In the summer months we celebrate several anniversaries. July 20th, is our Anna’s baptism anniversary. A sweet and simple day that always brings back wonderful chrism smell memories. The reminder that our daughter is sealed in Christ.
Category: Liturgy
The Great Amen: Understanding the sanctuary and celebration
This post is part of a series on understanding the physical, sensorial and spiritual elements of our sanctuary and celebration. Today we will take a closer look into the Great Amen. As a young girl I sang in our church’s youth choir. I am grateful to our director for always explaining how our ministry supported the…
A Church made for toddlers: Understanding the sanctuary and celebration
Going to mass with my daughter is quite the trip. As she grows further into toddlerdome, her wiggles are growing, but we have also found many opportunities to share the celebration with her, using tactile and visual cues. We mention her place in the family of God as we dip our hands in the baptismal font, and when…
Comfort in the ancient: The time the rosary clicked
I had been a mom for just over a year, and as wonderful and beautiful as the year had been I still felt like I hadn’t found my mom sea legs. I was still catching my bearings and finding balance in this new season of life. Anna and I were making the 40 minute drive home after…
The value of ancient words
Is there value in repeating ancient words? Often I feel more comfortable in the tradition of spontaneous prayers. Prayer where I piece the words together in the moment and express myself like I would to a friend over coffee. This free form stream of conscious type prayer is a sincere and powerful extension of my heart, but…
When a baby cries at church
There we are, in the middle of a beautiful service, and then we hear it, the sounds of our smallest church goers. A loud cry from the pew behind us, a kneeler going bang across the aisle, or a fit from the young one in our own pew. Our quiet peaceful moment is ruined. When a child cries…