As the month of the Rosary comes to a close this coating of white clean fresh snow is an inspiring sight. One's heart begins to think of the coming of Advent and also Christmas. Yes, the picture below was taken today. We keep this ornament in our window all year.
A Child's Cross Made of Out of Snow
Please consider starting a Consecration to Jesus through Mary using our new book. To learn more click HERE.
We wish to welcome these new members of the Children's Rosary.
We would like to provide some resources to help new Children's rosary groups form:
Here is a link to step by step instructions on how to begin a Children's Rosary.
We also have a video demonstrating how to run your first meeting. Click HERE.
We have a special instructional video for schools. The link is present HERE.
The Consecration journey is also available free online at https://childconsecration.com/
We would like to share with you the picture of one of our new Children's Rosary prayer groups from Pakistan. This is the Children's Rosary from St. Bernard Catholic Church in Kaka Basti Pakistan. The children are one of 7 new Children's Rosary groups in Pakistan that wait for rosaries. The group leader had no rosaries but he had paper so the children drew pictures of Jesus. We are trying to raise funds to cover shipping costs. We have the handmade rosaries but the shipping costs remain the hardship. To make a donation to the Children's Rosary click HERE. Donations are tax deductible in the United States.
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Little Ones become leaders in Faith
For more information about our new Child Consecration book click HERE.
We are excited to release our new Children's Rosary Christmas Card for 2020. This joins two other Children's Rosary Christmas cards currently available to order through EWTN Religious Catalogue.
The message inside the card reads: "May the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts. Wishing you and your family Christmas joy!"
The card was painted by Abigail Ryan, a member of the Children's Rosary.
To purchase this card and see the other Children's Rosary Christmas cards available click HERE.
Last week EWTN featured this card on their Religious Catalogue show. To view the segment click HERE.
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Very quickly I wrote to Abigail's mother to ask permission to use the image for the cover of the Consecration book and also if Abigail would consider illustrating the Child Consecration book. Her mother wrote back that she had asked Abigail and after going away and praying she came back and said "Yes". Abigail thought Our Blessed Mother wanted her to do it. Over the course of approximately 2 years Abigail painted the illustrations present in the book. She used watercolor and ink. She began each illustration with a light pencil sketch and then added watercolor pencils and later added the water. To accent certain parts of each illustration she added ink. We are so grateful to Abigail for all her work to help Our Lady and Our Lord. Abigail stands as a beautiful witness of the hearts of children and all they can do.
To learn more about the book Child Consecration: To Jesus through Mary—Following in the Spirit of St. Thérèse, the Little Flower visit the website: https://childconsecration.com/
EWTN currently carries our Children's Rosary Christmas cards illustrated by Abigail. To view these cards click HERE.
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Every year we have a large vegetable garden. It would be hard to imagine a summer without planting. This year we planted a large number of root vegetables. We planted carrots, beets, potatoes, garlic, and sweet potatoes. One of our neighbors ordered lots of sweet potato slips, too many for her garden. She offered us plenty from her surplus. This was a new crop for us. We found some empty buckets, filled them with rich soil and planted the little thin roots they call slips. All summer the kids tended the garden, watering when it was dry. This summer we had very little rain so there were many days of carrying the heavy buckets of water. It is fun to see the plants growing and the tomatoes and squash setting fruit. But when it comes to all the root vegetables one has very little idea of what is growing under the surface. One has to stay the course, keeping faith that at the end of a long season of work, by the Grace of God there will be a harvest.
As the nights are getting colder, there is the realization that the gardening will shortly be coming to an end for the season. There will be no more early morning watering....all that will be finished. All the potatoes will be dug up. Carrots will be pulled and the sweet potatoes we have been so anxious to discover in the buckets will be unveiled. What will we find?
In many ways so much of our daily work in the spiritual garden is taking care of plants that right now have hidden fruit. Some of our plants are fruiting in the light of day, but as many gardeners know, those are much more easily taken by critters. It is the fruit that is under the ground that is often most protected from predators such as the hungry squirrels that patrol the garden.
How do we stay the course and not grow tired when our plants are setting hidden fruit? May I suggest that it is Our Heavenly Mother who helps us stay the course. She wants us to have a bountiful harvest to give to Our Heavenly Father. But we need to ask for her help. Raising children today is not easy. There are so many distractions that lead our young children away from Our Lord and all that Our Lord is asking of each of us. To have a Heavenly Mother who can help in guiding our children, encouraging them, and at times correcting them is a tremendous help.
Our Blessed Mother sees our struggles and she gives us tools to help us. She understands that some tools may be too large for her little children to use. So in her attentiveness to each of our needs, she shapes some of these tools in such a way that even her youngest children can use them. One of these important tools is Consecration to Jesus through Mary. It is a means to keep us on the straight path. Over the last three years this tool, which was crafted by St. Louis de Montfort was being shaped in such a way that it could be taken up by some of our youngest children. Indeed, the smallest ones need the help of their parents to use the tool. When these small children first take it up they need to be accompanied by their parents who can show them step by step how to use it. On September 29th this new tool was unveiled! It is the book Child Consecration: to Jesus through Mary. Many wise gardeners, experienced in years, such as Robert Cardinal Sarah and Cardinal Burke have taken up this tool and given their approval. We are so excited that it is now available!
In the coming weeks, we will be harvesting and all that has been hidden from us will be clear. But until then we keep our heads down and stay focused on our duties under the watchful guidance of Our Blessed Mother. For those of you who would like learn more about the new Child Consecration book visit our new website childconsecration.com
The new book can also be ordered through EWTN Religious Catalogue HERE.
Photos: The top photo is of our sweet potatoes growing in pots. The bottom picture is one of our raised beds. In the center of the bed is a thick line of carrots which we hope to harvest soon.
The new Consecration book which was released three days ago was written in the Spirit of of St. Thérèse, the Little Flower. Given yesterday was her Feast, we wanted to highlight this aspect of the new book. The Consecration journey was written through a lens of spirituality identified with St. Thérèse, the Little Flower. It is characterized by simplicity, confidence, and trust.
Sanctity is something children in particular can attain as it is most easily reached through simplicity. Once when St. Thérèse was participating in recreation, a saintly Novice Mistress spoke to her. She stated, “My child, it seems to me you don’t have very much to tell your Superiors.” Thérèse asked why the Mother thought this. The nun responded, “Because your soul is extremely simple, but when you will be perfect, you will be even more simple; the closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes.” St. Thérèse relates, “The good Mother was right.”
Yesterday we had a surprise on the Feast of St. Thérèse. The National Catholic Register published their article about the Child Consecration book. We were aware an article was coming out in October but we did not know the date. To read the article click HERE.
To learn more about the book Child Consecration: To Jesus through Mary—Following in the Spirit of St. Thérèse, the Little Flower visit our new website HERE.
To purchase the new book click HERE.