How I Plan a Last Minute Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine Labouré Gathering

Whoops! Life got busy this month.

Here it is nearly November 26th. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal's feast day is November 27th, and Saint Catherine Labouré's is November 28th. Yet, I am just getting some time to plan our local Catholic homeschool group's monthly feast day gathering. 

As I do, I thought I'd share my ideas with you in case, you, like me, are a last-minute mom.

Okay, here goes:

The three ingredients we like to focus on during feast day celebrations are faith, food, and fellowship.

Leaving Fellowship to the Holy Spirit

Matthew 18:20 has long since become my guide for fellowship when it comes to our group's feast day gatherings.

"...where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them."

History has proven to me that whether only two families can gather, or five, or ten, or more, God is with us. 

In fact, it always seems that when our numbers are small it is because the Spirit is guiding those of us in attendance to the fact that someone needs an extra ear or bit of encouragement, and, when numbers are large, fruit becomes apparent, too.

So, planning for fellowship was easy for our upcoming gathering. I simply asked which mom in our group would like to host, then, based on her schedule and mine, picked a date and time before sending an invitation to everyone else.

She hosts. I facilitate.  Two families gather in His name and the Spirit guides whoever else can come.  Perfect!

No Fussing about Food

The time and location of our event determines what we will do for food - a small snack, a picnic, a luncheon, a tea, a dinner potluck...

This time, we are meeting between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., so we are going for a substantial tea potluck, and, since I could find no traditional Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal or Saint Catherine Labouré recipes, nor any suggestion of what the sisters in St. Catherine's convent ate, we decided to go with an "anything connected" approach.

We have asked everyone who is coming to bring a dish or drink to share which is somehow connected to our St. Catherine Labouré, Our Lady, or he Miraculous Medal.  That could mean:

• French foods like croissants with butter and jam, baguettes with cheese, eclairs, French onion soup, etc.

• dishes symbolic of Our Lady, which typically include blue and white items

• dishes that remind us of the symbolism in the Miraculous Medal, such as pasta "serpents" with a Mary statue on them (depicting Mary crushing a serpent beneath her feet), golden drinks or foods for the Blessed other appearing as radiant as a sunrise "in all her perfect beauty", anything circular with "rays" shooing out of them to "...symbolize graces (Mary) shed upon those who ask for them", anything white to remind us of purity and "O Mary, conceived without sin, (who) pray(s) for us who have recourse to (her)," anything in a cross or M shape, small food shaped like 12 stars (for the 12 stars symbolizing apostles, heart-shaped foods (for the Sacred heart of Jesus who died for us, and the immaculate Heart of Mary who intercedes for us)

Obviously, with these suggestions, our feast table could end up with just about anything on it in the way of food. (It is always fun to see how our potlucks take shape.) 

Along with the food, we'll set out some candles, peg dolls, and, of course, Miraculous Medals.

This is one doll from a Marian peg doll swap we did.  She may grace our table.

 {Some links which follow may be affiliate links.}

One or more of these books will also be out on our feast day table:

Source: Amazon

our own copy of Saint Catherine Labouré: And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Source: Amazon

a library copy of Saint Catherine Labouré: And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Source: Amazon

a library copy of St. Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous Medal

Source: Amazon

our old used copy of the now out-of-print Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Coloring Book

Planning for Easy Faith-Connected Activities

As families arrive at our feast day celebrations, the parents usually begin to put together the feast day table while the children greet each other.  Some just like to chat; others like something to do with their hands. So we'll have out color sticks,watercolor pencils, paintbrushes and small cups of water along with a variety of coloring pages, such as:

• Miraculous Medal from Family, Feast and Feria
• the Miraculous Medal from Catholic Icing
• the Miraculous Medal from Catholic Playground
• Saint Catherine Labouré from Catholic Playground
• the Medal Youth Leaflet from the Notre Dame Chapel of the Miraculous Medal
• Saint Catherine Labouré and Our Lady from St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church 
• Saint Catherine Labouré and Our Lady on Crusaders for Christ
• Saint Catherine Labouré from My Catholic Kids
• the Miraculous Medal from Vincentian Marian Youth USA

These dolls from a Marian Apparition peg doll swap will likely decorate our feast table.

Then, after everyone has arrived and the feast day table has been prepared, we gather for a group chat and prayer time.  For Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine Labouré chat, I will open by showing my peg dolls and asking:

• Who is St. Catherine Labouré?
• What significant events happened to her?
• What virtues did she model for us?
• Does anyone know what the connection is between St. Catherine Labouré and the Blessed Mother?
• Can anyone tell us a little about the Miraculous Medal?

Depending on what the children are able to tell me, I will either just add to their answers in order to fill in details about St. Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous Medal or I will read them a brief biography of St. Catherine Labouré from the Picture Book of Saints.  (I may use a powerpoint about St. Catherine from the Vincentian Marian Youth USA siteas a quick reference.)

Chat complete, I will lead the children in praying a prayer I found at Catechist:

God of All People, we pray to live your will in our lives like St. Catherine Laboure. Help us to love you and serve you as she did. May we be humble and not seek attention for ourselves—but always seek glory for you. We know that with you all things are possible. Amen.

After that, I may have the children act out a more detailed story of St. Catherine Labouré as told in a pdf from the Vincentian Marian Youth USA site.

I will also hand out Miraculous Medals to all of the children and have them inspect the medals as we note the symbolism on the front and back sides as found on the Divine Mercy site.

I'll give each child a length or ribbon, too, to make a makeshift necklace to hold their medals on, and, then, we may pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal as found on Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. O Most Powerful Virgin, Mother of Our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that in union with you,we may enjoy the bliss of Heaven forever. Amen.

We may also talk about how St. Catherine Labouré lived her life humbly, quietly, and in service to others and said, "One must see God in everyone." In doing so, I will share a quote from Saint Catherine:

Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him, ‘Lord I am here. Tell me what you would have me to do.’  If he gives me some task, I am content and I thank him.  If he gives me nothing, I still thank him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that.  And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart.  I tell him about my pains and joys, and then I listen…  If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen.  God always speaks to you when you approach him plainly and simply.

Then, I will ask:

• How do you pray?
• Doyou speak?
• Do you listen?
• How might God direct you in service to others this Advent?
• Do you think He is giving you a task to do?

Finally, before closing our prayer and formal activity portion of our gathering to make time for free play, I will lead the children in a brief litany of sorts:

Leader:   St. Catherine, servant of the sick and elderly poor...

All:         Pray for us...

Leader:   ...intercede for us that we may grow in the virtue of humility.  St. Catherine, visionary of the Miraculous Medal...

All:         Pray for us.

Leader:   May we model after you, growing in devotion to Mary. St. Catherine, model of prayer and service...

All:         Pray for us...  

Leader:   that, like you, we may approach God plainly and simply.  Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal...

All:         Pray for us.  

Leader:  O Mary, conceived without in, pray for us who have recourse to you.  Amen.

A Couple of Extras

On the way to our homeschool group gathering, my family will likely listen to a favorite Altar Gang CD which mentions the Miraculous Medal and Catherine Laboure.

from Holy Heroes

We may also watch an EWTN Vimeo before departure!

I would love to hear your ideas for celebrating Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine of Laboure with faith, food, and fellowship!

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine Laboure, pray for us!

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Dig Deeper with These 2 Bible Biographies {A Review}

Have you been searching for easy chapter books that engage children in Biblical biographies, challenge them to apply lessons to their own lives, and easily support learning activities such as mapping, timelining, copywork, memory work, and more?  

Then, check out Matt Koceich's Kingdom Files series from Barbour Publishing. I have just read Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? and recommend them!

What is the Kingdom Files Series?

The Kingdom Files is a series of juvenile biographies written by Matt Koceich which are designed to introduce kids to heroes of the Bible.  Each book is set up in a similar fashion with:

• a Fact File that lends itself nicely to exercises in mapping, outlining, timelining.

• an Action File that offers a kid-friendly narrative in an easy-to-read font with plenty of white space and black-and-white illustrations.

• gray Clues boxes throughout the narrative that highlight thought-provoking details.

• a Power File that takes the familiar story of a Bible hero and extends it through highlighting specific lessons and suggesting ways we can apply the lessons to our own lives.  This section also offers Bible verses for memory.

All this is packaged neatly in a paperback of less than 100 pages.

Great for Developing Readers

My daughter with dyslexia typically struggles with chapter books, but happily made reading the narrative portion of Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? to me an August-September goal for herself.  So, whenever we have a few minutes to ourselves, we've been cuddling up and doing just that - having her read me the story.

It's been great!

My daughter is already quite familiar with Mary's story, but was curious how this particular book would tell it and has found the layout and content of the book to be at a "just right" level for her for her growing reading competency.  She's breezed through some of the text and surprised us both tackling big words on other pages.

We've also both enjoyed the Clues boxes as things I read to her as a break from her reading to me.  I especially appreciated how the ideas in these boxes inspire short conversations and highlight virtues, as well as, sometimes, Biblical parallels.

I also like how the Power-Up's at the end of the book extend the narrative story, challenging us to think more deeply and apply lessons from Bible heroes to our own lives  They make the book a biography, Bible study, devotional, and self-help book in one!  Love it.

My daughter liked the book as well, although she did ask me why so many parts of the story she knows as Mary's story are missing.  I explained to her that the Kingdom Files books focus just on what the Bible says about certain people, not on what has been handed down via Tradition.  Thus, this book sticks to Mary's journey through marriage, motherhood, the loss of her son, and his resurrection - telling Mary's story as found in the Bible.

When I asked my daughter what she thought of Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?, she said:

The reason I like Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? is that you can just read the story, and the little clues can go on the side, so you don't have to read them until later. 

Or, if you want, you can just read the clue boxes to find out about some virtues and facts about Mary and how she trusts in God.  The Clue boxes are easy to find, because they are highlighted.

You can also read the Power Ups.  They tell you how to take Mary's story and incorporate it into your own life.  They also include memory verses.  I like how the memory verses are written out and are not just a short note of the Bible chapter and verse, like "Luke 1:46".  Instead, they have the whole verse written for you so you do not have to look it up.

I like the Action File part of the book the best.  Mommy likes the Power Ups the best.

My daughter is absolutely right about me liking the Power Ups!  In fact, I am thinking about using the ones from this book as family studies next May since it is a month dedicated to Mary.

Familiar Characters, Wonderful Lesson

My daughter has succeeded so well with Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? that I plan to encourage her to read Who Was Jonah? next.  Thus, I decided to keep the Jonah book as a special one for the two of us to read together before letting either of my son's read through it.   Of course, though, since I knew I would be reviewing the book before my daughter would have a chance to read it to me, I did quickly pre-read it myself.

In doing so, I was impressed by how Who Was Jonah? goes beyond the simple episodes of Jonah's life that most children find highlighted in Bible storybooks and dives a bit deeper into the full story of Jonah as told in the Bible and how it applies to our own lives.  It truly takes Jonah out of the whale's belly and into relevance for life today.

Both Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? are written so that an 8-12 year old can read, enjoy, and learn from them.  They are also written, I found, so that a parent reading along can be reminded of truths and pushed to live our callings better.  Yes, most certainly,the Spirit whispered to me, reminded me, convicted me, and pushed me more than once as I read these wonderful Christian biographies that I would recommend for any family seeking to deepen their understanding of how Bible heroes can illuminate everyday living.

Learn More

See what other Crew Review families thought about Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?.

Read the reviews!

The Kingdom Files series currently includes 6 books about Bible heroes and the series website offers free printable game sheets and educator reosurces related to them.

Author Matt Koceich also writes Biblical fiction, which my family has enjoyed.

Imagine

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• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing/
• Twitter:https://twitter.com/barbourbuzz
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BarbourPublishing1
  
  
  
  
  

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Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Aids

The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so my daughter helped me set up our August liturgical shelf with an aim to focus our prayers this month.

On the base of our display, we chose to use a blue tablecloth with white lace over it, since Mary is traditionally depicted in blue and white.  (Blue for royalty and heaven; white for purity.)  My daughter, however, also thought we needed red for Mary's Immaculate Heart.  So, she got to work with cardstock, cutting out a red heart and attaching it to a handmade origama box.

Initially, we were going to use the box to hold some sort of small  item each time we prayed, much like we did with the small chalice in our July liturgical shelf, but, then, we realized that the box is the perfect size for prayer cards.  So, it became our prayer card holder.  

If you make something similar, though, you could easily place a flower petal, bead, or small object in the box every time your offered a prayer to Mary and her Immaculate Heart.

{Some links in this post are affiliate ones.}

Some prayers you could use,might be the ones found on the prayer cards we are using: The Golden Prayer, An Offering to Mary, and the Consecration to Mary.

Statues and images also help focus our prayers, so one one side of our prayer card holder, we placed our Immaculate Heart of Mary statue.  (Long-time readers my recognize the statue as she has been in our mini Mary gardens, Assumption celebration tables, and more.)

On the other side of our prayer card holder, we put our peg doll of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (We got this in a Marian swap we did.)

Then, we balanced the corners of our shelf with two mini displays, too.

On one side, my daughter placed a favorite card with an image of our Lady and Our Lord on a wooden easel (almost like this one) and surrounded it with blue and white candles.

On the other side, I put our read together for the month: St. Louis De Montfort: The Story of Our Lady's Slave and surrounded it with a homemade Paschal candle and an Immaculate Heart of Mary prayer candle.  We also put some rosaries there for easy reach!

All of the prayer aids on our August feast table, we hope, will help us focus our prayer and turn our own hearts towards virtues and live for Jesus, as Mary's heart is always turned.   

We'd love to see pictures of your August liturgical shelf, feast table, or prayer corner and also to hear about your favorite books, images prayers, etc. related to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Please do share them in a comment here or on our Facebook page.

We'd also appreciate if you'd pray with us for a baby we know that had unexpected heart surgery within the past few weeks and may need another surgery if a miracle of healing does not occur. 

Thank you for praying with us!

O Most Blessed Mother, 

heart of love, heart of mercy, 

ever listening, caring, consoling, 

hear our prayer. 

As your children, 

we implore your intercession 

with Jesus your Son. 

Receive with understanding and compassion,

the petitions we place before you today,

especially for the healing 

of the heart of a baby named Alex. 

We are comforted 

in knowing your heart is ever open 

to those who ask for your prayer.

We trust to your gentle care and intercession,
those whom we love and who are sick
or lonely or hurting. 

Help all of us, Holy Mother, 

to bear our burdens in this life

until we may share eternal life 

and peace with God forever.
Amen 

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3 Ways to Celebrate the Assumption of Mary

August 15 is the feast day of the Assumption of Mary, so, once again, we are planning festivities with friends.

As I so often do, I am taking a look back before planning forward, As I do, I thought I would share how we celebrated the Assumption of Mary last year, since I think it could inspire some of your domestic church celebrations this year.

~1~
Enjoy "Assumption Waffles" as a Family Breakfast (or Breakfast-for-Dinner)

We have a long-standing tradition of enjoying waffle sundaes on the Assumption.

Thus, last year, I greeted my family with a simple Assumption of Mary breakfast on the deck.

Flowers brought cheer to our table and, also, reminded us that today is a traditional day for the Blessing of the Herbs and Flowers.

A Madonna Rosary Holder focused us on Our Lady's image and also reminded us to pray the Rosary, or at least the Assumption decade.

A beautiful image of the Assumption offered us talking points in the way of a picture study and pages from A Year with God were read as well.

Blue and white candles, table decor, and food, all reminded us of Our Lady - the white for her purity and the blue for royalty, the heavens, and peace.

The waffle sundaes themselves with rich with symbolism:

Round brown GFCF waffles served as our "earth".  These were topped with syrup for the "sweetness of our Lord" and blueberries for the heavens (and to remind us of traditional Assumption festivities honoring first fruits).  Other toppings were: banana slices, ice cream, yogurt, and/or cashew nuts all reminiscent of the clouds so often depicted in images of the Assumption as well as of the purity of Mary and of God's love for us.

We all loved our breakfast - although one tired boy had trouble waking up for it as can be seen by his face in the photo - and will be repeating some semblance of it this year.

This year, however, we will be adding a bit of typology to our chat, since, each year, I try to add some new bit of symbolism, catechism, story, or artwork to our celebrations.

In Number 4:4-6. It says when the Ark was outside the Holy of Holies (when it was being transported) it was to be covered with a blue veil.

The Virgin Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, often appears in blue to visionaries (as she did as Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Our Lady of Banneax and in so many more of apparitions of Our Lady.

In the Catechism is says, "Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of God dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God [...] with men.'" (CCC# 2676) 

The Virgin Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, often appears in blue to visionaries (as she did as Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Our Lady of Banneax and in so many more of apparitions of Our Lady. 

In the Catechism is says, "Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of God dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God [...] with men.'" (CCC# 2676)

~2~
Go to Mass and Spend Heavenly Time Outdoors

My husband and I have long considered the beach of be a bit of "heaven on earth", so, after Mass in a nearby town, we took a short nature walk to the ocean and enjoyed a quick picnic lunch before he had to go off to work.  

Of course, by the time we had been to noon Mass, walked out to the beach, and prayed grace, everyone was hungry and wanted to eat, so Daddy was being goofy during Mom's "capture the moment for my memory" photos.

Then, we were all too busy enjoying chips, hummus, and watermelon by the ocean to take more photos.

I also laughed, because our quick picnic lunch was packed more for convenience than for symbolism, yet the children noted symbolism: 

Our 3-sided chips brought to mind the Holy Family, where Mary began her life as Mother of God and of the Holy Trinity, which she is now sees as Queen of Heaven.

Dipping our chips in hummus reminds us of how God continually comes down to earth for us - walking in the garden with Adam and Eve, coming in human form as Jesus, descending as the Holy Spirit...

And, fruit reminded us, again, of the traditional blessings made around the world today as well as of how when we say "yes" to God like Mary did, it brings fruit.

~3~
Gather for An Assumption Day Nature Walk, Blessing, "Tea", and Crafts

Once again this year, our friend played host and I facilitator for a wonderful Assumption Day celebration for her children and mine.

We started with a nature walk to go find herbs and wildflowers.

Shortly after we began, my daughter made a perfect find:

Wild blueberries for Our Lady's blue!

Yum! So tiny, but so delicious!

Then, while the girls kept on searching for wildflowers...

...building tiny bouquets...

..the boys went on ahead and found grapes - albeit sour grapes, which reminded us that in some places, like Armenia, they specifically bless grapes on this day.

Why?

In Old Testament times, grapes had a special place of honor and were considered the “first fruits”, so special services of thanksgiving were conducted by priests in the temple.

With the birth of Jesus, the dedication took on a new meaning: Jesus Christ was the first born—or the first fruit—of Mary and, as such, was offered to God in the temple. (Luke 2:25-30) 

Since Mary is seen as the image of humanity fully obedient to God and ultimately sanctified by doing God’s will, as we remember her falling asleep in Christ and Assumption into heaven, we celebrate the blessing of grapes.

Then, we went back to my friend's house to pray the Blessing of the Herbs and Flowers.

As we prayed, we blessed her gardens with Holy Water.

Then, we went inside to make small Marian vases.

Once these were made, we each picked out wildflowers and places them in our vases as we prayed the Assumption decade of the rosary.

Finally, as a break from free play the yard and pool, we enjoyed our simple tea, with "Mary in the Heavens"...

...grapes, which are traditional on this day, as well as herbed tomato salad, because herbs are traditional, too...

..."Blueberry heaven"...

...herb-infused waters (again, for the herb traditions of this day)....

...white casein-free "ice cream" (for purity and the sweet love of God), plus a good helping of silliness...

...and plenty of blessed beauty smiles!

It was a lovely celebration!

More Ideas

We hope this look back at our observances of the Assumption of Mary inspire celebrations for you and yours this year!

If you'd like more inspiration, feel free to browse former sharing at:

Celebrate the Assumption of Mary with Food, Fun, and Fellowship

Celebrate the Assumption of Mary through Fun and Food!

Plan for An Assumption Day Playdate - A Round Up

A Simple Assumption Celebration for the Sick

Our Assumption Day Tea – A Day Full of Moments of Grace

Assumption of Mary: No Cake Nor Juice Boxes, Just Some Drama

The Assumption of Mary: It’s the Process (and the Aim) Not the Product

Mother Mary, pray for us.

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