I hope your family are having a lovely Christmas (remember, it is still going on!). As we are on the cusp of 2023, I wanted to share a few thoughts –
Please add Pope Benedict XVI (d. 12/31/22) to your family’s prayers.
Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord and may perpetual light shine on him and all the souls of the faithfully departed. Amen
This year is a celebration the 150th Anniversary of the birth of our patroness, St. Therese of Lisieux on Jan. 2, 2023! How exciting it is that we are celebrating our 25th year during this momentous year! There are so many sites with mention of this, so just do a quick google and you will find something. The Little Flower Basilica (Texas) has a youtube channel and might live-stream their Mass, scheduled 1/2/23 at 6pm (https://www.youtube.com/@LittleFlowerBasilica)
Did you hear about the call for a 9 year (yes, 9 years!) novena for France? Perhaps as a gift to St. Therese we might join in this momentous novena for her homeland.
With Joan of Arc as one of our favorite Little Flower saints, perhaps you and your family want to become soldiers for the freedom of France as she did and join in this effort.
Finally, might you and your children benefit from having an extra patron saint? My family has the New Year’s Eve tradition of heading over to Jen Fulwiler’s Saint Generator and getting a “new” patron for the new year. We’ve met some saints we’ve never known or not known well along with some inspiration to explore the virtues our ‘new’ saint has demonstrated and more!
https://saintsnamegenerator.com/
You will also see her “word generator” if you want some extra inspiration (I’ve gotten patience more than once!).
Finally, we hope your new year starts well and are praying it is full of joy and blessings!
