Just a Catholic Mom

Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Feast Day July 16th On July 16th, 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Simon Stock, as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. When she appeared to him, she gave him the scapular, and told him that anyone who  died while wearing the scapular “would not suffer eternal fire.” Once just worn by those in the Carmelite Order, now the scapular can be worn by everyone. I recently read the book entitled, Mary at the Crossroads of History , by Father Francis J. Hoffman (a.k.a. Father "Rocky" from Relevant Radio), and in this wonderful book, Father Rocky discusses various Marian apparitions that have occurred at pivotal points in history. How amazing it must have been to be Saint Simon Stock, Saint Bernadette, Saint Francisco, Saint Jacinta, Blessed Sister Lucia, and so many others. Yet even though we are not these saints, through their encounters with the Blessed Mother we have the opportunity to benefit from her words and the methods she gave these saints for graces...

Mary Mother of the Church: Feast Day the Day After Pentecost  Tucked inside my copy of 33 Days to Morning Glory , among other treasured mementos, is a folded newspaper clipping that reads: "New Feast Emphasizes Mary as Mother." The Catholic Church has long taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary is our spiritual mother, and that she is the mother of the church, but it wasn't until 2018 that this beautiful feast day was added to the official liturgical calendar to be celebrated annually the day after Pentecost. Writing this blog post today, on my birthday, I can't help but smile as I hold the newspaper clipping in my hand, because the first time the feast of Mary Mother of the Church was celebrated in 2018 was May 21st, my birthday! When I reflect back on 2018, it's amazing to see how my faith journey and seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary as my spiritual mother was growing even if I didn't quite see it myself. May 13th, 2018 was the day I made my Marian consecration, ...

Make a Rosary Garden—Planting Flowers and the Seeds of Prayer:  On the lawn outside of my family's parish, there is a stepping-stone Marian-Rosary garden. Often, after attending daily Mass, on warm or non rainy days, my children love to run around the rosary stones, encircling the statue of Mary, and sit upon the garden's benches. The days when they would run around, only able to exclaim the words, "Hail, Mary! Hail, Mary! Hail Mary!" for each stone, are precious treasured memories I hold within my heart. When we entered the pandemic shutdown, in the spring of 2020, I didn't realize just how much I missed the rosary garden tradition my children and I had after Mass. When my husband and I scheduled confession with our pastor, twelve days into the shutdown, we took turns waiting with our children and letting them play and pray in the rosary garden, while we participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I'd always desired to make a Mary/Rosary garden in our ba...

Saint Louis de Montfort: Feast Day April 28th It was three years ago, as I read Father Michael Gaitley’s book,  33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-it-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration , that I first learned of Saint Louis de Montfort. My mother had bought copies of Father Gaitley’s book for my sister and I, and with my second child on the way, I decided to make my Marian consecration that year on May 13th, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I’d always been intrigued by Our Lady’s message at Fatima, and that year, May 13, 2018, Our Lady of Fatima’s feast day also happened to be on Mother’s Day, which I thought was very beautiful.  Reading Father Gaitley’s book, I become more intrigued by Saint Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to the Blessed Mother, his teachings on Marian consecration, and their influence on saints like Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope John Paul II. Hailing from Brittany, France from the late 1600 hundreds through early 17...

The Annunciation of the Lord: March 25th Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Pure and lowly, humble and holy, delight in the Father's eyes. For the son she was chosen, the world waited frozen, as from her lips came her reply. "Yes," was her answer; no better word was spoken, for death would now be broken, by the Son she would bear and raise. Sing, let your heart ring, with praise for His mother, dear Mary, who's full of grace!  (Poem and oil pastel created by me) "Hail, full of Grace! The Lord is with you." These were the words that the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as he shared God's plan for her to become the mother of God's son, and waited for her reply. With Mary's beautiful "yes," the fate and history of mankind was changed! No longer would death prevail. Jesus, God's only begotten Son— the Lamb of God— was to become the paschal sacrifice, establishing the New Covenant between God and humanity. "Hail, M...

Our Lady of Lourdes: Feast Day Feb. 11th “I am the Immaculate Conception.” These are the beautiful words spoken by the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Bernadette when she appeared to the little girl in Lourdes, France in 1858. When I reflect upon these words that the Blessed Virgin spoke, I instantly think back to when I read Father Michael Gaitley’s book, 33 Days to Morning Glory a Do-it-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration , a few years ago. As I read his book, I learned there is a deeper meaning within the words. Father Gaitley discusses that through the words spoken to Saint Bernadette, the Blessed Virgin Mary was identifying herself to be the spouse of The Holy Spirit. Not only is this extremely insightful, but it is extremely beautiful! Father Gaitley further discusses how Saint Maximilian Kolbe explained that “If among human beings the wife takes the name of her husband because she belongs to him, is one with him...with how much greater reason should the name of...

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Jan. 1st  Today, we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. It’s amazing to think about our creator being held in the womb of the Virgin Mary, her body being the first tabernacle holding the true presence of Jesus. Amazing to think that the human body of Jesus received his DNA for his human flesh from a being he created when he could have so easily made himself his own flesh. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit show us just how much they love humanity and want to be a part of our families through the beautiful act of the incarnation. In my house, I have a cross-stitched sign that my grandmother made that reads, “The greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother.” God loved his mother so much that he gave her to us to be our spiritual mother. As we ring in the New Year it is only fitting that Mary, the Mother of God, we celebrate you today! Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. ...