Peace be with y’all!

Chicks A and B

I’m conducting an experiment at my house, in part to teach my teenagers and in part to prove a point.  My love for the liturgical calendar and the way it tells the gospel story has become my new method for evangelization, so I hang a cross by my side door and “decorate” it in the appropriate liturgical color of that day or season.  See below.

Pentecost Sunday

Advent

Christmas

Easter

Sometimes I miss a day- like this past Friday, when I could have placed a red flower amidst the greenery, reminding me of the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. (I also had wanted to make Grasshopper Parfaits that day, but was too busy AND had no green food coloring…).  Whenever I change it up, the decorated cross that is, I drag both of our kids outside to point it out to them.  ”Yeah, yeah,” they say as they are forced to notice.  The funny thing is, only one person coming and going through that heavily used entrance to our home has ever asked me about the cross.  She is Catholic and a friend of my daughter, and when she noticed the purple ribbon one winters’ day, she asked me about it and its relationship to Advent.  BINGO- I gave her a half-gallon of my homemade iced tea as a prize and told her she was welcome at our house any time.

So today, I am putting that red flower on my cross to mark the Feast of Corpus Christi,  and I am wondering if many of the people in Corpus Christi, TX know the significance of the Latin name for their city.  For that matter, what about the residents of St. Augustine, FL; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; or Rome, GA?  Corpus Christi is the seat of a diocese in South Texas, and the Cathedral is lovely and historic.  This weekend when I receive communion and hear “Body of Christ”  I’m going to be thinking about the folks in Corpus Christi.  Blessings to you!

Chick B

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  He has made quite an impression in his role as Archbishop- even the Today show recently featured him on their visit to Rome.  His blog and his Sunday morning hour on The Catholic Channel showcase his intelligence and his amiable personality.

Father Robert Barron, Illinois priest whose media ministry called Word on Fire has changed many peoples’ lives through thoughtful commentary on all types of topics.  His latest epic project, the 10 part dvd and tv series called Catholicism, will tell the story of Christianity and the Church like no other project ever has.

Paul Thigpen, professor and writer, has co-authored a fabulous book called Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions.  This is just one project among many where Dr. Thigpen uses his talents to teach and explain our faith.  This book in particular is an invaluable resource.

Raymond Arroyo, news anchor for EWTN’s The World Over, blogger, and sit-in host for the Laura Ingraham radio show is a bright light in the arena of news reporting.  We briefly met Mr. Arroyo at a dinner several years ago and were charmed by his enthusiasm and good will.

These are just a few of the featured participants this year.  It promises to be a fantastic event!

The Chicks

To celebrate our birthday as a Church, I’m baking a cake.   This chocolate pound cake from the Newnan, GA Junior League Cookbook is sure to delight.  Be bold, do some baking, and proclaim Happy Birthday to us!

Chick B

Ingredients for Chocolate Pound Cake

2 sticks of butter, 1/2 c. Crisco shortening, 3 c. sugar, 5 eggs, 3 c. cake flour, 1/2 c. cocoa, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/4 c. milk, 1 Tbs. vanilla extract.

Directions:

Cream butter, shortening and sugar.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Sift flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder together.  Add to the cream mixture alternating with milk.  Stir in vanilla extract and blend well.  Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour 30 minutes.

As you know, we Southern Catholic Chicks like to talk, and we barely scratched the surface of topics during our taping on Tuesday, June 7 at the WDUN studio.  Our gracious hosts, Mark Peffer and Carol Bush of Totus Tuus Catholic Radio, invited us to be guests for The Catholic Hour, which airs every Sunday night.  After preparing 8 discussion questions, sending them to us ahead of time, and warning us to be brief, we STILL only covered 2 of the questions.  (Sorry Mark and Carol).  They might want to have us back sometime or not ever see us again…we aren’t sure which!

You can learn more about Totus Tuus Catholic Radio and their wonderful media ministry at their website.  And don’t forget to tune in for some Chick Chatter on Sunday!

Mark and Carol collaborating on how to cut our segment to the required 20 minutes of air time

Chicks A and B

…Tried to teach these kids some manners.  I’m going to my grave insisting that they say “Yes Mam” and “No Mam” and not apologizing for it.  This is still the South, you know.

…Tried to stay out of their school projects, homework, and school life in general.  The turning point came when the youngest, the one who is 13 now, asked me for some homework help in 3rd grade, to which I replied,” I’ve already done 3rd grade.  Now it’s your turn.”

…Tried to let them have activities and friendships that interested them, even if it meant lots of driving from 3-7pm many nights.  One Saturday, I swear I was in the car for 6 straight hours, but who’s counting?  I could have (and should have) just driven on down to the beach.

…Tried to eat together as a family as much as possible, even if the dinner conversation was filled with “biting and devouring” as I like to call it, and I don’t mean toward the food.  (see Galatians 5:15 as a reference).

…Tried to establish family traditions and memorable vacations.  This I may actually have accomplished when we co-owned an RV with another Atlanta family.  We took 4 major trips cross country, the final trip encompassing 3.5 weeks of family togetherness.  Even though no one was speaking by the time we got home, just a mere year later they were asking for more.  RV travel is kind of like child-birth- you forget the pain.

…Tried to teach them about faith, the Church, and the joy of following Christ.  This is the most challenging yet most fulfilling, especially now that I am the only Catholic Christian in the family.  While each child has a great personal faith and sense of following the Lord, there is still much work to do in teaching them the fullness of the faith, the sacramental life, and the history and significance of the Church.  This effort, in particular, has done loads for my prayer life…

The world’s most famous grave marker stands for all to see in Rome.  Father Barron makes some wonderful observations about it here.    Cheers!   Chick B

Thanks to the efforts of Chick K (Kim Schulman) and the staff at Holy Spirit, Father Martin entertained me and a crowd with his stories of humor and its relationship to faith.  His talk included 10 points, all of which I recorded on the only “paper” I had handy – miniature lime green post it notes.  Beyond his numbered points of emphasis, however, came story after story about witty Popes and bishops; the funny side of Jesus and his ministry; self-deprecating jokes about the Jesuits and their relationship to the Franciscans and Dominicans; and a host of examples of humor and its place in our daily spiritual lives.  I have been to many inspiring talks on faith since becoming Catholic.  Never have I been so inspired by laughing so much.  I’m talkin’ gut wrenching laughter.  Silly, giggling laughter.  Thank goodness I don’t have on any mascara laughter.

Thank you Father Martin.  If laughter is the best medicine, then I was the healthiest person in Atlanta last night.

Chick B

Summer nights spent dreaming on a sleeping porch.  Summer days spent chasing down clues from a mysterious letter found in the family chapel.  Does childhood get any better than this?!  In her first fictional mystery directed at grade-school aged readers, Camille Sparkman serves up a delicious account of the Lovette family – its heritage and its current generation made up of boys who like adventure.  A secret letter, some family whisperings, and a shady local character all make for a great story as Ebers and Knox Lovette race to save their family home.  Although aimed at a younger audience,

Mother of five, a woman of faith, and a native Southerner, Camille Sparkman combines the best of faith and family life in this story. Weaving in elements of the Christian life, she introduces the reader to a family where practicing faith is a normal part of their routine. Maintaining the historic family chapel, attending Mass, and confiding in the friendly priest Monsignor O’Brien are all part of the Lovette boys’ life.  Anyone reading this novel would feel a rhythm to their faith that is immensely attractive.

Here is what others are saying about the book:

“My eleven year old daughter and I read the book together and found it very enjoyable.  Great summer read for kids of all ages!”  Chick A

“This was a good mystery book and I couldn’t put it down.  One night we stayed up late to finish it — I especially liked the ending.”   Chickadee K  (daughter of Chick A)

Chickadee K engrossed in the ending of The Secret Letter

So, for a great summer read for your children or for yourself, visit Camille’s website called Five ‘n Two Publishing to place an order and to learn more about this talented writer.

Chick B

The Illustrated Rosary can be found in bookstores and on line.  Simply go to Chick G’s website to learn more about how to order.  What a great gift for students, candidates for Confirmation, RCIA participants, graduates, and anyone who desires to grow closer to Christ!

Chicks A and B

Our next book can fit in your pocket, quite literally.  Scott Hahn’s A Pocket Guide to the Bible is 79 miniature pages short but chock full of information on how Sacred Scripture was canonized, the Church’s role in compiling the books of the Bible, how the Bible is structured, and how Sacred Scripture and the liturgy of the Mass relate to one another.  It can be ordered from Amazon and will be a wonderful choice for easy summer reading on vacation or at home.  

There are some other books that would make for great summer reading as well:

1. Mentioned in My Life with the Saints’ chapter on Aquinas was G.K. Chesterton, a convert to Catholicism who is often called “the apostle of common sense.”  The Catholic Church and Conversion is his autobiography on his conversion process to becoming Catholic.  Also, Fr. Charles Connor has written a book called Classic Catholic Converts, in which he devotes a chapter to Chesterton.

2. To learn more about Blessed Mother Teresa and three other holy Teresas whose lives were exemplary models of fidelity and faith, read The Four Teresas by Gina Loehr.  You will enjoy their stories and appreciate their Christian witness.

3. Finally, for those of you who have a short attention span like I seem to have these days, there are two books that will enlighten you on Catholicism topic by topic- making them easy books to pick up and put down all summer long.  Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions covers everything from why Catholics and Protestants number the 10 commandments differently to why St. Timothy is the patron saint of stomach disorders.  Light of the World, a conversation between Pope Benedict and Peter Seewald, enlightens the reader on everything from the sex abuse scandal to the Church’s dialogue with Islam.  Seewald, a veteran journalist, was himself agnostic when he began his relationship with Pope Benedict, interviewing him on several other occasions.  Benedict XVI’s witness was a contributing factor to Seewald’s conversion to the faith.

Finally, we can’t forget the food from our gathering…all Italian related since we were officially honoring St. Catherine of Siena and her feast day of April 29.  Pizza, spinach orzo pasta salad, italian green salad, and lemon berry trifle were on the menu.     The pizza was different and easy to make- here is the recipe:

Take one Boboli pre-made whole wheat pizza crust.  Spread basil pesto on top (rather than tomato sauce).  Sprinkle goat cheese on top of the pesto.  Cut up figs and sprinkle them on top of the goat cheese.   Bake on pizza or cookie sheets at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes. I had never used figs before I tried this recipe, and I learned that they can be found in dry packaging in the fruit section of the grocery store.

So, three cheers for Fr. Martin, the communion of saints, and our book club members.  See you in mid-August!

Chick B