Mary in 2 minutes

Another 2 minute video from 

the fine folks at Busted Halo.... enjoy!

After last week....

Unsure of what to do about all the sadness of the past week?  
Please click this short article and consider its suggestions..  In Response....

Or... watch this to learn about Advent!

O come let us get ready

 While it looks and sounds a LOT like Christmas in the stores, we still have the entire season of Advent (which begins this Sunday) to celebrate!

Here's a short column on preparing for Christmas:
O come let us get ready

How does YOUR family celebrate Advent?

October

Next week, after all the Sunday masses and during the Monday faith formation sessions at St Andrew's, we'll have a book fair! Come and browse - they'll be plenty to help you and your family grow in faith!

And here are some ideas for October with your family.

Year of Faith

 How will you and your family participate in the upcoming Year of Faith? Would it make any difference to your child(ren) whether or not you do?

Please watch this video.
And please stayed tuned for opportunities to participate in the Year of Faith this year at St. Andrew's!  

An interesting post

I invite you to read this post by Fr. Ron Rolheiser on baptism and parenthood.

Blessings to you all!

There's an app for that

Okay, so I know that I've mentioned "Vibrant Faith at Home" frequently lately, but that's just because I think it can be a very helpful resource for families.

And I just found out that they have a free app (for Apple or Android), so you can access it anywhere you take your smartphone!

Here's the link!

Parents are Primary

I invite you to read this excellent post from Vibrant Faith at Home, and
give some of their suggestions a try.

Hooray for grandparents!

Whole Holy Family
by Brother Michael McGrath

Today is the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus!

Isn't that a great reason to have your child(ren) call or visit their grandparents? If their grandparents are now living in heaven, you could share a happy story about them.

Summer Rituals

Have you found this website yet? It is a resource with continually updated ideas and topics-- the latest entry is on family rituals.... please click here to view (hear) the brief video, then check out their ideas! Please note that registration may be required in order to make full use of the site, but it is free!

If you've looked around there, what ideas did you really like? (please leave a comment here!)

Promises, promises

Do you have special ways to symbolize/remember promises that you make to each other?

A handshake or pinkie-swear, wedding rings, or some other symbol?

At mass this Sunday, we celebrate another big feast - such an important feast that we call it a 'solemnity'- the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In other words, we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist.

You might think of the Eucharist as an important reminder of the promises Jesus made to us: to always be with us, to love us so much that he'd offer his own life for ours, to give us the strength to be just like him (serving and loving others). And we know that Jesus always keeps his promises.

This week, you might talk with your child(ren) about Jesus' real presence- both in this wonderful gift of the Eucharist and in them (and you) through their baptism. How does it feel to know that Jesus is always there for us, and loves us more than ANYbody? What's going on in your child's life that they might want to ask for Jesus to help them with? Do they know about the tabernacle in the church , that Jesus is present there in a special way- AND that Jesus is present everywhere, all the time, ready to help us be good?

Book discussion in Holly Springs

How about an evening out?

Next Tuesday, June 5, author and WRAL-TV reporter Amanda Lamb will be at Holly Springs Library to discuss her book "I Love You to God and Back".

This is a book that  celebrates and explores the spiritual bond between a parent and child following a yearlong journey through faith and parenting between a mother and her six-year-old as they share their love through prayer.

 If you'd like to attend this 7-8pm event, you need to register, and you may do that (and get more information by clicking on this Holly Springs Library Event link.

Pentecost in Two Minutes

Would you like to understand Pentecost (the feast we'll celebrate this Sunday) better, and be able to explain it to your child(ren)? Got two minutes to spare?  Please check out this video!

Pentecost in Two Minutes - Busted Halo

Oh- and how about wearing red to Mass this week, in honor of the Holy Spirit?!

Sign of the Cross

Ever wonder about making the sign of the cross? Read this brief article!

Here's a helpful article

Looking for some ideas for helping your children grow in their faith? Please read this article -- and then maybe you could leave a comment sharing something you found helpful in it?

Candles at your throat?!?!

You may see something unusual at the end of masses this weekend..... please click here to read about the Feast of St. Blase and the Blessing of Throats!

Epiphany

Please forgive me for being so absent on this blog these past few months... it's been a busy year so far!

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord, bringing us to the end of the Christmas Season.
The Gospel today is Matthew's familiar account of the magi (kings? wise men? astrologers?  It doesn't make too much difference what words you use; the point of the feast is that Jesus came for people all over the earth- and the ones 'wise' enough to recognize this and seek him out can't help but respond in worship, and leave a changed person). The gifts they bring- gold, frankincense and myrrh are symbolic: gold for Jesus' divinity, frankincense in recognition of his priestly mission of sacrifice and healing and myrrh for his mortality.

Do you have a manger scene in your home during the Christmas Season? When I was little, we'd start the kings out on the other side of the room from the creche, and move them closer each day until the big arrival on Epiphany! If you don't already, is there some way next year that you can celebrate the entire Christmas Season in your family?

For today, maybe you and your child(ren) could read the Gospel story and talk about what gifts each of YOU would bring to Jesus. Perhaps it's something tangible.. a toy they're willing to share, or a blanket to keep him warm, but I wonder if they have a 'gift' -- something they are good at, or some positive behavior, that can be connected to making Jesus happy by our good use of what God has given us in the first place?