Archives for January 2014

Name-Day Celebrations

January 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Did you know that celebrating the name-day of your child helps to train him or her in the Faith? I found an interesting book by Helen McLoughlin called “My Nameday – Come for Dessert”, and I read why celebrating a name-day is so important:
 

Namedays enrich a child’s thinking and create feelings of
security, reverence and love of tradition which come from links
with the past. They bind the members of the family closer to each
other, to God. and to the saints; they are a means of sanctifying
the home, fulfilling the command of the bishops of the United
States: “Christians must make their homes holy.”

 
Celebrating name-days helps our children get to know their patron saints in a fun and memorable way. The day is filled with excitement and anticipation for a favorite dinner and dessert. The saint’s life is read, and becomes a familiar story year after year. And the person whose feast day it is feels special all day!
 

Here is what makes a name-day special in our home:

 

Breakfast is chosen by the child, and usually, that means pancakes or waffles. After breakfast, Mom or Dad reads the life of the saint. Later, the family member’s favorite dinner is made, and Mom or Dad reads the prayer to the patron saint. Then, out comes a special dessert: a cross-shaped cake! This is the highlight of the day, and it’s made even better when we sing “Happy Feast Day to You!”

 

Pretty simple, and it all revolves around comfort food. The kids are excited the whole day, and everyone tries to be extra nice to the person whose feast it is. Everyone loves it when it’s their name-day!

 

Does your family do something special on someone’s name-day?

 

Filed Under: Family Life Tagged With:

Learn a new Catholic song today!

January 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

“Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord with your heart.” Ephesians 5: 18-19

Learn to sing a collection of Catholic hymns and songs, and you’ll be able to bring God’s love and peace to yourself and your children. In other words, you’ll make each other happy by singing!  You will praise God and honor Mary by your songs.

Bringing Catholic music into your family life is a blessing for everyone. Bedtime routine at our house has always included Catholic hymns after night prayers. Many parents sing nursery rhymes like Rock-a-Bye Baby and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to their children at bedtime. Add in Good Night, Sweet Jesus, and you will bless their little souls with grace just as they drift off to sleep.

Ok, so how do you learn the music? Just:

1) Pick a song from the Catholic Songs to Learn and Sing, 2) Click the orange play button in the embeded sound recording from SoundCloud, and 3) Read the words and sing along.

Learn & Sing a Catholic song today!

I am so excited that the sound recordings can be played right on the page, and you don’t have to go to another site and login to hear the music! It is so easy! I really hope you enjoy the recordings, even though they aren’t professionally recorded!

The songs I’ve recorded are sorted alphabetically by liturgical season or topic. I will be slowly adding songs as time permits. Email me any requests and suggestions at traditionalcatholicliving@gmail.com!

Note: I’m not a professional singer, and my voice isn’t perfectly in tune all the time, but I still love to sing. Your kids won’t notice if you have a few wrong notes, either. Don’t be afraid to sing. An elderly nun once told me, “Sing with your heart, and God hears all the right notes.” 🙂

Click here to pick a song!

 

Filed Under: Catholic Music