Showing posts with label Liturgical Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liturgical Year. Show all posts

Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 9/01/2010 11:33:00 AM

© Adocel

On this day, December 12th, people from all parts of Mexico make their way to Mexico's chief religious center at the Basilica of the Virgen of Guadalupe, located in Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo, a northern neighbourhood of Mexico City. There, they will celebrate the Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) with a mass ceremony and a traditional fair in her honor.


The Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe became an national holiday in 1859. At the plaza the fiesta starts after the mass ceremony with delicious food, vendors selling crafts and clothes, along with many performences of music and dance. In other parts of Mexico, similar festivities are organized with some unique variations of the celebration. In some places, altars of flowers are built in her honor. Other parts have traditional food prepared like buñuelos, raspados and tortas as well as activities like parades, rodeos, and bullfights. (Source)

Books/DVD


Religious Goods
Websites






© ektarama
Crafts

Tomie dePaola has a great story on his website about Our Lady of Guadalupe as the Patron of Artists and I could not agree more! Without a doubt, she has been inspiring artists (Catholic or not) for the past 500 years. To explore Our Lady of Guadalupe in art:

Articles:
Books:




Art/Craft Projects:
Supplies:
Food

© Holiday Jenny

Music







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St. Cecilia

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/22/2010 04:34:00 PM

Feast Day: November 22nd


St. Cecilia by Simon Vouet

Patroness of Music
More than seventeen hundred years ago there lived a little girl whose name was Cecilia. This little girl is now remembered, the world over, for her goodness and her love of music.

Cecilia's mother and father were Roman nobles. They had a beautiful palace in one of the most pleasant parts of Rome. There, in the midst of all that was rich and grand, the child Cecilia was born.

As she grew up, this gentle maiden cared but little for the wealth and grandeur around her. She loved God, and in everything she did she tried to please Him. She sang sweetly and at a very early age made hymns of her own.

She sang these songs to our dear Lord, Jesus Christ. She loved Him so much that she used to carry the story of His life in the folds of her dress so that she might read of Him at any time. Her voice was so sweet that, when she sang, the angels came to listen.

She learned also to play upon the organ, that thus through music she might further show her love for God. She played with so much skill that to this day she is often called the first of organists.

At that time the rulers of Rome did not believe in Christ. They were very cruel to Christians and wished to drive all of them from the city.

For this reason they put to death some of Cecilia's dearest friends and threw others into prison. At last she too was taken and made to stand up before one of the rulers.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Christian is my name," she said, "though I am commonly called Cecilia."

" What gods do you serve? "

" I serve Jesus Christ," was the answer.

Then she was led forth to her death; but she went bravely and without fear, knowing that her Lord was with her.

(From Standard Catholic Readers By Grade, Third Year by Mary Doyle)

Resources


St. Cecilia by Raffaello Sanzio

Purcell; Handel; Haydn: To Saint Cecilia:





Händel: Ouverture (An Ode for St Cecilia's Day):





Ode on St. Cecilia's Day (Vidal) Overture 1/2:


Ode on St. Cecilia's Day (Vidal) Overture 2/2:


Hymn to St. Cecilia (Benjamin Britten):





St. Cecilia by Nicolas Poussin

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Blessed Hildegard of Bingen

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/22/2010 01:30:00 PM

Feast Day: September 17th

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) was a most extraordinary woman: Benedictine abbess, scholar, counselor, visionary, herbalist, healer, dietician, naturalist, poet, artist, composer and lyricist. She is the first saint I read about in-depth when initially exploring Catholicism and I have been fascinated by her ever since.

For her feast day I have compiled the following ideas:

Reading:
Food and Drink
Hildegard von Bingen's "De Spiritu Sancto:"


In addition to the above reading and food/drink, we will be listening to some of her music -- numerous CDs are available and there is much of it on YouTube also. I especially like The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen, a CD by Anonymous 4.

I had dearly hoped that the DVD of Margarethe von Trotta's Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen would be available in the U.S. this year, but alas, it appears that the film is due for another round in select theaters first (though of course, none in Kansas).

Lastly, we will be making a simple herbal salve from our Herbal Medicine Making Kit, though I think any sort of herbal craft would work equally well. For more on Hildegard as an herbal healer see: Hildegard of Bingen: Herbal Healer of the Rhine, an article from The Herb Companion magazine.

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St. Rose of Lima

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/16/2010 07:15:00 PM

Even as a baby, Isabel de Flores so pretty that she was called “Rose,” the most beautiful of all the flowers. Growing up in Lima, Peru, Isabel developed a talent for gardening, so it is not surprising that she took the name “Rose” as her confirmation name. As she tended the flowers in her family garden, she prayed. Her relationship with God was the most important thing in her life.

Rose’s parents hoped that she would get married, but Rose wanted to give her life completely to God. She told her parents that her dream was to join the convent to become a nun, but they would not give her permission. They needed Rose at home, helping to support the family.

Rose moved into a hut in the garden. She earned money by selling her flowers during the day. At night she did needlework, making designs with colorful threads on cloth. People bought the clothing she decorated. With the money she earned, Rose helped her family and also bought food for the needy people in her community. She put her prayers into action. With help from her brother, she added rooms to her hut and cared for homeless children and the elderly. She became a much-loved woman everywhere in her country.

We honor Rose of Lima on August 23. She was the first person from the New World—the Americas—to be named a saint. Rose’s life teaches us to reach out to our neighbor and to use our talents to help them live better lives. (Source)
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Canonized as Santa Rosa de Lima, she is the patron saint of the Americas, needleworkers, gardeners and florists. She is symbolized by her love for the Holy Infant, roses, as a Dominican tertiery holding roses and as a Dominican tertiery accompanied by the Holy Infant. A very interesting article about her visions can be found here; biography here.

Feast Day Ideas

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The Solemnity of the Assumption

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/16/2010 11:57:00 AM


Yesterday, August 15th, was the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, though we were not able to enjoy our liturgical activities until today.

We began by reading about the Assumption in Mondays With Mary and My Nameday--Come for Dessert. We also read the legend, "How Flowers Regained Their Scent" and discussed the traditional blessing of herbs on this day. While I was reading, the kids enjoyed some delicious lavender cookies and colored a page from our Mary Most Holy Coloring Book by Katherine Sotnik.

Finally, later in the afternoon, we enjoyed some "Assumption Jello" (via Catholic Icing)...this was a huge hit!


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November/December Liturgical Plans

0 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/10/2010 07:24:00 AM

NOVEMBER (Dedicated to The Holy Souls)


November 1st: All Saints' Day
November 2nd: All Souls' Day
November 21st: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 22: St. Cecilia
November 27th: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
DECEMBER (Dedicated to The Divine Infancy)


December 4th: St. Barbara
  • Traditional recipes can be found here.
December 6th: St. Nicholas
December 8th: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 9th: St. Juan Diego / December 12th: Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 13th: St. Lucy
December 16th: Las Posadas

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El Día de los Muertos

1 comments Posted by Kristine at 8/09/2010 02:03:00 PM


© Guago

Last year I really wanted to have a Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead celebration, but was entirely too disorganized to make it happen. This year, I'm planning early so that I have ample time to collect supplies and get prepared (for one thing, the sugar skull blanks will need to be made well in advance so that they have time to dry.)

Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday that coincides with All Saints' Day (November 1st) and All Souls' Day (November 2nd). In most regions of Mexico, November 1st, called Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") or Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels"), honors children and infants. Deceased adults are honored on November 2nd, called Día de los Muertos/Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead"). Some good information about the holiday can be found here, and you can find all things Day of the Dead here (including a 31-page Teacher Packet and videos).

Below are some of my ideas for our celebration. More inspiration can be found at the Día de los Muertos group on Flickr and DIYLife's Day of the Dead Traditions and Projects is extremely thorough.

© From Texas to Mexico

© Flores-Perez

© Coyotbeck
Books
Crafts
Elements
© John3000


Food/Drink

Pan de Muerto © 2Camels

© Vecky22

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