Union with God/Advent

 We had a November Petal meeting on Union with God learning about Saint Leonie de Sales Aviat of France. We prepared and blessed Advent candles to sell and planted Iris seeds we'd cross hybridized in our community garden and in our home gardens.  The girls sold candles at the Advent Bash hosted by the Grandparents Association and after Masses. Be sure to ask for your service beads for working the sales tables. This year we are working toward our end of year St Vincent de Paul Charity badge so we are also raising money for the St Vincent de Paul Society and will be serving with their ministry throughout the year. 

Wreath 5: Lesson 5

Virtue: Union with God Saint: Leonie Aviat

Verse: “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” -Romans 14:8

St Leonie de Sales Aviat (1844-1914) was born is Sezanne, France. Her parents were shopkeepers and wanted her to be married and continue the trade. She was educated by Visitations sisters and by 16 she felt called to the order herself. She eventually became a sister at age 21. Leonie helped young girls who worked infactories learn their faith morals and eventually helped form a new religious order and made Mother Superior of the Oblate Sisters of St Francis de Sales. She worked hard in her ministry during a time when the Catholic faith was under great persecution in France. Her motto was, “To forget myself entirely,” Her feast day is January 10. 

Everything we do should be done with the intention of becoming closer to God. While we can never be completely joined to God on earth because of sin, we hope to be with him forever in heaven. So our sacrifices, prayers, and efforts on earth are meant to prepare us for an eternity of union with Him. When we do God’s will, by following His commandments, living our vocation, and seeking Him in all things, we are on the path to holiness and are striving for union with God. It is easy to see God in the good things that happen to us, but we must look for Him in the crosses and challenges too. 

Precepts of the Church: 1. Attend Mass on Sundays, Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor 2. Confession once a year. 3. Receive Eucharist at Easter 4. Fast and abstain according to state in life. 5. Help provide for the needs of the Church

Types of Prayer: ACTS Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication or TAPS Thanks, Ask, Praise, Sorry 

Silence Petal Meeting and Advent Candle Sales

 Wreath 4: Lesson 4

Virtue: Silence Saint: Genoveva Tores Morales Flower: Pomegranate Country: Spain

Verse: A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak. -Ecclesiastes 3:7

St Genoveva Torres Morales (1879- 1956) of Spain was born to a poor family. Her parents and most of her five siblings died when she was very young. Her very quiet older brother raised her, so she used the silence of the household to learn about saints and turned to God as her friend. She had a great sense of humor and loved reading, especially spiritual books. At 13 she lost one of her legs to infection and went to live in a Carmelite convent. She formed a new religious order, the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels to serve poor women. Her feast day is January 5. 

The virtue of silence is not merely lack of noise, but the awareness of the interior life, a recollection of the soul, and the peaceful silence that is union with God. We also foster good listening and being mindful of the things we listen to when growing in silence. Times of silence help restore order to our souls. 

Spain has a rich Catholic heritage. St James is said to be buried there and countless pilgrims have walked The Camino through Spain for two thousand years. Spain is known for Flamenco dance, guitars, oranges, olive oil, the running of the bulls festival, dishes like paella, gazpacho, and tapas, famous castles and cathedrals, football (soccer), and the artists Gaudi, Picasso, and Dali. In Spain, it is bad luck to put your hat on your bed, your purse on the floor, or to take old brooms into new houses. We stamped our "passports" for Spain. 

The pomegranate (granada in Spanish) is a deep red fruit filled with sweet seeds. It is difficult and messy to get to the tasty fruit. The fruit reminds us of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The girls got to experience the difficulty of freeing the fruit from its rind and tasting this delicacy. 

Saint Badge

St Isidore of Seville Technology

St Isidore (6th century) was born into a family of saints. He struggled with learning in school but persisted and eventually became a great teacher, a Franciscan Friar, and eventually a doctor of the Church. He wrote an encyclopedia and text books that are still used in Spain today. He is the patron saint of technology and the Internet. His feast day is April 4. 

We learned about coding while being virtual pilgrims on The Camino and working to keep technology ordered toward bringing us closer to God rather than distracting us along the way. The girls role played proper phone etiquette and discussed seeking appropriate balance in the use of technology. We ran out of time in our coding project but everyone now has a free Scratch account and could continue their Camino project on their own. 

Some of our girls were presented with Iris awards for their work on the garden, flower show, coloring project, and essay. Congratulations to G, R, and G for their Iris Youth Patch Award and also to G for her Stanley Goodman Regional Youth Award and $100 prize! 

                                        

                                          

We presented a check to a representative for Birthright for the proceeds plus a tithe we earned selling their Christmas Cards. We continued our decade of the rosary for the unborn as we continue to work toward our end of the year Pro-life badge. 

It was all hands on deck to sell Advent Candles at the end of each Mass for two weekends. The girls excelled at marketing and selling their goods. We completely sold out of our first order and made a second order in time. The wreaths were a big hit this year. The girls earned service beads for their efforts.