Faith and Family Live

For those of you needing additional inspiration on being a Catholic mom, as well as great ideas for recipes, gifts, and relevant family articles, be sure to visit Faith and Family Live. Just click on the button above and be blessed!

Mom to Mom

Often times I complain that there are not enough practical books on being a Catholic wife and mother. Oh, sure there's plenty of "heavy-duty" theological documents out there on the importance of being a devout Catholic married woman, how children are a blessing from God, and how the union of man and wife is sacramental. But VERY little on HOW to be this devout woman, especially when the children are running five different directions and they DON"T seem like the blessings you'd thought they would be (you would just like to read ONE really great book for one hour straight for once), or how to nurture your marriage when you and your husband pass like ships in the night due to a million different commitments, the job, or the baseball practice. Oh, but finally I hear there is a book just published that just might do the trick for you and I. It's titled Mom to Mom and is written by Danielle Bean, Danielle is one of those devout Catholic women, who happens to have seven kids, homeschools and looks at life in a very REAL and WONDERFUL way. She's one of those women who has her priorities straight and addresses the many challenges of everyday Catholic family life. I've just ordered the book as an Easter gift to myself. Now all I'll have to do is carve out some time to read it. Order yourself a copy and buy another for a friend and see the many pearls of wisdom she offers.

Conversion Story

Here's a beautiful, and quite humble story of a couple's conversioninto the church. May it be a reminder of the treasure we have in Christ this Lent.

JP II Relics available if you hurry!!

You can get your own personal relic (a piece of one of the white cassocks JPII wore) from the Rome diocesan office today. All you have to do is email them or fax them with your request by going
HERE.

Catholic Women's Book Club, Book of the Month

If you have been reading along with my Catholic Book club, you will be interested to know of the newest book selection on the list The Death of Innocents by Sr. Helen Prejean. This is a challenging look at the system of capital punishment in our society and how we, as Catholics should view this type of punishment in the light of our faith. Here is an editorial review of the book from Publishers Weekly:

"Starred Review. Activist nun Prejean, whose crusade against the death penalty became widely known after Susan Sarandon portrayed her in the Oscar-winning film adaptation of her first book, Dead Man Walking, has again crafted a passionate indictment of the American criminal justice system. This time, with gripping, heartrending detail, Prejean draws on her experience advocating for two men she believes to have been innocent, but who were condemned to death row—Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O'Dell. While the book's subtitle removes any element of suspense, few readers will miss it. Instead, many will be outraged at a "machinery of death" weighted against the poor and African-Americans, featuring technical obstacles placed in the way of men desperately fighting for a fair hearing of evidence never elicited at their trials (O'Dell was denied appellate review by the highest court in Virginia because his lawyers typed one wrong word on his petition's title page). Prejean's tale involves a tragic, but not atypical, confluence of aggressive prosecutors (such as those in Louisiana, who display a "Big Prick" award featuring the state bird clutching in its talons a hypodermic needle used in lethal injections in its talons) and inept, ill-trained and apathetic defense attorneys. This damning critique should make even supporters of capital punishment pause, and the author's celebrity status, coupled with a timely message, should propel this onto bestseller lists. "

Surprise, surprise.

You know the Bible 93%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

A visit

Mormon: Have you read the book of mormon?

Me: Have YOU read the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

Stuff.

I've just come across a wonderful BLOG by George Paprocki who has been a pastoral associate for 25 years and is currently teaching 8th grade faith development. His insight on passing on the faith to youth is wonderful and his list of websites and books are very helpful for families or catechists.

A colleague passed on this website to me. It's created by Loyola Press and has many great ideas to deepen the faith of your family as well as any youth you are teaching. Browse around to find some fantastic ideas for the upcoming Lenten season.

Want a great multi-media stations of the cross for children? Check out
this website and follow along.

Catholic Women's Book Club

Here is what we are reading this month. A good read, especially if you were educated in a Catholic school. We plan to read this doozy in January. These are great gift options for your Catholic friends! Let me know what you think of the content.