Feast Days from Monday 7th December to Sunday 13th

The main feast days this week are:

7th December ~ St Ambrose

8th December ~ The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

9th December ~ St Juan Diego

10th December ~ The Translation of the Holy House of Loreto

12th December ~ The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

13th December ~ St Lucy

7th December ~ ST AMBROSE

A biography of St Ambrose for children. HT: Intercessories Family Ministry

A biography of the life St Ambrose of older children. HT: Magnificat

Here is an online page on the life of St Ambrose from Picture Book of Saints. HT: ainglkiss

For a craft idea, here are some Beeswax Ornaments from O Night Divine.

Here are some great food ideas from Catholic Cuisine:

Bumble Bee Cookies for St Ambrose

Christmas Honey Cookies for the Honey Tongued Saint

Sweet Beehive Cake for St Ambrose

8th December ~ THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

A biography on the beautiful title of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception. HT: Intercessories Family Ministry

An explanation of the title of the Immaculate Conception for older children. HT: Magnificat

If you have made the Christ Candle/Mary Candle for your Advent Wreath, read this article from Catholic Culture and it's connection to the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some examples of the Christ Candle/Mary Candle is in the Advent Preparation posting. (scroll down to Advent Wreaths)

A colouring page for the Immaculate Conception: HT: Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda

Pop on over to Catholic Cuisine for a collection of food ideas for the feast day.

The miraculous medal is connected to the title of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Here is the week's posting that outlined the book reading & activities for the feast. Here is my tutorial on making a Miraculous Medal Prayer Petition Mobile.

9th December ~ ST JUAN DIEGO

A biography of St Juan Diego for children. HT: Intercessories Family Ministry

Pop on over to Paper Dali for a free St Juan Diego Paper Doll for the children to colour and build.

Mexican food is the order of the day for St Juan's feast, so pop on over to Catholic Cuisine for their list of recipes for St Juan.

Don't forget to check and the books and activities further below for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as they are connected!

Illuminated Ink, have this wonderful Our Lady of Guadalupe Cut and Color. For ladies in Australia, you might want to contact Anna from Fountain Resources, and order a kit in for next year.

10th December ~ TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY HOUSE OF LORETO

Pop on over to Catholic Tradition, they have the MOST BEAUTIFUL webpage dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy House, this is not to be missed!

A biography of the Translation of the Holy House of Loreto for older children. HT: Magnifcat

Here is a beautiful Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Loreto over at Margaret's Minnesota Mom.

I wrote about the feast last year, where I have listed the Litany of Loreto, this is a prayer that every family should recite for this feast, it is very beautiful, you may also want to make it a permanent trimmings to our daily rosary!

Advent is a season for making gingerbread houses, why not make a Holy House of Loreto as Alice has over at Cottage Blessings?



Lastly but definately not least ~ pop on over to Roman Catholic Sacramentals Foundation and order a bottle of the Holy Oil that has come from the shrine of Loreto. I order it in and I'm in Australia, so they post internationally. This is a very powerful sacramental, if you would like to read of such an example of it's efficacy then read about on the the Church's most incredible miracles and the use of holy oil.

12 December ~ THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

A biography of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe for children. HT: Intercessories Family Ministry

Here is a biography for older children. HT: Magnificat

A lovely colouring image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. HT: Charlotte at Waltzing Matilda

Here is a great craft for children, Our Lady of Guadalupe Tinwork Ornaments by MaryM over at O Night Divine.

Here is Margaret's (Minnesota Mum) Guadalupe Wreath being showcased over at Alice's Cottage Blessings.

Here is a beautiful high tea in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe as only Alice at Cottage Blessings can do it!

Mexican food is definately the order of the day for this beautiful feast, pop on over to Catholic Cuisine for a whole host of meals and sweets for the feast!

Here is a Marian Grotto Kit of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Illuminated Ink. For Australian ladies, contact Anna from Fountain Resources.


Or Illuminated Ink's Wooden Rosary Holder Kit of Our Lady of Guadalupe.










I highly recommend Tomie de Paola's beautiful picture book, The Lady of Guadalupe. Incredibly illustrated and a very full story.

There is this colouring book called Our Lady of Guadalupe, the story in it is written by Mary Fabyan Windeatt, one of my favourite saint writers.





I particularly love the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, my blog Under Her Starry Mantle is dedicated to Our Lady under this title. I particularly love these precious words that Our Lady spoke to St Juan Diego and to all her children on earth:


"Am I not here? I who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and watch? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the fold of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?"

Here are some of my blog postings on Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe and True Devotion

Under Her Miraculous Starry Mantle This posting is about how the night sky on the date of the apparition is perfectly marked out in place on her mantle, an incredible miracle!

My all time favourite book is the book below Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. It also makes a fantastic read-aloud with your children 8 and above.

Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness by Warren H Carroll



A Handbook on Guadalupe.

This book is also wonderful reading, explaining many of the miracles attached to this most wonderous tilma and apparition.

13th December ~ ST LUCY

Celebrated on December 13th Santa Lucia is an important prequel to Christmas in many parts of the world.

Scandinavia Luciadagen Lucia Day, marks the beginning of Christmas in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Traditionally the eldest girl in the family wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of lighted candles. At dawn she wakes the rest of the family with hot coffee and Lussekatter saffron buns. (see below for more links for this celebration)

Italy Santa Lucia is celebrated in many parts of Italy, especially in Sicily, Naples, Lombardy and the Veneto. In Verona there is a big Christmas market and presents are exchanged. In Sicily wheat food such as pasta and bread are not eaten but instead they eat cuccia made from boiled wheat berries, ricotta and sugar.

Croatia It is customary to sow the Christmas wheat on St Lucy's Day. Put the seeds in a small dish of soil in a warm room, keep watered. By Christmas Eve there should be fresh shoots about 8 inches tall.

Here is Catholic Culture's article on St Lucy and the Christmas Wheat.

A biography of St Lucy for children. HT: Intercessories Family Ministry

A biography of the life of St Lucy for older children. HT: Magnificat

Here is an online page of the life of St Lucy from Picture Book of Saints. HT: ainglkiss

Here is a great site with many, many different images of St Lucy holy cards. HT: carasantalucia

Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda who so kindly shares her artistic colouring pages for children has done two for the feast of St Lucy:

The Martrydom of St Lucy colouring page.

St Lucy Star Boy and Candle Girl colouring page.

"Some of the lovliest St. Lucy Day traditions are Swedish! In Sweden, this special feast is called Luciadagen. Before dawn, the oldest daughter in the family will dress as St. Lucy, wearing a white gown to represent purity , a red sash to represent martyrdom, and a crown of greenery and lit candles. Her little brothers will join her dressed as "starboys" wearing white gowns, cone-shaped hats decorated with gold stars, and carrying star-tipped wants. She will then wake her family and serve them special St. Lucy Day treats such as Lussekatter (St. Lucy's Cats) and Saffron Buns shaped into various shapes."

Here is an article by Catholic Culture on the Swedish Lucia Feast.

Here is the St Lucia's Bread from Catholic Cuisine.

Here is some links to making St Lucia Crown's:

Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda's St Lucy Crown.

Jennifer from As Cozy as Spring's St Lucy Crown.

I particularly recommend this site for making paper St Lucy Crowns and Star Boy Hats.

If you want to buy a real brass St Lucy crown with lights, click here.

Another lovely St Lucy craft is making St Lucia dolls, here are some good places to visit:

Here is a post on St Lucy Dolls by Jenn GM over at O Night Divine.

St Lucy paper dolls.

Making St Lucia dolls HT: Posie gets cosy

Paper Dali has a particularly lovely paper doll and study unit set for St Lucy.

St Lucy puppet and song to colour. HT: Makinglearningfun.com

The name Lucy or Lucia, from the latin root "lux", means light. St Lucy's Day, used to be celebrated at the winter solstice which marked the reappearance of the sun in the very north. And so for this reason we started up our own modern celebration for St Lucy ~ that is to visit the beautiful christmas light displays in our city. Here is our postings on our St Lucy nights in the last two years:

LIGHTS! On the feast of St Lucy.

St Lucy's Lights Night!

Here is a highly recommended St Lucy's book called Lucia: Saint of Light. It is only newly released and so you may not get a copy for this year's feast but worth getting for next year.

Here is Jenn GM's review, it is really good reading!