St. Athanasius Academy:

New month, new home ... new blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:20:00 +0000

We have started a new month ... and a new chapter to our lives ... and a new blog, Hilltop Farm.

Altho our new home isn't really a farm, we are living in a wonderful spot in a rural county in Virginia and we are loving being away from the noise, the traffic and the lights of the big city!

We so want to live a simpler life ... a life of embracing nature ... going on walks ... getting back to the basics ... instilling in our children a sense of wonder at God's creation and the gift of hospitality to all who venture to visit. We want to grow more of our own food ... make more of our own things ... rely more on ourselves and God for what we have and do and see.

Please join us here ... let us know how you live a simpler, more faith-filled life as we share our journey toward a more basic existence while we love and learn and live, seeking God's will in our daily choices and lives.

P.S. We'll leave this blog in place in case there are previous posts or information that you might find of use. If you can't find something, just let me know and I'll track it down for you.

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Saturday, June 20th:

Well, we didn't go anywhere (unless you count the trip to Valvoline to get the oil changed -- a few thousand miles late, but better late than never, yes?; a trip to Lowes for moving boxes and shrink wrap on a roll -- I love that stuff; and 45min waiting in line at the bank to deposit checks that we had to make sure went in on time ... dh did all that while I lolled on the couch and the kids "free explored" on the computer!). Once dh got home, Saturday was spent in a whirlwind of packing books (who bought all these anyway!), dishes and other parts of the kitchen we won't need for the next week, and taking apart beds to get them ready to be moved. Dh declard "Sunday" at 4p.m. and we rested the rest of the weekend -- ya gotta love this guy, eh?

Sunday, June 21st -- the longest day of the year!

On Sunday dh did get us up bright and early so he could open his Father's Day gift ... no, he actually got us up early (6:00 a.m. for me and 6:30 for the kiddoes) to head to the 7:30 a.m. Mass so we could get a jump on the day. At 9 a.m. a starving crew in a silver minivan barely made it to Panera to consume mass quantities of bagels and cream cheese before heading south on a trip of exploration: destination ... Lake Anna State Park.

Wow, this place is gorgeous ...

with a lovely beach ...

warm lake water ...

concession stand ...

and a place for dh and I to relax as we watched the kids frolic and called FIL to wish him a happy Father's Day! And we've decided we're going to try out as many Virginia State Parks as we can over the next few years or so ... the couple we've been to so far are AMAZING!

Home by 3:30 (VERY little traffic both ways which was a gift from God for dh) and peaceful dinner, a few episodes of the old Waltons ... and voila ... Father's Day 2009 was a success!

Happy Father's Day to my dear husband who makes me so much more than I was before ... I love you, handsome!

Resources: books and videos for American History

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:26:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post, we do alot of real books and videos to supplement our learning, particularly with American History.

I just finished updating our resource list for things we used this year and thought I'd post in case anyone else could benefit from what we found and what we thought about what we found. I'll be updating this listing as we continue American history next Fall ...

Books and Resources for American History 2008-09

Spines/resources used throughout:

Catholic Schools Textbook Project – From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America – this text is pretty good but I forgot how dry “textbooks” can be! Lots of supplementing needed when using this book
Home School in the Woods – History Study Time Travelers: New World Explorers – excellent cd-rom with great activities, games, lapbook ideas and overviews that make learning fun
Home School in the Woods – History Study Time Travelers: Colonial Life – excellent cd-rom with great activities, games, lapbook ideas and overviews that make learning fun

Prehistory to Columbus

Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – The Discovery of the Americas: From prehistory through the age of Columbus (this long picture book includes discussion of Cabot, Balboa and Magellan).
St. Brendan (circa 550)
Fritz, Jean -- Brendan the Navigator: A History Mystery about the Discovery of America (great discussion in this long picture book about the legend of Brendan and the realities that make the legend probably true)
Leif Erickson (circa 1000)
D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin – Leif the Lucky (long picture book about Leif Erickson, his infamous father and Leif”s discovery and attempted colonization of Vinland – now believed to be Newfoundland
Mason, Antony – If You Were There: Viking Times (great pictorial non-fiction about the Vikings, including a great section on the Viking’s attempts to colonize the New World 500 years before Columbus).
Christopher Columbus (1492)
Conrad, Pam – Pedro’s Journal: A Voyage with Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492 – February 14, 1493 (chapter book, historical fiction)
D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin – Columbus (beautiful illustrations and story-like text make this a classic overview of Columbus’ life.
Foster, Genevieve – 1492: Year of Columbus (this is a book that sets the background for the era of Columbus – great thinkers, scientists, artists born and active during Columbus’ time)
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – Exploration and Conquest: The Americas after Columbus: 1500-1620 (a great overview of the other explorers and conquest folks – but a tad pc about the poor native folks who were dislodged with very little credence given to why some of the practices of the natives were not right [human sacrifices, etc])
Sis, Peter – Follow the Dream: the Story of Christopher Columbus (a beautiful telling of Columbus’ life from a writer/illustrator who left the Iron Curtain to come to the “new world”)

Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus (DVD from WGBH – PBS: excellent with lots of great detail while also showing a recreation of the first voyage)

Early Colonization (Spanish, French and Dutch) – (1500-1599):

Baker, Robert J. (Bishop) – Cacique: A Novel of Florida’s Heroic Mission History – a fabulous historical fiction novel about the Franciscan missionaries in northern Florida and why it took so long to find a trace of their work. This is written by a Catholic Bishop, Bishop Baker of Birmingham, who was a high school history teacher and was there in the late 1980s when the first traces of the Spanish missions throughout northern Florida were unearthed.

National Treasure 2 (Disney movie) – using the same “treasure hunters” from National Treasure, this one s a search for the Cibola, one of the Seven Cities of Gold of early-American legend. This was the city the Spanish tried to find in their explorations into America. Interesting story and good background information.

Colonization (1600-1776)

American Girls Collection – Welcome to Felicity’s World: 1774 Growing Up in Colonial America (beautifully done book with lots of facts, pictures and information covering the 1770s in the colonies, with a special focus on Williamsburg).
Bulla, Clyde Robert – Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims (a short chapter-book – we read it in one sitting – a fictionalized telling of the story of a Patuxet Indian youth who befriends the first British explorers, goes to England on the big sail boat and learns English while living in London, comes back to the Patuxets only to be kidnapped for the Spanish slave market but eventually gets back. GREAT story that really had mine listening and engaged!)
Bulla, Clyde Robert – John Billington: Friend of Squanto (a short chapter book – we read it in one sitting – telling the story of John Billington, a young passenger aboard the Mayflower who is always getting into trouble; he befriends Squanto once the Pilgrims begin setting up the community in Plymouth).
Chorao, Kay – D is for Drums: A Colonial Williamsburg ABC (a beautifully drawn picture book that gives colonial terms/words for each letter; the pictures are fun to look at and try to determine what is what).
Fritz, Jean – The Double Life of Pocahontas (chapter book, historical fiction but drags and is not as exciting or interesting as the Pocahontas video described below)
Fritz, Jean – Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? (long picture book about the truth behind Plymouth Rock and the need to make it a symbol of independence during the American revolution. Very good story and readable in about 20 minutes).
Goor, Ron and Nancy – Williamsburg: Cradle of the Revolution ( chapter book of the history of Williamsburg, it’s part in the Revolution, and what it looks like now as “Colonial Williamsburg”).
Harness, Cheryl – Our Colonial Year (cute picture book about normal colonial kids and what they would do each month of the year. The folk-art illustrations are fun to delve into deeper while the short verses for each month are succinct, yet explain volumes about life in early America.)
Jackson, Shirley – The Witchcraft of Salem Village (chapter book, fictionalized account based on the Salem Witch trials where girls in the small Puritan village blame three women in town of witchcraft)
Karwoski, Gail – Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier (chapter book, historical fiction of John Smith’s page between 1606-1609 when the colonies were just starting out)
Lawrence, Isabelle – A Spy in Williamsburg (chapter book, fictionalized account of life in Williamsburg just prior to the revolution; Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph and Thomas Jefferson are figures woven into the story).
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – The Americans: Colonial Times (1620-1689) – great overview of who was establishing colonies and where. Includes the rising tensions between the Native Americans and the various Europeans coming to settle: Spanish in the south, English on the Atlantic seaboard, Dutch and Swedish in the Mid-Atlantic, French in the North and West. Also discusses WHY the colonists were coming – religious freedom, land, agriculture, fur trade. Briefly mentions the impact of the Catholic missionaries in finding and mapping the west (from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast).
Maestro, Besty & Giulio – Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars (1689-1763) – great (if a bit boring) overview of the myriad of battles and wars fought between the French and the British as each country pushes others out in the colonization effort; also, book points out that often wars “at home” encouraged fighting in outlying colonies/settlements to beleaguer the enemy that much more. This is an important 70 years or so that is often glossed over; as is the fact that France was controlling the New World areas to ensure uninterrupted fur trade, while England was sending “troublemakers” to settle, live and prosper in the New World.
Speare, Elizabeth George – The Witch of Blackbird Pond (chapter book, historical fiction of life in 1687-88 Connecticut with the strict Puritans)
Waters, Kate (photographs by Russ Kendall) – Mary Geddy’s Day: A Colonial Girl in Williamsburg (long picture book about “a day in the life” of a little girl; excellent photos that show how different things were).

Felicity: An American Girl Adventure American Girls Collection (dvd compilation of the American Girl “Felicity” books; good overview of Williamsburg and life for an upper middle class family on the brink of revolution).
Pocahontas Revealed: Science Examines an American Legend (Nova dvd) – archaelogical evidence, scientific research and tribal lore mix to retell the true story about Powhatan’s favorite daughter and John Smith savior, Pocahontas.

American Revolution (1776-1783)

Allen, Thomas B. -- George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War is a great chapter book (or read-aloud) that talks about all the covert activities (on both sides) developed or honed during the American Revolution. Very cool and lots of great rabbit trails for code-making, invisible ink and other fun topics.
Forbes, Esther – Johnny Tremain: A Story of Boston in Revolt is a wonderful glimpse at colonial life just before and during the revolution. Johnny is a silversmith apprentice who gets involved with helping the revolution along.
Fritz, Jean – And then what happened, Paul Revere? (a great short read-aloud about the life of Paul Revere, his famous ride and his last years)
Fritz, Jean – What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin? (overview of Ben’s life with lots of details about his experiments, eccentricities and environment)
Fritz, Jean – Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (interesting biography of the most noticeable name on the Declaration of Independence; Hancock is portrayed as being amazingly self-centered and always seeking vainglory)
Fritz, Jean – Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? (a great short read-aloud about King George III’s life and why he was so tenacious about the colonies)
Fritz, Jean – George Washington’s Breakfast (an inquisitive little boy named after the first President wonders what GW ate for breakfast – interesting linking of facts about GW and the how and why to seek information)
Fritz, Jean – Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (biography of Patrick Henry’s life and what was happening on his birthday throughout American history – very readable and enjoyable)
Fritz, Jean – Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? (biography of Sam Adams who never rode a horse so he could harangue people he met about the Brits and how America needed to stand up to England; very interesting twist for why he finally deigns to ride a horse)
Fritz, Jean – Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution (drier than most Fritz books, this one covers the in-fighting and arguments leading up to the writing of the Constitution; goes into which states ratified and which didn’t
Harness, Cheryl – George Washington (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about the 1st president; lots of great information and details that include his great love for Martha and his duty and honor.)
Harness, Cheryl – The Revolutionary John Adams (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about this 2nd president of the United States. Excellent illustrations, information and fun to read!).
Harness, Cheryl – Thomas Jefferson (longer picture book that tells the background of Jefferson’s life from birth to death. Very interesting with great pictures and fun facts on this 3rd president of the United States.
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – Liberty or Death: The American Revolution 1763-1783 (longer than a picture book, this is a great overview of the skirmishes and battles that added up to the American Revolution … from the “shot heard round the world” to the surrender at Yorktown. This is a great overview with lots of detailed maps and information about all the players in this pivotal world-event.)
Ransom, Candice – Time Spies: Secret in the Tower is a third or fourth grade reading level chapter book that tells the story of three siblings who go back in time to help deliver an important message to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown. This is a cute story that reads well and gives some great information. At the end of the book, the author encourages the reader to try out invisible ink and code writing. Very fun story!
Schanzer, Rosalyn – George vs George: The American Revolution as seen from both sides (longer-than-a-picture book explanation of the war, and what led up to it and what happened after, from both the British view and the American view. The taxes don’t seem so unreasonable when explained from the British side!)

Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (A&E original dvd) – points out the problem Arnold had with pride (and a bit of a chip on his shoulder) as the reason for his switching sides during the Revolution. Kelsey Grammer does a great job as George Washington … once Arnold’s mentor then his enemy.
Founding Brothers: Vol 1 and Vol 2 (History Channel dvd) – the wheelings and dealings and personalities of America’s founding fathers featuring Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and others. Excellent series!
John & Abigail Adams (PBS dvd) – part movie, part documentary, this DVD does a great job of showing the public and private side of the Adamses … from pre-Revolution through the early years of the new Country. Excellent!
Johnny Tremain (Disney) – although not as good as the book, this movie does a good job of showing just what the Sons of Liberty did to help encourage our nation’s independence. This is a classic when Disney was still trying to stay pretty close to the original story. A favorite around here although the “Liberty Tree” song will be on your lips for many weeks after watching!
Liberty Kids (PBS dvd) – series of animated adventures with three kids and a free-Black man who all work for Ben Franklin’s newspaper; they report on all the events leading up to and thru the revolution. Very well done with some amazing voices (incl Walter Cronkite as Franklin and Dustin Hoffman as Benedict Arnold).
National Treasure (Disney dvd) – a fictionalized account using the legend that many of the Nation’s founders were Masons and thus privy to the hiding of the amassed treasure; a great, Indiana Jones-type movie (without the sex and not too much violence) that tells a great story, linking bits of American history of the late 1700s.
Rebels and Redcoats: How Britain Lost America (PBS dvd) – a British military historian (Richard Holmes) gives a very different view of the American Revolution – that from the British view. Many of the “sacred cows” of the Revolution (George Washington, especially) get short shrift during this interesting four-part mini-series. Definitely something to watch to encourage discussion and to debate some of the realities of the Revolution.
Saving the National Treasures (NOVA dvd) – great documentary about the restoration/preserving processes needed to keep the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights viewable but safe for centuries. Lots of great historical details of why, how and when these were written.

A New Nation Begins (1783-1860s)

Aliki – The Story of Johnny Appleseed is a long picture book that is steeped in the legends of Johnny Appleseed. This makes a great read with the Swain book described below.
American Girls Collection – Welcome to Josefina’s World, 1824: Growing Up on America’s Southwest Frontier is a great resource for understanding the establishment of the Southwest. This book covers Spanish, Mexican and American governance of the area in and around current Santa Fe, New Mexico. Also discussion of the Santa Fe Trail. Great overview of customs, traditions, ways of life, etc. Really fun!
Blumberg, Rhoda – What’s the Deal? Jefferson, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase – chapter book that covers the many sides of how America bought the center of the country from the French. Goes into great detail about the European influences, Jefferson’s desire to push West at all costs, and information about the other important players. Very well illustrated too.
Broyles, Anne – Priscillia and the Hollyhocks (1830s) – a beautiful picture book that tells the true story a young girl who is sold from slavery on a white man’s plantation, to slavery on a Cherokee indian’s plantation, walks with the Cherokee family on the Trail of Tears, and is adopted by a white family in Illinois who bring her home to join the other 15 kids adopted by this childless couple. A wonderful, uplifting story with the recurring theme of planting hollyhocks wherever Priscilla goes.
Buckey, Sarah Masters – The Smuggler’s Treasure (American Girl History Mysteries) – this is a great read-aloud (for both boys and girls) about life in 1814’s New Orleans with pirates and British impacting the lives of the multicultural citizenry. This gives a great view of life back then. At the end of the book, there is a four-page synopsis of society of the early 1800s. Great story!
Coatsworth, Elizabeth – The Sally series (1790s Maine) – this is a delightful read-aloud series (five books in all) that explain the life of a spunky orphan, her three aunts and two uncles and their travels from Massachusetts to the “wilds” of Maine, on to France and the Barbary Coast, and then back to Maine. The series spans about 6-8 years, with great adventure, wonderful rabbit trails (French Revolution, vendues, pirates and sultans, Muslim faith, etc), and a great family story. Wonderful background to this little-taught time.

Cornelissen, Cornelia – Soft Rain: A story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears (1838) – this is a wonderful chapter book that tells the story of Soft Rain and her family as they leave their home in North Carolina and travel all the way to Oklahoma. It’s a well-told story that follows Soft Rain through sadness, hunger, sickness, terror and help from some whites. The author’s great-grandfather walked the “trail” when he was 10!
Fischer, Laura – Life on the Trail of Tears (1838) – good overview of the Cherokee nation and their forced emigration from the Southeastern states to Oklahoma. A bit hard on the government and the whites, but still a good overview, I just had to say “well, I’m sure there were some in the government who thought this was a good idea” and “some of the settlers probably helped the Cherokees” …
Harness, Cheryl – The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal is a wonderful picture book about the politics, engineering and economics behind the building of the Canal. This canal, at the time, was the longest, built in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of money in the World! In less than 60 years, the revenues from the canal were three times the cost of building ($7 million+).
Krensky, Stephen – Sisters of Scituate Light tells the story (and is beautifully illustrated by Stacey Schuett) of the daughters of the lighthouse keeper who in September 1814 trick the British into believing that an American military force is camped on Scituate Island. Very fun book!
Lunn, Janet – Laura Secord: A Story of Courage – this is a great short chapter book that tells the story of a brave Canadian woman who goes to great lengths to warn a British officer of a surprise attack from the Americans. This is an interesting story as you get the War of 1812 from the Canadian viewpoint. The pictures are beautifully drawn by Maxwell Newhouse.
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution – longer picture book detailing the process of why we needed a constitution and how it came about. Disappointing as there weren’t as many facts interwoven through the text as with other Maestro books, but good overview.
McCully, Emily Arnold – The Battle for St. Michaels – cute “I can read” chapter book about the legendary pirate trick a small town in Maryland plays on the British soldiers who come to burn their town in the first year of the War of 1812. Includes mention of the raid on Parrott’s Point, MD when hundreds of British soldiers landed and fled from the cannon protecting St. Michaels.
Meader, Stepher – Who Rides in the Dark? – a chapter book, historical fiction about the 1830s “stagecoach days” in New Hampshire. This book follows a young man who ends up working at a tavern along the stage route in post-Revolutionary New Hampshire. Wonderfully full of action and adventure and a bit of suspense.
Mitchell, Barbara – Cornstalks and Cannonballs – a slightly long picture book that tells the historic tale of how a small town in Delaware (Lewes) fooled the British very early in the War of 1812. A great story, with gorgeous blue-ink sketches to illustrate (by Karen Ritz) that made the kids proud to be Americans!
Quackenbush, Robert – James Madison & Dolley Madison and Their Times – quick read-aloud overview of the Madisons and their many contributions to the new United States.
Quackenbush, Robert – Who Let Muddy Boots into the White House? A Story of Andrew Jackson is a great quick read-aloud about the 7th president of the United States – the first born in a log cabin, unrefined and soldier. Well done!
Ransom, Candice – Time Spies: Flames in the City (A Tale of the War of 1812) – a great read-aloud story that has a three modern siblings who travel back in time to help Dolley and James Madison during the burning of Washington in August 1814. These are fun to read chapter-books that give great information about this era.
Rubel, David – The United States in the 19th Century is a great resource that shows the development of politics, society, arts & entertainment and science & technology during the amazing 1800s. With a brand-new country at the beginning and an established world-power by the end, the 19th century is really a fascinating 100 years! This breaks into snippets the events … great for rabbit trails or “strewing”.
Smith-Baranzini, Marlene – Brown Paper School USKids History: Book of the New American Nation. We used this as our spine for the time between the revolution and doing an expansion/pioneer unit. This book is full of lots of information, based on diaries, letters and other contemporaneous information. Additionally, has great ideas for activities and games to help the kids “own” the history!
Stein, R. Conrad – The Story of the Burning of Washington (Cornerstones of Freedom) – a long picture book that tells of the folly of the Americans and the professionalism of the British. Ends on an upbeat note with the battle at Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key’s writing of the National Anthem.
Stromberg, Joan – Kat Finds a Friend: A St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Story – great chapter book story about the Walters family (related to the author) that befriends the newly established Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, MD. Wonderful story and background on this wonderful American saint and her work.
Swain, Gwenyth – Johnny Appleseed – a great easy chapter book that gives mostly facts (and just a hint of legendary tales) about John Chapman and his spreading of apple trees and the Bible. This is great for clearing up some of the folk tales about this real American who lived from 1774-1845.
Venezia, Mike – James Monroe: Fifth President – quick overview of Monroe’s life; not much on his early life but good overview of his military life with Washington and then his political life later.
Weintraub, Aileen – Jean Lafitte: Pirate-Hero of the War of 1812 – short chapter book (with large type and illustratons) that tells the story of Jean Lafitte and how he helped the Americans during the War of 1812 (including during the Battle of New Orleans). My boys REALLY liked this one!

Adams Chronicles (DVD) – a PBS mini-series from the 70s, this does a great job of giving the story of the Adams family – from John Adams (2nd president), to John Quincy Adams (6th president), and the other generations who went on to politics, academia and industrialization. What a family!
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency (PBS Home Video) – excellent overview of Old Hickory’s life before, during and after the presidency.
Santa Fe Trail (DVD) – classic B/W movie (starring Erroll Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Ward Bond, Ray Milland and others) that covers from 1854 (and the results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act) thru to John Brown’s actions and his ultimate capture and hanging. Really great story showing just how many of the famous generals (on both sides) in the Civil War were good friends and allies during this turbulent time just before Civil War!

Expansion/Pioneer Days (1865-1900):

MacLachlan, Patricia -- Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of mail-order bride Sarah's trip from Maine to Kansas to marry widower Jacob and help raise his two children, Anna and Caleb. Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of love and family.
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Skylark tells the story of drought-ridden Kansas and Sarah's trip back to Maine with Anna and Caleb to meet the "aunts". Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of loyalty and staying together through any calamity.
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Caleb's Story tells the story the expansion of the Witting family with the arrival of a long-lost relative. Told through the eyes of Caleb, this is the longest of the books and has the most depth (I think, anyway!).
MacLachlan, Patricia -- More Perfect than the Moon tells the story of a new arrival, "more perfect than the moon" and Cassie's fear of the whole event! Told through the eyes of eight-year-old Cassie, this is a wonderful story about fear (from a child's viewpoint) of adding a baby to a family that is perfectly happy without the "terrible baby".
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Grandfather's Dance tells the story of family reunions and life and death as the Wittings celebrate Anna's wedding and Grandfather's dying. Again, told through Cassie's eyes, this is a beautiful story of life going on, of the importance of family and of the naturalness of death.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls – Farmer Boy tells the story of Almanzo Wilder’s upbringing in post-Civil War New York on a farm. Excellent descriptions of life for 10 year old boys during this period.

WWI (1915-1919)
North, Sterling – Rascal is an excellent chapter book fictionalized account of North’s 11th and 12th years in a small-town in southern Wisconsin. He finds a raccoon kit and names him Rascal. This is a great real book on life in the United States during WWI, including a brother off fighting in the “war to end all wars”, deprivations brought about by the war, and life in pre-Depression America.

Depression (1929-1940)
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl – a wonderful movie showing a family heavily impacted by the Depression. Good coverage of the hoboes and their code, belt-tightening and families in disarray. Abigail Breslin does a great job as Kit – not too sweet and not to acerbic!
The Waltons (DVD, television show) – wonderful show detailing the lives of a family living in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia during the depths of the Depression. Great view of coping with the tightness of monies, the need to take jobs away from home, paying for college, the FDR government programs, sitting around listening to the radio, and more. We love this series and watch them every summer! A great way to supplement study of this era in American History as well as show a part of very rural life.

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story – the series “pilot”; Patricia Neal plays the mom and Edgar Bergen plays “grandpa”.
The Complete First Season
The Complete Second Season
The Complete Third Season
The Complete Fourth Season
The Complete Fifth Season – war is looming as the Waltons head off their mountain and into the big cities.

World War 2 (1940-1945)

I’ll Remember April – great “boy movie” about life on the homefront with a twist. Life in a Southern California town is disrupted by reports of Japanese invasions, interment of Japanese-American citizens and sons injured in war. The boys really like this one (although so do the girls).
Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front – overview of the war and its impact on a family in middle America. How a 10-year-old copes with the deprivations of war from lack of ice cream to her dad being lost in action.

Modern Times (1945-present)

Apollo 13 (DVD) – this is an excellent dramatization of the events leading up to and including the ill-fated Apollo 13 voyage of 1970. This is an amazingly tense and dramatic movie and well-worth the time to see. There is one scene early on that is a bit inappropriate (one of the astronauts is a bachelor and has “a girl in every port”) but otherwise it is just tense drama. The DVD has very interesting “bonus” material.

Review:Death of a Pope

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:06:00 +0000

... is a Re-birth of the Classic Suspense Thriller!

The Death of a Pope, the latest novel by Piers Paul Read, is a thriller of the first water, that is, of the finest quality. This book reminds me of the thrillers my dad and I used to read back in the “cold war” days: the books with the tightly interwoven plots, filled with suspense and double-dealing and double-talking; the kind of book that relies on great writing rather than cheap tricks or overt and graphic sex. The kind of books written by authors like LeCarre and McGinnis who were over-taken in popularity by sensationalist authors like Follett or Grisham.

Yes, The Death of a Pope is similar in quality and style to a LeCarre classic, using real events with just a soupcon of fiction to create a suspenseful “what if” scenario with catastrophic results. The book, just published by Ignatius Press, places the reader back five years ago with Pope John Paul II nearing death. The political intrigue spins around the expected conclave, getting the “right” candidate onto the papal throne, and changing the balance from an overly conservative pontiff to one more amenable to the changing times. But this is a sub-plot, incidental to the real action and message of the 215-page taut prose.

First, we have a Basque, ex-Jesuit priest, mission worker who stands trial in London for attempting to obtain a poisonous gas, a potential “weapon of mass destruction”. Juan Uriarte is an intelligent, passionate aid-worker. Add an idealistic young journalist from wealthy parents who wants to “do good” (isn’t there a saying about “the road to hell being paved by good intentions”?), a junior security agent who with terrier-like style won’t let the former priest alone and is sure he is “up to something”, and a host of other characters who are equally well-drawn by Read’s pen. My favorite character is the journalist’s uncle, Fr. Luke Scott, a priest reminiscent of Alec Guiness’ role in the film version of Chesterton’s classic character, Fr. Brown. These characters stalk through the book, linked by events which unfold slowly but surely to the ultimate cataclysmic climax.

This book is truly a thriller – a book where something may happen and the hero has to stop the devastation before it’s too late. The details of life in an African mission, of life in Rome, of life for the liberals versus the conservatives, of human life versus human death are well-described and the reader gets a real sense of “being there”. The book doesn’t bog down or pontificate or proselytize but rather teaches through the characters’ actions and words; the double-speak of one who believes he has the “truth” is mesmerizing to the characters and the reader.

There is a bit of sexual promiscuity in the book, but nothing graphic and it pertains to the story. In fact, the promiscuity is used as an illustration of the characters’ understanding (or lack thereof) of the dignity of human life, the immutability of God’s goodness, and the rightness of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

I strongly recommend this book to any adult (or mature teen) who is interested in current events, the Catholic teachings, and loves thrillers. I’m hoping The Death of a Pope will be the re-birth of the true thriller – yes, it is that good!

* - * - *

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Death of a Pope and to purchase your own copy of this soon-to-be thriller classic.

Read, Piers Paul -- Death of a Pope – Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA); 2009. Hardcover, 215 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58617-295-4

Novena: please pray one last time ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:02:00 +0000

... we hope!

A week from tomorrow, on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, we are scheduled to close on our house in Virginia. Yes, we will have a home again -- God willing! We have started a novena to the good saint and cousin of our Lord ... and ask that all our family and friends join with us [see prayers below] ... hopefully for the last time on housing issues (for a while anyway!).
Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes ... we have felt them throughout this Year of Job and Lamentations!

Novena to St. John the Baptist (feast day June 24th) …

O Martyr invincible, who, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, didst with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the cost of thine own life, and didst rebuke him openly for his wicked and dissolute life; by thy prayers obtain for us a heart, brave and generous, in order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, His Vicar, and His Church.

Say an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Pray for us, St. John the Baptist, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ (add your personal intention -- for the successful close on our new home here in Virginia if it be God's will).

Let us pray.

O God, who hast made this day to be honorable in our eyes by the Nativity or commemoration of Blessed John, grant unto Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and direct the minds of all Thy faithful into the way of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Kids: Summer-do!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Before:

After:

She loves it ... and for humidity, it can't be beat! What do YOU think?

Where should we go today?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:31:00 +0000

Well, yesterday, really!

It was one of those gorgeous late-Spring days here in Virginia ... beautiful sunny skies, low humidity and a full day of relaxation (the benefit of going to 8:30 a.m. Mass!) spread before us. Since it was the Feast of Corpus Christi, we really wanted to do it right.

We decided to stop by Wegmans (our very FAVORITE grocery/cafe place in all of NoVA) to pick up lunch and then head out to Fountainhead Regional Park to revel in God's creation and the beauty of the day. We played multiple rounds of putt-putt golf (with all three littles and Kotch scoring at least one hole in one!) and then walked about down by the Marina and dreamed of the day when we'll have a boat on a lovely lake, too!

After a few hours at Fountainhead we headed toward Dulles to hook up with Kotch's grandma, aunt and cousin ... the four of them are heading to Ireland (as a graduation present from said grandma) today and we all went out to dinner to celebrate the reunion, graduations and birthdays (Kotch will actually turn 18 while touring the Emerald Isle). A great time was had by all (especially the waiter who got a kick out of the littles -- hmmm, imagine that!) and we headed home after wishing the travelers a safe and joy-filled trip.

What a day it was! We even had NO TRAFFIC coming home on toll road 267 and interstates 495 and 95 -- a minor miracle in itself.

How was your weekend?

In His Image: available at last!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:23:00 +0000

It's here , making its debut at IHM-National ... and looks wonderful .... and some of the folks who have perused it are very pleased! Let me know what you think!

[BTW, if you pre-ordered from Margot, she'll be shipping them out on Monday when she gets back from IHM.]

In His Image: it's almost here!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Margot emailed to let me know she'll be picking up the first run of In His Image! She'll be debuting them at IHM on Friday ... and I just can't wait!

Thanks to all for the good words ... I so want this to be for the greater glory of God ... let me know what you think!

Resources: Catholic and Homeschooling combined

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Please, click here to subscribe now!

Do you want a recommendation for one of the best homeschool resources? Do you want to imbue your homeschool with Catholicity and love of learning? Have I got a recommendation for you!

Have you seen the only Catholic, homeschooling quarterly available? mater et magistra (a quarterly for which I'm proud to write the handcrafts column) is an amazing publication! The name says it all: Mother and Teacher which is what the Church is for us all; but in lower case letters it's what each one of us is in the hearts of our homes: mother and teacher!

Each issue has a theme which means these are definite keepers for future projects. The volunteer contributors are experienced homeschoolers with lots of great information for incorporating the arts, sciences, books and crafts into our learning adventures. Margot works hard to give the magazine a sophisticated feel with lots of depth to the articles.

If you haven't seen this magazine ... ask around or better yet, go to one of the many regional homeschool conferences (for instance, Margot will be at IHM this next weekend) and look for the m-et-m table! I really do thing you'll like what you see and want to subscribe to the only Catholic homeschool magazine out there. And at $20 for 4 issues, it's a great price too!

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:50:00 +0000

How 'bout Craig Springs, in the Virginia Highlands?

What, you've never heard of this humble spot? Back in 2004 I wrote an article for the NCRegister about our annual pilgrimage to the Virginia Highlands ... we came when we lived in NC, we came when we lived in SC, we came when we lived in Austria, we came when we lived in CO. And, now that we're only 5 hours away ... we can come EVERY year!

We, a large group of Catholics, have come for the last 33 years to this Christian Camp in the itty-bitty mountain town of Craig Springs. Traditionally, this pilgrimage is held on Father's Day weekend as we embraced the family ... that's the point, to build the family up, to pray for all families, and to help all families.

Fr. John, the "mastermind" behind the pilgrimage, read out the purpose of the pilgrimage (quoted from the 30th section of the historic Human Vitae):

To Bishops
30. And now as We come to the end of this encyclical letter, We turn Our mind to you, reverently and lovingly, beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with whom We share more closely the care of the spiritual good of the People of God. For We invite all of you, We implore you, to give a lead to your priests who assist you in the sacred ministry, and to the faithful of your dioceses, and to devote yourselves with all zeal and without delay to safeguarding the holiness of marriage, in order to guide married life to its full human and Christian perfection. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities at the present time. As you well know, it calls for concerted pastoral action in every field of human diligence, economic, cultural and social. If simultaneous progress is made in these various fields, then the intimate life of parents and children in the family will be rendered not only more tolerable, but easier and more joyful. And life together in human society will be enriched with fraternal charity and made more stable with true peace when God's design which He conceived for the world is faithfully followed.

The purpose in a nutshell: to build up the family ... which builds up the Church ... which makes the world better for one and all.

The accommodations are not luxurious (after all, this is a pilgrimage!) ... but are always memorable.The time is well-spent with family and new and old friends.

We come to play -- playing a BIG multi-generational/gender softball game

... or swimming in the REALLY cold pool (filled from the run-off of the mountain spring)

... to rest and nurture each other and our families

... and throughout it all, we celebrate our faith and our Church by receiving the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation and the gift of prayer and meditation ... We just got back ... there's tons of laundry ... but the work getting ready, getting there and coming back are so well-worth it! The weekend is a blessing and a grace-filled time for us all ... we can't wait to go back next year .... wanna come?

Movie Night: Believe in Me

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:55:00 +0000

We love sports movies around here.

Y'know the ones like Miracle where the underdog US Hockey team succeeds because of the awe-inspiring coaching ... or Rudy, where the star does whatever he needs to get to Notre Dame to play football ... We Are Marshall where the football team is killed in a plane wreck and a brand-new, untried coach needs to step up and re-build the morale of the team and the school ... or Radio where the team gets a new assistant "coach" who they first abused ... or movies like Glory Road or Remember the Titans -- both movies about racial inequalities righted on the playing field ... or The Rookie where ~~Patrick Swayze~~ Dennis Quaid (!) plays the oldest rookie ever to play in a major league baseball game. These are fabulous -- especially for family movie night -- movies that show that right prevails, that the underdog can win, that faith and love are 9/10ths of winning. And these are all based on true stories. And these are all movies dealing with different sports at the professional, college and high school levels.

Well, tonight we watched such a movie ... but this one has a bit of a twist. Believe in Me is about a small town high school in Oklahoma. A small town high school where the girls' basketball team is nothing ... gets only the boys' hand-me-downs and little funding ... gets only left-over coaches. That is until Coach "Driscoll" (real-life coach's name is Jim Keith) ... a man who thought he would head-coach the boys but gets "stuck" with the girls ... and leads them to succeed. This is a great underdog wins type of movie ... a great, spirit is more important than funding type of movie ... a great dedication brings success type of movie. Don't forget to watch thru the credits as there is an interesting bit at the very beginning ....

Staring Bruce Dern as the bad "this is my town" character, Jeffrey Donovan as the Coach and Samantha Mathis as his wife, this movie far exceeded our expectations. Check any of these out (and pardon the language in some -- these are better for kids who know better than to direct-quote a movie!) and you'll enjoy a great family move night!

Milestones: High School Graduation!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Well, she did it ....

Yep, she did it ... Kotch walked down the aisle on a warm early-Summer evening, walking down the aisle as a mere kid in high school. A couple of hours later, she walked out to be greeted by her youngest brother in the gathering darkness; she walked out a young woman ready to face the world with all the gifts and blessings she's been given, all the tools necessary to go off to college!

What a wonderful night it was ... with great speeches from a few of the seniors (the best being the last by Kotch's good friend), a great experiential speech from R-Nebraska Congressman Fortenberry, and a wonderful Mass celebrated by favorite-parish priest, Fr. Searby!

The evening was long but well-worth-it for the younger three to see their sister graduate -- so, one down and three to go!

We are EXTREMELY proud of our daughter and her hard work ... and for those who haven't heard, she'll be heading down to Ave Maria University this Fall to begin her science studies with an eye to becoming a doctor someday .. or whatever else God might have in mind for her!

God bless you, Kotch -- we love you!

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:41:00 +0000

We're starting to really heat up around here, in more ways than one!

Friday: We finished our science this year with a thermal transference experiment (recipe below) and then Kotch had her Awards Night at Seton ... which meant leaving home at 5:30, heading to Chick-fil-a for dinner (a great way to celebrate our last Friday in Easter-tide), than to school. Home after 10:00!

Saturday: shopping extravaganza with Kotch to hunt for "the" graduation dress; I found shoes! Than off to the commissioning of a family friend -- now a 2nd-lieutenant in the USMarine Corps. The ceremony, held at the Marine Corps Museum, was beautiful with the commissioning directed by his dad, a Colonel (reserves) and his brothers helping (three young marines) and their pastor from Oklahoma to bless him and pray over his active-duty years. After the actual commissioning, we had a lovely party at their home and then dh and I headed to the "last semi-formal of the year" at his high school. Serving soda and snacks to hot sweaty kids was a great time! (No, really! They are mostly great kids who just want to socialize with their schoolmates!).

Sunday: after a lovely Pentecost Mass, we headed up to the District to visit the American History museum and the National Gallery of Art. After seeing Night at the Museum earlier this week, we realized we hadn't been up to the museums in a while. The kids so enjoy the Spark!Lab and other hands-on activities and we had a blast visiting the presidential exhibits and viewing some of the films they've compiled. We focused quite a bit of our American history this past semester on the first five presidents, so it was great to see them remembering those guys and then finding out more about the others. The Art museum (which has the best food on the Mall!) is always a favorite -- especially for dh. We wandered the rooms, occasionally sitting on the couches and just gazing at the pictures: BamBam's favorite is Daniel and the Lions while String Bean and I loved all the DellaRobbia's and LegoManiac prefers the bloody ones (like George and the Dragon, etc). Dh loves the art from the Netherlands/Germany/Brussels of the 1500s-1700s ....

A GREAT weekend! Tomorrow? Kotch's graduation from high school!

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:17:00 +0000

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

WooHoo: it's out!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Please celebrate with me .... Margot, my publisher at Hillside Education, just posted that my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home is available for pre-order (with a shipping date of June 15th). If you get a chance to read a copy, please let me know what you think. And my good friend over at 4real, Elizabeth Foss, kindly wrote the foreword for me!

Enjoy!

End of the year activities: field trip

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:13:00 +0000

We are winding down our "formal" home-schooling this week -- with Kotch done (graduation on June 1st), dh almost done, the weather turning hot and the pool opening, summer is upon us with a vengeance! Add to these influences, the need to sort/toss/pack/move before the end of June ... well, formal schooling needs to slow up (altho we NEVER stop living, loving and learning).

So, whenever we're nearing the "end" , I try to plan fun things that mark the end, giving a bit of "closure" ...

For instance, yesterday we went on a field trip to see the movie, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. We loved it! We love the first one and watch it often; that said, I think this sequel is even better in most ways. Ben Stiller's character, Larry Dailey, is not quite so pitiful and shows great loyalty and love for others (this was missing a bit in the original). There is none of the first-movie's family issues that try to seem so politically-correct and just end up looking sad from all sides. Robin Williams returns as two different Teddy Roosevelts -- but thankfully has a smaller role than in the first as a little bit of RW goes a long way. Jedediah and Octavius are back and just as well-done as in the original movie while Capuchin monkey, Dexter, has great competition from space-monkey Able!

Amy Adams is great as a young Amelia Earhart -- very moxie-filled -- altho as String Bean (an Earhart afficianado) pointed out: AE was in her 30s when she really started flying and disappeared at the age of 40, so Adams' portrayal is a bit young for the gutsy aviatrix.

Of course the plot is hokey ... and far-fetched ... and absolutely unbelievable ... but that's the fun! Having been to all the places shown in the movie -- Air & Space, Castle, even the Lincoln Memorial -- made the movie even more fun for the kids and I. We've seen those paintings and sculptures that come alive ... we've stood in front of Abe and looked down the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument (and he is BIGGGGGG!) ... the kids have even been on the South Lawn of the White House (altho Octavius' venture was a slightly different experience than their own).

The bad guys are led by Akmunrah's evil, older brother Kahmunrah (played really well by Hank Azaria) and include Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible (or rather, Ivan the Awesome!), and Al Capone. There is a great scene when bad-boy muppet Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader try to join the bad guys but are summarily dismissed. The final battle scence -- good vs bad, Custer vs Napoleon -- is great fun (but a bit over the top destructive). Some of the gags the kids didn't get -- like the Archie Bunker "throne" comment (yes, I remember that show!).

The Smithsonian -- comprised of 19 museums around the Mall (and outlying areas) -- holds such wonderful delights and this movie points out many of them. The Air&Space sequences -- with the Tuskegee Airmen and bobble-headed Einsteins -- remind the kids just how much we love that particular museum. The pictures coming alive in the National Gallery of Art (not a Smithsonian museum but located right in the midst of them) remind the kids of the great art available seven days a week in the Nation's Capital.

The ending is a great twist (maybe a bit predictable but still good) and makes me wish we lived closer to the NY Natural History museum (especially if this movie was real instead of just escapist fantasy)!

This field trip was a memory-making, reminiscence-remembering, family outing that we'll chuckle over for a long time. And reminded us all that we've haven't been to the DC museums in a while -- sounds like another field trip is in store for this weekend so dh can join in our ramblings round the Mall!

Where should we go today?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:56:00 +0000

hmmm ... it's a warm Spring-y day (70s but cloudy) and we don't have rain in the forecast ... what about heading to Belvedere Plantation? Hmmmm ... a 645-acre farm, on the banks of the Rappahannock, with a plantation house from the 1760s (!) and fresh, ready to pick, strawberries! Sounds perfect.

Two hours and almost 30 pounds of berries later, we headed home to prep them and revel in the stupendously sensual smell of strawberries! It did rain on us ... but a gentle, Spring shower that cooled the pickers as we bent and found the ripening redness hidden in the green rainforest of the raised beds. We have another flat of berries in addition to the ones shown here. We had berries and vanilla icecream for dessert tonight ... we're dehydrating some for snacks ... freezing some for post-season treats. If we can keep the kids from eating 'em all!

We'll be hunting up some strawberry recipes for the next month or so ... so if you have some, please share!

And just so you know ... we finished up the night with the perfect family movie for such a day -- State Fair -- the one with Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews and Vivian Blaine ... a perfect ending to a perfect day here in the Old Dominion.

Hope your day went as well ....

Novena: Prayer for the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Tomorrow -- Friday, May 22nd (the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia) -- I will start praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Below you will find the text of the novena ... where each day, the petitioner prays for a different one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Over the next few weeks, I'll need every one of these gifts -- wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord -- as we deal with yet another round of sorting, packing, moving; yet another real estate deal -- but this one for our long-term home (God willing)!

FOREWORD
The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena:
On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, "Speak Lord for Your servant heareth." Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
The Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.
FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!
The Holy Spirit: Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin· Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."
Prayer: Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)
Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!
The Gift of Fear: The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."
Prayer:Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter or transferred Ascension)
Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.
The Gift of Piety: The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Prayer : Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)
Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude: By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."
Prayer : Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)
Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!
The Gift of Knowledge: The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."
Prayer: Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)
If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.
The Gift of Understanding: Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Prayer : Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)
Heal our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.
The Gift of Counsel: The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."
Prayer: Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)
Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!
The Gift of Wisdom: Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
Prayer: Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)
Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.
Prayer: Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Won't you join me in this amazing novena?

Birthdays: Happy Birthday, Poppy!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Politics: Now this is a commencement speech!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Earlier this week, I posted about Notre Dame's commencement. Well, St. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH could certainly teach more famous ND who to invite to be a commencement speaker, that is if ND would like to come back into the fold of CATHOLIC colleges and universities!

Here is the text of Cardinal Arinze's words to the Graduating Class of 2009:

The Contribution of a Catholic University to the Life and Mission of the Church

1. A Day of joy
It is a joy to participate at the Commencement events of a young and dynamic Catholic liberal arts college such as Thomas More College. From what I have learned, this dear institution is dedicated to forming students intellectually and spiritually within the Catholic intellectual tradition and with unapologetic fidelity to the Magistetium, or the Teaching Authority of the Church.

May I, therefore, propose to you some reflections on "The Contribution of a Catholic University to the Life and Mission of the Church'*. A serious and authentic Catholic College or University has to strive to provide its students rigorous education on relations between faith and reason, on Specialization and Orientation, and on Science and Ethics. Students need a realistic and dynamic philosophy of life that shows them how to make a synthesis between religion and daily life. There will thus result an acceptable integral development of the human person. And the Catholic College or University will have succeeded in forming and turning out model Christians who are good citizens.

These will now be the elements for our reflection.

2. Faith and Reason
There is no doubt that human reason is capable of arriving at objective truth. The natural sciences and the field of sound philosophy are examples of what the Human mind has been able to achieve. Reason, however, cannot arrive at the depth and height of everything, especially as regards the deeper truths concerning God and religion. Faith is knowledge of divine and spiritual realities made available to us by God who freely reveals himself without any merit on our own. By faith, God brings us to knowledge which we would never have attained by natural reason. Reason and faith are related.

"Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents" (John Paul II; Fides et Ratio, 42).

Both reason and faith come from God, the first in the natural order, and the second in the supernatural. God is truth. Truth does not contradict itself (cf Fides et Ratio, 43; Summa Contra Gentiles I, 7). It was Thomas Aquinas who said: "whatever its source, truth is of die Holy Spirit" (I-II, 109, 1 ad 1). Faith needs reason in order to be articulated in a sound theological synthesis. Reason needs faith in order not to deprive people of the riches of God's revelation. A Catholic College or University is expected to make a dynamic presentation of this basic truth. Sound philosophy and healthy theology go hand in hand. Reflections on Holy Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church are thus presented, under the guiding interpretation of the Church's Magisterium, in a way that does honour to a university.

As Pope John Paul II says in the Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Catholic Universities "are called to explore courageously the riches of Revelation and of nature so that the united endeavour of intelligence and faith will enable people to come to the full measure of their humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, renewed even more marvelously, after sin, in Christ, and called to shrine forth in the light of the Spirit" (Ex Corde Ecd, 5).

If a Catholic College or University adopts this attitude of "courageous creativity and rigorous fidelity" (op. cit., 8), it will be able to contribute much to promote a healthy synthesis between faith and culture in society. We all recall the famous statement of Pope John Paul II: "The synthesis between culture and faith is a necessity not only for culture, but also of faith... A faith that does not become culture is a faith that is not fully received, not entirely thought through and not faithfully lived" (John Paul II: Autograph Letter instituting the Pont. Council for Culture, 20 May 1982, in AAS 74 (1983)683-688).

3. Specialization and Basic Orientation
We need specialists in the various fields of human endeavour: law, medicine, surgery, physics, biotechnology, psychological sciences, computer science, aviation, space exploration and various industrial technologies. But the growing
citizen, the student, and indeed every adult needs an important basic orientation in life. Before being a neurosurgeon or a legal luminary, a person is first of all brother, sister, spouse, parent, citizen or colleague. A basic orientation of the human being to human love and life, to family, to citizenship, to work, to solidarity and interdependence, and indeed to life on earth in general, is necessary. It is not an optional.

It would be risky to produce citizens who specialize in one little area of life but have no viable vision of the whole of life. While no one pretends to know something about everything, it would be even more dangerous to have to deal with a person who parades himself as knowing everything about a tiny aspect of life, and who is therefore lost in discussing or understanding anything except his own area of specialization.

A Catholic College or University has an important role in providing this basic orientation in life. Inspired by the Catholic faith, it strives in the light of the Gospel to bring students to appreciate the beautiful, the good and the true. The meeting with Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, in the Church and through the Church, provides a viable Church community in which life endeavours can be seen in a healthy synthesis. A young and lively liberal arts Catholic College is well positioned to provide this orientation.

4. Science and Ethics
The human being who explores the frontiers of science and technology is the same human being who is spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, citizen, ruler, company director, bank official, medical doctor, merchant, or otherwise. Relationship with one's neighbour is an important dimension to be considered in human action.

Even more important are man's relations with God. He is our Creator. We are his creatures. "It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Ps 100:3). Divine Providence keeps everything in existence and in the divinely established order. A human being who dares to deny God theoretical and practical recognition should be considered ridiculous. "Without the Creator", testifies the Second Vatican Council, "the creature would disappear... When God is forgotten the creature itself grows unintelligible" (Gaudium et Spes, 36).

Secularism stands condemned because it is an effort to conduct life as if God did not exist, as if God were interfering. Pope Benedict XVI condemns this ideology because it "presents itself in culture as planning of the world and of humanity without reference to Transcendence, invades every aspect of daily life and develops a mentality in which God is in reality absent, totally or in part, from human existence or consciousness" (Address to Plenary Assembly of the Pont. Council for Culture, on 8 March, 2008).

The scientist, therefore, should not regard whatever is physically possible as also morally lawful. Human action has to take into account the natural law, the eternal law of God written into human nature. Pope John Paul II, when he visited Mount Sinai in 2000, said that before God wrote and gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, he already wrote them into the human heart. That is why people of all religions and cultures, when they are not weighed down by ideology or human weakness, can recognize most of the dictates of the Ten Commandments. A Catholic College or University educates students to appreciate that moral rules of right and wrong apply also to science, technology, politics, trade and commerce, and indeed to all human endeavours.

5. Philosophy of Life. Map for Life Journey
Nostra Aetate notes that people seek in the various religions answers to the profound and fundamental questions which accompany and torment human existence on earth: what is man? Where do we come from? What is the purpose of life? What is goodness and what is sin? How do we explain sorrows, sickness, death? What is the path to true happiness? What happens after death? What can we know about God? A Catholic College or University has the hard and important task of orienting its students to face these fundamental questions. Providentially, God has not left us only at die level of philosophy and reason alone. The Eternal Father has in the fullness of time sent his Only-begotten Son to be our Saviour (cf Heb 1:1; Roman Missal: Euch. Prayer IV). Jesus Christ, God from God, Light from Light, has shown us the way to the Father. He himself tells us that he is "the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). Those who follow him will not be walking in the darkness but will have the light of life (cf Jn 8:12). "The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of him who was to come, namely, Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of die Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear" (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Jesus Christ is the key to our understanding ourselves, of the purpose of our life on earth, and of what we should do or not do in order to make a success of our earthly pilgrimage. A Catholic College or University helps its citizens to get oriented by this philosophy of life, by this essential road map. Jesus is the light that has come into the world (cf Jn 3:19), the true light that enlightens everyone (cf Jn 1:9), "the light of the world" Qn 8:12) who says to us: "Walk while you have the light" Qn 12:35).

6. Religion and Daily Life

The person who goes to Mass on Sunday is the same person who goes to work on Monday. The same person is Christian and citizen. The believer is the same person who is a family member, a work colleague, a medical practitioner and a member of Congress, an official of the United Nations. The Christian must learn to make a synthesis between his duties as a citizen and his religious practices. There must be no divorce between these two dimensions of his life.

The Second Vatican Council is rather clear: "The split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age... Therefore, let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties neglects his duties towards his neighbour and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation" (Gaudium et Spes, 43). These are strong words coming from a General Council of the Church.

Apply this to Mr Paddy Smyth of whom it has been said: 'Paddy Smyth always went to Mass; he never missed a Sunday. But Paddy Smyth went to hell, for what he did on Monday". The reason is that for Paddy Smyth, religion was an affair of one hour in church on Sunday. But on Monday where he was in parliament or Congress, or in the trade union meeting, or in the medical unit, he did not allow his religion to influence his action. He had not learned to make a vital synthesis between religion and life.

We can also in this light see the mistake of politicians who regard the Church as interfering in politics when the Pope or the Bishops speak on contraception, abortion, strange new definitions of family, the rights of workers, the education of children or what moral standards should guide the mass media. While the Church has no mandate from Christ to produce recipes for the solution of political or economic questions, the Church has the duty to invoke the light of the Gospel on various areas of human endeavour, on matters of right and wrong and on the morality of human acts in general (cf Benedict XVI: Deus Cariias Est, 28). In the complicated world of today, where all kinds of ideas are struggling for the right of citizenship, a university student needs a clear and viable orientation on the relationship between religion and life. The Catholic College or University is ideally positioned to help him see the light and equip himself for a significant contribution in society.

Here may I recommend to every Catholic student or graduate the "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church". This excellent 525-page document produced by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace contains the best presentation of Catholic doctrine on such social matters as creation, the human person and his rights, the common good, social life, family, marriage, work, economy, the political community, the international community, justice, peace, war and ecology.

7. Integral Development of ihe Human Person

The Catholic College or University can do much to provide an education for the human person which is not partial or incomplete, but integral and all-embracing. Such education should help the human being to develop in all dimensions: physical, mental, spiritual and religious. The Christian thus becomes and behaves as a "new man in Christ" (cf Eph 2:15).

Too often people equate education with certificates, or with what can be tested in written or oral examinations. No doubt, we absolutely need intellectual development. But what does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby; if he or she knows the year of the Battle of Waterloo and the amount of rainfall in Brazil; if he or she can shoot out mathematical or historical facts like a computer but is unfortunately a problem for the parents, corrosive acid among companions in the College, a drug addict and sexual pervert, a disgrace to the school, a waste-pipe in the place of work and Case number 23 for the Criminal Police? It is clear that intellectual development is not enough.

Deserving of special mention is education in the use of freedom. Pope Benedict stressed it when he spoke to Catholic educators in the United States on 17 April 2008 in the Catholic University of America. "While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in — a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves".

The Holy Father continues and says that educators owe it in all "intellectual charity" to lead their students to the truth so that they exercise freedom in relation to truth. We can add that this is very necessary in the intellectual world of today where many people deny the objectivity of moral truth and where moral relativism is regarded as the accepted thing. A person who holds that certain actions, like direct abortion, are always objectively wrong, is regarded as "judgmental", or as imposing his views on others. The exercise of freedom in pursuit of the truth is very much a part of integral education. If a Catholic College or University does not help in this way, should we not say that it has failed in one of its important roles?

8. Catholic University to form model Christian Citizens
If a Catholic College or University answers to its vocation in the ways outlined above, then it will be educating, forming and releasing into society model citizens who will be a credit to their families, their College, the Church and the State. It will prepare for us members of Congress or the Senate who will not say "I am a Catholic, but..."; but rather those who will say "I am a Catholic, and therefore..." They will be coherent both as Catholics and as citizens. Their religion will not be just a matter of an hour or two on Sunday, but will also provide a vital synthesis for their activities on Monday through Saturday, and from January to December.

A Catholic College or University is also expected to inspire a generation of model Christian parents and to motive some students to opt for the priestly life or for the consecrated state. This is our prayer. This is our hope for Thomas More College and for all Catholic Colleges or Universities. By the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Thomas More, may God pour his abundant blessings on the new graduates, all the students, their parents and the President, Faculty, Friends and Supporters of Thomas More College. May your contribution to the mission of the Church be dynamic, constant and to the point.

Francis Cardinal Arinze May 2009

Wow ... the Cardinal sure knows how to explain what a CATHOLIC college or university should be all about! Thank you, and bless you, dear Cardinal Arinze for your wonderful words of wisdom!

Politics: Notre Dame's major faux pas!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:43:00 +0000

One of the very saddest things to occur this past weekend was Fr. Jenkins' opening remarks to introduce Mr. Obama to the graduating class of 2009. Mr. Obama's speech, which can be read in its entirety here, contains nothing really surprising ... typical political machinations and flip comments that serve to bolster up a room full of young people ready to launch on the world but actually are only there for photo-ops and notches on the public relations pistol-butt. But again, Fr. Jenkins' words (which introduced Mr. Obama to the crowd), words for which I'm trying to get a full, official transcript, are the scandal in the whole debacle. [edited to add: thanks to RamFam, here's a link to the text of Fr. Jenkins' remarks. Here's a link to the Notre Dame website where you can view the entire commencement as well as the text of Fr. Jenkins speech.]

I wish I were more eloquent ... but I'm going to fall back on the following response from our former Archbishop, Charles Chaput of Denver. He put out the following analysis/meditation on the event. Since this is truly worth reading (and remembering), I'm posting his remarks in their entirety.

May 18, 2009 - Archbishop Chaput on Notre Dame and the issues that remain

"I have found that even among those who did not go to Notre Dame, even among those who do not share the Catholic faith, there is a special expectation, a special hope, for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world." ~ Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C., May 17, 2009

Most graduation speeches are a mix of piety and optimism designed to ease students smoothly into real life. The best have humor. Some genuinely inspire. But only a rare few manage to be pious, optimistic, evasive, sad and damaging all at the same time. Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president, is a man of substantial intellect and ability. This makes his introductory comments to President Obama’s Notre Dame commencement speech on May 17 all the more embarrassing.

Let’s remember that the debate over President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame was never about whether he is a good or bad man. The president is clearly a sincere and able man. By his own words, religion has had a major influence in his life. We owe him the respect Scripture calls us to show all public officials. We have a duty to pray for his wisdom and for the success of his service to the common good -- insofar as it is guided by right moral reasoning.

We also have the duty to oppose him when he’s wrong on foundational issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and similar matters. And we also have the duty to avoid prostituting our Catholic identity by appeals to phony dialogue that ask an abdication of our moral witness. Notre Dame did not merely invite the president to speak at its commencement. It also conferred an unnecessary and unearned honorary law degree on a man committed to upholding one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation’s history: Roe v. Wade.

In doing so, Notre Dame ignored the U.S. bishops’ guidance in their 2004 statement, Catholics in Political Life. It ignored the concerns of Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Notre Dame’s 2009 Laetare Medal honoree – who, unlike the president, certainly did deserve her award, but finally declined it in frustration with the university’s action. It ignored appeals from the university’s local bishop, the president of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, more than 70 other bishops, many thousands of Notre Dame alumni and hundreds of thousands of other American Catholics. Even here in Colorado, I’ve heard from too many to count.

There was no excuse – none, except intellectual vanity – for the university to persist in its course. And Father Jenkins compounded a bad original decision with evasive and disingenuous explanations to subsequently justify it.

These are hard words, but they’re deserved precisely because of Father Jenkins’ own remarks on May 17: "Until now, American Catholics have indeed had “a special expectation, a special hope for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world.” For many faithful Catholics – and not just a “small but vocal group” described with such inexcusable disdain and ignorance in journals like Time magazine -- that changed Sunday.

The May 17 events do have some fitting irony, though. Almost exactly 25 years go, Notre Dame provided the forum for Gov. Mario Cuomo to outline the “Catholic” case for “pro-choice” public service. At the time, Cuomo’s speech was hailed in the media as a masterpiece of American Catholic legal and moral reasoning. In retrospect, it’s clearly adroit. It’s also, just as clearly, an illogical and intellectually shabby exercise in the manufacture of excuses. Father Jenkins’ explanations, and President Obama’s honorary degree, are a fitting national bookend to a quarter century of softening Catholic witness in Catholic higher education. Together, they’ve given the next generation of Catholic leadership all the excuses they need to baptize their personal conveniences and ignore what it really demands to be "Catholic” in the public square.

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has suggested that Notre Dame “didn’t understand” what it means to be Catholic before these events began. He's correct, and Notre Dame is hardly alone in its institutional confusion. That's the heart of the matter. Notre Dame’s leadership has done a real disservice to the Church, and now seeks to ride out the criticism by treating it as an expression of fringe anger. But the damage remains, and Notre Dame’s critics are right. The most vital thing faithful Catholics can do now is to insist – by their words, actions and financial support – that institutions claiming to be “Catholic” actually live the faith with courage and consistency. If that happens, Notre Dame’s failure may yet do some unintended good.

Thank You, dear Archbishop for saying so eloquently what I express so baldly: that the actions of Notre Dame (in the person of Fr. Jenkins) go far beyond political issues and to the heart of the problem with what it means to be authentically Catholic in a secular world. And the best way Catholics can make lemonade out this particular lemon is to work to ensure that all "Catholic" institutions are truly Catholic -- in word, deed and action!

WooHoo: we closed!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Say goodbye to Colorado ... hello to Virginia.

The house closed today and we can't thank you all enough for your many prayers throughout this rather long year+ ...

but thanks to the intercessions of Mary, Joseph and Servant of God JPtheGreat, as well as prayers to a local hero, the papers were signed and the keys turned over on the very day JPtheGreat was born 89 years ago in a small Polish village -- Happy Birthday to Servant of God, JP the Great!

And again thanks for all the prayers ... keep 'em coming for the house here, please!

High School: Online Summer School Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:45:00 +0000

OK, if I had a high schooler who needed some summer-time learning, I'd go directly (I'm talking "not even stopping to collect $200") to Homeschool Connections and enroll in at least one of the courses Maureen and her crew are offering.

Here's a blog post about the CSLewis Space Trilogy lit class ... the Perelandra series is such a cool one but is so deep you really need an expert to help you find all the many kernels of truth and faith buried in Lewis' great work of sci-fi. And Maureen's got just the guy for it as you can see in the blog post (but ya gotta click on the first link above to read it!).

They have other online summer classes scheduled as well:

Tolkein stories -- In this course we will discuss in seminar (discussion) format five short stories by J.R.R. Tolkien in light of his essay called “On Fairy Stories.” The stories are “Smith of Wooton Major,” “Farmer Giles of Ham,” “Leaf by Niggle,” “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” and “Roverandom.” All five stories and the essay are available in one volume, called Tales from the Perilous Realm by J. R. R. Tolkien. The assignment will be to write your own fantasy story by the end of the six weeks. High school.It is preferred that students have read Lord of the Rings before coming to this course, but not required.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $120.

Beowulf and Christ -- This great mini epic will be explored as an allegory that te aches the Anglo-Saxon world how to transform pagan heroic ethos into a pattern for Christian heroism and how to re-envision blind Fate as Godly Providence. The Charles Kennedy translation is suggested. Be careful not to get a web version that cuts out the Christian elements. This is a book that lies behind J.R.R. Tolkien’s depiction of Edoras as well as the warlike virtues of Gond or. Suitable for any high school student who can read the poem and enjoy it. It is preferred that student have pre-read the poem before the first day of class. There will be no homework assigned for this course.Instructor: Henry Russell, Ph.D.Fee: Four-week course for $60

Catholic Living for Young People -- In our complex and changing world, with its serious cultural challenges, how does a young person structure and organize his life so that he can grow in his relationship with the Lord? Themes covered include prayer, study, social life, recreation and entertainment, technology, and decision-making. Lecture and discussion. The student will compose a rule of life tailored to his own situation. High school.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Eight-week course for $120.

Writing for College -- What are the characteristics of excellent writing in the eyes of college professors? This course will use the rhetorical arts to help turn competent writing into impressive writing. What are the essential components of an excellent piece of nonfiction writing? How does one write a compelling introduction and conclusion? How does one argue effectively for one’s position? What are important mistakes to avoid? The course will work with previous writing samples of the students, as well as composition exercises, culminating in the writing of a short argumentative essay. Juniors and seniors.Instr uctor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $120.

The Catholic Shakespeare: MacBeth -- The course will explore the play on four levels: 1) What is literally happening and why that is often surprising; 2) What main Christian moral messages are being embodied in the play; 3) The Biblical references that enrich the meaning of the work; and finally, 4) How Shakespeare is presenting the challenges and duties of the Body of Christ within the Elizabethan police state. Suitable for anyone who can read the play and enjoy it. It is preferred that students have pre-read the play before the first day of class.Instructor: Henry Russell, Ph.D.Fee: Four-week course for $60.

The Mass Explained -- In order to participate fully in the Mass, we need to understand it better. The Bible provides many images and ideas that are the basis for the structure and prayers of the Mass. This course looks at these Biblical ideas and explains how they are realized and fulfilled in the celebration of the Mass. Some of the images include the Trinity; temple, priest and sacrifice; the Passover and the Exodus; and the bridegroom/bride. In this course we will look closely at the prayers and structure of the Mass in light of these images and ideas. This course will not require written assignments. It will involve reading from the Bible. High school.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $90.

The fees are quite reasonable for these courses as detailed above. Because some of these are discussion courses, students are not only required to have high-speed internet but also a headset with microphone. And here's a cool aspect: All Homeschool Connections courses are recorded and available to registered students for up to six months, so your student can refer to the "live classes" repeatedly after the class is over!

If you want to register, just go to Homeschool Connections or if you have any questions or suggestions, you can email Maureen Wittmann directly at mwittlans@aol.com.

Where should we go today?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:17:00 +0000

How's about down to Orange County for three hours of (God willing) our very LAST EVER home-inspection on the house we got a signed contract on May 13th - Feast of Our Lady of Fatima! We love this house ... it's exactly what we need ... in a beautiful area ... a house in which we can put down roots -- both figuratively and literally -- and live in for the rest of our lives. This is the kind of house the littles can grow up in and all can eventually bring their children to visit.

Yep, this is it!

Many of you probably are smiling and saying "yeah, right ... famous last words" -- well we SOOOO hope God agrees with us and lets us settle in and make this house our home ... for living, loving, and learning and sharing with all our friends, relatives and benefactors, now and in the future. We can't wait to bring simplicity and loveliness to our new home ... which, if all goes well, will close on June 24th. Please keep us in your prayers ... that this is God's will as well as ours.

Besides, we stopped at Sonic on the way home -- rootbeer floats make anywhere look great!