Today, I received a wonderful email from the organizers of Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl project. Along with an update on the awesome ways in which Rice Bowl was supported by people like you, they offered information on a way in which our families can continue to aid the poor …

Throughout our lives, there are many seasons:  birth, growth, sickness, sorrow, sin, repentance, redemption, vocation, love, tragedy, death, and, hopefully, eternal glory.   Our faith and our Church help us walk through these experiences through the practice of the seasons of the Liturgical Year and the mysteries of the Rosary.  When …

Last year, in preparation for Easter Sunday, I spent one entire morning making lists: the menu, the shopping list, the clothing list, and a list of basket items. I printed out recipes and made mental notes of what services we would attend during the Triduum. I checked my bins of …

Editor’s note: We continue to pray as a CatholicMom.com family for the recuperation of precious little Fulton Poppe, for Cassandra, and for the entire Poppe family. LMH Palm Sunday Mass was packed.  My 11 year old son and I sat in the last two folding chairs in the back, and …

I can hardly believe that Easter is right around the corner. It has been a busy and exciting Lent. With the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of our new Pope, it is an amazing time in the Church. What a relief it was, coming home after a long …

“…That day all his planning comes to nothing.” – Psalm 146:4 “Man plans … and God laughs.” Or so I have been told. I had great plans for Lent. I had chosen the book I was going to read. I had worked out my fasting and almsgiving. And I could …

Holy Thursday, commonly known as Maundy Thursday, is the start to the Triduum leading up to Easter Sunday. While not a Holy Day of Obligation, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is a beautiful mass celebrating the last meal Christ had with his disciples before he was arrested and crucified. …

Editor’s note: Today, I am very happy to introduce our newest contributor, Laura Kelly Fanucci. Laura is a mother of two who blogs at at Mothering Spirit and a Research Associate with the Collegeville Institute Seminars at Saint John’s University. We’re thrilled to welcome her to our CatholicMom.com family! LMH Lent is tough. …

The answer is me.  Yep, sobering isn’t it? Today is Palm Sunday.  It is the day we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to a hero’s welcome.  It is amazing how quickly the tide turned.  One day, they wanted him to be king and the next, crucified. On this Sunday, we …

As you all know, the Catholic Church has a new Holy Father, Pope Francis I!  Hooray!  May God bless him and his office abundantly.  I don’t think I have anything especially profound to add to what the other writers in the Catholic blogosphere are saying, so I’ll leave that to them …

We’re more than halfway through Lent, and I want to thank everyone who is supporting our first ever CatholicMom.com Project. Here’s where we stand with the numbers: What we’re doing: Ave Maria Press and CatholicMom.com have partnered to provide spiritual support for pregnant women this Lent. Our goal is to …

Another Lent is near completion and we ask ourselves: “How am I different? Am I different? Am I a better person? Am I a better Christian?” From the time we are small we offer up candy and ice cream during the season of Lent in the hopes of making ourselves …

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew. — Saint Francis de Sales It wasn’t until my two daughters gave up their Lenten resolutions that …

Going to confession…three words that can strike up such fear and apprehension. We go to church, go to fish fries, go to Holy Days, do our best during Lent, but how often do we go to confession? What is it about going to confession that strikes up those feelings – is …

Last week, I wanted to hit 300 books funded for our CatholicMom.com Project…and though we didn’t make it, we *DID* raise all $500 of our matching grant funds. WOO-HOO! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED! Here’s our numbers update: In case you’re coming to this for the first time… Ave …

We are half way through Lent. How’s it going for you? Do you still have the zeal for doing better this Lent than you did last year? How are those Lenten sacrifices and extra works going? If you’re like me, you might have gone into Lent planning to make this …

Editor’s note: We are so happy to reprint this recent column written by Donna-Marie for the MyYearofFaith.com blog. This is also the perfect opportunity to remind you about Donna-Marie’s wonderful book, Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa: Prayers, Reflections, and Activities for Families, a perfect companion for you and your family …

This Lent join 10-20-30GO! Families Functioning Faithfully in their Family Lenten Challenge! 10-20-30GO! was designed specifically as a parenting communication tool that utilizes positive parenting, a kid’s chore chart, prayer board and provides parents with a weekly theme. It entails 10 minutes of prayer, 20 minutes of reading and 30 …

For many, Lent means spiritual self-improvement through sacrifice.  It’s often all about what to “give up” for Lent. But Jesus’ 40 day fast in the wilderness was not for his own sake.  It was all to prepare for his ministry, a ministry that brought light to those in darkness and …

I continue to be touched at how the CatholicMom.com Project has touched people. Late last week, I received an email from someone that included, in part, this: I donated one book for each of my 5 wonderful and amazing grandchildren.  And, if I read it right, my donation was matched, …