Why does Holy Church dedicate the month of March to Saint Joseph? As probably all of you know, his feast is celebrated on the 19th, honoring his espousals to the Mother of God. It is interesting to note, this feast always occurs during Lent (unless it happens to fall on a Sunday, in which case, have your Italian dinner with tiramisu to celebrate!)…as Easter falls between March 22nd and April 25th (Sunday after first full moon after vernal equinox, which the Church fixes at March 21st MORE INFO). So it is a no-brainer to incorporate Saint Joseph’s feast into your Lenten exercises. Some ideas: attend Mass, read the Mass from the missal, pray a novena starting 9 days before the feast, give alms in honor of Saint Joseph.
Other notable feasts this month in both calendars…
3rd-Saint Katherine Drexel, USA
7th-First Saturday of the Immaculate Heart / Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor of the Church
17th-Saint Patrick, patron of Ireland
18th-Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop & Doctor of the Church
21st-Saint Benedict, founder of monasticism, twin of Saint Scholastica
22nd-Passion Sunday, begins octave of Passiontide in the trad
24th-Saint Gabriel the Archangel, immediately before the Annunciation
25th-Annunciation of the Lord/Blessed Virgin Mary
27th-Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, always one week before Good Friday
29th-Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins
Prepper Challenge for March: Make a Plan!
How did you do with last month’s pantry organizing challenge? Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and we may post it! Please know, I am doing these challenges with you. I have bought some great products and also have been watching motivating videos. There are so many resources out there now for decluttering, minimalism and organizing. (Yes, you can and should be a minimalist prepper.) Here are some products I love:
The Home Edit 3-Tier Shelf OXO POP Container
I have also been insanely getting into making custom labels. I bought a thermal label printer, which works from your PC or phone, a lot like Power Point. You can be really creative and it’s lots of fun. The older strip-tape manual printers are still quite common and they work great too.
We are now at war with Iran. This could go in many concerning directions. Iran is a whole different animal than anything we have ever dealt with before. Supply issues is a major concern…along with the domino effects this may have. So, consider yourself warned. Avail yourself of reliable alternative media, which we regularly refer you to, to stay informed. In terms of supply, I recommend having a reasonable amount for your family, plus a little extra. People may need to stay with you. You may also need to help others in your community. It is impossible to say “how much” you should have, but cluttering your home is counter-productive. Pray for guidance and trust God. And don’t worry, be at peace…and learn how to be resilient (gardening, sewing, keeping small animals and other useful non-electronic skills).
So, this month, think about what I have said above and please print our…
15 Points Preparedness Worksheet
This 4-page worksheet will make it super easy to sit down with your family and make a concrete preparedness plan for the next 12 months and beyond. And it’s not what you expect, it is from a holistic perspective, based on over 20 years of research and experience. Don’t delay, just print it and start filling it out. I’ve made it easy for you! And again, I am doing it with you. It’s about time for me to review this and spiff up my own plan. (If you are local to Long Island, please note I am available to give a talk on this.)