Share this inspiring message from Fr. Matt Mason, Diocese of NH Vocation Director, with the young men in your lives. We need good, holy priests!

For Catholics, November is the month we remember the dead. 

On November 1st, we celebrate all the saints in heaven, who are our hope and help and inspiration. The rest of the month, we focus on the holy souls in purgatory. (They are also called poor souls . . . same souls, they are "poor" because they are suffering, and "holy" because they will definitely get to heaven some day, it's just a matter of time.)

We’re angry because this  is sin, and sin always hurts people.

Now maybe once again we can understand why God hates sin. He doesn’t hate sin because he’s big and nasty and judgmental. He hates sin because it breaks hearts, breaks lives, breaks families, breaks the church and breaks true love.

So bring on the righteous anger, and let’s think again about sin and why its wrong.

Family prayer can create an extra special bond between all the family members and teaches them to pray. The Bible says to, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). There is no better way to teach than through example. Children not only see the parents praying but it is a great support to them in their prayer life as well.

By repetition, to rosary helps children to learn their formal prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s deeply controversial encyclical letter “Humanae vitae.” But I would like to draw particular attention to a remarkable passage in this encyclical, namely section 17, in which Paul VI plays the prophet and lays out, clearly and succinctly, what he foresees as consequences of turning away from the Church’s classic teaching on sex.

Every vocation is born of sacrifice, is maintained by sacrifice, and is measured in the apostolate by the sacrifice of those whom God calls to the priesthood or the religious life. This should not be surprising, once we realize that it was by His sacrifice that Christ redeemed the world.

Whether it is a toddler who wants to carry his father's tools as he works around the house, or the six-year-old who insists on accompanying dad on his errands, early on, boys obtain their idea of masculine behavior from their father. 

Recently, my five year old announced that he wanted a different haircut. The minimalist, efficient buzz-cut given to him by his mother was no longer sufficient. He instead wanted a longer, more shapely cut so he could wear his hair like mine.

Celebrating the month of Mary with food, prayer, crafts and books

....Christ came to earth and died on the cross, not so that we could avoid death and suffering, but so that he could transform the inevitability of death and suffering from the inside out. By communion with him, by participation in his cross, we could receive eternal life. 

Fr. Mike Schmitz, in this 6 min. video, talks on suffering as sharing in a "sliver of the cross".

How many times as a parent have we wished that we could alleviate our child’s suffering? Our
God-given nature to love and protect our child kicks in to high gear when he or she faces trials.

The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution -- St. Valentine's Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples.

Before I was Catholic, there were three significant days in my week: Monday was the much dreaded day school or work began; Wednesday was the hopeful hump day when most of the week was over; and Friday was the glorious final day of the week that ushered us into the weekend.

Since becoming, Catholic, however, I have gained a new appreciation for the sacredness of time.

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This post is reprinted with permission from The Catholic Education Resource Center

The partridge in a pear tree is Christ. In nature, a mother partridge will feign injury to lure predators away from her defenseless nestlings. In the same way, our Lord protects us, vulnerable human beings, from Satan. The pear tree symbolizes the salvation of mankind, just as the apple tree symbolizes Adam and Eve's Fall from Grace. 

Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.

Practical tips for Celebrating the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day as a family.

Join the Family Rosary Pledge.

How exciting for children to hear the story of Fatima! Knowing that God used three young children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia to help Him to do His work on earth means that yes, He can use each one of us as well - even young children. 

Share the story of Fatima with your children and watch this Video Blog  of a young woman visiting Fatima today. You may also download a free coloring page on Holy Heroes.