Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Bible Study, Catholic, Catholicism, First Communion, First Communion Gifts, Joseph Dubruiel, Loyola Kids Book of Signs and Symbols, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, First Communion, First Communion Gifts, Loyola Kids Book of Signs and Symbols, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel on May 1, 2024|
From the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols– related to the Blessed Mother.
Remember the structure: Each entry has two pages. The left-side page features a beautiful illustration and a short definition. The facing page – which I don’t show here – features a longer explanation, suitable for older children.
Don’t you think every Catholic school classroom needs a copy?
There’s a section on Mary, of course:
Some of the entries (first page).
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Catholic, Christian, Church, evangelization, Faith, First Communion Gifts, history, homeschooling, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Loyola Kids Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, prayer, Religion, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, France, history, Loyola Kids' Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints on July 18, 2023|
Celebrated in most of the rest of the world on July 14, but here in the US on July 18 – today!
A fascinating figure – mercenary, gambler…and then…
Painting Source and analysis
When you live in a landscape framed and defined by Scripture, the great Tradition and the lives of the saints, stories like those of St. Camillus de Lellis become no longer shocking. You see how God’s grace and power reaches into every corner of human life, into the corners of life of every kind of human person, and you can so very easily understand that you, too, have a place, that this Word is very near to you.
Living in the flesh – as Paul calls it – meaning, the worldly world, the material world of just things and people without reference to the One who loved us into existence and in Whose Image we are – you don’t get this. You look out and you see winners and losers, successes and failures, the talented and the schlubs, and you know who matters in that world and who doesn’t, who might as well just give up.
And maybe, you can’t help but suspect, you’re in that latter group.
And you shrug and watch that purposeful, meaningful world climb past, regretful and maybe even envious, and perhaps even hopeless and a little bit lonely. There they go, doing important things.
But that’s not real. That’s not The Real. Living in the Real World – God’s world – you know this. It’s so close to you, it’s what you breathe, that gift. Sure, you may struggle with some of it, wondering and wandering, but if your primary reference point is this crazy Word of God filled with the small and weak plucked out for greatness and the sinners starting over and the dead blinking in the light – and then day after day meeting his small, weak, sinful once-dead saints living those same stories again and again…
…life looks different, and you can live it in a different way.
From the Loyola Kids Book of Saints.
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Bible Study, Catholic, Catholicism, Christian, evangelization, Faith, First Communion Gifts, history, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Liturgy, Loyola Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Kids Book of Signs and Symbols, Loyola Press, Mass, Michael Dubruiel, prayer, Religion, Writing, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, history, Loyola Kids Book of Seasons Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints, travel on July 17, 2023|
Of late, the first readings at daily Mass have been moving through Genesis, and on to Exodus this coming week. What do we hear? What’s their story? What’s our story?
God’s interaction with our lives is ongoing and surprising. As long as there is life on earth, there is no final moment, no perfection, no end to the journey, and it is wrong to attempt to characterize any one moment as the irreformable manifestation of God’s will.
We encounter God, we journey with him, we turn off and away, we forget, we go our own way, and need to be brought back. Again and again and again.
This week , we’ll hear about Moses and the Burning Bush. Here you go, from the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols:
The Burning Bush is in a section about symbols related to Old Testament narratives. The sample here is the more “basic” entry – on the facing page (not shown) is a full-page treatment at a deeper level for older children.
Of course, we are in Ordinary Time, and the Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations has it covered. A few pages from the section on Ordinary Time:
As schools gear up for starting again (some in just three weeks or so around these parts,) please consider purchasing these for gifts and recommending them to your local public library, Catholic parish program and Catholic school!
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Catholic, Church, First Communion Gifts, history, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Loyola Kids Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, Mission, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Reading, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, history, Loyola Kids book of saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints, travel on July 14, 2023|
May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are.
Today is the feast of SAINT Kateri Tekakwitha. She’s in The Loyola Kids Book of Saints. Published before her canonization. I’m hoping a new edition can be produced at some point – a new edition of the Book of Heroes was published a couple of years ago, hopefully this will be next.
There are two major shrines to St. Kateri, one in the United States, the other in Canada. We visited the one in Canada a lifetime ago, and I can’t find photos, so you’ll have to trust me on that one.
In the United States, near Fonda, New York. This is the area where she lived for much of her life after her parents died, and where she met the Jesuit missionaries who facilitated her conversion.
In Kahnawake, Quebec, across the river from Montreal. This is the location of the mission where Kateri moved after life in her previous community became too difficult because of her conversion, where she died, and where she is buried.
Her canonization process was begun in 1884 at the Third Plenary Council in Baltimore. She was declared Venerable in 1943 by Pius XII, beatified in 1980 by John Paul II, and canonized in 2012 by Benedict XVI.
Here are John Paul’s remarks upon her beatification, and here’s Benedict’s homily at her canonization Mass (along with six others).
Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her culture. In her, faith and culture enrich each other! May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are. Saint Kateri, Protectress of Canada and the first native American saint, we entrust to you the renewal of the faith in the first nations and in all of North America! May God bless the first nations!
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Catholic, Church, education, First Communion Gifts, history, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Liturgy, Loyola Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, prayer, Reading, Religion, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, First Communion Gifts, history, Loyola Kids Book of Seasons Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints on July 1, 2023|
In the Catholic liturgical calendar, every month has a special devotion to which it’s dedicated. Here’s a list.
July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.
In the Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations, there’s a final section of the months of the year, the special devotion for each month noted, as well as 2-3 notable feasts – mostly saints’ – celebrated during that month. Here’s the beginning of the July section.
In 1960, Pope John XXIII issued an apostolic letter on the subject. It’s here, and here’s an excerpt:
From the very outset of our pontificate, in speaking of daily devotions we have repeatedly urged the faithful (often in eager tones that frankly hinted our future design) to cherish warmly that marvellous manifestation of divine mercy toward individuals and Holy Church and the whole world redeemed and saved by Jesus Christ: we mean devotion to his Most Precious Blood.
From infancy this devotion was instilled in us within our own household. Fondly we still recall how our parents used to recite the Litany of the Most Precious Blood every day during July.
It’s an interesting letter, more for what is indicates about the thinking about liturgical reform on the cusp of the council than about the Precious Blood. You can sense all sorts of threads being woven, different, but related concerns bubbling: not wanting to weaken popular devotion, but also wanting to make sure it’s soundly rooted and coherent, wary of a devotional hodge-podge, emphasizing that yes, it flows organically from you guys, but remember who’s got the final say, and finally, an anxiety about the impact of the Church and Catholics on the world – this should make you stronger witnesses….but don’t forget we’re in charge….make it vigorous, but don’t go crazy, please.
The litany promulgated by John XXIII in 1960.
(Remember, this is the first page of the entry. There’s a second page, facing, with a more in-depth explanation)
Of course, devotion to the Precious Blood has a firm place in Catholic spirituality, as distasteful as it might be the modern mind. But then we get – as we often do- to the irony of the discomfort. Many of us grew up hearing it was important to focus on Jesus’ humanity – well, there you have some humanity: blood.
One of the many saints with a special devotion to the Precious Blood was Catherine of Siena. In my book Praying with the Pivotal Players, written to accompany Bishop Barron’s first Pivotal Players video series, I’ve got a chapter on blood. An excerpt and then page scans:
Blood. Some of us are wary of the sight of it or even repulsed, but in Catherine’s landscape, there is no turning away. The biological truth that blood is life and the transcendent truth that the blood of Christ is eternal life are deeply embedded in her spirituality. We see these truths in the Dialogue, in passages like the one above, and even in her correspondence.
For in her letters, Catherine usually begins by immediately setting the context of the message that is about to come: Catherine, servant and slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, write to you in his precious blood….
The salutation is followed by a brief statement of her purpose, which, by virtue of Catherine’s initial positioning of her words in the context of the life-giving blood of Jesus, bear special weight and authority: in his precious blood… desiring to see you a true servant….desiring to see you obedient daughters…desiring to see you burning and consumed in his blazing love…desiring to see you clothed in true and perfect humility….
In both the Dialogue and her letters, Catherine takes this fundamental truth about salvation – that it comes to us through the death, that is, the blood of Christ – and works with it in vivid, startling ways. She meets the challenges of describing the agonies and ecstasies of the spiritual life with rich, even wild metaphors, and the redemptive blood of Christ plays its part here. For as she describes this life of a disciple, we meet Christ’s friends, followers, sheep, lovers as those drunk on his blood, inebriated. They are washed in the blood and they even drown in it….
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Be Saints, Bible Study, Catholic, Catholicism, Church, Eternity, Eucharist, evangelization, First Communion Gifts, history, Joseph Dubruiel, Loyola Kids Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, Pope, Reading, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Be Saints, Catholic, Catholicism, Loyola Kids book of saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel on June 22, 2023|
First, since you probably know the most about him – St. Thomas More.
Now, from my books:
I usually don’t give Amazon links, but Be Saints is unfortunately, although not surprisingly, out of print, so that would be your best source in getting a copy – based on B16’s talk to young people on his 2010 journey to England, featuring paintings, of course, by Ann Engelhart – check out her Instagram here, which will bring lovely images into your day.
I also have a chapter of St. Thomas More in The Loyola Kids’ Book of Saints.
And here’s my son’s recent look at the film A Man for All Seasons. He wrote about in the context of his run-through of Academy Award Best Picture films. (He’s currently going through the films of William Wyler.) And do check out his new novel!
St. John Fisher – a good list of links to his works.
His last words on the scaffold:
Christian people, I am come hither to die for the faith of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church, and I thank God hitherto my stomach hath served me very well thereunto, so that yet I have not feared death.
Wheefore I do desire you all to help and assist me with your prayers, that at the very point and instant of death’s stroke, I may in that very moment stand steadfast without fainting in any one point of the Catholic faith free from any fear; and I beseech Almighty God of His infinite goodness to save the king and this Realm, and that it may please Him to hold His holy hand over it, and send the king good Counsel.
He then knelt, said the Te Deum, In te domine speravi, and submitted to the axe.
Finally, Paulinus of Nola. We’ll head to B16 for more information:
Paulinus, a contemporary of St Augustine to whom he was bound by a firm friendship, exercised his ministry at Nola in Campania, where he was a monk and later a priest and a Bishop. However, he was originally from Aquitaine in the South of France, to be precise, Bordeaux, where he was born into a high-ranking family. It was here, with the poet Ausonius as his teacher, that he received a fine literary education. He left his native region for the first time to follow his precocious political career, which was to see him rise while still young to the position of Governor of Campania. In this public office he attracted admiration for his gifts of wisdom and gentleness. It was during this period that grace caused the seed of conversion to grow in his heart. The incentive came from the simple and intense faith with which the people honoured the tomb of a saint, Felix the Martyr, at the Shrine of present-day Cimitile. As the head of public government, Paulinus took an interest in this Shrine and had a hospice for the poor built and a road to facilitate access to it for the many pilgrims.
While he was doing his best to build the city on earth, he continued discovering the way to the city in Heaven. The encounter with Christ was the destination of a laborious journey, strewn with ordeals. Difficult circumstances which resulted from his loss of favour with the political Authorities made the transience of things tangible to him. Once he had arrived at faith, he was to write: “The man without Christ is dust and shadow” (Carm. X, 289). Anxious to shed light on the meaning of life, he went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose. He then completed his Christian formation in his native land, where he was baptized by Bishop Delphinus of Bordeaux. Marriage was also a landmark on his journey of faith. Indeed, he married Therasia, a devout noblewoman from Barcelona, with whom he had a son. He would have continued to live as a good lay Christian had not the infant’s death after only a few days intervened to rouse him, showing him that God had other plans for his life. Indeed, he felt called to consecrate himself to Christ in a rigorous ascetic life.
In full agreement with his wife Therasia, he sold his possessions for the benefit of the poor and, with her, left Aquitaine for Nola. Here, the husband and wife settled beside the Basilica of the Patron Saint, Felix, living henceforth in chaste brotherhood according to a form of life which also attracted others. The community’s routine was typically monastic, but Paulinus, who had been ordained a priest in Barcelona, took it upon himself despite his priestly status to care for pilgrims. This won him the liking and trust of the Christian community, which chose Paulinus, upon the death of the Bishop in about 409, as his successor in the See of Nola. Paulinus intensified his pastoral activity, distinguished by special attention to the poor
As I’ve mentioned before, these General Audience talks of B16 were collected into books, and I did study guide for OSV’s edition. It’s out of print, and I have it available here, as a free download. Perhaps consider it for a parish study group? You don’t have to spend but a few cents – point folks to the talks online, download this and print it out, there you go.
The Paulinus-related pages are below.
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Be Saints, Bible, Catholic, Catholicism, Christmas Gifts, Church, education, Faith, First Communion Gifts, Gospels, history, homeschooling, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Liturgy, Loyola Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Mass, Michael Dubruiel, Mission, Reading, Religion, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, Loyola Kids Book of Seasons Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints, travel on March 14, 2023|
So – let me tell you how it got here.
About two years ago – I just looked up the email, and yes, it was two years ago in April – a local man, a relation of one of my kids’ friends, had purchased a bunch of copies of some of my books, including Be Saints and the Loyola Kids Book of Heroes from me to distribute to kids in disadvantaged populations with whom he worked.
We exchanged emails about this, and in one he said, Unsolicited suggestion for a book in the future -“Children’s Book of Holidays and Holy Days…”
Me: Smacks forehead.
Of course. Why had I not thought of this before? So I pitched it, Loyola said yes, and here we are.
So, thank you!
The Loyola Kids Book of Saints was published in 2001 and still sells very well! Over twenty years…not bad.
Anyway, you can get a closer look at the new book in the feature below. And since you’re here, I posted the Issuu videos on the other books as well.
Thank you for your support, for purchasing and sharing these books!
(Note: My links, if possible, do not go to Amazon, but to the publisher. I only link to Amazon when a book is out of print or it’s one I republished for Kindle. Please support your Catholic publishers and local booksellers.)
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Bible, Catholic, Catholicism, Christian, Church, Eucharist, evangelization, Family, First Communion Gifts, gifts, history, Jesus, Joseph Dubruiel, Life, Liturgy, Loyola Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Mary, Mass, Michael Dubruiel, prayer, Spirituality, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, history, liturgy, Loyola Kids Book of Seasons Feasts and Celebrations, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints on March 6, 2023| 1 Comment »
I received my box of copies of The Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts and Celebrations. They look good! Here’s an exciting video of the unboxing.
Publication date is later in the month, but they are available for pre-order from Loyola now. As I say all the time, please consider gifting your local Catholic parish or school with copies of this or other titles in the series. Thanks very much!
Posted in Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Christmas Gifts, evangelization, Faith, First Communion Gifts, Gospels, history, Joseph Dubruiel, Loyola Kids Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, prayer, Reading, Religion, Saints, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Catholic, Catholicism, faith, First Communion Gifts, history, Loyola Kids book of saints, Loyola Kids' Book of Saints, Michael Dubruiel, religion, saints, travel on March 3, 2023|
Today is her memorial – March 3. You and your children can read about her in my Loyola Kids Book of Saints:
(Link goes to publisher’s website, not Amazon)
And learn all about her here.
Posted in 7 Quick Takes, Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, Apostles, art, Bible, Bible Study, Catholic, Catholicsim, Christian, Church, education, evangelization, Facebook, First Communion, First Communion Gifts, Gospels, history, Joseph Dubruiel, Michael Dubruiel, Pentecost, pilgrimage, prayer, tagged Amy Welborn, Amy Welborn's Books, art, Catholic, Catholic books, Catholicism, Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories, Loyola Kids Book of Signs and Symbols, Loyola KIds' Book of Heroes, Loyola Kids' Book of Saints, Loyola Press, Michael Dubruiel, Pentecost, The Words We Pray on May 20, 2021|
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A bit of blogging this week. Perhaps of the most interest will be this post on the movie The Sound of Metal.
Pentecost is coming, of course.
Pages above are (left) from the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols and (right) from the Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories. Click on images for larger versions. Remember that for the Signs and Symbols entry, there’s another page – a full page of more detailed text.
Pentecost is one of the events in The Loyola Kids Book of Heroes.
(The book is structured around the virtues. Each section begins with an event from Scripture that illustrates one of those virtues, followed by stories of people and events from church history that do so as well)
This hasn’t been published in a book – yet – but it’s a painting byAnn Engelhart, illustrator of several books, including four with my writing attached – all listed here. It’s a painting of the tradition of dropping rose petals through the oculus in the Pantheon in Rome.
(Our Cathedral here in Birmingham has also done this regularly over the past few years – it’s happening this coming Saturday for the Vigil of Pentecost, which will be livestreamed here.
For more on the Cathedral’s livestreaming, go here.
Hopefully this weekend, you’ll be hearing/singing/praying Veni Creator Spiritus. I have a chapter on it in The Words We Pray. A sample:
Speaking of art, from Daniel Mitsui:
Daniel has designs available as wallpaper and fabric here. Gorgeous.
And finally, here’s an excerpt from a lecture he delivered earlier this year. Food for thought for artists of all kinds – and any of us, really.
So how does an artist who wants to make religious art, who wants to make it both beautiful and traditional, to glorify God and edify men through it, answer the challenge of doing that in a changing world?
He should choose his influences – both visual and intellectual – out of love. He should love them for what they are, rather than for what they are not.
No matter how devoted he is to a certain kind of art or school of thought, he should remember that it is incomplete and imperfect. He can and should try to make it better. This is an altogether traditional thing to do.
He should be open to whatever medium, whatever materials, whatever methods work best to express his artistry. A willingness to be bold, technically, is another altogether traditional thing to do.
He should not consider religious art to be a political tool, or encourage its use as such.
He should look to every kind of art – whether it comes from within the Church or without it – asking the questions: what works? and what can this teach me to make my art better? God is the author of all beauty; as Augustine says, the mines of his providence are everywhere scattered abroad.
He should ask the same question even of art that he considers generally bad: What works? What can this teach me? The answer may be: very little. But if it is anything at all, he should accept the lesson.
For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain’t the Lyceum!
Email: amywelborn60 AT gmail
Charlotte was Both 