The Hunting Opener

With no disrespect intended, Wisconsin's Holy Week has begun.  The 9 day gun season opened this morning at 6:30; that means our property is dotted with hearty folks wearing blaze orange and carrying thermos' filled with coffee or hot chocolate.  Warren's favorite author, Michael Perry, shares a humorous yet thoughtful piece on Wisconsin's Holy Week.  You can read it here.

St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters, pray for us.

St. Martin of Tours

We are still studying the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).  St. Martin of Tours was a beloved Saint of the Catholics of that time.  Giving half of his cloak to a poor cold beggar, he was celebrated on Nov. 11 at 11:11 with chanting and lanterns; it was the unofficial first day of winter.  We made simple paper bag lanterns and then marched around the house singing a little tune suggested in the Story of the World Vol. 3.  Notice Nick doesn't have a lantern.  His lantern making ended with a little fire, a beeping smoke detector and a sink full of ashened paper bag.  It was a good lesson in fire safety and using lighters. 

Yesterday Nick, Amber and Sam colored German, Swedish and Spanish soldiers and created a war scene.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

As I arise today,

may the strength of God pilot me,

the power of God uphold me,

thewisdom of God guide me.

May the hand of God protect me,

the way of God lie before me.

~Saint Patrick

All Saints and All Souls

I really enjoy celebrating All Saints and All Souls days. We had a big chicken dinner on Sunday, the Feast of All Saints, and had fun looking through the Patron Saints book. We found out that there is a Saint for just about any occupation, ailment or condition. In our search for patron saints we came across St. George, St. Isadore the farmer, St. Anne, St. Hippolitus, St. Joseph, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Francis of Assisi and so many more. Do you have a skin rash or lost article? Then ask St. Anthony to intercede on your behalf. I wish I had more knowledge of the Saints and their virtues. I do try to read their stories, but the reading wish list is so long that I'm sure I'll never even make a dent. Emily and Nick are studying many of the Saints through their Reading Comprehension studies. They read silently and then narrate to me all they learned, in this way we are learning together and typically I have many questions for them and I think they like taking on the teacher role sometimes.

I think many people have a misconception as to how the Saints are "used" in the Catholic Faith. For one we do not pray to the Saints, but we ask for them to intercede on our behalf. They are obviously more holy and closer to God than I am and Catholics believe they have a special place in heaven and are a direct link between us and God. So if you have misplaced an item, it would be appropriate to ask St. Anthony to present a special prayer to God on your behalf that you might find that item. That is called an intercessory prayer. I love introducing our kids to this type of prayer because it gives them something tangible to hang onto. I believe it helps them feel related to God in a much closer way. All those who have died before us are also the saints in heaven and can be called on to intercede on our behalf.

All Souls Day is serious and fun all at the same time. It's a day to pray for the souls of all the departed that may be in purgatory that their soul might be cleansed so they have eternal life in heaven. We used this day to put into action the Corporal Work of Mercy - Bury the Dead. We headed out to the cemetery to clean up around a few family grave sites.

We also celebrated it with a little Latin American flair by making these very cool Day of the Dead skulls.

St. Isidore the Farmer

365 Fun Facts for Catholic Kids by Bernadette McCarver Snyder was a FHC gift for Lee. This fun little book is a compilation of fun little ideas, one for each day. Yesterday was the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer and in this book we learned that he prayed as he plowed. In Mexico, his feast day is still celebrated by farmers decorating their animals with wreaths of flowers. We didn't want to be left out so in the spirit of St. Isidore we, well actually I didn't get involved except for the picture taking, decorated the chickens with bows and ribbons. Imagine making a wreath and slipping it over the head of a calf, challenging, but manageable. Now imagine trying to stick a bow to the head of a chicken and tying a lavender ribbon around it mid-section, challenging, almost impossible. For your viewing pleasure here are a few pics.



And yes, those chickens are in the house. I couldn't get outside fast enough with the camera so they brought them to me.