How's Ya Mama? - Spending May Honoring Your Heavenly Mother

May is the month of Mother Mary!

We may not be able to gather for a May crowning, but we have plenty of ideas for you to honor Our Lady during this quarantine.

Want to know why we celebrate Mary all month? Click the picture and watch a video from FORED.org.
You don’t need an account. It’s free, you just need an email.

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Learn About Mother Mary

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What’s the big deal about Mary if our Faith is in God the Father, Sin, and Holy Spirit?

If 1 Timothy 2:5 says:
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…
then how is it not a sin to go to Mary with our prayer intentions?

Whether you get questions like these from others, or have them yourself, tune in to learn why Mary is so important to our lives.
Click here to watch LIVE or watch the recording if you miss it.

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This program has a free participant guide along with 12 short episodes so you can take it at your pace. Learn something new about Our Lady with this program filled with beautiful imagery.

Click here to watch!

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Featuring the insightful biblical teaching of Dr. Brant Pitre, Lectio Mary: The Bible and the Mother of God examines what Scripture, the life of Christ, and the early Church fathers reveal about Mary. By closely examining the connections between the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Pitre presents clear and easily understood explanations about the life and identity of Mary, the Mother of God.   
Click here to watch!

Take some time to look up the different apparitions of Our Lady all around the word. Which one is your favorite story?

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Lezajsk
Our Lady of Siluva
Our Lady of Laus
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Our Lady of Zion
Our Lady of LaSalette
Our Lady of Good Help
Our Lady of Pontmain
Our Lady of Gietrzwald
Our Lady of Beauraing
Our lady of Banneux
Our Lady of Kibeho
Our Lady of Akita

There are more but make sure you look up Vatican approved apparitions!

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Activities With Mother Mary

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This one has a lot of great crafts from Katie Brogner which she graciously shared free on her blog here.

This PDF full of link includes:

• crafts

• books

• playlist

• Old Testament/New Testament Marian cards

• 7 Sorrows Bible study

• and more!!!

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Find various holy images from around your house and create a mini holy altar in your home.

Once you’ve got you’r altar set up, pick a day in your home to play music, dress up, crown Mary on the altar, and then eat cake and celebrate!

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Pray With Mother Mary

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A beautiful and helpful reminder to pray during the Fatima Novena!

May 5th-May 13th

This design is from beaheart design found on their instagram.

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If you aren’t already doing the 33 Days to Morning Glory with us (see here for more info on that), then consider taking it up right now!

You can either use the FORMED.org link here or click on the picture.

Consecration for kids here & for teens here.

Get a FREE Copy

Send Free 33 Days Booklet

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Pray a rosary with your family. Zoom with family, call someone as close to you as family, and join together in prayer. If you want people to lead you, try watching our YouTube videos:
Click here to be led in the Glorious Mysteries

Can’t do a full rosary in one sitting? Try praying one through the day! It looks something like this:

• Wake up - pray the lead up prayers

• 10am - pray the first decade

• 12pm - pray the second decade

• 2pm - pray the third decade

• 4pm - pray the fourth decade

• 6pm - pray the fifth decade

• Bedtime - pray closing prayers

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Wanna do something different in prayer? Look up the different titles of Mother Mary and see which name sticks out to you the most. Look up an image of that title, look up the history of that title, and see if there are any prayers attached to that title.

Get to know your Mama!

Happy Feast Day of St. Catherine of Siena!

Image credit: “Catherine of Sienna” by Theophilia on DeviantArt

Born in 1347, St. Catherine of Siena was the 25th child in her family.  Although half of her siblings did not survive past infancy, the household was always full because her father dyed cloth and had many apprentices.  When her mother tried to force her to marry, she refused because she had promised herself to Jesus and even cut off all her hair to make herself less attractive to any suitors!  

When Catherine first tried to enter into the Dominican order, she was told she was too young at 15.  Only widows and old maids were allowed in. She was so distraught over the news that she became very ill and her mother took her to the countryside to get fresh air and renew herself at the spring. Now, Catherine was very stubborn and got in the spring where it was bubbling out of the earth.  People were alarmed when they saw her do this because she was getting burned all over her body! When she didn’t get out right away those around her pulled her out and asked her what on earth she was thinking. Her reply? “I was training my body that if it cannot withstand the heat of the earth then it certainly doesn’t want to spend eternity in hell.”

Click the image for Litany of St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena was a real life Cinderella in the way she served her family in humility.  When she cut off her hair and refused to marry, Catherine’s mother fired their maids and made Catherine cook and clean for the whole family.  That meant serving her parents, her siblings and all her father’s apprentices! When her confessor asked her how she managed to serve them with such love and not get irritable with them she would say with a smile, “I just pretend that my father is Jesus, my mother is Mary, and my siblings and the apprentices are the apostles and disciples.  It’s not hard.”

 Catherine was eventually allowed to become a third order Dominican, was given a habit, and lived as if she were a nun but continued to live in her parents house since she was still not allowed to become a nun.  Before the world saw the true force Catherine could be, she died. When her friends came to pay their respects, one priest started to hemorrhage. A second priest quickly grabbed Catherine’s, cold, clammy hand and placed it on the chest of the hemorrhaging priest.  Not only did the priest stop hemorrhaging, but Catherine gasped back to life! After a quick look around the room she started to cry saying how awful they all were for bringing her back because she had been in Heaven and it was far too ugly here on earth without Jesus!

After adjusting coming back from the dead, Catherine started living what would soon be her most famous quote, “if you are what you ought to be, you will set the whole world on fire.”  This woman became such a fierce and gutsy woman. When the plague hit, Catherine’s friend, the head of the hospital, caught the plague. Catherine, taking a break from nursing those already ill, ran to the hospital, threw open the door to her sick friend’s room, and said, “get up!  Don’t you know people need you to work?!” He was instantly cured! Another time, a siege hit Siena and Catherine did not run when men came charging towards her. In fact, because she knew Heaven was on the other side, she knelt down, smiling, and waited to be struck down. This frightened her attackers so much that they called the siege to fall back and they left!

However, one of the things she is most remembered for is for her tenacity with the Pope.  At the time there was a french Pope who stayed in France because Rome was too dangerous to live in at the time.  Catherine constantly wrote to him reminding him that he was not called to a life of comfort in his homeland surrounded by friends and family and must return to where the Pope is supposed to be: Rome.  She finally was able to convince the papacy to Rome and continued to serve and counsel when called upon. This little woman, under 5 feet tall, was soon affectionately called “Mama” or “little Mother” by all.

In the weeks before she died, in 1380 - for a final time - Catherine dictated her conversations with God to several of her friends.  This book is called The Dialogue. This piece of work, along with her many works here on earth, is what led her to become a doctor of the Church (learn what a Doctor of the Church is and how to become one here).   This woman is brave, courageous, and a shining example of true, heroic, Catholicism.  

There is so much more on her life that couldn’t fit in this article but we encourage you to continue to learn more about her!  St. Catherine of SIena, pray for us!

If you’d like to learn more about St. Catherine of Siena’s life, look into Louis DeWohls’ novel on her: Lay Siege to Heaven.

A free audiobook of the famous Sigrid Undset’s book on St. Catherine can be found on FORMED.org here.

FREE viewing ending today!

Word on Fire with Bishop Robert Barron has given us free access to his episode from Pivotal Players on St. Catherine of Siena. You can watch it here and check out a special deal on a new book on her!

Chanting Vespers - Part 4

Reading, Responsory, Intercessions

In our learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, specifically Evening Prayer/Vespers, we have discussed the Introduction, the antiphons, and the Psalms and Canticles.  In your prayer aid, whether a book or an app, you may have found a Psalm Prayer after each Psalm. This prayer is optional, and we omit this prayer during evening Prayer at St. Joseph’s. We will now review the remaining prayers.

The third Antiphon introduces a Canticle. Most often this is Colossians 1:12-20, but not always. This Canticle is followed by a Reading. The Reading is either an Epistle or passage from Revelations. The reading may be chanted.  At St. Joseph’s, however, the Reading, Responsory, Intercessions, Lord’s Prayer, and Concluding Prayer are spoken.

During the Responsory, the leader prayers the first line, everyone responds with the second line. The third stanza of the Responsory is always the initial words of the Glory Be.

The Gospel Canticle follows the Responsory. At evening Prayer, this canticle is the Magnificat.  During Morning Prayer, this Canticle is the Canticle of Zechariah. These canticles are chanted at St. Joseph’s.

The Prayers of Intercession are prayed after the Gospel Canticle. In the Intercessions, those assembled pray for the needs of the Church and the world. These Intercessions often include a prayer for those who have died. These may be chanted, but at St. Joseph’s, they are spoken. These are prayed in the same manner as the Prayers of the Faithful during Mass.  The leader offers the petitions and the people respond to each one as indicated.

Evening Prayer concludes with the Lord’s Prayer, a Concluding Prayer, and the Dismissal. These prayers may be chanted or spoken. When Father McDuffie or a deacon prays Evening Prayer at St. Joseph’s, the Concluding Prayer and Dismissal is replaced with Benediction.

Recall that the Liturgy of the Hours, particularly Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer were frequently prayed by the people in a time when it was more difficult to attend Mass.  How fortunate for us that we may continue this tradition during this time when we are unable to celebrate Mass together in our churches.

Chanting Vespers - Part 3

The Psalms and Canticles

Now that you have the prayers of Vespers/Evening Prayer before you, either in a book, or in an app such as Laudate or iBreviary, and you are familiar with the cross symbol, , which tells us to make the sign of the cross, and the Introduction, it is time to learn how to pray the Psalms and Canticles.

Each Psalm or Canticle is preceded by an Antiphon. The first time we see the antiphon, the presider or leader proclaims this alone: “He is the first-born of all creation; in every way the primacy is His.” After the Psalm or Canticle, the people will join with the presider for the last half of the antiphon. For example, Leader: “He is the first-born of all creation;” Leader and People: “in every way the primacy is His.”

The Psalms and Canticles following the antiphons are usually divided into four- line verses (occasionally there are fewer or more than four lines-we combine lines for consistency) and are prayed in this way:

1. Group I (usually those seated on the side of the room where the statue of Joseph would be located in a church) prays the first two lines; Group 2 (the Mary side) answers with the next two lines.

2. You will note the “*” after the first and third lines. This reminds us to pause and briefly consider what has just been said or sung. The first and third lines are presenting an idea. The second and fourth lines emphasize or complement the idea presented, so the pause gives us a chance to absorb the thought, and this is followed by an affirmation of the thought.

3. The first and third lines follow quickly on the heels of the second and fourth as a new thought is presented.

Praying the Psalms and Canticles in this way presents us with a conversational rhythm that is unfamiliar to us. When we speak to one another, or even in private prayer, we do not typically have an extended pause in the middle of a sentence and then quickly begin the next sentence. Praying the Psalms and Canticles in this way helps us to focus and meaningfully consider the prayers. I also find a lesson in patience in praying this way.

While quarantined, we’ll pray on our St. Joseph’s Facebook Page. Once we are back to our normal schedule, we’ll pray Vespers on Wednesday at 6pm in the chapel. I hope you will join to pray this public prayer of the Church.

Chanting Vespers - Part 2

Getting Started

In the previous article concerning the chanting of Vespers, we learned that this is one hour of the Liturgy of the Hours, the “other” public prayer of the Church, with roots in the Old Testament. In the coming series of articles, we will discuss how to pray Vespers, or any of the other hours comprising the Liturgy of the Hours.

First things first: where does one find the prayers for Vespers? Of course, there are books available, and the apps iBreviary and Laudate also have the prayers available for everyday of the year. We use the translation found at iBreviary.

iBreviary App

Laudate App

Whether sung (preferred) or spoken, Vespers is prayed antiphonally. This means that one person or group of people prays the first part of the prayer, and another group prays the second part. This is the same way we most often pray the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet in a group.

In the Introduction, you will notice a small cross, , with the words, “God, come to my assistance.” This tells us to make the Sign of the Cross while saying these words. This symbol occurs elsewhere in our prayers, too. You will see this at the beginning of the Gospel Canticle- the Benedictus at Morning Prayer (Lauds) and the Magnificat at Vespers-and when the final prayer includes, “May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil…”

Following the Introduction, we sing a hymn. This is often a hymn thanking God for our day and asking him to watch over us by night. The hymn will also be seasonal. Then we begin praying the Psalms and Canticles. We will discuss the traditional way to pray the Psalms and Canticles in the next article. Tune into Vespers chanted at St. Joseph’s Church at 6pm on Sundays and Wednesdays on St. Joseph’s Catholic facebook page.