The Many Moods of the Family Rosary.

Years ago I would often ask families whose children still practiced their faith, what they thought the secret was. More often than not the answer was praying the Rosary together, and so I decided we would too.

We go through phases of piety when we pray the rosary consistently after dinner, but to be honest over the years we haven't been as routine was I would like. I expect we are not alone in this! I have noticed a pattern has emerged in that we are more diligent after returning from homeschool camps, and when I have noticed a potential crisis of faith.

In the beginning when the children were little we struggled with inattention, arguments, refusal, whining, and super fast hail marys! It was years before Roo sat through a whole rosary with us. He would sit nearby colouring in, and later looking through faith based picture books. He has recently graduated to leading the fifth decade!

I often wondered if it was worth all the angst, but we pushed on through, despite the challenges. In the early years I would position myself between, Bibly and Koala, in order to nudge then when they repeatedly failed to open their mouths. I felt as thought most of the time my arms were twitching as I gently reminded my sons with my elbows!

My children came up with many ways to show their displeasure: back turning,  needing to go to the bathroom, needing  a drink, playing with the dogs when we forgot to remove them, complaining that Roo didn't have to join in, and speed praying to such an extent that it would difficult to figure out exactly what was being said! We have used a Rosary app with beautiful art work, but we had to cast this aside after arguments over the volume level, and children playing with the virtual beads.

We have had tears over whose turn it is to blow out the candle, the candle being snuffed with fingers and dipping ones fingers in the hot wax to make a mold.

Whilst increasing age has resulted in more compliance, my children still have a way to go. A recent tactic was the Mexican standoff, when one child refused to lead, and one parent refused to accept  their decision. We sat in silence for quite a while that night!

More often than not the rosary became a time to exercise parent self control!

In some ways we have come full circle, as a now pious child has become rather upset that his brother prays too fast. This is the very same child who excelled in seeing how fast he could lead a decade.

Occasionally the parent is the one to cause trouble.

I like to pray the rosary using a card which has art work to depict each mystery of the rosary. This particular card worked best when folded in a triangle shape sitting infront of me. Bilby tried and succeeded in knocking my card down with a gentle breath of air. For some inexplicable reason I chuckled, and so did my son, but it didn't stop there. I could NOT stop laughing. The kind of laughter that makes no sense, when tears roll down your face and you have no idea why you are laughing. I kept telling myself to stop, I was being immature, we should be PRAYING, but all to no avail. It was totally inappropriate, but gee it was so much fun!

You may think it odd that I have decided to post about our apparent failures in family prayer, but I don't see it that way. More often than not things go smoothly despite my litany of challenges. I have learned so much through our attempts to pray together. I know beyond any doubt that all been worthwhile. I firmly believe that we receive many graces through the act of prayer, not based on how we feel whilst praying.

Would you like to share your family prayer challenges with me? I dare you! You might just make someone feel more normal.

Homeschool Family Retreat.

A few hours ago we returned from our fourth visit to Fitzroy Falls for the Catholic Homeschool Retreat. Once again it was a wonderful week with daily Mass, confession, rosary, spiritual talks for adults and children, time for making friends, sports, and no cooking!

Below is a photo of the rosary procession with Bishop Porteous (who visited on Tuesday) carrying the Body of Our Lord.

Without fail I return from camp feeling spiritually refreshed and uplifted. One of the highlights for me are the spiritual talks for the parents, which are given by clergy while the children have their own spiritual sessions. It is a wonderful blessing to have such holy priests to encourage and teach us. This year we were blessed to have two such priests. Pictured below with Bilby is Fr. Joseph Mary.

In previous years Roo has not come to camp with us, but this year we thought he was ready. I was a little apprehensive about bringing him along. I was sure that he would be fine, but at another camp a few years Roo stationed himself in the laundry watching the tumble dryer go round and round. Unfortunately we noticed that he regressed a little once we returned home, so naturally I was a little worried. To help Roo, I took along some visuals and a schedule strip to place them upon so that he could see how the day would progress. I took along some stickers for good behaviour. Once he had collected five stickers, Roo received a chocolate which proved to be a great motivator. All this worked a treat as, Roo, had a fantastic time which was such a relief. He is certainly growing up, and fitting in beautifully with the other children.

The highlight for Roo was the mini athletics carnival. He loved the races, long jump, javelin and so forth. He even came home with the 5-6 years age championship and several other certificates!

So now it's back to the reality of family life with it's daily challenges, blessings and mundane routines. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to take time out with Our Lord to reflect, learn, and refuel. I am sure that the insights I have gained will serve myself and my family well in the months to come.

September Happenings.

Bibly, Koala and I made the seven hour drive north to attend Lennox Head Catholic Homeschoolers camp. It's the second time we have made the journey to this camp and once again it was worth the effort. The boys enjoyed lots of time at the beach and time spent with old and new friends. We were blessed to have daily Mass in the Traditional rite, rosary, and benediction. Bilby was so tired that by the final night be put himself to bed at 7.10pm and missed the sports day certificate presentation followed by the long awaited bonfire. I couldn't believe it!

While at camp Bilby received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Unfortunately James was not able to be there as he had to stay home to work and care for Roo.



After camp we took the opportunity to take a family holiday on the Gold Coast. James and Roo flew up on the Friday, and we picked them up at the airport. Roo was a little apprehensive about the noise of the flight so his teacher made him a social story about the flight. She even lent us a cute pair of ear muffs. Roo wasn't fazed by the noise, but was unsettled by being so high off the ground, something which we had neglected to talk about!

We stayed in a lovely holiday home right on the river which we explored in a tinney. Bilby was very serious about his navigation of the river!





Roo particularly enjoyed watching the tides, playing in the river and and feeding the little fish from the jetty.





On Sunday we made a pilgrimage to Marian Valley which I have wanted to do for many years. It is such a beautiful place! Below is the final Station of the Cross which is just so beautiful.

We also spent half a day with dear friends who moved to Brisbane just over a year ago. Isn't our Godson just gorgeous!

On our final night we visited James' sister, her husband and their two boys whom we haven't seen for over two years. It was a wonderful way to end our holiday and the boys really enjoyed spending time with their two cousins. Both James and I went away wishing we lived closer.

You Know Your 5 Year Old is Catholic When...

Last week end we once again visited the beach. Roo spotted a common green weed that is found in rock pools, which resembles a string of beads. He picked it up and exclaimed "Rosary beads!"

Too cute.

Reminders.

We are about to start term 2 of our school year. Below is a list of things I want to achieve. There's nothing quite like a list to keep you on track!


Faith comes before all else. Start the school day with prayer followed by religion. Light a candle.

Relationship is the most important lesson of the day. Relationship with Jesus, and with each other.

Plan fun into each day. Lapbooks; board games; cooking; playing with the boys.

Ensure that the boys "Write only on days that they eat!" Elizabeth Foss.

Be the change you want to see.

Short lessons. Use the kitchen timer.

Take the boys to Adoration a minimum of three times a week.

Pray the Angelus at noon, and the 3 o’clock prayer daily.

Get up early every day to pray and read the daily Mass readings.

Receive the sacrament of Confession fortnightly, if not weekly.

Daily read-alouds.

Play classical music every day.

Shine the sink daily! Keep FLYing, it works!

Divine Mercy Novena. Day One.

This morning I began the Divine Mercy novena. I should have begun yesterday, but for various reasons, I didn't. In most of the world it's still Good Friday after all! Better late then never.

What made this extra special was that Roo came to find me, despite the lure of his brothers playing his favourite computer game, he stayed with me! He climbed on my knee and fingered the beads with me. I sung the final decade, and he still stayed! We finished with me helping Roo to say a spontaneous prayer after which he blew out our candle. It was lovely to share this beautiful chaplet with my boy.

Visiting Jesus.

Today Roo and I made a brief visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The older boys were at Grandma and Poppy's for their holiday sleepover. We are very blessed to have a Blessed Sacrament Chapel in our parish, which is 500m from our door. It is almost always open. Naturally it's my favourite place to spend time. My dog is even content to wait outside when we go for walks!

The chapel is a small room attached to the presbytery. It has less than a dozen chairs, some reading material and many beautiful holy pictures of Jesus and his Blessed Mother. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance, at the base of which are always flowers. One can be physically very close to Jesus. You can see why it's one of my favourite places to spend time!

I was very proud of Roo during our visit. He was very reverent. He made a double genuflection and sat quietly in his seat. After a short time, I told Roo we were leaving. Without any prompting he said "I love you Jesus." Very cute.

Patience

Elizabeth Foss put this link on her wonderful blog, In the Heart of My Home.
It's one I'll want to return to again and again. So now I won't loose it in the jumble of my favourites list!

Chapel Veils.

In Australia chapel veils are very rare. Growing up I knew they had existed as my father sometimes refered to them, but I had never seen one worn until I was an adult. It was worn by an elderly European lady who knelt to receive the Eucharist on the tongue, which I had also never seen.

When we attended our first home education camp, I realised that they might be more common than I had thought, as many mothers and daughters wore the veil. I became intrigued. It was suggested to me that perhaps these women were somehow stuck in the past, or that they had perhaps rejected many elements of the Second Vatican Council? I wasn't so sure. One thing my history degree had taught me, was that a little imformation can be a dangerous thing! I'm a firm believer in hot having an opinion until you have more than a rudenantry knowledge of the topic. I knew nothing about chapel veils, not even that they were called chapel veils or mantillas. So one day I did a quick google search, and thought little more about it.

Last week Jenny blogged about chapel veils. I read the links on her post, which have had me thinking ever since!


The thing that struck me the most was 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 If I had read these verses, I had no recollection of it. I had not realised that Saint Paul specifcally instructed women to be veiled, and why.

At this point I will not be wearing a chapel veil. But I am enjoying learning why so many of my sisters in Christ are returing to this long held tradition. I encourage you to explore the articles here and elsewhere, so that we can be more throughly informed about this topic.

My Re-version Story

I am a cradle Catholic, and an only child. Both my parents were Catholic, however only one, my mother, practised her faith. It was from my mother that my faith sprang. The two of us always attended Mass, but we did not pray together at home. I was educated at Catholic schools, but essentially I was a 50min a week Christian. Jesus rarely entered my thoughts throughout the week. However, I always had a strong sense of God’s presence in my life, as if he was always just waiting around the corner, anxious for me to bump into Him and start a relationship! As I child I felt a strong affinity with Our Lady, perhaps because I was dedicated to her as a baby.

At the age of 12 I was fortunate enough to go on a holiday to Europe with my parents. One of the stops on our bus tour was Lourdes. We were only able to stay for a few hours, but I believe that that short visit has had a lasting impact on my faith journey. I was in awe of the place. I bought a Rosary and a little book about St. Bernadette and never forgot what my soul experienced that day.

As I went through the teen and early adult years the secular world took over. I still attended Mass, even if irregularly, but I followed the world’s plan for my life, not Gods. This was probably because for the most part I was ignorant of that God wanted to offer me. From where I stand now I look back and wonder how things may have been different had I met Jesus then, and known the whys behind all the you shall nots.

When I was 22 I met James and we fell in love. Within weeks we had informally decided that we would be married. On the day we looked at engagement rings I sat him down and told him what I wanted from marriage. I told him that for me divorce was not an option. I wanted to be married in a Catholic church, and I wanted any children we would be blessed with, to be baptised in the church and to attend catholic schools. Even though James was not Catholic and had for the most part been raised in a secular home, he was willing to go along with my wishes. We were married in a nuptial mass and started our life together.

Six years later we had two boys, and I was still attending Mass every other week but a little unsure if I should be there. I had difficulties accepting the church’s stance on contraception, but was not curious enough to find out why it took such a firm stance. I occasionally considered jumping ship and attending an Anglican service but didn’t feel comfortable actually doing it!
For some time I had noticed something on the bulletin called a Celebrate Love weekend. It was advertised as a weekend for committed, loving couples, exploring sexuality in marriage. My mum encouraged us to go, and as she offered to baby sit our 4 and 2-year-old sons, we decided to go along. Not without some hesitation on James’ part. He was somewhat fearful of there being an attempted conversion agenda!

Without my knowing it walking into that Celebrate Love weekend was the start of my own conversion. Not only did I start to understand why it was that I was so adamant that out marriage was for life, but other things became clearer to me. I began to see that God wanted to be a part of EVERY aspect of our marriage and my life. As I got to know the presenters and the helpers on that weekend I saw the body of Christ in action. The love those people radiated was palpable. I wanted to be a part of it. I began to see that perhaps the church had something to offer me. Maybe it wasn’t just full of older people.

But perhaps the most life changing thing on that weekend was when one of the presenters included references to natural family planning in her talks. I’m sure my mouth was open in disbelief. In my ignorance I had assumed that NFP was for ignorant, uneducated women who blindly towed the line. But here was a highly educated, dynamic young women who believed that contraception was not ok. Without her knowing it she challenged me to look deeper. That week end and in the weeks and months to come my misconceptions about church teachings began to crumble under my newfound curiosity. I began to read and listen to speakers who explained why the church was against contraception. And it just made so much sense. The Holy Spirit was certainly at work, but I still didn’t know it.

I began to seriously consider if I wanted to really become a Christian. For me it was no longer enough to just turn up at Mass and then go home as before. I decided to make a decision to either leap in or bail out. So I started asking myself and others who Jesus really was and what he wanted to offer me. I asked a priest, family and friends some difficult questions. I listened to several tapes by Fr. Richard Rohr, and I started to understand. Joy began to leak into my heart with each new piece of truth I took in.

One book I read called "Why I’m still Catholic" made a real difference. In it many women shared their reasons why they were Catholics and what they loved about their church. In the first few paragraphs of almost every story they mentioned the same word, the Eucharist, the Eucharist, the Eucharist. To my embarrassment and disappointment I realised I had almost forgotten about Jesus truly present in every Catholic church. Intellectually I understood about the Real Presence, but only from a childish perspective. As it began to sink in I was blown away! It changed everything.

Another book I read represented another turning point. "Frozen Earth, Healing Fire". It was all about Lourdes and other placed where miraculous healing had taken place. Those stories profoundly touched my soul. If I accepted the healing hand of God was at work in the people I read about, then nothing could be the same. How could I be the same when I had proof as it were that God was real and that he was trying to shout it to the world with these healings and Eucharistic miracles. I had to take notice.

So my re-version is more of a drip, drip, drip affect than a thunderbolt. I desperately wanted and prayed for a thunderbolt, but I guess God knows best!
Since I have accepted Christ, it’s as if He’s turned the lights on! I understand why I’m here, life has purpose, meaning and beauty. Even in those moments when my old doubts surface, I still have His peace, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything! In the difficult times I know that he is with me and that all things will work together for good. I’m still searching and wanting more, but I also know that He loves me just as, and just where I am.

Incidently, James decided to enter the church when our youngest son was baptised! Through our involvement in Celebrate Love, James began to wonder what it meant to be a Christian. He met Jesus in the people we began to mix with. One of whom, after many months, was brave enough to come straight out and ask James, "So when are you becoming Catholic?" This was the push James needed to ask himself the same question! What followed were many conversations with family and friends, about Jesus, the church, the Bible and so on. You can imagine what a wonderful celebration we had to mark James and Roo's entry into the church!