Family: A Community of Life and Love 2021

February 2: The Presentation of the Lord: It is Happy! It is Sad! Special points of interest: Can one event bring the Temple in Jerusa- saw the en-  Feb. 2. The both joy and sadness? lem to present him to ter the Temple he ap- Presentation of We know that one of the Lord. They proached, reached for the Lord the Joyful Mysteries of brought their humble the baby and said,  What do we do the Blessed Virgin sacrifice of two turtle “.Now Master you may on Mary is the Presenta- doves. They came in let your servant go in Day? tion of the Child joy and thanksgiving peace..for my eyes  Feb. 3. The in the Temple. We for the gift of their child have seen your salva- Feast of St. also know that one of and were ready to tion..” And he said to Blaise the Seven Sorrows of consecrate him to God Mary, “and you, yourself  Feb. 11 Feast the Blessed Mother as the Law required. a sword will of Our Lady of took place on the very pierce.” (Luke 2) A holy and elderly man Lourdes same day. named had Mary pondered. What  Feb. 14. St. Valentine’s Day When the time came been promised by God could this mean? according to the Law that he would see the https://  Feb. 17. Ash of Moses, Joseph and Messiah before he Wednesday and www.youtube.com/ Mary brought Jesus to died. When Simeon the beginning of watch? v=SswGxaRo3dw&ab_c hannel=IgnatiusPress Candlemas Day For this reason, tradi- tionally at least since https:// The Presentation of the catholicstraightan- the seventh century, Lord is a proclamation of swers.com/ candles have been Christ — Messiah and candlemas-day/ blessed at this Priest, Lord and Savior. day that will be used He is the light who came throughout the year, https:// into this world to dispel hence coining the catholicstraightan- sin and darkness. term “Candlemas.” swers.com/ candlemas-day/ February 3—the Feast of St. Blaise and the of the Throat

Blaise was a Bishop in Arme- her young son who had a fish Blessing of Throats nia (Turkey) and died in the bone lodged in this throat. At When St. Blaise prayed for a year 316. the command of Blaise, the child who was choking on a fish child coughed and the fish bone He was a good Bishop who bone, and the child received the was dislodged. worked hard to encourage the gift of healing from God, St. spiritual and physical health of https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php? Blaise became known as the saint_id=28 patron of those suffering ail- his people. He fled the perse- ments of the throat. It's a cus- cution of by the Ro- tom of the to offer a man Empire and lived as a blessing of throats today. hermit in solitude and prayer and made friends with the ani- https://www.youtube.com/ mals. watch? v=S7PRZnDj4aQ&ab_chann The legend tells us that a el=GSCatholicChurch mother came to Blaise with

“I am the .” On Feb. 11, the celebrates the liturgical memo- rial of Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling a series of 18 appearances that the Blessed Virgin Mary made to a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

The Marian apparitions began Feb. 11, 1858, ended July 16 that year and received the local bishop's approval after a four-year inquiry.

Coming soon after the 1854 dogmatic definition of her Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Mary's appearances at Lourdes turned the town into a popular travel destination. Thousands of people say their medical conditions have been cured through pilgrimage, prayer and the water flowing from a to which Bernadette was directed by the Blessed Virgin. Experts have verified 69 cases of miraculous heal- ing at Lourdes since 1862.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/our-lady-of-lourdes-144

Our Lady of Lourdes coloring page: http:// www.catholicplayground.com/our-lady-of-lourdes-coloring-page- february-11th/

Our Lady of Lourdes—You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7xNUkYL1_Po&ab_channel=ROMEREPORTSinEnglish

For children: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=XGe_P7oaSgQ&ab_channel=ChristianKidsTV February 14: Feast of St. Valentine—”All You Need Is Love.”

There are many legends about St. Paul St. Valentine . One tells us that tells us with his famous words St. Valentine refused to sacri- “You shall love the Lord your often proclaimed during the fice to pagan gods, was impris- God with all your heart, with all Marriage Ceremony, “Love is your soul and with all your oned and while imprisoned he patient, love is kind. It is not healed the jailer's blind daugh- mind. This is the greatest and jealous. It is not pompous. It is ter. On the day of his execution, first commandment. The sec- not rude. It does not seek its he left the girl a note signed, ond is like it. You shall love own interests. It is not quick "Your Valentine." your neighbor as yourself. The tempered. It does not brood whole law and the prophets de- over injury...It bears all things, pend upon these two com- Tradition has linked this Saint to believes all things, hopes all the celebration of Love on mandments. Matthew 22:37-40 things, endures all things. Love February 14th. https://aleteia.org/2021/01/17/love-has- never fails. 1 Cor. 13 1-13 the-power-to-unite-us/? How wonderful to remember on utm_campaign=NL_en&utm_source=d https://www.youtube.com/ this day what Jesus has told us aily_newsletter&utm_medium=mail&ut watch? about the Law of Love . m_content=NL_en v=QbNiuhMYC8w&ab_channel =CatholicOnline

Feb. 17th— . Lent: A Season to Reflect and Prepare We approach the The ashes are created according to the Law priest for ashes and by burning palms from of Love. https://www.catholic.org/ we hear, “remember the Palm cele- lent/ashwed.php man that you are dust bration the year before. Lent is a time of and into dust you shall preparation and purifi- Ash Wednesday be- Ash Wednesday 2021 return. A humbling cation. We prepare gins the penitential Don’t be surprised if this reminder of our mortal- our hearts for the season of Lent. A greatest feast day— year you don’t have the ity.. Or we hear, traditional blessing of penitential season is the day upon which “Repent and believe ashes which involves the one in which we take the Good News,” the our entire faith is set- starkly visible Sign of the stock of our lives in Cross in dark grey or black recipe for happiness tled—the day Jesus light of the Gospel and conquered sin and ashes across your here and into eternity. forehead. repent of our sins. death and rose to new Ash Wednesday This includes contrition life in the Resurrec- The Holy Father has shared comes from the an- and Penance. As tion. He invites us to a different possibility . The “sprinkling” of ashes. cient Jewish tradition Christians we perform this new life in Him. starting when the penances as an active https:// You see the color pur- www.catholicnewsagency.c Ninevites did penance expression of our sor- om/news/ash-wednesday- for their offenses row for sin and inten- ple in the church dur- vatican-offers-guidance-on- ing lent. Purple ash-distribution-amid- against God in sack- tion, with God’s help of pandemic cloth and ashes. To- grace, to do better—to stands for penance. day’s ceremony transform our lives in a Purple stands for comes from ages past. daily walk of conver- preparation... sion and to live . Family: A Community of Life and Love

Created by the Catechet- Feast Days and Saints We Honor During the Month of February ical Office Family Cateche- sis Advisory Committee Feb. 2: The Presentation of the Lord

Members of the Commit- Feb. 3: St. Blaise tee: Sr. Joan Curtin, C.N.D. Feb. 5: St. Agatha Sr. Zelide Ceccagno, For more information on MSCS Feb. 6: St. Paul Miki and Companions Sr. Mary Crucifix Pandullo, the lives of the Saints go CSJB Feb. 8: St. Josephine Bakhita to: Mrs. Margaret Hoblin Mrs. Janan Lane Feb. 10: St. Scholastica https:// Sr. Nancy Elizabeth Doran, www.franciscanmedia.org/ SSC Feb. 11: Our Lady of Lourdes saint-of-the-day Or Contact and address: Feb. 14: St. Valentine Sr. Nancy Elizabeth Doran, https://www.catholic.org/ Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday S.S.C., Editor saints/

Director, Family Catechesis Feb. 22: The Chair of St. Peter

Catechetical Office Feb. 23: St. Polycarp

1011 First Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Books: Meeting God in Motherhood: Open-

ing our Hearts to Moments of Grace by Mary Ronan Williams. Lenten Practices www.23RDPUBLICATIONS.COM A booklet filled with the many ways we meet Abstinence: All Catholics 14 years of age God in the daily moments of motherhood.. “Motherhood, at its best, expands our hearts and older. No meat into a ’training ground for God’s grace.’” Fasting: All Catholics from the ages of 18 to 59 . One full meal and two lighter meals al- Movies for Adults: Lourdes: A Story of Faith, lowed Science and MiraclesL-https://formed.org/ Days of Fast and Abstinence:

Family Movies: The Song of Bernadette Ash Wednesday,

https://www.youtube.com/watch? Days of Abstinence from Meat: v=XbLs3iAgr5s&ab_channel=SergioMura All Fridays during Lent Music: The Summons https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=LKkpNbuVDfw&ab_channel=HolyLyrics