From one sacrament to other sacraments..becoming an heirloom.

(Full length shot)

When I married 14 years ago I had my wedding dress made by a young but talented girl in my area. I had given her an idea of what I had wanted from a compilation of different clippings from wedding magazines and she did a beautiful job. "Maybe one of your daughters will wear it one day?" it was asked. But as much as I loved the dress I knew that it was an outside chance due to personal taste and a range of other possible reasons.

(Closer view of bodice)

When I was pregnant with my first child I thought to have the left over wedding material made into a baptismal gown. A dear neighbour from my childhood made children's clothes to sell at the local market, so I asked if she would be happy to make it. She was and did a beautiful job. I kept it simple, without decoration. It would be the gown for all the children I would be blessed with and maybe it would be passed down to grandchildren..

It touched me in some way to think that the garment from the Sacrament of my marriage was now being used for the Sacrament of Baptism for my children...

Then I had daughters and as the years went by it was time to think of First Holy Communion dresses and started to think that there was a lovely way for all my girls to wear my bridal dress, as brides of Christ receiving Him on this special day.

It was a bigger endevour for someone to undertake, to alter an adult dress for girls but I had a lovely dressmaker who was happy to do this for me. Once again a beautiful job was done under difficult circumstances (enormous alterations) I was overjoyed.

Once again this dress was being used and for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The dressmaker had been very faithful to the original look it had on me.

My second daughter made her First Communion with the Polish community of our Parish and so it was their custom not to have a veil but only a garland of flowers, but I took photos of her with the veil and headpiece as well as the garland before we left for the church.

Here is a full length shot of the dress on my oldest daughter.

Here is my mum with my daughter wearing only her garland on the hour of her First Communion.

When it came to the First Holy Communion veil, I made it from my wedding veil and decided to dismantle my wedding headpiece and design something very spiritually meaningful for a Communion headpiece.

Our family are True Devotees, "To Jesus Through Mary" and so I started to form ideas of a headpiece incorporating the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. Since I am not a sewer, I thought I would make it myself, just handstitching any small sewing jobs on it.

I bought two foam shoulder pads to cut into the shapes of two hearts. I used my wedding dress material to cover the hearts and to make the flames. Then all the decorations needed to make the hearts distictive to the Two Hearts were taken from my original headpiece, except for the flowers on the Immaculate Heart, that came from my bodice that was covered in lace flowers and flower diamontes. The finished Hearts were then firmly sew onto the veil - it was done!

I do hope and pray that all of this will be passed down to my grandchildren, maybe beyond. I love symbolic things and it meant so much to me that from one sacrament garment of my own, it was passed on in some way to the beginning of my children's sacramental life.

Now that I have been blessed with a third girl who was recently dressed in the Baptism gown for her special day, she will one day wear the First Holy Communion outfit, many years to come.

150th anniversary of Lourdes

(Our visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes at Marian Valley, QLD Australia earlier this year.)

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O Holy Virgin, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constantly pressed against life’s bitter cup.

Have pity on those who love each other and are separated. Have pity on our rebellious hearts. Have pity on our weak faith. Have pity on those we love. Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear.

Grant hope and peace to all. Amen.

(Abbe Perreyve)

Swaddling Baby

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

I love this image of The Presentation of the Child Jesus, the Child Jesus swaddled in the arms of His Blessed Mother. In recent times it makes me reflect back on our precious girl’s baptism last Saturday on this feast day, as she was swaddled just like this until it was time to put on her baptismal gown.

I have discovered the loveliness and benefits of swaddling late in life – 6 babies down the track thanks to my Christian homebirthing doctor who recommended it to me (in fact she taught me a few new things I WISH I had known 6 babies ago) I notice that my little girl settles beautifully when wrapped, she sleeps and feeds better.

When looking for swaddling cloths I could not get anything better than Eco Child’s Luxury Organic Muslin Baby Wraps, I bought two to wash and use and have found them generous in size and soft and gentle to the touch. It is beautifully breathable for our summer weather.

Here is how I wrap her:

I lay her down the top end of the wrap, with her head hanging over it.

Then I lift up the other end of the wrap and place it up to her neck.

Then I tuck one side of the top layer under her arm and back.

Then doing the same to the other side.

Then I take the bottom layer and fold it over the top of her.

And then finish with wrapping the other side over her and around her back, if there is enough material. She is now snug without being tight. If I want to, I can make a little hood over her head with the loosened material from the back.

After these photos we went down to the lounge room where my precious one promptly went off into blissful slumber...

Looking for a lovely birth gift for a baby? I recommend these wraps!

Candlemas & a baptism

Oh Blessed Day! Our little girl was baptised today on the feast of Candlemas (The Presentation of the Child Jesus/Purification of Our Lady.) Here is my dear husband holding our newest child of God, after her consecration to Mary over at Our Lady's altar.

The baptism was after the 7am Mass where we had a fully sung Mass for the feast and had our year's supply candles blessed. It was a very quiet baptism with my strength not fully back and my mum and our oldest boy stood in proxy for our dear friends, Scott and Chemai who could not be with us due to chickpox being in our household still and the fact they don't get their new van until next week, which will then hold their precious seven on board.

Our Lady of Victories is such a beautiful, Spanish style church that is high, atop a hill overlooking our city's river with almost 360degree views of the city. Here I am with my oldest and youngest daughters.

Couldn't resist this one...isn't he cute?

The two youngest boys in white, they enjoyed the morning immensely.

This afternoon I have set up a little altar for the novena leading up to the 150th anniversary of apparition of Lourdes.

Here is the baptismal gown, it was made from the left over material of my wedding dress, 6 babies ago. On the front is sewn a medal of Our Lady of Lourdes given as a gift to our little one, it has been touched to the rock at Lourdes itself.

Sandy's gift - a beautiful baptismal cup - for each child she has bought one of these pewter cups, with the child's name and birth date engraved on it, a truly precious gift.

Here are our year's supply of candles - pure 100% beeswax from QueenB - 40 candles for the year and one of them used as a baptismal candle today.

Two blessed candles already in our wall hanger, one by our Our Lady of Lourdes for the novena, so wonderful to light and smell these honey scented candles - and for the whole year to come!