The World's First Christmas Present

Baby Jesus In A Box

This year I had the idea (I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere so someone else actually had the idea, but I just remembered it this year) to wrap our baby Jesus from our Nativity scene in a box, in pretty wrapping paper, with a bow, and have the youngest child open that present first. We usually just process around the house with the figure singing "Happy Birthday", but this year the kids were shocked that I was actually forcing them to open a present first. They were happy to discover that it was the baby Jesus. Anyway, they opened this present first, because Christ was the world's first Christmas gift, given by the Creator, Himself. I think the symbolism will help to keep it a little more clear in their minds why we give gifts at Christmas time. Next year, I'll wrap the "present" and put it out on the first Suday of Advent, so that they'll see it all through Advent, anticipating Christmas morning when they can open it again.

Schamelot Christmas Cookies and Candies

In the seventeen years of our marriage I've accumulated a few Christmas cookie/candy recipes. I use these as part of my analogy for how tradition in the Church develops. I'll share that another day. Today I'll just share the list of cookies and candies. Maybe I'll share the recipes one day, too!


Chocolate Pepper Linzer "Oreos"

Noel Nut Balls

Jam Thumbprints

Mocha Almond Biscotti

Stained Glass Tri-Citrus Sugar Cookies

Buckeye Balls

Elves' Buttons

Homemade Marshmallows

English Toffee (Brickle)

Shortbread

Gingerbread

Peppermint Bark

True Love...

Yesterday I headed down the driveway for an afternoon walk and 4 y.o. McG came running after me. I slowed to allow him to catch up and he skipped along side me a few steps. "I don't like walking," he said.

"You don't! Then why are you coming with me?"

"Well," he thought aloud, "because...I like...being with you!"

James Taylor lyrics filled my head, "How sweet it is to be loved by you..."

I think today I might have to play Cowboys and Indians...

12-year-old bests Marine in contest

This is old news, but I wanted to preserve it here in our on-line scrapbook...
We're still very proud of this one!


Neighbors column by JOHN P. CLEARY
Star-Gazette.COM Local News

Each year, the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Va., holds an annual military expo that features a push-up contest.

There are no age divisions, and the contest is open to everyone. This year, John Michael B. Schamel, 12, the son of Waverly graduate John B. Schamel and Robynn Schamel and grandson of Jack and Sally Schamel of Chemung, decided he'd give it a try.

Everyone knows a Marine can do push-ups. This year, a Marine corporal entered in the contest did 236 of them. That's a lot of push-ups. But he didn't even come close to John Michael.

The Stafford, Va., resident did 350 push-ups to easily defeat the Marine and the rest of the competition.

"He could have done more," said his grandfather. "They asked him why he stopped, and he said that everyone was stopping to look at him, and he figured (the organizers) would want them to do something else."

John Michael's prize was three backpacks with built-in canteens. You cans trap one to your back and hit the trail without stopping for a water break--just pull out the build-in hose and drink as you go.

Jack said John Michael thinks the backpacks are nice, but he'd rather have had last year's prize, a new bicycle.

So Cool! I love statistics!

This is from Human Life International. I've always loved statistics. I wish I could see the exact process by which they came up with all these numbers. It's terrible, but what an impact this could have--like my new idea for a bumper sticker:

"The average Muslim woman has 8 children, the average Christian woman, 1.6. Think about it."


How Many Heisman Winners Has Abortion Killed?

The sports world recently greeted the news that this year's Heisman Trophy Winner, Tim Tebow from the University of Florida, was almost a casualty of abortion. Twenty-some years ago he was not the strapping 6'3", 235 lb. beloved sports hero that he is today. At that time he was a one-inch-long unborn child whose existence, because of an amoebic infection, was defined as threat to his mother's health. Pam Tebow, his mother, was told by a doctor that it would be in her best interests to abort this baby, and she refused. Her husband backed her up on that generous decision, and seven months later they gave birth to a perfectly healthy boy. Little did they know that twenty years later they would be standing on a national stage with a Heisman Trophy winner giving that magnificent witness to life. The world thanks you, Mr. and Mrs. Tebow! There cannot be a more touching Advent story than this.
I wonder if anyone has ever asked how many potential Heisman Trophy winners abortion has actually killed. The answer is, twelve. Reflect on that a bit as you read further because there is a larger lesson in the Tebows' witness.
Dr. Brian Clowes, HLI researcher, has examined the data from the 2007 Statistical Abstract of the United States (most recent census data) and extrapolated the numbers of the various professions and categories of Americans who have been eliminated in the wake of nearly 49 million legalized abortions, one third of all Americans conceived since 1973. The following numbers are based on the actual government estimates of the professions represented in America. So then, who have we lost to abortion?

2 US Presidents
7 Supreme Court Justices
102 US Senators and 589 Congressmen
8,123 Federal, district and local court judges
31 Nobel Prize laureates
328 Olympic medalists including 123 Gold medalists
6,092 professional athletes
134,841 physicians and surgeons
392,500 registered nurses
70,669 priests, ministers, rabbis and imams including
6,852 priests and 11,010 nuns (vocations "shortage"?)
1,102,443 teachers (K-12)
553,821 truck drivers
224,518 maids and housekeepers
336,939 janitors
134,028 farmers and ranchers
109,984 police officers and sheriff's deputies
39,477 firefighters
17,221 barbers, and
24,450,000... women (the gender of roughly half of all children aborted).

These numbers of course are only the tip of the iceberg. Keep in mind that we get our statistics about abortion from the abortion industry itself which has a vested interest in under-reporting the numbers. Likewise, these categories are only a few of the professions that Americans actually work in and are by no means a full portrayal of the total American workforce. What they represent, however, is the immense human toll that abortion takes on a society. Abortion-promoters present abortion as an exclusively private choice, but thirty-five years of abortion exposes the perniciousness of that lie. There is a social toll that comes from abortion which cannot easily be corrected.
For three and a half decades the feminists have reveled in a misleading "freedom to choose," and on the basis of that false "right" have eliminated their children and done immense damage to the family as the basic unit of society. Those who respect these sacred realities, on the other hand, have their wives and husbands to grow old with, their children to enjoy and their grandkids to play with and spoil. The love of life, marriage and family never leaves its adherents penniless, lonely or abandoned, and every now and then God throws in a Heisman Trophy just to show the rest of us that it's all worth it.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,


Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

My dear friend, Ruth, has celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe as long as I've known her. Many times she's invited us to celebrate with her. This year was one of those times, but we decided to celebrate in the evening at home with Daddy, too, with one of my favorite Mexican dinners: Carnitas, Chiles Rellenos, Mexican Rice and Mexican Fruit Cake!

My husband's sister is married to a man of Hispanic descent from Brownsville, Texas, and since the union we've acquired some really great Mexican recipes. This is my sister-in-law's recipe (I think from her mother-in-law) for Carnitas and Chiles Rellenos:

Carnitas:

Rub minced garlic over pork shoulder.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover with salsa verde and large chopped onion.
Cover with foil and bake at 300° for 4 1/2 hours.
Remove and cool, then skim off the fat and shred meat, removing bones.
Return to pan with juices.
Bake, uncovered, for 1/2 hour more until crisp.
Turn with spoon and cook 20 minutes more.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, avocado, lime and sour cream.

Chiles Rellenos:

Cut Poblano Chiles in half and remove seeds, trying to keep the stem for a "handle."
Stuff peppers with refried beans and queso blanco.
Sprinkle with more cheese on top.
Bake at 350° until skin is bubbly.

Mexican Rice:

Saute 3 cups of long grain white rice in 3 tablespoons of oil, until about half the grains are starting to brown. Add chopped garlic and onion to taste, about 6 cloves of garlic and 2 onions. Saute a few minutes more. Add 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice and 5 cups chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low for another 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Mexican Fruit Cake:

Mexican Fruit Cake

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 c. pecans, chopped
1/3 c. oil
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Stir by hand until completely mixed. Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan or dish. Bake 40 to 45 minutes in metal pan; 30 to 35 minutes in glass baking dish.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 c. confectioners sugar
1 stick oleo
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together. Ice when cake is cool.

We sprinkled chopped nuts and coconut over the icing to make it look a little more festive.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Conversion of the Americas and of the World:

O Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, who as Our Lady of Guadalupe didst aid in the conversion of Mexico from paganism in a most miraculous way, we now beseech thee to bring about in these our times, the early conversion of our modern world from its present neo-paganism to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of thy divine Son, Jesus Christ, starting in the Americas, and extending throughout the entire world, so that soon there may be truly “one fold and one shepherd,” with all governments recognizing the reign of thy Son, Jesus Christ the King. This we ask of the Eternal Father, through Jesus Christ His Son Our Lord and by thy powerful intercession -- all for the salvation of souls, the triumph of the Church and peace in the world. Amen.



Happy Feast Day!

The Catholic Tradition of St. Nicholas

Let's just get right to the point. Santa Claus, the jolly old elf, is a distortion of St. Nicholas, Catholic Bishop of Myra, by folks who didn't/don't believe in honoring or asking for the intercession of the saints. So why are my Catholic children still getting presents from Santa under the Christmas trees on Christmas morning? Well, it's just cultural, I guess. But I've had it with my Catholic heritage taking a back seat to the un-Catholic culture we live in! Why, it's not even Christian, anymore. It's getting to be just plain godless. Am I going to continue to go with the flow when the populace votes to change the name Christmas, which might offend Jews, Muslims, Wiccans, etc. to Giftsmas? NEVER! So this year I've decided to reclaim a few more Catholic traditions (just like we've done by raising our family in the Traditional Latin Mass) and St. Nicholas is doing his thing on his feast day, instead of on Christmas Eve like the rest of the nation.

We've said our prayers and asked him if he could please bring his simple little gifts on the night of December 5th, instead of sometime around 3 a.m., after midnight Mass, on December 25th. (We believe in St. Nicholas just like we believe in St. Anthony, and we pray to him this time of year. It's as much through his intercession that our children receive presents as it's through St. Anthony's intercession that I find my lost keys after asking for his help.) I don't think he'll have a problem with it at all, since he only has to make the long trip once, and he doesn't have to be out so late, waiting for all the children to get in bed after midnight Mass.

All we need to do is put out the stockings before going to bed December 5th, and during the night he'll fill them with Clementines, nuts, maybe a little chocolate, and a present.

We're even going to prepare a feast in his honor that day. Since he really was Greek (Myra was a Greek town during the time in which he lived), we're having Moussaka, a Greek salad with oranges (one of his symbols is gold balls or coins), and Baklava for dessert. (I've included the recipes at the end of this post.)

I don't really have a problem with gift giving, so long as it's in the proper context. I can give you a gift any day of the year, just because I love you. I was out and I saw something I thought you'd like, or something you needed, and I got it for you, no strings attached. The problem this time of year is that we feel obligated to give gifts and so we find ourselves buying just stuff to stick under the tree that really may have very little significance to us or to the one we're giving it to. We run out and buy the first thing someone says he wants, before someone else can get it, because we just want to have something to give, and don't want to take too long thinking about it. At least that's the trap I've encountered frequently in the past. Well, I'd really rather have nothing than have someone spending money on just another piece of junk for me to donate to the Goodwill after 9months.

The Christian tradition of gift giving began with the birth of Christ, when the three Magi traveled hundreds of miles to bring to the Christ Child the most precious gifts available to them: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

While I don't deny that this tradition has been grossly distorted in our overly commercialized and materialistic culture, I think to go to the opposite extreme may be as great a loss to the Christian tradition as was incurred by the Church when the late pope dispensed with wearing the Papal Tiara!

But some traditions are better able to enrich our lives when their origins are more thoroughly understood. The Magi brought three gifts, one for His Kingship, one for His Divinity and one for His Humanity. St. Nicholas gave gifts to those in need, and La Befana (Italy), or Babushka (Russia), gave three gifts like the Magi. These are the predominant influences in the gift giving tradition we have continued in our family. This is one of my favorite Christmas poems, and sums it up quite nicely...


A Legend from Russia


Babushka, the Grandmother, snug in her room,
Sat nodding and nodding over her loom,

Sat suppered and snug with no desire
But a welcoming bed and an ample fire

When out of the winter’s rush and roar
Came shepherds knocking upon her door,

“Grandmother, Grandmother, old and wise,
In Bethlehem’s barn a princeling lies;

“Lies Mother and Child where oxen feed.
Hurry, Babushka, to nurse their need.”

Babushka listened, but made no stir.
She thought of the sheets turned down for her,

Of shutters latched and the larder dressed
And her bones that ached for rest.

“Tomorrow,” she muttered. “Wait till then.”
But sternly the shepherds knocked again.

“Grandmother, Grandmother, rich and skilled,
Then send but a kindly basket filled

“With comforting gifts, with meat or bread,
And we will carry it in your stead.”

Babushka listened, nodding anew.
“Tomorrow,” she murmured, “Tomorrow will do.

“I’ll bring the best from my cupboard’s store,
Tomorrow.”
The shepherds knocked no more.

Babushka slept though her dreams were troubled.
At dawn while the porridge bubbled,

She packed a basket brimming with sweet
Loaves and oranges, cakes and meat,

A shawl for the Lady, soft as June,
For the Child in the Crib a silver spoon,

Rattles and toys an ivory game,
But the Stable was empty when she came.

So now with provender weighted down
She wanders the world from town to town

At Christmas time, though the winds are shrill,
Through brier and brush, over heath and hill,
Seeking the Manger still.

And wheresoever a good child sleeps,
Dreaming of day, Babushka creeps

Silently, hopefully, up the stair
And leaves three gifts from her basket there—

One to marvel at, one to enjoy,
And one for the kingly Boy.

This is why St. Nicholas gives gifts to good children, those who behave as the Christ Child did. We also have never felt conscience pangs at telling the children that St. Nicholas (we stuck with him rather than one of the other Christmas visitors for cultural reasons) brings the presents, since it is as much through his influence and intercession that our children receive gifts at Christmas time, as it is through the intercession of St. Anthony that we find lost objects after praying to him.

Anyway, if you stop to think about it, there are lots of "things" we need that don't necessarily cost any money at all, or at least they're not things you can buy from a catalog, or off a store shelf. Tickets to the Symphony, or a season pass to a theme park; a coupon for a dinner date (with an individual child), or a trip to the Art Gallery or the Zoo. Take lots of pictures, keep souvenir ticket stubs, corks, menus, etc. and make a scrapbook page or just keep them in a box to remember the day by.

Of course, there are times when you really do think of the perfect gift and you have to brave the traffic and crowds to get it. There's nothing wrong with that. The point is, think outside the box and don't be afraid to do something a little different, even if it's different for each child--as long as it's "perfect" for each child.

I'm sort of rambling now. Not real sure where all these ideas are leading me. Just know that there's a huge difference between "Giftsmas" and "Christmas with gifts." I guess I just haven't quite figured out how to say it...


Here are the recipes I mentioned!

Moussaka

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggplants, peeled and cut
lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick
slices
salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound lean ground beef
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups freshly grated
Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups hot milk
salt to taste
ground white pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Greek Lettuce, Herb and Orange Salad

Ingredients:

1 small head Romaine lettuce, cut into ½-inch strips
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, stalks removed
6 large radishes, trimmed, halved and sliced
1 naval orange, skin and pith removed, flesh cut into a one-inch dice
1/2 cup snipped fresh dill
12 Moroccan olives, pitted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs sherry vinegar
½ tsp crushed fennel seed
½ tsp rose peppercorns
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Instructions:

Wash and spin-dry the lettuce. Cut the fennel in half lengthwise then cut each half horizontally into thin slices. Combine the lettuce, fennel, radishes, orange bits, dill and olives in a serving bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, fennel seed, peppercorns, salt and black pepper. Pour over the salad, toss and serve.

Baklava

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo
dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

We Got Elfed!

Elf Yourself!
This was sent to me by a friend. It's easy to make your own! The kids got the biggest kick out of it.
Have Fun!

(This one's of the girls)

The Eighth Wonder of Our World!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Making Sense of Suffering, a 4 year old's perspective

The other evening my sister-in-law went out to the wood pile with a few of the kids to bring up wood for the woodstove. (We don't use the heat pump in the winter time--the woodstove can make the living room feel like the pits of hell!) Our youngest son wasn't feeling overly motivated and my sister-in-law said, "McGregor, don't you want to get strong like Daddy? Carrying logs makes you strong." So he picked out a formidable oak log, weighing at least as much as he does and began struggling to lift it up onto the quad. He said, "I'm glad God made this log so heavy so I can get REALLY strong."

If only I could remember to say the same about my crosses... God does speak through our children, doesn't He?

Happy Parenting!

Once in a lifetime!

Last week a friend of mine, Bill C., came down to get one of our puppies (they're Schamelot Shepherds--German and Australian Shepherd mix). He brought his mother and father to help him pick. One of the kids noticed this huge diamond and ruby ring on Bill's father's hand and asked about it. "That's a Super Bowl Ring," he replied.







Seems Bill's dad, DOCTOR C. was the doctor for the Redskins during Super Bowl XXII, 1987: Redskins 42, Broncos 10. (Joe Theisman broke his leg in 1985 against the Giants when Lawrence Taylor jumped on it. It was the first home game his father covered.)






The kind doctor took off his ring and let all the boys try it on.














































How many people do you know who have ever worn a Super Bowl Ring? Including the good doctor, I know 5!

Marian Ireland is One Month Old!

What an absolute joy to have a little baby in the house again! I wish she would never grow up. This first month has gone by so fast I could cry. I only wish I'd treasured every moment with all my other children as much as I have with Marian Ireland.

Oh the different choices I would make if I had it to do all over again!

More from our little St. Teresa d'Avila...

"The priest is married to the Church. That's why he kisses the altar every time he says Mass!"

She's about to make her First Holy Communion. We've covered the basic catechism questions (for her age) and I know she's paying attention at Mass. I think she'll be teaching me catechism before long.

Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Baptism of Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse

The Rite of Baptism


Part I

Outside the Church












The priest (wearing a violet stole), sponsors, and the catechumen stand in the narthex of the church, symbolizing that at this point, the candidate is not a member of the Church.

The Questioning

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, what do you ask of the Church of God?
Sponsor/Catechumen: Faith.
Priest: What does Faith offer you?
Sponsor/Catechumen: Life everlasting.
Priest: If then you desire to enter into life, keep the commandments. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.'

The Exsufflation

The priest then breathes 3 times on the candidate in the form of a Cross, recalling the Spirit (breath, wind, "ruach") of God.
Priest: Go forth from her, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

The Sign of the Cross













The priest now makes the Sign of the Cross with his thumb on the candidate's forehead and breast.

Priest: Receive the Sign of the Cross both upon your forehead + and also upon your heart +; take to you the faith of the heavenly precepts; and so order your life as to be, from henceforth, the temple of God.
Priest: Let us pray: Mercifully hear our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and by Thy perpetual assistance keep this Thine elect, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, signed with the sign of the Lord's cross, so that, preserving this first experience of the greatness of Thy glory, she may deserve, by keeping Thy commandments, to attain to the glory of regeneration. Through Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

The Imposition of Hands












The priest places his hands on the candidate's head.

Priest: Let us pray: Almighty, everlasting God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, look graciously down upon this Thy servant, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, whom Thou hast graciously called unto the beginnings of the faith; drive out from her all blindness of heart; break all the toils of Satan wherewith she was held: open unto him her, O Lord, the gate of Thy loving kindness, that, being impressed with the sign of Thy wisdom, she may be free from the foulness of all wicked desires, and in the sweet odor of Thy precepts may joyfully serve Thee in Thy Church, and grow in grace from day to day. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

The Imposition of Salt



Now the priest puts a little blessed salt in the candidate's mouth. Salt is the symbol of that wisdom which gives a relish for the sweetness of divine nourishment; preserves, by the teaching of the Gospel, from the corruption of sin, and prevents evil passions from growing in men's souls. Adult catechumens might be signed on the brow, ears, eyes, nostrils, mouth, breast, and between the shoulders before the imposition of salt. If this procedure is followed, afterwards the candidate will kneel, recite the Our Father several times, and a Cross is made on his forehead, first by the sponsor and then by the priest.

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, Receive the salt of wisdom; let it be to thee a token of mercy unto everlasting life. May it make your way easy to eternal life.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.
Priest: Peace be with you.
Sponsor/Catechumen: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us pray: O God of our fathers, O God the Author of all truth, vouchsafe, we humbly beseech Thee, to look graciously down upon this Thy servant, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, and as she tastes this first nutriment of salt, suffer her no longer to hunger for want of heavenly food, to the end that she may be always fervent in spirit, rejoicing in hope, always serving Thy name. Lead her O Lord, we beseech Thee, to the laver of the new regeneration, that, together with Thy faithful, he may deserve to attain the everlasting rewards of Thy promises. Through Christ our Lord.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

Part II: Admission into the Church Building

The Exorcism

The priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the candidate three times and says:

Priest: I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Ghost, that thou goest out and depart from this servant of God, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse For He commands Thee, accursed one, Who walked upon the sea, and stretched out His right hand to Peter about to sink. Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge thy sentence, and give honor to the living and true God: give honor to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Spirit; and depart from this servant of God, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse because God and our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call her to His holy grace and benediction and to the font of Baptism.

The Sign of the Cross



The priest again makes the Sign of the Cross on the candidate's forehead

Priest: And this sign of the holy Cross, which we make upon her forehead, do thou, accursed devil, never dare to violate.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

The Imposition of Hands

For the final time, the priest lays his hand on the candidate's head

Priest: Let us pray: O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Author of light and truth, I implore Thine everlasting and most just goodness upon this Thy servant N., that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten her with the light of Thy wisdom: cleanse her and sanctify her, give unto her true knowledge; that, being made worthy of the grace of Thy Baptism, she may hold firm hope, right counsel and holy doctrine.

Priest:Through Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

Admission into the Church Building

The priest lays the end of his stole on the candidate as a symbol of his priestly authority, and admits him into the church building, which is the symbol of the Church of Christ. If the catechumen is an adult and was annointed in Part I above, he may be asked to lie prostrate before the Altar in adoration of Christ before this next step.

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, enter thou into the temple of God, that thou mayest have part with Christ unto life everlasting.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

The Credo and Pater

Sponsor/Catechumen: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence shall He come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Sponsor/Catechumen: 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 them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Part III

In the Nave of the Church

The Solemn Exorcism

Priest: I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of God the Father + Almighty, in the name of Jesus + Christ, His Son, our Lord and Judge, and in the power of the Holy + Spirit, that thou be depart from this creature of God N, which our Lord hath deigned to call unto His holy temple, that it may be made the temple of the living God, and that the Holy Spirit may dwell therein. Through the same Christ our Lord, who shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire.

The Ephpheta

The priest takes a little spittle and touches the ears and nostrils of the candidate with it. For health reasons, the use of spittle may be omitted. This rite comes from Mark 7:33-35, when Jesus healed the deaf-mute: "And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears: and spitting, he touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he groaned and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened. And immediately his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosed and he spoke right."

Priest: Ephpheta, that is to say, Be opened, for an odour of sweetness. Be thou, devil, begone; for the judgement of God shall draw near.

The Renunciation of Satan

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, do you renounce Satan?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.
Priest: And all of his works?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.
Priest: And all his pomps?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.

The Annointing

The priest annoints the candidate with the oil of catechumens on the heart and between the shoulders in the form of a Cross, saying:

Priest: I annoint you + with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, that you may have everlasting life.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

Part IV

At the Font

The priest removes his violet stole and puts on a white one.

The Profession of Faith

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.
Priest: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, Who was born and Who suffered?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.
Priest: Do you believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.

Baptism (Matter and Form of the Sacrament)



If the one to be baptized is a baby, the godparents take him to the font (the godmother holds him in her arms, the godfather touches the baby's shoulder with his right hand); if he is an adult, the sponsor puts his right hand on the shoulder of the one to be baptized.

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, will you be baptized?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I will.

The priest pours water over the head of the candidate three times, once after each mention of the Divine Persons. The water he uses will have been consecrated during the Easter Vigil or on the Eve of the Pentecost. As he pours the water, the priest says these words (or the words of a conditional Baptism):

Priest: I baptize you in the name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy + Ghost.

The Annointing with Chrism

Priest: May the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath regenerated thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and who hath given thee the remission of all thy sins, may He Himself + anoint thee with the Chrism of Salvation, in the same Christ Jesus our Lord, unto life eternal.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.
Priest: Peace be with you.
Sponsor/Catechumen: And with your spirit.

The White Linen Cloth

This priest takes a white linen cloth -- symbolizing the purity of a soul cleansed from all sin, and a relic of the days when the newly baptized wore white albs for 8 days -- and places it on the head of the candidate.

Priest: Receive this white garment, which mayest thou carry without stain before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have life everlasting.



The Lighted Candle

The priest gives the candidate or the sponsor a lighted candle.

Priest: Receive this burning light, and keep thy Baptism so as to be without blame: keep the commandments of God, that when the Lord shall come to the nuptials, thou mayest meet Him together with all the Saints in the heavenly court, and mayest have eternal life and live for ever and ever.















Last Words of Good Will

Priest: Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse, go in peace and the Lord be with you. Amen.















The Proud Happy Family















The Proud Happy Godparents















It was a beautiful, sober occasion, full of joy and wonder at the many miracles that suround us.
We can't wait to do it again!

In Sanguine Christi,

An October Birthday!

On October 6, at 9:54 p.m. Schamelot was blessed with its newest inhabitant, weighing in at 10 lbs. 2 oz. After two days of grueling deliberations, we have finally decided on a name...



We proudly present our little maid, Marian Ireland Kathryn Thérèse





Thanks be to God and St. Thérèse for her safe arrival!

Altar Boy Training Video

Sancta Missa has recently uploaded an Altar Boy Training Video that is awesome!

In Sanguine Christi,

A Year With The Saints

"The soul that perseveres in the exercise of prayer, however many sins, temptations and falls of a thousand kinds the devil may oppose to it, may hold it for certain, after all, that the Lord will sooner or later rescue it from danger and guide it into the harbor of salvation."--St. Teresa

A Year With The Saints

"Souls that have no habit of prayer are like a lame and paralytic body, which, though it has hands and feet, cannot use them. Therefore, to abandon prayer seems to me the same thing as to lose the straight road; for as prayer is the gate through which all the graces of God come to us, when this is closed, I do not know how we can have any."--St. Teresa

A Year With The Saints

"Prayer well made gives much pleasure to the angels, and therefore it is much assisted by them; it gives great displeasure to the devils, and therefore is much persecuted and disturbed by them."--St. John Chrysostom

A 16 year old boy's perspective...

I just have to share this story...

Last week we went to a presentation that our new priest gave on the Traditional Mass.

He intends to start offering it the evening of September 14.

Anyway, my girls wore their skirts, as they always do now in public, and several of the other girls were in their lovely skirts, too.

A few of the girls were not, however, but noticed the different attire.

They asked if they were supposed to wear skirts, to which one of the boys,

a 16 year old Legion of Mary member, replied,

"They're wearing skirts because they want to look pretty."

Enough said?