Be Transformed

The “still small voice.” The still small voice is how Jesus spoke. As the winds and thunder of chaos swirl about us in these times we are invited to be present to our Lord in the silence of Eucharistic Adoration. What a gift we give our children when we provide opportunities for them to escape the noise and constant activity and come before the Lord to adore HIm; to worship Him; to talk to Him; and to listen to Him. As we spend time with Jesus, we are strengthened; consoled and guided. We are transformed.

Faith & Prayer, Parenting and Family LifeKaren HettrickFebruary 23, 2023family prayer, adoration, silence

Living Lent 2023

Come Back to Me with All Your Heart

"The fast of Lent has no advantage to us unless it brings about our spiritual renewal. It is necessary while fasting to change our whole life and practice virtue. Turning away from all wickedness means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger,

Faith & Prayer, Marital, Parenting and Family Life, Pre-MaritalKaren HettrickFebruary 23, 2023Ash, Ash wednesday, Lent, fasting, prayer, alms, sacriice

Mercy & Healing in the Sacrament of Confession

“ where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” Romans 5:20

God’s love and mercy knows no bounds. He invites us to come frequently to the Sacrament of Confession to be healed and strengthened. Check out these resources for making a good confession.

Happy Catholic New Year

Happy New Year!
No, this greeting isn’t early for Catholics who begin the new liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent.

Are you looking to live more peacefully and with greater purpose as a family? Look to the Church’s Liturgical Year in which we enter into Christ’s life from beginning to end. We do not need to ignore secular holidays or celebrations but placing more focus and effort on the Church’s Year brings a natural, fruitful and more peaceful rhythm to our lives.

10 Tips for Building a Culture of Respect in your Family

If we strive to set one standard, old fashioned as it may sound, “The Golden Rule” will build a culture of respect within our family. Treat others as you want to be treated in speech, in action and in attitude. Often we model this outside the home, but the ones we love and live with deserve our respect as well. From young children to teens to parents, we can all practice this.

The Solemnity of Christ the King

“Exult greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he,
Humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9

The King, riding on a donkey, first in the womb of His Mother to make His entrance into the natural world and finally to Jerusalem to make His return to the Heavenly Kingdom.

Easy Family Activities for the Month of November

For Catholics, November is the month we remember the dead.

On November 1st, we celebrate all the saints in heaven, who are our hope and help and inspiration. The rest of the month, we focus on the holy souls in purgatory. (They are also called poor souls . . . same souls, they are "poor" because they are suffering, and "holy" because they will definitely get to heaven some day, it's just a matter of time.)

Celebrating All Saints and All Souls Day as a Family

Practical tips for Celebrating the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day as a family.

The Importance of Prayer

Reprinted with Permission, Catholic Education Resource Center

And when we stop praying, that's when things begin to go wrong.

You and I were created for prayer. Life is about learning how to pray. If the very purpose of human life is to know God and love God in eternity, then the purpose of life is prayer.

And the more we pray, the happier we become. The more we pray, the less anxious we become, and we are filled with a greater peace of mind and heart. The more we pray, the more we understand ourselves, for we come to know God more intimately, by experience and we really only know ourselves to the degree that we know God personally. The more we pray, we begin to see the hand of God in our day to day life, that is, we see Him acting in our life. We begin to see that He loves us, personally. That makes life so much more meaningful.

How to Establish New Family Routines for the Sake of Holiness

A mother of many children recently asked me how I would go about establishing a plan of regular family dinners and a smooth bedtime routine when none had been established before. I was stumped for a day, because in our home we have always been intentional about routine, family dinners and bedtime. Further, once a habit of disorder is established, it is extremely hard to pull oneself out of the rut. A parent wishing to change a routine must immediately change from not enforcing a routine to following through every time. It requires great fortitude and perseverance, and while one could do it on one’s own, the help of grace can ease the way.

Susanna SpencerAugust 29, 2022

So Much to Teach our Children

So much to teach our children, and so quickly the years go by. As a parent, the responsibility can at times feel overwhelming. The math, the reading, the sports and activities all contribute to the development of our children and have value and importance. But there is that One thing or more precisely the One Person that supersedes all other lessons in value.

Easy Family Activities for the Month of November

For Catholics, November is the month we remember the dead.

On November 1st, we celebrate all the saints in heaven, who are our hope and help and inspiration. The rest of the month, we focus on the holy souls in purgatory. (They are also called poor souls . . . same souls, they are "poor" because they are suffering, and "holy" because they will definitely get to heaven some day, it's just a matter of time.)

The Best Catechesis is a Life Well Lived

Recently, my five year old announced that he wanted a different haircut. The minimalist, efficient buzz-cut given to him by his mother was no longer sufficient. He instead wanted a longer, more shapely cut so he could wear his hair like mine.

Teenagers, Parenting and Family Life, Faith & PrayerSam GuzmanJune 23, 2021fatherhood, children, family

Ready, Set, Go. . .

Family life at times can feel like a race…. this past year and half pandemic probably compares to a very long and grueling marathon. Indeed, the journey to Heaven, like a marathon, requires a plan that includes training; discipline and commitment along with times of rest

Faith & Prayer, Parenting and Family Life, Pre-MaritalKaren HettrickJune 23, 2021famil, family, prayer

Tips on Praying a Family Rosary

Family prayer can create an extra special bond between all the family members and teaches them to pray. The Bible says to, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). There is no better way to teach than through example. Children not only see the parents praying but it is a great support to them in their prayer life as well.

By repetition, to rosary helps children to learn their formal prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary.

Justice and Mercy

As Catholics we hear and talk a lot about Mercy…and well we should. Mercy is the preeminent quality of God. God is Mercy. The first saint to be canonized this century, St. Faustina, is God’s messenger of Mercy.

Is this the millennium of Mercy? I believe it is.

But God is also perfect Justice. We often think of justice as the opposite of mercy, but in reality it’s a critical component of it. Without Justice, without redressing evil doers, there is no mercy for their innocent victims.

To understand this we need to accept the reality of evil in the world

Allison Ricciardi, LMHCJanuary 28, 2021justice, mercy, jesus, Saviour

You were born for this time

No one else can do your part in God’s Divine plan. You were born for this day. You were born for this time.

Battling Fear and Anxiety During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Helpful and timely advice for you and your loved ones.

Allison Ricciardi is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, in practice since 1990. In 2001 Allison founded CatholicTherapists.com, the web’s #1 resource connecting Catholics with faithful Catholic therapists. She is also the director of The Raphael Remedy which offers counseling, coaching and wellness support from an authentically Catholic perspective.

Resources and Strategies for Stretched Families

These are unprecedented times. We are praying for all families. We trust that the Lord will sustain us and draw our families closer to him and one another. The Lord reminds us . . .

“A three-ply cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

We trust that the Lord will sustain our families and draw us closer to him and to one another.

Called to Greatness - Holy Week at Home

Never before have we experienced a Lent or Holy Week like this. We may be separated as a community but spiritually we can be very powerfully connected through prayer and observance of Holy Week in our homes. The Lord knows our sacrifices, our sorrows and our fears. He knows our hopes and our joys. Let us gather as a community and offer our prayers and sacrifices from wherever we are at. We are united in the Lord.

“A three-ply cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

St. Joseph Catholic Family Center @ Ste. Marie Parish, Manchester, NH