"Trying to keep your house clean if you have kids is like trying to shovel your sidewalk during a snowstorm".
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Catholic on Purpose
If asked about her past, Christie would reply, “I used to be such an introvert, always happy to talk to someone if they started the conversation first. Now I will just go up to anyone and talk to them. I have become an intentional Catholic. Now, I am known for going around and handing out Light House CDs. My friends tease me because I always have them on hand.”
Christie credits her mother for the depth of her faith. Her mother has been praying for her to find "good friends" for as long as she can remember but she never quite understood what that meant. Christie grew up a practicing Catholic. She went to World Youth Day in Denver and she even went on retreats. “While in college, I began to go to church less and less. My faith was always important to me, but I was not living it, day to day. I was married in the Catholic Church and when we had children, we had them baptized, because that's just what you do.” Christie was going through the motions. She went to church when it fit into the schedule, but her faith life had become something that she pulled out of her pocket on Sunday and then tucked away the rest of the week. Her friends at the time were all "Catholics" by name but they were not living out their faith any more than she was.
When she and her family moved to Buffalo in 2007, they joined St. Gregory the Great in Williamsville but stayed at the margins, until the spring of 2010 when Christie lost her brother to an overdose. All of a sudden having the right house, the right car, the right clothes were not so important to her anymore. In the fall of 2010, a mom on a baseball field and she started talking. After a few games the woman invited her and her husband to attend a gathering of married couples and gave her a Lighthouse Catholic Media CD. This was a game changer for her.
Christie made a commitment to get involved in the parish and to step out of her comfort zone. She started listening to all the Lighthouse CDs that she could get her hands on (www.lighthousecatholicmedia.
One day her mother agreed to come to her MOMS group to share a witness about the sacrament of reconciliation and Christie was asked to introduce her. “I kept wondering, how can I introduce her when I haven't been to confession myself? I shared my fear with a Mom over a cup of coffee and she encouraged me to go to confession. She shared her own story on coming back to the Sacrament. I was scared to go. I had not been to confession since high school, and even back then I went out of obligation, never understanding the Sacrament. I fully became alive in my faith that day. It was like a light switch turn on inside me. That morning at our MOMS group, I shared my own story with our MOMS group, and a few women shared with me after their own fear of going. That day I felt that tug in my heart to reach out to fallen away Catholics.”
Christie accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a Lighthouse Catholic Media sponsored conference. At that conference she witnessed what the "New Evangelization" meant first hand. “It was so much more than these amazing speakers on CDs. It was about reaching the lost. “At that conference I felt God tugging at my heart in a powerful way. On the flight home, my friend and I, spread Lighthouse CDs and books all around the plane. That was my first experience with spreading faith seeds.”
When she came home from that conference, she became a Catholic with purpose. The Lighthouse and Dynamic Catholic resources made it easy for her to evangelize. “Everyday God places people in our lives. There are always opportunities to share faith if we listen. It could be on the baseball field, in a doctor’s office or even at Wegman’s.” The song “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath helps Christie to see the people all around her in a new way. She and her friend have partnered to do evangelization weekends in parishes. Her favorite part is hearing the faith stories of people afterward.
There is so much power in a simple invitation. “I just hand them a CD or a book and let the Holy Spirit take over. Stepping out of our comfort zone is a challenge for all of us. I am inspired by the words of St. Catherine of Siena “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.” Christie invites us all to consider this question: “Where is God calling you to use your gifts?” Christie was in customer service all her adult life. Now she is a customer service rep for Jesus. “I want to give back what has been given to me.”
Dennis Mahaney,
Office of Parish Life
Original from Western NY Catholic pg 15
Friday, August 23, 2013
Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine
WHAT A FUNDRAISER-FAITHRAISER! If you need income to start a Mom's group or for special projects, this is it! Last night the Niagara Falls Catholic Mom's Group hosted the movie Restless Heart at our local theater. It was a huge success. We sold out of 300 tickets.
Everyone clapped when the movie was over. Here's what one viewer posted on Facebook after the movie, "Just came from a showing of True Confessions , about St Augustine. Its worth going again..so all you friends of mine are invited when it plays again!!"
The proceeds from the movie will be used for supplies, speakers, and special projects throughout the year. In addition, we'll be tithing money to the new Respect Life group in our public high school (hooray!!). We dream of one-day getting the kids to Washington D.C. for the March for Life.
The best part is that this is a faith-raiser and a true blessing to any community. I can't tell you how many people thanked us for bringing 'this type of movie' to the area. Let's face it - it's tough to find a clean movie these days, let alone a GREAT clean movie. And one that's Catholic?! (Keep in mind that even Protestant churches are coming out to see this movie! A great saint is a great saint).
We had a few really great God-moments throughout these past 6 weeks. For example, a wonderful priest contacted us to order a DVD. He ended up sending a $100 donation to our Mom's group.
So, for those interested in organizing this, I thought I would share a few ideas on how we set this up.
By the way, I talked to a few people I know who organized this fundraiser in other parts of the country and they all said the same thing. "We sold out and quickly booked our next showing". We were still getting calls for more tickets the day of the event so we went ahead and booked our next showing for Wed, Oct 9. Once all the initial set-up is done, running this a second time is going to be even easier than the first. It's all almost too good to be true. Thank you, Ignatius Press!
Everyone clapped when the movie was over. Here's what one viewer posted on Facebook after the movie, "Just came from a showing of True Confessions , about St Augustine. Its worth going again..so all you friends of mine are invited when it plays again!!"
The proceeds from the movie will be used for supplies, speakers, and special projects throughout the year. In addition, we'll be tithing money to the new Respect Life group in our public high school (hooray!!). We dream of one-day getting the kids to Washington D.C. for the March for Life.
The best part is that this is a faith-raiser and a true blessing to any community. I can't tell you how many people thanked us for bringing 'this type of movie' to the area. Let's face it - it's tough to find a clean movie these days, let alone a GREAT clean movie. And one that's Catholic?! (Keep in mind that even Protestant churches are coming out to see this movie! A great saint is a great saint).
We had a few really great God-moments throughout these past 6 weeks. For example, a wonderful priest contacted us to order a DVD. He ended up sending a $100 donation to our Mom's group.
So, for those interested in organizing this, I thought I would share a few ideas on how we set this up.
By the way, I talked to a few people I know who organized this fundraiser in other parts of the country and they all said the same thing. "We sold out and quickly booked our next showing". We were still getting calls for more tickets the day of the event so we went ahead and booked our next showing for Wed, Oct 9. Once all the initial set-up is done, running this a second time is going to be even easier than the first. It's all almost too good to be true. Thank you, Ignatius Press!
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Young People Changing Lives
Catholic mom Hollie Weiss in the diocese of Buffalo shared with me an amazing project that her sons helped document through video. Hollie and her husband have four boys who work together on film and digital editing. Now they are using their gifts and talents to help with pro-life efforts such as this....collecting 1 million pennies for the unborn.
Perhaps other Catholic moms out there can share this 7 minute video with their children and inspire them to get involved.
Like their facebook page "Beggars for life"
Ever wonder what a mom like this is doing to raise up children with such strong Faith? I talked with Hollie in a 10 minute interview to find out more.
Know of any other great young people working to spread the Catholic Faith or Pro-life message? We'd love to interview them.
Get inspired for Pro-life work with these fantastic talks:
Click Here to Order CD or MP3
Click Here to Order CD or MP3
Perhaps other Catholic moms out there can share this 7 minute video with their children and inspire them to get involved.
(Click here to watch the video through Catholic Moms Connect Blog).
Like their facebook page "Beggars for life"
Ever wonder what a mom like this is doing to raise up children with such strong Faith? I talked with Hollie in a 10 minute interview to find out more.
Know of any other great young people working to spread the Catholic Faith or Pro-life message? We'd love to interview them.
Get inspired for Pro-life work with these fantastic talks:
Click Here to Order CD or MP3
Click Here to Order CD or MP3
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Interview with Sharon Leyne, artist of the iphone app 'Saint of the Day for Kids'
Julie Musselman talked with the app artist Sharon Leyne, a wonderful young mom in Western Canada. Sharon describes the app and shares a few ideas on how she makes her home a "Catholic home."
CLICK Here for the 13 minute interview
Click here to order.
Be sure to subscribe to our blog to receive regular interviews, ideas and tips for Catholic Moms.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Angels In Our Midst
speaker Monica Saltarelli spoke about "Angels In Our Midst".
- audio is about 35 min
Read more on the role of our Guardian Angels during Mass in the writings of mystic Catalina (Katya) Rivas on pg 4 - click here. You've got to read this - you will never experience the Mass the same way again!
Read more about Catalina here and in the book Reason To Believe. AMAZING
Click HERE for a free PDF download on the Holy Mass as dictated to Katya by Our Lord Jesus.
Also check out these awesome audio CDs...
Want a great movie about Guardian Angels? Check out 'The Greatest Miracle'.
(Note: the little demons may be scary to older/younger children so preview first or watch with them.)
Craft Idea: 'Angel of God Prayer' Bookmark
Holy Habits:
Our family says the Guardian Angel prayer on our way to school each morning.
At night we say the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.
Monday, June 10, 2013
An Interview with Patty Schneier
Since October 2003, Patty has been speaking at parishes and Catholic Conferences across the United States, sharing her personal testimony “Prove It, God!”. . . And He Did. Using song, scripture, and writings from her journal, Patty shares the story of her challenge to God and His daily response. The results were life changing!
Patty Schneier has just released her talk "Prove it God! And He did" through Lighthouse Catholic Media. We caught up with Patty from her home to discuss conversion, contraception and God's big amazing plans.
Click HERE to hear Catholic Moms Connect interview with Patty Schneier
Click HERE to join the Lighthouse Catholic Media CD of the Month Club by June 15 and get a hard copy (copies) of this talk sent right to your home. Learn our Faith; Live our Faith; Share our Faith. Talk will be available to order on the online store after July 1.Click HERE for online store.
Please be sure to "follow" Catholic Moms Connect (top left) for great news and updates.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the interview...leave comments below.
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