Tuesday, June 30
Catholic Bible Study
Monday, June 29
St. Peter and Paul - June 29
The Loyola Kids Book of Heroes by Amy Welborn
More saints' lives, organized according to the virtues they expressed through their lives.
I. Faith
- Introduction: Jesus is Born
- John the Baptist: A Hero Prepares the Way
- Early Christian Martyrs: Heroes are Faithful Friends
- Medieval Mystery Plays: Heroes Make the Bible Come to Life
- St. Albert the Great: Heroes Study God’s Creation
- Sister Blandina Segale: Heroes Work in Faith
- Introduction: Jesus Teaches
- Pentecost: Heroes on Fire with Hope
- Paul: A Hero Changes and Finds Hope
- St. Patrick and St. Columba: Heroes Bring Hope into Darkness
- St. Jane de Chantal: Heroes Hope through Loss
- St. Mary Faustina Kowalska: A Hero Finds Hope in Mercy
- Introduction: Jesus Works Miracles
- Peter and John: Heroes are Known by their Love
- St. Genevieve: A City is Saved by a Hero’s Charity
- St. Meinrad and St. Edmund Campion: Heroes love their Enemies
- Venerable Pierre Toussaint: A Hero Lives a Life of Charity
- Rose Hawthorne Lathrop: A Hero Cares for Those Who Need it Most
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: A Hero Lives Charity with the Dying
- Introduction: Jesus Strikes a Balance
- Peter and Cornelius: Heroes Love Their Neighbors
- Charlemagne and Alcuin: Heroes Use their Talents for Good
- St. Francis: A Hero Appreciates Creation
- Venerable Matt Talbot: Heroes Can Let Go
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: A Hero Enjoys the Gift of Life
- Introduction: Jesus Gives Us Leaders to Help us Make Good Choices
- Paul and Barnabas at Lystra: Heroes See the Good in All Things
- St. Jean de Brebeuf: A Hero Respects Others
- Catherine Doherty and Jean Vanier: Heroes Bring New Ideas
- Venerable Solanus Casey: A Hero Accepts His Life
- Blessed John XXIII: A Hero Finds a New WayThe Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is June 29.
Sunday, June 28
Amy Welborn in Living Faith
For example, today, June 28:
Think big! Follow your dreams! Change the world! Make a difference! Set the world on fire!
It can be confusing, can't it? On the one hand, so many voices out there are telling me to find self-fulfillment in doing big, huge things in attention-getting ways. And as I listen to the Lord, I hear that too. I hear the call to go out to the whole world, to let my light shine. But then there's this from Matthew today, which seems to be about something different: being small, being less, losing my life.
MORE
May 6:
We went to a production of Hamlet in which all the roles were played by only four actors. They slipped in and out of character with apparent ease, shifting vocal register, donning a pair of glasses or standing up a little straighter. It was fascinating. But it wasn't a miracle. The actors worked hard and practiced, practiced, practiced until the words, actions and life of the piece became, simply, their lives at the moment.
MORE
April 27:
My wallet was old and bulkier than I needed. It was also patterned in a hideous pinkish paisley. But it had been a gift from my son, who, as he proudly told me on that Christmas morning years ago, had picked it out all by himself.
So, not wanting to hurt his feelings, I kept it. I recently mentioned the situation in passing and that same son said, "Well, why don't you just get a new one?"
MORE
April 3:
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
- Psalm 18:2-3
My youngest son and I recently headed to the Badlands of South Dakota. I had seen photographs of the layered, varicolored, almost lunar landscape, but the reality of what I encountered surprised me. I had assumed the formations we'd be walking among were solid rock--but they're not! They're sediment. Essentially huge piles of crumbly, dried mud. No wonder I'd not been able to find any rock-climbing activities for my son. You'd tumble right down if you tried. And no wonder this park, unlike any other national park, permits open, off-trail hiking. It's all going to erode anyway, and fairly soon in geological time.
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March 12 -
Last year, we spent a couple of weeks in Seville, Spain. Around the corner from our apartment was a church with a forecourt. In the rear of this courtyard stood a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus. Any time I walked past, day or evening, I saw the same sight: a steady stream of people coming in from the street--passing by on the sidewalk bearing briefcases, shopping bags and backpacks, young and old--stopping in to light a candle, offer flowers (there was always a bank of bouquets in front of the statue) and stand for a moment and pray.
MORE
For example, today - February 9.
We live, it seems, in a time in which political talk never, ever ends. And about this time in the four-year election cycle in the U.S., it's reaching a peak. Sometimes the intense emotions and judgments that characterize these conversations lead me to wonder if people are looking for a competent government leader or something more profound in a spiritually barren time.
MORE
January 31:
Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.- 2 Samuel 11:15
What a terrible, wretched incident this is: David, the Lord's anointed and King of Israel, has an innocent man killed so he can have his wife to himself.
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MORE
January 13:
In the midst of one of these situations, of course I was moved to pray. First, for a resolution to the situation that involved no loss, either of material goods or my pride. "Please fix it," I asked God. "Thanks." But then a different prayer came to me, a simpler one: "Help me bring good out of this."
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January 7:
I would have just driven on by. But my son, always alert to the mysteries that nature holds, had been paying attention, so he was able to see. And so Magi, wise and observant of God's ways in the world, were led by the light to his son.
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December 26
December 19:
During Advent, in these days leading to Christmas, my days and evenings are marked by familiar rituals of all kinds.
I pray at Mass, of course. And in the Scriptures, prayers and music, I am eased into the journey of waiting and hope. Candles glimmer from my mother's Advent wreath. We hang the wooden "O Antiphon" crafts my sons made years ago. The lights, the recipes, the scents of these days create a place that I know.
MORE
November 17
Last Thanksgiving, a local restaurant offered a free meal. If you could pay, fine, and any money would go to a shelter. If you were unable to pay, that didn't matter. The doors were open, the table was set, and you were welcome to the feast.
MORE
November 5:
I am surrounded by people just trying to do the right thing. Sometimes we make the right decisions, sometimes the wrong ones. We correct our mistakes, try to do better and bear it all patiently, never forgetting our own limitations and our own missed calls.
MORE
October 4:
He was called Il Poverello--the little poor one--and we very strongly and rightly associate St. Francis of Assisi with poverty. We love him because in him we see that it is, indeed, possible to live the call of Jesus, to follow in a radical way, with nowhere to rest our head, trusting in God alone on the journey.
MORE
The webpage for Living Faith is here.
Living Faith is a print publication - available in Spanish and English - but a digital edition is available as well.
More information on the digital edition is here.
Follow Living Faith on Facebook and Twitter.
Saturday, June 27
Prove It Church by Amy Welborn
Is Prove It Church required for your Catholic school theology class?
This series of apologetics works for Catholic teens and young adults by Amy Welborn encompasses the diverse questions Catholic teens have in their own hearts about faith, and those they are asked by others.
Prove It: Church
- What Church Do You Go To?
- Why Isn’t Your Church a ‘Bible Only’ Church?
- Why Don’t You Read the Bible Literally?
- Why Aren’t Some of Your Beliefs in the Bible?
- Why Doesn’t Your Church Let You Interpret Scripture?
- Why Has Your Church Added Books to the Bible?
- Why Were You Baptized as a Baby?
- Why Aren’t You Saved?
- Why Does Your Church Say You’re Saved by Works, Not by Faith?
- Why Do You Pray to Saints?
- Why Do You Honor Mary So Much?
- Why Does Your Church Have Statues?
- Why Do you Believe That the Pope is Infallible?
- Why Do You Confess to a Priest?
- Why Do You Call Priests, “Father?”
- Why Do You Believe In Purgatory?
Friday, June 26
Prove It: Prayer by Amy Welborn
Prove It; Prayer
- …God’s In My Heart All the Time
- …God Already Knows Everything I Feel: I Don’t Have to Tell Him
- …God’s In Control: My Prayer Doesn’t Influence Him
- …I’m Too Busy
- …I Don’t Know Where to Start
- …Meditation is Weird
- …I Can’t Concentrate
- …The Bible is Too Hard to Read
- …Memorized Prayers Are Meaningless
- …I don’t Know Whether It’s God I’m Hearing, or Just Me
A resource for Catholic youth ministry and Catholic catechesis of youth.
Thursday, June 25
The Psalms for Children by Amy Welborn
A Child's Book of Psalms by Amy Welborn is a hardcover introduction to the Psalms. It includes many of the Psalms themselves, and an introduction - written by me - explaining what the Psalms are and how they have been prayed by Jewish and Christian people over the centuries, and still are today.
(Illustrated selections from 22 of the Bible s best-loved Psalms. Author Amy Welborn explains the history, background, and types of Psalms in an introduction and two supplemental chapters. Includes a map and visual history of the Holy Land from Abraham through Solomon. Author: Amy Welborn Format: 61 pages, Hardcover Publisher: C. D. Stampley Enterprises (September 2007))
Wednesday, June 24
Amy Welborn's Books
Read more about it here.
The monks raised their voices in hope at the end of each phrase, and then paused a great pause in between, letting the hope rise and then settle back into their hearts. My own heart rushed, unbidden by me, uncontrolled, right into those pauses and joined the prayer. A prayer written by a eleventh-century bedridden brother, chanted by monks in the middle of Georgia, and joined by me and the silent folk scattered in the pews around me, each with his or her own reasons to beg the Virgin for her prayers.
And we weren’t the only ones joined in that prayer. With us was a great throng of other Christians who had prayed it over the centuries, and who are praying it at this very moment.
My days as a prayer snob were over.
It would be a great resource for inquirers into the Catholic faith.
Tuesday, June 23
Diary of a Country Priest
Monday, June 22
St. Thomas More for Kids - June 22
He is featured in the children's book, Be Saints! by Amy Welborn
His story is in this book:
The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints
Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.
I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla
Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena
Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro
Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort
Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio
Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann
Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma
Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein
Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel
Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster
Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux
Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta
-Be Saints! and The Loyola Kids' Book of Catholic Saints by Amy Welborn
Sunday, June 21
Discipleship for Catholic Teens by Amy Welborn
Prove It: You by Amy Welborn
The final book in the series isn't apologetics, but a guide to w discipleship. How can a teen live joyfully and faithfully? What does it mean to do that? What's right and what's wrong? What's my life for?- Who Am I
- Sure, I Want to Be a Good Person, But...How?
- What's Jesus Got To Do With It?
- It Was Only a Little Lie. So?
- I've Got All The Time In The World...Don't I?
- Love Who? Everyone? Really?
- It's My Body. All Mine.
- How Far Can I Go?
- Whose Life Is Worth Living?
- It's A Big World With Too Many Problems. Can't I Just Live My Life?
- "Be Not Afraid"
Saturday, June 20
June 20- Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
For centuries people learned about the Christian faith through paintings, sculptures, objects, and gestures. Simple images still convey deep messages if we learn how to see and understand them. Award-winning children's author Amy Welborn has created a friendly and fascinating sourcebook on the signs and symbols of the Catholic faith. The exquisite illustrations throughout will inspire conversation and prayerful reflection for readers of all ages. Each image appears with a brief, child-friendly explanation coupled with a more detailed description on the opposite page.
From the sign of the fish to the Stations of the Cross, from the palm branch to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols will enable children and adults to experience faith with curiosity and wonder.
For more on the book, go to the Loyola site here.
Ask you local Catholic bookstore to order it!
For more on the series, go here.
Friday, June 19
June 19 - Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 28 is the feast of the Sacred Heart.
Here are the pages on the Sacred Heart from The Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols by Amy Welborn.
Click on each image for a larger version.
As you can see, the structure of the book is: for every entry, the left-hand page features a beautiful illustration and a brief definition. On the facing page, you will find a longer explanation, suitable for older children.
More about the book - and the others in the series - here.
Thursday, June 18
Amy Welborn on Prayer
The power of Scripture to guide us to a closer relationship with the Lord and one another may be hard to describe. But one of the best ways to learn about his divine power is through the experiences of others.For decades, the authors featured in this book have inspired readers with their reflections on Scripture through the pages of the ever-popular Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions magazine. Now, get a personal, behind-the-scenes look at which Scripture passages have most inspired them.In Scripture Passages That Changed My Life , ten of Living Faith's most well-known authors each explain how meditating on the word of God has changed their lives. Allow the lessons that they have learned to deepen your prayer experience and maybe even change your life, through the word of God.
Monday, June 15
Bible Stories for Catholic Children
Written by popular Catholic children’s author Amy Welborn, this beautifully illustrated collection of Bible stories for kids and their families is uniquely arranged according to where the stories fall in the liturgical year and when they are proclaimed at Mass. Divided into five sections—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter Season, and Ordinary Time—each section is subdivided into Old and New Testament stories. From “the Fall” to St. Paul, from the Exodus of the Israelites to the Ascension of Jesus, Loyola Kids Book of Bible Storiesnurtures family and individual reading of the Bible at home, while familiarity with these stories will help children connect far more meaningfully with the liturgy.
Sunday, June 14
Corpus Christi
Michael Dubruiel wrote a book to help people deepen their experience of the Mass. He titled it, How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist. You can read about it here.
- Serve: Obey the command that Jesus gave to his disciples at the first Eucharist.
- Adore: Put aside anything that seems to rival God in importance.
- Confess: Believe in God’s power to make up for your weaknesses.
- Respond" Answer in gesture, word, and song in unity with the Body of Christ.
- Incline: Listen with your whole being to the Word of God.
- Fast: Bring your appetites and desires to the Eucharist.
- Invite: Open yourself to an encounter with Jesus.
- Commune: Accept the gift of Christ in the Eucharist.
- Evangelize :Take him and share the Lord with others.
Saturday, June 13
St. Anthony of Padua for Kids
Then one day something happened that was almost as strange as the ship wandering off course. There was a large meeting of Franciscans and Dominicans, but oddly enough, the plans for who would give the sermon at the meeting fell through. There were plenty of fine preachers present, but none of them were prepared.
Those in charge of the meeting went down the line of friars. “Would you care to give the sermon, Brother? No? What about you, Father? No? Well, what about you, Fr. Anthony—is that your name?”
Slowly, Anthony rose, and just as slowly, he began to speak. The other friars sat up to listen. There was something very special about Anthony. He didn't use complicated language, but his holiness and love for God shone through his words. He was one of the best preachers they had ever heard!
From that point on, Anthony's quiet life in the hospital kitchen was over. For the rest of his life, he traveled around Italy and France, preaching sermons in churches and town squares to people who came from miles around.
His listeners heard Anthony speak about how important it is for us to live every day in God's presence. As a result of his words, hundreds of people changed their lives and bad habits, bringing Jesus back into their hearts.
The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn
Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.
I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla
Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena
Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro
Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort
Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio
Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann
Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma
Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein
Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel
Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster
Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux
Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta
Friday, June 12
Feast of Corpus Christi with the Pope
Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion is based on a dialogue in St. Peter's Square that took place in 2006
Thursday, June 11
Catholic Graduation Gift
Prove It; Prayer
- …God’s In My Heart All the Time
- …God Already Knows Everything I Feel: I Don’t Have to Tell Him
- …God’s In Control: My Prayer Doesn’t Influence Him
- …I’m Too Busy
- …I Don’t Know Where to Start
- …Meditation is Weird
- …I Can’t Concentrate
- …The Bible is Too Hard to Read
- …Memorized Prayers Are Meaningless
- …I don’t Know Whether It’s God I’m Hearing, or Just Me
A resource for Catholic youth ministry and Catholic catechesis of youth.
Wednesday, June 10
Summer Reading for Catholic Kids
The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn
Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.
I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla
Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena
Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro
Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort
Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio
Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann
Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma
Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein
Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel
Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster
Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux
Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta
Tuesday, June 9
Summer Reading for Catholic Children
Pope Benedict tells children that if we grow in our friendship with God then we will find true happiness and become saints. In this beautifully illustrated book, popular author Amy Welborn introduces Pope Benedict's simple yet profound message to children, given during talks to children his recent visit to England.
In this very colorful book by acclaimed artist Ann Englehart, the Pope's words come to life as he interacts with the children, showing all children how only God can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.
Interspersed are prayers and quotes from various saints including Saint Francis, Saint Ignatius, Mother Teresa, St. Paul, St. Peter and more. They all emphasize that the most important thing we can become in this life is a Saint, a true friend of Jesus.
Sunday, June 7
Trinity Sunday
Symbols related to the Trinity from The Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols. by Amy Welborn
2018 Moonbeam Award, SILVER: Religion/Spirituality
2019 Illumination Book Awards, Gold in Education
2019 Independent Press Awards, Winner in Children's Religious Non-Fiction
2019 Catholic Press Association Book Awards, First Place in Children's Book and Books for Teens: Children's Books
Friday, June 5
St. Boniface for Kids - June 5
The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn
Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.
I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla
Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena
Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro
Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort
Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio
Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann
Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma
Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein
Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel
Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster
Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux
Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta
Thursday, June 4
Summer Bible Study
Matthew 26-28: Jesus' life-giving death by Amy Welborn offers a close look at the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Matthew's Gospel.
It is a part of Loyola Press' Six Weeks With the Bible series, which provides individuals or groups plans for concise but thorough 90-minute sessions to learn about and discuss the pertinent Scriptural passages. General guides for how to effectively lead an adult education session are also included. The series is available in paperback and also in Kindle versions.
Wednesday, June 3
Sacred Heart Novena
Tuesday, June 2
Summer Reading for Teens
Prove It: Jesus by Amy Welborn
I’ve Always Wondered….- …Is What the Gospels Say About Jesus True?
- …What Are the Basic Facts About Jesus?
- …What Did Jesus Really Teach?
- …Did Jesus Really Perform Miracles?
- …Why Was Jesus Executed?
- …Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead?
- …When Is Jesus Going to Come Again?
- …Was Jesus Really God?
- …How Could Jesus Be Both God and Human?
- …Why Did Jesus Come at All, and What Does It Mean for Me Today?
A resource for teen catechesis and Catholic youth ministry
Monday, June 1
June - the month of the Sacred Heart
From the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols by Amy Welborn
From the introduction:
The Kingdom of Heaven is like…..The book is available from Loyola, of course.
…a mustard seed.
…a treasure hidden in a field
….leaven
Think about the most important things in your life: feelings, ideas, emotions, realities, and hopes. Now try to explain these things in a way that communicates the depth and breadth and truth of what you’ve experienced.
It’s hard. It might even be impossible. For we all know this: no matter how eloquent we are, what we express only touches on the surface of what’s real. What’s more, the deeper and more important the reality, the more challenging it is to adequately express.
But we still try, because we are created to do so. We’re created in God’s image, which means we’re created to be in deep communion, to understand, to imagine, to love and create. And so to do so, we depend on metaphors and similes, signs and symbols.
Signs and symbols are not add-ons to human communication. All communication, from letters to words to hugs to great paintings, is symbolic. For what are signs and symbols? They are expressions that represent something beyond themselves.
So, yes, written and oral speech is symbolic. Gestures are symbols. Images, music, food, nature – all of what we see can be incorporated into life in symbolic ways.
Just as Jesus himself used that most absorbing means of human communication – the story – to communicate with us, so did he use deeply symbolic language as well as signs. The Scriptures are woven with imagery that remains fundamental to our understanding of God: rock, shepherd, right hand…
Spirituality involves the deepest realities of all: the human soul and its relation to the Creator. Signs and symbols play an especially rich and important role in this part of life.
Signs and symbols have always been important in Christian life and faith. Human beings are, of course, natural artists and communicators, so we use symbols to express deep realities. Early Christianity developed in an environment in which persecution was a frequent fact of life, so symbols became a way to communicate and build bonds and pass on the truths of the faith in ways that hostile outsiders could not understand.
Signs and symbols have played a vital role in Christian life over the centuries for another reason: for most of Christian history, most Christians could not read. In these pre-literate societies, most people learned about their faith orally, as parents, catechists and clergy passed on prayers and basic teachings. They also learned about their faith in the context of cultures in which spiritual realities were made visible throughout the year, through symbolic language and actions: they lived in the rhythm of liturgical feasts and seasons. They participated in the Mass and other community prayers, rich with symbolic gestures, images and even structured in a highly symbolic way, from beginning to end. Their places of worship, great and small, were built on symbolic lines, and bore symbolic artwork inside and out.
These people might not have been able to read – but they could read.
Their books were made of stone, of paint, of tapestry threads, of gestures, chant and the seasons of the year.
They could indeed read – they could read this rich symbolic language of the faith. Their language was one that communicated the realities of salvation history and God’s mercy and love through images of animals, plants, shapes and design. They knew through these symbols that God is justice, God is beauty and with God, there waits a feast.
We still, of course, speak this symbolic language, but the welcome increase in reading literacy has also privileged that particular form of symbolic communication, so that we often think that verbal expression – what we can read on the printed page – is somehow more “real” – more expressive of what’s true and certainly more appropriate for the mature believer who has surely moved beyond imagery, just as, when we are young, a sign of growing maturity to us is that we can read a book with no illustrations.
But when we think about it, we realize that this privileging of the spoken or written word is just not true to what human beings really value.
After all, what do we say?
Actions speak louder than words.
And it’s true. The deepest realities of life – joy, love, passion, grief, hope – can certainly be expressed with words, how often to we raise our hands in resignation, knowing that in this moment, we’ve said all we can, even though we know and mean so much more?
There are no words…
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.....The rich world of Christian sign and symbols is a gift for children. The simplicity of imagery meets them where they are, and the depth and richness of this same imagery prepares the soil for deeper understanding. When a child’s faith is lived in the midst of a wealth of imagery at home, at church and in broader culture, she is continually assured that she is not alone, that God is present in every aspect of this world he created, and that God meets her where she is. She’s taught from the beginning this truth that the world is much more than what we can initially apprehend. She’s taught that the spiritual life involves soul and body, reason and imagination, ideas and the tangible. She learns to live faith in a Biblical, holistic, Catholic way.