Pray for Us as We Join the Pilgrimage of the Restoration

Later this week part of my family will be joining a brigade from our parish, students from Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, and scores of other pilgrims in the Pilgrimage of the Restoration, a traditional walking pilgrimage modeled after the annual Pentecost Pilgrimage to Notre-Dame de Chartres, France which will take a 60+ mile route from the Lake of the Blessed Sacrament at Lake George Village, NY to the Shrine of Our Lady’s Martyrs of New France at Auriesville, NY .

The pilgrimage is now in its 27th year, and, this year, will have a theme of Restoring True Devotion to Mary, through Total Consecration of St. Louis de Montfort.  

As it has always each year, the pilgrimage will be "an exercise of penance and prayer, of contradiction and restoration, having both a personal and social character" with an intention of "restoration of the Catholic family, civil society and the specifically Roman spiritual and liturgical tradition".

Since this will be the first walking pilgrimage that anyone in our family has ever been on, we are a bit nervous about personal logistics, how to pack, and, to be honest, actually being able to complete the pilgrimage. Yet, we are also excited for this opportunity, impressed with the support the pilgrimage organizers provide on their website and blog, and confident that organizers, volunteers, and fellow pilgrims will work together to make this year's pilgrimage a successful one. 

If you would like to join us by jumping on as a last-minute pilgrim, you can register as a walk-on for the whole pilgrimage at the starting point or register as a Sunday-only pilgrim for the final day.

We would also appreciate any and all friends to participate from home and/or to join is in praying this prayer daily:

Pilgrim’s Prayer Pilgrimage for Restoration 2022

To be recited, at the request of Pilgrimage Chaplains, each day by every pilgrim: for the intentions of all pilgrims, for sinners everywhere, for the grace to make pilgrimage worthily together, and for the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope Francis & for all our spiritual Fathers & Mothers in Christ. 

My Lord and my God, take from me whatever keeps me from Thee. My Lord and my God, grant me whatever brings me to Thee. My Lord and my God, take my self, to live wholly in Thee.

~St. Nicholas of Flüe, 1447-1487

Thank you for for praying in union with us as we make our pilgrimage of penance, prayer, and singing to God for restoration.

Top 10 Tips for a Boy Going Away to Summer Camp for the First Time

Today, we dropped our youngest son off at a wonderful Catholic boy camp that he is participating in for the second year in a row.

I wish I could be there when he opens his bags tonight and starts finding the many paper hearts his sister and I cut out, wrote simple and silly messages on, and tucked into his clothes, his sleeping bag, his Bible... I am sure his expression will be priceless.

I am also sure he won't be expecting to have been "hearted", since last year I wrote him a full page letter for each day.

I do hope, though, that he will remember the Top Ten Tips for Camp that I included in his first day letter. 

I will share them here, followed by my closing words to him, in case you'd like to use them as a model for your own child as he goes off to camp.

Ten Tips for Camp

• 10. Use your Repel! Seriously. You don’t want bug bites ballooning up and you also want to try to keep ticks away.

• 9. Speaking of tick, tick check often and well, please. Seriously, buddy. Those things can be so tiny and hard to miss and they also can be damaging. So, do use your eyes and hands to do thorough tick checks, and, if you find one on yourself that you cannot get off, go see an adult for help.

• 8. Initiate new friendships while enjoying your current ones. Have so much fun with A and whichever other friends might surprise you by being there. Also, make new friends. Learn about where other people are from, what they are like, what they do. It can be such fun to build relationships with people from different places.

• 7. Have fun! And, if you find that you’re not having fun, go find some. So many opportunities await you…

• 6. Be courageous and take chances - but be careful, too.  With unwavering courage, try new things and enjoy learning more about other things - archery, shooting, sailing, crazy camp foods...Whatever opportunities arise, as long as you can tackle them with virtue and safety, go for it! This is your time for adventure and growth. Embrace it, even if it means being the first one to step forward…

• 5. Yet, don’t be afraid to step back or away when you need to. Sometimes we all need a bit of space, a time to pause, some sleep or just time to be. So, if you feel like you need to recharge, rest, think, pray, pause, rest, sleep, as long as it’s an appropriate time to do so, just do it. It’s totally okay, too. It’s even wise.

• 4. Don’t forget to shower, brush your teeth, and change your underwear. Momma didn’t buy you all those new undies so you could wear one pair all week and, trust me, your bunkmates and new friends will appreciate it if your breath is not terrible and you don’t smell. God gave you one body only - take care of it!

• 3. Did I mention have fun? Yes, I know I did, but I cannot help but to mention it again. I am just so excited for you that you get to have this opportunity. I never had an opportunity like this as a child and your brother and sister have yet to have one either. This week is a special thing. Enjoy it fully!

• 2. Know that we love you! Whole big, great big bunches. Dad, Mom, Luke, and Nina all love you, and Mommy will be praying your Guardian Angel watches over you well and that you grow in stature, wisdom, and joy while you are there - but not too much. You’re already growing too fast for me. Yes, Son, you may be becoming quite a young man - venturing away to camp for a week and all - but you’ll always be my little boy, I love and treasure you!

• 1. Unwrap the gift of the precious present you are living and, even if only for a few minutes each day, jot down some of your memories - things you are loving about camp, challenges you’ve faced, funny things, thoughts, emotions, beautiful and cool things you notice… whatever stands out strongly in your mind each day. I cannot wait to hear about it all. 

I have no doubt you will experience great blessings and adventure this week! You’ve always loved being outside, noticing nature, laughing, playing, and adventuring with friends… You’ve got a great heart and are affable. You’ll be being led by some fantastic men of faith. 

Oh, Son, I am just so excited for you and for the way this week may help you grow in relationship with Christ, others, yourself, and nature. Part of me, of course, wants to slow down time and keep you young forever. Another part cannot wait to see what comes next for you.

Enjoy this week without parental rules, siblings, chores… Praise God for the blessings of it.

I love you whole big, great big bunches!

Mom

P.S. Are you having fun yet???  Go have fun!

Zazzle for the Confirmation Gift Win!

What do you do when you want to give many of your child's friends a token for their Confirmation but know they all have plenty of rosaries, saint cards, medals, and more?

How about designing an oversized commemorative bookmark that can be used in their Bible, missal, journal, or wherever? That's what we did for my son's friends this year.

And what can you do for your child's confirmation sponsor?

We designed a personalized card for my son's to give along with a gift.

While we were at it, I designed a commemorative card for my son...

...and one for my godchild...

I also found a mug for my godchild to use every day to remind her of her Confirmation saint.

Plus, I made a commemorative baseball for my son, which I shared about already last week with 3 Gift Ideas for when a Child Chooses an Obscure Confirmation Saint.

All this was courtesy of Zazzle - my new go-to place for personalized gifts.

If you'd like to try them, too, you can click through this referral link to get 30% off all products in your first $25 or more order. 

I'd also suggest ordering early, because even with expedited shipping, some pieces of your order can get delayed. (This happened to us, but Zazzle made things right.)

I truly appreciated being able to find and design unique Confirmation gifts and cards with Zazzle! I think you may as well.

3 Gift Ideas when a Child Chooses an Obscure Confirmation Saint

{Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.}

What do you get a boy who chooses an obscure saint for his Confirmation and already has a Bible, multiple rosaries, saint statues, saint books, and more?

That was a question around here when my son chose St. Peter Yu Tae-Chol as his Confirmation saint.

As we considered what gifts we might give him to commemorate his Confirmation, we were stymied.

He already had the one book I could find that shares St. peter Yu Tae-Chol's story: Radiate: More Stories of Daring Saints.

And, in searching for gifts, we only found one St. Peter Yu Tae-Chol item - a cute little wooden block by Almond Toys, a gift my parents ordered for my son.

Thus we had to get creative, and...

1 - A Medal with a Sport or Activity Your Child Likes

My folks decided to just get a baseball player medal for my son and to have it blessed. Why? So he could remember something he was enjoying and getting stronger with around the same time as his Confirmation.

My son loved the gift and wears it regularly!

2 - A Journal with a Related Quote

Meanwhile, I decided to go with a Be Strong & Courageous journal, because my son's patron saint was, indeed strong and courageous and I figured the Scripture passage would remind him of his saint's fortitude and intercession whenever he looked at it.

3 - An Unconventional Zazzle Design

Stuck for another idea, I happened upon baseballs at Zazzle and decided to design one for our son to remind him to always hit the mark of following Christ and, in doing so, to soar with the Spirit.

He absolutely loved it!

What are some of your favorite gifts to give confirmandi with obscure saints?

Get this Exciting New Saint Book with a Discount Code! {A Holy Heroes / Blessed Carlo Acutis Review}

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through Holy Heroes.

I have some exciting news for fellow lovers of the Eucharist and of saints and saints-in-the-making: One of my long-time favorite Catholic companies, Holy Heroes has a new book out called Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven and it is fantastic.

Better yet, to celebrate the release of this new book, you can use use the discount code CARLO15 to get a 15% off discount when ordering this new Blessed Carlo book plus any additional Blessed Carlo resources. Love it!

Not Just Another Saint Biography

This story of the brief but beautiful life of Blessed Carlo Acutis captures children and adults as it unfolds with details about this teen saint's relatable and inspirational life, death, and cause for sainthood. In text and photos, we see Carlo as an everyday kid with favorite pets, a passion for computer programming, a love for film making, and a host of struggles and successes.

We also get to know his inspirational side - his Eucharistic devotion, his respect for others, his charity work, his virtues, his acceptance of God's will, and the miracles that have been attributed to him.

Further, the book includes information on how and why the Church investigates who is in Heaven, what some of Carlo's favorite sayings were, Carlo's "kit" for becoming a saint, and more.

Well-written and put together, the book is more than just a saint biography. It is also a wonderful window into causes for sainthood, prayers, devotions, relics, saints, and more.

Having drawn on Church documents and interviews - especially personal interviews with Carlo’s mother, author Sabrina Arena Ferrisi brings Blessed Carlo Acutis to life in text and photos and also includes practical explanations on the canonization process, growing in holiness, and more. She did a fantastic job creating a book that can engage, inspire, and teach, drawing us closer to Christ through the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a modern-day teen saint in blue jeans.

 

Not Just Another Saint Biography

Having just had my youngest prepare for and receive Confirmation, I wish this book had come out earlier, for I think Confirmandi would definitely benefit from reading it and recommend it for others who are preparing for Confirmation.

I would also recommend the book for homeschool families, Catholic teachers and students, and just about anyone who would like to learn more about an inspiring modern day saint who inspires love for the Eucharist.

The book is written in such a way that it could be used with elementary-aged students. The translated documents, additions to Carlo's biography and more in it also make it suitable for middle- and high school-aged students. Adults can enjoy it, too. In fact, I picked up the book to browse through one night while waiting for my son at baseball and ended up reading it straight through. Interesting, informative, and inspiring - acting as a 3-n-1 saint biography, prayer book, and apologetics book on how the Church determines sainthood, I recommend Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven.

Imagine if we all lived like Blessed Carlo "without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn't please God." Many of us might fall short with us, but all of us can be inspired by Carlo's example!

Things You May Especially Like about the Book

• Quotes by Carlo inspire us and help us see his spirituality in succinct thought nuggets.

• It is well written, easy to understand, and engaging, capturing the everyday aspects of Carlos Acutis as well a the extraordinary ones.

• There is practical information about how Carlos aimed for Heaven which can act as a roadmap to motivate you and yours to do the same.

• Appealing to those in our modern, visual age, there are many photos of Carlo and his family included.

• It can introduce you to a wide variety of religious practices, devotions, and saints.

• The book appeals to children and adults alike so it is good for the whole family.

Before I Introduce This Book to My Children and You to Yours...

• If you, like me, have a child that struggles with dyslexia, be aware that this book has glossy pages and a relatively small font. Such formatting can be challenging for some kids, so it might be good to read the book together - or at least begin it as a read aloud - if this is the case in your home.

• If you have children who like a story, I might suggest skipping the first portion of the book - which offers information about the process of becoming a saint, and getting right into Blessed Carlo Acutis' story. Then, you could go back to  read the beginning right before reading the second-to-last section of the book, “What comes next?” For while the order of the book makes sense from an adult perspective, I think some children - including some of mine - prefer to be engaged by a story before getting into the details and meat of things that relate to it, such as the process for canonization.

I am grateful to have Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven in my family's collection of spiritual reading books and think you will be, too, should you choose to get the book. Don't forget that for a limited time beingyou can use use the discount code CARLO15 to get a 15% off discount when ordering this new Blessed Carlo book plus any additional Blessed Carlo resources. 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us!

Happy Confirmation Day!

 Happy Pentecost - and, here, Confirmation day!

For oh so many reasons, preparing for my youngest's confirmation this year was a challenge, but the day itself - what a blessing! 

The Confirmation, held after High Mass, was beautiful.

Grammy, Grampy, Godmum, and cousin were all able to come for it.

Then, we celebrated with the parish at an extended "Coffee and..."

After that, friends gathered in a backyard celebration...

... where some of our priests and and a seminarian stopped by and, towards the end of the celebration, led us in a Rosary.

The day was truly replete with the blessings of faith, family, and friendship.

Please join me in praying that all the newly confirmed remain strong in the Spirit!