Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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KASB
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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 11:09am | IP Logged Quote KASB

Another resource I use quite a bit is (But use caution, because they promote the SSPX)

http://www.fisheaters.com/customs.html#advent

http://www.fisheaters.com/time.html

They have a nice overview of the months and seasons and a list of movies linked to the liturgial year.

The "Being Catholic" section of the website has links to other great information - prayer,traditions, song lyrics, a great section on Maria Lactans (Mary as Nursing Mother)http://www.fisheaters.com/marialactans.html

It's one of my favorite sites, but be aware they promote the SSPX.

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 12:40pm | IP Logged Quote stefoodie

Gwen, thanks so much for the link to the Bogle article! That really helps!

I was born and raised Catholic and we do have our own Filipino traditions for Christmas and Lent but because the rest of the year we hardly did anything, there's that disconnect that Joanna Bogle talks about. Maybe that's why I'm so eager to embrace now and have my children experience the celebrations that we have lost because of commercialism or from the failure of our Catholic schools and churches (in the Philippines for me, but I guess applicable here too) to teach these things.

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 1:20pm | IP Logged Quote Rachel May

momwise wrote:
   Living the liturgical year as a family becomes sacramental, so let the Holy Spirit guide your family as to what feasts, prayers, etc. to use more than others. For instance, maybe you have a neighbor, relative, friend, etc. who would receive great graces by your celebration of his/her feast day, baptism day, etc. (of course I can't begin to figure out who, what, where, etc. so that's why I say continually pray to the Holy Spirit for guindance).   Joanna Bogle does a great job of explaining this in a great article called Evangelizing with the Calendar

...Just thinking of this...gals, is Mary the glue that holds your liturgical year together?


I loved the article, Gwen. Thank you for the link.

I have found that our liturgical glue is the Holy Days of obligation. If we can make them more than an "extra" mass, I like to do that. One year we planted a rose bush for the Assumption. Then I've worked on adding some of the family feasts, like OLOG or the Feast of the Archangels, but they don't always happen. Then I've added feasts where we've been evangelized by Catholic friends, like Epiphany, Divine Mercy and St. Nicholas. We celebrate those with other families if possible. We only add one or 2 feasts per year.

I'll admit our feasts tend to be literal feasts, lots of food, so you only have to store a special recipe or menu from year to year. I love the idea of getting to the point where we would have so many that some years we will choose what to celebrate, but we aren't there yet. This year I'd like to emphasize Corpus Christi and other feasts in the summer months.   

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 1:25pm | IP Logged Quote ALmom

Wow what a lot of good ideas. I have attempted to celebrate the liturgical year over time and have tried different ways to make sure it doesn't catch my disorganized self - but disorganization has been my downfall. I put it into lesson plans for one child - but invariably I'd be working with a different child that day (or we had totallly ditched the plans for a while and forgot about that great feastday plan in the middle) or ... and didn't have the details in those plans - and on and on. I have it on the calendar - but then don't even look at the calendar that day. I am very craft challenged so I know I have to keep things simple and let the children lead as far as crafts go - but if I have ideas to choose from, some of my children will take off from time to time - and these things generally stay.

One year I made a calendar of saints in a photo album. On a notebook divider, I listed all the saints photos for that month and their feasts (I checked the ones I had photos for and others just remained listed on the front divider)- the saints pictures included their particular symbols. (I have a CD of many saints from old, uncopyrighted holy cards that are absolutely gorgeous - cannot find the lady anymore from whom I ordered the CD as she had some Byzantine style saints too that I wanted to order.) Anyways, I made this as a gift and intended to make one for myself and a couple of other friends. Those are still incomplete. But after reading this thread, I think it would be a great start to an organizational system. The photo album was a 3 ring binder and I ordered 8 1/2 X 11 photo pages that were hole punched (ordering these in bulk when they are on sale really saves and you can get archival quality or cheaper quality depending on what you are storing in them.

Now, I could simply print out 4 real ideas, recipes, quotes, etc. along with any coloring sheets, craft instrucions and such things I had and include a sheet that reminded me where I stored any already crafted or bulkier items and a book list (including where the book was located (library, borrowed from a friend or my own)and probably a supply list per craft. There would be plenty of flexibility to add more pages in the proper location as more resources turned up - and if needed, I could even divide the notebook into two semesters.

However, I know I cannot even think about doing this organization now or I'll simply not celebrate anything for the rest of the year. It will be a perfect summer project in preparation for next year.

One thing that I have found is that I can try a lot of different things and vary things up from year to year but eventually we find a few things that really touch our hearts and prompt us to focus properly on the feast at hand - and these become regular keepers while other things are "as time and energy permits". I have attempted to do too much and then instead of fostering the meditation and pondering, we have just felt rushed and stressed - sort of defeating our own purpose for celebrating the feast in the first place. We actually cut back significantly on our baking (without cutting out baking entirely) due to this.   We can work on adding one or two more celebrations each year - or focus on a Saints feast day for a Saint that has become particularly special to us - or is one of the children's namesakes - and the more children you have, the more saints you celebrate. We have things that we have settled into - but these are the ones we have done over and over again so they've had time to get tailored to our family. I'm so uncreative that if I saw a chair I'd be clueless as to how to incorporate this into a feast day even though I do know that it represents the authority of the papacy as given by Christ to Peter and passed on in the apostolic succession. But being more bookish, we might read about Cardinal Kung and his courage in singing "You are Peter" as a way of signalling his loyalty to the Holy Father despite being prevented from speaking to Cardinal Sin - and doing this while a prisoner and in front of all his communist jailors. Our faith is so rich and full - there are a myriad of ways to celebrate that suit the style and talents of many different families. I cannot wait to see all the ideas posted.

Also just as we do with curriculum - freely modify to make things work for you. If it is something that really works for your family, you'll find your children naturally adding to it. When we do the tomb, my dc started adding all kinds of things to this - they had to add the burial clothes and the face cloth, many of them made sure that the piece that went over Jesus' front and back was imprinted with his image like the Shroud. They had to read the passages in the resurrection about how these were found in the tomb (some folded neatly and some rolled up). I never would have thought all this up. I simply had a pattern for a tomb and a cross, a Jesus for the cross and a resurrected Jesus in Seton's first grade art pack. Now, we no longer have the energy to make completely new tombs each year, so we save these as they were made out of sturdy cardboard or some were made out of styrofoam (one dd said it looked more like stone). Everyone always recolors the entrance, re-makes the stone, Jesus and go through the act of taping Jesus to the cross, taking him down and placing him in the tomb but we may only build one tomb instead of 6 each year.

My kids just ran with this particular activity, but didn't do much at all with the picture of the Assumption that we colored and glued clouds of cotton balls under the feet - even allowing glitter. We have had to look for something different for the Assumption - this year it was the rosary - and no craft. We're still looking for other ideas - but it has to be low stress, low maintenance right now.

We always have our Jesse stories and ornaments (but we do not make all of them every year - the better ones are stored and re-used each year). We try to fill baby Jesus' manger with straw over advent with our loving acts and sacrifices and prayer. We have a set routine of Midnight Mass and Christmas morning Nativity reading from the Bible after a procession to put baby Jesus in the crib we have filled (all to our very creaky singing of Joy to the World).

We always make a tomb during Holy Week and place Jesus on the cross and try to have quiet activity and/or plant something on Good Friday and then take Jesus down from the cross and place him in the tomb after 3 O'clock stations (but some years we don't have much time between the crucifixion and the laying in the tomb as dc take forever with the coloring. We just go with the flow and don't worry about it. It is the reflection on what our Lord has done for us that is important after all - not that we follow a certain perfect and traditional time sequence. We always go to Holy Thursday Mass and spend some time in adoration. We tried to do a cedar on Thursday before Mass, but found that we were rushing through our meal and the cedar prayers in order to keep the fast - so obviously it was defeating our purpose. We simply moved our cedar(we have a ceremony that is designed to be used in order to make the connection between Passover and Christ and Holy Thursday) to the Wed. of Holy week and now the juxtaposition of the two really bring out the connection of Passover and Holy Thursday, it is relaxed and it works for us. On Easter morning the children all find a single Easter egg in the tomb with the stone rolled away and the resurrected Jesus on top. Within the egg is some quote from scripture pertaining to the resurrection along with a lot of Alleluiahs and a picture or clue as to where the Easter basket is hidden.

For baptism days, we light the baptismal candle and renew vows (plenary indulgences are associated with this). I'm the only one who does not know my baptismal date and will have to rewrite the church in NJ once I figure out which one it is from my mom (she always confuses the township where the church was with the township where I was born so it takes a few tries before we end up with the correct church). When we are really together, we allow the child to select his/her favorite food for the meal and if we ever got really organized we'd invite the godparents over for dinner - but we always do include a prayer for the godparents. My dc all have the same godparents so my poor sis and her husband and 10 would be at our house all the time if we had them over for dinner with every baptism (we might like it but they'd have trouble getting the cows milked in time, etc. and neither of our dc would probably eat as they would be outside sword fighting and playing dark tag.

My children like doing stations of the cross - great for feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross or Fridays, especially in Lent but really any time. We have them permanently taped going up our stairs and hall. The boys act as cross and candle bearers (we use as many candles as necessary to accomodate the number of boys who desire to participate), turn off the lights and use the candles for the stations - keeping the prayers short and simple while still praying the standard prayers. We actually do kneel and stand like they do in church as this seems both appropriate to us and keeps our dc alert. We have a booklet for children that we really like.

I really want to do more for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and for the Feast of Christ the King and feast of St. Joseph.

We celebrate Mary's birthday with cake (very close to one sons birthday so he shares his cake with her or vice versa) and generally try to do extra good job of praying the rosary on any of Mary's feast days - or elaborate on a mystery. We are still working on getting a daily rosary going so this kind of jumpstarts our efforts once more when we have fallen by the wayside - and there are lots and lots of Marian feasts.

We always do costumes and guessing report for All Saints with a small gathering of other homeschoolers.

Other saints we attempt to read something about them - haven't gotten much further than that yet - but know that this board is full of ideas.

We have been praying a novena for a friends seriously ill brother - and my dh came up with lighting a candle while we prayed the Novena. My wiggly 4 yo now begs for us to pray a Nobena so that candle really made an impression on him. It is amazing how something so simple and easy to do can grab the imagination and attention of the littles and make the event stand out in their minds.

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 1:27pm | IP Logged Quote saintanneshs

Wow...I had no idea that so many moms would benefit from this topic! I thought it was only me who was "dogpaddling" through the liturgical year!

And thank you, thank you to those of you who are leading the rest of us...I too wish I had the liturgical calendar in my brain when browsing through the craft store! What a gift to have been practicing the celebration of feast days and seasons for so long that it's just second nature to think of them ahead of time, like family mambers' birthdays and anniversaries...what an inspiration you moms are!!

Last night I stayed up with my Catholic Mosaic and my Seton Art 1 and CHC's A Year With God, and Catholic Online's Calendar forAugust all spread out on the coffee table before me. I figured that since we start up our school year in August (technically, although we do a little work here and there over the summer), I'd start with that month. I think if I started gathering ideas for January I'd just frustrate myself by seeing what I couldn't get done (with the new baby coming in January we'll be in survival mode for a month or 2 !) So August it is. Here's what I came up with, and please feel free to toss in ANYTHING I've left out accidentally. And if something is listed incorrectly, it's because I've copied it wrong or my source was wrong , so correct away! I'm such a novice and feel so inadequate in this department, but here goes anyway...

AUGUST: Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

ALTAR--Statue or Image: Something with Our Lady's Immaculate Heart
Flowers: Lilies or Pink Roses?
Candles: White or pink votives?
Cloth Color: Something Floral?

CALENDAR PIECES NEEDED--(We have a large wall calendar purchased from the local teacher's store and we use it daily, but so far I don't have many holy cards or liturgical images for it. I figure I can search for these on the net, print them off and laminate them with those sheets you can get at Office Depot. That way, if I only get to touch base on the specialness of that day and nothing else, I have a good chance of getting that little bit done because we do calendar first thing every morning... This is along the lines of something small I can manage to fit in during our day if I have the pieces recognizing the special days already printed out and ready to go, filed with my regular monthly calendar pieces in their labeled baggies in the Calendar Piece Tub.)
1.Immaculate Heart of Mary Image (for next to "August" on board) to show dedication of the month
2. Our Lady of the Angels-Aug. 2
3. The Transfiguration
4. The Assumption of Mary-Aug.15
5. Queenship of Mary
Saint Feast Day Cards:(I tried to choose 1 saint per week. Maybe I'll put a holy card image of that saint on the calendar and read their story that morning...?)
St. Dominic-Aug. 8 (same week as The Transfiguration)
St. Maximilian-Aug.14 (Same week as The Assumption)
St. Rose of Lima-Aug.23 (Same week as Queenship of Mary)
St. Monica-Aug. 27

SPECIAL BOOKS: to go in our Religion Basket for the month
1. Juanita and Our Lady of the Angels (Catholic Mosaic)

...and I don't have any more specific books to add...help! Are there any others out there that are just for some of the above mentioned saints/feast days?? I'd like to save our Leading the Little Ones to Mary for the month of May...

MUSIC: Handmaiden of the Lord (Songs of Mary) CD, to be played during quiet seatwork time (from the Daughters of St. Paul)...we love this CD!

ART:Our Lady of the Angels
(goes with Aug. 2's Feast of Our Lady of the Angels and Catholic Mosaic's Juanita and Our Lady of the Angels)...maybe this should be displayed in a special spot, near the calendar, so it will be seen and noted even on the many days when we don't discuss it?)

And how about a virtual field trip to Our Lady of the Angles Monastery? Isn't there a book by EWTN?

Okay, that's August. I didn't list any crafts other than the ones mentioned in Catholic Mosaic and Seton's Art 1 because I don't have any yet...I'll spend the next few days hunting a few more up on some of the websites mentioned in this thread. I'd love to be able to make a master list of supplies and head to the craft store, stocking for one month at time.

For filing and storage purposes I think I'll stick with small clear lidded plastic tubs, labeled one for each month, to hold my supplies. I like the idea of rotating my Liturgical Year Supplies the way you rotate Montessori materials. Right now everything we have for the year (feast day-wise) is out and it's everywhere and NOTHING gets appreciated because we're overwhelmed with all of it. I think the kids will think it'll be fun to pull out one tub each month the way you pull out seasonal decorations for spring/Easter, fall/harvest, etc. Anyway, I'll stack the tubs to conserve space. I have both folders and tubs but don't like bulky folders with stuff falling out of them all over the place, so I'll stick the supplies (statues, CD, artwork, candles, altar cloth, craft supplies, etc.) in the tub and put the folders, filled with ideas and craft instructions on paper and also labeled by month, in a file box near the supplies. Dh has promised to build some shelves for the supply boxes and I think we'll put them over next to our art center, where I can dig into them if I need an art supply that I didn't make it into town for (and it just happens to be in one of the liturgical year tubs! )



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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 1:38pm | IP Logged Quote saintanneshs

Whew! That was a big post! Anyone who feels confident about another particular month, feel free to jump in!! Or to add to my month of August (above)!

If we can get enough monthly ideas compiled (courtesy of those who've been so generously sharing throughout the 4Real boards...THANK YOU!! ), those of us who are "dogpaddling" can print them out and start stocking/building next year's Liturgical Year Spine, with the rest of the fill-in lesson plans to be done at our leisure. (For some of us we can fill in the rest over the summer, and for others, like me, during the post-partum months when I'll have lots of time for reflection and contemplation during marathon breastfeeding sessions! )

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 2:30pm | IP Logged Quote Dawn

Oh my gosh, I just came to this thread now, and will have to read through it closely! What a tremendous topic! This is so timely, I just started my notebook for next year! Thanks, Kristine!

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 2:39pm | IP Logged Quote Taffy

This thread is a great idea!

I, too, am dogpaddling with following the liturgical year. This is my way of trying to gain control...

I've started a "liturgical notebook" the way that Cay's described in Catholic Mosaic and I believe it's mentioned in Literature Alive! as well. What I'm doing is putting dividers in for each month. (I should probably add sections in for advent, christmas, lent, easter, first communion, first reconciliation, and baptism too. Any others?) Then, I check with the catholic liturgical calendar I have at home or on-line to see when the feast days, etc. are happening. I've been trying to prepare a poster for each day to put up on our "learning board" on the appropriate day. (Our "learning board" is a section of our dining area's wall where I put things up ala "fridgeschooling" style mentioned here a few times.) Anyway, on that day, we'll note the poster and read whatever's written. Then, if I have it handy, we'll read a short story about the feast or saint.

So far, that's all I've been able to fit in. I am trying to be more organized in this so that we'll be able to add some crafts, customs (like visiting a graveyard on All Souls'), and cooking in but it's slow going. I like the idea of using a binder as your "master list" info and then using a crate with folders for putting in the materials you'll need for that day. That sounds great!

Now, you've all motivated me to get moving on this! Thanks!

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 4:00pm | IP Logged Quote JennGM

I've done hanging folders, and found I never referred to them . If I have it on the computer I'll find it. I know that doesn't help for storing the tangible objects for the liturgical year.

Right now I create a folder in Internet Explorer "My Favorites" for each month, and then a subfolder for each feast that I collect links. I also have folders in my Outlook programs for certain feasts or months, and when I'm on top of things, I create a Word File for the month/season/feastday, depending on how large. That's where I can cut and paste emails, links (with descriptions), blog quotes, 4Real Learning page links, and type up my notes.

I love the ideas of the binders. Problem is right now I don't have a shelf to store them...or my photo albums. Hmmm....need to work on that! I was thinking of a way to organize my holycards, so I could have my saints and feast day images in a binder, ready to display when the feast day arrives, so that minimally we can insert a holycard in a frame to display at the table.

My mantra is to keep the spiritual focus, to center on why we are doing this. I don't want our crafts, foods, activities to become hollow...so I err on the side of doing less, but more time to focus. But I'm at a different spot than most of you...as I have a young one, and many of the customs I present. He's not necessarily leading or suggesting ideas at this point.

I've probably said this before, but looking at the big picture, our Domestic Church should reflect the Church. And the Church places priorities: Sundays, Solemnities, Feasts, Memorials, Optional Memorial and Ferial days (no feast). So I do tend my emphasis or focus on the higher days, but also the family feasts (patronal, baptismal, family saints). The seasons and Sunday and solemnities and feast take precedence.

I'm drawn to doing a mental checklist, seeing the larger picture, of what ways could be done to celebrate a feast day: Mass and communion, special prayers, reading, food, music, visual (icons, pictures, holycards, symbols), field trips, historical and cultural customs, activities, and crafts...and then decide the smaller picture what works for us.

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 4:02pm | IP Logged Quote momwise

This isn't much use to tie things together but you might be able to print it for your binder or file (I took it off Word, so you could just paste it back onto Word first).
You could design a 12-month calendar format that you could print and add to a binder. List the Holy days and then leave blank spaces to write in more as you want (I had one but can't find it).

PRAYERS, TRADITIONS, CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany in the Domestic Church
By Catherine and Peter Fournier
Ignatius Press

A Book of Feasts and Seasons
By Joanna Bogle
Fowler Wright Books

The Catholic Parent Book of Feasts
By Martin, Puccio, Romanowsky
Our Sunday Visitor

Catholic Traditions in Crafts
By Ann Ball
Our Sunday Visitor

Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church
By Catherine and Peter Fournier
Ignatius Press

A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families
By Monica McConkey
Arma Dei

COOKBOOKS

A Continual Feast
By Evelyn Birge Vitz
Ignatius Press

The Cook’s Blessings
By Demetria Taylor
Out of Print

My Nameday—Come for Dessert
By Helen McLoughlin
Out of Print
Online here

WEBSITES

The Domestic Church
www.domestic-church.com
Stories, articles, coloring pages, crafts

The Catholic Calendar Page
http://www.easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.html
Current day’s feast or memorial, Mass readings, Rosary mystery

Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendars
http://members.aol.com/exsult2/litcals.html
Liturgical Calendars with Mass readings through 2031

Open Wednesday
http://www.darientel.net/~schoettl/openwed/
Text and explanations for children for Sunday’s readings
Also, extra projects and ideas and a picture page for Sunday’s readings

Women for Faith and Family
http://www.wf-f.org/02-3-CatholicCulture.html
Article by Joanna Bogle titled Reviving Catholic Customs: Are Young Catholics Cultural Orphans?

http://www.wf-f.org/PopularPietyDirectory.html
Document: The Liturgical Year and Popular Piety (Advent and Christmas)

This is not an exhaustive list but hopefully just enough to not make one feel overwhelmed.

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 7:14pm | IP Logged Quote Wendi DeGrandpr

So many amazing ideas - I can't wait to add many of them to my binders. I currently have three large binders - one for Lent, one for Advent/Christmas and one for Ordinary time.
They are set up with dividers for the feast days within that time of the Liturgical Year. For instance the Advent binder has a general section for Advent - and in that section there is a divider for Advent Wreaths, Advent prayers, Advent crafts etc, and then there are dividers for various feast days which fall in Advent. A section for St. Nicholas day, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucy etc. In the section I include craft ideas, recipes, plays, party ideas - anything we have done or would like to do. (I also add page protectors to put items like prayer cards, coloring pages, pattern pieces, and other things not easily added to a binder). It has helped me keep some order - if I read about an idea way ahead of time I can put it in the proper section and then when I go to plan at least everything is in one place. I am no longer doing "as much" running around in circles saying "where did I find that idea or what did I do with that prayer etc". I try to keep a list in each section as needed to list books I would use or to reference what craft book in my house an idea might be in. It is definately not a fool proof system but it has helped me greatly. One reason this helped me better than a file system is that the binders are right on my desk where I can always see them. Once I put something in a file and close the drawer I tend to forget about it. I am VERY visual.   
Also, I keep a bin for Advent & Christmas books which comes out only during the season (or a bit before for my planning purposes) and a basket which we are filling with books for Catholic Mosaic and other feast days.
Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful ideas - now I just need time to add them to the binders.   

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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 7:27pm | IP Logged Quote Leonie

One year, we followed along the liturgical year using the book A Continual Feast.

Each month, I pulled out the book and read through ideas and recipes for the Saint Days, the ideas for Ordinary Time, Lent, Advent. I jotted plans. And we cooked and wrote a lot that year.

Actually, I am thinking of doing that this forthcomiung year, again. Why? Well, the current homeschoolers in this house were very little then - and one wasn't even born. I know the older ones got a lot out of our "Year of Continual Feasting" and I would like to try it again with the younger four boys - esp before Jonathon is off and away with more responsibilities when he turns 18.

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KellyJ
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Posted: Dec 10 2006 at 7:44pm | IP Logged Quote KellyJ

I agree with Alice's (and perhaps others'?) suggestion of picking one feast each month each year. Slow and steady. Your plans may form more clearly this way, and it may provide more peace in your putting the plans into action.

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Lisa R
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Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 9:43am | IP Logged Quote Lisa R

What is Dawn's filing system!? I'm on pins and needles here!

Also, what is your favorite source for feast days with craft or recipe suggestions?

Thanks!

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Cay Gibson
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Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 9:59am | IP Logged Quote Cay Gibson

Go to Hillside Education and you can print out the Catholic Mosaic Booklist (or the Traditional Liturgical Year (both are PDF files) to use as a starting point in planning your liturgical year. Not all the saints and feasts are listed but many are and you can add to the list as dates are mentioned here.   

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Lisa R
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Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 10:56am | IP Logged Quote Lisa R

Oh Cay, I have and am using Catholic Mosaic and LOVE it! I tend to make things harder than they need be! My new mantra needs to be: simplify, simplify...especially with a new toddler in the house!


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Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 8:47pm | IP Logged Quote saintanneshs

Cay Gibson wrote:
Go to Hillside Education and you can print out the Catholic Mosaic Booklist (or the Traditional Liturgical Year (both are PDF files) to use as a starting point in planning your liturgical year.


Thank you, Cay! Great resources...I'm ready to plan!

And thank you, everyone, for sharing your systems and ideas! So helpful!!

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KC in TX
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Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 11:03pm | IP Logged Quote KC in TX

Lisa R wrote:
What is Dawn's filing system!? I'm on pins and needles here!

Thanks!


Here's Dawn's post about her filing system. It's a really neat system.

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Lisa R
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Posted: Dec 15 2006 at 9:28am | IP Logged Quote Lisa R

KC, thanks for the link!

Cay, thank you as well for the link to Hillside. I didn't know about the Traditional Calendar that is on the site. Very helpful.   

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Posted: Dec 15 2006 at 10:14am | IP Logged Quote Genevieve

Oh Kristine... I'm in the same boat and took this long to reply because I was busy feasting. *grinz* I did make the resolution this year to live the liturgical year more fully. There is a lot of inspiration out there but I've realized they are only aids. They are suspose to help you spiritually but if I start trying to do it all, it becomes a distraction. Or worst, it just stressed me out and take away the mediatative effect. :/ Honestly, with my kids, they need time for a new idea to stay hold and too many new novelities impares their ability to process things.

I love reading all the new ideas but honestly, I seldom do any of them. What I have done with this Advent is go through *one* source of liturgical practises. The traditions I do every year is honestly very nicely summed up here adding perhaps one or two feast day or maybe a liturgical theme (like an angel theme during October). So since I pre-planned my season, there is little room to do all those wonderful ideas that come up. What I do instead, is print and file those for next year. The exception is if the activity is very easy and only requires paper and pen (no need to go visit the store) & it will not stress anyone out! *laughs*

So I guess it's my roundabout way of saying, even traditions need to be decluttered.

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