From IHM School » sacrifice

Vanity Has Dangers – and Virtue has rewards

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:11:57 +0000

Recognizing that vice has physical repercussions (even in this world!), one hundred percent of IHM’s high school students took the Melanoma Foundation‘s No Tanning Pledge . . . and won $500!

Immaculate Heart of Mary High School (grades 9-11) - April 11, 2011

New Member for the Sursum Corda Society

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:11:32 +0000

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

John Peter McCann – Class of 2010

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:48:43 +0000

John Peter Michael McCann

[John is the youngest of ten. In his speech he will tell you about his educational struggles -- but his perseverance paid off during his senior year. Not only was he no longer "at the bottom of the class," he made Honor Roll twice (and Honorable Mention in this year's final average) -- with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Congratulations, John!]

Good afternoon, Br. Andre Marie, Sister Marie Therese, Sister Maria Philomena, Dr. Fahey, Dad, Mom, and all my family and friends. Thank you all for coming here to support me during this event celebrating a very important milestone of my life.

Graduation is an event that allows a student to look back and reflect on the journey he or she experienced during the schooling process. When I was analyzing my journey, I discovered certain elements, virtues, and emotions that I wanted to discuss.

Progress: (Advancement toward one’s goals, to develop or improve)

I never had an easy time with learning. I started off having to take kindergarten twice. When my parents realized that public schools were a danger to my spiritual well-being, my mother home-schooled me. I don’t blame her for my inability to learn; it was just there, and during those years of home schooling I fell behind . . . Really badly! My mother was able to school me herself for three years — until her life got complicated and she was forced to put me in a public school for the last quarter of that year. The board of directors decided to place me at a fifth grade level, accompanied by “special classes”. I couldn’t read or spell to save my life.

So, when I moved to NH, I was just a bit behind.

John studies his catechism

When I tested for Immaculate Heart of Mary School, I was at a second grader’s level. I knew about as much as your average seven-year-old. Now, I was twelve at the time, mind you. So, the Sisters put me in fourth grade. For a twelve-year-old to be told he is going to have to go to fourth grade — after he just completed his fifth grade — is pretty hard to take.

Christmas Play (John is the tall shepherd)

To add insult to injury, I was always the one who was behind. Every one else understood things quicker, got better grades, and beat me in the classroom competitions time and time again. This seemed like the common theme of my I.H.M. experience (barring my Senior year). But during these years of strenuous progression, I have received quite an education. I now have an understanding of Algebra, Grammar, Geometry, Church History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Latin, Rhetoric, American History, Literature, Trigonometry, Logic; I think you get the point!

All Saints' Day

So in short, this school has not only taught me an amazing amount of useful knowledge, but it also taught me to take difficulties and use them to improve myself giving me a stronger character.

Perseverance: (Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success)

Aside from being older then other students, I wasn’t able to get good grades. I tried my hardest — only to barely pass with less than average grades. But I did learn . . . slowly and painfully . . . but I did learn.

John, Clare, and Rose (seventh grade) in "Esther"

One of the things I learned was simple math. If I’m in fourth grade now… by the time I get to twelfth grade I should be . . . twenty! Aren’t people usually seventeen when they graduate? Ooooooh boy! I did skip sixth grade, but I knew going into ninth grade that there was no longer any hope of skipping grades (due to the necessity of acquiring a certain amount of credits).

The McCann cleaning gene is showing up

Year after year of struggling as hard as I could, I continued to get very undesirable grades. I would always try and analyze my way out, for instance: “This couldn’t possibly be what God wanted me to suffer.” Eventually, I was fed up with it. (I was eighteen at the time.) It was the beginning of my junior year; I made up my mind to drop out. I was telling myself things, like: “There is always the G.E.D . . . It’s not like I was throwing my life away. It seems to work out for other people. I am being responsible. I have a plain a plan. I going to get my G.E.D. and become an electrician’s apprentice in South Dakota. I’m just not meant to be in school any more.” (There was a girl in SD, of course; that made the matter all that much more urgent.)

On the USS Cassen Young

So, I told Sister Maria Philomena, in a very matter-of-fact way, that I wasn’t going to finish that year. She sent me to Sister Marie Therese.

Sister Marie Therese listened to what I had to say. She treated me like an adult, and gave me some good advice, and said she would respect my decision if it were well thought out. This was the catalyst that made me follow her advice to go on a retreat. I wanted everyone to respect my decision, and what better way was there than convincing everyone that it was God’s will? (Because, I already convinced myself of this, you see.) On retreat, I discovered that everyone else was right and I was wrong . . . what do you know! Reassured that what I was doing was good and profitable, I made a firm resolution to finish what I started; and, I haven’t looked back since. And let me tell you: now that I’m here looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Looking back (and sealing envelopes at the same time!)

Patience: (The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset)

Spelling Bees . . . Latin . . . Research Papers . . . Memory Items . . . Foot Ball . . . SPELLING BEES!!! Now, I’ll be the first on to confess that I was lacking in patience at times — especially on Fridays. But I did tolerate a lot of delay, trouble, and suffering in my I.H.M. experience. And, since there are troublesome hurdles in every walk of life, I’m really glad I had the extensive training in this virtue that I got. It was even conveniently worked into my curriculum.

A vicious villain (RBFF melodrama)

The Future: (The time or a period of time following the moment of speaking; time regarded as still to come)

As I already mentioned in my internship presentation three weeks ago, I’m going to begin my adult life in Kansas — where I will become an electrician. A couple of people asked,“ Why Kansas?” So, I’m going to explain my reasoning.

Science Fair

I believe it is prudent for a graduate to buckle down and take things seriously as soon as possible so as not to get caught in that weird “after-school-but-before-life” spell. So, as a solution or precaution against this danger, I’ve decided to jump on in and sink or swim. The drastic change of atmosphere will push me into taking my situation seriously and the lack of people taking care of my needs will make me anything but complacent.

Spelling Bee!

Aside from being a precaution against that “in-between-period”, there are a couple of things calling me to Kansas as well. There is family out there: my brother Tim and his family. This gives me a few advantages — one of which will be to give me a place to stay when I arrive, and Tim and I have a mutual understanding of how temporary the situation will be. Another thing is that Kansas’ living expenses are not as challenging as New Hampshire’s, so this will be an easier start for my initial years of self-support. And last but not least, there is a massive traditional Catholic community out there that I was very interested in seeing for myself. I would appreciate any and all prayers that could be spared for me in this very important transitional period in my life.

Graduating Class of 2010

Gratitude: (The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness)

When looking back at the whole journey, the primary emotion that I feel is gratitude. I have a great deal of gratitude — not only for the excellent education that I’ve received — but also for all the people who made it possible. The people who taught me, and people who helped me stay on course. And the only way I know how to express my gratitude, is to thank the parties responsible.

Sister Marie Therese: You are a wonderful principal, and you really helped me look at the choices I had to make, concerning my leaving or staying, with a logical mind-set. Thank you; I probably wouldn’t have finished if it weren’t for you.

The fastest boy in school!

Sister Mary Joseph: You taught me for my first year here (which was a very difficult one). I also wanted to thank you for my superior coloring technique and penmanship skills (which are due to your ruthless tutoring).

Brother Louis Marie: You were always a very needed relief during the very trying breaks. You were always there to crack a joke or remind me why I was there. Thank you for consistently elevating my intentions to a higher ideal.

John and Michael ('09) disecting a fetal pig

Sister Mary Peter: You taught me for my seventh grade year, and I’m afraid I was a bit of a troublemaker for you. But more importantly, you were always there to try and calm me down when my frustration built up within me. Some times I would avoid you when I was getting angry because I didn’t want you to cheer me up, but yet, somehow, you always found me. So, thank you for being there to calm the beast.

His real self comes out!

Sister Maria Perpetua: You taught me in both fifth grade and eighth grade, and it was your sweet manner accompanied with your strict discipline that enabled you to teach me so much. Thank you for making me write out the word “would” (as in should & could) eighty times. I can’t help but think of you every time I go to write it.

Professor: I’m glad I had you for at least one of my classes for each of the last six years. You always treated me like you actually enjoyed talking to me, and you were always willing to let me vent. I probably would have gone mad if you weren’t here to help me. Thank you for being more then just my wicked cool math teacher; you were also my friend – in whom I could trust without the slightest hesitation.

What will I do without John in the Blueberry Jammers?

Sister Maria Philomena: Four years straight! I’m not sure what life is going to be like without you for more than a summer. It almost seems like a sloppy divorce. You taught me more than I can generalize. One of the subjects I’m most grateful that I had you to teach me was religion, but there is no way I can express my deep gratitude for all that you’ve done for me. Thank you for giving and giving, day after day. Surely I wouldn’t be the man I am today if God didn’t give be the privilege of having you as my high school teacher.

Mr. & Mrs. McCann (front) at grad party

My parents: You not only paid for my tuition so I could attend this school, but you convinced me to keep on “keepin’ on.” I would like to thank my mother for doing her best to make sure I didn’t throw the opportunity of receiving the excellent education of I.H.M., and my father for teaching me — by example — dogged perseverance

The way I see it, the only way I can give anything back to all the people who gave me so much is to be the best I can be, share all the benefits the school has given me, and there by show the world what a great school I.H.M. is.

Agent 145-and-a-half in "A Case for Two Spies"

I am so glad that I had the privilege of an education at I.H.M. not only for the reasons I stated earlier, but, more importantly, I’ve acquired a dependency on daily sacraments, a habit I plan on preserving even in Kansas.

John with a relic of his patron saint

I can’t pretend to know exactly what my future holds, but, if things go as I would like them to, I will get married (sooner rather than latter), convince my wife to move to New Hampshire, and have many many children. I would be very happy to see all of them attend I.H.M.

Thank you.

The Christian Training of Children – Care of Young Adults

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:56:53 +0000

Table of contents for 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.

Finis

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As They Transcend the Material

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:43:33 +0000

Table of contents for Education - Necessary for Life

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

Our Lord Himself is the Educator par excellence and in the Great Commission, which was His last directions to the apostles before His ascension, He gave His Mystical Body a teaching mission: “Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you.” (St. Matthew 28:19-20) Throughout history, the Church, in fulfilling this mission, has encountered people in every level of society, at every level of education. Her success often depended on the level of education she finds. The Greeks & Romans, with their liberal education, ordered societies, just laws and lofty ideals, proved the most fertile soil for the reception of Wisdom on the highest level. With others, works of charity had to come first so that people could lift their eyes above survival mode (as after the Barbarian invasions or in Post-Revolution France) — they have to be lifted above survival mode before they can see the beauty of eternal things.

I have some examples to show that, regardless of method or curriculum, the aim of the Church is the same: the formation of Catholic men and women in this world, for the next. It was painful to limit the examples because this is a constant theme throughout Church history. Remember the powers of life — REPEAT — and see how they apply spiritually –transcending the material (board): Nutrition, people are being fed knowledge; growth, knowledge is being actively applied; reproduction, the Faith is being spread in society. Remember also our definition of education: it includes the transmission of culture: an environment that will aid, support, nurture, sustain this natural & supernatural life as well as being an expression of their Faith which in turn will draw others to it.

First we’ll take survival education. And for my example here, I’d like to use the Iroquois in the seventeenth century — around the time of the Eight North American martyrs.

Pioneer Priests of North America – to the Iroquois pg. xiii ff. – gives a clear word picture of their life.

“They were an intelligent race, but unfortunately having determined to destroy or assimilate all other nations, they directed all their energies to the prosecution of war. They knew nothing of agriculture, and were satisfied with the maize, beans and squash raised by their squaws. The mystery of well-digging was too deep for them, so they had to keep close to the lakes and river courses to live. They have left no pottery of any value, and being ignorant of the textile arts, made their clothing of the skins of wild beasts. . . . [their long houses] were swarming with vermin and reeking with disease. They were divided into sections . . . but without any pretense or possibility of privacy. . . Their personal habits were filthy in the extreme. . . . They ate the most disgusting things, and boasted of their prowess in that regard. Yet, though voracious gluttons, they starved uncomplainingly when food was lacking–which was often. . . . Morally, the Iroquois were very degraded . . . [their abominations are only hinted at in the writings of the missionaries] . . . the children were never punished, and were allowed to grow up like animals . . . “

We have all heard of the tortures and cannibalism these Indians practiced on their prisoners. These sights were often introduction of the missionaries to their flocks. Father Chaumonot writes to his superior:

“Never could I imagine such hardheartedness as there is in a savage. You cannot convert him unless you pay him for it. But he is by no means stupid . . . the difficulty is with the sixth commandment . . . permanency of marriage is out of the question. Every time I go to their cabins I feel as if I were going to be hanged.” (pg. 127)

These people were obviously in a very low condition. They knew what they needed to survive, but the rest of their time was given to vice.

We must remember that the education of the missionaries was of the very highest: liberal education completely informed by the Faith. It was this background enabled them to learn the language, determine what elements of the Indian’s survival culture could be kept as compatible with the faith, how to teach the truths of the faith to these intellectually untrained pagans. What zeal for souls is shown by the sacrifices these men made in such uncongenial surroundings!

Father de Lamberville writes on the difficulties of converting those who cannot reason.

“It must be understood that the Iroquois are not capable of reasoning as do the Chinese and other civilized nations, to whom we [can] prove the truth of faith and the existence of God. The Iroquois are not guided by reasons. The reasons for credibility are not listened to here, and our greatest truths are called falsehoods. As a rule they believe only what they see.” He goes on to say: “Only the fear of some evil or the hope of some good can determine them to embrace our religion. It is nevertheless a great honor for us to be God’s agents and to cause Him to be adored by a small Church in a country where the Devil is so completely the master . . .” (pg 227)

Blessed Kateri Tekawitha

Now, the Jesuits did make converts, but most of them were deathbed (death skin or death stake?) conversions. If there were converts who weren’t dying, they quickly apostatized (at one point there were more apostates than Christians). So, the probation of the catechumens was extended until their education level could be raised and their environment, their culture, could be made to sustain the Faith. Even once the converting Indians had shown their sincerity and good will, they were under enormous pressure . . . and most of them would leave (as Blessed Kateri did) for the Catholic mission of Caughnawaga — where the culture sustained an exemplary Catholic life.

[W]e have an official letter of Bishop St. Valier which says that “the piety I saw there surpassed anything I had imagined, or that had been reported to me.” He gives instances of virtue little less than heroic, and adds: “What I say is not said to please. It is an exact account of the actual state of things. The French are so charmed with what they see that they often go to unite with the Indians in prayer, and to revive their own devotion by the sight of the fervor which they wonder at in a people who were savage such a short time ago.” These Caughnawagas were known among the Indians as “those who do not drink and who pray to God right.”

Eventually Ossernenon (Auriesville, NY) also had a large Catholic population — once it had been watered by the blood of three martyrs. But even these the converts moved to Caughnawaga, as many as a hundred per year. They recognized that their environment had to help them live their faith — so they moved to where they could find it. When the priests were “reproached with causing the depopulation of the villages, they replied that it was not religion, but war and vice with their train of destructive maladies and want that caused the ruin.”

“Become Christians,” they said [to the pagans], “and your tribe will prosper.” (page 289)

That covers the teaching (nutrition) and living (growth) of the Faith, but what about it’s transmission? I wish that I had time for more examples, because there are so many. Hot Ashes, one of the Indians who help Bl. Kateri get to Caughnawaga, refused to be chief of the Oneidas unless they became Christians. He and others worked as catechists. An Indian from Ossernanon went to war against the Illinois only to be on hand to baptize the children and prisoners before they were killed.

[There was also the Indian woman who was so insensed by the ill treatment -- mockery and ridicule -- the Catholic Indians received from the Protestant Dutch, she went into the meeting house in Albany in the midst of a Sunday meeting -- and, in a loud voice said the prayers taught to her by the Black Robes. She was "put out," but she "gloried in her exploit!"]

Almost 200 years later, the way was paved for the success of Father DeSmet by Iroquois from Caughnawaga. Old Ignatius was the chief of a band of Catholic Iroquois who moved west in the early 1800′s. They were the ones to meet the Flatheads, teach them the basics of the Faith, and adjust their culture.

Abundant Harvest — Life of Father De Smet, S.J. – by E. Laveille, S.J. (from FTH20, volume VIII, November 1, 1981 – page 54)

“Beneath his native ruggedness and rare intelligence, the soul of an apostle lay hidden in Old Ignatius. His courage and loyalty acquired for him an influence which he used for the good of the tribe. He often spoke to the Flatheads of the Catholic faith, of its beliefs, its prayers, and its ceremonies. The conclusion of his discourse was always the same appeal: to send for a Black Robe to instruct them and show them the way to heaven.

“The Flatheads listened attentively, and learned from him the principal mysteries of the Faith, the great precepts of Christianity, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sign of the Cross, and other religious practices. Their lives were regulated by this teaching [not the change of culture]; they said morning and night prayers, sanctified Sundays, baptized the dying, and placed a cross over the graves of their dead.”

The Flatheads (and even the surrounding tribes) were so moved to desire instruction that they sent four successive embassies to Saint Louis requesting a missionary — and refused to be taken in by the Protestants who came in the meantime. In fact, when Father DeSmet was given permission to go to the Indians of the Rockies, his guide was Young Ignatius, the son of the Iroquois chief from Caughnawaga.

The grave of Bl. Junipero Serra, the Father of California

It is interesting to contrast the different missions throughout the Americas (I had wanted to touch on the California Missions and the missions among the Eskimos — but in the interests of brevity and courtesy I don’t dare do that now). The stories of these missions all show us the same lesson: that no condition is hopeless, but that a lot of work is necessary to build the Faith on survival education alone, and that a culture sufficient for survival is not sufficient to sustain the Faith.

It has to be elevated first — and this is done by extensive, persevering education by zealous, educated, teachers.

Our next level of education is servile or vocational. We need to go to Italy, fifteenth century Italy, just before the Protestant Revolt. We have here a Catholic society, with years of history and traditions, but a society getting lax, on the downhill slide. Society is literate, with the possibility of higher education, but your average person is educated vocationally, along the lines of the various trades. It is the time of the Renaissance (which had it’s benefits as well as it’s train of errors), but its pagan ideas have filtered down to the girls, especially in the cities, and have resulted in a loss of morals that are breaking up families.

(Read quote on pg. 15-16 – Saint Angela of the Ursulines)

[The] new pagan thought [...] was sweeping over Italy. It was coloring men’s lives with its voluptuousness and blotting out completely the simplicity of the Gospel. Humanism they called it — the study of the Greek and Latin writers whose philosophy of life these moderns would make their own. It was going to men’s heads like old wine too freely taken and was making madmen of them. From the universities it was seeping down to the lower schools, and there seemed neither time nor inclination to temper it with the philosophy of Jesus. And to these lower schools went the young girls, the future mothers of the race, who would have no word of Christian teaching to impart to their little ones. It was the home that was losing. It was in the home that the remedy must be applied.

St. Angela Merici, Foundress of the Ursulines

Saint Angela Merici put her finger on the problem, and gathered around her other young women who would visit the homes of the poor and teach them their Christian doctrine. This project grew into schools for girls where Christian Doctrine and Domestic Arts were taught. This was the beginning of the Ursulines, a teaching order dedicated to the education of girls — the future mothers of society — an order that would grow throughout Europe and eventually spread around the world. (Under the patronage of St. Charles Borromeo the Ursulines played an important part in countering the Protestant Revolution by their life under vows.)

These Sisters also tie into my Iroquois example. In 1639 the Ursulines opened a school in Quebec with both boarding and day students under Venerable Marie of the Incarnation (whose favorite work was the education of Indian children and the religious instruction of their parents). The book I quoted from earlier: Saint Angela of the Ursulines, gives the course of studies when the school opened: religious; history, sacred and profane; arithmetic; French; spelling; writing; grammar; reading; and geography — in addition to music and the womanly arts.

The tomb of Bl. Marie of the Incarnation

Less than a hundred years later, in the 1700′s, the Ursulines were the first order to open schools in what is now the USA (unless you count the Spanish missions). I mentioned Father DeSmet — the Ursulines were one of the orders of Sisters who founded schools for the missions of the Rockies. (They also started the first women’s college in New York in the early 1900′s). Saint Angela’s daughters started with vocational training, and then broadened the girls’ formation with other studies. It is another interesting study to look at the curriculum as it was adjusted to meet the needs of each time and place — but, once again, that is a topic for another time.

What I wish to make clear is that a material society lays a better foundation for the Faith than does the society only bent on survival. The Sisters, of whom the Ursulines are just one example, taught girls of all levels of society and of all races — and, as soon at the basics are covered, expanded the girls’ education to fulfill their potential — raising them from just servile education (as important as that is) to liberal education — and with the Faith front and center and completely integrated. These young ladies became the heart of their own families, now knowing well how to provide a culture in their homes that would foster the Faith of the next generation.

Before I leave vocational education, I want to quickly touch on one other example closer to our time.

We’re still in Italy, but it is now the middle of the nineteenth century. The industrial revolution has made it’s way through Europe. Cities are getting bigger. Material education is definitely the norm and some professions even require a liberal education. But, thanks to freemasonry, the errors of the Enlightenment (that Gary Potter mentioned yesterday), especially anti-clericalism and indifferentism, are rampant. We have a formerly Catholic, established society that is disintegrating in revolution after revolution. And, as in every age, the Holy Ghost raises up saints and apostles to meet the needs of the time. (I think more religious orders were founded in this century than in any other — and many of them seem to be teaching orders.)

Don Bosco (Saint John Bosco)

Before I get too distracted, we will stop in Northern Italy, Turin, and pay a flying visit to Saint John Bosco. Everyone knows that Saint John Bosco took care of boys (did you know that Our Lady herself appeared to him and gave him that mission: of turning the wild beasts into lambs?), but you have to read at least some of the nineteen volumes of the Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco to get an idea of how many other things he did — and what an important man he was of his time.

Well, it is 1851, and at the moment he has three Oratories (the newest one already has five hundred boys). The Oratories are places where the boys meet on Sundays and holy days for religious exercises, catechism classes, and outdoor games, but Don Bosco also has classes during the week in reading, writing, arithmetic, and the metric system. (Literacy is essential in an urban society.) He has a hospice for about forty poor boys (that would grow into the Salesian boarding schools), has laid the foundation of what would be come his order — the Salesians, has just acquired the Pinardi property and field and is fundraising to build a church in honor of Our Lady Help of Christians, the cornerstone of which has been laid. In the midst of this activity, he is also tutoring boys in their classical studies (Eventually he would have full boarding and day schools. There would be a common basis for all the boys in certain subjects, and then they had the choice to follow one of two tracks: either classical studies — to prepare for the priesthood or professional fields, or apprenticeships in various trades.)

But at the moment, all his boys go elsewhere for school and training, coming back to Don Bosco for tutoring as well as spiritual direction and guidance. For those of his boys who were apprentices, learning their trade in the various Turin workshops, he “not only continued to visit them at work to see if there was any moral danger or to check on their progress, but he also took the trouble to enter into formal contracts with their employers and to see to it that they were kept.” In Volume IV, pg 205, there is a contract he wrote up between one of his boys and a glassblower. I don’t have time to go through it now, but not only must the employer teach the boy the craft, employing him only in work related to the trade and within his physical capabilities, but he had to pay the boy on a scale that increased each year, give him Sundays and holy days off, and provide a written monthly report to Don Bosco. The boy promised work hard and attentively, be obedient, docile and respectful.

In this way, Don Bosco not only helped prepare these “at-risk” boys for society, but he integrated the Faith every step of the way . . . making sure that the vocational education didn’t disintegrate into just plain survival mode–no factory slaves here. At the same time, through the boys, Don Bosco was able to reach the tradesmen and the parents, not to mention the statesmen that he had to work with — and in every case he was on the look out for their souls’ welfare.

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The Christian Training of Children – Rewards and Punishments

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:20:20 +0000

Table of contents for 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

Temper tantrums in adults (or students acting adult parts) are not pretty.

Chapter VII. - Of Rewards and Punishments.

A stubborn evil spirit that resists the ordinary means of control, is driven out according to the words of our Lord by prayer and fasting. This is also the means by which deeply-rooted defects and faults in children must be driven out. Prayer and fasting will win. Still as long as a child is young enough to be coerced, it should be compelled to pray and fast in its own behalf, though it may be good and advisable that a mother pray for such a child and offer for it many personal acts of self-denial. Prayer humbles the spirit, while fasting chastens the flesh and is the sovereign remedy against sensuality.

This two-fold means is indicated in all cases which do not yield to admonitions and remonstrances, nor to kind words or threats. The mother should consider the source of the fault–pride or sensuality–and choose the remedy accordingly. But she should remember that prayer alone, though very efficacious, will not in itself subdue a proud spirit. It is also necessary to make the child feel humiliation. This may be done by showing preference to its brothers and sisters, by being brief and curt, by disregarding its advances, by isolating it from the others, and by other such minor humiliations.

Humiliations come in many forms.

Repeated faults of sensuality are most easily conquered by denying a child a dessert or some delicacies and knick-knacks for which it may have a special predilection; in extreme cases sine favorite dish of necessary food may also be denied. In serious breaches of sensuality the child should be compelled to sleep on a hard, springless bed, or some other physical chastisement be administered with the palm of the hand or with the rattan or rod. Hardness of heart against the poor should be conquered by distributing alms to the needy through the hand of the child, avarice and greed may be corrected by depriving the child of things to which it may be much attached and by insisting upon its sharing liberally with its brothers and sisters whatever it possesses. The same means, namely distributing alms through the hands of the child and denial of the comforts and luxuries of life, may be used when the child is inclined to extravagance.

The choice of the particular punishment to be administered in the individual case must be a subject of intelligent study. A mother’s intention must never be merely the infliction of pain, but rather the amendment of the child. Severe punishments should only be resorted to, when light punishments produce no results. The punishment also which was fixed upon, should never be applied more severely than necessary, and it should always be administered with due regard for the child’s physical condition. Frequent mistakes are made in the choice and infliction of chastisement.

Drama queens require special treatment.

They are mostly administered without reflection, on the spur of the moment and thoughtlessly. On one occasion parents will punish excessively, and on another not enough, or not at all. Would to God that every mother and every father understood the value of conscientious punishment! The punishment of children has for its object the correction and amendment of faults, and if it is to produce these results, parents must consider it one of their most important obligations, the faithful fulfillment of which becomes a source of untold benefit to their boys and girls and also the occasion of infinite merits to themselves.

However, it is not sufficient to inculcate merely a fear of sin in the hearts of children by the infliction of some punishment; parents must also instil [sic] in them a love of virtue for its own sake and for the sake of the joys and rewards attached to the practice of virtue. This may be done by portraying to them the inner peace which is consequent upon the doing of good works in the service of God and of our neighbor, and by describing in some appropriate story the unrest and remorse of conscience which the sinner experiences after his misdeeds.

Sticky Fingers claims her own reward (and then loses it).

Parents should not be chary of words of commendation and encouragement when a child perseveringly strives to get rid of some fault, or when it had performed some act of self-denial, of patience, of kindness, of obedience, or of forgiveness, which perhaps required no little moral courage. Indeed, mother and father should show sincere pleasure in any act of virtue that the child might perform, and at times, even reward it with some material recompense. Still, in doing so, they should remind the child of the greater pleasure which God has in its well-doing, and how He will reward it with the eternal happiness of His own heavenly home, if it will only persevere in its efforts till the end of its days.

Valuable presents and extraordinary pleasures should rarely be given as a reward. Trifling gifts and minor enjoyments may be granted, but not too frequently, otherwise the child may learn to despise them. The child should never join in the amusements proper to adults only, neither should it be drawn into their cares and worries. The longer we can preserve in the children the simplicity and the innocence of childhood, the more shall we be able also to preserve in them the spirit of docility and obedience and their love for the simple pleasures of home-life.

To be continued . . .

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Sursum Corda Society

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:56:46 +0000

Sursum Corda Society in the Rosary Chapel in Saint Philomena's Convent

On Palm Sunday, Sister Marie Therese presided over a lovely little ceremony in the chapel of our new convent. Over a year ago, the Sisters started a prayer society for the young ladies in our community: the Sursum Corda Society. After a winnowing process, two young ladies renewed their promises, two more were re-instated, and a fifth was received for the first time. The purpose of the Society is simple: to bring about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, in the hearts of the girls themselves and those of their families, in the hearts of the religious, and then in the hearts of the laity at Saint Benedict Center. The girls, after making their Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, promise to say the Rosary (with meditations) and other prayers daily, make daily sacrifices, wear the Brown Scapular and Miraculous Medal, read certain books, and attend monthly meetings.

Each girl answered Sister's interrogation . . .

. . . Made a promise to Our Lady . . .

As members of the Society, they are given a large Miraculous Medal on a blue cord (which they are even allowed to wear with their school uniform!). We have seen so many blessings attend our community as a result of the prayers and faithfulness of these young ladies. Sursum corda! Habemus ad Dominum!

. . . Signed that promise . . . Received her medal . . .

After the ceremony, the girls were given the updated handbook.

With joy and laughter!

The Christian Training of Children – Combating Pride

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:19:14 +0000

Table of contents for 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)

Looking at science projects

On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter VI. - How the Christian Mother Should Combat Pride in Her Child.

In the last two chapters I have briefly pointed out how a Christian Mother may successfully counteract in a child its inborn lust of the eyes and of the flesh. The means recommended are, indeed, effective but not infallible, unless the mother will reenforce [sic] her instructions, her admonitions and her corrections by the mortification of her own evil inclinations and by presenting to her children in her own daily life an example of self-denial and restraint. Teaching and good example are practically certain of producing favorable results under the grace of God. In the present chapter I shall give a more detailed instruction on the manner of combating the third concupiscence, called by St. John the pride of life. The conquering of this concupiscence is more difficult, because the sins caused by it, seemingly contain something elevating and pure, although they are more offensive to God and more destructive to the soul. Some pious author distinguished the lust of the eyes as a human fault, the lust of the flesh as a bestial aberration, but the pride of life as a hellish, a devilish guilt. Pride is, indeed, the worst of the three concupiscences and must, therefore, be combated just as relentlessly as the other two.

St. Michael the Archangel with the cry-Who is like to God-drove the bad angels out of heaven and out of the company of the good angels. In the same manner a Christian Mother should contemplate the dignity and majesty of God, and remember His rightful claim upon our worship and submission; hence like St. Michael she must not relax in her efforts, until the devil of pride is cast out of the heart of her child, and the child itself, strengthened in earnest piety, has become an angel of humility and modesty, of obedience and good deportment.

The first visible sign of pride in a child is wilfulness [sic]. In combating it, the mother must, indeed, manifest a knowing and prudent love which never connives at a child’s contrariness or humors its exhibitions of obstinacy. The child may weep and cry, it may fuss and stomp its feet-the more unruly it conducts itself, the more the mother must ignore it. Such treatment will soon put an end to its noisy demonstrations, and the child will gradually show a more tractable disposition. Then also insist on immediate and prompt obedience. “A good child must obey quickly.”

Shut the Door - a skit performed by the 7th & 8th grades for Saint Patrick's Day

Irreverence, stubborness [sic] and insubordination must not be tolerated. A command given by father or mother, must be carried out, and the child that will not obey, should be banished from the table and from the presence of father and mother and no conciliatory countenance be turned to it until it has fulfilled the will of its parents. Certainly the directions and the commands of father and mother must not exceed the limitations of the child; they should be reasonable and well-considered, and be given with dignified earnestness, in brief and gentle words, and with perceptible marks of affection. Children should be taught to obey cheerfully to please their parents; they should obey conscientiously, whether they be observed or not, because Jesus Christ gave the example of obedience, because parents are representatives of God, because the will of the parents is the will of God, because obedience or disobedience to them is obedience or disobedience to God, and therefore will be rewarded or punished by God.

Considerate and affectionate demands on the part of the parents, and ready, cheerful obedience on the part of the children are the foundation stones of a good education. When, therefore, a good education is not achieved it is usually due to some defect in the exercise of parental authority or in the observance of filial submission. Generally speaking, the greatest fault is on the side of the parents. Children are so completely dependent on their parents, that they must practically obey, if the parents earnestly insist upon it. When the children are disobedient, disrespectful, bold and spiteful, there is no other cause but lack of firmness and enforcement of parental rights. In every Christian family one principle must always stand forth in the fullness of its meaning, namely: Not the will of the children is law, but the children must obey the will of the parents without exception and without contradiction.

Another St. Patrick's Day skit

Other manifestations of pride are meddlesomeness, lying, and an assumption of cleverness and wisdom. Among girls are to be found especially dissimulation, self-love, vanity and conceit. A child must be trained to be truthful and sincere in its words and its conduct, and simple and modest in all its dealings with others. Whatever good it may possess, it should consider an undeserved gift of God, for which it must be grateful, and of the use of which it must some day render a strict account. The child’s attention should be called to its own shortcomings, and at the same [time] be directed to the good qualities of others, to the virtues of the saints and to the perfections of God, so that it may learn to think lowly of itself and willingly humble itself before others.

Pride shows itself also in quarrelsomeness, in lording it over others, and in vengefulness. Among boys, in particular, we also find as a fruit of pride a certain spirit of independence which brooks no restraint, and ambition that tolerates no rivalry, and a coarseness of feeling that borders on brutality. All these qualities are evidences of a hard heart and must be corrected with a firm hand; and, if no improvement is observed, mother and father should even resort to severe corporal punishment.

After the child’s natural roughness has been pretty well polished off in this manner, it must also be taught to get rid of its sensitiveness or touchiness and to conquer its natural aversions or dislikes. The wonderful example of Christ should constantly be kept before its mind, especially His patient endurance of all kinds of injuries, His imperturbably meekness and mildness and His everready [sic] willingness to forgive His enemies and traducers for whom He even prayed after they nailed Him to the Cross. Surely this example will have a powerful influence over the impressionable child-mind and inspire the child to earnest efforts of imitation.

Immaculate Heart of Mary - The high school classroom statue

The worst fruits of human pride are sins against God Himself, namely, indifference to religion and religious practices. These manifest themselves by repeated neglect of divine service, particularly, of the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, by irreverent conduct in Church and at devotional exercises, by desecration of the Lord’s Day and feast days of obligation, by superstitious observances and mockery of religion, by ridiculing the veneration of the saints, their pictures and relics, by cursing and sinful taking of oaths and such other sins against the three first commandments of the decalogue. Indifference towards God and all that relates to Him is, indeed, at the bottom of man’s perversity as of all sin, and only in so far as this indifference can be rooted out, can the heart of man be remodeled and the image of the Divinity be restored in him. Hence the principal efforts must be directed towards this purpose and parents must never cease till they have implanted into the hearts of their children a sincere love of God and a salutary filial fear of Him, till they have awakened in them an ardent zeal for His honor and glory and an eager, joyous readiness to live according to His Will. In this matter, particularly, parents must give a good example, so that the child may see that they themselves are sincerely and truly religious.

The parents must also carefully observe the child at its prayers, never condone any fault in the recital of them, immediately correct any faulty pronunciation of the names of God or of the saints, and, in general, supervise its conduct in all matters pertaining to religion and its practices. Faults and sins against the first three commandments must not be considered lightly and should be earnestly reprehended and, if necessary, more severely punished than faults and sins against any other commandment. The degree of firmness with which parents persist in their efforts to educate and train their children in the proper reverence towards God and religion, will naturally depend upon the degree of esteem in which they hold their dignity as representatives of God and guardians of His honor; the more they realize the dignity of their position, the more they will uphold and defend the rights of God.

To be continued . . .

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The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Eyes

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:48:05 +0000

Table of contents for 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

We should see the goodness of God in everything!

Chapter V. - How the Christian Mother Should Combat the Concupiscence of the Eyes in Her Child.

The second evil propensity, the concupiscence of the eyes, is the inordinate pleasure in things which attract the eye, such as riches, clothes, houses, furniture, etc. Holy Scripture says: “What doth it profit the owner of riches, except to feast his eyes on them?” Ecclesiasticus, ch. 5, v. 10.

The child must be made to realize that it had, properly speaking, nothing of its own, that everything belongs to its parents. The things a child receives from them, should be considered a gift, for which it owes them a debt of gratitude. It should also be made to understand, that even its parents can call nothing their own, that all they have is loaned to them and should be used for performing works of love and mercy according to the Will of God. Furthermore, the child should be taught to consider the poor its equals, and be glad to share with them whatever they need, so that in the day of judgment it may be rewarded for its helpfulness as having done unto Christ whatever was done unto the least of His brethren. Poverty, in general, should be appreciated as a visitation and a grace of God, by which men become like unto the Master and worthy of eternal life. Heaven should be described to the child as a land teeming with riches and treasures, the least part of which is more valuable than all the accumulated values of the whole world. Finally, the child should be taught that riches and possessions are rather dangerous for the soul and that rich people who are not poor in spirit, whose hearts are not detached from the things of this world, have a hard time saving their souls, as Christ Himself says, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Poverty, on the other hand, with its privations, when borne with patience and for the love and glory of God, is a rich source of eternal merit and reward.

Watching the Blueberry Melodrama with a Sister for company!

Pilfering, which is frequently practiced among children, should be earnestly censured, because it is petty thieving; and continued pilfering as well as larger thefts should be severely punished. A child should never be allowed to take anything without permission, and whatever it needs, it should be obliged to ask for. If the child’s wishes are granted, it should be required to express its thanks, and, if they be refused, it should be trained to accept the refusal with submission and never be permitted to show its disappointment by pouting or grumbling. It should be taught gladly to share with others whatever it has received for its own use or pleasure. When others have more, or prettier, or better things, it should be taught to rejoice in their greater fortune, while on the other hand it should deeply sympathize with the losses of others as if those losses were its own. Gifts of money[,] which a child sometimes receives from friends and relatives, should not be at its own disposal, nor should it have the control of its own little money-bank. Money expenditures for any purpose whatever should always have the permission and the approval of the parents.

Combating the spirit of the world and the inordinate love for temporal possessions, fostering in her children the spirit of Christ, and arousing in their hearts an ardent desire for heavenly things-it is these duties that a Christian mother should consider her most important task, and what we have said may assist her in her very arduous task.

To be continued . . .

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The Christian Training of Children – Combating Concupiscence of the Flesh

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:40:08 +0000

Table of contents for 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

Yes, come with me!

Chapter IV. - How the Christian Mother Should Combat in Her Child the Concupiscence of the Flesh.

The first evil inclination, the concupiscence of the flesh, seeks inordinately after all that gratifies the body, tickles the senses, and excites them to pleasure. Certainly the physical needs must be provided for and the sense activities must be exercised, otherwise life would not be worth living. But, how easily may the proper measure of enjoyment be exceeded, and thus that which might have been, according to St. Paul, a source of heavenly merit and for the greater honor and glory of God, is turned into a source of demerit, sin and punishment!

If then, dear Christian mother, you do not want your child to become the slave of sensual and carnal pleasures, you must train it from its earliest years to self-restraint and self-denial, to application and industry, to order and cleanliness. Among other things therefore a prudent Christian mother will provide for a thorough ventilation of the living and the bed rooms, so that wholesome, fresh air may constantly fill them. She will provide for the children plain, nourishing food, sensible clothing, and a neat comfortable bed; on the other hand, she will withhold from them everything that merely indulges the sensual appetite or wantonly excites the nerves. Children must not be permitted to eat as much and as often as they please, but whatever their reasonable needs demand, should be granted kindly and graciously. Cookies and candies and other palate-ticklers should not be allowed too frequently, since experience teaches that excessive munching of sweetmeats is not only injurious to the teeth and stomach but also to the general health. Try to impress upon the minds of your little ones, Christian mother, that it is a good work occasionally to give up some creature comforts and enjoyments for the love of God, that God especially loves children who act that way and rewards them for it in body and soul. Performing such little mortifications with a good intention is a powerful means of obtaining many favors from God. But in these mortifications children should be supervised so that they may not overdo them.

Playing is hard work!

A Christian mother should let her children play much in the open air, even when the weather is somewhat cold and unpleasant. She should put them to bed early and in the morning also get them out early. They should be taught to get up immediately on the first call, to dress themselves quickly and to make their morning ablutions with cold water. Each child should have its own little daily work to do according to its age and strength, and a fixed time to do it. Dresses and coats, hats and caps, shoes and slippers, as well as playthings should not be allowed to be scattered around, and for everything that belongs to a child there should be a fixed place and it must be trained to put them in the proper places itself. Dirty hands and dirty faces as well as dirty clothes must never be tolerated.

Children should always be cheerful not only at their games and recreations but also at their work and even in their little trials and hurts. As early in life as possible they should be taught that the afflictions and reverses of life, such as excessive cold or heat, slander or gossip, offenses and insults and abuse, sickness and wounds and death, are blessings in disguise and sent by God to wean us from the world and its attractions and arouse in us a greater love and desire for the eternal joys of heaven. They should also be taught to see in them a means which God provides, to atone for our sins, our faults and imperfections. Finally, they should be taught that Jesus Christ Himself was willing to endure the same or similar afflictions during His life here on earth, and that it is a mark of great love of Christ to be satisfied to live amid the same conditions as He did and to bear willingly what He was willing to bear.

Many things are sources of pleasure to children. In the first place there are the things of nature itself. These captivate the eyes of children by their beauty and variety. Naturally, the child admires them, asks questions about them and is happy in knowing them. A Christian mother will not only call attention to their beauty and variety of arrangement, but she will also show how they are evidences of God’s goodness and love as well as proofs of His infinite wisdom and power. The parish church is another source of joy to the child: its majestic appearance, its length and width and height on the outside, and on the inside its altars and their ornamentation, its pews and pictures and statues, its pulpit and confessionals. Gradually, the mother should teach the child the purpose and meaning of them all, so that it may learn to appreciate them as the means by which the salvation of mankind is affected. The feasts of the Church should give the mother opportunities for explanations and stories from the life of Christ in order to instill a greater love of Christ into the heart of her child; when occasion offers she will also narrate stories from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that the child’s affection for our heavenly Mother may constantly grow and confidence in her tender mercy may increase. Again and again she will tell of the lives of different saints, of their zeal for their own salvation as well as for the salvation of the souls of others and of their love of God and His glory. All that was ever learned in Catechism or Bible History, in sermons or conference, in the Lives of the Saints or some other spiritual book, the Christian mother will impart to her little ones in such simple words that even the youngest may understand. Her efforts will surely be blessed by God and she will enjoy not only the pleasure of gladdening the hearts of her children by her story-telling but will also be rewarded by the earnest endeavors with which her children will try to imitate the virtues of Jesus and Mary and of the saints.

Folk dancing - wholesome entertainment

Another species of joy is derived from home-life and the intimate associations of the family-members. Home, sweet home! Oh, that every home were so sweet and inviting, so pleasant and cheery, that neither father nor children would ever desire to be anywhere else but with and around mother! In such a home every say is the herald of new joys, and certain occasions such as the nameday or birthday of father, mother, brother, or sister and the anniversary of some joyous, important event, are celebrated in a festive manner with some innocent amusements and recreation and sincere testimonies of mutual affection.

In this manner the children will be protected against the deceitful allurements of carnal and worldly pleasures which alas! are only too often the death of purity and innocence. Would to God that every mother at least realized her responsibility in this matter! It may be safely affirmed that the loss of the sense of shame and modesty, so noticeable among the youth of the present generation, is primarily due to the indifference of mothers in observing proper precautions in bathing, dressing and bedding her little ones. Other causes are frequently assigned such as the prevailing fashions of the day, the promiscuous gatherings of young people in dancehalls and amusement places and the modern dances themselves, but all these should be considered as contributing causes merely, since the seed of immodesty and shamelessness was sowed earlier in life.

I can only indicate the sowing of this seed by telling what a mother should not do. A Christian mother will never bathe a child while other children are looking on, nor will she bathe them together at the same time. She will never strip them entirely to change their underwear in the presence of others; she will always have separate rooms and beds for her boys and girls. She will earnestly reprimand even the least breach against modesty and, if repeated, she should severely punish the offender. True, the little one may not understand the indecency of its act, but it is important to impress upon it the gravity of the fault by the infliction of some punishment so that it may not in later life fall into sins which, more that all others, are the cause of eternal damnation. The girls in particular, should be trained in Christian modesty, which includes also decency in dress. Fashions change with the times, so that sooner or later we may expect some improvement in present-day styles; but a mother who today dresses her girls in fashionable décolleté and sleeveless undress, is surely not preventing the violation of the sense of modesty, and is, indeed, contributing to the moral laxity of her daughters.

As the children grow older, the vigilance of parents must become more alert, so that the boys and girls may not become victims of vicious companions who are ever ready to initiate the innocent into the clandestine and sinful methods of sex gratification. As soon as parents observe in their boys and girls a curiosity regarding sex, it would be highly imprudent to conceal from them the desired sex-knowledge, because they will not content themselves with evasions, and the danger is lest they obtain that knowledge in a crude and sinful way. Tell them briefly and frankly what they desire to know, and at the same time warn them against speaking on such subjects with outsiders and encourage them to seek all sex-information from you only-the girls from mother and the boys from father. But also, according to the age of the children, admonish them to preserve their mind[s] and heart[s] pure and chaste through an earnest devotion to the immaculate Blessed Virgin, who is ever ready to help and protect us in all unprovoked dangers and temptations.

To be continued . . .

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