Free Printable O Antiphons Activities for Advent

In the final week of Advent before Christmas, Catholics reflect on the "O Antiphons." These are the worshipful titles by which we address Jesus. They're also called the Magnificat Antiphons. Here's the holiday schedule:
December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)
December 23: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

Here are free printable Advent coloring pages and activities to explore all of advent including the Magnificat Antiphons. Be sure to click the image to the left of this blog post for a printable O Antiphon calendar. There are printable puzzles, crafts, calendars, wreaths, too.  Read more

Free Printable Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Advent Activities for Children

 Dec. 8 marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Catholic liturgical calendar. Catholics believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin so that she could birth the Messiah, Jesus. Catholics honor her on this day. Here are activities for parents and children to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Advent, a Christmas preparatory season during which the feast falls. Use these free printable lessons for family devotions, church activities and school feast day observances.   read more

Last Minute Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Donations

Didn't get your Operation Christmas Child shoebox in before the deadline this year? You can still fill a box online or drop it off to OCC processing centers. Here's a list of places. You can also mail your box to this address: Operation Christmas Child Headquarters, 801 Bamboo, Road, Boone, NC 28607. Don't have time to do a box? Samaritan's Purse has a new online "Build a Box" feature. For $30 (that includes the $7 shipping/handling fee) staff members will pack and ship a box for you. You get to choose what items are included by checking them off from a menu. You can also do this for someone else. You pay the $ and your friend gets to "pack the box" (great for kids, godchildren). Please consider doing one of these as OCC didn't get enough boxes this year. Here's the build a box link to do that. Catholics, remember, Advent is a lesser penitential season, meaning we observe the same virtues we did in Lent: almsgiving, fasting and prayer. A Christmas shoebox donation makes a great almsgiving activity. For my list of best Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts, click the title link. 

Free Printable American Girl Activities, Crafts, Games, Lessons

American Girl crafts may not, at first glance, seem appropriate for a Catholic activities blog. In 24 years as a Catholic mom and 10 years as a Catholic homeschool mom, I've discovered great family activities in some surprising places. American Girl offers free printable activities, coloring pages, crafts, skits, literature-based lessons, writing prompts, games, puzzles and lesson plans. The Pleasant Company's American Girl characters each represent different regions, time period and ethnic background. The family's faith is woven into the stories. Molly, Josefina (and possibly Kirsten) are Catholic and celebrate Catholic traditions unique to their cultural backgrounds. As we welcome St. Kateri Tekakwitha as a newly cannonized saint, Catholic families might read the AG Kaya books for historical crafts and activities to celebrate St. Kateri. AG is a great resource for Catholic moms. read more

Family Bonding Activities for Thanksgiving

Are your children more of a hindrance than a help at holiday time? Do you find that they make more work? Would you like to involve kids in the thanksgiving preparations? Here are some tried and true tips from a 24-year mom of four to engage kids in age appropriate ways. Make memories and create family bonding opportunities. Use these lesson plans for homeschool or in the classroom.  Perfect for advent, too. Picture on left shows four of my kids (two daughters in heaven) in 1998--Molly, Albert, Jakob and Emma Grace. How to Engage Children in the Thanksgiving Celebrations

Stations of the Cross Prayer Garden: Plants, Shrubs, Bushes and Flowers

Prayer, meditation and devotion are not just cerebral activities. True prayer involves the whole person. Catholics use body gestures to keep our hearts, souls and minds fixed on our Lord. We use the sign of the cross, we kneel, we bow, genuflect and sometimes prostrate ourselves to bring our whole self into oneness with our Lord. One of the best ways to engage spirit in worship is through the senses.

The Tantum Ergo or Pangua Lingua says "Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui." (Basically, faith supplements when our senses fail.) Our senses, though limited, do guide us though. We smell the incense, we hear the chant, we act out the gestures, we taste the Lord's body and drink His blood. All very sensual experiences. One of the ways that I personally draw close to God is through nature. Being outdoors at a grotto or prayer garden completes my worship. To that end, here's a Stations of the Cross garden plan with suggested flowers to plant at each station. If you live in a cold climate, this garden could be created indoors. Lent and Easter Prayer Garden: Plants, Shrubs, Bushes and Flowers

Free Printable Halloween Pumpkin Carving Stencils with Christian Symbols

Carving the traditional Halloween pumpkins is a time-honored rite of trick-or-treat. If you are looking for some unique, creative pumpkin carving stencils for your jack-o-lantern, you've come to the right place. Scroll through the spooky free printable pumpkin patterns for stencils of Christian and Catholic symbols. Pumpkin Glow as an "un-Halloween" section with free printable pumpkin patterns of a cross, Jesus, Holy Spirit, fish, Bible stories, crucifix, angels, nativity (like the one to the left), saints and holy images. Print pumpkin patterns and use for other stencil crafts. To make them reusable, laminate and then cut out pattern. Read on Free Printable Christian Halloween Pumpkin Carving Stencils 

Relationship Reflections from 25 Years of Marriage

My husband and I are celebrating 25 years of (mostly) wedded bliss. On July 18, 1987, I was going on 24 and he was going on 25. We were ignorant, idealistic and ridiculously romantic. A quarter of a century, we still are and I think that might be what's kept us together.

We've each only been married once, to each other, which makes us (some have told me) a rare breed. (I might say "more like a piece of work). We've been asked (I blush every time) for the secret of our success. I always quip "we fight all the time!" That's only partly jest. With four kids, money struggles, crazy schedules, work-a-holic tendencies, job woes, health setbacks, two lost babies, a old crumbling house, old cars (which we share) and a DIY-of-necessity lifestyle, I guess it's to be expected. And relationships get gritty in and of themselves without any help from outside stresses. I'm not saying it's right to fight, but at least we don't bottle things up and let them toxify. For more information, read on  Relationship Reflections from 25 Years of (Pretty Much) Wedded Bliss

How I Lost Weight with Weekly Spiritual Fasting

There's some controversy about fasting as a way to lose weight. Going without eating for long stretches can be dangerous. But regular, spiritual bread and water fasting can be beneficial health-wise and for losing weight. Here's how I lost found that out.

* Emotional benefits of spiritual fasting: 18 years ago I joined the Catholic Church. I attended a retreat devoted to Mary the Mother of God. In her apparition (appearance) at Medjugorje, Mary called the faithful to fast twice weekly, eating nothing but bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. I followed that fast. Getting my mind off food helped me focus on spiritual exercises and combat negative behaviors.  How I Lost Weight with Weekly Spiritual Fasting 

Free Printable St Francis Coloring Crafts

I homeschooled our four kids for 10 years and made loads of lesson plans. Alas, I am woefully inept as an artist, so the lesson plans that required drawing skills...lacked. But now, with the beauty of the Internet, we have access to free printable lesson plans, coloring pages, cut and paste crafts, games and activities. Here are coloring pages in honor of St. Francis's feast day October 4. Read on free printable saints coloring pages

Anti-Halloween Activities, Trick-or-Treat Alternatives for Parents

As kids eagerly count down to trick or treat, some parents worry about Halloween. Safety and health issues, stranger danger, religious objections, too-scary decorations, older kids trick or treating, costume concerns: here are child-friendly options, anti-Halloween ideas and trick or treat alternatives. Use these for a Christian church harvest parties or All Saints Eve party. Read more Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Alternatives for Parents

Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities--Saints, Martyrs, Blesseds

Many saints feast days are celebrated in September. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is venerated on Sept. 5, St. Peter Claver on Sept. 9. Other popular September saints include St. John Chrysostom, St. Robert Bellmarine, St. Padre Pio, Sts Cosmos and Damian, St. Vincent de Paul, Raphael the Archangel, St. Jerome, plus many martyrs. As a home school family, saints study comprised a large part of our back to school activities. Catholic school teachers, religious education instructors, home schoolers and parents will enjoy these free printable games and activities. Use these for lessons, party games, holy day activities and family fun. (The picture is a reredoes we saw at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette, La.)  Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities 

Free Printable Eastern Orthodox Catholic Coloring Activities

September 1 marks the Eastern Orthodox Church's new liturgical year. The Christian Orthodox church, whose branches include Russian, Ukrainian, Slavic, Slavonic and Greek Orthodox, is linked to the Byzantine Church. The eastern rite churches follow most of the same practices as the Christian Catholic church, including veneration of saints, icons, holy relics and martyrs. Here are free printable coloring pages, activities and lesson plans to celebrate Orthodox new year. Free Printable Eastern Orthodox Catholic Coloring Activities 

Free Printable Birth Plans, Labor and Delivery Plans

If there's one thing we Catholic moms think about and talk about its kids, specifically the having of babies. And wherever you're at in your baby-having career, first time or sixteenth, you deserve to have your birth experience the way you want it. That's why you need a birth plan. Whether you're having a hospital or home birth, using a midwife or doctor, a birth plan spells out how you want it to go. Here are free printable birthing plan forms to help (St. Gerard Majella would approve!) Free Printable Birth Plans, Labor and Delivery Plans

Teaching Kids social justice: How parents should teach awareness, develop empathy

 Sensitivity training isn't just for adults. It has to begin in childhood. It's essential that parents teach awareness--especially of social justice issues like poverty--early and often. To raise awareness, schools require high school kids to complete student volunteer service credit hours. This opens kids up to needs and teaches them to have a heart for others. When teaching compassion and empathy, here are things to keep in mind.

* Teach empathy by example. Our kids learn empathy by watching how compassionate we are (or aren't). Before teaching kids empathy, take an honest self-inventory. Do you show that you care about others? Do you respond to need? Read more Kids and social justice: How parents teach awareness, develop empathy 

Ways Catholic parents can develop awareness of poverty, teach generosity

If I had a buck for every time I heard someone say "kids today are so insensitive and selfish," I'd be rich. If kids lack sensitivity, it's because we parents have failed to teach empathy. As Catholic Christians, we're called to living in solidarity with the poor. The Bible is full of references to living simply. The saints lived and preached gospel poverty. Yet looking at our church parking lots and pews, I don't see much poverty. I see a lot of wealth and excess. I don't mean to cant, but we're called to renounce worldliness. Kids living in luxury have no connection with the world church unless we teach them. Here are ways to raise  awareness of world poverty, develop empathy with the sufferings of the poor and teach generosity. Student volunteer work and missionary outreach may count toward school-required service credit hours, too.  Ways parents can develop awareness of poverty, teach generosity

Catholic Kitchen-- Fish Fast Recipes for Living Sustainably

Around Lent, I publish recipes called "The Lenten Kitchen." Actually, the fish fast lent diet is a great meal plan to follow year-round. It lends itself well to other diets--DASH (low-sodium), low cholesterol, the Mediterranean Diet, PMS, vegetarian, even Jewish kosher and Muslim halal restrictions.

As Catholics, we're called to refrain from eating meat on Fridays throughout the year, too. I call myself a Catholic Transcendentalist (following the American Transcendentalism school). I try to live in solidarity with the world church as much as possible. I'm concerned about spreading the gospel through sustainable lifestyles, including responsible eating. To all those ends, I've extended my Lenten Kitchen articles to "The Catholic Kitchen." I feature healthy, simple recipes that we can all live with. Read more at Low Sodium, High Omega-3 Cholesterol-Fighting Fish Recipes 

Free Printable Bible Craft Activities

I've written articles about free printable Bible, Sunday School and VBS coloring pages. In this article I've linked to several websites with free printable craft activities. Perhaps you want something more than just coloring pages for your Sunday School, Religious Education, CCD, VBS, Christian School or homeschool? Free printable paper crafts can be very interactive. Children get to cut, assemble, paste, color and fold. All these activities are hands-on and lots of fun. Free Printable Bible Craft Activities 

Free Printable Stations of the Cross, Rosary Stained Glass Coloring Pages

The rosary and stations of the cross are often shown in stained glass on church window. They tell the story of Our Lord's passion. Just in time for the Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, here are free printable coloring pages of images from the rosary, made from stained glass window images. Summer is a perfect time to prepare for the upcoming seasons of the Catholic liturgical calendar and holy days. Honor our Blessed Lady by printing a booklet for children and letting them color it. This makes a nice devotional activity for children. Here are twenty-one free printable stained glass window style coloring pages.  Free Printable Stations of the Cross, Rosary Stained Glass Coloring Pages

Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy--Comfort the Grieving, Bury the Dead

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day is a perfect time to remember our fallen American veterans as well as public safety officials. In our family as in many others, we also decorate the graves of our loved ones. Each year we have a few more. Memorial Day brings some poignant memories. My little brother died when he was five. In 2001 and  2004, my husband and I lost two little daughters, Mary Therese and Isobella Raine, who died in utero. My husband's father passed away in 1996. In 2007, we lost both my beloved grandparents. Nevertheless, it is a time for family bonding. For Catholics, it's a time to observe the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, notably, to comfort the grieving and bury the dead.

We recently visited Lafayette and New Orleans, La. We've always found spiritual succor visiting cemeteries and paying tribute to the dead. The vaults built above the ground and the wall mausoleums tell the history of the area. The mementos left on tombs tell of the loved ones buried there. In Louisiana, more so I think, than anywhere else, we felt a sense of death in the midst of life and hope in the midst of death. We spoke with Cajuns (Acadians) who shared their traditions with us and welcomed us into their family memorials.

Visiting St. John the Evangel in Lafayette and Sacred Heart in Broussard, we experienced a reverence and peace. It was a blessed experience and brought to mind our own family memorials. Here are some ways that we fulfill the sacramental injunctions about honoring our dead. This was written for Memorial Day, but could be done anytime you need a connection with loved ones lost. The Perfect Memorial Day Celebration 

Michigan House Committee Approves Stricter Abortion Rules

 A collection of bills that place tighter regulations on abortion providers in Michigan passed a committee of the state House on Thursday. The bills move to the full house for debate, says the Detroit News. These bills would make abortion clinics comply with medical facility licensing laws. HB 5712-13 also address "webcam abortion" in which doctors prescribe abortion drugs via online camera. One bill prohibits abortion after 20 weeks when   the fetus is said to be pain capable. Read more at Michigan House Committee Approves Stricter Abortion Rules 

Free Printable Blessed Virgin Mary Coloring Pages and Activities for May

The lovely children's song says, "Oh Mary we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May." And just as we honor our own mothers in May, so we should honor the Mother of God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is honored on several different Catholic Christian holidays throughout the year. December 8, the Feast Immaculate Conception, January 1, Solemnity of Mary and August 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here are free printable coloring pages of Our Lady in her different titles and roles.

May and October are dedicated to her as well. Catholics believe that Mary has appeared at different times in history. Some of the better-known apparitions are at Fatima in Portugal; Lourdes, France; Medjugorie , Bosnia-Herzegovina; Mexico City as "Our Lady of Guadalupe:" " Our Lady of Knock " in Ireland and " Our Lady of Czestochowa ," in Poland. There are Marion devotions depending upon the apparition, too. Our Blessed Mother is shown as Queen of Heaven, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and other traditional and Biblical references. Free Printable Blessed Virgin Mary Coloring Pages and Activities 

Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities

Eastertide is a rich and vibrant season in the Catholic liturgical calendar. It's a perfect time to delve deeper into the faith. As a former homeschooling mom, we spent the Easter season, up to Ascension Thursday, exploring our Catholic traditions. Here are some free printable activities to do that. Catholic school teachers, religious education instructors, homeschoolers and parents will enjoy these free printable games and activities. use these for lessons, party games, holy day activities and family fun.  Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities 

Free Printable First Communion, Baptism, Confirmation Quinceanera, Invitations, Cards

Do you know a child who is making her first holy Eucharist (holy communion) this year? Perhaps your family is Catholic and your child is celebrating his first communion? If you're hosting a reception, here are free printable first holy Eucharist party invitations. If you're attending a first communion mass and reception, here are free printable first communion cards for the new communicant.

Hoover Web Design has several free printable first holy Eucharist invitations that could be used as free printable first communion cards. To print, the invitations, click and save to your computer. Then open the saved clipart, copy and paste in a new Paint image. Adjust so the image fits (cropped to 4.25 x 5.5 inches) and place in bottom right corner. Print and fold top half down and in half again so card opens to right. Fill in party details or for greeting cards, write your own verse and sign. You can also get other free printable religious party invitations and cards for Jewish bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah plus Catholic and Orthodox Christian baptism and confirmation.

365 Greetings has free printable first communion cards with modern and lovely vintage Catholic images. The old classic images come from holy cards and feature the Sacred Heart of Jesus offering the child holy Eucharist (holy communion). Greetings Island has attractive contemporary free printable first communion cards and holy communion invitations. Real Life at Home has several free printable first communion cards, invitations and announcements. Here's another site with more free printable holy Eucharist cards and invitations. American Greetings and Blue Mountain both havefree printable first communion cards and first holy Eucharist invitations, Some are alike and others are different. .

Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter Triduum activities for parents, children

In the Catholic, Orthodox, some other Christian traditions, the penitential season of Lent is concluded with Palm Sunday leading into Holy Week and culminating on Easter Sunday. This most sacred and somber week includes the Easter Triduum, with Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday or Easter Vigil. I converted to Catholicism 19 years ago and homeschooled our four children for 10 years. My children tell me that some of their favorite memories center on our Holy Week observances. Our annual "give up for lent" had far-reaching positive impacts. For families looking for the full Palm Sunday-to-Easter experience, here are missionary outreach activities from my journey to guide you. These activities have merit for non-Catholics, as they help bring families closer together. They raise awareness, develop empathy and teach compassion. Some kids missions activities count toward school required student volunteer service credit hours. Read more at Holy Week, Easter activities for parents and children 

Free Printable Palm Sunday Crafts, Lessons and Coloring Activities

Palm Sunday, in the Christian faith, celebrates the Biblical triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem one week before His crucifixion. It begins Holy Week and the countdown to Easter. Palm Sunday is a floating holiday; linked as it is to Lent and Easter which fall at a different time each year. Here are crafts, coloring and activities for parents to use with children. Use as lessons in homeschool, Christian school, Sunday school or Catholic religious education. These printables provide inexpensive, hands-on ways to explore and celebrate the Palm Sunday. Free Printable Palm Sunday Crafts, Coloring, Activities

Easter Egg Countdown and Devotional Craft -- A Spiritual Journey

 For many of us, Lent is a journey on the 'Via Dolarosa', the way of sorrows which Our Lord took on His way to the cross. Easter, then is a celebration of the Passion, death, resurrection and triumph of Christ. For us, Easter is a New Birth.

St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi and other saints used many symbols to help us understand mysteries of faith. The egg has long been a wonderful spiritual symbol of our Triune God. With the yolk hidden inside we think of the Holy Spirit; the white is between the yolk and the shell and that reminds us that Jesus went between God and Man; Lastly Our Heavenly Father Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent, like the shell which surrounds the egg. Here's a special Easter basket and Easter egg craft that follows the Stations of the Cross with symbols and scripture readings. It's a perfect Lenten calendar countdown.

Free Printable Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday Coloring Page

The Easter Triduum begins at sundown on Holy Thursday, also called Maundy Thursday and continues through Good Friday and Easter Vigil or Holy Saturday. Here are free printable coloring pages to help children explore the Easter Triduum. These coloring pages could be used anytime during lent from Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Print them to make a family devotional or activity booklet. Free Printable Easter Triduum Coloring Pages: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday

Recycle Bin Craft Activities for Lent, Easter and Passover

I've discussed recycled materials in several articles. This subject is just so comprehensive, however, that I have loads of other activities to share, using recycled materials. We all know how expensive supplies for any project can be if purchased. I've cleaned and organized Sunday School and daycare craft cupboards and it annoys me to see costly materials wastefully used. (Please pardon the spelling of "diorama" in this article. Don't you just love autocorrect? Because people so often write "di aroma"...) Read more at Lesson Plan and Crafts from Your Recycling Bin for Easter and Passover

Free Printable St Patricks Day Lesson Plans, Irish Catholic history with children

St. Patrick's Day is a feast day, celebrated on March 17, in the Catholic liturgical calendar. Like Valentine's Day, it has also become a major U.S. holiday. Patricus, a Roman Briton was taken from his home (probably in Wales) as a slave, but returned as a bishop to bring Christianity to Ireland. Speaking as a descendant of Irish immigrants, I'd like to see the day celebrated with fewer green shamrocks and more focus on the religious and cultural significance of the holiday. Here are ways to celebrate the man we call St. Patrick and explore Irish traditions with kids. Lots of free printable Catholic, Irish and St. Patty's Day crafts. Read more at Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, Irish history with children

Teaching Children About Lent and Fasting

In the Catholic church, Ash Wednesday kicks off the penitential season of Lent. During Lent, we fast, pray and give alms to the needy, to prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday. Whether you're Catholic or not, there's a lot to be learned from these disciplines, especially for children. Here are tips to teach children about Lenten fasting. This Q-and-A guide will also help non-Catholic children understand what their Catholic classmates are doing and why. I've listed ways to raise awareness, develoop empathy and encourage generosity. Some of these missionary outreach activities involve kids missions work and may count as student volunteer service credit hours for school. Read more at Teaching Children About Lent and Fasting 

How We Eat Local, Healthy, Sustainable with Mediterranean Lenten Diet

As a Catholic, I give up eating meat for Lent and follow the Mediterranean Diet for the rest of the year. I'm not a vegan because I eat fish, but I do nix most dairy (except yogurt) and eggs. I call it the Lenten diet and like the Mediterranean Diet, it centers on eating fresh produce in season, alternative protein sources, fish and sustainable, locally-produced foods. Read more at How We Eat Local, Healthy, Sustainable with Mediterranean Lenten Diet

'Drive-Thru' Ash Wednesday at Ohio Methodist Church Inappropriate

As the Catholic church exits Mardi Gras feasting and enters the penitential season of Lent, other denominations are imitating the Ash Wednesday Lenten kick-off observances. An Ohio United Methodist Church offered the imposition of the ashes via drive-thru, says the Associated Press. A drop-and-dash holy day (well, not holy day, maybe, but an essential Lenten rite)? How kitschy: If they're going to ape us Catholics, they should at least have the courtesy to do it right. Read more here 'Drive-Thru' Ash Wednesday at Ohio Methodist Church Is Tacky

Thank you, and Blessed Lent

I put many links to my Catholic articles on this blog and that's what brings the majority of searchers. People looking for Catholic kids crafts, printable Lent coloring pages, etc. I just wanted to say thank you. Not just for reading my blogs and articles (though that is how I earn our living): what I'm so thankful for, what blesses my socks off, is that of all my niche blogs (and I have about 30 successful ones) the best-performing ones are about our Catholic faith.

On Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, I had a record number of hits, three to four times the normal amount on Lent-related searches. That delights me. More than the Disney coloring pages, free printable cartoon activities, even Christmas and Halloween crafts, my Catholic articles do the best. On every feast day, I can count on searches for "advent activities for kids," "printable Lenten devotional lessons," "printable rosary prayers" and the like.

I write about news, much of it discouraging, for my bread and butter. Most of the subjects are negative, sad are ugly. I write about children dying, parents hurting, people's despair and misery. The Catholic, homeschooling, faith, mommying articles are my treat and retreat. When I write about "how to have a pet funeral" or "fun crafts to make for senior citizens" that's my therapy; that's what helps me purge the soul grime. When I see that beyond all the entertainment, commercialism and worldliness, people are looking to connect with God through my paltry writings, I'm so grateful. Thank you. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

Marilisa (that's me with two of my other blessings, Molly and Emma, in Louisiana).

Fat Tuesday Feasting Makes Ash Wednesday Fasting Harder

I'm a Catholic: well not cradle Catholic-- I'm a convert. One thing I love about being Catholic is that we sure know how to celebrate life. Take Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras): it's a huge Catholic lollapalooza before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday and Lent. All good Catholics, it seems gear up for the penitential season by overdoing it in the party season. I have my doubts about the wisdom of this. Read more here Fat Tuesday Feasting Makes Ash Wednesday Fasting Harder 

Free Printable Catholic Saints and All Saints Day Coloring Pages

Looking for free printable saints coloring pages, specifically St Valentine? Here's an article I wrote with links to several websites with saints coloring pages including Valentine. There are some historical connections, lesson plans, crafts and religious devotions. Perfect for lent, daily mass readings and feast days. Read more at Free Printable Catholic Saints and All Saints Day Coloring Pages

Thanksgiving Fish and Shellfish Recipes for Lent

Thanksgiving Fish and Shellfish Recipes for Pescetarian Diet and Vegetarians This article was written for Thanksgiving vegetarian recipes, but the food ideas work perfectly for lent. It includes harvest vegetable-based meals, fish, seafood and foods tweaked for the Mediterranean Diet. My husband and I are using this diet to meat my need to lose weight and both our needs to watch cholesterol. The Mediterranean Diet could also be called the lent diet or the Catholic social justice diet: it features locally grown produced, fairly traded foods, frugality, meatless meals, fish-based foods and an emphasis on simplicity and using what's on-hand. It gels perfectly with the lenten virtues of fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving.

If you don't like fish or have kids who don't, you can offer up sufferings for the persecuted World Church. My Filipino friend could list many sufferings in her homeland that could be used as lenten sacrificial fast. On a lighter note, when I homeschooled, we used to make recipes from the Catholic Social Services Operation Rice Bowl prayer calender. I once served a recipe that was a porridge made of bananas, peas and onions. We did show solidarity with the poor and it made us give thanks for our many blessings. But it was not pleasant. Each year, my kids give thanks that mom's lenten experiments have never included that recipe again.

May these recipes bless your lent. Read on...

Free Printable Catholic Crafts for Christmas Around the World

Catholic homeschoolers, teaching a unit on Asia, African-American, North American, Latino or Celtic culture? Need some great free printable craft projects from these ethnic groups? Hewlett-Packard has many free crafts projects. These free printable craft activities make great projects for homeschoolers and teachers. Use these free printables for your next social studies, world history, literature or geography unit. Parents and families: need a project for your child to complete for a school project? Check these out. Free printable projects like these make excellent activities for special needs students also. Perfect for Chinese New Year, Valentines Day, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Patrick's Day and saints feast days from other countries. Free Printable Ethnic and Cultural Crafts for Social Studies

Free Printable Epiphany Party Planner

 Most students will return to school shortly, whether they are home-schooled or if they attend a traditional school. The Epiphany (Three Kings Day, Twelfth Night) holiday is celebrated in the Roman Catholic church and the eastern orthodox churches on January 6. It rounds out the Christmas octave. In many countries around the world, Epiphany is the major gift-giving holiday. Why not combine celebrate this lovely feast day with a party? Round out the winter vacation and holiday break and make the return to studies a positive time by celebrating Epiphany. Here are crafts, games, activities, printables, historical helps, religious devotions and party planning helps. Perfect for social studies, too. Activities for all ages included. Read on...Free Printable Epiphany Party Planner