The Story of St. Louis de Montfort...

St. Louis De Montfort was born on January 31, 1673. He was one of eighteen children of a lawyer in Montfort, France. He was always very holy, even when he was so young that most people at his age were just learning to read! He used to teach other children, younger and older than himself catechism.

He was also very dedicated to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary. He would kneel by his bedside by the age of six and say the entire rosary. When he was twelve he entered a Jesuit college, where in the first year he was entrusted with the care of the infirm and the poor that came to the door asking for alms. Here he began his penances of scourging himself, wearing hairshirts, and very strict fastings. Here he also received his vocation as a priest.

After becoming a priest, he completely devoted himself to Jesus through Mary. He never had a single personal possession. When he set out to the Seminary of Saint Sulpice he gave all the money he had to a beggar on the street and traded in his brand new suit for some beggar clothes. Then he decided to walk the seven-hundred-mile journey from Paris to the seminary! He even begged for his food! He completely gave up the world.

At the seminary many doubted he had true devotion and thought he had only spiritual pride. They thought this because of his talks with Our Lady when he passed a statue of her and his visits to the chapel before and after his classes. His superiors tried to make him stop with every kind of humiliation but never succeeded. From all this St. Louis never gave one complaint!

St. Louis' favorite saying of Our Lord's was: "If anyone should follow Me then let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" So, he thought it his job to enjoy mockeries and those who made fun of him throughout the 16 years from his ordination to his death.

The devil never stopped trying to make him fail. Once he was heard saying, while upon his hands and knees, "Mary Mother of God help me!" The devil would go to St. Louis' room and torment him. But he never could he make St. Louis stop trusting in God.

St. Louis then went to Poitiers. Where the people there begged the bishop to give him a more definite job that would give him more time to stay there. Soon a daughter of a very rich man decided to become one of the first nuns in St. Louis' Daughters of Wisdom convent. The community and her family made such a riot about it that the bishop said that St. Louis could no longer offer Mass! So, he moved on.

Wherever the holy man went he left behind cures, miracles, and fervent devotions. He was rewarded with mockery and scorn.

So, St. Louis left for a hospital in Paris where he took care of both the physical and spiritual needs of his patients. One day when coming to dinner he found a dismissal paper on his plate (who knows why). So he left.

He was allowed to preach in far off towns where the sight of a priest tended to cause much anger and hatred. Soon, St. Louis completely converted one of the villages where it was the worst. There he taught devotion to the Holy Rosary, had nightly processions and bonfires for burning impure books. He turned saloons into places of prayer, and restored churches. Goodness became a part of everyday life!

After trying a life devoted to the poor and a life converting small villages, receiving no help and only hindrance from his superiors, he decided to ask the pope for advice. He walked one thousand miles to Rome. The pope said there were many more positions in France for a priest and he appointed him an Apostolic Missioner.

He soon joined Fr. Leuduger who was also an Apostolic Missioner. Soon trouble arose and through a misunderstanding Fr. Leuduger soon dismissed St. Louis.

So, St. Louis was on his own with only a few priests to join him in the Company of Mary. He was sometimes assisted by other missionary priests. His successful work continued in Saint Malo until a heretical bishop sent him out.

At a town called Pontchateau St. Louis built an imitation of Mount Calvary that covered 300,000 feet of ground! Then came one of the biggest disappointments of St. Louis' life. One of St. Louis' few enemies thought that the Mount Calvary imitation might be a good shelter for the enemies of France. So the day before the blessing it was announced that it must be destroyed (although St. Louis had foreseen that it would have to be destroyed twice before it would successfully be able to stay).

St. Louis was hated for his conversions. Many times he was almost killed. Once a large dose of poison was put in to his food and he did not notice until after having a spoonful. It did not kill him right away but it did deteriorate his once perfect health and he slowly began to die.

He still went wherever he could to preach even with his failing health. It was getting to the year 1716 and his death was very near. By this time his nuns had almost a full convent. On his deathbed his confessor insisted on him removing the straw and rock bed he had had since he became a priest and replace it with a mattress and pillow.

Just before he died the Devil tried one last time to make St. Louis fail. In one last effort against the Devil St. Louis cried aloud "You attack me in vain. I stand between Jesus and Mary. I shall sin no more!" With that his soul was finally able to go to it's true home - Heaven.

His feast is April 28th,

He is the author of the famous book The Secret of Mary, and he is known for founding the devotion called Total Consecration to Mary.

He is the patron saint of travellers.

~by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday...

Outside my window... it's a little cloudy and windy but it's still beautiful.

I am thinking about... the goat we are going to see later on (she' s a neubian).

From the kitchen... we're going to be making granola!

I am creating... finishing up the goat pen incase we buy the goat.

I am reading... still David Copperfield and I've started Madeleine Takes Command.

I am hoping... we can go to Spokane this summer.

Around the house... we have gotten 11 eggs in the first 3 days the chickens have been here.

Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...we maybe going to the pool.

Recipe Monday...

This week's recipe is: French Toast!

L'ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 10 to 12 slices white bread
• butter
• maple syrup or other syrup
  

Preparation:

1. Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork.
2. Stir in sugar, salt, and milk.
3. Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.
4. Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Soak/coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time.
5. Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown.
6. Turn and brown the other side. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup.

Recipe for French toast serves 4.

~by Theresa

An Update On What's Going on Here...

We just got 10 pretty hens on Saturday! They are all different breeds. We named them Victoria, Henrietta, Miss Persnicketty (or Persy), Tricky Wu, Miss Marple, Tink, Penny, Maple, Opal, and BooBoo Chicken.

Here are pictures of all of them (I think). The first picture is of Penny, Tink, Henrietta, and of Maple. The second is of Miss Marple and Tricky Wu. The third is of Maple and Opal. The fourth is of Miss Persnicketty (or Persy). The fifth is of BooBoo Chicken. The last is of Victoria, our Clydesdale chicken.

We have gotten 6 eggs the first 2 days that they have been here!

~by Theresa

Wordless Wednesday...

Last time I did this I chose pictures I thought were cute or I just plain old liked. This time here are the ones I think are funny.

These are my favorites out of our pictures. I thought they were so funny!

~ by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday...

Outside my window... It's a bright sunny day and it's supposed to get up to 80 degrees later on.

I am thinking about... The chickens we may be getting soon.

From the kitchen... we'll be drying apples and tomorrow we will make Granola.

I am creating... fixing up the hen house for our chickens.

I am reading... David Copperfield (a very long book which I've only just started).

I am hoping... we can go to Spokane this summer.

I am hearing... Mommy and Kevin talking.

Around the house... we sold every single one of our puppies except for our sweet Grigio who we are keeping.

Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... well fixing up our barn and hen house and hopefully getting our chickens on Saturday.

Recipe Monday...

This week is: Oreo Pops!

What you will need:

• 20 popsicle or lollipop sticks


• 20 Oreo cookies


• 1 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 12 ounces white chocolate bark (like we used)


• 1 T. vegetable oil
• Chopped nuts,


• colored sprinkles ( optional)
  

Directions:

1. To form Oreo Pops, insert popsicle sticks into the cream center of each cookie. Set aside.


2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate and oil until melted and smooth, stirring constantly.


3. Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, coating evenly.
4. Place dipped cookies on waxed paper and decorate with chopped nuts, sprinkles or candies.


5. Leave cookies on waxed paper until completely set, then wrap in plastic wrap and tie with a bow for gift-giving.
   

Makes 20 Oreo® Pops


(Can be doubled)

My Latest Book...

I just finished reading Augustine Came to Kent, by Barbara Willard. It tells about a time when St. Augustine of Canterbury went to Kent. It is also about a young boy named Wolf and his father, who go along with St. Augustine and his fellow monks in 597.

Wolf's birthplace was England, but when raids started, Wolf and his family were taken to be sold as slaves. The raiders brought them to the Roman market place to be sold, and St. Gregory bought them and brought them to a house where they could live. He arranged for Wolf's father to be the helper of the farmers in that area. There, Wolf and his family lived for about 8 years until they were invited by St. Augustine to come to England to help bring Catholicism to it. His father refused the first request saying that he had to stay in Rome with his family. Soon after, though, Wolf's mother died.

The first time St. Augustine and his fellow monks set off, they were unable to make it all the way to England, so they sailed back. Wolf's father decided that St. Augustine and the monks came back because God was trying to tell them that they were supposed to go with them. Wolf's father left Wolf's sister in the care of dear friends and he and Wolf, who was 12 at the time, set off with the monks. Then, when they tried to make the journey again, they succeeded in getting all the way to England.

Because Wolf knew English, he was able to translate for the monks when they were in England trying to make conversions. In England he met a girl named Fritha. She and her father, like all the Englishmen, were pagans. Fritha had been promised to her cousin before they were old enough to protest. Soon after the family and the monks came, she and her father were their first conversions. Fritha later said that she not only had made a vow not to marry her cousin the day she was baptized, but had promised to marry Wolf.

But, her evil uncle was furious at hearing of their baptism and found a way to punish them...

There is alot of adventure and excitement in this book. If you want to find out what happened to Wolf and Fritha and if the Augustinians succeeded in converting England, you can find the book here.

~ by Theresa

St. Patrick's Feast Day...

St. Patrick was born in Wales in 387. While still young, "Niall of the Nine Hostages" captured him and sold him to a farmer in the country. He took care of the farmer's sheep and even his pigs. Sometimes he would have to kill one of the pigs just to keep from starving to death.


Then one day, he heard a voice, a voice from God. He said that St. Patrick had to get away, because there was a ship in Waterford that was going to France. When he got there Patrick asked the captain if he could go to France on his ship. The captain asked "Why are you in such a hurry?" Then he continued "You're a slave who is trying to escape, aren't you?" St. Patrick said "Yes, I am." The captain said "I don't want slaves on my ship!" Then they sailed away. They didn't get far. Almost as soon as the ship left the dock the dogs started barking and they had to go back. After several times of this St. Patrick said that if he could go on the ship then he would keep the dogs quiet. The captain said "Alright but if you are lying, then we will throw you overboard!" So, St. Patrick boarded the ship, and almost as soon as he got on the ship the dogs stopped barking.


When they landed in France St. Patrick realized what he was meant to do. He was meant to become a priest. Then he heard another voice, again from God, He said that once he had finished priest school he must go back to Ireland and preach to the Irish pagans.


By the time he went back to Ireland it was Easter. On Easter night they lit a fire. What they didn't know was that they were actually breaking the law. Then it was the custom that the king would light his fire first, then all the people could light theirs. Seeing St. Patrick's fire they thought the king had already lit his fire so they started lighting theirs. When the king saw that the people had already started lighting their fires when he hadn't even lit his yet, he flew into a rage and had all the foreigners, including St. Patrick, arrested.


The chieftain did not want to hear about God, but he let St. Patrick speak anyway. He was surprised at how well he knew their language. St. Patrick picked up a shamrock and asked "How many leaves are on this shamrock?" They all answered three. Then he asked "How many seeds did it take to make the three leaves?" They all answered "one". He continued to explain the Blessed Trinity with the shamrock, after all, if three leaves can be made by one seed why can't Three Persons be in one God?

St. Patrick stayed in Ireland for sixty years. During that time he not only consecrated 350 bishops to follow him, converted all of Ireland, but also cast out every single snake from Ireland.

His feast is March 17.
He is the patron saint of Ireland.


~ by Theresa

Feast of St. Dominic Savio

St. Dominic Savio was born in Italy in 1842. He was very pious and was always trying to imitate Christ. He was a good friend of St. John Bosco.

When he was 12 he went to a school run by Don Bosco. He always set a good example and when fights started he always tried to settle them in the most charitable way. He was always sure never to do anything that would not please God, and tried to make sure his classmates didn't either. For instance, one time when a magazine was sent to the school filled with bad pictures, a crowd of boys were looking at the shameful magazine when St. Dominic Savio went over to see what they were looking at. One glance at the horrid pictures was enough - he took the magazine and tore it into shreads saying, "Poor us! Did God give us eyes to look at such things as this? Aren't you ashamed?"

Then a boy replied "We were just looking at it for the fun of it."

So, St. Dominic said " Sure for fun, and in the meantime you are preparing yourself to go to hell!"

Then, another boy asked " What's the matter with looking at them anyway?"

St. Dominic replied "If you don't see anything wrong this is even worse, it means you are used to looking at these kinds of things." The rest didn't say a word, because they knew he was right.

One day, when St. Dominic was 15, he started feeling a bit sick, so he was sent home, but he just kept getting worse and worse. On his deathbed, he said goodbye to his loving parents. Suddenly, he seemed so happy and said "I am seeing such wonderful things!" and never said anything more.

His feast is March 9th.

He is the patron saint of the falsely accused, all children, and choir boys.

He is the patron saint of all children because of his good example to them, and because he tried never to let any of his classmates fall into sin.

~by Theresa