Mary Grace & Brendan -- happy to have Our Lord in their hearts!

Two of our first graders and one guest from out-of-town made their First Holy Communions this past May 22. Here are some pictures.

On March 6, Maria Bosonetto, grade seven, made her final promises as a member of the Sursum Corda Society. This sodality-like prayer group is run by Sister Marie Therese (our prioress and school principal) and Sister Maria Perpetua (the seventh and eighth grades’ teacher). The Society is for young ladies who wish to work and pray for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the lives of themselves, their families, and the religious and laity at Saint Benedict Center. Thank you, Maria! For pictures, please

Father Jarecki (in 2001)

Father Michael Jarecki, a retired priest of the diocese of Ogdensburg, NY, who said Mass for us for more than thirty years, said his last public Mass on October 31, 2010 — the Feast of Christ the King. On the following Sunday, November 7, we held a “Father Jarecki Appreciation Day”. Each classroom made a presentation, and then individuals from the community shared stories and anecdotes  and expressed their gratitude for all that Father has done for us.

IHM High School 2010-2011

Our high school, knowing that Father’s favorite poem was Joyce Kilmer’s Trees, wrote their own poem in appreciation. To read that poem and see pictures from Father’s last public Mass, please keep reading.

PRIESTS

by the IHM High School Class 2010-2011

To Father Michael Jarecki

upon his retirement at the age of ninety-three

I think that I shall never see

A priest as child-like as he.

He baptized, married, and confessed

For sixty-six years without a rest.

As promised to our father* then,

[*Father Leonard Feeney]

For thirty years our priest he’s been.

Those twenty-seven thousand Masses

Were said to God for our trespasses.

For thirty years he gave us hope

And kept us praying for the Pope.

Remembered long by many persons

Will be his short and Marian sermons.

His love for Mary, as a devoted son,

He shared until his job was done.

In spite of sundry aches and pains,

His perseverance made great gains.

He fed us daily with Our Lord;

He taught us Math has its reward.

Through all our laughter and our tears,

He’s been our father for many years.

Poems are made by fools, at least,

But only God can make a priest.

Table of contents for Mother Love

1. The Christian Training of Children – Early Cares
2. The Christian Training of Children – New and more Difficult Cares
3. The Christian Training of Children – Admonition to Mother
4. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Flesh
5. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Eyes
6. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Pride
7. The Christian Training of Children – Rewards and Punishments
8. The Christian Training of Children – The Father’s Role
9. The Christian Training of Children – Prayers
10. The Christian Training of Children – Maxims and Sayings
11. The Christian Training of Children – Co-operation with Pastor and Teacher
12. The Christian Training of Children – Catechetical Instruction
13. The Christian Training of Children – Preparing a Child for Confession
14. The Christian Training of Children – Preparation for Holy Communion
15. The Christian Training of Children – Care of Young Adults
16. Mother Love

Little Book of Instructions for Christian Mothers [continued]
(from Mother Love – A Manual for Christian Mothers – by Rev. Pius Franciscus, O.M.Cap., 1926)

On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter XIV – How a Christian Mother Should Assist Her Children to Prepare for Holy Communion.

The next great event in the young life of your child is its first Holy Communion. Until comparatively recent times it was the common practice of pastor and people to postpone this event to a time when the child was considered to be of a clearer understanding, and thus it would happen that children of thirteen and fourteen years had not yet received their first Holy Communion and many had not even made their first confession. Generally a child was not admitted to Holy Communion until it had reached the age of twelve years or had graduated from the parish school. This practice was introduced because it was deemed unwise and even wrong to allow children of a more tender age to approach the Table of the Lord, as they were considered too thoughtless for so holy an action.

But this practice was not at all in accord with the law of the Church, which had been promulgated by the Fourth Lateran Council in the year 1215, and which reads as follows: “All the faithful of both sexes, after coming to the use of reason, shall confess their sins alone to their own priest, at least once a year and devoutly receive Holy Communion at least at Easter time, unless upon the advice of their own priest and for some reasonable cause it should be deemed wise to abstain for a while.” This law was not only approved and confirmed by the Holy Council of Tent, about three hundred years after, but this Council even pronounced anathema on those who hold a contrary opinion: “If any one shall deny that all the faithful of both sexes, who have attained the use of reason, are obliged to receive Communion every year, at least at Easter time, according to the precepts of Holy Mother Church, let him be anathema.”

Therefore, Pope Pius X of happy memory, who deeply deplored the above mentioned custom which deprived children of Holy Communion, though they had attained the age of reason, once more promulgated the old law of the Church and condemned all contrary opinions. Then he also declared at what age a child should be considered as having attained sufficient use of reason for Holy Communion in the following words: “The age of discretion required for Holy Communion is that at which the child can distinguish the Eucharistic bread from common and material bread, and knows how to approach the altar with devotion.” Finally he approved and commanded to be observed throughout the world the following rules:

1) The age of discretion required both for confession and Communion is the time when the child begins to reason, that is about the seventh year, sometimes after, sometimes even before. From this time on the obligation of satisfying the precepts of both Confession and Communion begins.

2)    Both for First Confession and First Communion a complete knowledge of Christian Doctrine is not necessary. The child will, however, be obliged to gradually learn the whole catechism according to its intellectual ability.

3) The knowledge of Christian Doctrine required in children in order to be properly prepared for First Communion is that they understand according to their capacity those mysteries of Faith which are necessary as a means of salvation, that they be able to distinguish the Eucharist from common and material bread, and also approach the Sacred Table with the devotion suitable to their age.

4) The obligation of the precepts of Confession and Communion which rests upon the child, falls back principally upon those in whose care they are, that is, parents, confessors, teachers and their pastor. According to the Roman Catechism, however, it belongs to the father or to the person taking his place, as also to the confessor, to admit the child to First Holy Communion.

5) The pastors shall take care to announce and distribute General Communion once or several times a year to the children, and on these occasions they shall admit not only First Communicants but also others who with the consent of their parents or their confessors, have already been admitted to the Sacred Table before. For both classes several days of instruction and preparation shall precede.

6) Those who have the care of children should use all diligence so that after First Communion the children shall often approach the Holy Table, even daily, if possible, as Jesus Christ and Mother Church desire, and that they do it with a devotion becoming their age. They should bear in mind their most important duty which obliges them to have the children present at the public instructions in catechism, otherwise they must supply this religious instruction in some other way.

7) The custom of not admitting children to confession, or of not absolving them when they have attained the age of reason, is absolutely condemned. Wherefore the Ordinaries, using those means which the law gives them, shall see that it is done away with.

8) It is an utterly detestable abuse not to administer Viaticum and Extreme Unction to åof infants. The Ordinaries shall proceed severely against those who do not abandon this custom.

The foregoing are the instructions of the Holy Father, the representative of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His name repeats in other words the rebuke of Christ to His apostles: “Let little children come to Me, and forbid them not.” We all have been too stingy in allowing children to get closer to the love of Christ and in union with Him; and it surely was the spirit of Christ that urged the Pope to be the champion o f the little ones. God be praised!

Now, dear Christian mother, after your duty has been so clearly defined by the Father of Christendom, can you hold back in lending your aid to lead that innocent boy or girl of yours nearer to Christ through Holy Communion? Oh, let it not be said, that you are less anxious to have your children in the arms and in the heart of Jesus, than those Jewish mothers of yore, who brought their children to Jesus for His blessing!

Yes, Christian Mother bringing your children nearer, closer to Jesus—this must be the object of all your efforts in promoting their proper education. These efforts must begin early in life. But with the dawn of reason they must be directed towards arousing in your child a deep appreciation of Christ’s love for all of us and, indeed, for each one of us in particular. As has been remarked before, this does not mean that a long elaborate narration of all that Christ did for us is to be told the little one, but it means that, whenever an occasion presents itself, you should use it to give the child a short explanation.

A few examples will indicate to you what I mean. For instance, you are taking your child out for a little walk in the fresh air. (I presuppose here that your child is about four or five years old, and is an average child.) On your walk you pass a church. Like every good Catholic you ought to stop in and pay your respects to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and, certainly, you will take your child along. After you have made a devout genuflection and have taken Holy Water and made the Sign of the Cross, which you have your child do also, you will kneel down and make a brief act of faith and adoration of our Blessed Lord in the tabernacle. Then it might be well to lead your child up to the Communion railing and call its attention to the Sanctuary Lamp and explain briefly the meaning of it, that it burns day and night to show the constant presence of Our Lord in the tabernacle. Point to the tabernacle door and tell the child that Jesus is locked in behind that door, because He loves us and wants to be with us always. This might be enough for one time. At some other time you might tell the child that Jesus is there in the tabernacle just as He was here on earth when He lived among the Jewish people in the Holy Land. Again you may tell it how we cannot see Jesus there because He hides Himself under the cover of bread, because we might be afraid of him if He were there with all of His Greatness and Power. Never keep the child in church too long, so that it does not become weary.

In these and similar ways the child should be taught to love the Prisoner of the Tabernacle, so that by the time it starts to school, it may be acquainted with the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, and may more intelligently follow the instructions on this subject by the priest. Parents that seldom or never direct their children’s attention to this mystery as well as other mysteries of our Holy Faith, need not be surprised if the priest sometimes finds it necessary to postpone the First Communion to a later age than the accepted age of seven years, when every child should have so much understanding as to distinguish good from bad, and the Eucharistic bread from common bread.

But mother should not only be interested in this remote preparation for the child’s First Holy Communion, she must also interest herself in the proximate preparation. As soon as she hears that her boy or girl is one of the privileged First Communicants, she should aid the priest by every means in her power. In the first place, she should add a special prayer to the child’s regular morning and evening prayer to obtain from the Divine Goodness the grace that the child may make a worthy and devout First Communion. An Our Father and a Hail Mary will serve as well as any other prayer, if only each time the Our Father and Hail Mary is preceded by the words “for the grace of a good communion” or some similar words. The following prayer may be recommended for its simplicity:

Prayer for the Grace of a Worthy Communion

O my dearest Jesus, soon I shall be allowed to receive You into my heart. You, O Jesus, Who are my God, my Lord, my Redeemer and Savior. I am glad, because I love You and want You always. But, dear Jesus, my heart is so small and so poor, that it makes me afraid to take in so great a Lord. I wish I could make it as rich and as great as heaven, then, I know, it would be worthy. I cannot make it so worthy. Still, I need You, Jesus, and You want me; otherwise You would not have said: Let the little children come to me, and forbid them not. Therefore I come to open my heart, so that You can live in it forever. Oh, keep it clean and pure and make it rich with Your heavenly Grace, and it will always be a worthy dwelling-place, until at last You will take it with You into Your own happy home in heaven. Help me to be good and to keep me from every sin, even a little one.

O Blessed Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, dear Guardian Angel, Protect and help me. Amen. Hail Mary.

Besides such daily prayer, mother should also drill her child in those fundamental truths which all must know to save their souls These are six, namely,

1)    There is only one God.

2)    In God there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

3)    God created all things, and rules and governs them.

4)    The Son of God became man and died on the Cross to save us.

5)    God rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

6)    The human soul will never die, and grace is necessary to be saved.

Then help to get a clear idea into the mind of your child about the Holy Eucharist. This is not so hard, if you will tell the child again and again the story of the Last Supper, and show from Christ’s many miracles how nothing is impossible to the power of God. Tell those miracles also in a child-like way and in deep faith, and the child will soon grasp that under the appearances of bread and wine the body and blood of Jesus Christ does exist in the Holy Eucharist.

As the day of its Holy Communion approaches, mother will do well also to speak of the First Holy Communions of the Saints and of other good, great men, and how they considered no day of their lives happier than the day on which they were privileged to receive into their souls for the first time the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Who will describe the joys of a mother’s and a father’s heart, when their little one in all its innocence and purity of the baptismal graces goes forward to the altar-steps to receive? Many a good father and mother have shed tears of joy and happiness on such an occasion, and surely they experienced at those moments a foretaste of the heavenly reunion in Christ in the next world. Indeed, in comparison to this happiness of having their innocent children united with their Divine Savior in the Holy Eucharist all other earthly joys must seem to them like so much dross and vanity. A warm, sincere faith in the mysteries of our holy religion, united with a supreme confidence in their fulfillment on occasions like the first Confession and the First Communion of their own child, will surely make life’s burdens and trials seem lighter and easier to bear.

After its first Holy Communion mother should frequently recall to the child’s memory the extraordinary grace which it received and strive also to urge it on to keep itself worthy of enjoying the same great happiness even every day. If parents and children would become more devoutly familiar with the Holy Eucharist through frequent and even daily Communion, there can be no doubt that ultimately the peace of Christ would reign in their homes and only rarely would the devil of discord and jealousy and hate gain an entrance there. The Holy Eucharist is the center of life in the Church, and the Holy Eucharist must also become the center of life in every Catholic home, if the principles of Christ are to bring forth there worthy fruits of virtue and perfection.

“Use your discretion and common sense when visiting each site and selecting clothing for your family. I only offer these websites as a service. I do not guarantee the sites, nor do I promise anything about them, endorse them, or recommend any one website [sic] or business over another.”  “  . . . and not all the clothing on each website will pass the Outfit Guidelines, either!” Colleen Hammond

Swimwear

HydroChic (about $70 per piece) – see especially “Breezy Yoke Swim Skirt”            women/teens

Alex and Me ($30-70) – has some options for “swimshirts”

Swim Modest ($50-75) — family business — much better than regular swimsuits, but still pretty tight/short (one piece) – also has a swim shirt for boys/men (www.greatlengthsshorts.com Has knee-length men’s swim trunks)

Simply Modest Swimwear ($15-100) – family business — patterns, material, ready made and custom-made swimwear for girls of all ages (two-piece: leggings/dress)

Wholesome Wear ($60-100) – (one-piece/two layer in three styles, little girls to ladies)

Below the Knee ($44) – one style (looks like a dress)

Lydia of Purple ($22-50, you provide the material and notions) – old-fashioned dress/bloomer combination (can be ordered with a nursing option) **This business is currently for sale & not taking orders**

Lilies of the Field ($47-63) – for girls & ladies (two-piece) – similar to Simply Modest, but looser fit (and shorter sleeves)

Works of the Heart ($57-81) – for girls & ladies (two-piece: swimdress plus leggings)

Modest Kini – A British Web site with lots of options for men & women of all ages (Moslem)

Other Resources for Modest Clothes

Hannah Lise – “Modest fashion without the frump” – really nice clothing for girls & ladies with a very high standard of modesty and quality (a direct merchant – family owned and operated)

4 Modesty – skirts, jumpers, and tops for ladies and teens

Phyllis Jean – clothes for women, young ladies, little girls, and maternity. Made in the US and ready to ship.

Cotton Tops – a British company providing modest blouses & tops

Shukr Islamic Clothing – men & women– a high quality clothing by a company with an excellent work ethic (read their “About Us”) The skirts are particularly lovely and the tunic tops could fix those hip-hugging skirts you don’t want to get rid of!

Yana Nurse Everywhere – an Israeli company with clothing for nursing mothers

Modest Clothing – scarves and ladies’ clothing

Modest Apparel USA – Ladies’ and girls’

Macabi – a fun “transformer” skirt

Dressed in White – white clothing for the whole family            (Mormon)

Custom/Hand Sewn (see also some of the companies under Swimwear)

Works of the Heart – for ladies of all ages; also sells fabric by the yard (and other items)

The King’s Daughters – for ladies of all ages (including slips)

Sew Original (Morman)

Seams Like Yesterday – maternity and baby clothes

Ringger Clothing – clothing for the family (This company works with independent contractors – and also sells patterns)

Modest Seamstress at Modest Prices

Made with TLC

Anna Bouche Christening etc. (Baptismal, First Holy Communion, and other little girl’s dresses)

Formal/Bridal

Modest by Design – Clothing your father would approve of  (Morman)

Beautifully Modest

Eternity

Simply Elegant

and others!

Foundations

ModesTee

Aliza’s Boutique (and clink on Layering Shells, etc.)

Kosher Casual (“Sleevies”, “Teenecks”, “Bolero Shrug”, plus clothes for the whole family — although the women’s/girls’ options tend to be tight/slinky, there is coverage; good for layering)

Funky Frum (Layering Shells, plus other clothing – just avoid the pencil skirts)

Cotton Tops

CoverMeModest (A simple neckline fix)

Patterns

Common Sense Patterns

Ringger Clothing

Baker Lane – Dressmaking & Design            (patterns)

Candle on the Hill – Modest Sewing Patterns            (for the whole family)

Free Period Clothing Patterns

Sense & Sensibility Patterns

Harper House – Vintage Costuming Pattern Catalog

In Timely Fashion (patterns, hairstyles, articles, etc. – a very fun site)

Veils/Head-coverings

Modesty Veils

Modest Clothing

Immaculate Heart Mantillas

She Maketh Herself Coverings

Halo-Works

Plain-n-Simple Headcoverings (Mennonite)

Christian Coverings (Protestant – also has a few clothing options)

Tznius (Jewish – beautiful scarves and also some clothing) For instruction on neat tying designs, click on “How do I tie my scarf?”

Some mainstream companies that include modest clothing in their selections:

Appleseed’s April Cornell Blair Christopher and Banks

Coldwater Creek French Toast Land’s End Orvis

Talbots Travelsmith Vermont Country Store Willow Ridge

[And then, because the questions of modesty-in-dress tends to become a negative series of "do nots", here are a few quotes from winners of the Modest By Design Clothing Company’s Prom Dress Contest. These are teen-age girls for whom modesty is something positive.]

Why I Make the Choice

by Leslie Gerber (Viewmont High, Centerville, Utah)

A wise man once appraised the value of modesty.  He declared, “When virtue and modesty enlighten her charms, the luster of a beautiful woman is brighter than the stars of heaven, and the influence of her power it is in vain to resist.”  The weight that modesty carries is absolutely incredible, but to live modestly is a lot more than just dressing appropriately; it is a living, breathing, principle that demands nurturing and constant attention.  That nurturing comes by the way you live your life; what you say and do, and how you treat others in the world around you.  Modesty shows a person’s love and respect for their God, themselves, and the people they are around.  Although the price of living modestly is difficult to pay, I wouldn’t choose to live any other way.

Dress Like Royalty

by Tomoko Goddard (Orlando, Florida)

You are my child, my princess

Wear the things of royalty

And seeing you wear anything less

In my sight I would hate to see

Cover yourself in holy things

That would be righteous in my sight

Dress like the daughter of a king

For this is my delight

The clothes that you wear defines

How people see and perceive you

To them it is like a sign

Of your should that they can view

Your body is my house

The temple that I live in

Not the color of a blouse

That matters, but the attitude within.

Confidence

by Krista Purser (Murray, Utah)

There is power in confidence.

Confidence is the charisma to draw people in.

Confidence is the assurance to look in the mirror and love.

Confidence is the courage to act on the faith in heart and mind.

Confidence is the ability to change through sheer conviction and determination.

Immodesty is no part of confidence. It is, instead, the mask of confidence, an outward appearance that hides insecurities.

Immodesty is a distraction from the honest beauty of soul and body.

Modesty is courageous. It is, quite simply, laying bare in a different sense. It does not conceal who you are, but instead allows your beauty to shine.

That is confidence: the knowledge of the divinity in the human soul and the belief that who you are will always be enough.

Modesty declares this knowledge to the world.

I owe myself nothing less than that.

For that is confidence.

Table of contents for Mother Love

1. The Christian Training of Children – Early Cares
2. The Christian Training of Children – New and more Difficult Cares
3. The Christian Training of Children – Admonition to Mother
4. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Flesh
5. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Eyes
6. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Pride
7. The Christian Training of Children – Rewards and Punishments
8. The Christian Training of Children – The Father’s Role
9. The Christian Training of Children – Prayers
10. The Christian Training of Children – Maxims and Sayings
11. The Christian Training of Children – Co-operation with Pastor and Teacher
12. The Christian Training of Children – Catechetical Instruction
13. The Christian Training of Children – Preparing a Child for Confession
14. The Christian Training of Children – Preparation for Holy Communion
15. The Christian Training of Children – Care of Young Adults
16. Mother Love

The Six Truths which all must know and believe to gain eternal salvation:

1)    There is but one God, who created, preserves and governs all things.

2)    God is a just Judge. He rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

3)    In God there are three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

4)    The Son of God became man, and died on the Cross to save us.

5)    The soul of man is immortal.

6)     Grace is necessary to salvation.

The five Joyful Mysteries are to be said form the first Sunday in Advent, until the Feast of the Purification; the five Sorrowful Mysteries, from Ash-Wednesday until Easter Sunday; the five Glorious Mysteries, from Easter Sunday to Trinity Sunday. During the remaining part of the year, the Joyful Mysteries are said on Mondays and Thursdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Glorious Mysteries on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

The Seven Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ, for the salvation of sinners, and the perseverance of the just. They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

The Baptismal Vows are fourfold:

I. I believe all that the Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches.

II. I renounce Satan.

III. I renounce all his works.

IV. I renounce all his pomps.

The three principal parts of the Mass are:

I.       The Offertory

II.     The Elevation

III.   The Communion of the Priest

I.   Devout prayer to the Holy Ghost.

II.  A careful examination of conscience.

III. A sincere contrition and a firm resolution.

IV. A sincere confession of, at least, all mortal sins with their number and any

circumstances that materially change their nature.

V. Satisfaction, or the performance of the penance imposed by the Confessor.

O Blessed Jesus, come to me!

O make me burn with love for Thee,

That I may live and die in Thee!

Act of Faith:

My God, I believe in Thee and in all that Thy Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed it, and Thy word is true.

Act of Hope:

My God, I hope in Thee for grace and for glory, because of Thy promises, Thy mercy, and Thy power.

Act of Love:

My God, because Thou art so good, I love Thee with all my heart, and for Thy sake I love my neighbor as myself.

Act of Contrition:

My God, because Thou art so good,

With sorrow I deplore

That I have ever offended Thee.

I’ll never offend Thee more.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

I.       To feed the hungry.

II.     To give drink to the thirsty.

III.   To clothe the naked.

IV.  To ransom the captive.

V.    To harbor the harborless.

VI.  To visit the sick.

VII. To bury the dead.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

I.       To admonish the sinner.

II.     To instruct the ignorant.

III.   To counsel the doubtful.

IV.  To comfort the sorrowful.

V.    To bear wrongs patiently.

VI.  To forgive all injuries

VII.        To pray for the living and the dead.

The Eight Beatitudes (Matt. V):

I.   Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

II.  Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land.

III.  Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

IV.  Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice; for they shall be filled.

V.  Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

VI. Blessed are the clean of heart; for they shall see God.

VII. Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.

VIII. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-Suffering, Meekness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency, Chastity.

I.    To serve God, by keeping His commandments.

II.   To imitate Jesus Christ, by practicing the Christian virtues.

III.  To honor the angels and saints and invoke them.

IV.  To save his soul.

V.    To avoid hell.

VI.  To gain heaven.

VII. To despise the vanity of the world.

VIII. To atone for his sins.

IX.  To overcome evil inclinations.

X.  To perform good works.

XI. To edify his neighbor.

XII. To die, and to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

Table of contents for Mother Love

1. The Christian Training of Children – Early Cares
2. The Christian Training of Children – New and more Difficult Cares
3. The Christian Training of Children – Admonition to Mother
4. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Flesh
5. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Eyes
6. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Pride
7. The Christian Training of Children – Rewards and Punishments
8. The Christian Training of Children – The Father’s Role
9. The Christian Training of Children – Prayers
10. The Christian Training of Children – Maxims and Sayings
11. The Christian Training of Children – Co-operation with Pastor and Teacher
12. The Christian Training of Children – Catechetical Instruction
13. The Christian Training of Children – Preparing a Child for Confession
14. The Christian Training of Children – Preparation for Holy Communion
15. The Christian Training of Children – Care of Young Adults
16. Mother Love

Little Book of Instructions for Christian Mothers [continued]
(from Mother Love – A Manual for Christian Mothers – by Rev. Pius Franciscus, O.M.Cap., 1926)

On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter X. – Maxims and Sayings Which a Mother Might Teach Her Child.

Pithy, pregnant maxims and sayings are wise thoughts expressed tersely and strikingly. Watchwords we might call them. The Saints were partial to such little sayings. St. Francis is renowned for his “My God and my All,” St. Ignatius for his “All for the greater honor and glory of God,” and there is hardly a saint who did not have a special predilection for some particular expressive saying. It would be wise if all of us would profit by their example and also choose one or the other for our guidance. Every mother should have a storehouse of them, and should on suitable occasions quote them. The evident truth and wisdom of them cannot fail to impress the tender hearts of your little ones. These proverbs will in later life frequently occur to them, and may prove for them a source of strength in temptation as well as in the fulfillment of duty. The most valuable ones are those taken from Sacred Scripture, in particular, from the New Testament and directly from the teachings of Jesus Christ Himself. Next to these are the sayings of the Saints and, finally, proverbial sayings which are in daily vogue among the common people. Mother should be well acquainted with a number of them, and should, when occasion offers, not only quote them but also explain them.

In the following pages some few of each kind are recorded with the intention of making our mothers acquainted with a choice selection for daily use. There are no doubt better ones than those recorded and any mothers knowing such may confidently make frequent use of them; but we would earnestly warn against the use of worldly ones which though fairly expressive, are couched in vulgar or rude terms. Mothers must faithfully avoid silly, sinful and unchristian expressions which children are apt to remember much more quickly.

My Child, gain heaven and you have gained all, lose heaven and you have lost all.

If you do only what you please, can you be considered a servant of God?

We are in the world not to win money, but to win heaven.

Remember, Child, where’er thou art,
God sees into thy very heart.

Where’er you be and whate’er you do,
Remember ever: God sees you.

Do unto others as you would
That others should do unto you.

God will bless with happy days,
With store of precious good,
The child that honors and obeys
Its parents as it should.

My Child, I would rather see you dead at my feet than in mortal sin. (Words of St. Blanche, the mother of St. Louis.)

First the necessary, then the useful, and finally the pleasant.

Lying is a fatal evil,
Liars server their lord, the devil;
And no one every will believe
The child that once did dare deceive.

On Sunday rest and love to pray,
For Sunday is the Lord’s own day.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Lost innocence and wasted time are never found again.

Little strokes fell great oaks.

Constant dropping wears away the stone.

Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.

Judge not and you shall not be judged.

Diligence is the mother of good luck.

You will never lose by doing a good turn.

No Cross, no crown.

Many words are not without sin.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all things else will be added unto you.

Fools make feasts and wise men eat them.

A small leak will sink a great ship.

It is head for an empty bag to stand upright.

God is merciful to them who love Him.

A fat kitchen makes a lean will.

Believe no wrong if you have not see it; narrate no scandal whether you believe it or not.

Famine means unmentionable pain and sorrow, but no famine of food or drink can compare with the loss of God’s grace.

There is just one fearful thing about death — the moment after.

My life is but the weaving
Between my God and me;
I may not choose the colors—
He worketh steadily.

Full of the weaveth sorrow,
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget — He sees the upper,
And I, the under side.

If now the Cross of Chirst I bear,
I may be sure His Crown to share.

More things are wrought by prayers than this world dreams of.

‘Tis easy to sigh, but ‘tis better to pray.

So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When duty whispers low, “Thou must,”
The creature says, “I can.”

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.

Kind words are the music of the world.

There is so much bad in the best of us,
There is so much good in the worst of us,
That is hardly behooves any of us,
To rail at the faults of the rest of us.

Table of contents for Mother Love

1. The Christian Training of Children – Early Cares
2. The Christian Training of Children – New and more Difficult Cares
3. The Christian Training of Children – Admonition to Mother
4. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Flesh
5. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Eyes
6. The Christian Training of Children – Combating Pride
7. The Christian Training of Children – Rewards and Punishments
8. The Christian Training of Children – The Father’s Role
9. The Christian Training of Children – Prayers
10. The Christian Training of Children – Maxims and Sayings
11. The Christian Training of Children – Co-operation with Pastor and Teacher
12. The Christian Training of Children – Catechetical Instruction
13. The Christian Training of Children – Preparing a Child for Confession
14. The Christian Training of Children – Preparation for Holy Communion
15. The Christian Training of Children – Care of Young Adults
16. Mother Love

Little Book of Instructions for Christian Mothers [concluded]
(from Mother Love – A Manual for Christian Mothers – by Rev. Pius Franciscus, O.M.Cap., 1926) On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter XII. – A Christian Mother’s Care of Her Child after the Period of School-Life.

The periods of childhood and school-life are soon past, and then there begins a period of life which is, indeed, fraught with dangers for your son and your daughter. It is the period of transition in which the life-course of your child is definitely settled, its character firmly fixed, and its vocation decided. It is the period which decides the weal or woe of your child’s whole future, both temporal and eternal. During this period the battle between Christ and Satan, between the Church and the World, rages more than ever for the possession of the heart of your growing boy and girl. In this period your child experiences new and strange sensations; and novel ideas, inclinations and desires present themselves; they promise pleasure and more or less insistently demand gratification. On every side the child beholds the alluring appeals of the three-fold concupiscence, everywhere it sees the wanton abandon with which the votaries of the world seem to surrender themselves to every enjoyment and pleasure. Few it sees who follow in the footsteps of Christ, few who mortify their passions and deny their inclinations, and these few are despised and ridiculed. Will your child join the big crowd, or will it follow in the wake of the few?

This is not all that faces your child, dear Christian Mother, in making its choice. Your boy and your girl have started to feel their importance since graduating from school. They are working, they are earning money which every week helps to meet the expenses for the upkeep of the family. They feel that, because they are contributing towards the family funds, they ought to have more liberty than heretofore and be allowed to be the masters of their time and of their action. The urge of independence is becoming stronger.

They do not want you to interfere with their “fun,” as they call it. All the young people are having good times, why shouldn’t they have them just as well?

These two new conditions — the strange physical manifestations and the urge of independence — are the factors that make it so necessary for the prudent mother to keep her eyes more widely open than ever. If ever, so especially now a mother should possess the full confidence of her boy and girl, and strive to hold it without seeming to pry into any secrets. This may be difficult at times, but if the child has been reared according to the principles and suggestions laid down in this book, it ought to be comparatively easy. The boy and girl and have come to realize that mother is not unsympathetic, that, while she believes life to be an earnest duty, she at the same time believes that it should be generously interspersed with innocent amusements and recreations and with every comfort and ease that is compatible with Christian ideals and principles. And there need be no special effort to confirm your boy and girl in this view. Having held their confidence for so many years, you need but sympathize with the new spirit that possesses them and, ordinarily they will accept your interpretations of the changing phases of their life. But in her sympathy mother must not compromise her position. She must not only be her children’s sympathetic companion and guide, she must also remain the queen of her home and assert her God-given right of authority. Therefore, while she may relax somewhat in supervising every detail of her growing children’s actions, yet she must not tolerate any willful disobedience in moral problems of importance. The following paragraphs will attempt to show how a Christina mother may cope with the various phases of this new period of her children’s life.

In the first place a Christian mother will direct her children at this period in the employment of their time. As long as the children went to school, the school practically regulated their time on account of the demands which their teachers and their lessons made upon them. Since their graduation from school, the children will have much leisure time which must be well utilized if it should not make them dissipated. In every household there should be a regular daily routine, which barring extraordinary cases should be observed faithfully. There should be a fixed hour for rising, a fixed hour for family morning prayer, a fixed hour for breakfast, a fixed hour for going to or beginning work, a fixed time for the noon-meal and the return to work, a fixed time for the evening meal and a fixed time and a fixed period for recreation and relaxation and enjoyment, a for profitable reading, for self-improvement, both intellectual and physical, and a fixed time for family night prayer. The son, having finished school, should be assigned to the work for which his talents, natural gifts and abilities fit him. It may be that he is fitted for more than just manual labor. In this case his parents should strive to give him the opportunity to become proficient in the profession most suitable to him, may it be law, medicine, business, or some particular commercial pursuit. He should be encouraged in his ambitions, as long as they do not interfere with the interests of his soul, and if they are not beyond the family finances.

As regards the daughter we would strongly discourage the idea of putting girls to work among strangers at the age of sixteen. We believe in the old-fashioned idea of keeping them at home and teaching them the important occupation of housewifery in some shape or form. There are so many domestic duties to be fulfilled, duties which mean so much for the comfort and the happiness of home-life. Girls should become acquainted with and learn all of them, cooking, washing, cleaning, sewing, darning, fancy work, etc. After girls have become older and after they have been trained in the various duties of housework, they may, if necessary, be allowed to go out to work, but they should be given charge of some of the household duties even then. The principal aim in the training of the girls must be, after all, to fit them for good housewives and mothers.

The next point of importance is recreation. How much recreation should boys and girls have? There certainly must be a limit, though, in general, we may say that it should be plentiful, taking care merely that recreation and enjoyment do not interfere with the proper fulfillment of the daily duties. When pleasures are sought merely for the sake of enjoyment we consider them injurious to the spiritual welfare of a person. If in any way possible, all recreation and pleasure should be provided for at home, music, singing, dancing, interesting books, games, cards, etc. The more attractive and pleasant you can make your home, the less desire your children will have to seek their enjoyments outside, and the more the family will keep united. Fewer sins are committed in a bright home than in a dull, gloomy one, and this is surely a great gain. As much as possible, the frequentation of theaters, public dances and amusement places should be discouraged and, indeed, should not be allowed except under the escort of mother or of some discreet elderly person; this should at least be the rule for the girls. Outdoor games, such as baseball, tennis, swimming, skating, and others are very conducive to the physical well-being of the young, and should also be readily allowed, but never to be pursued so far as to become a passion, or an injury to the health.

The choice of companions or friends is a third point that requires the earnest attention of a good Christian mother. All the good which a careful education may have sowed into the hearts of your children, can be rooted out again in a very short time by dangerous companions and friends. Experience only too frequently has proven the truth of that Scriptural proverb, “Evil associations corrupt good manners.” Mother should investigate thoroughly the moral character of every companion of her son or daughter before approving of the companionship. Innocence and faith are easily endangered, love of God and peace of conscience are easily lost, and neither can be regained except through mighty struggles and severe penance, if at all. Particular supervision must be exercised in your children’s associations with persons of the opposite sex. All the warnings that mother ever heard from the pulpit or read in books of instruction should be ever before her mind, so that her boy and her girl may not become victims of the devil of lust who only too often lurks under the guise of refinement and etiquette.

The choice of books and other reading material is another grave matter. Mother should never permit any trashy novel to come into her house whether it be gotten at the public library, or be bought at a nearby newsstand. No magazine, pamphlet or newspaper of whatever type — literary, scientific, political, economic, or social — should be permitted if it contains anything that might be contrary to good faith and good morals. Both the son and daughter should be earnestly warned against picking up indiscriminately every magazine that flaunts gay colors or a catchy title. A good rule which mother should inculcate into the hearts of both her sons and daughters is the following: “Never read a book by yourself, which you would blush to read aloud to a respectable person.”

Mother should also gently but firmly urge the practice of weekly confession and communion. She should also recommend devout assistance at daily Mass and at the ordinary church services, and whatever she admonishes her children to do, she herself should practice and induce her husband and the father of her children to fulfill as far as his business or work permits. Here we would also urge mother to have her boy and her girl enrolled in the young men’s or the young ladies’ sodality, and she should send them to the vocational instructions which are occasionally given by the sodality director. Those instructions will no doubt supplement many of her own admonitions and teachings and will keep alive in her children the earlier instructions of their schooldays.

It may be that God will inspire your son or daughter with the desire of consecrating themselves to a higher, to the more perfect life in the service of God. This call should be appreciated, indeed, as a special favor of God, and if your boy be otherwise fitted for the holy priesthood, dear Christian Mother, rejoice! Do not oppose his desire, but urge him to seek the advice of his confessor, who will more thoroughly investigate the purity of the boy’s intentions and who will advise the manner of preserving and attaining his desire. And if your daughter desires to devote her life in holy virginity to the care of the sick or to the education of the young and ignorant, encourage her in her laudable aspirations and thank God that He has singled out one of your own flesh and blood for so noble a calling. Indeed, the world may speak about the burying of talents behind gloomy convent or monastery walls, it may deplore what it calls the fanaticism which prompts a young man to forego a brilliant worldly career in exchange for the tame career of a priest, but all the criticism of the worldly-minded should not be allowed to influence your willingness to surrender your daughter or your son to God’s service and the service of mankind. Christ’s call of your children – If thou wilt be perfect, come and follow me — is, indeed, a pledge of their salvation and even of your own; if you place no obstacles in their way to obey that call.

Matrimony is the other vocation, which your son or daughter might choose. Teach your children to consider this state of life also as a holy one, and fraught with momentous and noble obligations; that it entails many sacrifices, sorrows and suffering, though these are coupled also with many pleasures and with many merits for eternity. In choosing a companion for life, the Christian mother should advise her boy or girl against making mistakes. A mistake in this choice will be a misfortune, indeed, for it can never be remedied. Passion and infatuation are poor guides in this decision. Wise reflection and calm, judicious deliberation with father and mother as well as with the confessor are indispensable in making a wise choice, a choice, that promises with some guarantee a future of temporal happiness and eternal salvation. Surely physical and intellectual accomplishments and talents will greatly influence the final decision, but “the one thing necessary” for both parties is sincere Catholicity, Christian virtue and earnest piety. These three form the solid foundation for a happy marriage, all others are merely contributing factors. Associations and friendships with non-Catholics should not be fostered lest perhaps the danger of a mixed marriage arise. Mixed marriages are forbidden by the Church, and this should be sufficient reason to make them odious to a sincere Catholic. A marriage forbidden by the Church cannot be acceptable in the eyes of God, must not be countenanced by good Catholic parents, and dare not be desired by a Catholic youth or maiden.

After the life-partner has been chosen and the engagement has been closed, the parents must not relax their vigilance over the young couple. Liberties and familiarities should not be permitted to them, and they should not be allowed to meet except in the presence of a third person; at least, they should not be permitted to be alone together for any length of time. They should be admonished to receive the sacraments frequently before the day of marriage, if possible, every week, to foster a tender devotion to the purest Virgin Mary and her most chaste Spouse, St. Joseph, and thus to prepare their hearts for receiving the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony, and also to escape the allurements of unholy passion.

Let the wedding day be celebrated in a decent manner without too much worldly pomp and clamor. Catholics should always remember that the day of the wedding is a holy day, and that our Lord Himself sanctifies it by deigning to become a guest in the souls of the bride and bridegroom.

After the marriage has taken place the parents should assist the young couple with impartial affection, and in the little ups-and-downs which naturally occur in the course of married life, they should encourage them to bear with patience each other’s faults, to rear their children in the fear and piety of the Lord, and in all things to place their confidence in the Providence of God. It is then that parents may expect to reap the fruits of the education they have given their children. In the  happiness of their children, in their grateful love, as well as in the reverence in which they are held, father and mother enjoy a sweet and well-earned reward for the innumerable and great sacrifices which they once made. Therefore, father and mother, continue to follow your children with your prayers and counsels, your admonitions and your encouragements. But in your love for them do not during your life-time share all your material possessions with them and thus make yourself entirely dependent on them. Many sad examples show the imprudence of such a proceeding. Many a father and many a mother who relied too much upon the fine promises of their children and who expected greater filial devotion and love in exchange for their own generosity, were cruelly neglected and their death was hailed with joy by their precious offspring.

In concluding these instructions we would earnestly urge all Christian parents to decorate their homes with some expressive marks of their Catholic Faith, such as crucifixes, holy water fonts, images or pictures of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Joseph, of the Guardian Angel, and of some Saint or Saints to whom they may have a special devotion. We would recommend a crucifix for every bedroom besides a picture of the Blessed Virgin in the bedrooms of the girls as well as of the boys. A beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus would surely be an ornament even to the most gorgeously furnished parlor. In every bedroom there should also be found a holy water font, which should always contain a generous supply of holy water. Besides these religious articles each Christian family should possess a number of pious books of instruction and edification, which may serve as spiritual reading for the members of the family. We would recommend a large family Bible and a more or less elaborate volume of the Lives of the Saints. Furthermore, a larger catechism with popular explanations of the text should be considered an important general household book. For general spiritual instruction in our warfare against passion, temptation, and sin, Scupoli’s Spiritual Combat was highly recommended and also extensively used by St. Francis de Sales. Appropriate prayerbooks are Father Lasance’s Young Man’s Guide and Catholic Girls’ Guide, and for Christian Mothers the prayerbook, Mother Love. A special book of spiritual value is Introduction to a Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. There are other books which might appeal more to the individual taste, but it would lead too far to mention them all. Your pastor will surely be glad to give you any desired information and will gladly furnish you also with the addresses of the firms from which the above-mentioned or any other books may be purchased.

Table of contents for Education - Necessary for Life

1. Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Powers of Life
2. As They Transcend the Material
3. The Acquisition of Wisdom and the Transmission of Culture

St. Ignatius (kneeling, center) and his first Jesuits

Our third level of education is the human or liberal — the training of man as man (how to think, how to act, and how to express oneself eloquently with both tongue and pen). A liberal education presupposes the earlier levels. If you can’t stay alive, you won’t be able to train your intellect. If people aren’t working together in society and providing for its needs with servile education, liberal education isn’t an option. But, once a society is established, now we can build even higher. And, to paraphrase Brother Francis, having a liberal education will make everything else you do more meaningful. Remember, the more you know, the more you can love, and the more you love, the more you serve.

In honor of Father Leonard Feeney, one of my examples is Saint Ignatius and his Company of Jesus.

Like that of Saint John Bosco, the story of Saint Ignatius’ personal education is fascinating. He was of a noble family and followed a military career. When he was laid up after the cannon ball broke his leg, he was disappointed that his sister-in-law had nothing else for him to read than the lives of Christ and the saints —so he was literate — but this reading educated him in a way that opened his soul to grace and God’s call (he had not been living the faith very well until now). In order to become a priest, he had to get a more formal scholastic education and so he went back to school. You are probably familiar with his humility, a grown man in a class of little boys, and how he worked his way up through school until he received his degree. It was while he was at the university that he met Saint Francis Xavier and gathered the rest of his first followers.

To talk about the founding of the Company, I’m going to use excerpts from The Jesuits and Education — by Father McGucken:

“His original concept [for the Company of Jesus was] of a very select body of men, limited in number . . .not to exceed sixty . . .He had not visualized a vast organization, but rather a small group of men, gifted, trained, university men, of whom St. Francis Xavier was a perfect example; men of executive ability, bound by no petty parochial cares, much less by the daily routine of the classroom, ready to fly at a moment’s notice to any part of the world at the Pope’s command, there to sit in on the councils of kings, to argue with heresiarchs, or to captivate the university centers of Europe by their learning and eloquence” (pg 6) — making sure that the Faith was integrated at highest levels of society . . . something they could only do if they were learned, holy men.

The Society developed differently, however, even during Saint Ignatius’ lifetime.

Soon he had “great numbers clamber[ing] for admission to the new Company . . . [and t]he admission of these younger men, the “scholastics,” their university training not yet complete, presented a new problem to St. Ignatius, the problem of educating them. At first they were “sent in small groups to the universities (the first one to Paris 1540), where “they lived under a superior and followed the ordinary exercises of community life, daily Mass, meditation, and the like. . . .Naturally, these young men with their fixed hours for study and their regular manner of life were a striking contrast to the university youth of the sixteenth century. Young seculars desirous of profiting by the favorable surroundings of the Jesuits asked to be taken into the Jesuit [residence hall] “college”. Occasionally courses were given by Jesuit professors to counteract the none-too-orthodox university teaching, or to supplement a regular course.” (pg 7) (*re-cap*) From here, it was only a short step to founding a separate school, in fact, only seven years after the first scholastics were sent to university of Paris, the first Jesuit college, as a school for externs (seculars) only — with Jesuits acting as professors — was established at Messina.

Eventually, the scope of Jesuit education was broadened to include what we call “secondary” education.

“[A]lmost against [St. Ignatius'] will, he and his followers came to see the power of education. This would be not [just] a cure for heresy, but a preventive of it. To save southern Germany for the Church, there was needed a genius like Peter Canisius; and even his heroic efforts were powerless to remedy all the ravages wrought by heresy and worldly prelates. But once get control of the youth, train them in right principles, impart to them at the same time an education the equal or superior of any in Europe, and the whole world is saved for the Church.” (pg 9)

And if you can’t get control of ALL youth, you start with those you have. The effectiveness of the Jesuits in the Catholic Counter Reformation for two and a half centuries can perhaps best be measured by the hatred which they inspired in the enemies of the Church — hatred that led to their suppression. If you think of the familiar English Jesuits, like Saint Edmund Campion, or if you look at the family of Saint Thomas More, I think you will immediately get a picture of the kind of full Catholic life and culture that is the result of a liberal education.

We are in the home stretch, but to show that an appreciation for liberal education is not limited to modern times . . . I would like to go back to the Middle Ages, what your average American knows as “the Dark Ages.” We move to England, where the King is Alfred the Great. It is the late 800′s, and with his wars of defense over, he is turning his attention to the welfare of his people’s souls. With the aid of the monks (mostly Benedictines), he duplicates in England — much more gently — what Charlemagne did in France during the previous century — what’s called the Carolingian Renaissance. This covers all aspects of life and learning: religion, education, law (trial by jury of 12), language, exploration and expanded trade and travel, agriculture, the useful and mechanical arts. The result of Alfred’s reign was such peace and tranquility that he could (and apparent did) hang gold bracelets some major sign posts and no man would touch them — and that if a traveler dropped a purse in the highway — he would find it untouched the next day! This is particularly impressive when you realize that prior to this, plundering and robbery by the English of their own countryside had become common place. King Alfred’s reign was one of the golden ages of England history.

Let’s just take a quick look at St. Alfred’s educational policies.

First of all, not only did he restore the destroyed monasteries, but at the advice of St. Neot founded a palace school. To run this school, the king invited scholars (monks) from Europe and Wales. King Alfred himself hadn’t learned to read until the age of 12 because of the invasions of the Danes and he always regretted this late start. So, (to paraphrase Father Butler in his Lives of the Saints for October 28, feast of St. Neot)

“Not only did the King see to his own education, spending all his free time conversing with the scholarly monks of the palace school, he also made the series of translations* for the instruction of his clergy and people, most of which survive.” (en.wikipedia.com) He himself set the example for his people of putting religion first: eight hours of the day he devoted to prayer and reading, eight hours to the administration of his kingdom, and the final eight to the needs of his body. King “Alfred stirred up all the gentlemen to bring up their sons to the study of literature, or, if they had no sons, some servants or vassals whom they should make free. He obliged every free man … [with a certain amount of land] to keep their sons at school till they were fifteen years of age. … In order to be qualified [for their rank and responsibilities], their tender hearts must be deeply impressed with the strongest and most generous sentiments of sincere piety and religion, and of true honors; . . . they must acquire the habit of reasoning well and readily, and of forming right judgments and conclusions. Their faculties must be raised and improved by study, … [and then after a foundation in the sciences, directed according to their talents]. King Alfred also exhorted the noblemen to choose among their country vassals … some youths who should appear by their parts [talents] and ardent inclinations to piety, particularly promising to be trained up to the liberal arts. … [T]his prince was solicitous that care should be taken for the education and civilizing of all [his people] by religious instructions and principles. …” [Butler’s Lives of the Saints, John Murphy & Co., 1866 – Volumes 4, October 28, page 227]

*St. Bede’s Church History, St. Gregory’s Pastoral, Orosius’ Roman History, Boetius’ De Consolatione Philosphia, St. Austin’s Soliloquies, Dialogues of St. Gregory, as well as a prose version of the fifty Psalms. A book of the poverbs of St. Alfred has come down to us, as well as the King’s crowning literary work: The Lays of Boethius. He was probably also the inspiration for the Saxon Chronicle and the Saxon Martyrology.

I already mentioned the peace and tranquility that reigned under this amazing, saintly king — and the education of himself and his people played no small role.

***

In our time, with a majority of high school students going on to college — although most of these colleges are providing, not liberal education but more advanced vocational training — higher education certainly is valued.

Brother Francis was asked by Father Feeney: what is the matter with education today? Unbeknownst to Father, Brother had been thinking about this question and so surprised him with a ready answer: An absence of Wisdom. Brother told this story many times, but I remember one time in particular. I can still remember the joy on Brother’s face — the smile with which he told me how he surprised Father!

And absence of Wisdom. Education today needs the Faith. It was this conversation, I believe, that led to Brother Francis’ Tuesday Night Philosophy class at the early Center. Philosophy is the study of wisdom, natural wisdom as a preparation for supernatural wisdom, and so it ties right back into our definition of education: what was it? (repeat definition)

It was to address the problems of modern education that the Center was founded in the first place; and it was at the Center that Father Feeney put his finger on the root of the current Crisis: yet another attempt to deny the necessity of the Faith in our time, by denying the necessity of the Church for salvation – by denying the dogma: Extra ecclesiam nulla salus — Outside the Church there is no salvation.

Just look at that pile of books!

Among Brother Francis’ notes, I found a couple of lists, enumerating the results of denying this dogma. One list has nine points, the other has fourteen — but both lists include this point: one of the results of denying the dogma is the destruction of Catholic Education. If we take that and word it positively, we get: If we are defending the dogma, we should be building Catholic Education.

How can we build Catholic education, the acquiring of Wisdom and the transmitting of culture, into our own lives now that, for most of us, the years of our formal education are past? An excellent means of continuing our education is to be part of the Saint Augustine Institute of Catholic Studies. [There is more information on the table over there.]

The history of man follows a predictable pattern of hills or waves. There is a period of growth, of effort and enthusiasm, of building, until a certain order is reached. This is maintained — or even built upon — for a time, and then people start getting lax. This begins a downhill trend until things get so bad that “somebody does something” and we begin the upward processes again.

We see this in nations, in societies, in families, in individuals. And we see it in the history of education.

Education is necessary for life; Catholic education is necessary for a Catholic life.

****

Before I close, I would like to give you two short exercises in imagination.

First, imagine yourself without any of your senses, except the sense of touch. You cannot see, you cannot hear, you cannot smell, you cannot taste. All you can do is feel. Now I, who have my senses, wish to share with you a gorgeous rose. But you cannot see it and you can not hear me describe it . . . So I take the rose and put it near your hand. What happens? You would probably prick yourself on a thorn and refuse to touch it any more, being content with a smooth pebble or a simple clover blossom that doesn’t hurt. You will not be able to appreciate much about the rose with only the sense of touch.

But suddenly you have your sense of taste! Well, taste doesn’t help much with roses, although you could taste honey made from its nectar, but you probably wouldn’t make any connection between honey and the thing that pricked you since you can’t hear.

Add your sense of smell. You can smell the marvelous scent of the rose … which might make you explore further with your sense of touch to find the velvety petals. But you are still very limited.

The appreciation of roses . . .

Now you can hear. I can tell you about the rose, give you its name, you can hear poetry about it . . . but you still can’t fully appreciate the gorgeous queen of flowers — you don’t have enough knowledge.

So: You now have sight — But only shades of gray — because you are colorblind. You can now see the petals, the beautiful intricacy of God’s creation, but when I tell you that it is red, you have no idea what I’m talking about.

At last, you can see color. The fascinating shades of gradating color in the petals . . .Now you can truly know what I mean when I say: “Look at the beautiful rose!”

What the senses do for the body in acquiring knowledge, education does for the intellect and will: it makes one able to appreciate all of God’s creation, physical and spiritual, as well as God Himself.

***

I have one more exercise for you. I have here on the podium a little white rock. Suppose I give it to you. What is your reaction?

What a nice white rock — just like hundreds of others out in the driveway. Thank you! And you toss it outside.

It is possible that because I gave it to you, you might not toss it away, but slip it into your

Education leads to appreciation.

pocket. If you were Brother Francis, you would make a meditation on it — probably several meditations on it! — all about the stability of its nature, what its nature means for plants, animals, and men — in fact to the whole universe — what part rocks played in the life of Our Lord or the Saints . . . but most of us would just throw it away.

But now I tell you that it comes from the Holy Land — and you know what the Holy Land is. Wow, now this rock takes on some significance. From being ready to toss the rock outside, you might keep it as an almost-relic — or at least an interesting artifact.

And this respect will deepen into reverence when I explain that it came from a spot near Calvary, a spot where we know Our Lord and Our Lady had been.

You are really starting to appreciate this rock now that you are being educated about it.

But, when I tell you that this rock, this exact piece in my hand, is a piece of the Holy Sepulcher, where Our Lord Himself was laid after He was taken off the cross, your reverence turns to . . . veneration.

This rock really is from the Holy Sepulcher. Helene Armeno and her twin sister brought it back with them from their pilgrimage.

Until I educated you about this rock, this relic, you might have been ready to throw it away.

Can you see how education, leading to appreciation, can affect our outlook and decisions?

Remember, the saints became saints because they appreciated the things we have — the things that we don’t appreciate.

***

Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!

Another quote from Brother Francis (which I’ve included on the handout):

“When the condition of the world is as bad as it is, it calls for great sanctity to meet the challenge. Mediocrity is not for our time.”

Sanctity is union with God, union with God is measured by charity, charity is fed by knowledge . . . and knowledge is gained by education.

I have shown you different scenes from the past that demonstrate how Catholic education played a vital role in teaching, living, and spreading the Faith.

How will future historians describe our time — so troubled and muddied?

What difference will Catholic education make for us now?

Our Crusade was founded by educated men and women — with such courage — what will the future have to say about OUR response in this critical time?

Thank you.

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Bibliography (partial):

Pioneer Priests of North America, 1642-1710, by the Rev. T. J. Campbell, S.J., Fordham University Press, 1908.

The Jesuits and Education, The Society’s Teaching Principles and Practice, Especially in Secondary Education in the United States, by William, J. McGucken, S.J., Ph.D., The Bruce Publishing Company, 1932. (pp. 6-9)

The Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco, by Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, S.D.B., An American Edition Translated from the Original Italian, Diego Borgatello, S.D.B., Editor-in-chief, Volume IV, 1850-1853, Salesiana Publishers, Inc., 1967. (pp. 204-207)

The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints; by the Rev. Alban Butler, John Murphy & Co., 1866. Volume IV, pp. 222-229.

Saint Angela of the Ursulines, Mother Francis d’Assisi, O.S.U., The Bruce Publishing Company, 1952.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Brigade in front of the Shrine of the Eight North American Martyrs, Auriesville, NY.

At the end of September every year, the older students have a chance to go on the seventy-two mile Pilgrimage for Restoration. It is a wonderfully painful walking retreat — with amazing spiritual results!

Lining up to get the banners blessed at the beginning of the pilgrimage, Lake George (Lake of the Blessed Sacrament), NY.

Part of Saint Joseph's Brigade

Brother Andre, Chief of Brigadiers

Friday evening Benediction at Blessed Kateri's shrine in Fonda, NY. The celebrant is Canon Andreas Hellmann of the Institute of Christ the King.