Novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux

For the next 9 days I will be posting the Novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux.

Just keep an eye out for roses!
St. Therese the Little Flower

St. Therese is also known as the Little Flower. This is because those who receive miracles by her... intercession are often given roses or flowers as a sign. She is sometimes called St. Therese of the child Jesus as well. Although she goes by several names, she is just one great saint!

Day 1 - St. Therese Novena
Dearest Saint Therese of Lisieux, you said that you would spend your time in heaven doing good on earth.

Your trust in God was complete. Pray that He may increase my trust in His goodness and mercy as I ask for the following petitions…

(State your intentions)

Pray for me that I, like you, may have great and innocent confidence in the loving promises of our God. Pray that I may live my life in union with God’s plan for me, and one day see the Face of God whom you loved so deeply.

Saint Therese, you were faithful to God up until the moment of your death. Pray for me that I may be faithful to our loving God. May my life bring peace and love to the world through faithful endurance in love for God our savior.

Loving God, you blessed St. Therese with a capacity for a great love. Help me to believe in your unconditional love for each of your children, especially for me.

I love you, Lord. Help me to love you more!

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.

Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.
Thank you to our friends at http://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-therese-novena/#comments See More

Lego Rosary the perfect First Holy Communion Gift!

I have been making Lego Rosary for a few years now. They have been such a successful gift for First Communions. I thought I would expand the color choices for customers.

You can find my Lego rosaries at The Recycled Catholic. They are $24.99 plus shipping. Shop early for best color selection!

 

Antique Joan of Arc Holy Card

I thought I would list some of my newer cards I have been listing on my Esty website.
You can purchase her at
https://www.etsy.com/listing/114920098/antique-french-holy-card-joan-of-arc

I just completed this wonderful Joan of Arc holy card. Anything vintage and antique with Joan of Arc is highly prized and difficult to find.

from Wikipedia

Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc,^[2] IPA: [ʒan daʁk]; ca. 1412^[3] – 30 May 1431), nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (French: La Pucelle d'Orléans), is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born a peasant girl in what is now eastern France. Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. She was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon for charges of "insubordination and heterodoxy",^[4] and was burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old.^[5]

Twenty-five years after her execution, an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III examined the trial, pronounced her innocent, and declared her a martyr.^[5] Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 andcanonized in 1920. She is – along with St. Denis, St. Martin of Tours, St. Louis IX, and St. Theresa of Lisieux – one of the patron saints of France. Joan said that she had visions from God that instructed her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence when she overcame the dismissive attitude of veteran commanders and lifted the siege in only nine days. Several additional swift victories led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims.

To the present day, Joan of Arc has remained a significant figure in Western civilization. From Napoleon I onward, French politicians of all leanings have invoked her memory. Famous writers and composers who have created works about her include: William Shakespeare (Henry VI, Part 1), Voltaire (The Maid of Orleans), Friedrich Schiller (The Maid of Orleans), Giuseppe Verdi (Giovanna d'Arco), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Maid of Orleans), Mark Twain (Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc), Arthur Honegger (Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher), Jean Anouilh (L'Alouette), Bertolt Brecht (Saint Joan of the Stockyards), George Bernard Shaw (Saint Joan), Maxwell Anderson (Joan of Lorraine), Leonard Cohen(Joan of Arc), and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Joan of Arc). Cultural depictions of Joan of Archave continued in film, theatre, television, video games, music, and performances.

Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary Day 2 of 33 Matthew 5:48, 6:1-15

Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
Day 2 of 33
Matthew 5:48, 6:1-15

Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect....Take heed that you do not your justice ...before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Casting The Plaster Mold.

                      
                       Today I am going to show you how to cast a plaster mold.

 I purchased this beautiful heavy plastic mold of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Etsy.
 I was thrilled when the mail came and I opened the box. My soul slightly sunk as I inspected the molds construction. Wondering if this can stand up to cement in it's cavity.
 I really wanted to make paved stones of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I thought it would be fun to walk with a Saint in my herb garden. I then decided to try plaster first and see how the mold held up to that abuse.

Here are a few of the things you will need to complete the project:

1- The mold
2- a small recycled bucket of some kind for the water and plaster when you mix it
3- cheap dollar store measuring cup( don't invest a lot of money into this)
4- old heavy spoon either wood or plastic or I used a free paint stir stick
5- the plaster
6- spray oil ( the kind you use to oil your pans for cooking)
7- paper towels ( I like to clean up as I work)

A word on plaster I used a high grade plaster I bought from Hobby Lobby. Don't scrimp on the base product you will pay for it dearly with a broken project afterwards.
I used this product it was only $4.99 and I will get 3 finished molds from this.

Now lets get your mold ready for the plaster! The good stuff.
I used plain old cooking spray or Pam in my mold. It's safe to use, readily available in your home already! No need to buy fancy mold release from the hobby store.

Spray your mold liberally with the cooking spray. Then use a paper towel to blot up the excess. Make sure you have no bubbles these will show up after you cast your mold.

                    Time to make the plaster!!! Are you getting excited?
Get your recycled bowl, spoon, measuring cup, and plaster mix. I also get a bucket of cold water and keep it near by for spills and the water you will need for the project.
Follow the directions on the plaster container.

 It's just like making pancake batter.  I like to keep it simple. Add the plaster in the bowl and add some water. Keep stirring and adding to make the plaster smooth and pancake batter like.
You will notice lumps. Keep stirring until you work those out.  Keep in mind you need to work quickly! The plaster will start setting once you add water. If you stir to long you will notice it firming up. Start pouring in to your mold anytime.

Keep your mold level. I used paper towels on the sides underneath of the mold to keep it from rocking.

Now you wait 30 minutes for the mold to harden. I usually wait longer to really make sure the mold has dried enough not to break. It does take 24 hours for the mold to cure. I suggest you just keep in the mold 12 hours. The bottom mold was kept in the plastic mold 12 hours and it turned out wonderful

You gently turn the mold upside down and work the sides to get the mold out.
I generally panic a bit at this stage! But keep working it!

Here is my finished mold! She turned out wonderful!

                          Hope this helped you in making your own creations.
God Bless, Kim

Antique Religious Postcards Saint Therese and her History.

Have you ever prayed for the soul of a murderer?

Not a topic you would expect is it? I'm not sure I would. For some reason this touched the heart of Saint Therese.

She prayed for weeks for the soul and conversion of this man who preformed a triple murder in Paris, France 1887.

It was so grisly it made international news for weeks during the investigation. Her prayers day and night made the news!

I came across this postcard of Saint Therese praying at her bedside. I got very curious because of the illustrations on the postcard. If you look above you can see God and Jesus with a lightening bolt. The next illustration on the right shows the criminal kissing the cross. I had no idea what this was about until I translated the inscription. After doing some research I came across this article from the news in 1887. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TAN18871022.2.34

The man Pranzini was guillotined , struggling the entire time.

Little Flower was only 14 years old at the time. You never know what you might find in a pile of old postcards.

More of my collection of Saint Therese

I haven't researched this one yet! I wondering what War this is? If you have clues, leave me a comment.