Family Lent Ideas and Resources

The following are some resources to help your family observe the season of Lent.

Songs:

The Lent song  for kids from Catholic Icing. There is even a video of a lovely lady singing the song. Great for preschool and early elementary.

Crafts: 

Salt Dough Crown of Thorns: This is a project we do every year. The idea is to remove a thorn (toothpick) whenever a sacrifice is made. The goal is for all the thorns to be removed by Holy Week.

My children made this Way of the Cross Circle with their Eucharistic Crusade group and it was a big hit.

This neat idea from Katie has complete instructions for making Resurrection Eggs.   Each plastic egg holds something related to Holy Week and a Scripture verse. There are print outs included which makes this a super-easy project.

Food:

Here is a simple pretzel recipe from Holy Heroes. Lacy has a wonderful explanation of the pretzel over at Catholic Icing. As well as a Pretzel Prayer Printable. 

To Mothers of Young Children

I often get the question from mothers of young children, "How do you do it?" and I often wonder myself how I DID it. You see, my life now is very different from the way it was just 8 or so years ago. I don't really remember how I did it when I had so many little children and no big helpers, except that it wasn't perfect and, only by God's grace, did I make it through to the current season I'm in.

I think that particular season of mothering, when absolutely everything is on your shoulders, when life is nothing more than waking and serving others all day long, is the most difficult and the most bone-weary time. And as you totally give of yourself and die to yourself when they are so little, you grow personally and are then able to deal with patience as they enter young adulthood. God knows what He is doing and He is preparing you now for future battles.

The frustrations and constant interruptions of our daily rhythm during this season of life serves to break our will. Our entire life becomes a prayer and a penance. When St. Paul states that women will be saved by childbearing, he is talking about the whole package deal. Midnight prayers with nursing babies. Imposed fasting while helping young children eat instead of feeding yourself. All of it!

We enter this thing called Motherhood as very, very selfish people. And we very quickly realize that life is no longer all about us. And then we realize that we need to give much, much more than we have and that is when God steps in and makes up for what we humans lack.

And what you put in now is what will come back to you when they are adolescents and young adults. Your time and effort, your patience, your prayers, your suffering, will all be rewarded when those babies are just a little bit older and are laughing while washing all the dishes you used to have to wash. When they are folding the mountains of laundry that you had to do yourself. When they are taking the babies for a walk so that you can have a bit of quiet. It is a happy, close family when everyone realizes they play a part in making a house a home.

So, the point. HANG IN THERE! It gets easier. Really, it does. Pray hard. Laugh alot. Train the children. Have patience with them. Have patience with yourself. And LOVE THEM every minute... because it goes fast.

Great Rosary Stories - Louis Pasteur

More than a century ago a proud university student boarded a train in France and sat next to an older man who seemed to be a peasant of comfortable means. The brash student noticed that the older gentleman was slipping beads through his fingers. He was praying the rosary.

"Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?", the student inquired.

"Yes, I do. Don't you?" the man responded. The student laughed and admitted, "I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary out the window, and learn what science has to say about it."

"Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me," the man said humbly, tears welling in his eyes.

The university student noticed that the man was deeply moved. To avoid hurting further the older person's feelings, he said, "Please give me your address and I will send you some literature to explain the matter to you." The man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out his business card. On reading the card, the student lowered his head in shame and was speechless. The card read: "Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris." The deluded science student encountered his country's leading chemist and bacteriologist.

Saying Good-bye to Our Dog Murphy

After a long bought of suffering for our family pet, we needed to say good-bye to our wonderful dog, Murphy. He will be greatly missed by all. And never forgotten.

WE LOVE YOU!

Auriesville 2016 Photo Log

After missing the last few years, the Hickman family participated in the 10.5 mile long Pilgrimage walk to the Shrine of the Jesuit Martyrs in Auriesville, NY.

It was a good day of faith, family and camaraderie.  The pilgrimage climaxed with a Solemn High Mass in the Shrine basilica on the very ground where several Jesuit priests were cruelly tortured and eventually killed by their Native captives.  In addition to the many converts these courageous missionary priests and faithful help make among the Indians of the region, a flower would also sprout from that very location, one nicknamed the "Lily of the Mohawks", Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.