February is the Month of the Holy Family / Update

UPDATE:  This blog and the work of Nomen Christi Apostolate will be undergoing changes this year.  Please be patient as we work out these changes.  The monthly theme posts will remain similar, including one idea as to how we might celebrate the focus of the month.  The homeschooling suggestions will be replaced by one preparedness task each month.  If you are conducting your children’s Catholic education at home, you might want to look at the “Homeschool Activities” topic to the right>>> to get some fresh ideas, but we will not be dealing with this topic as often.  Please note, we always welcome the thoughts of our readers and may share them!  We also appreciate a first name and city/country.

If you look at the past numerous years I’ve been doing the Catholic monthly dedications, you will see I have always done The Passion of Our Lord for February.  This is because I was working with a certain calendar for many years and this is what it indicated.  The monthly themes are not official, some months have more than one.  These themes have developed over the centuries in different times and places.  The consensus for the month of February is actually the Holy Family, so this will be our first presentation of this theme.

There is no feast of the Holy Family this month, but let us look at when the feasts are, in the post-conciliar and the trad calendars…

Vatican News mentioning both feasts:

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is normally celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. This feast developed at the beginning of the 19th century in Canada and then spread to the entire Church in 1920. At first, it was celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany. It is a Feast that seeks to portray the Holy Family of Nazareth as the “true model of life”…from which our families can draw inspiration and know where to find help and comfort.

So in the trad, we celebrate the Holy Family in January and the newer calendar celebrates it in December.   We can see the logic in keeping this triune family close to Baby Jesus’ birth and also near the visit of the Magi to them.  Certainly honoring and meditating upon this most noble and of families, a reflection of the Most Holy Trinity, is greatly worthy…so holy Church in her traditions, has given us this month to do so.  December was concerned with the Divine Infancy and January with the Holy Name of Jesus, both months containing those feasts.  Now we move to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the environment chosen to bring this Divine Life into our world, to give Him His Name and to raise and nurture Him, until He came into His mission to proclaim the Good News…and to redeem us by His death.  It is quite appropriate to honor the Holy Family in this month which usually closes the Cycle of Christmas (some years, this will be January, if it’s an early Easter).

The one feast this month which relates to the Holy Family is the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Presentation of Our Lord (also known as Candlemas), on the 2nd.  Certainly, Saint Joseph would have been with Our Lord and Our Lady in the Temple on that day, as they rejoiced together, observing the Jewish law. 

One way to give honor to the Holy Family this month is to pray the beautiful…

LITANY OF THE HOLY FAMILY

…perhaps on Candlemas?

Oh, did I mention Septuagesima begins on the 1st?  Every year, my penance begins during Septuagesima because I have to keep typing that word.  That is not a joke, you try it.  Septuagesima.  That’s 3 times.  Someone just got out of Purgatory.

Ash Wednesday is on the 18th, get ready for Lent!  Wow, we also have the Ember Days of Lent, or Spring, on the 25th, 27th and 28th.  See “Ember Days” topic to the right>>>.  Let us pray for mercy and blessings upon the coming season.

Additional notable feasts of February, from both calendars:

3rd-Saint Blaise, Blessing of Throats

7th-First Saturday of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart

8th-Sexagesima Sunday

11th-OUR LADY OF LOURDES

14th-Saint Valentine, let us pray for chastity

15th-Quinquagesima Sunday

24th-Saint Matthias, Apostle

***   PREPPER TASK FOR FEBRUARY   ***

Were you rushing to the store just before this past week’s big storm?  Don’t be that person.  Be the person who is sitting by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate laughing at all the people panicking and running to the store!  Of course as preppers, we are not only concerned about the short term emergency, but also the longer term one, or even permanent societal change.  So having a well-stocked and well-organized pantry is essential.  Here is the task…

Throw out all the expired food in your cupboard.  Arrange food roughly according to expiration date, oldest in the front, newest in the back.  I have a “fast track” spot for almost expired items.  (If you have children, this is a wonderful family activity and also a prepper lesson).  You’ll be able to see what you are lacking, and make a shopping list for these things.  This is your new lifestyle!

First be concerned about getting your everyday pantry organized.  Then you can start on what we call “stocks.”  (As opposed to “stockpiles.”  We are not doing institutional prepping here.)  These will be kept in a cool, dry, mouse-free area of your house (don’t assume mice won’t be able to tear through heavy packaging, believe me they can smell and tear through almost anything.)  These will be food and other essential items that your family needs for longer term storage.  There are many companies now that deal specifically in these types of items, just do a search.  Of course, buying in bulk can be a great option too.  Again, these have to be organized according to expiration date.  One way to do this is to have a separate shelf for each expiration year.

Prepping is a lifestyle that requires work and commitment, there’s no getting around that.  But the peace of mind it provides is more valuable than gold.  Gold.  That’s another topic!  Look into it (but this is not financial advice).

Have a blessed February and a Lent that will bring you closer to the risen Christ.

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception / Update

[Edited since posting.]

UPDATE: I’ve been very busy prepping for my ADVENT OF THE HEART prayer groups. You may know I got a sprained ankle while in Rome and that was slowing me down…now, as soon as the ankle got better, a neuroma popped up in the same foot [No! This was wrong, turns out it’s a fracture]. So again, I am slowed down. Since the intense last-minute planning of the trip in September, my life has not been “normal.” I am very joyful however, about the Advent prayer groups and they are going very well. One is at a church (see our new “Meetings/Events” button above and one is at a Catholic store (by invitation only, as it is a very small space-this is actually a brief presentation at an existing prayer group, each of the 4 weeks of Advent).

Hopefully in January, my condition will be improved and I can continue to move forward in my life, as was the plan after passing through the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. I am still thinking about what this blog will look like next year, how it will evolve, as I am simultaneously bringing this ministry into the real physical world. So we are in flux. And that is good, because the whole world is in flux and we must respond to that. Adaptability and willingness to change is an important prepper tenet. I think those who are attuned to things feel it is time to be moving, shaking, re-thinking and morphing. We will be given the knowledge and grace.

Consider doing the ADVENT OF THE HEART program at home, scroll down for the post on this. Also, check out our topics to the right>>>Advent and Christmas Season!

Here are some notable feasts this month in both the trad and the post-con calendars…

8th-IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Holy Day of Obligation, USA

10th-OUR LADY OF LORETO

12th-OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

17th-Ember Wednesday of Advent (trad meat at one meal)

19th-Ember Friday of Advent

20th-Ember Saturday of Advent (trad meat at one meal)

24th-VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD (trad day of fast)

25th-NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, Holy Day of Obligation

28th-THE HOLY FAMILY

Remember the 12 Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany and the Epiphany Blessing of the Home.

Wishing all our readers and your families great Advent and Christmas blessings!

Update / Month of the Holy Souls

My visit to my mother’s was very difficult for numerous reasons and I have been dealing with this situation. If you could keep my family in prayer, I would deeply appreciate it, and all our readers are kept in our prayers as well. Please know you can submit prayer requests and we will post them. A first name and city or state/country would be helpful.

I am slowed down also due to a sprained ankle, sustained in Rome on one of those spiral staircases! I thought it was getting better, but now is worse and I need physical therapy. In spite of all this, I have somehow been visiting cemeteries every day this week for the Holy Souls and it is an extraordinarily joyful thing. We still have a few more days.

It is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Please see the following very interesting and unique article from catholicism.org…

Month of the Holy Souls

Update

Dear Readers,

There have not been many posts lately, as we have been feverishly planning our trip to Rome, Assisi, Florence and Sicily. All the things involved in international travel are so time-consuming, not to mention dealing with the Vatican and the Jubilee Year. We have designed our own pilgrimage, as there are too many difficulties for us in tagging along with a regimented pilgrimage. There are pros and cons to each option.

…But don’t let that stop you from considering a trip to Rome! Just know it requires a lot of planning and detailed research. The sooner you start planning, the better. And beware of making assumptions. We made several assumptions which resulted in losing money and having to re-book un-changable tickets. We also narrowly avoided some logistical disasters, when realizing the mistakes we made or the things we failed to consider.

Certainly, I will be writing about the experience when I get back!

There will be no posts until the latter half of October and there will be no October newsletter for our subscribers. But keep in mind, October is the Month of Our Lady of the Rosary and Respect Life Month. So, if you are accustomed to reading our monthly dedication posts, which detail feasts and give suggestions, take this as an opportunity to come up with your own ideas and study the liturgical calendar.

Thanks for your understanding and please know you will all be in our prayers in Rome!

In the Holy Name of Christ, Chiara:)

BTW, we planned our Assisi day on October 4th, the feast of Saint Francis, and we didn’t even realize it at first! Will be a busy day in Assisi, but that is the only day that fits into our itinerary. A sign from Saint Francis?

Update

For the first time in the 16 years I have been doing this work, someone has finally asked me to give a talk. I have my first presentation tonight at Saint Matthew’s in Dix Hills, NY. This thought just entered my mind and I wanted to share it…

Show up for life and life will show up for you

I am now available to speak, for now only on Long Island, since I’m very busy this year with a lot of travel.

Update

I know this month’s output has been light, but I hope some of you have tried my homemaker hacks (men can do them too!). Feel free to share yours as well, and we may post them.

We’ve been working on our house and will be, for the rest of the year. I will have to try to balance it all a bit better. We’ve been hiking as a family and spending some wonderful times together...and I’ve been working on my healthcare. These are always great and necessary things, but with the continued degrading of the state of the world, it seems more urgent than ever…to push forward, take advantage of opportunities while we still can, and stop and smell the roses. Geopolitical tensions are tighter than they have been in decades and there is concern about the upcoming US elections (or possible failure to hold elections at all, as some are predicting).

I would urge all our readers to print the “15 Points Preparedness Worksheet” (see link on Home page) and work on it with your family. Also, please print our “Eclipse Pilgrimage of Mercy” supplemental prayers. Included is Cardinal Burke’s 9-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe and a prayer for the United States.

I have also been getting ready for my trip to the Catholic Land Movement Conference at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in northern New York (about a 4-hour trip for me), this coming weekend! I’m so excited, it is my first time there. This is a traditional Catholic organization and the Tridentine Mass will be offered. These are the kinds of things I do as research and networking, to bring the knowledge I aquire, to all of you. I hope to share some pictures and some of what I will learn, in the coming days. It’s going to be like a retreat/agrarian/prepper learning experience all in one! There will be wonderful Catholic devotions and confession, along with workshops and social time. There is an optional farm visit, where animals will be slaughtered, which I will be attending. Some of the workshops I plan to go to are “Garden Planning at Home,” “Wells and Spring Development,” and a presentation of 2 faith-centered farms. I also hope to attend Chris Martenson’s Peak Prosperity Annual Summit 2024 in New Hampshire in September (the early-bird rate is ending June 30). I attended his conference last year in Massachusetts and it was life-changing.

Due to the fact that I will be away this weekend, our Month of July post may be a day or 2 late. God bless you all and your families! Chiara F Mathews:)

November: Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory / Update

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

On the 21st, we honor the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (her own presentation in the Temple with Saints Joachim and Anne). On the 26th, we celebrate Christ King of the Universe in the new calendar. This is also the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This month’s trad calender: calefactory.org

UPDATE: I will be taking this month off from the blog. See you in Advent!

May is the Month of Our Lady

Quick Update: Due to the aforementioned health issues, along with other things going on in my life, I will have to change my writing style here. I will have to write shorter, simpler ideas, in order to keep things going at a reasonable pace. I hope you enjoy the new format and I wish all of you blessings and everything wonderful!

Getting a late start this month, but that’s okay, because the most interesting feasts are the latter part of the month…

On the 13th we have Our Lady of Fatima, to whom this ministry is dedicated. She gives us the antidotes to our times in her Fatima requests. And she also gives us hope in promising a period of peace after a time of trial. Learning more about Fatima and Our Lady’s requests would be a wonderful way to celebrate this month dedicated to her. Try doing a search to the right-we have a lot of info here.

Saint Isidore the Farmer is on the 15th, which is also the first of the 3 Minor Rogation Days, days of prayer and penance, similar to the Ember Days. We like Saint Isidore because he was a farmer. Farming is good. People should like farmers more. We don’t have food without farmers. We should all learn how to farm. (This is how I write when I totally don’t try. Like a first grader’s homework assignment. You might have to get used to this.) But seriously, I am jesting because respect for food production and the importance of food self-reliance should be self-evident. It’s not anymore. Food is good. You die without food. Are people so gone that they need to be reminded of this?

We have Ascension Thursday on the 18th (check if it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in your Diocese) and Ascension Sunday, or whatever they’re calling it these days, on the 21st.

Pentecost, that glorious feast, is on the 28th, in both the trad and new. Come Holy Ghost! Do you have a red shirt? I don’t. I should buy one. I had one I liked once.

On the 31st, we have the Visitation (new) and the Queenship (trad) of Our Lady-a double Marian feast in this Month of Mary. This is also Ember Wednesday, the start of the Ember Days of Summer. Let us pray for the coming season to be productive and fruitful in many ways for the children of God.

Saint Joseph the Workman / Update

May 1st we celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman, honoring him as a laborer and humble participant in Jewish society. The prayer below is not specific to this feast, but it is so beautiful. It is from The Raccolta, a short prayer, easily committed to memory…

“O Joseph, virgin father of Jesus, most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for us daily to the Son of God, that, armed with the weapons of His grace, we may fight as we ought in life, and be crowned by Him in death.”

Unfortunately, I am suffering numerous health issues, including continued eye problems which reduces my ability to work on electronics. I would ask for your patience and prayer for myself and my family. You have my deepest thanks and all my readers are always in my prayers as well. Chiara:)

Update

Some of you may know I suffered a traumatic brain injury (concussion) last summer and some of the symptoms suddenly got worse about 2 months ago. The main problem is light sensitivity (abnormal dilation) and what is called “convergence insufficiency,” having to do with focus. This makes electronics difficult and it must be limited. I am sitting here right now with the brightness on zero and wearing sunglasses. Even taking these measures, I still must limit exposure to the minimum and gradually get back to normal as I am able. I am now in vision therapy and do see slow improvement. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

As for the WEF Series, I will be putting a post up about “brain transparency,” but first, I would like to do a general introduction, which I am working on.

No I’m not gonna talk about the Chinese “spy balloon.” The whole society has become an incomprehensible clown show and my plan is to cut out and do my own thing with other good Catholics in some rural area. I don’t say this is for everyone, but we all must pray and discern what God wants from us at this insane and pivotal time in human history. I want to come up with a joke about that balloon, but it is its own joke (anyway, everyone else is doing that-check out the memes!). The world is so absurd now, you can’t even parody it.