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St. Gerard – Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers
Born April 6, 1726 in Italy, Gerard Majella was the youngest son of a tailor and his wife. His mother often brought Gerard and his three older sisters to daily Mass with her. Even as a child, God blessed him in extraordinary ways. At four years old, he ran to his mother after Mass and […]
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Unfulfilled Desires
At Bible Study this week, my friends and I were discussing “passions” – those things that we feel strongly about. According to Quentin Hakenewerth, S.M., “a passion is emotional energy which is attached to some goal or object. Passions help us become lively and resourceful persons.” However, we need to attach this energy to something […]
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The Gift of Time
Last week I had the pleasure of being part of a panel discussion on beginning homeschooling at the 1st Annual New England Catholic Homeschooling Conference. I have just finished my first year of formal homeschooling my two sons who have successfully completed 2nd and 1st grade. I am hardly what one would consider a homeschooling […]
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Prayer for the Fruits of the Holy Spirit for Moms
Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the Holy Spirit. These include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. It seems that as mothers, we can use an extra helping of each of these. Dear Holy Spirit, Please help me to love my children even when it is hard: when it is 2 […]
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Book Review- “Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids”
We Catholics can sometimes take ourselves a little too seriously. God has a sense of humor, however, and so should we. Susie Lloyd will have mothers, especially homeschooling mothers, laughing out loud with her latest offering “Bless Me, Father, For I Have Kids” (Sophia Institute Press, 2009). Susie Lloyd is a forty-something homeschooling mother of […]
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Book Review: Grace Cafe
Grace Cafe by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle – A Review by Father Walter Schu, LC Grace Café is an aptly titled book. How does one discover grace – that sublime reality so distant from most people’s vocabulary today and, sadly, so often absent from their lives? Within these pages, seasoned author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle makes that […]
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Book Review: Letters to Mary from a Young Mother
Many thanks to Cheryl Dickow for this wonderful review of Letters to Mary from a Young Mother which appeared on Today’s Catholic Woman. Needless to say, it made my day! I readily admit that I am addicted to books. As a publisher, that makes sense, right? But I will also quickly admit that I push […]
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The Hidden Life of Jesus
This is the week of the hidden life of Jesus. No, that is not an official Church designation, but if we follow the liturgical calendar in which this past Sunday was the Feast of the Three Kings and next Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, then this week covers about 30 […]
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Loving our Fellow Mothers: How to End the Mommy Wars
The greatest commandment tells us to “Love God and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.” Sometimes it seems that the hardest “neighbors” for us mothers to love are our fellow mothers. The “mommy wars” are so much a part of life. If a group of mothers gets together and any parenting subject comes up, chances are […]
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Learning to Love
It would seem that love just comes naturally, and so it does. Babies come into this world hard-wired to attach to their mothers. We also have a natural drive once we reach puberty to search out a mate. Yet, for many, the ability to feel and/or show true healthy love has been diminished due to […]