In between hanging up Travis' work shirts, feeding the kids an after-school snack, and dinner prep I want to squeeze in a note to share something that struck me last week while reading the Gospel of Mark.
The passage was Mark 15:21. They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
That's it. One sentence in one little section in the larger story of Christ's passion. But for the first time ever I noticed that Alexander and Rufus are named in a way that seems, at least to me, that the readers of Mark's Gospel would know who they are. "Alexander and Rufus - you know the brothers who are a part of our congregation? It was their dad - their dad! - who helped Jesus carry His cross!" And then all the people hearing the Gospel proclaimed would look at Alexander and Rufus and say, "Wow. I didn't know. Our Rufus and Alexander!"
This realization struck my mother's heart deep and instantly I said, "Simon of Cyrene, pray for me. Pray for me to share the Gospel with my kids. Be the patron of my parenthood. Help me to share the story of my personal encounter with Christ to my children so that their lives will be changed. Pray that I will lead my children so they have their own encounters with Jesus. Pray that our home and their hearts will be filled with the grace that they will grow up knowing, believing, and loving God as your own sons did."
That's it. That's all I've got. But if you, like me, are looking for every help Heaven can offer as you raise your kids to love God then maybe this will speak to your heart, too.
The All Saints' Halloween party is coming up at my old parish and this year the moms' group is giving back, reinvesting in the parish that has built them up, cared for them, and provided for them. The group is doing this by planning and hosting the event on November 1st. Since I'm still an active member of the moms' group there (it's so, so wonderful) I'm helping with the party plans.
The goal of the party is this:
for the ultra sanitized Harvest Party and the horribly secularized and even evil Halloween* to meet in the middle and be Catholic. I want it to look like a Halloween party at first glance but to be filled with opportunities for parents and kids to have fun and learn about their faith - to give parents an opportunity to teach their kids about their faith in a way that's not lame or dorky but fun.
We want things to be a little different this year so the kids who came in the past won't think it's the same old thing. We're not throwing everything out, just rotating some out, some in, and lining up some other things to be rotated out next year. This year I think we may have a bouncy house shaped like a castle for the little kids. Maybe it'll be St. King Wenceslas' castle. One of the women in the group suggested crowns for all the saints, which I think would be a great craft station. We're going to have a soccer game in honor of our athletic JPII and in my dreams we'd have rock climbing wall for Pier Giorgio.
You can see all the games, food, and decorations we had at last year's party if you're looking for some ideas, but I'd also like your help. Do you know of any cute games or craft stations? What about food with saint tie-ins? Like St. Francis' animal crackers and that sort of thing.
Also, tell me what you'd want on your tombstone.
I had the idea of making a cemetery for the guests to walk through as they entered the party. Instead of the evil and scary tombstones I wanted these to be old looking, yes, but also Christian and, more importantly, to have saint names on them. So Teresa of Calcutta, Fulton Sheen, Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein, and so on.
Another woman in the group dislikes that idea and thinks it will make the party guests focus on death and not on the eternal life that the saints are enjoying. She would prefer a graveyard with puny names.
And the third option, of course, is that it's just a bad idea and we shouldn't have a cemetery at all.
What do you think? What do you vote for? If you were coming to the party what would you prefer?
Thanks for your help.
*I'm not saying that every Halloween celebration is evil. We do Halloween with decorations, trick-or-treating, kid appropriate but spooky stories and tv specials. Just so you know, I am not anti Halloween. Not at all!
If you're new here, stick around! You can follow A Knotted Life on Bloglovin' or Feedly.
Plus, I'd love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I hope to "meet" you soon!
Thanks so much for having me Bonnie! Though I'll admit I was a bit nervous about writing something on Canada. First I definitely considered: Ten Ridiculous Things Canadians Do or Why Canadians Are Awesome but I want you to like me so we'll just save those for another time. So instead, I'm going to tell you about some awesome Catholic things about Canada!
A few facts (from the Canadian Conference of Bishops):
The majority of Canadians identify themselves as Catholic.
The highest concentration of Catholics is in Quebec.
There are 61 dioceses in Canada (under a Bishop or Archbishop).
he first mass celebrated on what was to become Canadian soil was on July 7th 1534.
The first Canadian (possibly first North American) Bishop was Francois de Laval.
The first Pope to visit Canada was Pope John Paul II in 1984. He returned again in 1987 (to visit one town which weather had prevented him from visiting in 1984) and for World Youth Day in 2002.
Canada has some beautiful shrines and I've been lucky enough to go to a couple of them. There are 5 shrines recognized by the Canadian Conference of Bishop as National Shrines:
Founded by Saint Brother Andre in 1904; his tomb is the chapel. The site draws huge crowds every year on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19th. There are many miracles and healings from Saint Joseph here.
Saint Anne de Beaupré Basilica Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec
Visited by over 1.5 million people each year, this shrine to Saint Anne was established in 1658. The building has magnificent mosaics and over 240 stain glass windows depicting the life of Saint Anne.
Considered the most important shrine to Our Lady in North America and is Canada's National Marian Shrine. It was inaugurated in 1964, however, its roots date back to the 17th century. Here the Brotherhood of the Rosary was formed in 1694 by Father Vachon. Several miracles by our Blessed Mother have taken place here.
National Canadian Martyrs Shrine Midland, Ontario This shrine is dedicated to the memory of the Canadian (also known as the North American) Martyrs, a group of 8 Jesuits Saints who were missionaries in North America.
St. Anthony's Hermitage
Lac-Bouchette, Quebec St. Anthony's Hermitage is a pilgrimage site known for high quality and it's beautiful natural environment. It is run by the Capuchin Fathers. It was established in 1907.
A number of Saintly men and women have shaped the Catholic Church in Canada. Until I started looking into it, I actually had no idea there were so many Canadian saints and so many blessed Canadians. Here are just a few of them:
The Canadian Martyrs - The Canadian Martyrs were a group of six Jesuit priests and two associates who worked as missionaries to the Hurons in the colonial days of New France. Having been martyred for their faith, they were canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930. Their feast day is celebrated in Canada on September 26.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys - Marguerite Bourgeoys established the first school in Montreal and founded the Congregation of Notre Dame, an order of religious women, largely responsible for bringing Christian education to many areas of the New World. She worked hard to ensure the rights and welfare of women and children and to guarantee that young people received an education. Canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 31, 1982, her feast day is celebrated on January 12.
Source
St. Francois de Laval - Francois was the first bishop in Quebec and North America, and was a dedicated shepherd to his people. He founded several educational opportunities for men and priests. He was just canonized by Pope Francis in 2014 and his body rests in the Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal.
Source
St.Kateri Tekawitha - The daughter of a Catholic woman and a Mohawk chief. Her parents and siblings died of smallpox when she was only 4 years old, she was left almost blind and badly scared. She got her knowledge of Christianity from the Jesuits and after her baptism at the age of 18, she lived piously and devoted her life to God. She fled for a Christian Mohawk village and there she took a vow of perpetual virginity. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. Witnesses claim that moments after her death, her scars disappeared. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. She is the first Native American to be canonized.
St. Marguerite d'Youville - Marguerite d’Youville was instrumental in setting up hospitals in Montreal and founded the Grey Nuns (or Sisters of Charity). Her order spread across Canada, setting up hospitals. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990, her feast day is celebrated on October 16.
You can see the list of Canadian Blesseds here.
I really hope this was a great little lesson on Catholicism in Canada for you. While we have a strong Catholic presence, the majority of our Catholics are very lukewarm and do not adhere to Catholic teaching (i.e. the "Catholic" political leader, Justin Trudeau). We look at the United States and are so envious of your full churches and strong faithful but the Catholic faithful are here in Canada and we're awesome and we're turning the current tides of Catholicism in Canada and to bring us back to our roots.
I'm a newlywed to the love of my life and every day we grow more faithful and happier. I'm an NFP-advocate/instructor; an administrative assistant by day and housewife by evening and weekend. I love beautiful things and I do my best to find them on our budget. I I'm trying my best to live naturally, environmentally and health conscious. I can be found with my nose in a book, spending too much time on pinterest or enjoying a bubble bath.
I was in charge of organizing and hosting my parish's All Saints' Day / Halloween / All Hallow's Eve party and let me tell you something: it was so much fun! This post is filled with all kinds of ideas that helped me and my fellow volunteers throw a great party. Be sure to watch my Knot Bad Video for some ideas that aren't discussed below. And if you've any great ideas for celebrating All Hallow's Eve I'd love to read them in the comment box!
Menu possibilities:
At my parish's party we'll be doing the more kid friendly versions of the food below but the gorier options may be more interesting for teens and adults. Many thanks to my friend, Katie, who helped me brainstorm these ideas.
St. Elizabeth of Hungry's sandwiches OR St. Agatha's sandwiches
St.s Perpetua and
Felicity’s Coliseum animal crackers OR St. Francis' animal crackers
St. Lucy’s eyes could use grapes, olives, or the chocolate candies wrapped in foil that looks like eyeballs
St. Joan of Arc's flaming Doritos
St. Isadore’s salsa and chips
St.
Luke’s relics made from pretzel sticks & mini marshmallows dipped in white choc (St. Luke's is the name of our parish - you could use your parish or just call them relics.)
St. Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions' fortune cookies
St. Lawrence’s grill - waffle pretzels
St. Nicholas' pickles
St. Stephen’s stones - could use Nerds, donut holes, grapes, cake balls, rock candy, or even brown MnM's.
Holy Ghost - cookies, rice krispie treats, Peeps, or any other ghost-shaped treat
Drinks - Blessed Mother “they have no wine” water bottles
I'll also be serving popcorn in a cauldron from some real "kettle corn", clementines with jack o' lantern faces, and lemonade.
The ad that ran in our bulletin
Games:
Now I must confess that I didn't think of any of these games. All of them were created by two wonderful women from my parish. We like to have the games set up in stations throughout our parish hall, manned by the confirmation students.
Pin the Crown on Mary
Hang a picture of Mary on a wall, blindfold the kids, spin them around, and give them a picture of a crown with tape on the back. St. Michael Halo Toss
Line up cones with pictures of angels taped to the front and give kids rings to toss. Rings can be pool toys, glow sticks, or embroidery hoops wrapped in a shimmery, golden ribbon. St. Lucy's Blindman's Bluff
Place objects like a crucifix, statue of a saint, rosary, etc in empty kleenex boxes. Blindfold the kids and have them guess the objects based on what they feel. St. Therese's Shower of Roses
Fasten together small bunches of fake roses to toss into a series of buckets. St. Francis' Animal Search
Gather old beanie babies or other stuffed animals and hide them throughout the room or house. Have the kids find them and bring them to a statue or other image of St. Francis. St. James and St. John's Fishing Hole
Make up small baggies of Goldfish crackers and/or Swedish Fish. Punch a hole in one corner of each bag and hoop a pipe cleaner through it, making a large circle. Make a simple cane pole with a stick, string, and a large paper clip attached at the end and bent to form a hook. Kids can hook the baggies that are in a kiddie pool or laying on a blue blanket. St. Anthony's Lost and Found
Blindfold the kids and have them search through containers for uncooked rice, beans, noodles, etc for objects like rings, keys, or coins.
You wouldn't have a Christmas party without a tree, red and green, and St. Nicholas or an Easter party without eggs, baskets, and spring flowers and so we won't be having an All Saints' party without pumpkins and other decorations. Here's some of my ideas:
Pumpkins, corn stalk bunches, straw bales, mums, and gourds. Traditional fall decorations definitely help set the scene and give a festive feel. If you're having your party on All Saints' Day you may be able to get free pumpkins and such from a local pumpkin patch and list them as a sponsor in your bulletin and posters. You can also get discounted pumpkins and other decorations if you buy the day of Halloween or the day after but you run the risk of not having a good variety.
Food and Candy. Dishes of candy corn or other Halloween themed candy can be the centerpieces at the tables. And your buffet can and should be a centerpiece of the room. Serve the food in clear, white, or Halloween-ish colored dishes on a black tablecloth and they'll seem festive, too. Also, be sure to label the food, possibly using a holy card of the saint with the label.
Color & Light
I love using plastic tablecloths and white lights to create a theme and ambiance. Purple, green, orange, and black tablecloths can cover tables and hang on walls to cover unsightly sights, bring attention to a special area, or just add color. The plastic tablecloths can be found in the party section of Wal-Mart and cost less than $1. You can cut them to fit a variety of spaces and because they're light they're easy to hang on walls or from the ceiling.. I'll be halving them for our round tables and then cutting strips for table runners so an orange covered table will have a stripe of purple, black, or green to add more color. I'll also be hanging some black ones around a stage area to create a backdrop in the "cemetery" where the kids will explain which saint they are dressed as. I'll use the white lights in this area, perhaps as a night sky or just snaked around the tombstones (mentioned in the above video) and pumpkins I'll be using in this area.
Saints
This day is really all about them so show them off! Icons, statues, holy cards, and other pictures can be placed throughout the room. Nestle them by pumpkins, place them on the centers of the tables, include their pictures on the signs labeling the food and games, and hang them on the doors and walls.
Costume Ideas
Several of the websites below have lots of good ideas for costumes but the thing I want to stress is that not everyone needs to be in traditional garb. I think dressing in the spirit of saint is also appropriate. For example:
A blurry, sugar-filled St. Joseph and a happy St. Mary
St. Damien - a Hawaiian shirt with a purple ribbon around the neck like a confessor's stole
St. Joseph - a brown shirt, jeans, and a play toolbox
St. Michael - soldier, firefighter, or police officer costume, perhaps with a pair of wings
St. James or St. John - fishing pole, perhaps with a cardboard box boat hanging from their shoulders
St Isadore - farmer outfit
St. Mark - lion costume
St. Luke - artist
Structure for the party Kids like structure and thrive with it but a party should still be fun and not too rigid. With that in mind our evening will run a little like this:
-Allow people to gather and invite them to sit.
-Do a quick intro talking about the Jack O'Lantern - it explains salvation, God's love for us, redemptive suffering, and ends with roasted pumpkin seeds and dinner! (watch the above video for more ideas)
-Pray and eat.
-Invite the "saints" to take the stage and explain who they are dressed up as. We'll end this portion by praying the Litany of the Saints, including the names of the saints who are represented by the children.
-Open up the games.
-Families can then leave as needed / once their kids have played all the games.
Other websites with good ideas and thoughts on a Catholic All Hallow's Eve:
Catholic Icing Catholic Cuisine
Catholic All Year Taylor Marshall's Top Ten Ways to Have a Catholic Halloween
Halloween in Our Catholic Home, an article I wrote for Ignitum Today several years ago My Pinterest Halloween Party board
