March Archives - Catholic All Year

Catholic All Year at Home, Ep. 5: St. Joseph

Catholic All Year — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:11:47 +0000

St. Joseph is the patron that we have chosen for our family this year. So needless to say I absolutely had to do something special to share about our St. Joseph traditions with you!

WATCH NOW

Though he was a quiet man, who left us not even a single quote, there is certainly no shortage of devotion to St. Joseph around the world. In my family, we draw on Sicilian traditions and St. Joseph’s occupation as a carpenter to inspire our food and activities for our celebration.

Watch as the kids and I make cream puffs, hammer nails, and eat spaghetti with our hands off the table. I hope you and your kids find this episode to be an inspiration for fun and easy ways to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph later this month!

You can watch the St. Joseph episode exclusively at Formed.org.

My family will be saying the St. Joseph Novena this year for a special intention. Will you join us? You can sign up here for email reminders from Pray More Novenas if you’d like. The St. Joseph Novena usually begins on March 10 to finish on March 18, but since St. Joseph’s Day is moved to March 20 in 2023, starting on March 11 and finishing March 19 would work too. We’ll be praying for your intentions as well!

Access to all the great Catholic audio and video resources on FORMED is free if your parish has a subscription.

Signing up for FORMED is quick and easy. Just follow the simple instructions below.

1. Go to formed.org/signup

2. Search for your parish by Zip Code/ Postal Code. Click on your parish.

3. Register with your name and email address

4. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED

If your parish doesn’t offer FORMED, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of the individual membership, and if you choose to keep it, it’s just $10 per month.

THIS EPISODE’S RECIPES

St. Joseph – March 20th

Pasta on the Table (Pasta Alla Tavola)

Sfinge Cream Puffs

Caprese Skewers

Melon & Prosciutto Skewers

Spiced Play Dough

Catholic All Year at Home, Ep. 4: St. Frances of Rome

Catholic All Year — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 00:43:41 +0000

Calling all homemakers, wanna-be homemakers, and reluctant homemakers! I’ve got the perfect saint to introduce you to in the latest episode of Catholic All Year at Home!

WATCH NOW

This episode is all about St. Frances of Rome, a young woman who wanted to dedicate her life to God as a nun. It turned out that God had a bit of a different plan in mind and instead, called her first to be, a wife, mother, and homemaker. Her story was very inspiring to me when I was a young wife, mother, and reluctant homemaker myself.

I hope that through this episode you discover a friend who can pray for you and your family as you all tackle your favorite (and not-so-favorite tasks) around your own home.

Plus you’ll get to hear a little bit about how I was introduced to liturgical living, and learn to make some delicious and simple lenten recipes with your kids!

You can watch the St. Frances of Rome episode exclusively at Formed.org.

Access to all the great Catholic audio and video resources on FORMED is free if your parish has a subscription.

Signing up for FORMED is quick and easy. Just follow the simple instructions below.

1. Go to formed.org/signup

2. Search for your parish by Zip Code/ Postal Code. Click on your parish.

3. Register with your name and email address

4. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED

If your parish doesn’t offer FORMED, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of the individual membership, and if you choose to keep it, it’s just $10 per month.

THIS EPISODE’S RECIPES

St. Frances of Rome – March 9th

Lenten Soft Pretzels

Trashcan Soup Stock

Universal Soup Recipe

Cheese Dipping Sauce

Happy Father’s Day, now Answer Me This!

Kendra — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 14:00:00 +0000

It’s Father’s Day here at Answer Me This! And, um, all other places in America. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Here are THIS WEEK’s questions . . .

1. What’s the best thing about your dad?

My favorite things about my dad are his indomitable positive attitude and can do spirit, and his extraordinary patience with and confidence in his kids and grandkids.

That’s baby me, with the Elizabethan hairline.

Related to the above, I also love all the amazing stuff he builds for us.

Coolest yet is the Boomerang Zip-line that he has helped Jack build, apply for a patent for, and market. Being an engineer and an inventor just like his grandad is Jack’s dream.

2.
If you’ve got kids, what’s the best thing about THEIR dad? (If you
don’t, feel free to substitute your grandfather or another father
figure.)

My favorite things about my husband are his constancy, his knack for knowing the right thing to do in a particular situation, his impeccable comedic timing, and the fact that he will always answer his phone if I call twice in a row, even though he’s busy at work and he must know it’s just going to be me not remembering which way I’m supposed to go on the 405 to get home if the GPS is being weird.

3. What’s the best advice your dad ever gave you?

My dad has given me lots of good advice over the years, but my answer to question number two reminds me of the time my dad patiently explained to seventeen year old me that to leave one’s house to go to one destination, and then, if one needs to go to a second destination, to drive all the way home because that’s the only way you know how to find the second destination . . . is not a really good use of time or gasoline.

He really did try to teach me how to use the Thomas Guide. But it just wasn’t going to happen. I was pretty much always lost until there was GPS, and now I’m only lost like 23% of the time. It’s quite an improvement.

4. What’s something you have in common with your dad?

Confidence (which sometimes can turn out to have been recklessness). My grandfather has it, my dad has it, my oldest son has it, and I’ve got it. We’re just willing to try stuff, and we figure it’s going to work out somehow.

I married myself a relatively cautious fella, though, to keep an eye on me.

5. What’s the manliest thing you know how to do?

My dad once talked me through changing the wax ring on my toilet . . . over the phone. And I can do a few pretty solid push-ups, when there’s not a bump in the way.

I’m currently a lot like this, but opposite . . .

6. Who is your favorite fictional dad?

I have a soft spot for Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I know he fails Lydia. But I’ve always liked how he respects Lizzie and how he really does seem to be the only person who can stand his own wife, even though he teases her.

And how great is the dad from Owl Moon
? Staying up all night wandering in the forest hooting at owls with your dad? That’s pretty cool.

Want to play along? Answer THIS WEEK’s questions in the comments, or
on your blog and link it up below! Please include a link to this post on
your blog. The linkup will be open from now through close of business
Tuesday.

Now for NEXT WEEK’s questions, to answer NEXT WEEK . . .

1. How long have you lived in your current home?

2. How do you find out about news and current events?

3. Would you be able to make change for a twenty right now? For a dollar?

4. What’s the craziest food you’ve ever eaten?

5. Which of the commonly removed parts have you had removed? (tonsils, wisdom teeth, appendix, etc.)

6. What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV?

An InLinkz Link-up

Shop Father’s Day Bundles

PS: Father’s Day is a few days away! Shop now!

The post Happy Father’s Day, now Answer Me This! appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Ten Quick Tips for Throwing a Great Party as Illustrated by the 2015 Hooley

Kendra — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 17:00:00 +0000

This is a sponsored post. See my disclosure policy.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Did I mention we throw a St. Patrick’s Day party? I DID? Once or twice?

Well, this year’s Hooley was last weekend, and it was our biggest. party. evah. A very fine time was had by all, I wish you could have been here. But, really, it’s your own fault for living so far away.

It got me thinking though, maybe you might want to throw your OWN party, and invite your friends and then maybe one of them would have a party and then someone they invite would have a party, and we’ll start a whole big thing. It’ll be great.

If you read this blog you know that we throw a lot of parties. My parents threw parties. My grandparents threw parties that are the stuff of LEGEND. Anyway, I come from a long line of party-throwers. In case you didn’t, while you’re enjoying the photos of the Hooley at the Tierneys’ 2015, I’ll share a few quick tips we’ve learned over the years.

1. Have a Gimmick

People are LOOKING for an excuse to celebrate. You just need to give it to them. As Catholics, we have literally hundreds of built in excuses to party right there in the liturgical calendar. There are the ones folks will be expecting, like, ya know, Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day. Or you can go a bit more obscure and have a wine tasting for St. Vincent of Saragossa’s feast day on January 22nd or throw an outdoor picnic on May 28th for St. Bernard of Montjoux.

And the liturgical year isn’t the ONLY thing, of course, there are plenty of other holidays that need celebrating. You could pick Pie Day, or Pi Day, or Star Wars Day, or Hobbit Day. If you throw it, they will come.

Then, embrace your theme.

People have been coming to our Hooley long enough to know that we encourage all manner of hooliganism, including silly green clothing . . .

2. And Something Memorable

Every year at the Hooley we have singing and carrying on . . .

Party guests (aka hooligans) come ready to sing or play an intrument.

And we’re lucky enough to know some folks with REAL talent, who’ll share it with us . . .

But it could be another tradition, like a white elephant party, or charades, or a pinata, just something that gets everyone involved.

3. Add Some Whimsy

First comes the theme, then come the decorations. Pinterest is always great for ideas. For a small party around here, it’s sometimes as simple as a centerpiece on the table, or a banner I print out on the computer. For birthday parties, I try to create a whole festive atmosphere. For the Hooley, I know I’m going to be able to use most of the decorations again, so I’ve been trying to add a few new things each year.

Stickers, cupcake toppers (actually two stickers stuck together on a toothpick), metal wallhanging printable prayer, napkins, and Irish folk lyric pillows are all from tinyprints. And *I* want to hug them too. So, so cute. All of it.

4. Don’t Give People Too Many Choices

Whether the party is big or small, less is more on choices. In my experience, too many choices is too much work for the hostess, makes for too many leftovers, and just isn’t necessary for guests. Even with a hundreds-of-people party like this one, we only had two choices for main dishes: corned beef sandwiches or chicken wings. For sides, there were potatoes, coleslaw, and a salad, plus fruit and jello. And a few snacks. That’s it.

but

5. Let Them Know What Everything Is

I always have little food tags printed up to tell people what each dish is (or a little menu if we’re having a sit down dinner). Because most people like to know what it is before they eat it. And some people have food allergies or aversions and can’t just take a taste to see what it is.

Food tags are also a way to have a little fun with the theme.

We had a separate kids’ table with a some kid-friendly choices, including Irish chicken o’nuggets, Noah’s animal crackers (no unicorns), and a pot of gold(-fish crackers).

6. Let People Help

This was the treat table. It got MUCH bigger as people brought things to share, and then was completely emptied at the end of the party.

Most people like to come to a party bearing a little something. For a big party, I usually ask people to bring appetizers or desserts, then those things are all taken care of and I don’t have to worry about them. For a dinner party, I’ll sometimes ask the other families to each bring one thing, like a salad or a vegetable, then I can concentrate on the main course.

And parties for us are a family affair, we ALL help with the cleaning and the baking and the decorating and the errands. Many hands makes for short work and all that.

7. Plan Ahead

I keep a schedule of what needs to happen when, that I’ve adjusted over the years to know what works for me. I send out invitations a month to a week in advance, depending on how big the party is. I order things that need to be ordered in advance like novelty sodas, and custom decorations, and deli corned beef. I clean the house the weekend before, which is really the only motivation that works for me to actually get my counters cleaned off. I do as much of the shopping as I can early in the week. I do all baking a few days in advance and freeze it, which works just fine. Then the day of the party we do the final cooking, tidying, decorating, and setting up.

8. Keep Good Notes

I keep a running note on my iPad (it used to be in a spiral notebook) about exactly how much food we went through and what worked and what didn’t at each party. Then, when I go to shop the next year, the first thing I see in the note is: “JUST BUY THIS. DON’T BUY OTHER FOOD OR YOU WILL HAVE TOO MUCH.” All in caps like that. Apparently, I have to yell at me to get me to listen.

8. Defense, Defense, Defense

One of the scariest things about throwing a party is worrying about what might happen to your home and belongings if you invite other people (and other people’s kids) into your home. What I’ve learned over many years and many parties, is to get really proactive about keeping messes and accidents from happening (as much as possible, anyway). We put ALL toys into the toy closet and then move the playroom couch in front of it. No access to toy bins means no toy bins get dumped. Kids can still get to our dress up box and the duplo bin, and that’s plenty for kids who don’t want to play outside. But mostly, I really, really want them to just play outside.

We set up a little craft table in the garage, in case the weather is chilly on the day of the party and we need something to keep kids occupied. On a lovely day like this year, it mostly doesn’t get used. But crafts will keep for next year.

9. They Don’t Have to Go Home, But They Can’t Stay Here

All good things must come to an end, right? Parties, too. About an hour before the party is “over,” I stop replenishing food, so that people will just finish up what’s on the table. I take empty serving dishes away, and, once the food starts to dwindle, people start to slowly head for the door.

If that didn’t work, I guess we’d have to sic Frankie on them.

I found him wandering around the party with what can ONLY be described as a shillelagh. I have no idea how he found it. But it’s mine now.

At the end of a party, especially a big one, I’ve learned to gratefully accept help as it’s offered, and I’m lucky enough to have some friends who can always be counted upon to do a a little tidying before they leave. For the Hooley, in particular, we also hire some help, to keep the food table full and the dishes done. That way I get to visit with my guests. But for smaller parties, I can keep up with it myself.

10. Finish What You Start

This technique works for me because I throw the kind of parties that are over and done by nine-thirty . . . but I always try to have the house back in order (at least eighty percent in order anyway) before we go to bed that night. I hate waking up to a mountain of dishes and paper plates and green river bottles covering the surfaces of the house.

And that’s that. That’s how we do it. Now you can, too.

For more on how we party, try . . .

MY APOSTOLATE OF PARTIES, AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE HOOLEY 2013

HOW WE THROW A BACKYARD BIRTHDAY PARTY

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The post Ten Quick Tips for Throwing a Great Party as Illustrated by the 2015 Hooley appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Idle Threats, the Miracle of Waffles, St. Patrick’s Day Printables, and a Winner

Kendra — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 16:00:00 +0000

I don’t do these family glimpse posts as much as I used to, because I tend to share that stuff on the Catholic All Year Facebook page and on my Instagram account now. But I forget that not all of you are all those places. And I share different stuff on Facebook than I do on Instagram. So . . . probably, I should do these more often. Anyway, there’s never before seen stuff too, for those of you who ARE on both. So just keep scrolling.

Preparations for this year’s Hooley are underway around here. Evites went out a couple of weeks ago, but this weekend was the “tidy up all the various piles of stuff in all the corners of the house” stage of preparation. I’m not sure how other folks mange to keep their counters cleaned off on a regular basis. For me, I need to throw a party to have the motivation to do it.

We have lots of parties, so they get mostly cleaned off somewhat frequently, but this is our biggest party of the year, so it’s also my most thorough “visible to the naked eye” clean up of the year. I save cabinets, drawers, and closets for our big Holy Week Clean out. But this weekend the kids and I cleaned off the garage surfaces, and the kitchen counters, and the various desks and shelves and bookcases all over the house. And I sorted and put away all the fabric scraps that live in a bin under my sewing desk. It’s thankless, but at least we had some fun tunes to listen to, and I always love how my house looks when it has empty corners and clean flat surfaces.

Now to keep it looking like this for a whole week . . .

Frankie and I made Sunday breakfast together. Batter went in. WAFFLES came out. It blew his mind every single time.

He just doesn’t have that filter that some folks have. So when he doesn’t like something, he makes sure you know about it. But his joyful moments, when they happen, are equally unrestrained. Which is pretty awesome.

It has been just about forever since I posted what I wore Sunday here on the blog. So here it is:

Anthropologie dress and sweater. In case you missed it, yes, that’s a bump, and it’s officially halfway cooked. I’m twenty weeks now. And I know I say this all the time, and then relapse, but I really, really am feeling better these days. Maybe I’ll get to have a bit of a pleasant second trimester after all, before I get huge and it’s 110 degrees here.

Lulu is standing in that photo, finally, at fifteen and a half months old. She started walking last week too. I am, admittedly, biased, but I think it’s the cutest thing ever.

The other thing I’ve been working on for the party are some printables that I wanted to share here.

As with all my printables, you are welcome to right-click on the image and save it to your computer for your own personal use. You may print the images and or upload them and have prints made for your personal use or to give as gifts. (These are sized for 8×10 but will print well much bigger.) You may use my images on your blog, just please link back to my blog. If you would like to sell my images, please contact me first.

St. Patrick’s Breastplate is a really beautiful prayer that’s completely
appropriate for year-round use. I designed it in two parts, each of
which could also be used alone, and in three color schemes.

And I made these squares to have printed as stickers at Tiny Prints. You could also print them on sticker paper at home, or do whatever else you’d like with them:

Finally . . . I have a winner for the amazing CCC animated film collection giveaway, and it’s . . . Julie Hoover! Congratulations Julie, I hope your kids enjoy these saints and heroes movies as much as mine have.

If you didn’t win, you can still order Patrick: Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle for 50% off through March 17th using the special promo code: STPATRICK50. And be sure to check out the St. Patrick’s Tea Party Playdate post for all the details on how to throw a liturgical year-themed playdate, and see this post for an Irish Folk Music playlist and lots more St. Patrick’s printables.

P.S. I’m also at Blessed is She today, talking about how not to do Lent.

The post Idle Threats, the Miracle of Waffles, St. Patrick’s Day Printables, and a Winner appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Celebrating Birthdays That Fall During Lent?

Kendra — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:00:00 +0000

I’m once again striding boldly into the dangerous, churning waters of Lenten “breaks.” This time to answer a mailbag question . . .

Question:

Hi Kendra! My youngest is celebrating his first birthday next month and I’m wondering how to celebrate a birthday in Lent. I guess a Sunday would be our best bet. But I’m working around my husband’s work schedule (which includes nights and weekends) and our son’s godparents’ very busy schedules. So, if I couldn’t make a Sunday work, would you still go ahead and serve cake and treats? What do you think about a birthday party on Holy Saturday? I’m thinking maybe a brunch with a bunny theme. Would that be okay? (I would only go bunnies on Holy Saturday. Otherwise, I’d choose a different theme.) One factor that puts me in favor of Holy Saturday (other than the idea of a super cute bunny brunch!) is the (hopefully!) warmer weather could allow the kids to play outside. What are your thoughts? Maureen

Update 2019: While reiterating that this is NOT Canon Law or anything, and good Catholics can have different opinions on the matter, our family practice has evolved a bit from what I’ve written below.

Our family’s voluntary Lenten disciplines for ten years now have included giving up treats (except for Sundays and solemnities). We went back and forth as a family for a few years on how to handle special days that fall during Lent. There is a case to be made, for namedays at least, that these could be celebrated as a solemnity for the individual, or for the whole family if the individual is the head of the household, as feast days get bumped up to solemnities for the members of a parish on the parish’s patron’s feast day, and the same is true of a town or city on its patron’s feast day. But that seems like a bit of a stretch in the home. Also, it doesn’t really engender the kind of family camaraderie I’m looking for if only one kid gets a treat on his nameday and everyone else gets to watch.

The only people whose birthdays appear on the liturgical calendar are Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist, and of those MARY’S birthday isn’t even a solemnity, so I certainly don’t think mine counts as a solemnity. So, all that to say, we no longer abandon our voluntary Lenten disciplines for family three special days that fall during Lent. But that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate them! We do. The special day person gets to choose a meal, meat free if called for. We’ll do a family activity like a board game or a hike. But no treats on the day, because it’s Lent, and Lent is for real around here, and Tierneys are tough. If it’s a birthday, we’ll have a party with friends and a cake on a Sunday.

Answer:

Hey Maureen,

There isn’t an official church teaching on this, so you get to go with your gut on this one. For our family, we do celebrate birthdays with cake and treats, even if they fall during Lent. Just like specific religious orders celebrate particular days as special feasts for their order, we treat birthdays, name days, or baptism days as special family feast days . . . even if they fall during Lent.

It’s not a free-for-all day. We mostly maintain the rest of our voluntary Lenten disciplines, but if it’s a “special day” — either one of the liturgical calendar feast days that falls during Lent, or a family birthday — we have a special dinner and a dessert.

But not every family does. My grandmother will turn 95 this year, and she’s never in her life had a birthday cake. She had a sister with juvenile diabetes, and her birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day, which always falls during Lent. So, no birthday cake. Ever. And it doesn’t seem to have bothered her any. Still, I’m not sure every kid would be as understanding.

We actually don’t have any spring birthdays in our immediate family, but my oldest daughter’s birthday is in early February, and it once fell on Ash Wednesday. We weren’t going to have a special dinner and treats on THAT day, so we just celebrated early. If you’re not comfortable serving treats on a regular Lenten day, you could always celebrate on a Sunday.

Every Lent, the kids get invited to a couple of birthday parties for friends. We always gratefully accept the invitations and show up ready to have fun. We eat the food that’s set before us, without being gluttons, of course. But ruining other people’s birthdays is NOT one of our voluntary Lenten disciplines.

Many Catholics have conflated giving up sugar with the observation of Lent. But Lent is about so much more than sweets, anyway. There are TONS of other ways to grow and better myself during Lent (here are sixty-six of them). If I’m living my Lent as a time to really try to perfect myself — yelling less, praying more, engaging with my children, attending daily Mass — there’s just no way a birthday cake is going to derail that.

That said, I, personally, don’t throw parties on Holy Saturday. Again, this isn’t an official doctrinal thing, it’s just my opinion. But it’s because that’s the one day of the year . . . that we really feel Our Lord’s absence. He’s absent from tabernacles. There’s no Mass celebrated (as with on Good Friday). In our home we use it as a day of preparation and quiet. And just because there are so many secular egg hunts and whatnot on Holy Saturday, our kids just know that, as a family culture thing, Tierneys just don’t participate in that stuff.

The weekend before is Palm Sunday, which would be a great day for a celebratory brunch. You could decorate with palm fronds, and . . . um, donkeys? Up to you.

Cheers,
Kendra

Update: Maureen wrote back to point out that another drawback of having a party on Holy Saturday, would be the need to prepare for it on Good Friday.

Some related posts you might enjoy . . .

Sundays in Lent: We Can’t ALL Be Right About This

Every Kid is Special (three days per year)

How to Win At Lent

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, nor am I an official spokesperson for the Catholic Church. (You’re thinking of this guy.) If you read anything on this blog that is contrary to Church teaching, please consider it my error (and let me know!). I’m not a doctor or an expert on anything in particular. I’m just one person with a lot of experience parenting little kids and a desire to share my joy in marriage, mothering, and my faith.

If you’ve got a question, please send it along to catholicallyear @ gmail . com . Please let me know if you prefer that I change your name if I use your question on the blog.

The post Celebrating Birthdays That Fall During Lent? appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Eating With Your Hands for St. Joseph’s Day and How To Find Out What I Think About My Book

Kendra — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 09:56:00 +0000

Hey, if you like radio or books or squeaky voices or awkward silences, you’re probably going to want to check out my radio interview debut on the Son Rise Morning Show tomorrow morning. I’ll be on at 8:40 am Eastern time.

It’s possible that we’ll be talking about Doctor Who and zombie apocalypses, but that would probably frustrate my publisher, who hopes I will talk about my book. We’ll see . . .

Probably only my mom is interested in the rest of this, but this is the link to the show’s site. It looks like there is a listen live option, but I think there might be some setup. Ask Dad to help you.

I also think it will be available as a podcast later, in case you don’t want to get up at 5:30 in the morning to listen to me talk. You could even just call me on the phone when you get up and I’ll talk to you about my book then. Totally up to you.

UPDATE: Here is the podcast of my interview on the Son Rise Morning Show this morning. If you’re interested, you can click on today’s date (3-18) to download today’s show. I come on at about 2:40 for 8 minutes. I didn’t really get the guy’s joke, but I laughed anyway.
In other news . . .

There’s still green dye in the river (and on my fingers) but the less-celebrated (at least in my neck of the woods) but more liturgically important Feast of St. Joseph is just around the corner on March 19th.

My understanding is that the traditional way to celebrate involves creating a St. Joseph’s table which has lots of kinds of fish and something called fava beans. But we don’t do that.

Instead, we all sit around a bare table and eat spaghetti noodles with our hands.

So here’s what it looks like at my house:

That baby who looks exactly like Frankie is actually Gus.
It’s like a baby version of Groundhog Day around here.

Intrigued? Check out all the details here:

PASTA UN GOBBOLA TABOLA: THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE ON ST. JOSEPH’S DAY

The post Eating With Your Hands for St. Joseph’s Day and How To Find Out What I Think About My Book appeared first on Catholic All Year.

My Apostolate of Parties and What a Hooley Is

Kendra — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:59:00 +0000

As I chop and measure and mix and bake (and try to decide if finger-batter counts against Lenten disciplines) in preparation for our big annual Hooley at the Tierneys.’

hooley:

Irish slang for party or celebration; by extension, some substance with which you party or celebrate.

We throw lots of parties around here, but the biggest one of the year is our St. Patrick’s Day party, in honor of the husband’s South Side (of Chicago) Irish heritage. And in honor of St. Patrick, of course! I thought I’d bring back this post from last year for you new kids.

MY APOSTOLATE OF PARTIES, AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE HOOLEY

Happy regular ol’ day between two feasts!

Today I want to share some photos from the Hooley and also share why we have parties (aside from the obvious reason of us being pretty cool).

The husband and I got married, went on our honeymoon, and then immediately moved from San Diego to Northern California so that he could start business school. Almost immediately after that, we were expecting our first baby. The summer that Jack was born, a lot of things changed. I went from working gal to stay-at-home mom (and no one was more surprised than I was), and we moved from married student housing to family housing.

read the rest here (and come back Sunday for a recap of this year’s Hooley!)

The post My Apostolate of Parties and What a Hooley Is appeared first on Catholic All Year.

An Open Letter to the Internet About My Being Wrong

Kendra — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:19:00 +0000

UPDATE: I’m now back on board with my original post, thanks to some advice from Scott P. Richert of the About.com Catholic page and your comments. Whew. But I’m leaving this up because it happened, and because the photoshopping is pretty profound.

Dear Internet,

Remember that post I wrote yesterday? The one about how we can’t ALL be right about Sundays in Lent?

Well, I was right about that part.

But, as it turns out, much of the rest of it was wrong.

I researched that post by consulting faithful Catholic websites, and actually reading actual papal encyclicals. (Despite that background. Seriously, Vatican, do you want us to go blind?)

All the information I found indicated that fasting from food wasn’t required or considered acceptable on Sundays, even during Lent. Not being able to find primary sources that referred to other voluntary Lenten disciplines, I extrapolated to apply the food policies to other fasts.

Except there ARE primary sources that directly address this exact issue. From the USCCB no less.

Q. Why do we say that there are forty days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46.

A. It might be more accurate to say that there is the “forty day fast within Lent.” Historically, Lent has varied from a week to three weeks to the present configuration of 46 days. The forty day fast, however, has been more stable. The Sundays of Lent are certainly part of the Time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence.

Q. So does that mean that when we give something up for Lent, such as candy, we can have it on Sundays?

A. Apart from the prescribed days of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the days of abstinence every Friday of Lent, Catholics have traditionally chosen additional penitential practices for the whole Time of Lent. These practices are disciplinary in nature and often more effective if they are continuous, i.e., kept on Sundays as well. That being said, such practices are not regulated by the Church, but by individual conscience.

Thank you to Becky for sharing the link in the comments.

So, there you have it. Although it does say it’s up to an individual to decide, I feel like I, personally, would have to have a very good reason for going against the recommendation of the bishops.

We haven’t told the kids yet. But tonight’s screening of The Prince of Egypt will be our last movie night of Lent. (Thank goodness it was really, really good. And thanks to Jessica for the recommendation.)

As Ashley Sue recommended in the comments of my earlier post, we will find ways to celebrate the joy of Sundays in Lent without breaking our traditional family disciplines of giving up treats and television.

If you broke your Lenten disciplines on my recommendation this Sunday, please accept my sincere apologies. I’ll do the penance for all of us.

I’ll close with a quote from the speech my son Jack gave at our parkday’s Great American Speeches Pageant:

I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better
information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important
subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise.

— Benjamin Franklin, On the Faults of the Constitution

I’ve changed my opinion on this. I’m sorry for any confusion or inconvenience I’ve caused. If you shared my earlier post, I ask that you would do so again with this one.

Your friend,
Kendra

UPDATE:
p.s. I agree with many of you who have said that the bishops’ recommendations seem to leave a lot of wiggle room. Absolutely they do. But . . . If they had said, for instance, “cigarettes” I would think, “yes, those are addictive, you wouldn’t want to have those on Sunday.” If they had said “swearing” I would think, “yes, that’s in poor taste, we shouldn’t take that back up on Sunday.” But they say “candy,” which is pretty much exactly what WE have been indulging in on Sundays at my house. I have written to the USCCB for clarification, and hope to hear back soon. But, until I do, we’re going to err on the side of caution. Unfortunately.

UPDATE UPDATE:

I’ve been in contact with the very wise Scott P. Richert of the About.com Catholic page. He advises me that my first post, and his About.com posts AND the USCCB post can all coexist. Also, that the USCCB page was not written by a bishop, but rather an employee of the bishops, so my concern about obedience to the bishops is not an issue. Anyway, this has all been an interesting exercise. I never did hear back from the USCCB about my concerns, but I feel confident again in the position I endorsed in my original post. Whew.

The post An Open Letter to the Internet About My Being Wrong appeared first on Catholic All Year.

What We Did Ash Wednesday

Kendra — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Pshew, we did it.

It took a whole day, and we didn’t get ANY schoolwork done (double day tomorrow!) but we went to Mass, got our ashes, decorated the house for Lent, and . . . Cleaned Out the Toys!

Here’s our day in pictures . . .

ashes

remember, baby, you are dust . . .

And the big toy cleanout . . .

before

during
(this part is what I like to call “sweep pile rescue”)

after

I know, it doesn’t LOOK all that different. But there is a huge stack of toys against the wall of my garage that says otherwise. We still have a lot of toys. More than I intended, but it was HARD getting rid of stuff. We got rid of half of our toy bins, and probably two thirds of the toys themselves. We moved art supplies and games down where big kids can reach them.

I’m happy with our progress. And, hey, this way we have something to do NEXT Lent, right?

This is what our school table looks like now:

I’m sure it will be very motivational, or at least now, if they’re spacing out, maybe they’ll be spacing out about the passion. So that’s something.

For our other Lent decorations, see here.

In other Ash Wednesday news, I got the following email:

“FYI, Bishop Michael C Barber, S.J. of the Diocese of Oakland, California, quoted your article “Outside the Box: 66 Things to Give Up or Take Up for Lent (in beginner, intermediate, and advanced). People found it humorous and insightful.”

So. Cool. I need new business cards. Kendra Tierney: wife, mother, blogger, inspiration of bishops.

+;0)

Oh, also, not yelling is really hard. I’m glad it wasn’t a one day challenge.

The post What We Did Ash Wednesday appeared first on Catholic All Year.

March Archives - Catholic All Year

Catholic All Year at Home, Ep. 5: St. Joseph

THIS EPISODE’S RECIPES

St. Joseph – March 20th

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Catholic All Year at Home, Ep. 4: St. Frances of Rome

THIS EPISODE’S RECIPES

St. Frances of Rome – March 9th

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Happy Father’s Day, now Answer Me This!

Ten Quick Tips for Throwing a Great Party as Illustrated by the 2015 Hooley

1. Have a Gimmick

2. And Something Memorable

3. Add Some Whimsy

4. Don’t Give People Too Many Choices

5. Let Them Know What Everything Is

6. Let People Help

7. Plan Ahead

8. Keep Good Notes

8. Defense, Defense, Defense

9. They Don’t Have to Go Home, But They Can’t Stay Here

10. Finish What You Start

MY APOSTOLATE OF PARTIES, AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE HOOLEY 2013

HOW WE THROW A BACKYARD BIRTHDAY PARTY

Idle Threats, the Miracle of Waffles, St. Patrick’s Day Printables, and a Winner

Celebrating Birthdays That Fall During Lent?

Sundays in Lent: We Can’t ALL Be Right About This

Every Kid is Special (three days per year)

How to Win At Lent

Eating With Your Hands for St. Joseph’s Day and How To Find Out What I Think About My Book

PASTA UN GOBBOLA TABOLA: THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE ON ST. JOSEPH’S DAY

My Apostolate of Parties and What a Hooley Is

MY APOSTOLATE OF PARTIES, AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE HOOLEY

An Open Letter to the Internet About My Being Wrong

What We Did Ash Wednesday