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Last year I took a closer look at the Liturgical candle that was in our church. While the candle was beautiful and ornate, I couldn’t help but notice the inverted cross. In recent times, the upside down cross is used as an anti-Christian symbol. It is meant to turn the tables on Jesus’ victory and show the devil’s victory. In reality, this upside-down cross is actually a very old symbol that goes back to Saint Peter, the first pope, who was crucified as Jesus was but upside down. Peter was fleeing the growing persecution in Rome and along the way meets Jesus. He asks our Lord, “Quo vadis (Where are you going?)” His reply is a gentle rebuke: “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter understood what Jesus meant. Turning around, he returned to the city to later be crucified, as Jesus had previously, but for Peter it would be upside down. So just as the cross is the symbol of Jesus’ death and triumph, so too the upside down cross is about Peter’s death. There is even a church in Rome called “Domine Quo Vadis” which is dedicated to this meeting! Since then, the Catholic church has used this upside down cross to refer to either Peter himself or subsequent popes after him. Another symbol of the pope is keys. The origin of the keys goes back to when Jesus made Peter the first pope. This found in Matthew 16:13-19: When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” To understand the importance of what a key meant, you’ll have to go back a little further to the book of Isaiah 15:15, 19-25. This is the part of the Bible which Jesus was actually making a reference to: “Thus says the Lord, the GOD of hosts: Up, go to that official, Shebna, master of the palace,(say) I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash, confer on him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open. I will fix him as a peg in a firm place, a seat of honor for his ancestral house; On him shall hang all the glory of his ancestral house: descendants and offspring, all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs. On that day, says the LORD of hosts, the peg fixed in a firm place shall give way, break off and fall, and the weight that hung on it shall be done away with; for the LORD has spoken.” Each year, the church celebrates the feast of The Chair of St. Peter on Feb. 22nd. In fact, cathedra is the Latin word for “chair”. Cathedral comes from this word because that was where the Bishop’s chair was. However, while there is a true piece of furniture by that name, the significance of this feast is about the role of pope. The Lord knew that we would always need to have a father in charge of the Christian family on earth; someone to shepherd and guide us. The chair of St. Peter is about the role of pope, his authority, and his mission to help protect and care for the church. Ultimately, it is about the pope being a father (which is what the word “pope” means). Beyond any one pope in particular, we celebrate that we have had an unbroken line of popes back to the first pope, Peter. By God’s love and grace, we always have had a father for the church militant here on earth. Happy Father’s day! Written by Jonathan Lawrence – A cradle Catholic, a husband, and a father of 9 children. He enjoys teaching his children about the stories in the Holy Bible and is happy to share a little with you.

The days get away from me and I can never seem to find a free minute to post here on the blog, but today I’m posting a quick and simple project that my 5-year-old loved! We have been learning about animals – God’s amazing creatures – so Caleb created this cute little world of animals craft! And it was a great craft to make on St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day! 😉 ABC Learning Letters: G and W “G” is for God! “W”  is for World! To make this you will need: Stock paper or light cardboard or paper plate crayons – green, blue and dark brown small animal stickers scissors How to create it: Draw a circle on your paper/cardboard. If your animal stickers are larger make your circle larger and small animal stickers = small circle. Have the child draw a cross in the middle of the circle and color it brown. Then they can make outlines of land areas with a green crayon. They can then fill in the land with green and the water with blue. Now they can cut the circle out. Have them add the land animal stickers to the green area and water animals to the blue area. That’s it! So fun and easy! My little guy loved it! Hope you and your kids love it too! ~JenMarie

Five years ago, my husband and I bought the house of our dreams or is it the house of our nightmares?!?!? We have had to fix or replace almost everything in or on the house – roof, floors, siding, plumbing, electrical, etc…  Everything has just been going bad – sometimes even after we have already fixed them!! During this past 5 year we have felt like the devil has been on our back. Everything we did just seemed to be met with difficulty. My father, who is a excellent carpenter and electrician, has been helping us on recent projects (since his retirement) and commented that he has never seen such simple projects turn into such horrible, time consuming problems. So after 5 years of dealing with these crazy construction catastrophes we decided it is time to fight back! We have had the house blessed after we moved in, but we wanted to do a little more than that.  So we decided to dedicate our home to St. Michael – and St. Michael’s feast day just seemed too appropriate! I found these prayers to purify & protect a home on this website:   HERE These prayers were originally published by order of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII. They are wonderful prayers!  I printed them out so our kids (the ones who can read) could follow along as we prayed them.  My husband and I wanted to have a small memorial of our dedication. So we made a ”sign” to place in the ground in our front flower garden. We used a wooden cross stake and a laminated picture of St. Michael to create this sign. Jon (my husband) used a staple gun and hammer to attach the picture to the cross.  We chose a cross because of Jesus’ cross and also because to looks a bit like St. Michael’s sword, but you could use a simple straight stake or stick.  We only stuck the nails through the clear laminate sheet so the rain wouldn’t destroy the picture: So after attaching the picture to the stake, we read the prayers (as directed) and than all 9 of our kids and Jon and I took turns hammering the stake into the ground.  With St. Michael’s protection, we pray that we may have a better year. May our home be filled with God’s Grace and may our hearts be filled with God’s love. St. Michael, Protect us! ~JenMarie

Happy feast day of Bl. Mother Teresa! (September 5) I made a copywork sheet for my kids which includes a very nice quote of hers. “If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady. Just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit this prayer has never failed me.” — Blessed Mother Teresa I just loved this quote it’s such a real reminder that even saints had bad days and had to ask for help. So many times in my days I forget to ask God or Our Lady for assistance. Oh, how I need to remember!! Download this copywork page here: Anyway, here is a picture of the copywork sheet I made (download above): Mother Teresa, pray for us. ~Jen-Marie

This FREE DOWNLOAD is a copywork page with a quote about Our Lady’s Holy Name, Mary. This download contains three versions for: Beginning Writer Middle Writer Experienced Writer Choose the one that works best for your student! At the top of each page is an area for the kids to draw and decorate the Holy Name of “MARY”. The page reads: “Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.” -Saint Bonaventure It’s a perfect quote! See how it speaks of the power of Our Lady’s name! So this is a great copy-sheet for the feast of The Holy Name of Mary. (Sept. 12)Download these pages below! It’s Free! Download the Copywork Pages Here: So don’t forget to call Mary by her holy name whenever you need help! God Bless! ~JenMarie

A few weeks ago, I posted about an ”Our Lady Star of the Sea” craft which I made (with a little help from my kids). That craft included a glass bottle or jar. We’ll I’m sure many of you are like me and don’t want your kids to have a glass jar or bottle in their bedroom! So, after my craft-lov’n, 9 year old daughter kindly asked to make one of the jar crafts for her bedroom, I decided to make a kids-save version of that craft.  You will need: images of Our Lady Star of the Sea Sand Paper (we used 150 Grit) Twine or Raffia glitter glue (silver) small shells white glue scissors pencil or pen with a point First decide on the size you want your finished craft to be. Choose the sizes in the files which are listed above. I made ours with the ”6 on a sheet” file so I could get a large number out of one sand paper sheet.  Six small images fit nicely on a regular sized sheet of sand paper. Cut the sandpaper a little bigger than the image(s) Oh, and in case you don’t understand why I’m using sandpaper: It’s to resemble the sand on the beach. We had a little misunderstanding at our house about that. 🙂  Cut the edge of our sand paper boarder to have a rough edge. (If you wish) Next use the white glue to spread glue the back of the Mary image and then glued it to the sand paper. If you would like to add a twine/raffia hanger to your craft now is the best time to do that. Use a pencil or pen to carefully poke a hole in each of the top corners of the craft. Be sure to leave plenty of space from the corner so it doesn’t rip. (Tip: I always do this on carpet – it’s much easier!) Tread your twine / raffia through the holes and tie a knot in each end to keep it from sliding back out the hole. I have decorations on the craft which is shown in these pictures, but believe me, it\’s much easier to add the holes and sting before the decorations!! 😉  Now, add your decorations!! This can be your way – your style! I added glitter glue around the edge of my picture.  Then I used more glitter glue to glue on a twine bow and small shells. My craft-lov’n 9 year old and her three little sisters each made one and had a blast! I’m excited with how sweet these look – my kids did a great job! They are now the newest decorations hanging in their bedrooms! All made with tender love and care! Our Lady Star of the Sea, Pray for us! Till next time, take care! ~JenMarie

Rebekah wanted to be Bl. Imelda Lambertini, but she did not want her picture posted, so Elizabeth said she would model the Bl. Imelda costume. Thanks Elizabeth! Blessed Imelda is an amazing saint that had more faith in her short life than most people have even after living 90 years!! Imelda wanted to be a nun at the tender age of 9. She was allowed to live with the Dominican sisters, but was not treated kindly by them. She desired to receive her First Holy Communion but was refused. At that time children did not receive their First Communion until the age of 14.  When she was eleven years old she attended the Ascension Day Mass with the other nuns. All the others had received their communion and Mass was over. The nuns were preparing to leave when they saw what appeared to be a Sacred Host hovering in the air above Imelda, as she knelt in prayer. The host was glowing with a remarkable light! They called for the priest. The priest give the Host to Imelda. Imelda was filled with such love that she died at that very moment! Read more about her amazing story here . Our Imelda is dressed in a white robe and had a white veil, which is actually a pillow case. I used a headband to create the look of a Host hovering over her head. To make this hovering Host, I folded a decorative foil paper in half (back against back) and cut out two star shapes like above.  I twisted two silver pipe cleaners together (to make it stronger) and then hot glued them on the back of the star shape, like in the above picture.  I added more hot glue to the silver pipe-cleaner and laid the other star shape on top making sure the star shapes covered each other.  I added a felt circle to each star shape, and used a black pen to make the cross. Then I wrapped the pipe-cleaner ends around a white headband. I also added a little bit of glitter glue around the host to make it look more interesting. It worked great!! She can comfortably wear a shining Host above her head! Bl. Imelda is an amazing young lady! I try to remember her as I go to Holy Communion! She has shown us how we take our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for granted. Blessed Imelda, Pray for us!

Joshua wanted to be St. Raphael. You may remember St. Raphael from the Bible in the story of Tobit. Read more here . Our St. Raphael costume was fairly simple, It’s a red robe, blue tie/ribbon, angel wings, and a few paper fish hanging from the waist. I found a fish picture on-line and printed the image off (2 times). After cutting them out, I laminated them (to make them stronger) and I taped a string to them to tie them around the belt at the waist.   I used a red robe I bought on Amazon. Here are a few similar robes: Red Robe with King Crown Kids Maroon Nativity Gown (lg)   ****************** I bought the wings, also. Here are a few similar wings: Children’s White FEATHER ANGEL WINGS Small White Feather Angel Wings for kids Small White Feather Angel Wings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abby wanted to be Our Lady. She as been Our Lady in past years, but she has never been Our Lady of Snows! 🙂 About Our Lady of Snows A wealthy but childless Roman couple, John and his wife decided to leave their fortune to the Church. They often prayed to the Virgin asking for guidance on how their wealth could be put to use. The Virgin appeared to them on the night of August 4th and told them that she wished a basilica to be constructed on the Esquiline Hill. She would miraculously leave snow in the middle of the hot month of August on the precise area in which she wanted the church built. Pope Liberius also received the same message from the Virgin. The next morning John and his wife and Pope Liberius went to the top of the Equiline Hill which had been covered with snow. After they measured out the area for the basilica, the snow disappeared. Pope Liberius immediately called for the construction of the Basilica.  Learn more about Our Lady of Snows: Behold Thy Mother  { post 1  &  post 2 } Our Lady’s Promise Our little lady is dressed in a white robe and has a sparkly navy blue veil. The veil actually has snowflake shapes, but it\’s hard to see in the picture. I bought the fabric at Walmart. Around her waste is two different colored blue ribbons and snowflakes hanging from a string. The snowflakes are actually buttons I bought at the craft store.

Caleb is dressed as St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence is a favorite at our house for a few reasons, but mostly because of his since of humor! During his martyrdom, while being grilled alive, he told the men who were killing him, ”Turn me over, I’m done on this side.”  Even in the face of such a cruel death, he had the ability to make a joke! Read more about him here . Our St. Lawrence is dressed in a black robe. Since Caleb is only 2 I used a larger sized black long sleeve shirt to substitute as a robe. It worked every well. Then, I tied a black strip of felt cloth around his waste.  To symbolize St. Lawrence’s martyrdom I wanted to make a grill for Caleb to carry.  Again since he is so small I was able to tie two cooling racks together so they laid (like a scapular) over his solders. I used cooling racks like these , but I bought mine at the dollar store – 2 for a $1.  I had originally planned to make this costume for my older son, but he decided to be St. Christopher instead. To make the grill on a larger scale, I had planned to use my oven shelf (learned that from a friend) or make one with strips of black cardboard.   On the back grill I placed a sign that read: ”Turn me over, I’m done on this side.”  The costume was so easy and my little guy looks so cute! (but I’m his mom so I’m going to feel that way!!) God Bless. ~JenMarie

Here is Jacob dressed in his St. Christopher Costume. There are several legends about St. Christopher including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. This was what made Christopher patron saint of travelers. Read more here  and here . Our St. Christopher is wearing a brown robe with a fleece wrap. He has a walking stick with a travel bag tied to it. Baby Jesus is strapped to his back. We used a tan, fleece scarf with an attached hood (like this one)  to strap the doll to his back. The scarf ends were used as backpack straps and tied together in the back. Then we covered the straps with his brown robe and had baby Jesus and His pouch sticking out the back of the robe.  He wore a robe like these robes: (The robes with hoods might work to hold baby Jesus) Kids Brown Nativity Gown (lg) Child\’s Medieval Monk Robe Costume (Sz: Sm 4-6) The fleece wrap was a scrap piece of material I bought and cut irregularly. Our staff is just a long stick and the travel sack is a cloth handkerchief filled with paper napkins and tied with twine.

Our Elizabeth wanted to be Saint Catherine of Genoa for All Saints Day. St. Catherine of Genoa was a new saint to me, and when we read about her life, Elizabeth chose her as the saint she wanted to model this year.  (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, born Genoa 1447 – 15 September 1510) is an Italian Roman Catholic saint and mystic, admired for her work among the sick and the poor. She was a member of the noble Fieschi family, and spent most of her life and her means serving the sick, especially during the plague which ravaged Genoa in 1497 and 1501. She died in 1510. Read more here and   here Our St. Catherine costume is a fancy long dress and gold trimmed veil, because she was born of a noble family. She is also wearing a stethoscope to symbolize her years spent as a nurse and administrator at a hospital in Genoa.