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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

Short backstory! Today is the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and patron saint of Catholic schools. This saint is an important one for me because he is the patron of my Alma Mater where I received my Bachelors degree in Education & Theology and my Masters degree in Theology. After struggling through a year, for several reasons, at the University of Houston I transferred to the University of St. Thomas, Houston. I was undecided on what I was going to officially focus my degree and future plans on because I was studying for a pre-dental degree at UH but felt ambivalent towards it after transferring out. I had also never attended a Catholic school before so I was completely unsure of what to expect. Theology and philosophy were a part of the core curriculum, like it is at any good Catholic school, and after entering into those classes I was completely and utterly in love. I never even thought that it was possible to love a subject in that way after my very difficult High school experience. In fact I remember telling God very loudly during my High school years that I would NEVER be a teacher, EVER! I'm shaking my head now with a smirk as I happily finish out my 8th year in Catholic schools. I have always been a student at heart, I love to learn, to do work, research, organize, color code, study, read, but somewhere in late Junior High and Highschool I felt that drain out. It wasn't fun or engaging, most teachers didn't know us or care to know us, nothing seemed to have real meaning! So I felt completely rejuvenated by being at a Catholic university, my entire self was engaged from the curriculum, to the community, to the life of faith that I encountered there. It was due to those experiences that I came to life again as a student and wanted other students to have those experiences too. Over the years I have taught in a wide range of places to every and all age between 3 and 18, but this is what led me to know, love, and dedicate myself to Catholic education. 4 Reasons Why I Love Teaching at Catholic Schools 1. Teaching the whole person. My educational philosophy from its earliest days of formation has and still does believe in an authentic commitment to teaching the entire person, body, mind, & soul. What good is the intellectual life if it doesn't serve in nurturing our spiritual life and enabling us to act as people of God? While my subject inherently lends itself to this, it is the goal of all subjects within Catholic schools. I often remind my students to think of this when they go to their Mathematics, Science, History, & English classes. Everything that they learn there enables them to see more clearly and intimately who God is, and what He has done to bring us beauty, truth, & goodness. As Catholic school educators we recognize that each and every student has an eternal soul & end, and that we have been entrusted to nurture that for the good of their salvation. 2. Sharing Our Love for Christ Jesus Christ is at the center of everything that we do and we don't have to be afraid of that. I grew up in public schools and some of my students have come from public schools, and we can attest to the frustration and drama that can ensue from talking about Christ. This is an educational environment where we can discuss Truth and foster opportunities for students to integrate their faith into their lifestyles. Being able to have this amongst teachers who have committed themselves to promoting this, and peers who are mostly like-minded is of the upmost importance. Catholic schools provide students with a space, a part from the noise of the world, where they can ask questions and strengthen their relationship with God in order to go back into the world and live courageously. In addition to that I am privileged with the opportunity to pray with and for my students, we receive the sacraments together weekly, & I get experience more about who they are on retreats. 3. Mission Driven Catholic schools are mission driven, depending on the order or community on which they were founded this gives them clear goals and purpose. I know when I go to work that I'm not just striving to achieve my own classroom goals, curriculum benchmarks, & test scores. While all of this is good and important, it is also directed towards something greater and creates unity amongst everyone! The mission of the school that I work at right now is "to prepare the hearts and minds of students to serve God and others." That means that from the administration to the faculty and staff, we are all striving towards providing that to our students and we’re are all, students included, at the service of God. This is a humbling reminder that no matter what your role is or how much you get paid, we are all striving in our own little way to build up the Kingdom. 4. Authentic Community Catholic schools tend to be a community that feels more like family, in fact I frequently see people's families. Their spouses and children are at mass with us, occasionally a precious little one will be at a morning meeting, families show up to extra curricular activities. This might be strange if you worked in another profession, but not here. In fact when I see these things it tells me that we are supporting one another in our vocations and that we see our faculty and staff as whole persons to love and support as well. There seems to be a genuine and true desire amongst colleagues to see the good in the other and to offer support in life's highs and lows. In addition to that are the parents who I must sing the praises of because they act alongside of us as a team. These are people who have invested in their child's learning in more ways than just financially; spiritually, physically, and emotionally. They are there by our side when we need them, they hold their children accountable with high expectations, & they are seeking the same academic and spiritual goals that we desire for them. What more could you ask for? So today on this wonderful feast day I will go to adoration to pray for my students, they need it, and not because they are crazy silly (because they are) but because they are being faced with a lot. Today we learned about the moral act and applied that to several scenarios and I'd like to say two things... 1) you're welcome, being a moral ethics teacher is something else, you wouldn't believe the scenarios they come up with, absolutely hilarious & 2) these kids are smart and courageous. Praise God! I'm blessed beyond all measure. Peace & Good, +Steffani

When I was a girl some of my fondest memories involved being together as a family or with neighbors to celebrate Christmas, Easter, or the summer heat with a big bucket of crawfish & a game on in the background. There was something about the tradition, the routine, and the way my dad poured out his heart into hosting that brought me a sense of belonging and joy. I now see that it's no wonder I enjoy event planning and hosting, I love to see other people feel happy and taken care of. Sometimes I can vividly recall, even in my senses, the days my dad would get up on the house to hang our Christmas lights or the way my mom would so very intentionally and beautifully decorate our home for the holidays. We had a gorgeous cherry wood china cabinet that so regally displayed my grandmother's ruby red china set. In the bottom drawers of that cabinet we stored our nice holiday table settings and candles that we used for special occasions, and I can truly still smell the aroma from those candles when I think about opening its drawers. I also really enjoyed the family routine of landscaping, there was never a shirt that went without my dad cutting off the sleeves, the smell of fresh cut grass, the hot Texas air on my face, and the hopefulness of getting to ride on the lawn mower. Sometimes things in life will trigger these memories and I will catch a whiff of the china cabinet drawer, feel the softness of a shirt that reminds me of the cut off sleeves, or pause in the hot still air and shed a tear. As I got older and life began to change, as it realistically does, those traditions inevitably began to evolve until one day they seemed to almost entirely disappear. It was then that I realized we had traditions and routines in our family that were good, they brought happiness, but they weren't rooted in valuing tradition nor were they centered on Christ. I was not raised in a Catholic household, so it only naturally follows that our traditions were based on other things, like family routine, major holidays, & things we enjoyed together. I reached an awareness out of my personal love for Christ and the Church that maybe our traditions were being lost because they weren't built on the right foundation, the Sacraments. I tried to institute weekly family dinner, monthly game nights, prayer before meals, but it didn't stick. I realized that I was barely out of my teen years and I was attempting to establish something within a family that was already set in its ways. It's very hard to carry out traditions alone but as the years went by I learned, studied theology, researched varying traditions, and created little ones for myself. Along the way I met a lot of great Catholic friends and a wonderful Catholic guy, all of whom came from families that had their own traditions, most of them centered around the faith. I was invited in on these things sometimes with friends but as my boyfriend and I got more serious I became a part of many of their traditions. I remember facing a real spiritual obstacle at this point, I was finally a part of the Catholic traditions that I had been longing for so you would think I'd be over the moon, but really my heart was irritated. I was so, so internally mad because I felt out of place, these aren't my traditions, this isn't my family, this wasn't the way that I wanted it. I pushed back from God and the great gift of the village that He was providing to me. This was actually an answered prayer, all these people and their hospitality were drops of grace on a wound. I prayed often and stubbornly, like a petulant child, for God to help me accept what would become a new life of tradition for me. This was, after all, what I wanted for my own life and my own future family, and you know what God did? He answered yet another prayer! A handful of years went by with getting used to celebrating and learning new traditions with my boyfriend's family which we eventually took into our engagement, and marriage. I was gifted with a husband, a family of my own to celebrate the life of the Church with. We have had many conversations about which traditions we wanted to continue and new ones that spoke to our faith as a married couple. While I didn't know the term "liturgical living" this is essentially what we were doing and had been doing for years. We were celebrating feast days, solemnities, saints, and the life of Christ as a community and we thrived off of that. They have become an extension of living out the sacraments, an opportunity for fun in the monotony of daily life, and a constant reminder for spiritual growth. This has been one of the highlights of our first year of marriage which people don't often truthfully tell you comes with many challenges! I found more joy than I can express in carrying out cultural and familial traditions with my husband. Tradition, liturgical living, is for everyone and for the good of your faith & family. Peace & Good, Steffani

If you want to have a soft, rich, and absolutely delicious muffin to continue on with the last bit of the Christmas season, then drop everything and scroll down. These are easy to make and such a delight on a cool evening with a small cup of coffee or tea and a good book... and a Pomeranian. Panettone is an Italian sweet bread, a small loaf cake, that originated in Milan and is usually enjoyed for Christmas and/or New Years, however, you could also make it for Twelfth Night! Traditionally this is a dome-shaped cake with a light & airy texture, but a rich taste. This used to be a major celebration as the last of the 12 days and the eve of Epiphany. At the start of the evening, “Twelfth Night” cake was eaten, which is a rich cake made with fruit, butter, nuts, & spices. Panettone (Italian Christmas Cake) is the closest thing we have to Twelfth Night cake and goes wonderfully with the season. You should be warned in advance that you will need the proper mold for traditional Panettone. I did not get this in enough time so I adapted and made Panettone Muffins. It is essentially the same thing without the rising process needed to make the bread cake. Prep Time: 15 minutes Dried Fruit Soak Time: 1 hour Bake Time: 18-20 minutes Yields: 12 Muffins Ingredients 1 1/2 cups diced (or whole) dried fruit *We chose raisins, cherries, & cranberries.* I have seen others that do apricots, pineapple, dates, your choice! 1/4 cup mixture of juice of your choice & whiskey *Rum can also be used be we are more whiskey people. 1/4 cup butter 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons cake enhancer **OPTIONAL** 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons course white sparkling sugar, for topping and this... and this... That's all I promise, this is what happens when I bake hungry, I forget to take a picture of the entire cast and crew together. Instructions Measure out 1 1/2 cups dried fruit of your choice, dice or keep whole. Raisins! Cherries! and Cranberries, oh my! Measure 1/4 cup juice and whiskey mixture. And a little bit into a lowball glass for yourself! Cheers! In a glass bowl, pour the whiskey juice over the dried fruit. Heat the fruit in the microwave until very hot, 3-4 minutes, then allow it to cool at room temperature for an hour. (This is the route that I chose instead of having the dried fruit soak over night, which you are more than welcome to do, I won't stop you!) Whiskey Bath. While that is soaking prepare your wet ingredients. In a medium- sized bowl, combine 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/4 cup butter, and 2/3 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Beat together until smooth. Add in the two eggs and beat to combine. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and set aside. Go preheat the oven to 375 so that when you are done combing everything the oven is ready for those sweet little muffins! Now give some attention to your dry ingredients. Whisk together 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 1/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. *If you are using cake enhancer, combine 2 table spoons of that with the rest. Pour 2/3 cup milk into a measuring cup and get your wet and dry ingredients ready. Pour small portions of your dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients by alternating each one until everything is thoroughly combined. Flour Mixture Milk Flour Mixture Milk Until all is smoothly combined! Stir in the fruit along with any remaining liquid. Put muffin cups/liners into a standard muffin tin and spoon the batter into the tin until each is evenly filled to the very top. Optional: sprinkle the tops of the muffins generously with the coarse sugar. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, mine stayed in for 20, or until they are a beautiful golden brown color. You can insert a cake tester, or good old fashioned toothpick, into the middle of one of them to see if it comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, let them cool on a cooling rack, place on a little plate and eat with a nice cup of Christmas tea. Or just eat it off the cooling rack if you're like me. Fruit is evenly distributed, I would say that's a "good bake". Yum! 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. For more liturgical living resources check out the blog section of my website or follow me on Facebook to see what Catholic things I am doing to celebrate feast days.

About Saint Lucy St. Lucy was a consecrated virgin & martyr who was killed in the early church during the worst persecution. Her name means “light” which is appropriate for a woman who was known for the visible glow she had out of her love for her spouse, Christ. She would bring supplies and food to the poor and Christians in the darkness of the catacombs but would wear a wreath of candles so that she could see better. There are so many fun traditions associated with her feast day, many of them involving light, candles, torches, and even bonfires. Popular Traditions Today the eldest daughter is supposed to wake the household with St. Lucia buns, coffee, and treats while wearing a wreath of candles, a white gown, and a red sash symbolizing her baptism and martyrdom. She can also be accompanied by small brothers known as “Star Boys” who wear white gowns and cone shaped hats decorated with stars and carrying a star tipped wand. These are the traditional St. Lucy Buns, also known as Saffron buns, that I make every year! What We Do In my family, we wait to put up the Christmas tree and lights until this weekend. It's a meaningful way to integrate light on the feast day of Lucy whose name means light, but is also a way to express joy on Gaudete Sunday. Our home is filled with Advent and Christmas decor, but it’s been missing the romantic twinkle of lights. Without the lights I have been reminded of the meaning of Advent, the cold dark winter preparation for the coming of Christ. These physical reminders can be so important to our Catholic life, without them we can easily fall into the busyness of December schedules, parties, work, baking, shopping, and the typical hustle and bustle. A Reflection on the Meaning of Light I’ve been thinking more about the lesson of light that we can take away from St. Lucy’s feast day in honor of her own faith. Hearing about her glow reminds me of when I was engaged or what others tell women when they are pregnant, "you’re glowing"! My engagement period was filled with so much anticipation and joy, it very much felt like the season of Advent. I couldn’t hide the love and happiness that I felt even if I wanted to, and then I imagine St. Lucy and the love she had for Jesus. This young girl glowed out of love for Christ whom she consecrated herself to. We see very clearly the physical reminder of her name with the candle lit wreath that she wore when serving others who were hiding in darkness; but she was also a spiritual light to the message of the Gospel. She could see what others could not through her faith, which reminded me of this reference from the ever popular Chronicles of Narnia. In C.S. Lewis’ book Prince Caspian, Lucy has this exchange of faith with Aslan. Her siblings can no longer see him, even in daylight, but she can and she realizes something else, that he is bigger! “Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.” “That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?” “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” We can use St. Lucy and Lucy Pevensie as a way to understand that in the light of faith and truth, Christ will grow to be “bigger”. This innocent exchange is so telling of the fact that as we grow older, get busy, or let other things take priority in life, it's very easy to lose sight of how God plays a part in all that we do. On the feast of St. Lucy and the upcoming joy of Gaudete Sunday, let’s refocus on eyes and our heart on Christ, who will shine on all of our circumstances. Praying for you this Advent as we all seek to prepare a place in our hearts and homes for the coming of Christ. And may St. Lucy intercede for us as we draw nearer to the light of Christ. God love you, Steffani

This last Sunday was the beginning of Advent as I am sure most of you know by now with the change in liturgical colors, Advent wreaths, and social media posts. I could not wait, in fact I had been looking forward to this since October with the busyness of finally launching His Girl Sunday I just needed the calm and focus that this time brings. So I get to Mass, completely in the zone, ready to focus on preparing for Baby Jesus and the Gospel scared me to pieces! "Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, one will be left." (MT 24:40-41) The first thing that came to mind was that brilliant cinematic experience of a movie "Left Behind" (2014) starring Nicholas Cage. When I snapped out of that horrible memory I was brought back to the unexpected Gospel and I realized the irony. Wow, okay Lord, I get it, my life is just like the message from the first Sunday of Advent, always getting lost in the chaos, appointments, work, and obligations. While those things are inevitable I had just been caught spiritually napping! Of course I pray daily, fulfill my Catholic obligations, bring tradition into our home, teach Theology, etc. but that isn't what this Gospel is referring to. It's easy for me to be aware of Christ in those moments that are clearly and intentionally dedicated to Him, but what about the rest of my life and the many things that happen in any given day when I am completely immersed in things of this world or my own life? So I am clinging to these two words this Advent and hopefully creating a self awareness for the time thereafter... Stay awake in the hope of waiting, not just for the great mystery of the incarnation which we fix our attention on, but for the parousia! If that doesn't frighten you then I don't know what does, but I'll say this, nothing focuses my attention or motivates me more to get myself together than this message. Stop messing around, for lack of better words, my personality needs a kick in the pants sometimes! This isn't just a season of pumpkin spice lattes and Christmas movies, glad you can't see what's sitting on my desk, but a time to rededicate myself to an intimate relationship with the Savior. Since Advent begins the new liturgical year I have taken myself to prayer many times to decide on Catholic new years resolutions, a virtue or two which I make a point to think about in daily self reflection and one prayer habit that my soul an sanity needs. For a couple of years now I have tried to do this every quarter and I have found it to be very helpful in my journey. How very counter intuitive to our popular culture to have a season of peace, silence, and reflection and yet how much more joyous the season of Christmas because of it. Much like the waiting in this life for the joyous Christmas that will be Heaven. We are Advent people, longing in expectation and hoping for Jesus Christ's second coming.

Thanksgiving is next week and we are about to enter into a season filled with family, friends, and traditions. While it may not be specifically Catholic to the culture, it is inherently Catholic in meaning. Thanksgiving in Greek is Eucharistia, Eucharist, the most precious gift of the Body and Blood of Christ which is the Thanksgiving sacrifice and meal. This means that the Mass is the greatest prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving that we can offer to God, our truest and most fitting response to His great sacrifice. Gratitude is therefore a core, and in my opinion undervalued virtue, of our faith and is at the center of our journey to sainthood. Look to Eucharistic Prayer II, “It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father most holy, through your beloved son, Jesus Christ, your word through whom you made all things, whom you sent as our Savior and Redeemer, incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin. Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people, he stretched out his hands as he endured his Passion, so as to break the bonds of death and manifest the resurrection.” It is our response to God for the many natural or material blessings that he has granted us but more than that it is our expression of thankfulness for the greatest gift, which is our salvation. In a real way I have tried to consider the question, how do I thank someone for dying for me? What could I possibly do that would be a sincere and proportional response to that? The saints have been my help in answering that question, and the response is to live a life loving and honoring in God in all that I do. Letting my actions be a true and authentic expression of my love for Him even in the midst of my fallen nature and through all of my daily experiences. On Thanksgiving, we do this together as a community with a Eucharistic focus, to be a people of gratitude for all that we have and really recognizing all that we may be taking for granted. Last Thanksgiving, I was immersed in getting married, but I am looking forward to combining some of our shared traditions! Here are a few ways that you can build your Catholic Thanksgiving Traditions. 1. The best way to make your Thanksgiving centered on Christ, the Eucharist, and community is to go to mass as a family! 2. My family was always very good about saying a prayer of thanksgiving together as a whole group, we did this in conjunction with blessing our food. 3. Stay at the table together, my husband’s family is so great at this, they take their time to enjoy each other! Don’t rush through the meal, talk, eat, play games at the table and take advantage of the time you have. 4. Go around the table and express words or stories of gratitude. How many "jokes" do we hear about the family feuds of the holiday season? Be bold, create an environment where we can share our blessings with each other and let your loved ones hear how you appreciate them, this can be a great way to nurture those relationships. Indulge in some quotes on gratitude! 1. "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." -G.K. Chesterton 2. "In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks." -St. Teresa of Avila 3. "To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything." -Thomas Merton 4. "Jesus does not demand great action from us but simply surrender and gratitude." -St. Therese of Lisieux 5. "The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems with joy." St. Teresa of Calcutta

Welcome to His Girl Sunday! My name is Steffani Aquila. I am a theology teaching, ballet dancing, Lucille Ball loving, old moving watching, small town girl in the big city livin’, bread making, event planner+blogger! This is a small business/ blog that I have created for the Catholic that wants an event planner or coordinator that knows and shares in all the richness of our faith. His Girl Sunday is a event planning and liturgical living service that wants to be a part of all life’s seasons by helping you to establish beauty, organization, and joy in Catholic weddings, liturgies, feast day celebrations, & sacramental parties. With my combined experience of event planning and my appreciation for tradition I have been able to help families, parishes, & couples to bring our faith into their celebrations, homes, and every day lives. Here you will find faith filled tips, insights, and creative resources for bringing the liturgical seasons into your “little church”. Through engagement and newlywed life I have found so much joy and strength by connecting our marriage to the Church through the Sacraments and Liturgical Living, and I hope to bring new tradition ideas to you and yours. Stay tuned for more blog posts! Your Girl Sunday, Steffani Aquila