Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day

The 63rd anniversary of the breaking of the color barrier in baseball in 1947 was celebrated at Yankee Stadium yesterday, when all players wore number 57 in honor of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. His memory is honored in this wonderful family film, released today called
The Perfect Game.
This wonderful film with an all star cast has the most positive portrayal of a priest I've seen in 40 years.

Catholics must see this film which tells the inspiring story of how the Mexican Little League team, the Monterrey Industrials swept the 1957 World Series in Williamsport, PA, thanks to the mentorship of their parish priest.
 Cheech Marin does an outstanding job as Padre Esteban, you HAVE to see that to believe it!

With the internet, you never know where you will end up

I have a self indulgent habit; from time to time I Google myself. I want to know where what I write online is going Here are some recent surprises.
My review of "The Kite Runner" was used in The Manila Bulletin as the basis for a discussion on the Sacreament of Confession, according to St Jose Maria Escriva. Awesome.

KIDS was featured in this wonderful article about the 90% abortion rate of babies with Down syndrome.
Again, a pleasant surprise.

My article in the National Catholic Register on the Legacy of Dr Jerome Lejeune was quoted by Michelle in her excellent and holy Unborn Word of the Day. I left a comment at the time, but I had forgotten about it, and to see it there was a renewed thrill.

And.. . saving the best for last; my review of "Mother Teresa's Secret Fire" by Fr Joseph Langford, MC is on the website of the Missionaries of Charity.

When I get discouraged about how little money freelance writing has brought me, I look at the ways my writing has been used, and remember that using my gifts for God's glory is a higher purpose.

The daily news from school

In her backpack, Christina's teacher sends home a daily report, to tell me if Christina ate, worked, played well with her friends, finished her work and generally cooperated at school. I often hear about her being physical with other students, pulling hair, etc, but sometimes, there are good surprises.
Her teacher wrote,
"A boy in her class chose to be her partner for music, because he said, 'Christina is, like, learning stuff":
I am still smiling from that one.

Important research findings

The way Down syndrome is understood has undergone a radical paradigm shift, according to researchers, and this will open up five new therapies for the cognitive delays which accompany it.

The researchers also showed that manually manipulating pieces of RNA that regulate the protein could increase protein levels in both human cell lines and mouse brains. In fact, an experimental drug that acts on those RNA segments returned this protein to normal levels in mice that model the syndrome.

We could be on the brink of a drug which treats Down syndrome, and, God willing, lowering the negativity which accompanies a pre-natal diagnosis Down syndrome. While many parents of a child with Down syndrome resent any treatment which is aimed at 'changing' our children, I maintain that anything which helps more children come into this world is a blessing.
 If its proven safe, I would be open to Christina receiving such treatment. I have advocated long and hard for research funds to bring us breakthroughs like this. This is good news. Servant of God, Dr Jerome Lejeune must be praying for his fellow scientists.
Read the entire article here.

"Last in this world, first in the next"

Sherry Tyree, a writer from the St Louis Dispatch is not afraid to tell the truth about Down syndrome. About how many babies are aborted after 'genetic testing' and about how they are appreciated somewhere. The Catholic Chuch.
You can tell she is a decent person by the reason she left her OB;

A few years back, for a variety of reasons, I left my ob/gyn. The parking was difficult, the doctor was perennially late, but primarily I quit because to the left of her office door was a long hall and a portal above which hung a large sign, “GENETIC TESTING”. In my mind it might as well have read “ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE”.

That is an apt description of many an OB office, where, after a pre-natal test reveals an anomaly. Then the pressure begins. The negative list of possible complications, without a mention of the special gifts these children bring, the threats about what a child like this will do to their famlies.Abondon hope, indeed.

That is why the voice of the Catholic Church is a light in this world for people with Down syndrome. We look beyond the obvious, the disease, and see the spirtitual richness. As Jesus says, "unless you become as little children you shall not enter the Kingdom of God". What a blessing it must be to never lose the simple heart of a child, a heart which loves unconditionally, without complications, and with gusto. That's why certain cultures consider those with Down syndrome to be angels in disguise. Let those who have the eyes of faith see, and help uncover the blinders from those who would judge our beautiful children "life unworthy of life".

Read Sheryy's inspiring article here

Good Friday; The anniversary of our salvation

Here is a link to the Divine Mercy novena which begins on  Good Friday and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday.
We are attending the Triduum Masses as a family, with houseguests, so we drive a caravan to church .
 I am enjoying singing in the church choir. It adds so much to the meaning of Holy Week to sing; Pange Lingua, Missa del Angelis, Mass of the Blessed Sacrament, Ave Verum (Mozart), Panis Angelicus, Ubi Caritas, O Sacrum Convivium, O Sacred Head Surrounded, Palestrina's The Strife is O'er, and Jesus Christ is Risen Today.
Preparing this ethereal music has been a blessing, I haven't been in such a great choir since high school when we sang the Mozart Requiem and the Bach B Minor Mass. Thank you Lord for the beauty of the Mass augmented by 2000 years of musical  masterpieces.

The Passion of the Christ and me; a love story

The Lent the Passion came out in theatres was a deeply spiritual one for me, because of the film, I saw it repeatedly and each time, I struggled with the urge to genuflect in the theatre aisle. It was a time when I connected with Jesus deeply, so deeply that the only time I can say that I am closer is when I am in His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Each time the film would begin, I would whisper, “I am here with you, Jesus”.


I would pray for those in the theatre seeing it for the first time. When it came out on DVD, I showed it to as many adults and teens as I could, and consider it a staple of our family’s Lent.

I have seen VERY FEW violent films, in fact I think most of the violent films I have seen are directed by Gibson, and I refused to see “Apocalyto” since I was bitterly disappointed that Mel was taking all the money he made from the Passion and NOT making a pre-quel while Jim Caviezel was still young enough to play Christ. What a waste! SO much good came from The Passion that there was a book and film made about it.

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal even had a petition to influence Mel to make a film of St Francis, to no avail.

My pastor was so moved by The Passion that he was worried. Being Irish, he said, “God is preparing us for a blow”. Didn’t the priestly scandal follow on the heels of this masterpiece of devotion?

Woman with Down syndrome runs art business in Florida

Her mother refused to institutionalize her. She put her in a school where she flourished, and now, with her mom and grandparents, Cinnaomon, a 38 year old woman with Down syndrome is running her own notecard and print business in the Florida Keys.
Visit her website;
\ http://cinnamonsfloridakeysart.com/about-cinnamon.htm

Prayer Wall of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Are you holding a jar full of Lenten Alms? Want a suggestion of where they could do great good?
You could donate the money to help pregnant homeless women of Good Counsel Homes in the South Bronx and help create a prayer wall with Our Lady of Guadalupe's image on the side of their home in the Bronx.
Peter O'Malley a volunteer at Good Counsel says,

We invite you to participate with your prayers and gifts in the placing of the image Our Lady of Guadalupe on the exterior wall of Good Counsel’s home in the South Bronx, NY for the benefit of homeless expectant mothers choosing life for their unborn children.

Read more about it on their blog:
http://olgmural.org/

Good film for Palm Sunday

If your family has already seen The Passion of the Christ, and would like to share a good family film on Christian virtue in action, I recommend "Amish Grace" which will air on Lifetime TV Sunday at 8PM.EST.

Read my review of the film at Faith and Family Live.

New Our Lady of America Shrine Blog

   Pam Jackson has begun a new blog to promote the Shrine of Our     Lady of America in Rome City, IN

Our Lady of America is the only approved apparition in the United States. On the blog, she showcases her beautiful homemade rosaries.
Check it it out here.
Fr Andrew Apostoli told me that Our Lady promised that if her statue was installed in the National Basiclica of the Immaculate Conception, that it would be a center of grace like Lourdes. Pray for the bishops to do the will of Our Lady.

Today is World Down Syndrome Day

Because our children have 3 of the 21st chromosome, we celebrate their uniqueness today, appropriately on the first day of spring. Because they are as unique and beautiful as spring flowers.

Sadly, we must remember that 90% of our precious babies never see the light of day. Christina Dunigan has a great post on this called An Acceptable Level of Collateral Damage.

Let's compare the War on Terror, then, to the War on Down Syndrome, which kills three genetically standard babies for every "enemy" (baby with Down syndrome) successfully eliminated. For every 100 of the "enemy" killed, we are killing 300 "civilians" -- non-targeted "normal" babies. That's at least 13 times the "collateral damage" rate of combat bombing missions.

Now we can join in prayer that the health care bill which further threatens their lives is defeated on this day.

Servant of God, Dr Jerome Lejeune, pray for us.

Christina's 8th birthday

She came home from school on Friday wearing a birthday crown, carrying a backpack full of little gifts from her teachers; bookmarks and stickers. She knew that it was her birthday, so when Grandpa came up from Long Island and we busily scrubbed the house and cooked, her anticipation grew.
At Mass, Christina wore a hot pink "I'm the Birthday Girl" button which she proudly pointed out to everyone, as she sat with uncharacteristic patience in the pew.  After a special blessing from Fr Tito, fifty of our closest friends followed us home and the party began. Lasagna and salad, garlic bread and Coke, we celebrated eight years of joy which Christina has brought into our lives.

Soon it was time for the birthday cake, and she put on her crown and beamed as fifty voices sang "Happy Birthday". We broke open the pinata, opened her gifts and waved goodbye to the guests. The birthday girl took a nap to get ready for Youth Group while the teens in the dining room played a boisterous game of Pictionary.

Before Youth Group, I watched Fr Groeschel's Live Show on EWTN where Chris Bell was celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Good Counsel Homes. I tuned in just as he was sharing the statistic that 90% of unborn babies with Down syndrome are aborted, and reflected that if the world were made of loving people like those adults he knows with Down syndrome, it would be a wonderful place. I called in to thank him for his kind comments, and wish him a Happy Anniversay. Good Counsel Homes has helped over 5,600 homeless pregnant women since it began as an act of love 25 years ago. Our group, running the Ave Maria Home hope to open our home this year, once we raise the $200,000 necessary to gain state permission to open. We are working on a website to promote the Ave Maria Home, I'll be linking to it when it is ready.

After the show, we attended the Youth Group, where once again, Christina was the belle of the ball, with over 100 teens singing "Happy Birthday" to her. She had a wonderful birthday, thanks to all the love of our wonderful Catholic community here in Connecticut.

My reviews of The 13th Day quoted in Ignatius Press catalogue

I was excited to see the enticing array of films in the new Ignatius Press catalogue, but I was more thrilled to see my review of "The 13th Day" quoted with that of Steve Greydanus and Daria Stockey. "Catholics need a wake-up call on what it means to be the Church Militant. In the face of a darkening world landscape, "The 13th Day" is just that" says the quote on page10.
I was even more amazed when I read the other quote from my review on the Ignatius Press website page for "The 13th Day". My heart beat faster when I saw those whose quotes were chosen.
I was quoted with Fr Andrew Apostoli, CFR, the Official Fatima Shrine and Most Rev Vincent Nichols the Archbishop of Westminster, UK. Such august company!
"Directors Ian and Dominic Higgins, accomplished more than a pious revival of a fond moment in Catholic history, they re-cast familiar images of a story whose relevance has grown with time."
– Leticia Velasquez, Hartford Catholic Examiner
(read full review - also on Catholic Media Review)
This is a great honor for me as a writer to have my work quoted by such a fine publisher and in such respected company. I consider it part of my calling as a writer to help interpret books and film for busy Catholics who are wading their way through the filth of the culture of death. I will be interviewing a cast member of "The Blind Side" next week,  and publishing my review in "US Catholic".
This publicity has inspired me to catch up on the dozen or so book reviews I have to write, so please understand if this blog quiets down. ..

I am a Columnist at Amazing Columnists

My first bilingual column is up "The Midnight Arrival of Our Lady of Guadalupe".

Catholic Schools Day in Hartford

I was sent with Isabella, and another student and teacher to represent St Joseph's School at Catholic Schools Day in Hartford. We were there to protect state subsidies to Catholic schools such as bus transportation (in CT only the town you live in provides a bus, in NY you were bussed within a 15 mile range) and funds for school nurses. There is also a bill to allow businesses tax credits if they contribute to a scholarship program for children in poor areas to attend Catholic schools. This would include several towns where students at St Joseph live.
Rep Chris Coutu is not intimidated by being a minority Republican, and enthusiastically promoted this bill among his colleagues while we were there. He attended a meeting in Norwich where the imminent closing of 102 year old St Joseph School was discussed. With Superintendent Shine and Asst. Supt. Sr Barbara Gould, (see photo) we discussed the closing of many area Catholic schools and the negative impact it has had on the community. One aspect we stressed was the economic burden ($15K annualy) to educate the Catholic school students who enter public schools.

Catholic schools, especially faithful schools like St Joseph, are a boon to the community, and it's time they were given a break. A tax break with no strings attached.
I will keep you posted here on the progress of this bill.
Thank you Rep Coutu for supporting Catholic shools in CT

March madness

Spring is in the air; 60 degrees today. We were all irresistably drawn outdoors this afternoon. Even the cats ventured outdoors to get their fur ruffled in the breeze. . .
We played softball on the front lawn, went exploring the stream with three labradors, and got muddy water shaken ALL over us; now what did we expect?!
We enjoyed the clamour of Candian geese flying back from the South in V-formation overhead, spotted  our first Robin, a white crocus and budding wild Pussywillows in the stream. . .s unbathed and exercised, yelled and listened to the wind in the trees, breathed deeply of warm,  fresh air and gratefully stretched our legs.

Can all this joy be allowed in Lent?

Easter is coming. . . it is Sunday, which is not part of Lent and it seems like the Lord is just getting us ready to rejoice in the Resurrection, like the choir rehearing the music for the Triduum, a priceless preview of glories to come. But there's more. . .

After all, St Patrick and St Joseph have feast days in Lent.

Our Lady celebrates her Annunciation this month, 

We must be allowed outbursts of joy even in the midst of penitence almsgiving, and fasting.

On "Tweeting Abortion"

I have been struggling with commenting on this story since it is so raw; a woman, very broken by life, who calls herself an 'anti-theist', has been tweeting her abortion. I can't bring myself to read the tweets or see the YouTube video, but I have read Jill Stanek's take and am happy to share with you Mary Hasson's view from Phases of Womanhood. Her compassion and faith shine through some of the harsh commentary which surround this tragic event.

Angie desperately wants to silence the whisper of God in her own heart. But unlike the clamor of condemnation from some harsh pro-lifers, God’s whisper is a message of His love, steadfastness, and forgiveness. And it’s a whisper so powerful that it can open even the hardest heart. Ironically, Angie’s inability to still the whisper gives us hope—hope that she’ll take the armor of hurt off her own heart and hear the God who loves her.

Mary reminds pro-lifers who call themselves Christians, that though the act of abortion is awful, the soul is nonetheless precious in His sight. May we offer our Lenten prayers and mortifications for Angie and women like her.

Living Offensively; my new follower on Twitter

Living Offensively just started following me on Twitter. You can follow me here.
They are a Christian group who believe that since the world finds Christianity offensive anyway, and since Christ called us to be salt and light to the world, we are called to live offensively.
 I wanted to share a great t-shirt from their collection. This dispels the myth that Christians are against God's gift of the marital act. We just don't brag about how happy we are.
Which begs the question. . .
Where do they think our large families come from?

Korean figure skater is a proud new Catholic

And she's not afraid to show it; makes a sign of the Cross during each performance, and explains the meaning of her rosary ring to reporters. May God bless her for her stellar example to youth!

Catholics in Korea were overjoyed to see Stella Kim Yu-na make the sign of the cross during her performance at the Olympic figure skating competition on Feb. 23.

The 19-year-old went on to make a new world record and became South Korea’s first Olympic figure skating champion, winning numerous fans.

Read the entire story here.

If you have aborted your special needs baby, there is healing

As my readers know, the reason I began writing is to overcome the 90% abortion rate of babies with Down syndrome, and I hope to attract expectant mothers to  this site who are in the midst of such a crisis, in order to inspire them to give their babies life. But, if, however, you have made that awful decision, and are now suffering the consequences of having aborted your child, please do not think I am standing in judgment of you.
 Abortion is always a mortal sin, however, only God knows what kind of pressure the doctor, your husband, and others were inflicting on you. I refused prenatal testing to spare myself that kind of pressure, and I would advise other pregnant women to do the same.
Aborting a child with an adverse pre-natal diagnosis is a whole different scenario than most abortions. You were told your child would either die at birth, or have a short, miserable life (most times this is a lie or a misconception based on outdated information). You were told that it was 'selfish' to give birth to a special needs child, that you would  be burdening your husband, your children, and society. You were not given current information about treatments and life expectancy for children with your child's diagnosis, and you were left thinking perhaps that abortion was more merciful than birth for your child.
This is the common wisdom which you will hear on what we call "termination sites", websites where mothers share their abortion  stories and justify it by saying odd things like,  "I set him free to come back in a healthy body"(belief in re-incarnation is not consonant with Catholicism) .
So, what do you do now besides go to confession? You go on a specialized retreat for adverse pre-natal diagnosis from Theresa Bonapartis at Lumina Ministries. You heal from the pain caused by that awful choice, and, if you are called, tell your story to all who will listen.
God is merciful, and nothing is impossible for Him. Make this Lent the begining of your new life.
Love,
Leticia

The Drivers Test

I gulped as I signed the paper atttesting to the Connecticut DMV that I had indeed offfered 40 hours of driving instruction to my sixteen year old as she nervously awaited to be called for her road test. For six months we had our daily outings driving up and down the hills of the countryside, as she learned to handle our little SUV. We enjoyed our times together, she mastering a new skill, and I enjoying time alone with my daughter, who, since she began school two years ago after ten years of homeschooling, has had less time for long talks with Mom. They were peaceful hours, and though the housework may have suffered, our relationship was strengthened. We talked about school, about her friends, about her sisters. We discussed the difference between driving on Long Island where we lived until two years ago, and the more polite drivers of our area. Most of all we discussed how different life would be when Gabbi could drive. I realized that we were fast approaching, a huge milestone in the life of my eldest daughter, who was fast becoming a young woman.

I am proud to say we never had a big argument, and that though I may have a few more grey hairs, I somehow kept my anxiety in check, (see those nail marks on my seat bottom?) and was a fairly even-tempered instructor. I was also very knowlegable, to my surprise. Things my Driver's Ed teachers told me kept popping back into my brain, word for word, "always assume the other driver will do something dangerous and be prepared for it". I wondered why of all the schooling I had, that these phrases were so easliy remembered. Perhaps because I had delayed taking the class till I was ready for college, fearing the onerous responsibility of operating a motor vehicle capable of taking a life, the warnings I received about driving defensively were burned into my conscious memory. I wondered at the boldness of my daughter, whose fifteenth birthday wish was to pick up a drivers manual so that she could take the permit test on her sixteenth birthday.

While she was taking the test, in the pouring rain at sunset, I prayed my rosary aloud in the Motor Vehicle Department. If they couldn't understand why a nervous mother was praying during a road test, they were past helping, I figured. I asked God to give me Gabbi's nervousness, because I knew that if she didn't surrender to nerves, that her natural ability would help her pass the test with flying colors. So I dealt with the butterflies in my stomach, and watched her drive the tester back into the parking lot. She parked, and the car lights remained on for an eternity, until up emerging from the car, her 200 watt smile told me she had passed. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I had to resist shouting "Alleluia!". Gabbi came in and said she only did one thing wrong, she backed into a space and parked on the white line. Not bad for a dark rainy night!

She took the written test on the computer, posed for a photo, and soon she were walking out of the officewith a spanking new "Youth License" in her hand. Since the tragic deaths of teenagers due to reckless driving has caused many restrictions to be added to 16 to 17 year olds, just about the only difference between having a learner's permit and an actual licesense these days is that she can now drive herself. For a year, she can't even drive her best friend 5 miles to school, but you'd never know that from the breadth of the smile on her face when she called her father to tell him the news.

On the way home, we ate sundaes in the car while the rain drummed on the roof, in celebration. This junior year of high school is one of almost milestones, PSAT's, college visits, the Junior Prom, Getting her driver's license is the only full fledged accomplishment available to my 16 year old, and despite a nagging fear that I was giving her the means to kill herself, I managed to enjoy a glow of pride for a job well done. I had spent 16 years giving her roots, and the last six months giving her wings. It was time to let her use them.

There's a new climate of modesty?

Modesty is in, what a concept!
I wouldn't have believed it, but Raymond Arroyo was discussing a recent fashion show on "The World Over", with a Nashville Dominican Sister, referencing a  report by the New York Times which stated that there is a "new climate of modesty" in fashion.

Six months ago in her debut show for the French house Céline, Ms. Philo, a British designer, showed easy, jaunty sportswear. Confronted with the utter logic of doing something beautiful that also jibed with a new climate of modesty, American designers began stripping away a decade’s worth of postmodern significance to reach a plain A-line skirt.

Read it for yourself here. and decide if the clothing in the photos really meets the criterion. I say great, you covered the skin, now try and let the skin breathe without having something so tight stuck to it. And what about those knees?
The guidelines for modesty I follow are; from just below the breastbone to the knees, covered and flowing. Let the woman's face be the center of attraction; not her curves.

Boston Catholic Women's this Saturday

Let me know if you are going and we can meet there.
Here's a preview.

Why the "r-word" hurts; Its personal

Here's an important piece by my friend Diane Grover of IDSC for Life on why the use of the word "retard" as a pejorative hurts a mother who loves her child with Down syndrome. I second her emotion; can you look at this adorable face and call Christina a "retard"? I agree that words have different meanings at different times, but you have to keep up with the times, and take people's feelings into account. If it hurts, the "r word" should not be used by those who care about others. Period.

I went through a time, where I would try to convince myself, that hearing the words “retard” and “retarded” thrown around did not hurt me. Besides, I did not want to be one of those who assault our freedom of speech. I tried to accept it as just a normal part of our society. I tried to forget about it.

Read the entire article at Catholic Exchange.

A very special prayer request:Ave Maria Home

Did you know that there are thousands of pregnant women who are homeless?
Chris Bell knows this, and he collaborated with Fr Benedict Groeschel to form Good Counsel Homes in New York City. We here in the Quiet Corner of CT are not immune to the crisis of homeless pregnant women.
 In fact, as I was in the library preparing for the March for Life, I ran into a 20 year old pregnant woman who had just been kicked out of her parents' home in the midst of a snowstorm. I helped her find a homeless shelter, but if you've ever visited one, you know this is no place for a pregnant mother. My heart ached as I left her there, and I told her that she and others like her are the reason we are forming a home for pregnant mothers.
We at Ave Maria Home of Norwich, CT have formed a board of directors of which I am a member, and affiliated ourselves with Chris Bell's Good Counsel Homes, because we know they do things right, putting the Eucharistic Lord Jesus in the Tabernacle in every home. Their residents feel loved, as you can see in their video, and go on to lead healthy, fulfilled lives with their children. This is our goal; to reproduce the blessings of a maternity home here in Eastern Connecticut, an already depressed area, hit hard by the economic crisis.
For a year we have been spreading the word that we needed a house which 10-12  homeless pregnant women could call home. A place where they would be nurtured, body, mind and soul. A place to heal from the brokeness which left them pregnant and homeless,  and prepare for the great adventure of motherhood. A place to make up for what was missing in their lives, whether is is a HS diploma, a job skill, mothering or homemaking skills, or a spiritual life. Most of all, a home where their hearts can be restored by love. Love from staff and from their housemates. We want them to feel Our Blessed Mother's embrace at Ave Maria, and let her teach them how to mother their children through us.
We found a lovely antique Victorian home, restored with  love, and nestled among towering white pine trees in a quiet country village. Today we visited the home, took a careful tour, and voted unanimously, "this home is the answer to our prayers". Now we need two things, and for these I ask your prayers and sacrifices this Lent. We need our bishop's approval, and we need the money to do some minor repairs and fund the first years salary of our staff (about $200,000). This may sound like a lot, but it is the law in CT that the home meets the fire codes and that we have the first year's pay for our staff in the bank before we are open.

I can't tell you more about the home until we are officially the leasees, however, if you imagine a traditional Victorian home, warm with charm and a family atmosphere, with overstuffed comfy couches, and a sunny front porch perfect for rocking newborn babies on summer evenings, then I assure you, this home is all that . . . and more. And it's being offered to us for a $1 a year lease.
Please let me know in the comments if you will promise to pray for this home to be approved by the diocese, and if you are moved to share your Lenten alms with Ave Maria Home, email me at marysjoys@yahoo.com to make a tax-deductable donation. We will send you a receipt for your taxes.
If you belong to an organization like the Knights of Columbus, or another grant-giving organization, please help us apply for grants. It's a LONG way to our goal, but somewhere, there are homeless women considering abortion right now in Eastern CT. Help Ave Maria offer them a Mother's love instead.

Lenten Penances

The girls and I discussed our Lenten sacrifices before beginning a Rosary Novena for a friend's marriage. I will continue to attend daily Mass, we will say the novena every night, and we are giving up all sweets. The girls told me they will be considering their own private sacrifices. Of course, I had some handy suggestions.

This meditation, however, should be a somber reminder that Our Lord, who wants us to love with His perfect love, generously sends us penances. But will we accept them with the same sprirt of love?

St. Augustine



"There is no better test to distinguish the chaff from the grain, in the Church of God , than the manner in which sufferings, contradiction, and contempt are borne. Whoever remains unmoved under these, is grain. Whoever rises against them is chaff; and the lighter and more worthless he is, the higher he rises-that is, the more he is agitated, and the more proudly he replies."
A Year with the Saints, (Tan Books:1988), 111.
 
HT Mary Vitamin

Ash Wednesday

Let me call you sweetheart

This evening, Francisco and I attended the Sweetheart Dance with a local Marriage Encounter group. We danced in the swirling lights of the gym to hits of the 60's and 70's, and watched as dozens of Catholic married couples enjoyed being deeply in love.
There was an infectious joy among the dancers, celebrating not serial sexual relationships between men and women, or sexual perversions,  but lifetimes of committed love. The stars in their eyes, their synchronated dance steps, and their genuine laughter was contagious, and we had a wonderful time.

I particulary enjoyed watching  an elderly couple, in matching red sweaters, whose lifetime of love and ballroom dancing was revealed in the unconscious grace of their movements. What a blessing it is to grow old together. I was reminded of this by the poignant post of my single friend at 11 on my own, "Single in a married world".
True love, based in Christ, is a lifelong commitment and a gift that brings the greatest possible joy we can know on earth. Thank you, Lord for my husband.

Nella's Birth Story

This is absolutely the most eloquently honest birth story I have ever seen. No wonder there are 900+
comments. The author is a photographer and the photos are breathtaking.
Enjoy.

Who is Pro-Choice? HuffPo Censors Pro-Lifers

Who is Pro-Choice? HuffPo Censors Pro-Lifers
This is my first post on David Horowitz's Newsreal Blog.
I discuss how the left is going ballistic about the Tim Tebow Superbowl Ad.

Catholic Schools Week

I homeschooled my three girls for ten years. I was not a homeschooler by choice, I was one by default; I could not find a Catholic school worthy of the title Catholic. I did feel that my girls benefitted from the years we grew closer as a family, especially considering that my youngest child, Christina has special needs. We learned our faith together and we had tremendous freedom to travel and to be spontaneous, as well as sleep in a bit late, which, especially on frigid New England mornings, I sorely miss.
However, I am happy Isabella and Gabriela have found the wonderful schools of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church; St Joseph's in Baltic, and the Academy of the Holy Family. They have good Catholic girlfriends, they have caught up on their math skills and have a self confidence which enables them to meet new people easily. I have worked with many of their teachers closely as a substitute and many of them are pure gold, truly teachers by vocation who love their students. The girls relate well to the sisters and are active in school. Bella plays on St Joseph's basketball team and participates in student council, and Gabbi is in the TOP Life Club, softball team and Legion of Mary at the Academy. As a parent I look forward to school events to be able to meet other parents and teachers. I enjoy having my girls' friends at my home and feel that Catholic schools who take the name Catholic seriously like these do, deserve to grow and flourish.
Tomorrow I will join both schools as they attend First Friday Mass together in my parish church, St Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord; Candlemas

The Christmas season officially ends today, forty days after Our Lord's birth, He was presented in the Temple as the firstborn male.
In Mass this morning, Fr Tito said that the Annunciation was Mary saying, "be it done to me according to Thy will" and, in the Presentation, Our Lady says, "be it done to HIM according to Thy will". He said this was much more of a sacrifice to her, to give back to God the person she loved most in the world. Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his long promised son, Isaacc, the one on whom God's promises depended, Our Lady actually did offer her Son to be killed in sacrifice for sin.
I am reminded every time I pray the Joyful Mysteries, that every one of Mary's joys was tinged with sorrow. The joy and pride of showing off your firstborn child is a cherished memory of many a mother. I remember bringing Gabriela to Mass for the first time, and the crowd that gathered around to congratulate Francisco and I. We beamed with pride. Imagine if one of the friends had said, "your daughter is going to die in a car crash, and your heart will be broken". How would you react to such a dire prediction snatching away the joy of this moment?
Simeon brought incredible joy and wonder to St Joseph and Our Lady with his recognition of Who Jesus was, and what He would bring to Israel.
But his prophecy of a sword piercing Our Lady's heart would soon bring them back to the paradoxical honor of being the parents of the Lord incarnate. My favorite song about this is Michael Card's "Now that I've held Him in my Arms". See the video here.
Let's remember today that our children are only loared to us for a time, and to keep to our task of preparing them to serve the Lord in whatever manner He chooses; religious life, marriage, or martyrdom.

 Let's consider it an honor to carry out our parenting duties as we raise souls to give Him glory.

Disability or profound gift?

There is a beautiful meditation on disabilities from Monsignor Charles Pope at the Archdiocese of Washington DC website.

 Over twenty years ago I worked for a year with the profoundly mentally disabled. They lay in beds and wheelchairs often with little muscle control. None of them could talk and only a few could engage in rudimentary communication. There was one man in his forties who had never emerged from the fetal position. He lay in a large crib his tiny yet clearly adult body curled up like a newborn babe. And on his face the most angelic smile that almost never diminished. He had been baptized as an infant and to my knowledge could not have sinned. I looked with marvel each visit upon innocence and a beatific countenance. What an astonishing gift he was. And who knows but God why he was this way? But God DOES know and had very important reasons. There was something central and indispensable in this man’s existence. Some role only he could fill. Apparently I was not able to fill that role. He was not disabled, he was differently abled, uniquely abled for something different than the ordinary. Looking upon him I had little doubt that he was directly in touch with God in a way that I never had been for his radiant face infallibly conveyed that. With our human eyes we can be saddened even appalled. But we’ll understand it better by an by. One day in the great by and by we may well be surprised to learn that the most central and critical people in God’s plan were the most humble and often the most broken and that we would never have made it without them.

Thank you Monsignor Pope for this profound meditation on the unfathomable gifts of a loving God. We are grateful that you see our children through the eyes of faith and that you are helping others to do the same. May God richly reward your efforts.

New software helps children with Down syndrome learn to read

One of the many topics of conversation on my round trip drive to DC for the KIDS event at the March for Life with a pro-life physician who happens to have a daugher with Down syndrome was how our children learn to read. I had heard that phonics don't work, and she has heard that they do. Frustrating as it is to have conflicting information, I press on seeking ways to improve her reading skills.
However, one thing both sides agree upon, is that contextual clues help. I was just in a planning meeting with Christina's teachers and they showed me how they were modifying the class's sentence building lessons  for her by adding pictures.  An example is; "The moose is in the yard." with cute drawings of the moose and the yard.
A new software program does this as well, as is aimed at English Language Learners as well as those children with autism and Down syndrome who are visual learners. It was developed by Rosemary Starett, an Irish educator and is called "A Busy Day"

The scenarios offered by the software are meant to illustrate "a busy day" in the life of a young child. Users see a brother and sister each waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast together, walking to school with their father, and engaging in several other activities that most children will easily recognize. The software presents the scenes in colorful, fully illustrated on-screen windows featuring people, places, and objects children will relate with the activities being shown. "Waking up" includes a bed, pajamas, an alarm clock, and a bird perched on the windowsill. "Eating breakfast" displays a kitchen, food, silverware, and a table and chairs. Tied into the scenes are a variety of interactive exercises such as word matching, find the right word, and spot the differences, all designed to drive word recognition and association.

Read more about it here.

Meet me at the March for Life

My group Keep Infants with Down Syndrome will be hosting a reception with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) who is on the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus
at 10:30 AM at:



National Right to Life Headquarters
512 10th Street, NW
Washington DC 20004

(202)626-8800

At noon, after an hour's worth of inspirational speeches, free refreshements and fellowship, we will take up our signs, don our signature blue and yellow scarves and take KIDS to the streets. We will join the March for Life, a short walk from NRTL headquarters, and march together in solidarity for the unborn child with Downs yndrome 90%of whom are being denied life through abortion.
Join us!

My article on Our Lady of Guadalupe is in the Four County Catholic

You can read it here.