When I first became Catholic I didn't understand all that it meant, and I still wasn't sure about the saints and Mary. Not that I didn't think they were important in some way, but I didn't quite understand their roles. Somewhere in my late teens, after I was in college, I started to delve deeper into the study of Catholicism and tried to really understand and own it for myself. Once I did, I discovered the gift and beauty of the saints... people who have gone before us and lived life with all the struggles that we do (and often more), yet they loved God above all else and strove with their whole being to serve Him in this life. They can help to teach us how to love and serve God better in our own lives. They can pray for us from Heaven. They are our friends and confidants....those people we look up to because we can see through their lives that they have a wisdom and understanding that we want to gain.
St. Therese of Lisieux was the first among these holy men and women that touched my heart. She was the first saint that I felt I could understand and relate to. She was simple. And I often felt (and still feel) simple in the way that I know, love, and serve God. Her love for God was great, but she wasn't a master scholar and she was able to teach me about God and loving Him in a way that I understood. My love for her and all that she taught me (and still teaches me) about loving God was so strong that I took a pilgrimage to her home in Lisieux, France, bought a medal of her and had it blessed by Pope John Paul II (now Saint John Paul II), and said that I would name my first born daughter (if I were to be blessed with one) after her.
And here I am, more than 18 years later celebrating this beautiful woman and my daughter (Abigail Therese). I still have the medal (which I wear regularly), and my daughter doesn't know it, but I will be presenting it to her on her First Holy Communion this May. It will be emotional as that medal has been so near and dear to me, but I know she will treasure it as much as I have, and I pray that her love for St. Therese and for Our Lord will grow as she grows.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, since today is the feast of St. Therese (and we Catholics love a good celebration) and Abigail has her as a namesake, we celebrate much like we would a birthday. We want to honor the Saint for whom we have named our child and make our children realize just how important a gift our faith and the saints are. On these feasts we like to make the celebration symbolic (another Catholic thing....we are all about symbols and making things more tangible). So, for the past 9 days leading up to the feast we have been offering special prayers (called a novena) asking St. Therese to pray to Our Lord for Abigail and any other special intention we may have at this time. Then today, it culminates with going to Mass and eating something special that is somehow related to that saint's life.
My sweet girl is a sucker for a fancy tea party. So I surprised her this year and went all out. Here is our celebration in pictures.
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| My little beauty amidst the spread |
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| "heavenly clouds" cupcakes The icing on these carrot cake cupcakes (Abby's favorite) was perfect. It was like a gift from above finding them at the grocery store. |
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| "flower finger sandwiches" I thought (incorrectly) that I had a flower cookie cutter. When I realized I did not, I used a knife and did my best. We only got 3 actual flowers....the rest are just scraps. (reality....but now I know what I need to order for next year) |
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| "rose cookies" We have been buying these cookies for several years now (Pepperidge Farm thumbprint cookies). The design on the outer rim coupled with the jelly filling is a cute and easy way to do flower cookies. |
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| "Jesus kisses" Hershey kisses with a quote from St. Therese about how she felt when she received Jesus in her First Holy Communion. |
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| I needed something healthy, so I cut up veggies and added some hummus and ranch dip. Then I referenced the "hard" and"bitter" little sacrifices and crosses St. Therese bore with joy and love for God. I used this as an opportunity to talk about any examples they remembered from any of the stories we have read about her life. |
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| The whole crew! I think what I love most about these feast days is how excited all the kids get to help put together the treats for the person being honored. Everyone pitches in and enjoys serving and doting on whomever's feast day it may be. Abby was sent to the basement with a sibling of her choosing and the rest of us worked hard to get everything set for her. The older boys came up with making the name placards all themselves, saying, "Abby loves things extra fancy. Let's make name cards for everyone's places." They even used fancy handwriting and the scalloped-edged scissors. No detail was spared. <3
There you have it....how our family celebrates the feast of St. Therese and tries to live the liturgical year. Maybe this can inspire you in your own celebrations. Thanks for stopping by!
St. Therese of Lisieux, Pray for us!!!
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