Saintly Warriors

Meeting dates for the year

2010-02-06T04:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2010.

These are the dates and the name of the mother hosting the meeting.

MARCH 9 - Leonie

APRIL 13 - Leanne

MAY 11 - Danielle

JUNE 8 - Donna

JULY 13 - Christine

AUG 10 - ?

SEPT 14 - Leonie

OCT 5 - Leanne

NOV 9 - Danielle

DEC 14 - Donna

Meetings usually start at 10.30 am and the host can plan an activity or talk or invite a guest speaker on a topic close to a Catholic Homeschooler's heart. Bring food and drink to share, for morning tea and lunch.

Farewell to Fr Benedict and to Br Louis

2009-10-17T19:24:00.001-07:00

The Nativity of Our Lady

2009-09-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

We brainstormed the major events of Our Lady's life.

We celebrated the birthday, the nativity, of Mary. With yummy food!

Miss Leanne shared a quote from Pope Paul VI, who wrote, in Marialis Cultus, that the...nativity of Our Lady is considered the dawn of our salvation.

The entrance antiphojn at Mass states: Let us celebrate with joyful hearts the birth of the Virgin Maty, of whom was born the Sun of Justice, Christ our Lord.

Freedom and St Maximilian Kolbe

2009-08-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Christine shared some quotes on freedom, after a talk and a PowerPoint presentation on St Maximilian Kolbe.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

ARTICLE 3 MAN'S FREEDOM
1730 God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. "God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him."26
Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.
I. FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
1731 Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.
1732 As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.
1733 The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin."
1734 Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the mastery of the will over its acts.
1735 Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.
1736 Every act directly willed is imputable to its author:
Thus the Lord asked Eve after the sin in the garden: "What is this that you have done?" He asked Cain the same question. The prophet Nathan questioned David in the same way after he committed adultery with the wife of Uriah and had him murdered.
An action can be indirectly voluntary when it results from negligence regarding something one should have known or done: for example, an accident arising from ignorance of traffic laws.
1737 An effect can be tolerated without being willed by its agent; for instance, a mother's exhaustion from tending her sick child. A bad effect is not imputable if it was not willed either as an end or as a means of an action, e.g., a death a person incurs in aiding someone in danger. For a bad effect to be imputable it must be foreseeable and the agent must have the possibility of avoiding it, as in the case of manslaughter caused by a drunken driver.
1738 Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order.

A Report On Our Last Meeting..

2009-08-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

Fr Benedict enrolled the group in the brown scapular at the last Homeschooling day.

Mrs Murphy spoke to us, she told us that it is the year of the Priests and that we should pray for them.

We made our own prayer to say for priests.

We wrote it down and glued it under a picture of Our Lord to put on the fridge so we remember to say it as many times as we can during the day.

Georgia

Meeting for Our Lady of Mount Carmel

2009-07-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

2009-07-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

The topic of our next meeting, July 14.

The children will be enrolled in the brown scapular .

The scapular is a sacramental ~
A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church toexcite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through thesemovements of the heart to remit venial sin. St Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Body and Blood of Our Lord

2009-06-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

Our Lady Help of Christians

2009-05-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

Br Louis addressed our group on Tuesday. He spoke of Our Lady Help of Christians. He read to us parts of the Acts of the Apostles, about Mary's role in the early Church. Mrs Robertson then asked us to write a poem or song or list about Mary.

Our Lady Help of Christians

The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was established after Pope Pius VII after he was freed from captivity by Napoleon.

Pope Pius VII instituted the feast in July, 1814 when he returned to Rome, after his arrest in 1808.

The feast is also associated with the Christian victory at the Battle of Lepanto, where a united Christian fleet defeated a fleet from the Ottoman Empire, which threatened to invade all of Europe. Pope Pius V had told people to pray to Our Lady and, in thanks to Mary, instituted the title Our Lady, Help of Christians.

The feast is celebrated on the 24th of May every year and we remember this feast in Australia, as Our Lady Help of Christians is a patron saint of Australia. ~ Anthony

Our Lady of Fatima

2009-05-13T01:29:00.000-07:00

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

In Portugal in 1917 something extraordinary happened. In Portugal in 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to two shepherdesses and one shepherd . The three children were Lucia dos Santos,and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Mary appeared to the three children on the thirteenth of six consecutive months, and many thousands of people came to the spot in Fatima to pray, despite the fact that only the children could see and hear Mary.

The authorities of Portugal believed that the apparitions were disturbing the peace and had the children arrested for a time in August. Our Lady told the children three secrets that they were not allowed to divulge for many years, it was these secrets that the government of Portugal tried to learn from Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco.

During her last appearance in October, Mary announced the coming end of world war one. Francisco died in 1919, a victim of the great Spanish flu epidemic, as was his sister Jacinta who died in 1920.

Lucia survived the epidemic and joined a Carmelite convent, she reportedly had visions of Mary throughout her entire life, she died on February 13 2005. ~ Thomas

You are special

2009-04-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great time, at the Murphy's house, remembering how special we are - simply because we were created by God. Sometimes we think we have to "do" stuff - to make others like us, to impress people and to win over God. How nice is it to remember that he loves us, just because he chose to make us. He made me exactly the way he wants me, and he never makes mistakes. Which means that I am fine, even though I often think I am not! And as for doing stuff? All God wants of me, is to spend time with him - each day. Prayer, Mass, reading the Bible, even noticing that God did an awesome job when he made the day today are so easy.
Thanks Donna. It was an important thing to remind us.

Fr Benedict took some time to explain the idea of "mystics". This was a little hard, but it was about those people (like St Gemma) who love God sooooo much, that every part of their lives becomes a prayer - even thier bodies become "in tune" with Jesus. Some of the mystics we were hearing about even got the wounds (or some of the marks) that Jesus got during his crucifixion! We call these wounds the Stigmata. The lesson that Nathan and I learned from St Gemma was to try to remember to put God first every day.

Easter Crafts from the April Meeting

2009-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Making Palm Crosses

2009-03-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

For next Sunday, April 5. Very easy instructions, two
patterns.

Stations of the Cross

2009-03-08T04:12:00.000-07:00

Sharing some resources....

Stations of the Cross for children

Stations of the Cross booklet - good as is or for colouring in...
More resources for Stations of the Cross

Lenten Meatless Recipes

2009-03-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

Do you have some to share...

Here are some of our favourites,

on my blog...

Free Lenten Tree and Activities Book

2009-02-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

Free Lenten Tree and Activities Book available for download.

Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25 th 2009) is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter (April 12 th 2009). For many families, Easter just happens. Don't let that occur this year. Have a meaningful Lent by doing a special activity each day of Lent. Then fill in the fruit on the Lenten Tree Chart and countdown to Easter.

St Patrick

2009-02-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Who Was St. Patrick?
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.
Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)
Guided By Visions
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)
Bonfires and Crosses

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.)

A saint from this week's calendar

2009-02-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

Blessed Giovanni da Fiesole (Fra Angelico) was commemorated on February 18. Born as Guido di Pietro in 1386 or 1387 in Vicchio, Tuscany. He entered the Dominican Order in 1407 taking the name Brother John of the Angels.

Fra Angelico (Angelico meaning 'Angelic' in Italian) was a Dominican friar renowned for his artwork.The artwork of Fra Angelico continuously shows the goodness of creation, and this is exemplified in his many representations of the Annunciation.

Fra Angelico's greatest complete work was his "Life of Christ," a series of thirty five paintings in Fiesole. They began with the vision of the Prophet Ezechiel and ended with the lovely "Coronation of the Virgin". These pictures hint to us that Brother John of the Angels was a capable theologian and a Scripture scholar.

He was also a devoted son of St Dominic, whom he loved dearly and never tired of painting.Fra Angelico was beatified 3 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and in 1984 the Pope declared him patron of Catholic artists.

See more prints and more information at The Artcyclopedia.

Lenten Links

2009-01-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

Personal Program for Lent
Importance of a Personal Lenten Program It should not be enough to slide through Lent by just observing the fast and abstinence laws or giving up chocolate. We should all undertake a Lenten program, an inward cleansing and purification, for oneself and the family. The program needs to be planned and organized. Ask the question: What shall I and my family do this year for Lent? Goals and activities should be realistic and reasonable, and parents should make sure that their children know why these practices are being adopted, rather than merely forcing them upon them.
After deciding our goals, both individual and family's, we need to arrange our schedules, plan the different events and make adjustments to our life to put these resolutions into practice. Our daily life doesn't stop just because Lent is here. The challenge is to observe the spirit of Lent and perform the works of Lent while living in a secular culture, to remain in the world but not become a product of it.

Ash Wednesday
Attende Domine - Hear, O Lord
This penitential hymn is based on a 10th century Mozarabic Litany for the Lenten Season.
Directions
R. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon us, who have sinned against Thee.
King, high exalted, all the world's Redeemer, to Thee we lift out eyes with weeping: Christ, we implore Thee, hear Thy suppliant's prayers. R.
2. Right hand of Godhead, headstone of the corner, path of salvation, gate of heaven, wash away the stains of our sin. R.
3. We, Thy eternal majesty entreating, with Thy blessed ears hear our sighing: graciously grant pardon to our sins. R.
4. Humbly confess we, who have sinned against Thee, with contrite hearts we reveal things hidden; O Redeemer, may Thy pity grant forgiveness. R.
5. Led away captive, guiltless, unresisting, condemned by false witnesses unto death for sinners, Christ do Thou keep us whom Thy blood hath ransomed. R.
Attende Domine R. Attende Domine, et miserere, quia peccavimus tibi.
Ad te Rex summe, omnium redemptor, oculos nostros sublevamus flentes: exaudi, Christe, supplicantum preces. R.
Dextera Patris, lapis angularis, via salutis, ianua caelestis, ablue nostri maculas delicti. R.
Rogamus, Deus, tuam maiestatem: auribus sacris gemitus exaudi: crimina nostra placidus indulge. R.
Tibi fatemur crimina admissa: contrito corde pandimus occulta: tua Redemptor, pietas ignoscat. R.
Innocens captus, nec repugnans ductus, testibus falsis pro impiis damnatus: quos redemisti, tu conserva, Christe. R.

Today's Meeting

2009-01-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

Planning for the new year.

Children playing.

Sharing food and conversation.

And a blessing for the start of the new school year. Thank you, Fr.!

BREAKING NEWS!

2009-01-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

www.mathematics.com.au

This Maths website is very beneficial to secondary students. Previously it was $30 per month to subscribe. During 2009 it will be available at no cost, because McDonald's is sponsoring its use. It's for Maths students in Stages 4, 5 and 6. It not only provides hundreds of worksheets, but also has lessons with voice-over instructions.

A GREAT resource for homeschoolers!!

January Meeting

2009-01-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

A meeting to plan our year and to receive a blessing for the new school year.

Tuesday January 20, at Danielle's house.Meet at 10.30 a.m. for morning tea, play for kids, planning for mums. Bring any liturgical year calendars and your diary!

A priest will be be there at 11.30 a.m. to give us a blessing for the school year.

Today's Advent/Christmas Party

2008-12-16T04:18:00.000-08:00

Our English Christmas

2008-12-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

As you are enjoying your days at the beach, we are filling our short days and long nights preparing for our English Christmas. We have not had any snow, yet, but lots of frost and it is very cold.

We have been studying our Salvation History through the Bible, using a Jesse Tree. We are also reading, "The Christmas Mystery", by Jostein Gaarder. It's a terrific Christmas read.

Nathan, Ted and Denise (our landlords) made some lovely Yule Logs. They cut up some logs, bored holes for candles and painted them white. Then they decorated them. We made some pomanders, using oranges that we then stuck cloves into. The oranges will shrink and the pomanders will last 100 years! We also dried slices of oranges and cranberries in the oven. We put them all in a dish, with cinnamon sticks and pine cones and put the dish next to the fire. When they heat up, the give off the most delicious spicy smells!

Once a week, Nathan and I put on our wellies and walk the 50 metres to our brook, where we cut long lengths of holly for our mantle piece. It looks like plastic, but the real stuff is prickly and sharp!

We hope you have a happy and holy Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Lots of love,

Nathan and Christine

Trivia Christmas Game.

2008-11-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

There is a Advent and Christmas trivia game that has been organised for the kids at the christmas party gathering, so make sure you bring your thinking caps.
See you all there, God Bless, Lee.

The Immaculate Conception

2008-11-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

Our next meeting is at Leonie's home, December 16. Meet at 12 noon. Bring lunch to share for an end of the year party, and we will also talk about the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - bring along those Mary Notebooks, too and we will aim to add an entry.

Anybody want to sare Advent links, recipes, ideas?

Immaculate Conception

O Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy motherof your Son. …Help us by her prayers, to live in your presencewithout sin. Amen.

November Gathering

2008-11-13T01:29:00.000-08:00

This month Claire taught about a saint very close to her heart, St Andrew.

Here is some info -

St. Andrew , like his brother Simon Peter, was a fisherman. He became a disciple of the great St. John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Andrew understood that Jesus was greater. At once he left John to follow the Divine Master. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, "what do you seek?" When Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, "Come and see." Andrew had been only a little time with Jesus when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.
From then on, he chose to follow Jesus. Andrew was thus the first disciple of Christ. Next, Andrew brought his brother Simon (St. Peter) to Jesus and Jesus received him, too, as His disciple. At first the two brothers continued to carry on their fishing trade and family affairs, but later, the Lord called them to stay with Him all the time. He promised to make them fishers of men, and this time, they left their nets for good. It is believed that after Our Lord ascended into Heaven, St. Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He is said to have been put to death on a cross, to which he was tied, not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle. Two countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron - Russia and Scotland.

Whilst learning about St Andrew the kids were asked to draw on the window (hope they don't get any ideas!) which they really enjoyed, no doubt.

They drew Symbols that represented his life. They then went to the table and using the symbols on the window they created their own mini stained glass window(s). This craft was an absolute hit as they all fully engrossed themselves in it till they finished. Thanks Claire for a great lesson and a wonderful craft.

We then had a relaxing lunch out the back in the beautiful spring weather, chatting away while the kids played. Looking forward to seeing you all at the Christmas party. Danielle.

Jesse Tree

2008-11-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

Sear All,

Nathan and I are going to do a study of the Jesse Tree for Advent. We are taking our programme from one prepared by the Reformed Church of America, whose teaching looks sound on this topic.

If you go to www.rca.org and go to the section on Seasonal devotions, you can find it. It has readings for each day of advent and a symbol to hang on your own Jesse Tree. Perhaps we can post photos of our tree as we go along.

God bless you all and, as the wonderful time of Advent approaches, I wish you all the joy of Christmas.

Christine

All Hallows Eve, All Saints and All Souls

2008-10-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love these feast days - so much to plan for, so much fun to have, prayers to pray, activities to undertake, Masses to attend, parties, perhaps, to plan... We can't do it all so each year I just select a few things on which to concentrate...

Halloween

Halloween, All Saints and All Souls

Soul cakes - we've made these for several years, yum!

Prayer - De Profundus

Next Meeting

2008-10-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 11th November 12pm at Leeann’s house .

Clare is doing a lesson on St Andrew.

Please bring a plate to share for lunch.

Links ~

Wikipedia - St Andrew

Patron Saint of Scotland

Catholic Culture - Things To Do for the Feast of St Andrew

Prayer for the Beatification of Louis and Zélie Martin

2008-10-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

...and to obtain favours through their intercession:

God Our Father, we praise You for Louis and Zélie Martin, a truly faithful husband and wife, who lived their Christian life in an exemplary way through their duties in life and practice of Gospel teaching. In bringing up a large family, in spite of trials, bereavements and suffering, they showed immense trust in You and obedience to Your will.

Lord deign to manifest Your will in their regard and grant me the favours I implore while praying that the father and mother of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus be presented as models of family life today. Amen.

yummy banana muffins!!

2008-10-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

Banana muffins

(170.c)
(20 to 25 minutes)

2 cups all self raising flour. (sifted)

1 cup sugar.

1/2 cup margarine.

3/4 cup water.

2 large eggs.

3/4 cup milk.

1 teaspoon vanilla essence.

2 mashed black bananas.

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and wizz them together with an electric beater until all combined. Put mix in oiled muffin pan and cook till golden.

Warning - As they are best eaten hot these muffins won't last long.

Love Alessia Cauchi.

St. Therese Activities

2008-10-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

St. Therese Chaplet Beads

This little set of prayer beads is a great example of using uniquely shaped beads in a chaplet. The beads chosen for this St. Therese chaplet are, appropriately enough, little pressed glass flowers! Either a St. Therese medal or crucifix can be used for this chaplet, but in this example, we have used both. The 24 beads are symbolic of her 24 years on earth. May praying this lovely chaplet help you to imitate St. Therese’s “little way” of following Christ.

School and Family Activities on St. Therese

Puzzles and Crafts about St. Therese.

Links for this week's meeting

2008-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

St Francis of Assisi

Conventual Franciscans

St Therese of the Child Jesus

A Mary Blue Cake for the Feast of the Holy Rosary

And what we did last year for the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Saintly Warriors

2008-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

A group of Catholic homeschooling families, we meet monthly in each other's homes. We pray together. We learn about the Faith. We talk. We play. We eat.

"Education," said Sister Miriam Joseph, in writing on classical education "is the highest of arts in the sense that it imposes forms not on matter, as do the other arts, but on minds."

The Church clearly notes in the Catechism that parents are responsible for their children’s “moral education and spiritual formation.” This responsibility is so intertwined with the family “that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute” to the parents' involvement (CCC 2221).