I've added the Agnus Dei (both Latin and English), Apostles Creed, Divine Praises, Memorare, Pater Noster and Sanctus and Benedictus (also in Latin and English).  I hope that you can find them useful in your homeschooling.  If anyone has a request for something special they would like as a printing/handwriting printable please don't hesitate to ask.  We would be more than happy to make it. 

Our gazette for November will be out later this week.

I was just wondering if anyone out there would be interested in a printing/handwriting book of the Baltimore First Communion Catechism?  If you would just leave me your comment below and let me know.  God bless all of you!

O FATHER, guide these faltering steps to-day,
    Lest I should fall!
Tomorrow? Ah, tomorrow's far away,
    Today is all.
If I but keep my feet till evening time,
    Night will bring me rest.
Then stronger grown, tomorrow I shall
    climb,
With newer zest.

Oh, may I stoop to no unworthiness
    In pain or sorrow,
Nor bear from yesterday one bitterness
    On to tomorrow!
Then, Father, help these searching eyes
    today
    The path to see,
Be patient with my feebleness - the way
    Is steep to Thee!
~ Prayers of an Irish Mother, Imprimatur 1934 ~

"Isaac, you do not bear the wood alone, For on your father's heart it weighs like a stone."  
                                            ~ Charles L. O'Donnell, CSC ~

 Below is a lovely article, where I acquired it I don't actually know. May God give us all the grace and wisdom to raise our children to be Saints! 
                           PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST

           Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty.  Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth.  Help me to attain them and possess them forever.  Amen.

  More than a century ago, on April 9th, 1888, Thérèse Martin entered the Carmel of Lisieux where she was to die 9 years later in the odor of sanctity. But we should make no mistake: St. Thérèse did not become a Saint in 9 years. The young girl of 15 who crossed the threshold of Carmel that day had already advanced quite far on the "straight way that leads to Heaven". Her parents were her first "Novice Masters" and their own holiness strongly influenced the future Saint. It is certainly worth noting that both Mr. and Mrs. Martin are candidates for beatification. They have already passed the first step towards canonization by being declared Venerable. Many of the letters written by St. Thérèse's mother are still extant and, besides giving us many details about the Martin family, they form almost a treatise on Catholic education.

Mrs. Martin understood very well that Catholic education means much more than morning and evening prayer, attendance at Mass and sending the children to a good Catholic school. After bestowing natural life, parents must see to it that their children receive also supernatural life through Baptism. And then, they have to foster the development both of the body and of the soul. Mrs. Martin, as a truly Catholic mother, always gave priority to the soul. She considered her children as a sacred trust received from God and never lost sight of this important truth: a child is not a plaything.

If baptism removes original sin, it nevertheless leaves in the soul the four wounds of malice, infirmity, ignorance and concupiscence. Anyone who has been around little children knows that this is no mere theory. Very soon little ones begin to manifest evil tendencies. Too often, parents smile at these childish outbursts of anger, jealousy, stubbornness, pride, etc... which they even consider "cute". No, a child is NEVER CUTE when he is stubborn, proud, etc... Vices are like weeds. If you uproot them as soon as they show up, you will pull the whole thing out without difficulty. But, do not weed your garden for a few weeks... and you will see the result! If children are corrected from their early childhood, the whole task of education will be much easier. Mrs. Martin never showed any weakness. She never allowed stubbornness or childish whims. Writing to her brother about Pauline (the future Mother Agnes of Jesus), she could say: "I have never spoiled her, and LITTLE THOUGH SHE WAS, I never let anything pass unchecked. Without making a martyr of her, I nevertheless made her obey." Children can easily be "fussy" at table. St. Thérèse's parents never gave way on this point. At table, children had to behave themselves and no grumbles at dishes they did not like much were ever tolerated. This may seem trivial matter, and how often parents take the easy way out by just yielding to their children. No one will deny that it is a trying task to train children to eat everything, but it is of much greater importance than it may seem at first sight. In fact, you do not only train your children's eating habits, you also train their will, and they will need a strong will to remain Catholic in our apostate world. In Lent, Mrs. Martin would subject the menu to some restrictions and all the fasts of the Church were scrupulously observed, which is an example all Catholic families should follow. It proves to be a great means of promoting a true spirit of mortification in the children.

You may raise the objection: "What a dull life for children!" Oh, no! The Martin family was happy and cheerful and the five girls were very lively. Mrs. Martin had a real gift for stimulating the generosity of her children. She always used supernatural motives to persuade them to fulfill their duties: a sinner to convert, to console Our Lord, etc... In a letter, she reports that her eldest daughter, Marie, valiantly faced the dentist – remember, they did not put your mouth to sleep in those days! – to obtain graces for her grandfather who had died recently. Marie was only 9 years old then, and she even felt sorry when the dentist did not pull out her tooth. "It is a pity", she exclaimed, "Grandpa would have left Purgatory!" Later on, when her eldest daughters had reached their teens, Mrs. Martin knew how to let them talk freely with her. She deemed it very important that her girls could express their mind fully so that, with much tact and kindness, she could rectify her daughters' judgment and teach them how to look at everything from the standpoint of Faith. The best praise of her "educational system" was given her by her own daughters at the process of beatification of St. Thérèse: "We were not spoiled. Our mother watched very carefully over her children's souls, and not the smallest fault ever went unreproved. Her training was kind and loving, but attentive and thorough."

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is probably the only Saint about whose childhood we have so many details. In the first four and a half years of St. Thérèse's life, Mrs. Martin wrote over 120 letters, mainly to her brother and to her daughter Pauline. These letters are an invaluable source of information. They reveal to us the dawn of sanctity in a soul as well as the important part played by the parents in the formation of a Saint. In spite of all her good qualities, St. Thérèse was not born a Saint. Like the rest of us, she had been wounded by original sin and if her defects were small, they were nevertheless real. there is, for instance, the delightful incident of the two sugar rings, a treasure for a little girl. St. Thérèse, who had a heart of gold, resolved to give one of the rings to her sister Celine. Alas, on the way home she lost one of the precious rings. What was she to do? Should she give the only ring left to Celine or keep it for herself? The shrewd little girl soon found the solution to this dilemma and declared that, unfortunately, it was Celine's ring that got lost! And the Saint comments: "See, how from childhood we instinctively safeguard our own interests!" And who will not see the "daughter of Eve" in the little Thérèse who thought she would have looked much nicer with her arms bare when her mother had her wear a pretty dress but with long sleeves?! St. Thérèse had remarkable qualities too, especially her crystal-clear honesty. Mrs. Martin could write, with some legitimate parental pride: "The little one would not tell a lie for all the gold in the world." Little Thérèse would always avow her baby faults to her parents without seeking any excuse and would then ask for forgiveness and await her punishment. There is something very charming in this innocent child and it is best expressed in Mrs. Martin's own words, in a letter to Pauline: "She (Thérèse) had broken a small vase, the size of my thumb, which I had given to her that morning. As usual when she has any accident, she came at once to show it to me. I showed some displeasure. Her little heart swelled...A moment later, she ran to me and said: 'Don't be sad, Mother, when I earn money, I promise you I will buy you another.' As you see it will be a while before I get it!"

St. Thérèse was an oversensitive little girl. Her eyes would easily fill with tears. One day Celine accused her of "bringing up her dolls badly and letting them have their way." That was enough to make Thérèse cry. Yet she did not have a weak character, on the contrary she had a very strong will and could even be stubborn. Referring to her two main "weaknesses", i.e. her oversensitiveness and her strong will, St. Thérèse wrote: "With such dispositions, I feel sure that, had I been brought up by careless parents, I would have become very wicked, and would maybe even have lost my soul." Such a statement should arouse in parents a salutary fear and make them realize their responsibility. Try to imagine what St. Thérèse would have become if she had spent most of her time sprawled on the carpet watching TV or listening to rock music, if she had been free to indulge all her whims...A good form of examination for parents would be the answer to the following question: "Would St. Thérèse have become a Saint if she had been brought up the way I bring my children up?" If the answer is "no", then think of the account Mrs. Martin would have had to render to God if, through a careless upbringing, she had deprived God and the world of St. Thérèse... We are sure you will then lose no time in reforming your method of education, for the greater good of your soul and of your children's souls.

Let us place ourselves at Mrs. Martin's school. The first thing to bear in mind is that, by baptism, any child is God's child. Several times a day, Mrs. Martin would put on her little girl's lips this little prayer: "My God, I give You my heart; Take it, please, so that no creature may possess it, but You alone, Jesus." St. Thérèse was taught to do everything to please God, and for love of Jesus. One day, Thérèse could not open the door of the room where Celine was having her lessons. In her frustration, she lay down in front of the door. Her mother told her that she should not behave like this. But the next day, when she found herself before the closed door, she lay down on the floor again. Her sister Mary told her: "Little Thérèse, you hurt the little Jesus very much when you do this." Thérèse looked up at her sister. She had understood and she never did it again. Her mother initiated her from a very early age in the art of making sacrifices and when St. Thérèse wrote that since the age of three she had never refused anything to the Good God, it was a tribute not only to her personal holiness but also to Mrs. Martin's method of education.

There is no cry-room in France and St. Thérèse had to behave herself in church. She loved to go to Mass and at two and a half she would cry if she could not go not only to Mass but also to Vespers. Even though she was very intelligent, she nevertheless surprised her parents when she declared one day: "The sermon was better than usual, but it was long all the same"!! Cry-rooms are not bad in themselves, but alas, too often parents use them as nurseries. It is certainly easier to let your little ones cry, play and eat in the cry-room than to discipline them and teach them how to behave in the House of God. But how many children are drastically retarded in their spiritual growth because up to the age of three, four, or five they have never attended Mass outside of a cry-room, playing, eating, etc... Parents must apply to themselves the words of St. Paul (I Cor. 3:9). They are "God's helpers", and their children are "God's tillage, God's building". God found in Mrs. Martin a faithful collaborator. To be the mother of a Saint was her happiness on earth and it is her glory in Heaven. This happiness and this glory are meant to be yours too, if you cooperate with God in the work of the sanctification of your children.

I have 6 children aged 5-18, I gave them this quiz just to see what their answers might be.  Needless to say, some answers were funny, some serious and even a few of them gave this mom some things to think about.  The answers my littlest one gave me were hysterical to say the least.  Try it with your children and see what they think.  It's a fun thing to do. 

Why did God make mothers? 
 
How did God make mothers?

What ingredients are mothers made of?



Why did God give you your mother & not some other mom?

What kind of little girl was your mom?

 
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

Who's the boss at your house?

What's the difference between moms & dads?

What does your mom do in her spare time?

What would it take to make your mom perfect?



If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

The following most excellent PRAYERS are recommended to the frequent repetition of persons of all denominations and sects whatsoever, who, in sincerity of heart, wish to arrive at the knowledge of the ONE, ONLY, TRUE AND SAVING FAITH, " without which it is impossible to please God," and consequently obtain eternal happiness.

I.  O Lord, I humbly beseech thee to teach me thy true religion, that leads to everlasting happiness, through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord.  Amen.

II.  O Lord, I humbly beseech thee to guide me to that form of religion which is most pleasing to thee for me to follow upon earth, in order to fulfill thy will here, and obtain everlasting happiness hereafter, in the name of Jesus Christ thy Son.  Amen.

III.  Almighty and eternal God, Father of mercies, Saviour of mankind, I humbly entreat thee, by thy sovereign goodness, to enlighten my mind and touch my heart, that by true faith, hope and charity, I may live and die in  the true religion of Jesus Christ.  I am sure, that as there is but one true God, so there can be but one faith, one religion, one way of salvation, and that every other which is opposite to this, can only lead to endless misery.  It is faith, O my God! which I earnestly desire to embrace, in order to save my soul.  I protest, therefore, before thy Divine attributes, that I will follow that religion which thou shalt show me to be true; and that I will abandon, at whatever cost, that in which i shall discover error and falsehood:  I do not deserve, it is true, this favour, on account of my sins, for which I have a profound sorrow, because they offend a God so good, so great, so holy, and worthy of my love; but what I do not deserve, I hope to obtain from thy infinite mercy, and I conjure thee to grant, through the merits of the precious blood which was shed for us poor sinners, by thy only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

In this day and age, temptations are everywhere, especially those temptations of the eyes.  The following sermon, taken from, "The Penitent Christian," Imprimatur 1880 tells us as Catholics how we are to Guard Our Eyes. 

We have added many, many more printing and handwriting sheets to our homeschool tab,  more coloring pages, a sermon for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, and an Explanation of the Mother of Perpetual Help picture.  We hope you enjoy what you find.

A handwriting sheet for Grace before and after meals has been added to the Homeschool tab.

We've added more handwriting sheets to the Homeschool tab.  The Ten Commandments, and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Enjoy!

It was brought to my attention that the Novena of Rosaries file contained many errors.  So sorry about that, it has since been corrected and replaced with the new files.  Many thanks to a dear friend for sharing it with me. 

TENTH
Let us follow Jesus Christ carrying His Cross and painfully climbing the mountain of Calvary. Let us accompany Him with Mary, the holy women and Simon the Cyrenean.                                      
                                                                 ~ Pere Eymard ~

I have added some more printing and handwriting pages to the homeschool tab.  Glory Be copy, printing and handwriting pages as well as Act of Contrition printing and handwriting page.  There are many more to come.  I will also have some with prayers in Latin. 

    In the beginning, and through the centuries, there has been a rivalry between the sword and the pen. Which is the mightier has been the question. Rightly the decision favors the pen. The sword is trenchant and quickly hurls souls to their eternal destiny. The pen, incisive as the blade, has left a mark deeper and broader than the sword.

    "One drop of ink makes millions think." The pen shapes the activity of mankind when the sword lies idle in its sheath. The scabbard must at times put the sword to sleep. The pen never slumbers.

                    So with the pen it is that we shall fight!!
                             Onward Christian soldiers!

 Mary, obtain for me the gift that I may have the confidence of my children.  As you know, a mother needs this confidence in order to guide her children properly.  When there are difficulties or problems or troubles, may they be shared with me trustingly, that i may be able more readily to perform a mother's task of helping her child.  And, Mother Most Prudent, when this confidence is shown, teach me how to help and instruct my child.  Be to me a Mother of Good Counsel and direct me at all times in the responsibilities of my holy office of motherhood.  Amen.
                        ~ Seat of Wisdom, pray for us! ~

          taken from: The Mother's Manual, Imprimatur 1943

I have removed the Scribd files as a few people were having issues with them.  They have been replaced with Adobe Acrobat files. They should be much easier to view before printing as well as easier to print. Hope it works out better for all.  I will be working on making the coloring pictures easier to use as well:)

In one of our old books we found a "Manner of Following Mass at Home" it is specifically for those on account of sickness, old age, or for other sufficient reasons cannot assist at Holy Mass, especially on Sundays and Holydays.  It is very nice and can be found here. The Imprimatur of the book is 1918  

  Taken from, "Explanation of the Epistles and Gospels," by Rev, Leonard Goffine, Imprimatur 1918    

"What a one shall this child be?"   
                                (Luke 1. 66.)

    THUS said the friends, neighbors and relations of the pious couple Zachary and Elizabeth, when they saw and heard the wonderful incidents which accom- panied the birth of their son John. What a one shall this child be? so parents often say to each other, when they look
upon their own little children, and see how even in early days certain propensities appear in them, causing great wonder.  How often would parents be overwhelmed with pain and grief, if they could know in advance how these tender little ones whose good and remarkable qualities and whose extraordinary talents they admire, on whom their eyes rest with pleasure, whom every one praises, how these children would one day hasten to temporal and eternal ruin, preparing for their parents no joy, but many afflictions and much misery! Whence does it come that so many parents are deceived in the expectations they entertained in regard to their children, that their advancing youth, notwithstanding all the education bestowed upon it, becomes more and more disorderly and impious? It is because parents so seldom observe that which is written of the young Tobias: From his infancy he (his father) taught him to fear God, and to abstain from all sin; (Tob. i. 10.) because they regard not the apostle's admonition: And you fathers, bring up your children in the discipline and correction of the Lord; (Efih.vi. 4.) because they forget that every child is like a young tree that must be carefully guarded, straightened, bound to a post, trimmed and protected against insects, wind and frost; because they remember no longer the wise man's counsel: Instruct thy children, and bow down their necks from their childhood, (Ecclus. vii. 25.) and, thou shalt beat thy child with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell; (Prov. xxiii. 14.) because they pay no attention to the words: The child that is left to his own will, bringeth his mother to shame, (Prov. xxix. 15.) and, he that loveth his son, frequently chastiseth him, that he may rejoice in his latter end, and not grope after the doors of his neighbors, (Ecclus. xxx. i.) that is, for protection, consolation and help against the rebellious child. They do not bring the child early to Jesus, the divine Friend of children; they do not teach it to fear God and abhor sin above all things; they rejoice in the many talents of the child, but do not seek to direct them to God, their only end; they do not remove from the child all that which poisons and corrupts the innocent heart open to every impression; they neglect to make it pray in early childhood, to make it exercise the necessary Christian virtues, the love of God and their neighbor, humility, obedience, meekness, peacefulness and modesty; in a word, they educate their children for anything rather than for God, the Church and their country. God, the Church, and the country are not satisfied with an education in which attention is paid only to those things which will enable the child to do well in this world, or that will make a great show, and receive power, honor and praise. This false and pernicious education causes so many parents to complain of their grown children; causes God to punish them severely even here on earth, more terribly in the other world; causes the Church to lament, and good men to be filled with fear.
    If education is to be a truly Christian one, so that parents may rejoice in their children here and in the next world, and a better generation grow up, education must be founded on religion, must commence and end with God. Parents should consider that their children are a precious trust, which God has confided to them, and of which He will demand a strict account on the Day of Judgment ; they should remember that their children are created for heaven, are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost in baptism. In their earliest childhood, Christian parents should make their children acquainted with God, the Highest Good, keep them attentive to devout prayer, especially imprint upon their hearts the holy fear of God, lead them early to Jesus, often place His beautiful example before them, infuse His holy teachings into their hearts, instruct them in sincere veneration for the blessed Virgin Mary, daily recommending them to this beloved Mother. Being, as it were, the guardian angels of their children, parents should watch day and night over the innocence and purity of their hearts, remove them from association with bad children and degenerate grown persons, be attentive to watch all their steps, be vigilant concerning all their omissions and commissions, banish from their knowledge all bad example, improper words and songs, and bad books. If they truly love their children, they will not permit obstinacy, stubbornness, or disobedience in them, and should: withhold not correction from a child, (Prov. xxiii. 13.) make use of strict discipline united with affection, and suffer no ill manners to grow with them. They should bring their children early to the practice of Christian virtues, and teach them to mortify their evil inclinations; often exhort them, when they have arrived at the proper age, to receive the holy Sacraments; see that their children do riot spend their youth in idleness, but thoroughly learn all that which is necessary for them to know, not superficially as half educated, half instructed persons, who can gossip about everything, but are at the same time shallow-minded; they should above all give their children a good example, cooperate with the priests and teachers, | and thus strive to bring up good, pious, religious, virtuous
children of God, members for the Church and citizens for the country.
    Woe to the parents who do not educate their children for God and  heaven! What fear and terror will come upon them on the Judgment Day, when God will demand pure and unharmed, the children He confided to them, when parents must acknowledge that through their fault their children have been excluded from heaven and are lost forever!
   

 

I have added an adobe acrobat file of the October gazette to the site.  I'm sorry I didn't realize that you could not download a Scribd file, at least I couldn't from the site.  I apologize for this, another learning experience for this teacher:)