Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows falls on 15th of September. Kiddos were helped to prepare some crafts , made 7 sorrows candle jars with pictures on it. Then in the eve, whole family recited sevenc sorrows rosary.  Geo really enjoyed making candles and lighting it

Seven sorrows of Mary

Melting wax pellets for the candles

         Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us.

Ou Lady of Mount Carmel

It was the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In her appearance to St Simon Stock, Mary gave the scapular promise.'Whoever dies wearing the scapular shall not suffer eternal fire'. Our diocese's patron is Our Lady of Mount Carmel and attended the Holy Mass.

There is a beautiful image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at home and prepared some flapjacks decorated with scapula. A few years back , we were all enrolled to wear the scapula.

 

In reminding the Mount Carmel we went to peak district last year. This time we went to  explore woods and in the end we landed in the vast ground and it was so beautiful, a  place of calmness and beauty.

 

                            Our Lady of Mount Carmel pray for us.

Solemnity of Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart Feast is celebrated  19 days after Pentecost.The whole month of June is dedicated to Sacred Heart.

Christ himself revealed to St Margaret Mary Alacoque the love of Sacred Heart.Though the devotion to Sacred Heart is much older. We are all reminded of boundless love of Christ for humanity.

Let us focus on the exposed heart of Lord, we see in the paintings,with crown of thorns, the cross, the wound, rays around and the flames with cross on it. Flames represents His burning love for us,the rays of light shows Christ the light of the world. The cross and the crown of thorns remind us the passion of Lord and all His sufferings for our sins.

You can do a few things at on the feast day, some heart shaped cup cakes, fruit salad with berries decorated in the shape of heart .

Children can be encouraged to repeat ejaculatory prayers to Sacred Heart from below.
Then along with Holy Mass, consecrate our families to Sacred Heart.

                                      Sweet Heart of Jesus be my Love.

                       Sacred Heart of Jesus I place my trust in You.

                    Jesus meek and humble of heart make my heart like yours.
                                                

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on 13th May. In the spring of 1917, angel of peace appeared  three times to three young children Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, in Fatima, Portugal. The angel prayed with them and the prayer should end the war.

Here is the coloring page by my son.

Key element of the third visit was Holy Eucharist.

A year later when children was tending sheep, a beautiful lady appeared to them and invited to to come to the same place from May to Oct on 13th of every month.

She gave them a simple prayer to say after each decade called Fatima Prayer.Lot of printables of Fatima prayer is available in traininghappyhearts.

The Lady said to pray rosary in a way it should be said on each bead and pray for sinners.  Another visit children had a quick glimpse of hell, another one in September, petals of flower started falling and on touching ground it melt down. On October, she revealed herself as 'I am the immaculate conception'. The miracle of sun happened as she promised, sun in the sky started to whirl, bounce, zigzagged, and dance around it, looked as if the sun getting closer to the earth and would burn everyone. The miracle of sun, shows the power of God and reminds us of stop sinning.The children saw the vision of Holy family too. The Lady asked to do penance, pray rosary and be pure

In 1925, the blessed mother and Christ child appeared to Lucia , if people receive Holy communion on the first saturdays of any five consecutive months, recite the rosary and meditate it for 15 minutes, on one or all mysteries, go to confession.Our Lady promised to be with them at the hour of death with all the graces of salvation. . Through the recitation of Rosary , we should never forget the love and life of Our Lord. First saturday devotion booklet for children here and here. A lot of beautiful printables and ideas on First Saturday devotion in catholicinspired.

Our Lady warned that sins that result in the most people going to hell are sins against purity. The children felt very sad and started praying with rosary, penances and fasting, believed that God would give a lot graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the Lady had told them and they also believed that the Lord had placed the peace of the world in Mary's hands. So let us make an Immaculate heart craft with children and to help them understand the love of Mother . But please let the children know that finishing the requirement doesnt just mean, we can do anything we want and reach heaven, these are an extra help to reach the tasks along with our hard works to be good.

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These are some of the works done around the Feast .

Story Board 

It is the good way to encourage children to offer each sacrifices they make, visit to blessed sacrament, act of obedience, to offer to console Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart for the peace around the world and families. Treasure sheet can be a good way to assist children to foster the love to the Lord and the Eucharist.

Our Lady of Fatima vege platter  is a wonderful colourful thing to prepare on the feast. Thought to make a pizza with the spinning sun.

Beautiful craft for the day, making a  spinner reminding of the dancing of the sun , miracle of Fatima.Making a Fatima booklet is something which children can work with of great interest.

Bigger kids can do research of different marian apparitions and have a research using the printables here

                   Our Lady of Fatima Pray for us.

Celebrating Feast of Divine Mercy

Divine mercy Feast falls on Sunday after Easter. It is one of the beautiful feast, instituted by St John Paul II in 2000. St Faustina, one of the powerful apostle of mercy, was in her room in 1932, Jesus appeared to her and she was unable to move, stared at Him and the Lord asked her to paint His image the way she saw it. Jesus asked her to spread the image and He wanted all to keep this image. Those who treat this image with love and honour will receive so many blessings, just as if they are seeing Jesus in person.I was reading Faustina's diary and got my eye opened, anyone who says at least a chaplet of mercy ,he will receive mercy and forgiveness. So amazed,no matter how big is your sins are.

Our Divine Mercy Sunday with cake and other festivities. 

      Below is the video created about Divine Mercy

There are different crafts to do with children on this feast day, one of it is divine mercy craft and rosary Children can be taught about the different works of charity, corporal and spiritual inside the house and around as much as during the lockdown too, having a mercy jar and fill the seeds for every merciful action. In her dairy, Jesus encouraged souls to do this prayer and He will stand  as a merciful saviour between soul and the Father.

On the feast day or on the forthcoming days we can have reconciliation and attending H. Mass on this day along with acts of charity is recommended(act of contrition, resolution not to sin ,spiritual communion prayer due to lock down).

Lots of resources to study and spread devotion is available in inspirefaith.

 Marian fathers video on what do on Divine Mercy sunday due to the current lockdown situation is good to take in.

You can create the divine mercy craft:
Items required

Crayons, glue stick, toilet roll tube, printable of the image, scissors.

Children can color the image and the rays red and blue corresponding for blood and water , cut along the margin lines and can be decorated with glitter if available.

 Children can place their palms , placing both index fingers and thumb together to form a heart shape. You can inscribe Jesus I trust in you inside the heart, different works of mercy which child could do these days can be added inside each finger.

Making  a shield of mercy , inside it can be filled with Holy communion, works of mercy, reconciliation and so on.

Let us have an overlook at this Divine Mercy image:

The image has blue and white rays coming from Jesus which depicts as blood and water.
The signature 'Jesus I trust in You' is depicted under the picture.
St Faustina had the visions and the Lord asked to paint the picture, therfore the divine mercy image is depicted by holding St Faustina.
In her diary, she wrote lot about Divine Mercy.

Lot of beautiful ideas, printables and about the works of mercy is available in lookathimandberadiant blog. Beautiful divine mercy sundae treat can be ideal for this day or a heart shaped pancake, decorated with strawberries and cream or having the cake decorated with  strawberries and blueberries reminding of rays .

Reciting the chaplet at 3 o' clock , which is the time of graces, remembering the passion and the mercy of the Lord. Jesus asks to say the chaplet or visiting Holy Eucharist at this hour for His mercy to overflow, even it is not possible, pause a moment and focus on Him and offer up all the sufferings to the Lord and make this moment Holy.

Divine mercy Novena starts from Good friday till Divine Mercy sunday and praying with different intentions. I got so inspired from divine mercy for mom's, mothers who are spreading the  devotion to Divine mercy is amazing. So thought to spread the devotion by giving prayer cards later on sometime.

Be merciful as the heavenly father is merciful.Let us try and practice  ABC of Mercy:

Ask for mercy

Be merciful to others.

Complete trust in Him.

The Lord promised to St Faustina that souls who venerate or honour image will never perish {48}.
So on the Feast day,why not post the image of Divine Mercy on front door /  window or Social media  whatever possible ways you can.There are some prayer cards available to download .

                 
                               Our window decoration with Divine Mercy image displayed

                                        JESUS I TRUST IN YOU

Mothering Sunday

The celebration of Mother's day began hundreds of year ago when on fourth Sunday of Lent families visited their Mother church, pausing from strict fasting to offer gifts and give thanks. It turned into Mothering sunday to show affection and gratitude to moms.

Also it is known as Laetare Sunday like Gaudete Sunday, taking a break. It is also known as Rose sunday or mothering sunday. We are reminded that salvation at hand, Christ will rise from dead to deliver us from sin and season of penance will be over soon. It is a time to visit their mother churches were you baptised or confirmed, or visit your own church. This is very impossible at the current situation, however you can pray for your church today.Epistle reading speaks not of Jews, those who come to Christ regardless of ancestry , are the inheritors of  Abraham's promise (Gal 4; 22-)

It is the spring equinox when Sun shines directly on equator, and the length of days and night are equal.

Spring bulb flowers like daffodils are given to mothers and making Simnel cake is a tradition to celebrate the Mothering Sunday though it is  of late Easter too.

          Simnel Cake

1 cup margarine, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
1 1/3 cups golden raisins
1 cup dried currants
2/3 cup candied cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
1/4 cup candied mixed fruit peel, chopped
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 pound almond paste
2 tablespoons apricot jam
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan. Line the bottom and sides of pan with greased parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour. Stir in the golden raisins, currants, candied cherries, mixed fruit, lemon zest and mixed spice. Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared pan.

Divide almond paste into 3 equal portions. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste to an 8 inch circle. Place the circle of almond paste on the cake batter in pan. Cover with remaining cake batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until evenly brown and firm to the touch. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil after an hour of baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Set oven to broil. When the cake has cooled, brush the top with warmed apricot jam. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste into an 8 inch circle and place on top of cake.

Divide the remaining 1/3 of almond paste into 11 pieces and roll into balls. These represent the 12 Apostles minus Judas. Brush the almond paste on top of cake with beaten egg. Arrange the 11 balls around the outside edge on the top of cake. Brush the balls lightly with egg. Place cake under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, or until almond paste is golden brown.

Some ideas for children to make Cards for their mothers and provide them with some little treats when they get up.

Children made some cookies last night, just as a time pass .

  Happy Mothering Sunday.