a decorative clip. I made a version of a decorative felt clip for 4th of July and decided to recreate the clip for St. Valentine’s Day.

The girls can now make their own decorative clips. They will be making the basic heart clips as an early St. Valentine’s treat for their friends. Their friends will be able to take the clips home to embellish on their own, in time for St. Valentine’s Day.

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Supplies:

felt
clip
scissors
paper template
hot glue gun
embellishments (decorative scissors, embroidery thread and needle, saint medals, stickers….)

Directions:

Create a heart template out of cardstock.

Cut your felt to the desired sizes. I fold my heart and felt in half when cutting.

Tack the hearts together using a hot glue gun.

Embellish!

Hot glue the heart onto the clip.

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Sparkles chose a glitter-puff sticker of Christ the King for her heart clip. I reinforced the sticker with hot glue. The clip can be put everywhere.

Sweetie chose to adhere heart to a headband. It can also be clipped to a shirt.

I clipped it to the ribbon that was attached to this basket.

ALL FOR JESUS TROUGH MARY!

Candlemas Candles

February 3, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Candlemas, Crafts, Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I hadn’t planned a craft for any of the feast days this week since I’m prepping for my next Little Flowers meeting. I was delighted to find Tiffany’s ~ Family at the Foot of the Cross post on the Presentation of the Lord. She shared a simple and inexpensive craft, Crafty Paper Candles.

I couldn’t pass it up. I had everything on hand.

Tiffany gives a complete tutorial and prayer. Check it out here.

Candlemas Candles

apply glue to the tp roll.

adhere the paper towel to the glued tp roll. tuck in the top and bottom edges.

cut your picture decal. we used images from printed images and old catalogs.

glue the image to the candle.

create the flame.

layer a red, yellow and orange piece of paper. cut out a flame from the layered papers. cut out the middle of the red flame. cut out the middle of the orange flame.

glue the layers together.

glue the flame to a popsicle stick (wick). fold back the edges and glue and on the reverse side of the popsicle stick. (I used a hot glue gun for a quick set)

crumble a half sheet of paper towel.

snip the center of the paper towel.

insert the popsicle stick w/ flame into the paper towel.

insert the paper towel and popsicle stick w/flame into the tp roll.

let dry.

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papi’s bedroom altar

the children placed their candles on their bedroom altars.

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O Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light who enlightenest every man that cometh into this world: pour forth Thy blessing † upon these candles, and sanctify † them with the light of Thy grace, and mercifully grant, that as these lights enkindled with visible fire dispel the darkness of night, so our hearts illumined by invisible fire, that is, by the splendor of the Holy Spirit, may be free from the blindness of all vice, that the eye of our mind being cleansed, we may be able to discern what is pleasing to Thee and profitable to our salvation; so that after the perilous darkness of this life we may deserve to attain to neverfailing light: through Thee, O Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, who in the perfect Trinity, livest and reignest, God, world without end. Amen.

January Recap

February 3, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: GFG, Picture Recap

JAN 2011

christmas 2010 recap. baby’s 1st christmas.

1.1 – new year’s coloring fun.

1.4 – sparkles’ battle wound from a round of play fighting – chip in her permanent front tooth. she had to wait a day for repairs.

1.5 – my first boy’s haircut. i’m going to have to learn how to cut his hair fast. he does not like the cut hair on his body.

1.7 - dad’s soccer debut. dad was invited to play with parish young men, dads and father. his first time playing a game of soccer and he scored two goals. i was the ultimate winner since dad finally admitted (after 15+ years) that soccer is the most physically demanding sport that he has played (b-ball, football, and baseball). that’s right, more demanding than his beloved basketball.

1.8 – papa’s birthday that was postponed due to sick kids.

1.11 – dragonfly helping me cook chicken enchiladas, after my workout.

1.14 – homemade cinnamon rolls. 1 batch made 60 rolls. thankfully, we made the batch with friends.

1.15 – rose and i before our 8 mile run. my feet after my first barefoot 8 miler. i haven’t worn shoes since. i now have 45+miles logged.

1.28 – free-cycle rocker re-do. it only took me 3 years to start this project. it took me 5 hours to finish it. according to sweetie, “it took ALL day!”

.1.29 – semi-homemade dessert. strawberry lemonade cupcakes. rose’s new favorite.

1.30 – dad’s b-ball game. he was invited last min. by father o after sun Mass. it was a fundraiser bball tournament for the parish school. dad’s team was called father and sons. his team won! (i’m sure it helped that dad plays bball with father on a weekly basis.)

ALL FOR!

Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt, O Virgo, super omnia benedicta. ~ St. Louis de Montfort

I am all yours, and all that is mine is yours, O Virgin, blessed above all. ~ St. Louis de Montfort

A Day of Purification,Renewal, and Hope

February 2, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 02 February Saints, Candlemas, Chruching of Women, Marian, Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas) The Feast of Candlemas, which derives its origin from the local observance of Jerusalem, marks the end of the Feasts included in the Christmas cycle of the liturgy. It is perhaps the most ancient festival of Our Lady. It commemorates, however, not only the obedience of the Blessed Virgin to the Mosaic Law in going to Jersualem forty days after the birth of her Child and making the accustomed offerings, but also the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the old man Simeon — the Occursus Domini, as the Feast was originally termed. This is the principal theme of the liturgy on this day: Jesus is taken into the Temple "to present Him to the Lord." So the Lord comes to His own Temple, and is met by the aged Simeon with joy and recognition.
The procession on this day is one of the most picturesque features of the Western liturgy. The blessing and distribution of candles, to be carried lighted in procession, preceded the Mass today — a symbolic presentation of the truth proclaimed in the Canticle of Simeon: Our Lord is the "Light for the revelation of the Gentiles." The anthems sung during this procession, eastern in origin, well express the joy and gladness of this happy festival, and the honor and praise we give to our Blessed Lady and her Divine Son by this devout observance.

Lumen ad revelationem gentium: et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.
A light for the revelation of the Gentiles: and for the glory of Thy people Israel.

Today we are celebrating the Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary – Candlemas(Extraordinary form). We are reflecting on the day of purification, renewal, and hope.

Today is the end of the Christmas season in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. We will be taking down our Christmas Tree and Nativities.

We were blessed to be able to attend morning Mass at a local Novus Ordo parish, as a family but are sad that we will not be able to attend the evening High Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) at our Parish. I posted a video below of a Candlemas Procession. It is a beautiful tradition (that we will miss today).

Anthem sung During the Procession

Adorn thy bridal-chamber, O Sion, and welcome Christ the King: with loving embrace greet Mary who is the very gate of heaven; for she bringeth to thee the glorious King of the new light: remaining ever a Virgin yet she bearest in her arms the Son begotten before the day-star: even the Child, whom Simeon taking into his arms, declared to the peoples to be the Lord of life and death, and the Savior of the world.

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On this day, I’m are also giving special thanks for the blessed custom of Churching of Women.

Churching of Women is imitative of the day, which we commemorate on 2 February (Candlemas), that Mary underwent her "purification” (ceremonially speaking and in obedience to the Old Law) and presented her Son in the Temple to Simeon. ~ Fisheaters

June 4, 2010

Churching of Women Ritual ~ Baptism of Dragonfly

Churching of Women:

Churching is the woman’s way of giving thanksgiving to God for the birth of her child, and predisposes her, through the priestly blessing that is a part of the ritual, to receive the graces necessary to raise her child in a manner pleasing to God.

The Ritual

The woman will make arrangements with her priest (ideally, the priest should know the women of his parish and make the offer to her).

At the appointed time, she will kneel in the Narthex, holding a lighted candle. The priest, wearing a white stole, will bless her with holy water, and say:

V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made Heaven and Earth.

ANT. She shall receive.

Psalm 23 ¹

The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place? The innocent in hands and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior. This is the generation of them that seek Him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory? the Lord Who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory? the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Glory be to the Father.

ANT. She shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God her Savior: for this is the generation of them that seek the Lord.

The priest places the end of his stole in the woman’s hand and leads her into the church while saying:

Enter into the temple of God, adore the Son of the blessed Virgin Mary, who gave you fruitfullness of offspring.

Outside the sanctuary, the mother kneels before the Altar and prays, thanking God for her child.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. (Now the Our Father is said silently)

V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Save your handmaid, Lord.
R. Who hopes in Thee, my God.
V. Send her help, Lord, from the sanctuary.
R. And defend her out of Sion.
V. Let not the enemy prevail against her.
R. Nor the son of iniquity approach to hurt her.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
V. Let us pray.

Almighty, everlasting God, through the delivery of the blessed Virgin Mary, Thou hast turned into joy the pains of the faithful in childbirth; look mercifully upon this Thy handmaid, coming in gladness to Thy temple to offer up her thanks: and grant that after this life, by the merits and intercession of the same blessed Mary, she may merit to arrive, together with her offspring, at the joys of everlasting happiness. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

The priest sprinkles the mother with holy water in the shape of a Cross.

The peace and blessing of God almighty, the Father + and the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever.

R. Amen.

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1572 – 1641

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