First Holy Communion on Beatification Day

My dear 'George' made his First Holy Communion this Sunday past, on the beatification day of Mother Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint. A memorable day on both counts!

Prayers at Our Lady's altar after their first Holy Communion.

A delightful Holy Communion breakfast!

Confirmation at Marian Valley

Here is my eldest daughter on her confirmation day (8 Feb 2009) I have decided in future on my blog I will refer to her by her confirmation name 'Faustina'.

Faustina had decided many, many years ago that she would take this name after she was told she had been baptised on Mercy Sunday (a movable feast) the year of her birth and had loved the read outloud of the lovely book The Young Life of Saint Maria Faustina.

Here we all are. I intend to give all my children online names - finally - using their confirmation saints name or a saint connected to them in some way.

Ds 14: Francis (his confirmation saint)

Dd 11: Faustina (her confirmation saint)

Dd 9: Therese (she already knows what her confirmation saint will be!)

Ds 6: George (he LOVES Saint George so we will use that until he is confirmed)

Ds 4: Ambrose (This dear boy was born on St Ambrose's feast)

Dd 1: Anna (She was baptised on Candlemas day and Anna the prophetess is mentioned in the bible on this feastday, also I was very much praying to St Anne before, during and after her birth, clinging to her, in fact!)

These two, sweet girls are best friends. They were both delighted when they realised they were going to be confirmed together, her friend took the name Lucy.

My darling girl who is growing so quickly. A girl that mothers everyone, who is always laughing and flashing those dimples, who loves her faith...a great blessing indeed.

Therese and Anna together.

Here is the veil that Faustina used for her First Holy Communion. The headpiece had been fashioned into two hearts - Sacred and Immaculate, the materials all originally come from my wedding dress, which I blogged about here.

Faustina's dress was picked up in a second hand sale for a couple of dollars, and yet it looked so beautiful, who would ever know? (Except everyone reading of course!!!)

My mother with George. A special bond is forming between the two as mum is schooling George this year, while I school the three older children. Mum has helped me with Therese like this too, just helps me take on the new child with a little more ease by teaching them some of the first year basics.

Here is the Bishop with all the confirmation children, proudly showing their certificates. It was a beautiful Mass and ceremony.

One of the homeschooling mothers made the confirmation cake, it looked lovely!

Father who is in charge of Marian Valley, has a bit of Scottish in him (he has a lovely little Maltese dog aptly named - Angus) and he plays the bagpipes with gusto. He was the pied piper this day, with hordes of children following him in the valley after this photo.

The Bishop and the children enjoyed a rather crowded buggy ride in the valley, the kids thought it terrific!

There are two of my boys, Francis and Ambrose, enjoying the ride...the ones with the 50's crew cuts!! (my speciality!)

George enjoyed the ride as well...it was a lovely finish to a beautiful day.

St Anne, obtains for her devotees a happy death

St Anne, as you know, is the patroness of a happy death, I wanted to share with you today a lovely story published in the Good St Anne book. The Blessed Virgin herself has revealed to mankind, her mother Anne obtains for those who venerate her, a happy death. Here is one such case, written by the priest who was a part of this story:

“While I was assistant pastor in the parish of X, I was aroused one night by the ringing of the door bell. A stately woman, a stranger to me, called up the stairs: ‘Father, please go quickly and take the Blessed Sacrament to a servant in a house upon the hill, for she will not live through the night. The sexton is waiting for you in the church.’

“The sexton had been awakened by the same person. I took the Blessed Sacrament, and we started for the house. An hour later we arrived. To our great surprise, we found the house locked, and nowhere a sound or a light. We knocked at the door, but when it was opened, no one knew anything of a servant being ill there, so we concluded that some person, wishing to make light of us, had deceived us.

However, in order that I would not need to return with the Blessed Sacrament, one of the servants declared her readiness to go to Confession and to receive Holy Communion. Her suggestion was readily accepted. During her Confession, she began to feel indisposed. She finished her Confession and received Holy Communion. Before long her condition became worse, and she was obliged to go to bed. Soon it was evident that her end was near. I administered Extreme Unction and imparted the indulgence for the dying. Scarcely had this been done when the servant died.

“About her bed hung pictures of many Saints, among which was a large decorated representation of St Anne. ‘This servant,’ said the inmates of the house, ‘practiced special devotion to St Anne. In her honor she abstained from milk every Tuesday.’ I have no doubt that the woman who called the sexton and myself was none other than St Anne, who obtained for her client this last great favor.”

Let us practice special devotion to St Anne in order to obtain a happy death, upon which depends our happiness for all eternity." Good St Anne pgs 39-40

Jesus reminds us in the Bible that some things can be cast out only with prayer and fasting. I think too, it means that our prayers become more pleasing to God when sacrifice is added to it, when we mortify ourselves. This servant girl abstained from milk every Tuesday all her life. She gave of herself on St Anne’s day and St Anne in return miraculously gave of herself in order to see this faithful devotee die in the arms of the sacraments, confession – viaticum, ‘food for the journey’ and anointing of the sick - such a beautiful story.

I would like to finish with some lovely St Anne prayers that include an invocation for a happy death.

PRAYER TO SAINT ANNETHE MOTHER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

With a heart full of sincere and filial veneration, I prostrate myself before You, O Blessed Saint Ann, You are that beloved and privileged creature who, because of your extraordinary virtue and sanctity did deserve of God that chief of graces, of giving life to the treasury of grace, the Blessed among women, the Mother the Incarnate Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In consideration of such exalted favors, please O most tender Saint, receive me among the number of your truly devoted servants, for such I profess myself to be and wish to remain for the rest of my life. Surround me with your efficacious patronage and obtain for me a knowledge of my sins and sorrow for them, an ardent love of Jesus and Mary, and a faithful and constant observance of the duties of my state in life. Save me from all dangers in life and assist me at the hour of my death that I may safely reach Paradise, there to praise with you, most happy Mother, the Word of God made man in the womb of your most pure daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

With love, I come to you St. Anne. By your virtues and holiness, you merited from God the favour of giving life to her who is the Treasure of all graces, the Most Holy Virgin.Receive me, good St. Anne, into the number of your true clients, for so I profess myself and wish to remain throughout my entire life. Obtain for me, from God, the power to imitate those virtues with which you are so plentifully endowed. Help me to know and regret my sins bitterly. Obtain for me the grace of active love for Jesus and Mary, and resolution to fulfill the duties of my state of life with faithfulness. Save me from every danger that confronts me in life, and help me at the hour of my death. Amen.

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious Saint Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one-day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

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.