End of Year Reception

 The Little Flowers have now completed Wreath IV. First, we celebrated with Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi. The girls took part in the procession and brought up the gifts. At the end of the year lunch reception, they were presented with their year long St Gianna Molla Pro-life badges. We presented a tithe from our Fish Fry earnings to Birthstone Corporation for their work in supporting single mothers. We had a brain storming session on what patron saint badge activities to incorporate into Wreath V and what adventures to do over the summer. The girls seem most excited about camping, swimming, animals (Francis), woodworking (Joseph), charity (St Vincent de Paul), and dance (Jacinta). The girls took a turn sharing their favorite memory of the year and we concluded with a decade of the rosary for the babies we have spiritually adopted. Have a blessed summer. St Thérèse, Pray for Us! 

Docility Petal Meeting/Overnight

Lesson 5 of wreath 4 was on Docility and Pro-life patron, St Gianna Molla of Italy. 

The virtue of docility is our willingness to be taught about our faith. Sometimes we can struggle to understand a teaching of our Church. We are encouraged to be docile as we learn more, asking Jesus to help us understand and be obedient to what He asks of us. We grow in docility from being humble, pure of heart, willing to spend time in prayer, and willing to listen to both God and those God sends our way. It is good to question things that don't seem right to us, and to be open to understanding the why behind the what of our Church. The girls shared people that were good examples of this virtue. We also talked about what to do if someone in charge of us tells us to do something that doesn't seem right. 

Verse: Show me your ways, Lord. Teach me your paths. -Psalm 25:4

A Saint that is a great example of docility is Gianna Molla (1922-1962). Her doctors told her to terminate her pregnancy because she had cancer and may not survive if she kept her baby. Gianna listened to God's command and did not obey the doctors. She died shortly after giving birth to Gianna Emmanuela, her fourth child. She lived a beautiful life of sacrificial love. Her feast day is April 28. She is the patron of mothers and the unborn. 

After Mass, we did more work to earn our year long pro-life badge by learning about St Gianna Molla. We also made stamped valentines which will be given to the residents of Birthstone, a non profit that supports single mothers who have chosen life for their babies. We prayed our decade of the rosary in the adoration chapel before bedtime. We also watched Seuss's "Horton Hears a Who," which has a great message about standing up for the vulnerable. 

We had a lot of fun learning some Italian and a little about the country so many of our Saints and popes come from. We had a pizza dinner and ordered gelato in Italian. We sang Buon Compleanno to a Little Flower sharing her birthday with us. 

Taco-Gatto-Pizza

Scusa!

The next morning, we had a passegiatta (walk) to collazione (breakfast). Thank you for all who helped lead our Little Flowers through a fun and fruitful weekend!

St Gianna Molla, Prega per noi!