vacation bible school exhaustion

Last week was filled with getting everyone up and out the door to sing, dance, do crafts, and learn about Saints with a "kingdom rock" theme. Timmy, Charlie, and Maggie had a great time going from station to station in the heat and then the cold, and then the rain, but Julia Ellen was plumb overwhelmed. The first day she ran out to the van, with her teenage crew leaders following, locked herself in, and wouldn't come out until I arrived and ordered her out. Even after a few days of not clinging to my leg every time she spotted me in the hall, on Friday she locked herself in the bathroom stall. Luckily her sister Mary was a crew leader for another group of preschoolers and was able to help the sweet girls in charge of my youngest. But the daily schedule of games and snack with 170 other children wore my crew out so much that a few took naps in the afternoon and had to be woken up for supper.

Luckily the long days didn't affect my running and I took 3rd place in the 10 mile Tour de Lac in Bucksport on Saturday. Since it had been so hot, I bought myself a fancy shirt I saw advertised in a running magazine that reacts with your sweat to cool your skin. Perhaps it worked, but since it was misting the entire race the heat wasn't much of a factor overall. I ran a little faster than my 7:30/mile pace during the first 8 miles, but started to fade by the end. Maybe it was the training, maybe my new shirt, but somehow I beat my PR by 30 seconds. The next race in the series is Thursday, a downhill 3K that precedes the 4th of July parade from Brewer to Bangor.

splash

An Easter Day that started with eating an entire chocolate bunny, multiple egg hunts, and topped off with a ham dinner was just not going to end well. Julia Ellen had a marvelous day scarfing down all the candy in her basket before 10am, then looking for plastic eggs all over the yard and house that each of her older siblings would hide, and having a nice bath before getting into her new pink polka dotted dress to go to 5:30 pm Mass. We took 2 cars because the boys got there extra early to serve and as the priest sprinkled us all with holy water from the aspergillum, Julia Ellen threw up. 

She not only barfed all down the back of my sweater and her dress, but when I quickly took her to the tiny bathroom to clean up and sat her on the toilet lid, she threw up again all over both of us and the floor. With nothing but coarse brown paper towels to clean up the mess and a miserable little girl on my hands, I sopped up the worst of it and asked the sacristan to fetch my purse and keys from our pew before taking her home in the truck. She got another bath, I took another shower and we both curled up in our  fuzzy jammies until the rest of the family returned home. 

Monday, I did call the church office and offer to come in and Lysol the heck out of the pew and the bathroom, but the nice lady said that these things happen and it would be taken care of. Perhaps next year I can avoid a repeat performance by just not buying 4 bags worth of Easter candy. I thought I was moving out of the stage of life of having to miss parts of Mass because of loud babies and cranky toddlers, but being the mommy of many sometimes means 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

 

two firsts

Last Sunday Will served his first Novus Ordo Mass and I received Holy Communion from a lay person for the first time in 12 years. There are so few vocations in the diocese of Maine (only 6 current seminarians) that they have moved to a "cluster" system of staffing parishes. The 6 churches in the greater Bangor area used to be served by 12 priests, but are now covered by 2. They are very good and holy men, but worked to the bone every day, especially on weekends to say Mass at every church. Other parishes in the area are in the same boat, the Bucksport priest travels to Stonington and Castine, each town an hour away from the rectory. He literally has to run out the door after Mass to make it in time for the next one, never able to offer Confession to the outlying parishes. It is a sad state of affairs and I am fervently praying for a new bishop (our old one was transferred to Buffalo) who is orthodox and on fire for the Faith. Orthodoxy in belief and liturgy results in vocations as we can see in both religious orders such as the Nashville Dominicans and the priesthood, as evidenced by FSSP. 

Will has served as an alter server in the Traditional Latin Mass for 7 years now, ever since his FHC at St. Benedict in Virginia. But there is no TLM anywhere near Bangor, and I understand that our priests just can't do one more thing, especially something involving training and taking away another Mass to squeeze it in (they can't legally say more than a certain number of Masses each day). So I made arrangements for him to begin serving, with one non-negotiable; that he not serve with girls. I don't want to go into why I believe that girls reduce the number of boys willing to serve and why this in time dries up the feeder mechanism for future priests, because these arguments are so obvious. So, last week he served with another boy and everything was lovely, both the sacristan and the priest commented positively about his professionalism on the altar. We sat up front after the previous week's debacle, so when it came time for Communion and the priest was distributing Holy Communion to the left hand side of the church, we went up and received in the hand from the lay person. I don't recall if he attempted to bless the little ones, which is not appropriate, but I had to remind myself that while I am a stickler for doing the right thing during the liturgy, others have not had my experience and knowledge. I may be a convert, but I have read and studied the history of the Church and her traditions and know that only a priest or parent is supposed to bless a child. All in all, it was a lovely Mass and I am grateful that the parish is willing to accommodate our "quirks."

This Sunday I thought Will was scheduled to serve Mass, but as I was kneeling in the pew the sacristan asked me to come to the vestibule. He explained that two servers were already scheduled for that Mass, but one of them was a girl. It was up to me if he vested or not. I hesitated for a moment, but said, "He'll just sit with us." He was very gracious about it and promised to talk to the coordinator about having Will serve next week. This has been a big transition for our family and while we knew what we were in for when we left the Auburn area and the TLM every Sunday, it is still hard emotionally. My hope is that our example, as well as the example of other faithful families, combined with the ministry of holy priests, and hopefully a very holy and orthodox new bishop, can, in time lead to a renewal of orthodoxy and more vocations to the priesthood.

appropriate Mass behavior

On Sunday evening Will was supposed to serve his first Novus Ordo Mass. However, he had been asked a few days before if he could compete in the Red Jacket Regatta in Rockland, a small boat sailing race for youth. Tim drove down to pick him up early so he could get to Mass on time, but when he arrived, due to the lack of wind, Will was all the way across the harbor. While the sacristan was understanding of the circumstances, I hope that next week's Mass will go a little more smoothly. For in addition to Will's absence, Mary asked if we could sit in the back pew and that was a huge mistake. 

I won't go into all the details, because that would be gossip just for the sake of being nasty, but the family sitting in front of us made our family, with the smaller children drawing pictures on their bulletins and Julia Ellen drawing in my tiny notebook through Mass looked angelic in comparison. But I'll just say that there were large quantities of toys, wailing, chatting by the grownups, and Playdough was almost ground into the carpet. The woman who was sitting beside them leaned over at the end of Mass and said, "Are these your children?" "Well, it is a few of them (Timmy went with Tim to pick up Will)." "They are so well behaved and so nice looking." At this point there was a little whispering from behind me because the children knew that I would stop at the store on the way home. I waited a moment until the priest exited the church and then explained,"If they get a compliment then they get doughnuts." 

Now, I've always been one of those middle-of-the-road moms when it comes to little children and Mass, I've brought religious coloring books, bags of Cheerios, sippy cups of water, holy cards to organize in a little picture album to keep them occupied and quiet. I've rarely seen any horror shows depicted on the internet of kids bringing McDonald's Happy Meals into the cry room, screaming fits that go on through the entire homily, or Nintendo games played during the Consecration. But as I told Mary after informing her that it was all her fault for begging me to sit in the back, we will be sitting up front in the future. After 14 years of taking unruly children out of church, spending most Sunday mornings in the cry room, training babies to be quiet for the sake of those around them, I refuse to subject myself to someone else's poor parenting during Mass.  
 

sick, sick, and car sick

This past two weeks have been a little draining. The week before Will went to Boy Scout camp he had  3 days of fever, diarrhea, and a dripping nose. Luckily he recovered enough by Sunday to enjoy a week of camping, canoeing, and orienteering. Julia Ellen came down with the same odd combination of symptoms this Saturday and we decided that Tim would stay home from Mass with the two little ones, there being only room for 4 children in his new car. The van was still at the shop, getting a new transmission installed. After we arrived at the church 30 minutes early, I let Charlie and Maggie go over to the playground while I called Tim on my cell phone.

"The bad news is that Charlie gets car sick in your car."

"Oh my gosh, not my brand new car!"

I couldn't let him suffer too long, "The good news is that Charlie did not get car sick IN your car. We pulled over at Hollywood Casino and he barfed in the bushes."

However, I had to call Tim back a bit later. Within 15 seconds of climbing on the playground equipment he was stung on the cheek by a wasp and started screaming. I piled everyone back in the car, stopped at McDonald's for some ice to put on his face and gave up on anyone in our family attending Mass this week.  

forced time out

Things have been falling apart at our house this past week. My internet connection was down for 3 days and since Will is at Boy Scout camp, I had no idea how to fix my modem problem (thank you to the nice man on the phone from India who kept repeating, "I apologize for your frustration," when they couldn't find my account. "But I have your satellite dish on my roof and we have had service for a year!")  My van has been in the shop since Tuesday afternoon when the transmission suddenly died. It won't be ready until Monday. And most distressing of all is that I was diagnosed with bursitis and arthritis in my sore hip. I've only run a few times since my last race and start physical therapy on Monday. I took off almost 20 years of running, mostly to have babies, and now I feel like I threw away the gift of that time. If I don't get better, I don't see how I can continue, it isn't fun to run with constant pain. 

But after having my short pity party, I realize how truly blessed I am. My connection to the world was resolved with just tightening a loose connection on my modem. My van is fixable and we can afford to make that repair. My hip seems to be improving a bit and, even if I could never run again, I can always take up swimming to stay in shape. My husband loves me, my children are all well (except for Julia Ellen's minor fever), and I have food in the pantry. There are many people who are caring for sick loved ones, millions of people don't have a job, and many more are worried about how to pay the bills. Today there are almost a hundred families in Colorado standing by a hospital bed or mourning the loss of their loved one. The only thing I can give is to offer up my pain for them, for the survivors to be given peace and have the strength to recover physically and emotionally from this massacre and for the souls of those who have been killed.    

get me to the church on time

Our family will not be heading to the beach this Memorial Day weekend, but to the Cathedral in Portland, where Charlie will be making his First Holy Communion and Confirmation (he went to first penance last Sunday) and the older girls will receive Confirmation. With no Catholics in either of our families and not knowing anyone in the Latin Mass community well, Will is going to be the sponsor for all three of his siblings. Afterwards I think we will celebrate with a gastronomic trip down memory lane with a late lunch/early dinner at the only Cracker Barrel in the state of Maine. We used to go there after Mass once in a while when we had to travel an hour to Mass in North Carolina and I just love their meatloaf. Yes, there are a lot of nice restaurants in Portland, but I would prefer to go somewhere familiar and family-friendly. 

Today I have to clean the whole house, pack enough for 4 days, remember everyone's church clothes and shoes, make sure my favorite church hat stays into the car (apparently last week it blew out of the van and Julia Ellen found it Monday in the woods and emerged with it smashed onto her head), and drive 2 hours to the other house. Our house down there is already for sale so I'll have to make sure that one is pristine as well. Living in one house will be a breeze after this summer, it seems that all I do is clean bathrooms, mop floors, and mow the grass.

Happy Easter!

I know that many parts of the country have had a very early spring. The daffodils down in Virginia are already fading, but up here in Maine our bulbs are just coming out. The weather forecasters are even calling for snow tonight. Luckily I didn't buy the children cute Easter clothes because it would all be covered up with sweaters and coats, even inside because our church is made of stone and the temperature never seems to rise above 50F. 

Some of the children and I went to Mass on Maundy Thursday and then on Friday morning attended the Stations of the Cross. Each station was acted out by students in a respectful manner and the entire student body was quiet and prayerful. 

So, while it is warm and sunny for Easter in other parts of the country, we will still be wearing our mittens to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. 

At least our chocolate bunnies won't melt.      

time to fight back

I could write a long essay about the religious liberties being attacked by the Obama administration by this HHS mandate, but I as I told the nice lady who answered the phone in Congressman Michaud's office, "I've been meaning to write a letter for days now, but I have 6 kids and I had to lock the door just so I could have enough quiet time to simply call my political representatives." I was pleasantly surprised by her enthusiasm over my call, "I know it is a lot of ask a Democrat to oppose Obama, but this is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment." Richard Malone is one of the 80% + bishops in the country who have made statements and written letters against this mandate to violate one of the tenants of our religion. 

The decision to implement a contraceptive mandate on nearly all of the nation’s health care plans is a blatant and capricious affront to conscience rights and religious liberty. This mandate shows a complete disregard for religious freedom, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires nearly all private health insurance plans to cover contraception and sterilization prescriptions as “preventative services” for women. Contraceptive coverage includes drugs that are known at times to result in an abortion.

Although the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services claims the Act exempts religious organizations, the reality is that while parishes likely would be exempt, other Church-related institutions such as Catholic Charities, Catholic hospitals, nursing homes and schools would not qualify since they serve a wider population.

I ask that you too find the 5 minutes to call your Senators and Congressman and tell them to represent Catholics who find this from on-high pronouncement unconscionable. 

a small pro-life victory

I was thrilled to read this article this morning: 

"In what looks to be a break between two organizations dedicated to women’s health, a national breast cancer awareness group said it would stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood centers for breast cancer examinations and other breast health services.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leader in fundraising for breast cancer research and famous worldwide for its iconic pink ribbon, said Tuesday that it was halting all partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates because of recently adopted criteria that forbid it from funding any organization under government investigation.

In September, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., launched an inquiry to determine whether Planned Parenthood uses public money to fund abortions. Planned Parenthood receives federal money but cannot use it to provide abortions. (Yes, but if they receive federal money for other "services" that frees up money for abortion, plus you don't think they do those abortions for FREE, do you?)

Komen has a long history of providing funding to various Planned Parenthood affiliates for such services as manual breast exams (Wasn't there an ad that proved that PP does not do mammograms? Yep, and here it is.)and referrals for mammograms and biopsies to check suspicious lumps for cancer. Although that money is not used for abortions, the KomenFoundation may have yielded to demands from antiabortion groups to sever its ties to Planned Parenthood."

upside down prayers

Every evening before bed we all kneel in a semi-circle before a small crucifix and pray for a quiet night, ask each of our patron saints to pray for us and say the Our father, the Hail Mary, and the St. Michael prayer. We used to recite many more prayers, but with the little ones flopping about and two exhausted parents, eager to get children in bed, we have pared our family prayers down to the basics for the time being. Julia Ellen wanders about, first sitting on my lap with her little hands folded just so, with thumbs crossed, and perhaps taking a breather on Will's lap, before clambering up on the big blue armchair, where she flips herself upside down and positions her hands again in prayer. I have learned to close my eyes at this point so I don't start a contagious giggle fit. 

Yesterday while waiting for Mary to emerge from her elementary school gym class, I was flipping the radio back and forth between Glen Beck and EWTN. The Catholic station had just started praying the luminous mysteries of the Rosary, so I flipped it back to Beck, but Julia Ellen piped up from the backseat, "Hail Mary, Amen. Hail Mary!" so I quickly switched stations and we spent the next 10 minutes listening and praying along with the radio. Julia Ellen might not assume the most pious pose when we pray, but she does recognize the words and obviously loves praying and going to Mass.      

smushed pew syndrome

This past Sunday we did not attend the TLM in Lewiston, but instead went to the NO Mass in Bangor. While Tim was heading up to pick up Will from his campout at Acadia, I took the remaining 5 children to the 10:30 service. I forgot that they had changed the time and arrived 20 minutes early and snagged one of the back pews. While the children behave better when sitting up front, I choose to sit in back so I can be sure to receive Communion from the priest and am able to "switch sides" to make that happen. But in the last 5 minutes before Mass began we first made room for an older lady on one side and then a couple squeezed in on the other side while I wasn't paying attention. Then Charlie announced he had to go potty and in the period of his absence the first woman scooted over to make room for 2 more people. So, what started out as spacious accommodations, turned into our large party of 6 being smushed into a space that could really only accommodate 3. As I was getting my tights snagged by the toddler's velcro shoes and listening to children complaining about being elbowed by their siblings, I uncharitably told them to elbow their adult neighbor instead. 

What were these people thinking? Why would you deliberately box in a family with lots of little children that need room to breathe and access to the aisle? All this relates to Father Z's blog post about obnoxious ushers and the comments by perfect parents with children who never utter a peep inside the sanctuary for fear of being beaten. I'll refrain from commenting there, but I wanted to share with the childless adults who attend Mass: you reap what you sow, if you smush my 2 and 5 year old children who just want a little room so they can color their Catholic coloring books you deserve the glares and elbows that will inevitably come your way. Yes, I will pray for you, but it will be likely, "Dear Lord, please induce this person to sit somewhere else next Sunday."    

traveling back in time to 1962

Maine is a very large geographic diocese, the entire state is under the direction of one bishop. Currently the bishop has a moderate bent, but in the past apparently there have been some real doozies. There isn't much orthodoxy, though there are pockets and this translates into few vocations to the priesthood and religious life and only one priest willing to say the Traditional Latin Mass. We are blessed to be able to now attend one of his two Masses offered each Sunday, despite the ordeal of awakening all the children at 6am to attend. The Basilica in Lewiston is by no means packed with traditionalists, the church can hold at least 900 people, but there is a fair crowd and many families with lots of little ones. Will started serving yesterday after an early morning practice to acquaint him with the slightly different rubrics. Every parish we have attended does things a little differently based on the priest's preferences. I'm looking forward to being able to worship Our Lord in the Mass of the Ages, but not so enamoured of having to get there before 7:30am to get into Confession.      

no vocations?

About 3 weeks ago during the announcements during Mass the priest asked parents to fill out a survey as to why in the past 10 years the CCD programs has gone from 1000+ children to under 450 children participating. I didn't bother to fill out the survey since we aren't members of the parish, but even if we were I know that I wouldn't send my children to CCD. Why? Because after the dumbing-down of the curriculum and contrary-to-the-Faith teaching I have seen and heard about over the years, I don't trust the instructors. My kids have only attended CCD at St. Benedict's in Chesapeake, VA because I know how pious the teachers are, know that they use the Baltimore Catechism, and know that the other students are kids who come from good Catholic homes. When we go to the Novus Ordo Mass in Maine I am usually the only woman wearing a hat, my kids are the only ones not wearing shorts and flip flops, and we are certainly the only ones who receive Communion on the tongue. I know that these outward signs are not a indicator of holiness because I certainly sin more than I should, and the lack of these things are not a direct correlation to sinfulness, some of the parish families could be praying the rosary every night. But in general, those who take their religion seriously tend to be a bit more orthodox in their Mass attire and attitude toward the Blessed Sacrament.

That said, it didn't surprise me too much when just before the recessional yesterday morning, the priest at St. John's in Bangor made an announcement, "Father Tony (the Indian priest on loan to the diocese) will not be returning. With only 2 priests then covering 5 churches in the cluster parish, we cannot have 12 masses per weekend so some things are going to have to change."  

The diocese of Portland, Maine has been headed by 2 very liberal bishops in the past 15 years. The leadership of liberal bishops leads to an increase in happy-clappy liturgy and a suppression of orthodoxy, such as the Traditional Latin Mass. Vocations do not occur in an environment where it is evident from all outward signs that the lay people do not take their faith seriously. Only when the liturgy, preaching, and the priest's attitude all convey a sense of love for God, a deep meaning of Him in our daily lives, and a cause for sacrifice are there genuine vocations to the priesthood and religious life. That is why our little parish in Virginia with all of 175 families has 4 men currently studying for the priesthood and the diocese of Portland, Maine has 69 priests stretched to the limit serving 139 parishes. My suggestion to increase vocations? Turn the priest around to face the Tabernacle, restrict servers to boys only, start preaching some serious homilies about sin and the need for holiness, ask the FSSP to send priests to say the TLM, and throw away all the fluff books used in CCD. Start from the ground up and teach people the Catholic Faith, encourage them to love Our Lord in recognizable Catholic practices, and challenge them to be more holy and I promise that Maine will see an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

clarification on the Traditional Latin Mass

Today the Instruction Universae Ecclesiae (UE) has been released. Father Z has a synopsis and discussion over what this means to those Catholics who are faithful to the TLM. I still don't know what would happen if I asked our local priest in Bangor, ME to offer the older form of the Mass, but am so grateful that the idea of female altar servers at the TLM has been put to rest (it happened last week in England), by this portion:

… Furthermore, by virtue of its character of special law, within its own area, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum derogates from those provisions of law, connected with the sacred Rites, promulgated from 1962 onwards and incompatible with the rubrics of the liturgical books in effect in 1962.

So, no altar girls, no communion in the hand, no extraordinary ministers at the Traditional Latin Mass. The Mass that has nourished thousands, perhaps millions of Saints, sustained those who brought Christ to heathen continents, encouraged those who brought loving care and education to those who needed it, and by its graces saved many more millions from hell will hopefully be more free than at any time in the past 40 years and will expand and bring many more souls to Our Lord's feast in Heaven.  

cry rooms- a form of purgatory?

Over the past week our family has spent a great deal of time in church. Will had his foot washed as part of the Maundy Thursday Mass as the altar servers took on the role of the 12 apostles. If I had known, I would have made him scrub his feet beforehand in the tub. Of course, being a Traditional Latin Mass, there were no women taking off their shoes, just 12 boys all wearing black socks and black shoes. I was grateful that I had bought him new socks and shoes a few weeks ago, the soles of his old church shoes separated from the tops during Mass, even after my attempt to superglue them back together. Luckily I found a great pair (size 7, my baby is now wearing men's shoes!) at the thrift shop for $2. Friday afternoon found us sitting in our usual pew for 3 hours and of course we repacked the tote bag with religious coloring books and crayons for Easter Sunday morning.

Julia Ellen and I spent about half of the service on Friday and Sunday in our new church building's cry room, a good-sized room with huge glass windows and plenty of chairs in the back of the sanctuary. The sound system doesn't pick up much of the service, except the homily, but it is far preferable to standing in the vestibule or sitting in the classroom watching the service on TV like we were doing before. Of course, my squirmy, fussy thing automatically transforms herself into idyllic toddler as soon as we set foot inside the cry room. Who wouldn't want to cling to their mother when in the midst of fussing and screaming angst of 10 short people? Perhaps there could be a middle ground, a space where non-perfectly behaving children might go so their mothers don't have to distract folks in adjacent pews, but one that doesn't require parents to subject themselves to listening to everyone else's tots who are much more ill behaved. (It is just the age, I have seen many children exhibit the ugliest behavior in Mass transform into genteel little people in just a few years).

I figure that between all my children, I have only physically been present during the entire Mass a handful of times (we converted when Will was not yet 1). While I am grateful our parish has a cry room (when we attended Mass at Sacred Heart in NC the only options were the sanctuary or outside), I will be grateful when our youngest is able to sit on the kneeler and color quietly for 90 minutes so I can stay in our pew and hear all of the Mass.  

dedication day

Over the past 30 years, St. Benedict's Chapel in Chesapeake, Virginia has grown from a small group of traditional minded Catholics attending Mass in rented rooms, to over 170 families present on March 5, 2011 to dedicate our brand-new church. This might be the only building erected in the past 30 years from the ground-up specifically to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.

The building project has taken 5 years of planning, construction, fund raising, and many delays, but it is an incredible structure with so many beautiful details that show how much love for God and our Catholic Faith are held by this community.  

The altars, lectern, communion rail, and Stations of the Cross are antiques that were collected by Father Willis, our former chaplain, who began the project in 2006. The East Rose window depicts the Agnus Dei and was chosen from a vestment that Father Willis wore. The West Rose window above the choir loft is an accurate representation of the St. Benedict's medal. Other architectural details include a Rood Screen Crucifixion depiction attached high above the main altar on the Rood Beam which both came from England and alternating stained glass windows of Seraphim and Cherub created by the Joseph Byers Studios in Philadelphia.  

The dedication service was presided over by Bishop DiLorenzo and Mass was celebrated by our chaplain Father Nichols, FSSP, North American District Superior Father Flood, FSSP, and our assistant chaplain Father Byrne, FSSP. It was a beautiful service with angelic music sung by St. Benedict's choir and assisted by 18 altar boys. Many clergy were present as well as some of our parish's seminarians. A reception was attended by 200 parishioners afterwards to give thanks to all those who put in many hours of hard work in the building of the new church. A most special thanks must go to Father Damian Abbaticchio, OSB + who served as a priest for 60 years and as our much-loved chaplain for 13 years.

A link to the chapel's website shows many pictures of the building construction. Seminarian Philip Johnson has written about the dedication at his blog In Caritate Non Ficta. A Priest's Life has several posts about the dedication, including a line of altar boys that contains my son, Will, who fainted during the litany of the Saints at the beginning of Mass.

May God be loved, worshipped and glorified, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the Saints watch over us, and may our love for Our Lord and each other help bring many souls to God.    

keeping silent about the big lie

Apparently my children have been informing the neighbors' kids again about the non-existence of Santa Claus. We had a little "discussion" in the car about different parenting and that if some folks want their children to believe in an obese home-invasion expert who brings candy and gifts then that is their right and Maggie and Charlie shouldn't interfere. It did make me giggle a bit when the neighbor angrily accused Maggie of calling her father a liar because he said, "Santa does come on Christmas Eve." While she shouldn't be rude to a grownup, she was standing up for the real Saint Nicholas, rather than some manufactured marketing ploy designed to entice children to whine and harass their parents into procuring them expensive gifts.

So, with Ash Wednesday approaching, and with it the appearance of Easter candy on the grocery shelves, the mother next door pleaded with me to warn the children not to shout from the rooftops that some floppy-eared monster bunny does not sneak into every one's homes and leave baskets of candy and chocolate. Perhaps since I am socially required to perpetuate a semi-Christianized fabrication, I could therefore demand atheists not to attack Catholicism and deny my children the right to be taught the faith without interference.

Yeah right.      

Christmas pagent

The Saints come to the Manger pageant was a phenomenal success, especially the portrayal of St. Nicholas by Father Burne. Even Timmy caught the gist, "Be good for your parents and don't beat up your brothers and sisters, follow the Commandments and you shall receive toys and cookies." The boys were very convincing shepherds with Timmy cradling a stuffed puppy and a lamb, while the girls made very beautiful Saints. After Benediction the children were rewarded with candy canes, which the boys flipped over and over all the way home, "J for Jesus, and a shepherds cane, J for Jesus and..." I am so grateful that our family has the opportunity to participate in such a lovely pageant again after a 3 year hiatus and learn about their Catholic history at the same time.

Let me add that I'm glad that the pageant was yesterday, I looked out the window and found that it is snowing. Today is baking day when we made Christmas cookies until the scent of sugar and spice permeates out all the doors and windows.

on your mark, get set...for angst

Early Saturday morning the two big girls and I hopped out of bed and laced up our running shoes in preparation for a 8:30am race up in Newport News. The beneficiary of the run was the local Catholic school run by 4 Nashville Dominican nuns. Mary and Maggie were signed up for the 3K race, while I was entered in the 8K run. However, the shorter race began 10 minutes after my race, leaving me in a bit of a bind. I approached a nice looking lady surrounded by girls, "Are you running in the 3K?" I asked. "Yes." "Could you do me a huge favor and watch out for my girls?" Of course she agreed and chatted for a bit before I moved up to the starting line.

I did pretty well, 2nd place in the women's Masters category (40+) and found my daughters eating granola bars and begging me to let them attempt the Army's rock climbing wall. After we got back home I noticed that Mary was a funk, refusing to practice the piano and snarling at everyone. It turns out that her brief exposure to Catholic school girls left her jealous and resentful that she didn't go to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, have mountains of girlfriends, and go to classes led by the young, sweet looking nuns. I explained to her, after doing a little internet research, that we couldn't afford to send our children to Catholic school, especially one an hour away, that cost $21,000.

A friend at church consoled me and I again commiserated with Mary that for right now, homeschooling is our only school option. Yes, it is a lovely fantasy that my children could walk to an excellent Catholic school staffed by loyal priests and sisters, filled with merry classmates, just like in the stories in their readers, but that is just not going to happen anytime soon. For now, I need to look harder for other opportunities for Mary to find more friends in our neighborhood and local homeschooling community.