No name

Last night during family rosary, I gave my 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter one sheet each from the Rosary Reflections drawing pad, and the ziplock bag of colored pencils. The children immediately and enthusiastically began drawing the mysteries while we prayed the rosary. This instantly solved a problem for us: How to keep the little ones engaged and close to the rest of the family (mom, dad and two older daughters) while we pray together, instead of watching them dramatically flop over on the floor or wander off to find a toy.

The second, and unexpected, result was that as we older ones watched the little ones grab their colored pencils and sketch out, say, a glowing Jesus next to stick figures of Moses and Elijah, or a smiling John the Baptist pouring water over Jesus in the river, we all reflected more deeply on the mysteries as we prayed.

In addition, the children asked a few questions, so they could get their sketches right. For example, "Who was with Jesus at the Transfiguration?" "How old was Jesus when He was baptized?" The drawing tablet provided several "teachable moments" which made the prayer time richer for all of us.

Each sheet has drawing space for five Mysteries; a printed Rosary in the center helps children keep track of their progress. The sheets are sturdy, high quality paper, which would stand up to crayons, markers, or even paint. The finished works are suitable for hanging on a bedroom wall, as my children requested, or for keeping in a portfolio of their art projects.

This short, and fairly easy to read biography chronicles the life of Saint Athanasius (early 300s) - Patriarch/bishop of Alexandria and Doctor of the Church (and model of perserverance). Athanasius was a defender of the faith in a very critical time in the early Church's history. Even before the Edict of Milan which allowed Christians to practice their faith freely (at least for a time), the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ, was beginning its attack on the Church. Although the heresy was firmly rejected at the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.), the heretics were very powerful and continued to attack the Church - even winning the Emperor Constantine to their side. While the heresy was never embraced by the Pope, the heretics used the Emperor to banish orthodox bishops from their diocese, replacing them with those sympathetic to their rebellious ideas. All through this difficult time, Athanasius led his people (sometimes while in hiding with the desert monks for years at a time) by his writings.

St. Benedict (480-543), particularly honored as the Father of Monasticism, is an essential character in understanding Christian Culture as it existed in the Middle Ages because it was heavily influenced by the Monasteries (and the rule of St. Benedict) which helped to preserve Catholicism and classical learning after the fall of the Roman empire. Fortunately, this particular book is very simple and aims at telling the STORY of St. Benedict. The author introduces us to his spirituality, the realm of his influence during his own lifetime, and in a very real and tangible way, how the devil tried to fight the good God did through this holy monk. Like all good saint stories aimed at children, the author provides us with a real, live, interesting person, actively engaging our attention and causing us to want to imitate him. (Make no mistake, even though it's aimed at children, it can have the same effect on their parents too.) The story provides excellent supplemental material to a history program as it also covers some of the major political and social events of the times through the eyes of St. Benedict. Our family found the story and the interest level suitable even for the little ones, although the reading level is harder to determine. Kolbe Academy recommends it for 7th grade (based on length) and Seton Home Study recommends it for 6th grade.

From Our Coats of Many Colors

Our Coats of Many Colors, a cottage industry run by a mom in Kansas with a team of six seamstresses, has been making beautiful and imaginative dress-up costumes for six years. They have recently added a line of religious costumes for children - priest outfits from three different orders: Jesuit, Benedictine and Franciscan. The costumes are sturdy (my children have been using these for YEARS and they've held up beautifully and wash quite easily), nicely detailed, and feature velcro to make dressing up easy for little ones. Great for All Saints' Day dress-up.

The Jesuit costume (pictured at right), comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length black cassock and cincture (like a belt) and features a roman collar.
A row of buttons hides the easy-open velcro front of the cassock. The cincture also has a velcro-closure.
Some great Jesuits include:

• St. Ignatius Loyola, founder
• St. Francis Xavier
• St. Isaac Jogues
• St. Jean de Brebeuf
• St. Edmund Campion
• Pierre de Smet
• Jaques Marquette
• St. Robert Bellarmine
• St. Peter Claver
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga
• Fr. Eusebio Kino
• St. Paul Miki
• St. Stanislaus Kostka
• St. Claude de la Colombierre
• St. Robert Southwell
• Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Benedictine costume (pictured at right), and comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length black cassock, hooded scapular and cincture (belt).
All pieces have a velcro-closure.
Some great Benedictines include:

• St. Benedict, founder
• St. Gregory the Great
• St. Augustine of Canterbury
• St. Boniface
• St. Thomas Becket
• St. Bede
• St. Hermannus Contractus

The Franciscan costume (pictured at right), comes in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

It includes a full-length brown hooded cassock and rope belt.
Some great Franciscans include:

• St. Francis, founder
• St. Anthony of Padua
• St. Bonaventure
• St. Francis Solanus
• St. Joseph of Cupertino
• Blessed Junipero Serra
• St. Padre Pio
• St. Maximilian Kolbe

Their line has significantly grown over the years and includes many female saints as well.