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There's something deeply comforting about the aroma of freshly baked bread filling the kitchen, especially when it's a beloved recipe passed down through generations. Irish Soda Bread is one such classic, a staple in Irish households for centuries. With its rustic charm and simple ingredients, it's a testament to the beauty of traditional baking. In this blog post, I'm excited to share with you my family's cherished recipe for Irish Soda Bread, perfect for any occasion and sure to evoke feelings of warmth and nostalgia. Did you know? Irish Soda Bread doesn't require any yeast, instead the dough relies on the reaction between the baking soda and the acidic buttermilk to rise. Irish Soda Bread has deep roots in Irish culture and history. It dates back to the 19th century when baking soda became a popular leavening agent in Ireland. Its popularity grew further during times of hardship, such as the Great Famine, when it provided sustenance to families with limited resources. St. Patrick's Feast Day Resources If you're looking for other ways to celebrate I have this DIY tutorial for Clover Pins, a traditional St. Patrick's Day morning custom, and this celebration guide. Just click the buttons below! Or you can read this sassy little St. Patrick's Day post where I suggested a beer, gasp, all in the name of trying to encourage you to use what you can, even if it is small, to celebrate the saints and live a festive Catholic life. 😊 Three essential tips for baking successful Irish Soda Bread: 1. Handle the dough gently: Irish Soda Bread is known for its tender crumb and rustic texture. To achieve this, it's crucial not to overwork the dough. Mix the ingredients until just combined and knead lightly. Overmixing can result in a tough loaf, so handle the dough with care. 2. Use fresh ingredients: Since Irish Soda Bread relies on the reaction between the baking soda and the acidic buttermilk to rise, it's essential to use fresh ingredients, especially the baking soda and buttermilk. Check the expiration date on your baking soda, and make sure your buttermilk hasn't soured. Fresh ingredients will ensure that your bread rises properly and has the best flavor. 3. Score the dough: Before baking, score a deep cross into the top of the dough. This not only adds a traditional aesthetic but also helps the bread to expand and bake evenly. Be sure to use a sharp knife and make the cuts deep enough to allow for proper rising during baking. This step is crucial for achieving a beautiful, evenly baked loaf. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to baking a perfect loaf of Irish Soda Bread every time. Enjoy the process, and savor the delicious results! Who's ready to start baking a loaf of hospitality and fresh bready goodness? Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 45-50 minutes Servings: 12 Ingredients 4 1/4 cups unbleached flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 cup raisins (optional) 1/4 cup butter 1 3/4 cups buttermilk 1 orange, zested (optional) 1 egg parchment paper or cooking spray Directions Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and taking out a dutch oven. You can also bake the bread in a greased cast iron skillet that is oven safe, or a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or lightly coated with cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups buttermilk and 1 egg then set that aside for later. In a large glass mixing bowl, pour in 4 cups flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking soda then whisk the dry ingredients together. Slice the cold butter into cubes and using either a fork or a pastry blender mix the butter into the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms the size of small pebbles. Measure one cup raisins and pour them into the flour mixture. Then add in the zest of one orange and whisk to combine. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and using either a wooden spoon or a whisk mix to form the dough as much as you can. This is a rather sticky dough so I only got so far with the whisk before I floured both of my hands and combined the ingredients myself. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and using the remaining 1/4 cup of flour form the dough into a round ball. It will be pretty sticky at first, that's normal, just keep rolling the dough into the flour and it will begin to form. After shaping your dough, you only have to knead it for about a minute. Irish Soda Bread will become hard if you over work it. Score the top of the dough with a very sharp knife in the shape of an X. I floured the knife a bit so that it wouldn't stick. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. I technically had to bake mine for 48 minutes but keep an eye on it towards the end. Once the bread is finished baking I let it cool for about 10 minutes or so on a wire baking rack. Slice the bread and serve with butter or jam for spreading. *Use the picture by picture directions below and see the St. Patrick's Day prayer at the end. Enjoy! Note: Keep the butter in the refrigerator until it is time to use it. We want to cut in butter that is cold, not room temperature. Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and taking out a dutch oven. You can also bake the bread in a greased cast iron skillet that is oven safe, or a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or lightly coated with cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups buttermilk and 1 egg then set that aside for later. In a large glass mixing bowl, pour in 4 cups flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking soda then whisk the dry ingredients together. Slice the cold butter into cubes and using either a fork or a pastry blender mix the butter into the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms the size of small pebbles. Measure one cup raisins and pour them into the flour mixture. Then add in the zest of one orange and whisk to combine. Note: These ingredients are both optional, but they really do add a pop of fresh flavor. You could also use currants if you don't care for raisins. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and using either a wooden spoon or a whisk mix to form the dough as much as you can. This is a rather sticky dough so I only got so far with the whisk before I floured both of my hands and combined the ingredients myself. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and using the remaining 1/4 cup of flour form the dough into a round ball. It will be pretty sticky at first, that's normal, just keep rolling the dough into the flour and it will begin to form. After shaping your dough, you only have to knead it for about a minute. Irish Soda Bread will become hard if you over work it. This is how it started! And this is how it looked when I placed it into the dutch oven lined with parchment paper. Score the top of the dough with a very sharp knife in the shape of an X. I floured the knife a bit so that it wouldn't stick. What is scoring bread? Scoring bread is the process of making shallow cuts or slashes on the surface of bread dough before it is baked. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. I technically had to bake mine for 48 minutes but keep an eye on it towards the end. Once the bread was finished baking, I let it cool on a wire baking rack for about 10 minutes or so. Slice the bread and serve with butter or jam for spreading. St. Patrick's Day Lorica Prayer Did you make this recipe? If so I would love to see it, drop a picture in the comment or send it to me on social media, Facebook @HisGirlSunday or Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday.

When I was writing my book last year, one of the honors I had was to sit down with people from various cultural backgrounds and listen to their stories and traditions. Experiencing firsthand accounts from those who lived in Ireland and witnessed its traditions being brought to life was truly invaluable, and I'm immensely grateful for the opportunity. I've learned that it is one thing to hear about some of these recipes, experiences, and activities from the internet or other people who have learned about them, and it's another to hear them from those who have lived them. It really gave me a greater sense of pride and care for sharing these liturgical living traditions, especially when they are so intimately tied to a culture, because these are people's living experiences of the faith. These traditions communicate a person's story, and an expression of how people gave God and the saints praise, and are more than mere activities. One of the Irish traditions that was shared with me and is typically not done much anymore but used to be done in generations past is the clover pin. On the morning of St. Patrick's Day, no matter what day it fell on, everyone would celebrate by first going to Mass. While everyone was getting ready to go to church, the woman of the house would ask her husband or children to run outside and pick her fresh clovers to wear on her blouse or dress. This simple gesture ties together a feast day with faith and pride of country. And the way the children remember picking clovers for their mother is an endearing memory to behold, and I thought we could imitate and bring this back to life. The materials and steps are very easy to do and follow along with. Let's make a DIY Clover Pin to wear on the feast of St. Patrick. If you'd like to watch the tutorial, you can do that here! Materials Tape Safety Pin Clovers Scissors Twine or Ribbon Directions Step One: Tape your clovers together by wrapping a small piece of tape all the way around it until the clovers are secure. Step Two: Wrap the twine around the tape. To start, lay the end of the twine along the tape, then wrap the twine up and down the length of the clover stems. Step Three: Tape or glue the twine to secure the end. Step Four: Pin the clover to your blouse or dress and head off to your St. Patrick's Day Mass. Creating a Clover Pin is a delightful way to celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. This simple craft not only provides a festive activity, but also adds a touch of homemade charm to your liturgical living. So, gather your materials, unleash your creativity, and enjoy crafting your very own Clover Pin. And if you're not able to make your own pin because you don't have access to clovers, but you'd like to wear something with St. Patrick flair, we have this lovely necklace available. Just tap the picture! Did you enjoy making this craft? Let me know how it went by signing up to leave a comment.

As the month of March dawns upon us, the air fills with a palpable sense of excitement and festivity, especially among the Catholic communities worldwide. Amidst the vibrant green decorations adorning streets and the merry tunes of traditional Irish music, lies a deeper significance—the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. While it's often associated with parades, shamrocks, and all things Irish, the roots of this joyous occasion delve deep into the annals of Catholic history. St. Patrick's Day, observed on March 17th, commemorates the life and legacy of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Beyond the revelry and reveling in Irish culture, this day holds a profound religious significance for Catholics, serving as a testament to faith, resilience, and the power of spiritual transformation. Embark on a journey with me to uncover rich Irish Catholic tradition through prayer, lore, food, and more! St. Patrick's Day Celebration Guide Did you enjoy this celebration guide or try out any of the traditions? Let me know how it went by signing up to leave a comment or sharing it with me on Facebook or Instagram.

Shamrock Shocker: Suggesting Beer for St. Patrick My Appreciation for a Legendary Saint Every month I create an all in one calendar for my liturgical living friends to see the feasts, fasts, activities, prayers, and meal suggestions for the month ahead. In February I created the March calendar and March is a month jam-packed with feasting and fasting. We are in the thick of Lent but there are also major saints to be praised like St. Patrick and St. Joseph. I am particularly fond of St. Patrick, I have a lot of Irish heritage from my dad's side and I've always been drawn to St. Patrick's story and the lore that has developed around him. When I was writing my book last Fall I finally took the opportunity to read the Confession of St. Patrick, a fascinating autobiography of his bold faith and how he converted Ireland. His feast day is steeped in tradition and while modern day Ireland might not be the practicing Catholic country that it was after the great efforts of St. Patrick, there are still a lot of cultural ties to their legendary patron. Sometimes I Rile Someone Up One of the things I suggested to do was to use his feast day as an opportunity to pray and perhaps share a beer. And as my family says when I've upset someone, "I went and riled 'em up." My suggestion was labeled "shameful," and I was told that this was a horrible way of honoring a saint that made some tremendous efforts for God. This really got me thinking about the impacts a simple feast day gesture like sharing a beer can accomplish. But first, and as you know, my mission is to share authentic expressions of tradition in a meaningful and attainable way. In Ireland, it's common and customary to share a beer for the feast of St. Patrick, along with a list of other things you can do which you can find in a separate post. I really strive to behold what cultures and communities do for days of feasting and fasting while breathing new life into it. And I also like encouraging you to partake in traditions that are within your reach. Big Dreams Made Achievable Of course in my big dreams of liturgical living as a parish and as a community we would all come together for the feast of St. Patrick to joyfully celebrate as Catholics with music, food, drinks, dancing, praying, and sharing tales of St. Patrick. I want more than anything for our liturgical living efforts to correspond to the tremendous efforts of the saints, and I often share that if we celebrated together then we probably could do more. The more people that are involved the more we can offer. Yet, my dreams have not yet been realized, and I may never get to see the fruits of what I believe is my life's purpose; to bring true festivity (festivity that honors God and life) back to the world and our communities. So in the meantime, liturgical living is coming to life by the individual efforts of one or two people within a household and because that is the case things need to be made achievable. I Am but a Mere Mortal For the feast of St. Patrick, you can honor him by going to Mass and then coming home to spend time in prayer, and sip a beer while reading the Confession of St. Patrick, wearing green, sharing the lore of the clover with your household, or eating traditional Irish soda bread. These are things that you are completely capable of doing and each one of those expresses liturgical and cultural tradition. Sure, these may seem like measly expressions of celebration in comparison to a saint that was captured by pirates and enslaved for many years, then sought out the priesthood, became a bishop, rebuked a corrupt culture of druids, and converted an entire country. My mind is blown just reading back that list of events. I can't even get some parishes to live the liturgical year; a significantly smaller leap than converting pagans to Catholicism! 😜 St. Patrick received his reward for those extraordinary efforts from God, a God who can reciprocate love for His children in an extraordinary way. God's affirmation completely corresponds and even surpasses the tremendous efforts of a saint. I am but a mere mortal, with mere mortal means of celebrating. In my human way of celebrating, God provides me with the means. It is God that provides the ingredients for a feast day meal, for beer, for gatherings, for the day, etc. I simply use what God has offered me to return praise to Him. And isn't that so profound to consider that even our own efforts to live liturgically are truly only possible because God provides what is needed. This very idea probably needs to be its own separate post. A "Corresponding" Form of Praise And so the question came to me, what is the highest and greatest form of praise that I can offer on a feast day? The answer to that is simple, the Mass, and not so ironically the only reason for that is because we don't solely offer the work of the Mass by our own efforts. The liturgy is not only, "the work of the people," as many will singularly define it. It is also the work of God in which we, the Church, participate. And that is because we cannot accomplish our own salvation, we will always need God to make the perfect offering. Then, we take this ritual celebration which we experience in the Mass and the sacraments and we try to pull that into our daily life, hence liturgical living. And Then There's Beer I suppose the best suggestion I could give for every saint's feast day is for you to live liturgically by going to Mass, but that would make for an easily predictable newsfeed wouldn't it? 😉 Of course the Mass should be a part of any good Catholic celebration, but we can also honor God and the saints by utilizing what God has given us and what we delight in. In fact, most traditions associated with a feast day are expressions of people partaking in the things they enjoyed as a whole community. The Irish like to celebrate special occasions with a beer, so it is only natural that if they are marking the feast of St. Patrick that they share in something they enjoy. Many practicing Irish Catholics will tell you that they will have a beer for the feast of St. Patrick, and this goes without saying but of course in moderation, don't get drunk, do the right thing, etc. It is good to participate in festivities with things you enjoy because it is human. It is human to celebrate! Celebration is an expression of joy, connection, and cultural belonging. As humans we have a natural inclination to mark significant events and milestones whether personal, communal, or in our faith life. These days of feasting and fasting bring us together and give us an experience to express our emotions, bind us together as a Church, and create lasting memories. When we celebrate together we are connecting not only to one another but to God, and in this way life is given meaning! This is what a beer accomplishes on the feast of St. Patrick, it's what fish accomplishes for the Italian community on Christmas Eve, and it's what molding a lamb out of butter does for the Polish community on Easter. How can sharing a beer correlate to the greatness of a world renowned saint like St. Patrick? By, hopefully, drawing us out of our mundane, ordinary lives to be with other people in Christian community so that we can express some real emotion for the saints and be reminded that our lives have greater meaning when joyfully lived together in faith. I pray that you will spend this feast day trying to go to Mass, saying a prayer in your home with your loved ones, and sharing a dang beer with your friends for goodness sake! Get out of the house and rejoice over the saints. These small forms of celebration can draw us to show our faith to a world that desperately needs God and the profound example of St. Patrick.

The Meaning Behind the Good Friday Liturgy Remembering the passion and death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday makes it the most solemn day in the entire year. In the liturgy, we reflect on the agony and crucifixion of our Lord, which He endured for our sins and salvation. There is no Mass celebrated today, instead the Church offers a service which consists of the readings, veneration of the cross, and distribution of Holy Communion that was consecrated on Holy Thursday. St. Thomas Aquinas offers my favorite explanation for why there is no Mass on Good Friday in his Summa Theologiae. "The figure (the Mass) ceases on the advent of the reality. But this sacrament is a figure and a representation of our Lord's Passion, as stated above. And therefore on the day on which our Lord's Passion is recalled as it was really accomplished, this sacrament is not consecrated." In other words, on Good Friday, we are personally entering into and fully partaking in Jesus' suffering and death. That which we remember and re-member every time we go to Mass, is a reality on this day. As a side note, every year on Good Friday I take a moment to quietly stand outside. It seems as if regardless of what state of affairs the world is in, I always a feel a sense of transcendent stillness. It's as if all of creation inherently knows what happened on this day, and bows down. At some point on Good Friday, take a minute to just go quietly stand outside and see if you notice this too. (Image: Catholic Company) Festivity on Good Friday Yes, you read that title correctly, but let me explain. Most people think that festivity means happiness or merriment, but that is a misconception. Take for example a funeral, on these days no one is laughing or having fun, yet we are there in celebration of a life. In fact, most Catholic feast days are in celebration of a holy person that is no longer alive! So what exactly are we doing? At the core, we are affirming life! Josef Pieper says, "festivity lives on affirmation. Even celebrations for the dead, All Souls and Good Friday, can never be truly celebrated except on the basis of faith that all is well with the world and life as a whole. If there is no consolation, the idea of a funeral as a solemn act is self-contradictory. But consolation is a form of rejoicing..." (In Tune with the World, 28). Consolation exists out of death, tragedy, and grief, as a form of rejoicing in life's meaning and purpose. Therefore festivity, true festivity, is there to affirm the goodness of our very existence. On Good Friday, we can still be truly festive in our sorrow and pain because God deserves our thanksgiving. In doing this, we are proclaiming everlasting life! (Image: Good Friday Procession/Passion Play in Malta) Good Friday Traditions On this day there are a variety of Catholic traditions that you can continue with your family to keep your heart and mind focused on Christ's death. Make a simple vegetable soup for lunch and dinner. Remember, today is a day of fasting and abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. (USCCB) Pray the Stations of the Cross. Stations of the Cross Video from Catholic Kids Media Stations of the Cross for Children Stations of the Cross for Teens Traditional Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori Attend the Good Friday service and venerate the cross. Spend 12:00PM-3:00PM, the sacred hours when Jesus was on the cross, in silence. I usually spend this time in prayer or reading scripture, but here are some silent activities for the kids. For smaller children Read a religious book. Play with Catholic peg dolls. Color Easter Triduum pages. Make a Good Friday craft. For teens No technology, instead try a meditation or prayer book. Pray the rosary with them. Teens like coloring pages for prayer too, print a couple. Read from scripture. Journal about any reflections you may have from the day. As a family you could go outside for a silent walk. Watch The Passion of Christ together as a family. If you have never seen this, check the rating to assess the viewability for your children. I would only recommend this for older children that are more mature and equipped to handle the intensity of some scenes. Make Hot Cross Buns. They are significant on Good Friday because each bun is marked with a cross to symbolize Jesus' death. The spices in the hot cross buns also represent the spices that were used to embalm Jesus after His death. Click here for my recipe! Today begins the Divine Mercy Novena so you could pray that together as a family. Put a crucifix out in a prominent place in your home to allow your mind to be more focused on this throughout the day. Remove distractions: no shopping, errands, television shows, social media, or chatting on the phone. Sing the hymn, Behold the Wood of the Cross! Bonus: If you have enough people in the family, put on your own Passion Play! Dying with Christ, to Rise with Christ We are called in a special way to closeness with Jesus and participation in His pain. We walk the cross alongside Him, so we pray the stations of the cross. We kneel at the foot of the cross when He dies, so we walk up and venerate the cross by kissing it. Then we stay awake in waiting for Jesus to return, and through silent and prayerful anticipation we attend the Easter Vigil. These aren't just nice things that we do to remember something that happened many years ago! The action and celebration is done to make His death real again, we say to Jesus, we are dying to ourselves with you so that we can rise with you! I like to ask for the intercession of St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, on this day and in a spiritual way I strive to be like her. In short, St. Helena was a honored woman who was determined to spread the faith and was tasked with locating Christian relics. During a trip to Jerusalem, she destroyed a pagan temple dedicated to Venus that was built over the location believed to be the site of Jesus' death. She then had the area excavated and found the True Cross, after which Constantine ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to be built. In a way, we all have some sort of pagan temple over our heart, something that we worship besides God. Whatever that thing is, ask St. Helena to help you remove it so that you can discover the cross more fully! Praying that you have blessed Easter Triduum filled with grace.

Around this time of the year I get asked how I am decorating for Lent and I always say that I am undecorating! Undecorated not only means that you take things down but that you will use things that are simple, plain, and unadorned. For context my house is always decorated, I love creating an environment that is beautiful, welcoming, cozy, and Catholic. I received an eye for these kinds of things from a friend's mom who was a professional interior decorator and landscaper, and a kind of second mother to me. I was at their house all the time for years and I am still very thankful that she taught me how to decorate, properly paint, choose color schemes, landscape, you name it. I've since used these skills in my own domestic church and very casually helping friends, and that's what brings me here to you! Beauty in Your Domestic Church For me, the underlying reason for putting effort into home interiors is because I firmly believe that in a world that serves out a lot of ideas on "beauty", I want my domestic church to be a place that exemplifies true beauty. True beauty being that which elevates our hearts to God and teaches us about His goodness in our lives and in the world. As we know, beauty is experienced through our senses but in turn engages our ability to reason. In other words, when we experience something lovely we can then contemplate where that loveliness comes from, what it reflects or speaks of. With a developed understanding we of course know that reflection is of God and we can then in turn contemplate God's beauty and loveliness. Look to the Church Just think about how churches are adorned with elements that lift up the heart. You see the stained glass, intricate wood work, bold columns, artistic statues, smell the perfume of incense, or hear the delightful chiming of bells. We can take these principles and in imitation, apply them to our own homes. Even more specifically I do this during various liturgical seasons and with a relatively small budget. Please don't think that you can't do it because you can't afford it, I am living proof that whatever amount you are working with, it can be done. Lent is most certainly the easiest place to start because the liturgical season is somber, prayerful, penitential. The decorations in the Church should be incredibly minimal, the color changes to purple, there should not be any use of flowers, and anything put out should be there only to enhance the liturgical focus. Lean into this and apply it to your home! Practical Tips for an Undecorated Home First let me say that undecorating doesn't mean that I take everything down, if I did that there would be no place for us to park our car in the garage! I simplify, reminding myself of what the Church does, and I take down these things: St. Valentine's Day decor All flowers and greenery (real and faux) because I typically have fresh flowers in the house. Table settings Anything extra that may be creating pizzazz or even clutter/disorganization Now you can add things in that speak of the liturgical season: simple, minimal, plain! For Lent, I usually do a table runner instead of a full cloth because it gives a much more simple feel. I love the look of this cheesecloth table runner, I think the gauzy texture goes well with the season and is relatively inexpensive. Here is the link to one that is only $6.59 right now, it is long but you can get creative and add large, loose knots on either end to lift it up. You could also let it drag the ground (if you don't have small children), that is a very popular French farmhouse look right now. www.tableclothsfactory.com 2. Put out these "Fast, Pray, Give" jars! This is a very common practice in many Catholic households but I particularly like the look of these from "Love and Messiness." Great for inspiring action and giving your house a Lenten decoration. You can easily print the labels at home and buy the jars on Amazon or Hobby Lobby for under $20.00. If you don't have a budget for jars see what you have around your house. Any glass container will work and as you can see below, they don't have to match to look good! For every sacrifice you make you can put a bean in the "Fast" jar. Light the "Pray" candle every day at a time that works for you and your family. You can also put all spare change and cash in the "Give" jar and donate at the end of Lent. 3. Lenten candles can be placed at the center of your dinner table on top of your new purple table runner. These function in the same manner as the Advent candles. Each Sunday you light a candle as you count the weeks to Easter. All of your candles are to be purple except for one pink candle and one red candle. The pink will be lit on Laetare Sunday and the red on Good Friday! This is a great activity that you can do with kids or you can make it a more elegant type of decoration. You can see a couple of options below! https://www.autom.com/product/lenten-candles-set-of-6-B2429S Lenten Candle Decor Kid Friendly Version (Photo: The Littles and Me) Simple and Inexpensive 4. Cover the crucifixes and holy images that you have in your home with purple cloth. Go to your favorite craft store and buy a yard or two of purple fabric. I highly recommend measuring beforehand but if you want to eye ball it then more power to you! You can put the purple cloth on all crucifixes, holy images, and statues beginning on Passion Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent). For Church's, according to the Roman Missal, "crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.” I imitate this as well with everything that we cover in our home. 5. Use a crown of thorns and nails as a part of your home altar or end table. While they could be easily laid down in those places, you could also prop the crown of thorns up on a book pertaining to this season, or on a candle stand like this! You can purchase a crown of thorns here... Large nails can be purchased at a ridiculously cheap price at Lowe's or Home Depot! 6. Replace your floral arrangements and wreaths with something like this! (Tall or small this is very easy to replicate.) Candle detail Wreath Idea 7. Use the Stations of the Cross to inspire prayer! You can do this in a variety of ways and make it family friendly for any and all age ranges. Here are some of my favorites if you want to support small businesses. If you have to stay on the cheap, print them at home in color and buy frames for each at the dollar store. Get creative! Stations of the Cross Shelf Sitter Stations of the Cross with Small Base (Photo: Rose Wood Sign) Stations of the Cross Cards This gives you lots to work with, take some of these ideas and browse around to fit your style and budget. You can do as much or as little as you want to keep your domestic church focused on Christ and growing in holiness together. Let me know if you need more tips or ideas by signing up to leave a comment or following me on Facebook and Instagram. Now to get my own little home in order! +Prayers for many blessings.+

Nix "Family Life Ministry" & Do This Instead What Every Parish Priest, Employee, & Parishioner Should Know This is something that I wish that I could tell every single priest, parish employee, and parishioner. This message is just as much for you because you belong to a parish. I feel so passionately about community wide liturgical living, Catholic culture, and interpersonal faith connections through the liturgical year. I truly and fully believe that if we could do what I'm about to share with you that it would change up the dynamics of our parish communities. For context, I've been in ministry since I was 19 years old. I took my first job at that very young age and have held a variety of ministerial and administrative jobs within Catholic schools and parishes for 15 years now. You can now do the math on my age! I have a lot of experience in this area and have seen where ministerial efforts go well, where they are stagnant, where they are dying, and what's contributing to those results. Stop Saying Family Life Ministry I feel bold in saying this, not because this is groundbreaking, but because it seems that if anyone else has noticed what I'm about to share they aren't saying it. As a Church we haven't done a good job of opening our minds to understand what the word family means when we talk about "family life ministry." Most parishes have "family life ministry" and in some parishes you might find "parish life ministry" and only one parish that I know of has "liturgical life ministry" because I was given the gift to be able to start it myself. I want to share why I think we need to stop calling "family life ministry" by that title, even though I'm for what is going on in that ministry. Much of what takes place in that ministry is actually liturgical living: communal prayer, devotions, activities, feast day celebrations, engaging traditions, etc. tied in to the liturgical year. Yet, when the only "open invitation" (i.e. an event not belonging to a specific ministry group) at our parish is called "family life ministry" those who do not fit a specific view of family, that being parents with small children, feel as if they don't know if they can go. That is an overwhelming amount of our parish population not attending communal experiences. You may immediately think I am talking about single people and those without children. This is indeed true, but ironically the non-attending population also includes the more "stereotypical" type of family, parents who have children that are older or are teenagers, but they don't go either because the name of the ministry itself insinuates that these experiences are for parents with young children. Next time you have a family life event observe whether or not there are elderly people there, single people, young adults, teens, married couples without children, etc. You'll see what I'm referring to. What I have witnessed, is that those who don't attend "family life ministry" end up seeking to form their own break off groups just to do those same things happening in "family life ministry" with people in their own season of life. This indicates to me that we have our wires crossed. For example, I got an email from a gentleman who wants to start an adult group to do a lot of liturgical living type things: prayer, service, communal celebrations, feast day gatherings, going to Mass together, etc. When he emailed, he explained that he wasn't sure if it should just be an adult group open to everyone, or if it should be a group for singles. Here's my response to that. If someone is starting a Catholic singles group, or any specific group for that matter, that's great and mostly a separate topic of conversation from the point of this post which I'll get to next. It is necessary and good to have more specific ministry groups in which those in similar circumstances or life experiences can relate to one another. As a Church we are very good at doing specified ministry groups. It's no surprise because they tend to be more clear cut, straight forward, and simpler when planning the mission and goals of the group. For example, the point of a singles group is to meet other singles, so the activities and opportunities will be geared towards that end. On the other hand, if the goal is to create an adult group that is open to everyone, that tells me that we've missed the mark on our "family life ministry" or "parish life ministry." You see, his proposal just reiterated to me that it's not clear in the name or the mission because if it were there wouldn't need to be another "open invitation" group for adults. This is where we need to embrace the messiness of gathering as an entire parish community. We sometimes hesitate to do things where the age range might be too wide, or the cultures may vary, or the season of life might not be the same as another. Embrace the mess, that's the beauty and reality of being a Catholic village. We are better when we are together and we are enriched by the lives of others. If we can go to Mass and the sacraments as a mixed group of parishioners, then we should be able to extend that similarly into our communal life. It's in the Name: The Liturgy Gives Our Parishes Life I think all "family life ministry" and "parish life ministry" should be given the same name across the board, and I think it if were between one name or the other it needs to be parish life. Parish life better communicates and welcomes in anybody and everybody that belongs to the parish to join in on whatever is going on. An even better expression of this, in name and in mission, would be to call your "family life ministry" or "parish life ministry" by the name "liturgical life ministry." Every opportunity that we take as a community to pray, eat, engage in tradition, celebrate a feast day, live the seasons, embrace a devotion, etc. is an extension of the Church's liturgy. There is nothing more central to our faith than the Mass and the sacraments, and these liturgical celebrations are what gives life to the Church. The liturgy gives our parishes life! And this is why I think we need to nix family life and even parish life ministry for liturgical life ministry. We have tried through our own efforts to create community through family life and parish life but guess what, God has already done that through the liturgical year. We just have to get together to share in that with one another. Communal liturgical life works because God established it and what He creates is good! What's a Family? We could also stand to help ourselves and our parish friends see and know the many ways that a family can take shape. Different families are different. Some families are elderly couples who have kids that are grown and gone, some are married couples with 10+ kids, 2+ kids, and everything in between. Some families are married couples without children, others are single parents with children. Even single people get put in our parish database and viewed as a "family member" of the parish. This seems obvious, but often when families don't fit into a specific box or view they end up siloed. It's not intentional, but it is in fact happening. The common parish response has been to just create more break off ministry groups for each of these different populations. I am saying, it's not wrong to do that, but people are craving community and it is our responsibility reach out to one another. I would love to be at a parish wide event with the seniors, with the littles, with people my age, and with those who come from a different culture. Living and celebrating the faith as a village nourishes our humanity, and shows us the bigger picture that we are all on the same road to sainthood and we can all be in Heaven together one day. Here's What You Can Do I am imploring you, help your parish life/family ministry. Advocate for this to be "liturgical life ministry" and share how it can be a lived experience of the liturgical year and of each other. This is how we build Catholic culture, when we come together and celebrate a certain way, at certain times, on certain days, it's a common expression that is done together. And it has to be done together! Liturgical life ministry will get at the core of liturgy and ritual celebration for God, self, and other and we need to do that together. Pulling a variety of generations together can only help to give life to our community because everyone has their own gifts to offer. If you need help with this I invite you to send me an email at steffani.hisgirlsunday@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook or Instagram so that I can offer you support. I welcome you to connect me to your people so that we can do this as a team. I've been blessed with many opportunities to help people revamp, change, or nourish their parish community life programs and I can do the same for you. Let me know what questions you have in the comments. Finally, know that I am praying for you and the liturgical life of your parish!

Last year I wrote about undecorating your home for Lent, if you didn't catch it you can read more about it by clicking the button below. Essentially, I take you through the principles of what it means to prepare your home for this somber season and how to apply some basic liturgical principles then adapt them for your home. When I say undecorate, what I really mean is that we are taking down the typical festive home adornments that we might have up, not that we won't have any décor at all. We are simplifying, just as the Church does, so that we can set the tone of the season in our domestic church. There has been so much research done on how our interior dispositions reflect our exterior environments. Consider how light, flowers, symbols, and bright colors affect our moods and emotions. It's no surprise that we all love the new décor inspiration of all white homes, muted tones, subtle flowers, and topiaries. These bright and airy houses are uplifting and they give us a sense of peace and beauty. With that same understanding, we seek to achieve a certain type of environment during Lent, one that indicates to our interior life that we are about to journey through the desert. While some may truly undecorate by not displaying any additional home embellishments, others may seek to use humble and modest displays. These decorative efforts aren't meaningless, they are intended to remind us and invite us into the sacrifice of the cross. To get us all thinking and create a space for ideas I have developed five categories to focus on. Wreaths Cloth Jars Candles Arrangements Let's decorate! Wreaths This particular wreath is really unique, I never see anything like this when I'm out and about and I always appreciate individuality when I'm decorating. If you are feeling up to it or have a bit of extra time, this is something that you could consider making. Another good front door option is with grapevine, and you can find these basic wreaths at any craft store. Add on a burlap bow or even wind it all the way around and you've got a simple door adornment. While I typically try to stray away from flowers during this season, in imitation of the Church, it doesn't hurt to have a few small ones here and there. Our homes are not the Church proper, so it's okay to make these creative adjustments. This wreath has character and beauty, while still giving off a Lenten vibe with its branches and small pops of purple. Cloth Don't be intimidated by using cloth in your home. I know often times we can be unsure of what to do with it, but don't over think it. If you have a home altar, front door table, long TV stand, or mantle you can simply bunch it up and drape it around your current arrangement. Look at the picture below for an example of this. I also like the large jars filled with rock and branches, that might be something to consider imitating. It's inexpensive too, all things that can be found either outside or at the dollar store. You can also bring in the Lenten color of purple by purchasing a couple of throw pillows or pillow covers. It's an easy way to bring a burst of purple to the living room, front door bench, or bedroom. In many homes, the dining room is a focal point for decoration. Last year I purchased a really pretty purple gauze runner for under $10.00. This image has a purple linen table runner and cloth napkins. If you are hosting any dinners during Lent this would be a lovely way to elevate the table. The touch of twine on the napkins is a nice detail and instead of the leaf you could do a little branch. Jars I know that sacrifice jars are a popular option during Lent and are great with kids. However, if you're like me and don't have kids in your house, or your kids are older, then I would just go with a beautiful jar that can be used in a practical or decorative way. Purple kitchen or bathroom jars might be considered if you find something like this. For the bathroom, you could put in cotton balls, q-tips, bath salts, bath bombs, bubble bath, make-up foam wedges, floss, you name it. For the kitchen, you can use these for almost any small wrapped food or baking ingredient. When I saw this I thought it would be a great craft project. Instead of putting "Hope" you could put "Lent" and instead of flowers you could add in a little succulent or cactus at the top. Candles Candles are a must in my house! I light one almost every day and it just helps make for a more prayerful and relaxed environment. Below are a few ideas, and while I'm personally not a big fan of the purple pinecone, the pillar candles with branch arrangement around it would make a great addition to any home. This image is one of my favorite candle ideas, but if this were mine I would do six candles: four purple, one pink, and one red for each week of Lent. Many of us probably own some sort of tray that we can use. Then delicately tie the twine around your candles, add in some moss, little succulents, and you have a really nice centerpiece. Perfect for the dining room or coffee table. Of course you can't go wrong with just a basic candle arrangement. These cylinder vases are very easy to find and the pillar candles can be ordered off of Amazon. Arrangements The picture below caught my attention as something that's unique, stylish, and easy to make at home with the family. In these glass jars you can layer almost anything you want, but to get you going here are some ideas. Rocks Dirt Moss Twigs Sand Top with a succulent or cactus plant This is faux purple pampas grass and it really lends itself to a more sophisticated look. You could trim the faux stem down and put it in a short rounded glass vase or leave it long and arrange it in very tall cylindrical vase. Depending on the height that you go with, this arrangement could even stand from the floor. This is another pretty option, it's simple and plain but makes a statement. Especially in a room with higher ceilings this would look nice in the center of your table, on a bar top, or on your mantle if it were in a smaller vase with the twigs trimmed. Anyone can put this together with a small wooden crate, piece of burlap, mason jars, and lavender. I like that this look is very accessible and gives off that French country feel that is so often adored. This is certainly a good starting place and maybe try picking one from each category. Whatever it is that you do, remember that this is all intended to help us enter into the depths of the season and its meaning. If it takes you away from that, stresses you out, or becomes a distraction then get rid of it! Let me know if you need more tips or ideas by leaving a comment or following me on Facebook @HisGirlSunday and Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday. Peace & Good, Steffani His Girl Sunday

About the Apparition On May 13th we honor the the Marian apparition that took place in Fatima, Portugal. The six apparitions began in 1917 to three small children; Lucia, 9, Francisco, 8, and Jacinta, 6. Over the course of the apparitions Our Lady gave the children messages that warned of the harm we were inflicting upon ourselves and the world due to our sin: plagues, war, persecution, and the loss of many souls. She told the children to pray constantly for the conversion of sinners. On October 13, 1917 an apparition "of a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun" showed herself to the children saying, "please don't be afraid of me, I am not going to harm you...I come from Heaven." The woman was described as wearing a white mantle with gold trim, and holding a rosary in her hand. She told the children to devote themselves to saying the rosary, because through this prayer they could bring peace to the world and an end to war. At the end of the apparitions she revealed her name to Lucia saying, " I am the Lady of the Rosary." Later that day 70,000 people came to witness the apparition the children had described regarding the woman in white. Our Lady promised that she would show everyone that the apparitions were true and this is where we get the phrase, the sun danced at Fatima. The entire crowd saw the sun make three circles and move around the sky in a zigzag, dispelling any doubt they may have held towards the children. By 1930 the apparitions had been approved by the Catholic Church as authentic. The Three Secrets of Fatima 1. The first part is the vision of hell.Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. 2. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. 3. According to the interpretation of the “little shepherds,” which was also confirmed recently by Sister Lucia, “the Bishop clothed in white” who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes his way with great difficulty towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred (Bishops, priests, men and women Religious and many lay people), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a hail of gunfire.After the assassination attempt of 13 May 1981, it appeared evident that it was “a mother’s hand that guided the bullet’s path,” enabling “the Pope in his throes” to halt “at the threshold of death. After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’ Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima with Prayer, Food, & Activities! Food 1. Try a Portuguese dish in honor of where the apparition took place. Portuguese Custard Tart Seafood Rice Traditional Pork Sandwich 2. Cut and arrange a fruit platter to look like the sun. This makes for a healthy snack that can be jazzed up with fruit dip. This was my fruit tray from 2023! And this was my fruit tray from 2022! 3. Make my One-Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken as a play on the association with the sun dancing at Fatima. Activities 1. Make a bright and cheery playlist and have a dance party. 2. Watch "Fatima" with your sun inspired snack tray. (Image: Variety) 3. During the Fatima apparition, there was an "Angel of Peace," donate to Catholic Charities or a local initiative or cause that supports peace in your community. Prayer 1. Mary revealed herself as Our Lady of the Rosary, pray a rosary alone or invite friends & family to join you. 2. Dedicate yourself to the Five First Saturdays devotion. 3. Consecrate yourself to Mary's immaculate heart. (Image: CNA) Of all three categories, prayer is most important, especially when we take seriously the message of Our Lady of Fatima. If all you can do is get in a rosary today, then do that to the best of your ability. I think it's important to remember that while these feasts come and go, there is a real devotion being celebrated and lived with Our Lady of Fatima and she has a message that is worth our time and attention. Keeping in mind that we cannot have devotions to all things in the Church, let this be a day where we genuinely seek to be close to our Blessed Mother. Honor her, pray with her, give her reverence for all she does to intercede for us as her beloved children. Live the liturgical year in a celebratory and joyful way, as if everyday were Sunday! See you in the Eucharist, His Girl Sunday For more tips and tricks follow on Facebook @HisGirlSunday or on Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday.

Feast day: October 4 Patron saint of: Animals, Ecology, Archaeologists, Italy, Merchants, Messengers, Metal Workers To read more about the stigmata of St. Francis, click here. To read more about the life of St. Francis, click here. Several years ago I was given the opportunity to do an Italian pilgrimage and Assisi was on the list. Since that day I have longed to go back. As I walked up the steep cobblestone road to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi I passed by adorable little shops, quaint cafes, and unassuming locals. It was surreal to make it to the top of this hill where the Basilica stands and looks out over Assisi and neighboring villages. It was more beautiful than I knew how to take in, unlike anything I've ever seen before, and I pray that many years from now God will grant me the ability to retire there. I distinctly remember seeing his relics and that of St. Clare of Assisi, those relics made him so real to me. And as our guide recounted stories about him it struck me, this is more than the saint we find resting atop a birdbath. This was a man who abandoned all wealth, of which he had plenty. A man who had the strength of will and faith to found his own order. And impressively, a man who challenged Islamic scholars to a trial by fire. He would walk with them across hot coals and according to St. Francis the one of the true faith would be unharmed. See picture below. St Francis before the Sultan (Trial by Fire) Giotto fresco cycle in upper basilica of St. Francis in Assisi To celebrate I'd like to first call you to something that I like to do every feast of St. Francis. 1. Do something EXTRA for your faith that you don't typically do. I usually think to myself, "if St. Francis can walk across hot coals to prove how convicted he was about his Catholic faith, then I can do X." Let me give you some ideas to make this tangible. If you usually pray a decade of the rosary during the day, go for all five decades. If you usually just go to Mass on Sunday, try for a daily Mass today or this week. Maybe someone in your family or your friend circle needs your witness, be brave enough to share it with them. Think about what you feel God has put on your heart, and then go do that thing! I think that the best way we can seek to honor the saints is by truly striving to emulate them in our own way, so let's begin here. Other St. Francis Inspired Experiences to Try 2. Do some gardening or go on an outdoor walk. St. Francis is the patron saint of ecology and he had a deep sense of appreciation for God's creation. 3. Show your pet a little extra attention today, or drop by your local pet store to see the animals. One of the things we used to love to do as kids was visit our local pet store, maybe your children will appreciate this too. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and it is commonly known that he used to preach to and about animals. 4. Give yourself 5-10 minutes of silence today and in that time pray the Peace Prayer of St. Francis. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. 5. Give up one of your daily luxuries and give that to the Church or a charity. St. Francis quite literally abandoned all his wealth to live a life of virtue and closeness to Christ. 6. Make these adorable DIY birdseed ornaments. Click here! 7. Go to Mass today. We can always seek to give God glory through uniting ourselves with Him in the most sacred liturgy. 8. Consider showing this teaching video about St. Francis. 9. Eat Italian food in honor of his culture. Try a few of my own from Liturgy Kitchen, click the links below. Italian Chicken Sheet Pan Tried & True Pesto Pizza Dough from Scratch 10. If you have pets, attend your parish's Blessing of the Animals. Have fun celebrating St. Francis today! We certainly will be too. I love seeing your treats, outings, and all the ways that you live liturgically, feel free to share your memories with me. #hisgirlsunday #liturgyhome God love you, His Girl Sunday

As a short guide and aid to your February liturgical living, I have compiled some quick tips, ideas, and links to bring joy and festivity into your domestic church. This is not a list of every single February feast day, but will be a very good start. Feast days that you will find in this post! 1. St. Blaise 2. St. Josephine Bakhita 3. Our Lady of Lourdes 4. St. Valentine Note: This is not a full list of resources on my blog for feast day celebrations, activities, and recipes in the month of February. Go browse around for saints and feast days that are special to you. Enjoy! 😊 The Month of February is Dedicated to the Holy Family St. Blaise- February 3 About We know more about the devotion to Saint Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs hold him in special honor, and for decades many United States Catholics have sought the annual Saint Blaise blessing for their throats. We know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blaise were written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears. The legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blaise off to prison, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone. Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. Finally, he was beheaded. (Franciscan Media) Quick Links 1. About the Feast Day 2. The Blessing of St. Blaise 3. Celebrating St. Blaise St. Blaise Prayer O glorious Saint Blaise, who by thy martyrdom didst leave to the Church a precious witness to the faith, obtain for us the grace to preserve within ourselves this divine gift, and to defend, without human respect, both by word and example, the truth of that same faith, which is so wickedly attacked and slandered in these our times. Thou who didst miraculously restore a little child when it was at the point of death by reason of an affliction of the throat, grant us thy mighty protection in like misfortunes; and, above all, obtain for us the grace of Christian mortification, together with a faithful observance of the precepts of the Church, which may keep us from offending almighty God. Amen. Food 1. St. Blaise Pie St. Josephine Bakhita- February 8 About For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was resold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan. Two years later, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine’s behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885. Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery, and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school and the local citizens. She once said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!” The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. (Franciscan Media) Quick Links Celebrating St. Josephine With Kids Feast Day Activities for St. Josephine 10 Ways to Celebrate St. Josephine Prayer Food African Peanut Chicken Serves 4 (Fed two adults and a toddler with plenty leftover, so I'm just guessing) Ingredients: 2 lbs skinless bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs (or equivalent amount of boneless chicken) 1/2 c. peanut butter 1/2 onion (I slice it large so The Husband can pick it out, but if you're cooking for an onion loving crew feel free to increase the amount of onion and chop or mince it) 1 small can crushed tomatoes 3 cloves sliced garlic cumin, cumin seeds, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper (maybe 1 tsp each, or to taste) chili powder, salt (optional) Directions: Put everything in slow cooker and turn to high for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. (If you cook for a longer time on low, the chicken will fall apart and you'll need to fish out the bones. If you want more like shredded chicken, I would recommend using boneless thighs.) (Catholic Cuisine) Our Lady of Lourdes - February 11 About On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.” During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity. Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907. (Franciscan Media) Quick Links Ideas for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes Ways to Celebrate Our Lady Feast Day Ideas Our Lady of Lourdes Prayer Ever Immaculate Virgin Mother of Mercy, Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; look with mercy on me. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors; and already many sufferers have obtained the cure for their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with complete confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests. Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory. Amen. Food Chicken Cordon Bleu St. Valentine - February 14 About Well, there was a priest named Valentine who lived in Rome in the third century. He was put in prison because he helped some Christians who were going to be executed by a cruel emperor named Claudius. While Valentine was in prison, he healed the chief warder’s daughter, who was blind, and the warder and all his family became Christians. When Emperor Claudius heard this, he said that Valentine should be executed. And so, on February 14 in the year 269, Valentine was clubbed to death. Then his head was chopped off, just to make sure he was dead. In the same year, another man named Valentine, who was the bishop of Terni (about sixty miles from Rome), was also put to death by Emperor Claudius for being a Christian. Neither saint seems to have anything to do with young lovers. So where do the traditions come from? Some say it is because on this day of the year (in the northern hemisphere) birds pair up and start mating. Others say the day is special for lovers because at that time of year there had been a pagan Roman festival named Lupercalia, when young men took part in a kind of lottery to find a partner. But Lupercalia has nothing to do with either Saint Valentine! (Loyola Press) Quick Links 8 Simple Ways to Celebrate St. Valentine Who and What are We Celebrating Date Night Ideas St. Valentine Day Card Printables St. Valentine Prayer Grant, we beseech you, O almighty God, that we who keep the festival of your holy martyr Valentine, may be delivered by his intercession from all dangers that threaten us. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ: Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. Food Sharing Dishes for the Feast of St. Valentine Happy Feasting! If you used any of these ideas, share with me on Facebook @HisGirlSunday or Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday.

The ‘Gesimas are a the weeks leading up to Lent that are also known as Pre-Lent, many of us have probably never heard of this before or maybe you've just forgotten. It is a period of preparation and feasting that hasn’t been a part of the liturgical calendar since before Vatican II. Yes, feasting which I am going to go to town with in the weeks to follow so look out for more yummy recipes. The three Sundays that precede Lent are called Septuagesima (70th), Sexagesima (60th), and Quinquagesima (50th), say that five times fast! This period ends with Quinquagesima, also known as “Carnival” season, or Shrovetide depending on the culture celebrating. Most of us only know about and actively celebrate one day of this season, Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, which is the last day of Pre-Lent. In addition to this, there is one week called Quadragesima (40th) that occurs during the Lenten Season, but every week gives us a preparatory countdown for Easter. Septuagesima Sunday is filled with meaning and tradition which I must admit that I am sad has been lost but I am determined through my own practice of the faith to revive. The number of days is significant (Septuagesima - 70) in that it is representative of the freedom that came after the seventy years of Babylonian Captivity and the freedom which we have obtained through Christ’s death and resurrection to the Promised Land of Heaven. It is a time for “sobriety and somberness” which help us to slowly orient ourselves to the depths of grace that Lent holds for us. This rhythm just makes sense given that we prepare and plan for all sorts of other major events in our lives and honestly, it’s just not that easy to go from the daily routine of Ordinary Time to an overnight focus on being intensely penitential. It is one of the longest and most important seasons in the Church wherein we prepare ourselves to receive the greatest act of love which we have ever and will ever be given. In light of the nature of this time, it's fitting that we engage ourselves so that we can be as ready as one can to receive the graces of Lent and then Easter. In terms of traditions, this one begins at vespers the previous night when the last “Alleluias” are supposed to be sung. On Septuagesima Sunday the Alleluia would be buried and not sung again until Easter. In fact, there is a burying ceremony which is like a “little funeral”. Inside a little coffin would be a banner with “Alleluia” written on it which would be processed with candles and the cross to a burial place to be sprinkled, incensed, and buried. If you would like to partake in this tradition you can purchase an Alleluia sign here. I can’t get enough of these unique and theologically rich Catholic traditions; they bring life and joy to living out our faith. In addition to that are also some more fun and festive things to do as a family or community throughout the ‘Gesima weeks. In the Orthodox tradition they have designated “meatfare” and “cheesefare” Sundays. In Russia the week before Lent is called “Butter Week”, which was basically meant for me and I will be flying out to Russia within the next few weeks. This was actually done because in the days prior to refrigeration, you would need to use up the perishable foods before Lent began. I'm thinking this is the perfect time to make a bountiful charcuterie board! What do you think? I’m hoping that better engaging in the traditions that come within the ‘Gesimas will give more intentional focus to what is most and ultimately important here, preparing for Lent. Peace & Good, Steffani