Miss Mary's Moments

DEAR MISS MARY MOMENTS FOLLOWERS:
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THE POSTS I HAVE CREATED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS SINCE MY FAITH FORMATION DAYS AT THE PARISH.
SINCE I HAVE BEEN RETIRED FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS, MANY OF THE YOUNGER PARENTS IN THE PARISH FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM DON'T KNOW ME, SO WOULD NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE "MISS MARY" TITLE; SO I DECIDED I WOULD END THESE POSTS. I AM STILL AN ACTIVE PART OF OUR PARISH BUT FOCUSING ON ADULT FAITH FORMATION THESE DAYS.
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES TOO!

HI. TODAY is MARCH 22 and I have a question for you. Do you feel “scrappy” today? Staple together several pieces of construction paper to make a “book” and print this title on the cover:
What it Means to be a Christian.
Then get some old magazines and cut out pictures of people who are acting the way YOU think Christians should act. Then paste these pictures onto the construction paper - and you’ve made a book!
Show it to your parents, your family and maybe even your teacher and explain why you think each picture shows what it means to be a Christian. HAVE FUN!

HELLO! TODAY is MARCH 20.Does it seem like Spring is on its way? Go outside today and look for clues. What do you see that is different from how the yard looked around Christmas? See what clues to Spring you can find. While you are searching, thank God for all that He created. Here’s a prayer you can say, or make up your own. God ALWAYS wants to hear from you!
“Thank you, God, for this beautiful time of year. Please bless all those who are sick at their homes and in the hospital. Help them get better so they can get outside and see how Spring is on its way!”
If you want to see a cute under 7-minute video about a new little caterpillar, click on the link below:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Animated Film In the internationally acclaimed The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a tiny caterpillar eats and eats…and eats his way through the week. Taken from The Very Hungry ...

TOP O’ THE MORNIN’ TO ALL! Today is the Feast of St.Patrick, Patron of Ireland.
St. Patrick found himself in Ireland as a young man, brought there as a slave! He started preaching to the people there and one day someone asked him to explain the Blessed Trinity. He bent down and picked up one of the green shamrocks that grew all over Ireland. The shamrock has three leaves but ONE stem, and St. Patrick said it was like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - three persons in ONE God! People often wear green today to celebrate this Feast Day of St. Patrick. What will you wear that is green today?
Click on the link below to find out all about St. Patrick and this special day in March!

St. Patrick's Day Facts for Kids In this St. Patrick's Day video, we share facts for kids and people of all ages! Learn about this historic and storied holiday, full of clovers, leprechauns ...

Today even though it is a Tuesday, I want to share with you what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about Sunday in the life of a Catholic Christian. It says,
“The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life.
The Catechism continues ”....and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.”
Celebrate next Sunday with your family, visit others if you can, have a meal together (no technology allowed at the table!!!) talk over family stories and memories of people in the family of special members who have gone to their Heavenly Home already!
ALWAYS TRY TO MAKE SUNDAYS A SPECIAL DAY - THE LORD’S DAY.

GREETINGS! TODAY is March 12 and on this day in 1912, a lady named Juliette Low invited some young girls to come to her house in Savannah, Georgia for a tea party. That afternoon she showed them pictures of a girl’s club in England called “The Girl Guides.” They began talking about how much fun a club like that would be, and by the end of the afternoon they had started the very first chapter of the Girl Scouts of America. Maybe you are a Girl Scout or maybe you know a Girl Scout, maybe you bought Girl Scout cookies from her this year! YUM!
Why don’t you think about what YOU can do to become a “good scout” for God!

HI, TODAY is MARCH 10 and today I want to share a family night we had back in May of 1990. We had been having some sibling tension in the house, so we found a cute idea for a get-together.
The topic was “Parts of the Body”. The sharing question was: “Imagine that our family is like a human body and each member is a part of that body. What parts of the body would each family member be? The hands, heart, head, face, feet, ears, mouth?
Each person around the table - us parents and 4 kids ranging from age 7 - 17 We made two columns: Name of Person and Body Part. We would all share afterward why they picked the body part for each family member.
Everyone excitedly got into this activity, most of them even drew the body part for each family member! And what an interesting sharing conversation we had!
After we finished sharing and listening to one another, there was a more peaceful mood. And It was a fun night, when we were all listened to, then we “made our own ice cream sundaes” and ended with a prayer thanking God how we were all so wonderfully made!

HI, TODAY is MARCH 8 and today I want to share a Lenten practice that many people love to pray in Church. It is called the “Stations of the Cross,” and this beautiful prayer exercise is used in Catholic Churches throughout the world. You can come to the church any day during Lent to pray at each of the stations, located on the walls of our sacred space. They follow the last day of Christ’s life as they think about all He sacrificed for His love of us. And this year, when the weather allows, you can follow the Lord’s last walk to Calvary by praying at the new outdoor stations.
If you are inside church, you may find a booklet as you begin to pray at each station, starting with Station 1 located on the front left wall of the church. Look closely at the sculpture on each wall station, parents can read the title and explain what is happening to Jesus at each place.
This is a great prayer practice for youngsters to learn all about the arrest, punishment and death of Jesus.

HELLO, TODAY is MARCH 6. March has a flower, a dancing flower - the jonquil. It has pretty yellow or white blossoms and sometimes looks like it’s dancing in the garden as it waves about in the springtime breeze. Do YOU feel like dancing or prancing today? Springtime is such a happy time when all the buds on the trees and flowers are coming out to remind everyone of new life - just like Easter reminds the world of the “new life” of Jesus after he rose from the dead!
Look around outside today and see if you can spot any flowers peeking out from the ground. If you do make sure to thank God for the awesome world He made!!!!

HI - TODAY is MARCH 3 and today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Katherine Drexel. St Katherine was a U.S citizen born into a very well-off family in Philadelphia. She learned about God from her parents and often she and her sister helped their mother in serving the poor and helping those who were ill. She had an interesting life and you can find out a little more about this good Catholic woman who is the second canonized saint born in our country by clicking on the link below:

- YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

HELLO and WELCOME TO A NEW MONTH - THE MONTH OF MARCH
Today is the first day of the month of March. When I taught Kindergarten, we used to have a little song that stated “March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb”. We can never really predict what the weather will do - today may not be snowy or icy but we have begun this new March nevertheless.
My Dad used to say: WHETHER IT’S COLD OR WHETHER IT’S HOT, WE WILL HAVE WEATHER, WHETHER OR NOT!

GREETINGS! TODAY is FEBRUARY 28 - It is the LAST day of February, the shortest month of the year. I found an interesting video for kids explaining how we got this short month.
You can click on this link to see it.

Why does February have 28 days? | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children Buy AumSum Merchandise: http://bit.ly/3srNDiGWebsite: https://www.aumsum.comMany centuries back, a Roman King called Numa made a calendar according to 12 lun...

HI THERE! TODAY is FEBRUARY 26 and today I want to share a Family Night we had back in February 1980! That year, we seemed to have some tensions in the family around this time and we wanted to have a family table sharing (we called it a “family night”) to look at anger and how we each handled anger. So, old and young, we got out our sharing books and we introduced the night saying the following:
“Sometimes people grow angry or impatient and, unfortunately, DUMP their anger on others, with the result that others feel hurt and NOT-OK. Can you think how people could get rid of their anger in ways that don’t hurt other people?”
We were surprised at what each person shared, wrote or drew. The kid’s ages ranged from 2-14. Some drew (or scribbled), some wrote their thoughts, others wrote ideas and different situations when they felt angry. It was a great family night - good topic for Lent too.
Try it. (NOTE: Always include Prayer and dessert.)

TODAY is FEBRUARY 24 and in this new Season of Lent I want to begin sharing projects your family can do to help remember how we should behave during this holy season of Lent, coming next week. Any way we can think about to cover the three aims of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving would be good ways to remember how much Jesus gave to others and the examples he showed us.
One idea is a Prayer Jar, where we can write out prayer intentions. When we hear of someone who is sick, or sad or needing prayers, we can write their names on one of the slips and place it in the prayer jar. Each night at dinner, one family member picks out one prayer slip and reads the intention. We can all become more aware of others, as Jesus did, when we use the Prayer Jar.
Try this with your family.
LENT BEGAN THIS WEEK ON FEBRUARY 22.

HI, TODAY is FEBRUARY 22 - IT IS ASH WEDNESDAY, FIRST DAY OF LENT
Do you know what “Ash Wednesday” is? That’s the day when you go to church and the priest or minister rubs a bit of “ash” on your forehead to remind you that Lent is beginning.
Now, do you know what is meant by Lent? Lent usually comes in February or March and lasts for forty days - until the three days before Easter. It's a serious time to pray and think about the time when Jesus died on the Cross to save the world. To thank Jesus, people everywhere try to do something “hard” or “difficult” during Lent. Some “give up” a favorite food - like candy bars or French fries or cookies - and promise not to eat these until Easter. Some even give up watching television or playing video games! Others pray the rosary every day or do a “good deed” every day. What could YOU do to make this Lent a special time to say “thank you” to Jesus?
To find out about Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent, click on the link below for a 3 minute entertaining video:

WATCH: Lent in Three Minutes - Busted Halo Busted Halo explains the significance of the Lenten season of prayer, fasting, and giving, and how you can make the most of this time of repentance and renewal.

GREETINGS, Today is February 20 and it is Presidents Day.
To hear an interesting story about this holiday, click on the link below:
You will hear a PRESIDENT’S DAY KIDS BOOK READ ALOUD

Presidents' Day for Kids READ ALOUD Mrs. Madoff’s class puts on a presidential pageant & even holds an election to celebrate Presidents’ Day! It’s a historic holiday KidTime StoryTime that'll m...

GREETINGS! TODAY is FEBRUARY 18. Today I have some interesting facts for you about a world famous scientist named Galileo whose birthday is this month.
Suppose you dropped a bag of potatoes and a bag of feathers off a roof at the same time? Which bag do you think would fall the faster of the two? Galileo tried an experiment like this by dropping two things of different weights off the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
To everyone's surprise, both bags dropped at the same speed! Science experiments are often surprising - and important, too.
Would YOU like to be a scientist someday? What would you like to discover how to make the world better? God wants the best for us humans - His most treasured creation. Scientists work hard to help us stay safe and healthy.
Thank God for helpful scientists today.

Greetings, today is February 16. Today I have some interesting facts for you. Did you know it takes 120 drops of water to fill a teaspoon? Imagine how many drops of water it takes to make a rainstorm or fill a river! How many drops do you think it would take to make an ice cube or fill a bird bath or wash your neck?
Have a nice cool glass of water today while you make a list of all the ways you use God’s wonderful gift of water?
Ask your little ones to draw some pictures of water they see in their life, in their neighborhood, in your house. And, say a little thanksgiving prayer to God for creating all the water in the world!

GREETINGS, TODAY is FEBRUARY 14. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, EVERYONE!
To find out a bit about this day as a Catholic family, click on the following video:

St. Valentine, Valentine's Day and the Catholic Church | Columbia Catholic Ministry #20 Father Dan O'Reilly discusses the possible origins of Valentine's Day and how we can use the holiday as an inspiration to care for each other.Visit our websi...

HI, TODAY is FEBRUARY 11 and I want to share a Family Night we had way back in July 1979. We had 5 kids living at home who were from 2 1/2 years to 12. Talk about juggling different balls in the air!!!
On this night, we reflected on our family and where we would like to see improvement. The question was: Think of a way YOU could help improve our family and complete the following sentence:
“Our family would be much better if I would:
____________________________________.
Notice each family member is sharing themselves, not telling others what they should do!
As parents, John & I shared our answers or drawings and explained our answers. Remember the guidelines: listening to each person, no interrupting, have a short prayer and of course - A COOL DESSERT!

GREETINGS! TODAY is FEBRUARY 8. Today is the feast day and optional memorial (priest’s choice) for St. Josephine Bakhita. St. Josephine was born in southern Sudan, Africa and was kidnapped and taken into slavery when she was a young child. She ended up in Italy bought by an Italian man where she heard about Jesus from an order of sisters she met.
To hear a short video about this saint whose feast day we celebrate today, click on the link below:

Obscure Saint: St. Josephine Bakhita | Encounter St. Josephine Bakhita's feast is celebrated on February 8.

HI, TODAY is FEBRUARY 6
Recently, as I read through a catalog I saw an ad for a Ceramic Bread Basket. This came with a little prayer card which said:

THE BREAD BASKET
This is more than bread.
This is more than a meal.
Gathered around this table.
We are more than individuals.
We see a family.

A family nourished by
laughter, love, and the
stories we share.

It continued:
A family strengthened by
listening, caring, and
giving grace.
This is more than bread
This is our time together.
ENJOY ONE ANOTHER TODAY!

HI, Today is FEBRUARY 4 and today I want to give another great suggestion for a family prayer after dinner one night. This could be an introduction to a family sharing time, if you can have one.
Anyway, here is the prayer suggestion:
“Lord, We’ve had a great day and have so much to be grateful for. Thanks for another wonderful meal to share with those we love so much. Thank you for a happy day.
May this meal strengthen us so that we may continue to praise you and bring you to all those we meet and touch. Thank you, Lord. AMEN

HI - TODAY is FEBRUARY 2 and today the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord.
You can find out about this feast by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswGxaRo3dw
Today is also called “Candlemas Day.” As you know if you view the video above, when Jesus was a baby, Mary & Joseph took him to the Temple, because it was a religious custom of that time for newborn babies and new mothers to be presented to God and receive special blessings. Today that custom is remembered, and in many churches the priest blesses candles - and that’s why it’s called Candlemas Day!
Did you ever hear someone say “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”? That means that instead of always complaining about something you don’t like, you should try to “lighten up” and find a way to make it better. Think about that today!

PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE "And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the ti...

GREETINGS! TODAY is the very first day of a new month. TODAY is FEBRUARY 1 and even though it is the SHORTEST month of the year - it's just as important as all the others. A lot of important things have happened in February, and a lot more important things might happen this February! If you happen to be short, don’t think that makes you any less important than anybody else. People of all sizes and shapes are all part of God’s family - short, tall, fat, skinny, loud, quiet, silly, or serious. And that’s what makes the world so interesting!
So whether you’re short or tall, say one prayer today for all the short people in the world - and another prayer of thanks for strawberry SHORTcake and SHORT stories, SHORTwave radio and good baseball SHORTstops!
Today, on my Catholic Calendar of Saints is also the Feast of St. Brigid, Patroness of Ireland. St. Brigid is the Patron Saint of babies, dairy workers, farmers, Ireland, midwives, nuns, poets, printers and sailors. In Ireland, the Feast Day of St. Brigid of Ireland is on the first day of Spring.
St. Brigid followed the teachings of St. Patrick who was a friend and fellow-Patron of Ireland. St. Brigid was a contemporary of St. Patrick as they both spread the Catholic faith to the people of Ireland.
St. Patrick and St. Brigid pray for us!

HI - TODAY is JANUARY 31. I wanted to share with you the Saint whose feast day is today.
The saint we will share about today is St. John Bosco. You would have liked this saint - someone who knew how to do magic tricks and walk on a tightrope! St. John Bosco liked acrobatics and picnics and music - and children! He felt very sorry for the poor children in Italy who had no families and nowhere to live; but he had no money to buy a house, and so he fixed up an old barn and made it into a happy home for homeless children. After that, he got other people to help him open more homes and workshops and schools where poor and neglected children could come to live and learn and be loved. St. John Bosco is the patron saint of laborers, schoolchildren and magicians!
St. John Bosco was able to help other people enjoy life because he enjoyed life - and he was glad to share his joy. So be like St. John Bosco today.
If you see someone without a smile - give ‘em one of yours!

GREETINGS! TODAY is JANUARY 27 and today the Church celebrates the Feast of St.Angela Merici. Angela was born in Italy and had an interesting life. She was one of four children and had some sad things in her life, but kept loving God.
To find out a bit about St. Angela Merici click on the link below and spend 3 minutes on the video there.

St. Angela Merici HD St. Angela Merici was born on March 21, 1474. She was an Italian religious educator and founder of the Ursulines. At 10-years-old, Angela and her older siste...

HI - TODAY is JANUARY 25 and today the Church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul.
What would you think of a man who went around capturing Christians and putting them in jail, just because they believed in Jesus and he didn’t? There was a man named Saul who did that until one day something wonderful happened. God zapped him!
All of a sudden one day, Saul realized he had been wrong and the Christians were right! And from that day on, he spent the rest of his life going around telling people about Jesus and how to live as a Christian. He even changed his name from Saul to Paul, and today is the anniversary of Saint Paul’s change.
Is there something in your life you need to change too? Are we maybe too selfish or jealous or grouchy or mean? Do you do what your parents and teachers tell you to do? If there’s something in your life that needs changing, don’t wait for God to zap you!
In honor of St. Paul, start to change today!

TODAY is JANUARY 23
In a fun family night, the Linge Family in 1983 had six kids still at home, they were ages 17, 16, 12, 10, 8 and 5. Hubby and Dad - John read this reading from 1 Cor 12: 12-14 and 27
We each had our sharing books out and we wrote down each person’s name on a new line and thought about a gift they have in the family.
Maybe Dad has a loving mouth, giving compliments to other
Maybe Mom has a generous hand as she makes sandwiches for lunch the next day
Maybe the older sister has a sweet smile as she babysits for her little brother.
Whatever gift each person has is written next to that person’s name. Some younger ones can write (or draw) next to the person’s name. When you all finish, have each person share their answers.
This is a great way to celebrate the unique gifts that God has given each of us.
You can end with a great dessert!

HI, TODAY is JANUARY 21 and it is the Feast Day of St. Agnes. St. Agnes is the Patroness of our Diocese of Rockville Centre. The Bishop’s Cathedral is in Rockville Centre and it is called St. Agnes Cathedral. Have you ever visited this beautiful church? It was renovated a few years ago and is a nice spot to visit and say a prayer. When I was in 8th grade, I celebrated my Confirmation and chose the name Agnes to be my Patron Saint. I already had Blessed Mother as my Patron Saint and I added Agnes as my Confirmation name. I loved the story about brave St. Agnes who was very young when she died as a martyr because of her love of God, as a Christian.
See the link below for a video about St. Agnes. Parents - she was tortured but there is only a slight visual representation. I would recommend watching it with your children and explaining that Agnes’ faith in God protected her, until she died and went to Heaven as one of the first saints.
Click link below:

Story of Saint Agnes | Stories of Saints Agnes was a very beautiful woman born in Rome in AD 291. She belonged to wealthy family and many men sought after her. However, Agnes made a promise to God n...