If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m going on a pilgrimage to England with Fr. Tim Grumbach! Our friends at Select International Tours have planned the whole thing, and I worked with them to pick the BEST of the best stops for the ultimate Catholic trip.

I would love for you to come too! We can bond over our favorite English saints and writers, pray together, and drink tea together. You can find the whole pilgrimage itinerary (and trip details) in this PDF, but it’s all words and no pictures which is a bummer because we’re going to see some amazing sites.

Enter this blog post; your pilgrimage preview, or photo itinerary as it were . . .

 

 

So without further ado, I present our pilgrimage!

 

 

Day 1: Leave the USA

 

 

The pilgrimage includes airfare from the USA to London Heathrow Airport. If you’re already in England and want to join just choose the “land only” option when you’re signing up and you won’t be charged for airfare from the USA!

 

 

Us on the airplane leaving for the pilgrimage ⌄⌄⌄⌄

 

 

via GIPHY

 

 

Just kidding we’ll hopefully all be sleeping because the flight is an overnight flight with breakfast and dinner served on board.

 

 

Day 2: Arrive in London

 

 

We’ll say hi to our tour manager, and head to Mass at the magnificent Church of St. Etheldreda! This is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in England. We’ll also take a panoramic tour of London, seeing Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Then we can explore a bit on our own before checking into the hotel, grabbing some Yorkshire pudding and roast beef, and then hitting the hay.

 

 

Church of St. Etheldreda

 

 

 

 

The first two images come from the St. Etheldreda website. The second two show the full interior of the church! Image 3: Source. Image 4: Source. The statues on the walls are of English Martyrs during the Elizabethan era.

Check out the fascinating history of St. Etheldreda’s here. And take a virtual 3D tour here!

 

 

Our other Day Two stops!

 

 

 

 

Image 1: Buckingham Palace, Image 2: Trafalgar Square, Image 3: Trafalgar Square, Image 4: St. Paul’s Cathedral

 

 

Day 3: The Feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher

 

 

Can I just say how cool it is that we’ll be in London for these fellows’ feast day!? Day three of our pilgrimage is ALL about the English martyrs. We’ll start with Mass at Brompton Oratory which was founded by Cardinal Newman.

 

 

 

 

Images from The London Oratory website!

 

 

Then it’s off to have a tour of Tyburn, the home of the infamous Tyburn Tree (aka. The Elms, the Elms near Tyburne, Tyburn Tree, the Deadly Never Green Tyburn Tree, the Triple Tree) the gallows in the town of Tyburn, a favorite spot for executions in the 15 and 16 hundreds, and home now to the shrine of the English Martyrs.

 

 

 

 

Images 1 and 2: Source, Image 3: Source.

 

 

We’ll also visit: the cell of St. Thomas More in the Tower of London, Tower Hill, the site of his execution, St. Peter ad Vincula, to pray before his remains, and visit All Hallows Chapel, where his daughter, Margaret, prayed for her father during his execution.

 

 

 

 

Images above: 1. St. Thomas More’s Cell, 2. The Bell Tower where his cell is, 3. Tower Hill Memorial, 4&5. St. Peter ad Vincula, and 6. All Hallows Church

 

 

Day 4: Thames Dinner Cruise

 

 

First, Mass, of course, ! Today we’ll be celebrating Mass at the Westminster Cathedral. Then a visit to Westminster Abbey, St. Edward the Confessor, the Poets Corner, and the 17 British monarchs who are buried there. Afterward, we’ll head to Westminster Hall where St. Thomas More’s trial was held. And then in the evening a cruise on the Thames River! Food, wine, entertainment (the classy kind), and some sweet views of the Tower of London, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and others all lit up for the night!

 

 

 

 

These are all of the Westminster Cathedral. As you can see it’s quite glorious . Images 1, 4, and 5 are from the cathedral website. Image 2: Source. Image 3: Source.

 

 

 

 

St. Edward the Confessor’s Tomb, The Oldest Door in Britain (conveniently located at the Abbey for our viewing pleasure), The Nave of the Abbey, the Poet’s Corner, and Westminster Hall. All images of the Abbey are from the Westminster Abbey website.

 

 

 

 

The London Eye, Tower Bridge, and The Tower of London.

 

 

Day 5: Canterbury and Aylesford

 

 

Today we’ll be visiting the Canterbury Cathedral, The Friars – Aylesford Priory, and the Shrine of the Glorious Assumption and St. Simon Stock

 

 

 

 

The first three images are of the Canterbury Cathedral (Image 1: source, Image 2: source, Image 3: source), and the second three images are from the Aylesford Priory and Shrine of the Glorious Assumption and St. Simon Stock. The images of the Priory are from their website.

 

 

Day 6: Norwich and Walsingham

 

 

Today’s all about the mystic St. Julian of Norwich and Our Lady of Walsingham! First we’ll visit the shrine of St. Julain of Norwich in . . . Norwich . Then we’ll visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist before hitting the road to Walsingham to celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham !

 

 

 

 

The first two images are of the shrine of St. Julian of Norwich. Image 1: Source, Image 2: Source. The second two are of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Image 3: Source. Image 4: Source.

 

 

 

 

The images above are of the beautiful grounds at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham!

 

 

Image 1: Source. Images 2, 3, and 4: Source.

 

 

Day 7: A Day to explore in London

 

 

Today’s a free day!

Is there anything in London that you’ve been dying to do?! I need some ideas so drop them in the comments! Here are a few ideas to get you started Stop by the Natural History Museum or the Tate Britain to see classics by English artists. Enjoy high tea at one of the many tea houses in the city. Or see what’s playing at one of the many theaters in the West End! You could see The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Hamilton or bunches of others!

 

 

 

 

Image 1: Source, Image 2: Source, Image 3: Source, Image 4: Source, Image 5: Source, Image 6: Source

 

 

Day 8: Oxford and our literary heroes!

 

 

Today we’ll be heading to Oxford to visit the favorites spots of some of our favorite authors, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis We’ll start with a visit to the graves of Tolkien and Lewis, then stop by Lewis’ home “the Kilns” before visiting and celebrating Mass at the Christ Church Cathedral. We’ll also spend the night in Oxford

 

 

 

 

Image 1: C.S. Lewis’ grave, Image 2: J.R.R. Tolkien’s grave, Image 3: The Kilns, Image 4: Christ Cathedral Choir and Organ, Image 5: Christ Cathedral Nave and Alter, Image 6: Christ Cathedral Quad

 

 

Day 9: Oxford again!

 

 

First, we’ll take a jaunt (literal walking through quaint Oxford) to Littlemore, home of St. John Henry Newman. Then we’ll attend Mass in the chapel where he converted, and visit Bermingham Oratory where both St. John Henry Newman and J.R.R. Tolkien lived! We’ll top it all off with dinner at a local restaurant!

 

 

 

 

Image 1: The College At Littlemore, Image 2: The Bermingham Oratory, Image 3: The Bermingham Oratory, Image 4: The Bermingham Oratory

 

 

Day 10: Oford, then Stratford, then London

 

 

Today will be the last full day of our trip . First, Mass at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Then it’s off to Stratford Upon Avon to visit the home of Shakespear, there will be time to walk around and explore before heading to London for dinner and our last overnight before hitting the road back to the U.S.!

 

 

 

 

Image 1: St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Image 2: St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Image 3: St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Image 4: Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (Shakspears future wife, not the actress!), Image 5: Chedham’s Yard in Stratford, Image 6: Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park in Stratford, Image 7: Shakspears Home, Image 8: Shakspears Home

 

 

Day 11: Goodbye to dear old England!

 

 

And today we’ll say goodbye to our new friends, and head for home!

 

 

As you can see this trip is PACKED, but not hectic.

 

 

We’re going to visit so many beautiful churches, and be able to pray in the hallowed halls where so many saints and martyrs have prayed over thousands of years. We’ll get a taste of the city, AND get to enjoy the English countryside. It really is going to be a marvelous trip.

 

 

I hope I’ll see you there, and if you have any questions you can send an email to helpdesk@catholicallyear.com or reach out to Select International Tours directly!

 

 

Join me in England!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more about the pilgrimage in this blog post! Or go directly to sign up here!

 

The post Kendra’s Pilgrimage to England: All the Details appeared first on Catholic All Year.

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Sign up to join me here!

We’ll be spending time in London, visiting the sites of St. Thomas More’s imprisonment and martyrdom ON HIS FEAST DAY. We’ll have a dinner cruise on the Thames, and visit the shrines of St. Simon Stock, St. Julian of Norwich, and Our Lady of Walsingham. We’ll go to Oxford where the great St. John Henry Newman, J.R.R Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis spent much of their lives. Lastly, we’ll swing by Shakespeare’s house before we head on home.

We’ll see amazing sites and share fun experiences together. Fr. Tim Grumbach will be saying Masses for us in beautiful places. He’ll be available to hear confessions. We’ll both be giving talks on the history and inspiration of the places we’ll be visiting. 

We’ll also have time to hang out and chat!

FAQs

Is this a girls’ trip? No! All are welcome. Women, men, wives, husbands, friends, singles, etc.

Can I bring babies or kids along? Yes! I’ll be bringing at least one kid with me. We love kids.

Can I bring my parents along? Yes! The trip is intended for all ages. My parents would be coming if I didn’t need them to babysit. If you have specific questions about accessibility, please get in touch.

Are we to be friends, then? Yes! I hope so!

I can’t wait to raise a glass to some great saints and literary giants with you! Drop a comment below and let me know what you’re most excited about!

I know you might want a few more details, so you can find our entire itinerary in this PDF. And you can find all of the fine print and sign up to join me in Merrie Olde England here!

The post Come to England with me! appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Most of these practices developed naturally for us over the years. They are certainly not unique to our family, but they aren’t things *I* grew up doing . . . so often the kids are the ones to remind me about them! And while I don’t think I’ll give up grumbling about driving any time soon, I’ve come to really appreciate the car as a great place to pray together as a family. If we’re going to be trapped there every day, we can use that time for good!

Here are five simple practices that work for us for being more Catholic in the car.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross when Passing a Catholic Church

As Catholics, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist in every tabernacle of every Catholic Church in the world. That means every time I drive past a Catholic Church . . . JESUS IS IN THERE! It’s a big deal! A simple yet powerful way to acknowledge that Truth is to pause the conversation, turn down the radio, and make the Sign of the Cross, focusing for a brief moment on Our Lord, as we drive past. In our family we also usually add a quick Act of Spiritual Communion prayer.

The kids are so used to it that they just naturally interrupt themselves mid-sentence to say the prayer, then roll right back into the conversation. If we have a couple minutes to spare, we’ll stop in front of the church to pray for a moment, or run inside to make a quick visit to the Blessed Sacrament. But even when it’s just that brief act of making the Sign of the Cross, I really cannot say enough for this beautiful way to witness the Truth of what we believe as Catholics to our children, our friends in the car with us, people waiting at the bus stop, etc. 

From the archives: Being Weird Catholics: Seven Ways We Help Our Family Believe in the Real Presence

2. Say the Eternal Rest Prayer when Passing a Cemetery

Another one that’s second nature to us these days is to say the Eternal Rest Prayer when passing a cemetery. 

Each year, in observance of the Holy Souls Indulgence in the first week of November, we make a point to drive past a cemetery each day, out of our way if necessary, to be able to pray for the dead on each of the eight days of the plenary indulgence. From that practice, developed our family habit of saying the Eternal Rest Prayer any time we pass a cemetery year-round (for which there is always a partial indulgence!).

This is another example of actions speaking loudly. As Catholics, we believe that prayers for the dead are important and efficacious. What better way to prove that we believe it, than to make a habit of actually doing it?!

3. Say the Memorare when Hearing an Emergency Siren

My little kids ask a lot of questions. They want to know about ambulances and police cars and fire trucks and where they’re going and why. I tell them that these first responders are off in a hurry to help someone. Having had more than our fair share of ambulance rides in the past few years, I think it’s a fair assumption to make that, wherever that siren is headed . . . the people involved could use our prayers.

Any prayer will do, but I especially like the Memorare for petitionary prayer. Ask Mom, she’ll help.

I think it’s been effective over the years as a way to teach and model empathy. It can be tempting to focus on curiosity, on “rubbernecking” to try to see what’s going on at an accident site, or if someone is pulled over. Or to be frustrated by traffic and delay. But it’s always better to focus myself on charity and prayer instead. 

4. Say the Rosary

I’ve talked about this one many times on the blog, starting here, and here’s the video version . . . 

But I’ll say it again: over many years for our family, the car has proven to be the most effective, most predictable, most consistent way to get to a family Rosary. It’s not always perfect, but that’s okay!

We say a family Rosary together, especially on longer car rides, but we’ll also do one on the way to and from Mass. We share intentions, we take turns leading, people get reminded to speak up and quit spacing out. Sometimes it’s frustrating. But it happens, and that’s the most important thing.

5. Pray by the Clock

Liturgical living gives rhythm and order to the year, with particular devotions and ways to focus our prayer assigned to different days and seasons. But liturgical living can also give rhythm and order to each day!

Having a “Plan of Life” in which we commit to particular prayers and devotions at particular times of day is a VERY effective way to consistently weave prayer throughout the day. Especially for folks with a regular driving schedule, deciding to set some of those regular devotions at times when you know you’ll be in the car can be a great way to make sure they happen. After all, cars these days have clocks, which are precise, reliable, and, um, stout-hearted?

I always plan to say a Morning Offering and a Guardian Angel Prayer first thing when I wake up, but I *also* plan to say them again with the school kids in the car in the morning (and again with the homeschooled kids when we start our school day). So . . . odds are REALLY good that it’s actually going to happen for me.

I also keep an eye on the car clock for other devotions like the noon Angelus (or, during the Easter season, the Regina Caeli) or a 3pm Divine Mercy chaplet. As noted above, I try to work in a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament, even if it’s sometimes from the car because I love you, Jesus, but I’m not waking up this baby. And a Rosary. And Spiritual Reading can happen via podcast. And getting myself to Mass or Confession happens in the car. So, the car is really a whole Plan of Life facilitation machine, when you really think about it, right?

Anyway, these practices have made a big difference for my personal life of faith, and have been a help to my family. I hope some of them will work for you, too, and we’ll all be liturgical driving in no time!

The post Being Catholic in the Car: five ways to pray and live liturgically while driving appeared first on Catholic All Year.

If you’re new around here, you can get up to speed on this particular issue here.

And the recent, not so great developments here (but also, what the husband is calling “the greatest voicemail a dad has ever been left”).

As you can see, the husband is in good spirits, as always.

I have to admit to having struggled a bit. Since, despite that ONE THING, he’s very well, and isn’t experiencing any symptoms or side effects, he got the news on a Wednesday and headed off on a business trip on Thursday. Unsupervised for a couple days there, it was easier for my imagination to drift towards the negative. But I was so comforted by all the prayers and support offered via social media as I was sharing things there, and by my good friend who suggested we ditch the kids for Adoration and Korean BBQ, always a good combination.

For Lent this year, I’ve re-dedicated myself to reading In Conversation With God each morning. It’s a year-long set that I’ve had since 2010 and have read many times, but it never fails to kick me in the gut exactly as necessary. Case in point, on the morning that we’d get the results, I read . . .

And also . . .

Gulp. I believe it, though, I really do. I do ask in prayer for the outcome I want, but always, ALWAYS first that God’s will be done and that my will be conformed to God’s will. I believe that no matter what happens, we will not be forsaken or forgotten by God. We will be okay, somehow. But, for the life of me, I cannot see quite HOW, and that’s what I struggle with.

So it was a challenging week, waiting for the consultation that would set our expectations and next course of action. It is always better for me to keep myself busy, so I finished up a shop update that I had been meaning to do for quite a while, and got the Catholic All April booklet finished and uploaded (here as a pdf and here as a paperback).

On Sunday, we went to early Mass and headed off to see the California Poppy Super Bloom. George was VERY into it.

Perhaps you’ve heard that when California gets a lot of rain over the winter . . . THIS happens:

This was at a state park: the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster. It’s about an hour and a half from our house. Lake Elsinore also has amazing wildflowers, but reports are that it’s really crowded and that you are required to park and pay $10 per person to take a shuttle in. The Poppy Reserve was crowded, but there was a lot of turnover and we were able to park easily (we asked our guardian angels to help us out and someone immediately pulled out of a spot big enough for our beast of a van!), and the paths weren’t too crowded.

If you are anywhere near here, you should DEFINITELY go. It’s uncrowded on weekdays, but even on a weekend (in the morning, anyway) the crowds were manageable and totally worth it.

It is a dazzling display of the extravagance of God.

We’d been out to this same park once before, for the last big superbloom in 2008.

This also just happens to have been the last time the husband was in treatment.

One can’t help but think about the fact that this extraordinary spring beauty comes only after the most cold, wet, miserable winters.

There’s a lesson in there for me . . . I just know it.

In my favorite happy accident photo theme of all time . . . Jack happened to put George in a Cowardly Lion sweatshirt that morning.

And just when I had convinced myself to be okay with whatever would be, on Tuesday at the consultation, we got some really encouraging news. So, I’m feeling grateful anyway . . . and actually. The zapping happens a week from tomorrow, and the new treatment regimen will begin the week after that.

Your prayers are appreciated. To be all official-like, you can sign up here. And if, like me, you wonder how and why and what you do for an hour of adoration, I made this (in pdf or paperback). I’ve found it really useful, myself!

The rest of the new stuff is available in the shop, including the Catholic All April booklet . . .

And all this new stuff . . .

1. Catholic All April Prayer Booklet
2. A Visit to the Blessed Sacrament Prayer Booklet
3. Divine Mercy Novena Prayer Booklet
4. Paschal Greeting for Eastertide (He is risen! He is risen, indeed!)
5. Prayer After Grace for April (O Sacrum Convivium)
6. Stations of the Cross Booklet
7. Holy Week Meal and Activity Planner

• Grace Before and After Meals (free!)
• Stations of the Cross Coloring Book
• Holy Week Meal and Activity Planner
• We Are An Easter People quote
• Angelus Prayer bundle
• Eucharist quotes set of three
• Perpetua and Felicity Hairdo quote
• St. George quote from Shakespeare’s Richard III

Sacrament Keepsake Gifts:

• First Communion Gift Box
• First Communion Keepsake Print
• Confirmation Journal
• Confirmation Keepsake Print

Guardian Angel Prayers for kids:

• Star Wars
• Superhero
• Disney Princess
• Fairy Tale
• Sports
• Harry Potter

And that’s it for today! I’ve got a few other posts milling about in my brain, and I’m hoping to get them typed up soon. But the best thing about all this uncertainty is getting to live more in the moment, so we’ll just have to wait and see when it happens.

The post Feeling Grateful . . . Anyway appeared first on Catholic All Year.

There are a lot of photos. But it’s not my fault. Zion and Bryce Canyon are astoundingly beautiful. I want you to see it all. And then I want you to come back Thursday for the big Joules Clothing photo shoot. (And some exciting news!)

Southern Utah is about an eight-hour drive from Southern California. So we loaded up the Nissan NV with luggage and car seats and kids and barf bucket hats, and off we went.

We took a detour to see the kitschy sights on Route 66.

And to drive down the Las Vegas strip.

We arrived on Wednesday evening at our home for the holiday: the Zion Ponderosa Ranch.

We had a campsite with a fire pit and a grill and a picnic table, and there were showers and bathrooms and a dishwashing sink. And, oh yeah, a cozy little cabin with real beds and heat. And wifi. Because that’s how I like to camp these days. In a warm bed.

The husband and the boys were in the tent, and Frankie and the girls were in the cabin.

The ranch/resort is between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, so we were able to visit both.

On Thursday, we headed over to Zion to take some photos and pick up Junior Ranger booklets for the kids. They like to earn their Junior Ranger badges at all the National Parks we visit. Then we came back to camp so I could attempt Camping Thanksgiving.

Thanks to the advice of the good people of the Catholic All Year Facebook Page, I had spatchcocked the turkey before we left home, and so we set that on the grill to cook in two pieces. In the meantime, I made Jim’s Mom’s Ginger Pumpkin Bisque recipe, and some green beans on the camp stove, while Betty made the mashed potatoes in the crockpot. Once the turkey was done, the rolls and pies went on the grill to warm up.

Usually my mom hosts Thanksgiving at her house, but this year, they went to Iowa to visit my sister. I hated to think of her turkey dishes not getting used for a whole year. So I brought them with me. Camping. And crystal wine glasses and engraved silver handle cups for the kids. Because I’m fancy.

Dinner turned out great. I’m not a person who couldn’t go on if Thanksgiving dinner had been a disaster. It’s just not that high on my list of priorities, so it was a risk we were willing to take. But it was all hot and cooked and tasty. Although . . . I did cook the bag of giblets again. I have never yet managed to successfully remove the giblets from a turkey. If I take out the neck, there’s a bag of other stuff in there. If I take out a bag of stuff, there’s another secret bag in there. And yet, we are so far all alive.

The sunset was pretty spectacular.

The next day we got up early to head to Bryce Canyon. But before we got there we saw . . . SNOW. As it turned out, none of the kids born since we moved from Chicago back to Southern California had any memory of having been in the snow. So we had to stop. And touch the snow.

Then on to Bryce Canyon.

We hiked down into the red dirt of the canyon, through tunnels and along steep cliffs. It was about a three mile loop.

If you’re in to that sort of thing.

The most striking part of the landscape were these “hoodoos,” which are crazy, giant, towering rock formations that are very, very old but look poised to tip over at any moment.

Also, there were wild animals everywhere. We saw wild turkeys, bison, big horn sheep, birds of all kinds, and an absolutely ridiculous number of deer. We saw at least a hundred deer.

On Saturday, we headed out hiking again. This time back at Zion.

The parks are less than two hours apart, and both have the distinctive stripes of color in the rock formations that we had seen before at the Grand Canyon, but the hikes were really different.

Saturday’s hike had forests (and sandwiches). And rivers.

And reflecting pools.

And waterfalls.

It was a 5.2 mile loop and there were a lot of rocky steps and scrambling over stones, but Frankie did almost the whole thing walking on his own.

Lulu got to ride with me for most of the way.

But Gus wanted to help, right at the end.

And there you have it. The Tierneys went to Zion and Bryce. We highly recommend them. Good job, God.

Then, Sunday morning, we got back in the van and headed west. You’re not going to believe this, but a few other folks had the same plan.

But we made it home eventually! After a stop at St. George in St. George for Mass. And the longest recorded bathroom stop in human history in Primm, NV. Never again. Next time, I’m getting us one of these. That is all.

Okay, Thursday will have all the photos of the cute kids in the cute clothes, and the multiple big, exciting announcements. Then sometime after that, I’ve got a really, really great giveaway. So much good stuff comin’ at ya.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice, peaceful start to your Advent. Whew.

In case you are still in the market for one, here’s our cheap and easy, long-lasting, non-table-ruining Advent Wreath. It’s not too late!

The post My Zion and Bryce Canyon Vacation Photos. Hey, where are you guys all going? Come back! appeared first on Catholic All Year.

It’s a nice mosaic, right? I mean, who doesn’t like the Holy Family out for a little stroll?

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

After Lourdes, we headed off to another, lesser-known Marian apparition site, dating back to the eleventh century: Our Lady of Torreciudad. The Shrine is very, very big and very, very brick.

Inside it are all sorts of interesting things, including a very big altar piece housing a very small Our Lady of Torreciudad statue, and an impressive collection of statues of Our Lady from all over the world.

So there I was, just sitting in a little side chapel devoted to the Holy Family, minding my own business. Ya know, just being prayerful and whatnot, admiring the mosaic scenes from the childhood of Jesus.

Scenes like this one, in which Our Lady is snapping a quick photo of little J on her iPhone 6 so she can share it on Instagram. #callmeblessed #greatthings

Amirite?

This chapel was finished in 1975. The iPhone was introduced in 2007. So EITHER the artist was a prophet who somehow knew that eventually we moms would really appreciate FINALLY having a depiction of the Blessed Virgin to whom we could relate, or . . . that gold stripe is just the edging of Our Lady’s mantle.

But once you see the iPhone, you can’t EVER not see the iPhone.

Our Lady of Blessed Multitasking While Parenting, Pray for Us.

(h/t to Laura at Mothering Spirit for coming up with the perfect title for this image when I posted it on Facebook!)

Stay tuned, unless you’re sick of this, in which case . .  . I’m almost done. Just one more stop before Madrid, and the main event, for which we had MUCH better seats than we deserved. And SOMEONE is going to WIN #whereislulu. I said there would be prizes, and prizes there will be!

Join Kendra on a pilgrimage to England!

“We’ll be spending time in London, visiting the sites of St. Thomas More’s imprisonment and martyrdom ON HIS FEAST DAY . We’ll have a dinner cruise on the Thames, and visit the shrines of St. Simon Stock, St. Julian of Norwich, and Our Lady of Walsingham. We’ll go to Oxford where the great St. John Henry Newman, J.R.R Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis spent much of their lives. Lastly, we’ll swing by Shakespeare’s house before we head on home.”

Read all about it in this blog post! Or go directly to sign up here!

The post Our Lady of Blessed Multitasking While Parenting, Don’t Fail Us Now: Where Was Lulu Part III appeared first on Catholic All Year.

But, the good news is that I really enjoyed all the movies. Wait, no, I really recommend all the movies. One I did not enjoy. But I think I should have watched it, and I think perhaps you should too.

So, whether or not you find yourself encased for hours upon end in an aluminum tube traveling through the air at 600 miles per hour, here are some movies to consider.

1. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller is great as Walter Mitty, a nondescript desk-jobber whose heroic daydreams inspire an actual adventure.

It turns out to be an excellent example of a movie that is true to the spirit of its source material, but is pretty much completely different in every other way. The plot is completely unlike that of the short story upon which it is based (which I also like), but it’s a great translation of Thurber’s concept into modern times.

The visuals are a stunning mix of on-location panoramas and clever computer-generated shots. My favorite is Walter’s imagined superhero-style street flight with the jerk consultant sent to transition Walter out of his job.

He’s a truly unique protagonist, and easy to root for. No gore, no language, no funny business. There is a moral issue with his love interest, who has an estranged husband. But maybe he’ll die? Or their marriage wasn’t valid? Yeah, let’s hope for that second one. It’s rated PG and I think would be appropriate for middle schoolers and up. I don’t think my kids younger than that would find much to care about in it.

Anyway, I loved it. As did Iris at A Country Girl’s Daybook. And SHE even figured out how to make Walter Mitty’s Mom’s Clementine Cake. It looks really tasty.

UPDATE 2024: The recipe originally linked above is no longer available, but here is another Walter Mitty-inspired Celemntine Cake to try!

2. The Book Thief

I watched this movie a second time on the airplane and still liked it. I can’t speak to how it compares with the book upon which it is based, because I still haven’t read it.

But, I loved the acting and the characters really resonated with me. They felt really real and believable and un-idealized. Their reactions to the complicated and tragic world events of WWII in Germany felt true to me.

We see the regular people of one German town, some of whom are terrible, most of whom just go about their lives, and some of whom are really heroic in small and meaningful ways.

I loved the portrayal of the husband and wife who take in Liesel, he is henpecked, she’s a bit of a shrew, and yet, they do love and support each other. No language, very little blood or even violence, especially considering its setting, no love scenes, some sadness. The cinematography is really beautiful.

It’s rated PG-13. I would also let my middle schoolers watch this one, but there are deaths in it that would make them pretty sad.

3. Twelve Years a Slave

Whew. This movie.

This is the one that I can’t say I enjoyed, but am really glad I watched.

It’s based on a book as well, the autobiographical story of a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

The inhumanity and degradation is really hard to watch. I have found that sort of thing really not worth the discomfort it causes me to watch in some TV shows, but I thought it was worth every flinch here.

I spent last summer reading a lot about George Washington and other founding fathers, and about their ownership of slaves. I had kind of managed to convince myself that, obviously, slavery was wrong, but that there were still good people who owned slaves and that there was a way to treat them compassionately, if a slave owner chose to do that.

Watching this movie really showed me otherwise. It showed how every single person involved in slavery is necessarily dehumanized. One character is a good man who refuses to acknowledge the truth about the slave he owns. He sees that Solomon is clearly an educated man, but in the end values his investment more than doing the right thing. There is a psychopath who requires not only labor, but also entertainment from his slaves, and who uses the words of the Bible to further his own interests. There are overseers who are as broken as the men they must subjugate. There are wives who must spend their lives pretending like all of this is okay and normal. And that’s just the white people.

We also see what the institution of slavery did to the slaves themselves. Solomon loses his physical freedom, but he also loses the emotional and moral freedom to stand up for what is right and what he knows he believes. We see black men and women who have abandoned morality for creature comforts or a bit of prestige. It is truly heartbreaking and stomach-turning to watch. But, really, it’s worth it. I think everyone should know.

Really the only heroic characters in the whole movie are another kidnapped man who tries to stand up for a woman who’s going to be sexually assaulted, and he gets murdered, and . . . your friendly neighborhood Brad Pitt, who shows up in what’s basically a glorified cameo to tell us that, and pay attention now children, slavery is WRONG and we should not do it. Gee, thanks Brad Pitt.

But, really, a great and important and well-done movie that you should make yourself watch even though it contains violence and nudity and sex because it wouldn’t be as powerful or as true without those things. I would let older teens watch it, I think. So that they would know.

4. The Blind Side

Somehow I missed this movie when it came out, but, wow, I thought it was great.

Sandra Bullock really IS amazing as the sassy, non-nonsense Tennessee mom who ends up adopting a gentle giant of an abused, abandoned high schooler.

It has a great message of love and family.

It’s rated PG-13. The overall story has a very positive message, but it includes some heavy subject matter like drug use and racism, so again I think I’d reserve it for older teens.

5. The Lego Movie

I had seen this one already (and reviewed it here), but I watched it again and loved it even more.

It’s just exactly my sense of humor.

I especially appreciated the Batman-as-jerk-boyfriend subplot on my second viewing. Really, the whole thing is just so clever and well-done.

It’s PG. All my kids have seen it, but I think it’s best appreciated by the six and over-crowd. It’s an intense action movie with a pretty complicated plot.

6. The Monuments Men

All the famous people are in this movie. Except Brad Pitt, I guess. C’mon Brad Pitt, don’t you also want to explain to us how it’s bad to destroy art?

Anyway, this movie was great to watch as we headed to France, where part of our trip was devoted to the beaches at Normandy and other WWII sites. But I think I would’ve enjoyed it even in my own living room, as kind of a cross between Oceans 11 and Saving Private Ryan.

It explores the question of whether beauty and culture are worth preserving in a time of war, even at the expense of human lives.

George Clooney’s character says modern Western society is founded on Catholic art. Which it IS, of course. I just never expected to hear it from George Clooney.The characters are flawed and interesting and endearing, and the story is compelling. The violence and gore and language is minimal, considering that it’s a war movie. And there’s no funny business. It’s rated PG-13, but I’d save it for older teens.

7. Annie

When I was a girl, Frozen was called Annie.

When MY mom threatened to duct tape my mouth shut if I didn’t stop singing those songs over and over again, they were songs from Annie.

So, maybe it was shortsighted to suggest that my girls watch Annie on the plane. But they loved it, and it was all nostalgic for me. And at least there’s now a little more variety in the constant musical numbers around here.

There are some moments of peril that worried Anita, and some very confusing magical powers (hey, it’s sounding more like Frozen all the time!), and bad guys do bad stuff, but what else would you expect from bad guys? It’s rated PG. I thought it was fine for four-year-olds.

Have you seen any of these? What did you think? What other movies should be on my list for this summer?

And . . . Happy Feasts of the Sacred Heart (Friday) and the Immaculate Heart (Saturday).

The feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity . . . on a Friday, so, live it up people:

The post Movies You Should See Even if You're NOT Stuck on a Plane for Fourteen
Hours appeared first on Catholic All Year.

As usual, His ways are above my ways, and the scheduling worked out perfectly. We got to everything we wanted to do in one very busy day in Lourdes, and we really appreciated having the extra day in Paris.

Our first stop was my reigning “Favorite Church in the World:” Sacré Coeur for morning Mass.

It has beautiful views (when it’s not raining!) and beautiful mosaics.

I love that in the focal artwork of the dome, the artist blends modern composition and style with the pre-Renaissance hieratic scale, making saints or members of the family of God larger in scale than ordinary or less important figures. It is SO COOL.

Next, on account of all the rainy, rainy, rain. We headed to the Louvre to do us some art appreciatin.’

That bottom left photo is the one I took after I had to say, “Stop picking your nose while I’m trying to take your picture in front of the Mona Lisa.” Frankie and Anita really explored the the quality and nature of sensory responses related to, but not limited by, the concept of beauty. Ya know?

This is what it looked like when we lined up all the family so my dad could take a photo of us in the Louvre:

We walked all over the city. We saw the Arc de Triomphe. We ate fancy ice cream that looked like flowers.

We wandered underneath La Tour Eiffel in the rain. It was pretty great.

The next morning we went to Notre Dame Cathedral.

Pro-tip: If you want to get into the restricted area behind the altar and sit in the actual choir stalls, just show up for morning Mass!

Next stop was Rue du Bac, the convent in which St. Catherine Laboure received at least three apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in 1830. Mary gave St. Catherine a vision of the Miraculous Medal, along with the charge to have it created. Easier said than done, that sort of thing. St. Catherine remained anonymous as the recipient of the apparition, all her life, working through her always dubious spiritual director. But, eventually the medals were created and have become extraordinarily popular.

That little sign is all there is to the outside of the convent, but inside are the sister’s living quarters, a pilgrimage office and gift shop, and a really lovely little chapel. St. Catherine Laboure’s incorrupt body is in the chapel.

The Chapel of the Miraculous Medal has just the sweetest altar painting you ever did see. It looks like it could have been done by Eloise Wilkin, of all those precious Little Golden Books. I love how it is so unassuming the outside, but so lovely on the inside.

St. Catherine Laboure’s order of nuns was started by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, our Lulu’s patron saint. St. Louise is another incorruptible, and is also in the chapel.

After Rue du Bac, we had the great pleasure of meeting up with Isabelle!

She reads this blog and offered to show us around, and since she’s a PhD candidate in 19th century France history, the kids can now skip history in school next year. We learned it all and walked everywhere to do it.

Gus likes the stance of the French do not walk guy.

And that was it. Our trip home was relatively uneventful! Thanks for sticking out all the recaps and thanks to those of you who let us pray for you on our trip.

The post #6: And Last, but Not Least, There’s Paris appeared first on Catholic All Year.

If you like Gothic, get thee to Chartres. It’s a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. The present cathedral was begun in 1194 and dedicated in 1260, sixty-six years! But if you saw it, you’d understand. Every inch of it is carved. It’s also notable for having NOT been destroyed in any of the French Revolutions or World Wars.

We arrived in the afternoon and got settled in to our former convent hotel, then headed back out that evening to see a laser light show projected onto the facades of the cathedral. France is pretty far north, and it doesn’t get dark until close to 10pm, so we were conflicted about keeping the kids up to see it. But the people we met raved about it, and we ended up glad to have let the kids stay up to see it. It was one of their favorite experiences of the trip.

The next day, we went to Mass and toured the cathedral.

It’s most famous attractions are (clockwise from upper left):

• This statue of John the Baptist (in the middle), thin from fasting, he wears his camel hair tunic and points to a medallion of the Lamb of God; a dragon is beneath his feet.
• An astrological clock dating from the 16th century. It told not only the time but the day of the week, the month of the year, the time of sunrise and sunset, the phase of the moon and the current sign of the zodiac. Unfortunately, no one has known how to make it work since 1793.
• Our Lady of the Pillar, 1508.
• The “Blue Virgin” stained glass window, created around 1150. And the “Sancta Camisia,” the tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Chartres since 876. The relic was said to have been given to the cathedral by Charlemagne, who received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. Apparently, when you’re the Holy Roman Emperor, you can get some pretty great souvenirs.

Praying for intentions.

And toured the Basilica, built between 1929 and 1954, to honor the newly canonized (1925) St. Therese of Lisieux. Like the Rosary Basilica at Lourdes, it’s covered in mosaics. The style has an almost picture book-type whimsy that I find very endearing. And somehow appropriate to the Little Flower.

Teal and orange are my favorite colors.

Then we visited Les Buissonnets, the childhood home of St. Therese and her sisters and her father, Bl. Louis Martin, after the death of her mother, Bl. Zelie Martin.

It’s a beautiful, comfortable home, quite a contrast with the dark, tiny former prison we visited in which St. Bernadette had lived in Lourdes. I always find it so comforting to see that there are saints from all circumstances and walks of life. Paupers and kings, little girls from fine brick houses, and little girls from one-room hovels, can all get to heaven. There’s a way for each of us.

If you don’t like seeing the actual cut-off hair of a saint, don’t look too closely at that photo on the upper left.

Here’s Gus and I from our trip in 2007 (when we needed a miracle), recreated in 2014. We haven’t changed a bit.

And Frankie DID get to see St. Therese’s toys. But unfortunately, they were behind glass, so he did NOT get to play with them. Hate to say I told you so, kid.

My Little Flowers with the Little Flower, plus one grumpy little brother.

In case you missed them, here are recaps of the parts of the trip where we go to Lourdes and get stranded in Canada.

Next up, installment number four: my very favorite tapestry-not-tapestry and the bloody battlefields and bed-and-breakfasts of Normandy.

The post #3: in Which We Go to Lisieux, Not THE Zoo, Much to Frankie’s Disappointment appeared first on Catholic All Year.

First order of business: Gus’ First Holy Communion at the Grotto.

Accomplished!

It was early. It was chilly. It was in Italian. It was lovely. Gus was so pleased!

After the Mass at the Grotto, we headed in to one of the chapels, where an English speaking priest from South Africa, Fr. Paul, honored Gus on his special day. Also lovely.

Below you can see the crucifix just inside one of the gates, then the Rosary Basilica in front of the  Upper Basilica.

Is it just me or does Cate Blanchette look exactly like Our Lady here?

Then we toured the Upper Basilica:

Any day you just happen upon these guys is probably going to be a good day.

We visited Le Cachot, St. Bernadette’s childhood home. And we had the first of MANY ice creams.

Finally, we did the Candlelight Rosary Procession. Some of us slept through it. Some of us kept lighting our wind shields on fire.

And that was that. Day seized. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St. Bernadette, pray for us.


The next morning, we headed for our next stop: Rocamadour.

It’s a visually stunning and historically interesting pilgrimage site in the Toulouse region.

It was the home of a hermit named Zaccheus, who was maybe THE Zaccheus, who was married to a woman named Veronica, who was maybe THE Veronica. In any case, it has been a popular pilgrimage site for as long as anyone can remember.

But the ice cream was also weird. (Foie Gras? Cheese?)

Stay tuned for installment #3, which includes Chartres, Lisieux (not to be confused with THE zoo), Bayeux, Normandy and the WWII battlefields, and one trip to a French ER. You don’t want to miss it.

The post #2: In Which Gus Receives his First Communion and We All Receive a Valid but Illicit Blessing From a “Bishop” appeared first on Catholic All Year.