Tree of Life

  Saint Matthew, pray for us!  About St. Matthew  The Tomb of St. Matthew  St. Matthew Iconography  St. Matthew Cartoon  (Various movies about Christ’s life include the Call of St. Matthew to discipleship by Jesus. There’s also a movie called “The Gospel of St. Matthew”.) St. Gertrude on the Feast of St. Matthew  Because of St. Matthew’s patronage  silver dollar pancakes  and other treats resembling coins would be festive for the celebration. Please opt for vegan ingredients to make today’s celebration worthy for all of God’s creatures.  St. Matthew is known as the apostle of  Ethiopia  and is therefore a good day to learn about this country. A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed.

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  September it is Our Lady of Sorrows . This is because the Feast of the Seven Sorrows falls on September 15th every year. September is also  Deaf Awareness Month  as well as  The Season of Creation . The latter is a month long celebration to motivate us to care for God’s Creation.  Suicide Prevention Month  is also an important September commemoration.    Seven Sorrows Chaplet 30 Days With Mary   (This guide goes through the 12th but the custom of Our Lady's 30 days continues through the 15th) Our Lady of Montevergine  is honored on September 1st and she is the patroness of gay couples.  As school is starting take this opportunity to take the  Trevor Project Reading Project  . Weather Proverbs for September Fair on September 1st, fair for the month. Heavy September rain brings drought. If on September 19th there is a storm from the South, ...

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  August it is  the  Immaculate Heart of Mary because this feast was traditionally celebrated on August 22nd but now that day is dedicated to Our Lady’s Coronation and the octave day of Her Assumption.   Make sure to check local sources for events for the month especially surrounding Our Lady’s Assumption. August 1st also begins the extraordinary annual Portiuncula Indulgence. Portiuncula comes from the word “little portion” due to the little plot of land the chapel is on. Our Lady of the Angels is named thus as the fresco in the chapel depicts Our Lady in Her glorious assumption surrounded by angels or the legend St. Francis was told that angels frequented the chapel.  August 1st also marks the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori he is the patron saint of the scrupulous and his feast is a good day to read up on resources  for those with anxiety and or scrupulosity.  "Know th...

Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  July it is  the  Precious Blood of Jesus  🩸because this feast was traditionally celebrated on July 1st .    In the Holy Land on this feast the rock where Jesus knelt during His agony is covered with rose petals , commemorating His Precious blood, the faithful take the petals home to recall the Passion of Christ. Many of the  relics of Christ  (scroll to relics) contain remnants of His Precious Blood, such has seen  here . Pope Pius IX once said " Place on thy heart one Drop of the Blood of Jesus and fear nothing." July is also  Disability Pride Month The Litany of the Precious Blood The Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood  The Precious Blood by Father Faber Sisters of the Precious Blood  “Consider decorating your house in honor of the Precious Blood this July. Red is the liturgical color often used for Good Friday and Palm Sunday as its hue evokes the ...

  Guide to Adulting  (Similar resources can be found via the 211 website for your area) Emergency Preparedness  Disaster / Car Preparedness  benefits.gov findhelp.org foodfinder.us furniturebanks.org pure-gas.org Www.fns.usda.org/meals4kids

   Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  June it is  the  Sacred Heart of Jesus  because this month is when the annual feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated. June also marks  LGBTQ+ Pride Month . Pride month this year is a very important time because of the attack on the Trans community and the bigotry by conservatives towards the gay community. This is classic vice under the mask of virtue that saints warn about. June also marks  Adopt a Cat Month and   Caribbean American Month.  America 250 Sacred Heart Consecration Daily Reads  Honoring Pride AND the Sacred Heart Meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart Daily Sacred Heart Meditation A Pride Month Resource Weather Lore Calendar Lunar Folklore  The Strawberry Moon ( Full Moon Folklore , The Full Moon in Ireland ) New Moon in Ireland For more about this months dedications click  here  and  here Special Days in June ...

  AVE MARIA Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  May it is  the  Blessed Virgin Mary  because the springtime customs of the past are now perfected in their dedication to our Heavenly Mother, the true Queen of Creation. We share especially in Mary’s joy in Her Son’s Resurrection as the Easter Season is in full swing during the month of May.  May is the month amongst them all that sparks the most widespread devotion among the faithful and holds particular customs that most months do not. It’s a wonderful idea to honor our Blessed Mother by deciding to do something in Her honor each day of May, especially by praying the rosary ! We can also honor Our Lady by planting a Mary garden . This month is also when the  Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation are widely celebrated, please inspire and pray for those who will be receiving these Sacraments. See the bottom of this post for more Marian resources.  May al...

  Conclave  (Begins May 7th at 10:30 am EST watch Vatican News Media to watch for white smoke to announce the election of a new Pope.  Next to the Holy Spirit and Our Lady as Mother of the Church it is good to pray for the intercession for Saints Joseph and Michael as protectors of The Church as well as all canonized Popes and Cardinals and finally St. Catherine of Siena as she influenced the Pope during the Avignon Crisis.)   More about the Papal Conclave . The following times are in EST whereas the Vatican is in CEST.  On day one of the Conclave smoke is expected at 1 EST. The next day is 4:30am and 6am then 11am and 1pm. The first morning and afternoon slots are used if a pope is elected, the second if a pope is not elected. Movies to watch during Conclave (as well as those mentioned in the second link above) are ‘The Two Popes’, ‘Saving Grace’ and ‘The Shoes of the Fisherman’. During this time when the whole world is paying attention to The Catholic Church i...

  A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. Who is Saint Mark? The Feast of St. Mark  St. Mark Relics  April 25 Customs and Folklore  St. Mark’s Day in Italy  St. Gertrude and the Feast of St. Mark   St. Mark Iconography  More Iconography  St. Mark Artifact Vegan Lamb Recipes 

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In April   it is  the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit .   This is because Easter is typically in April and when it is in March the season still continues through April and the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Spirit have a special role in the Easter mysteries. More information on Catholic belief about the Eucharist can be found Here and Here.  April 1st is also April Fools’ Day (see below). April 1st is also the beginning of Arab American Heritage Month , Autism Awareness Month and Earth Month . Finally, for those lovers of Halloween like myself, look for “Halfway to Halloween” events happening near you or on streaming services like Shudder. The themes of Halloween overlap with those of the Lenten season as well and thus spooky movies during Lent are most appropriate as  Lent continues into the month of April.  Daily Reads  Weather Lore Calendar Lunar Folklore  The Pink Moon F...