Unveiling the cover!

Unveiling the cover!

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Lisa Hendey's "The Handbook for Catholic Moms"

Kate Wicker interviews Lisa Hendey about her new book:

1. Tell us a little bit about your new book, The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul. It almost appears to serve as a primer for "all things Catholic Mom." In fact, I feel like I now have a book that compiles many of the great wisdom and resources that is shared on your CatholicMom.com site. What prompted you to write the book? What are some of the topics you cover?

First of all Kate, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to share about my book with your readers! As a fan of your blog, it’s very fun to be a guest on Momopoly, I think you’re on target when you call The Handbook for Catholic Moms a great companion piece to CatholicMom.com. This was our goal from the start with the book, to provide a lasting, cumulative resource that would serve as the “go to” reference for Catholic Moms.

I was encouraged to take on this project in collaboration with my wonderful publisher, Ave Maria Press, who recognized the work we’d accomplished through the website and wanted to provide me with an even larger and more lasting platform to support and encourage Catholic moms. I can’t thank them enough for their belief in me and for their conviction that this was an important message to share.

As you know, the book is aimed at supporting and encouraging Catholic moms in their mothering vocation. I am convinced that for us to truly serve our families, we need to nurture and take care of ourselves. The book is divided into four sections: Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. The Heart section looks at our relationships. Mind explores all of the intellectual pursuits in a mom’s life – everything from career issues to handling family finances. The Body section of the book urges a mom to care for herself physically. The Soul section, my favorite part of the book, shares all of the wonderful treasures of our faith that can be used by a mom to nurture herself spiritually.

Go to Kate's blog to see the review here.

Inspire: Imitating Mother Teresa by Recognizing Calcutta in Our Midst - Catholic Online

Inspire: Imitating Mother Teresa by Recognizing Calcutta in Our Midst - Catholic Online

Small Opportunities to be saintly surround us...

Small Opportunities to Be Saintly Surround Us

No, we don’t need to take a course in sanctity to become a saint one day– it’s all mapped out for us and right under our noses...

Check out my latest installment about the saints for youth at the Goodness Reigns website here.

Exciting News: "Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms" premieres Monday, April 12th!

Praised be to God! I just got word from my EWTN producer who told me that "Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms" will premiere this Monday, April 12th! The first one will air right before the Mass which is broadcast at 8:00am Eastern. So, if you turn your TV on about 15min before the Mass you should catch it. Another spot is set to air at exactly 6:20pm Monday night. These will be two separate episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing how they come out. :) I hope they will be inspiring to Catholic Moms everywhere. I hope you'll be able to catch them on Monday to hopefully give you a healthy dose of inspiration for your day. Please stop back and let me know what you think. Twenty five episodes have been taped so far and if they are well-received, God willing, I will do more.

God bless your week end, especially Divine Mercy Sunday!

hugs,

Donna-Marie

Divine Mercy Novena starts today!

Go on over to View From the Domestic Church to see the Divine Mercy Novena starting today.

Priests for Life to honor Terry Schiavo with anniversary Mass :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Priests for Life to honor Terry Schiavo with anniversary Mass :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

The Domestic Church study group!

"Domestic Church: The Living Room was HARD CORE! Thank you for being so honest and straight talking to us Catholic moms...we need to hear this in this day and age where society brain-washes you to believe differently! It truly was my life in a nutshell the last 20 months! Oh goodness! Our last book study meeting was... amazing lots of crying and lots of laughing! Thank you for your books!! I'm also really enjoying Prayerfully Expecting! Love all of the prayers for my unborn babe and my children! :) Hugs! ♥ Erika"

***
Thank you very much, Erika! May God bless your study group and the remainder of your pregnancy! Big hugs to you! ♥

The Heart of Motherhood

"I've read MANY books about being Catholic, being a Mom & being a Catholic Mom...but none of them have touched my heart & mind the way this one did. It was SO common sense about how to weave our Catholicity into our daily lives when there are children at our feet before 5 AM (when it's near impossible to get up before them to pray...even if we really, really want to) and at night, we just pass out, not fall asleep. I read this book twice, have MUCH highlighting throughout & even bought a 2nd copy to give to my sil for her birthday this past Feb. Being a Mom can seem to be a thankless job, being a stay-at-home mom is less than respected in today's society and being a Catholic Mom in the truest sense of the word, can be rougher than anything else I could imagine. Using the practical wisdom in this book helped me to see that even though I can't physically be on my knees in prayer, my heart can be bowed down & focused on Our Lord all day, everyday, keeping my focus on the true Heart of (Catholic) Motherhood."

Thank you very much for your review M. McCormack. I am sure that it will help other Catholic mothers in need of encouragement and inspiration. God bless you!

Wonderful St. Joseph!

O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires. O thou Saint Joseph, do assist me by thy powerful intercession, and obtain for me from thy divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that, having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating thee, and Jesus asleep in thy arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near thy heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. Saint Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen!

My interview with Zenit

Mother Teresa Shows Families How to Be Holy


Interview With Author Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle


By Genevieve Pollock

NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Mother Teresa encouraged working with the poor not only in the slums of India, but primarily in our own families, says the author of a new book about the nun.

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle is the author of the recently published "Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship."

She spoke with ZENIT about her experiences with Mother Teresa, now recognized as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and the ways in which the nun taught the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation she founded, and others to love Christ in the poor.

Mother Teresa encouraged O'Boyle, a wife and mother, to live her vocation well and to help other families thrive. Over the years, the author has also written other books with this goal, including "The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home," "The Domestic Church: Room By Room," and "Grace Cafe: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering."

As well, she is a host for Eternal Word Television Network, and will soon be premiering a new series, "Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms."

O'Boyle has written for several newspapers and magazines, and maintains various personal blogs, including a new saints' Web site for youth.

In this interview with ZENIT, she spoke about the holiness of Mother Teresa, and the ways in which her teachings can be implemented in families today.

ZENIT: In one point in your book, you talk about Mother Teresa's unshakeable faith coupled with a feisty attitude; in another part you mention that she was called extraordinarily ordinary. Yet you also say that you have no doubt about Mother Teresa's eventual canonization. What makes you so certain? How does the normality of your relationship affect your belief that she is a saint?

O'Boyle: My relationship with Mother Teresa was certainly normal but I feel that it was extraordinary as well because I never had a doubt that I was visiting and corresponding with a living saint.

I saw great holiness in everything about Mother Teresa -- in her speech, her posture, her demeanor, the "glow' about her that radiated Christ's love, peace, and joy.

I knew that she truly lived the Gospel of Matthew: "Whatever you do to the least of these that are in my family, you do to me."

She lived her life, her every moment to satiate the thirst of Christ for souls... Continued here

My new saints' blog

The Stuff of Saints

“God knows just what each of us needs to become a saint. It’s when we decide to respond in love to all of the little details of life we are immersed in that we are heading in the right direction.” Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle

Take a look at my brand new saints' blog on the Goodness Reigns website for youth by clicking here.

Words to ponder on a Lenten Friday

Prayer Before a Crucifix
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,
while before your face I humbly kneel; and with burning
soul I pray and beseech you to fix deep in my heart
lively sentiments of Faith, Hope and Charity, true
contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment.
I contemplate with great love and tender pity your five
wounds, pondering upon them within me, calling to
mind the words which David your prophet said of
you my Jesus,

"They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones."

Pia de Solenni | Headline Bistro

Pia de Solenni | Headline Bistro

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The Boston Catholic Women's Conference - an awesome event!

I returned home late last night from the Boston Catholic Women's Conference which was truly wonderful. It was a day filled with grace! I will give you some highlights later on, but now I'd like to tell you that it will be aired on Catholic TV at noon (Eastern Standard Time) today. You'll be able to see all of the speakers (myself included) and the beautiful Mass.

To find information to tune into Catholic TV from your computer or TV click here Just scroll over until you see the Boston Catholic Women's Conference and you'll also see my name which you can click on.

You can see my talk here..

Boston Catholic Women's Conference

I am leaving for Boston to give a talk tomorrow at the Boston Catholic Women's Conference. It's a snowy blustery day here so please pray for every one's travel and all to go according to God's holy will. Thank you for your prayers. Here's a short Youtube: here.

Thank you for your prayers! I'll post again when I am finished with the conference about my radio show coming up on Monday or Tuesday morning.


God bless!

Donna-Marie

As we prepare our families for the Lenten season...

Tomorrow is "Fat Tuesday" and the following day is Ash Wednesday, our Church's official beginning of Lent.

Kate Wicker has some advice for families for Lent in her post titled, "Lent for Little Ones." She said, "My oldest daughter is only five, so I don't expect her draw a long list of sacrifices. However, it's my firm belief that even the smallest children can begin their journey to the cross with Jesus during Lent. Here are a few ways I make this liturgical season come alive for my little ones (and I'd love to have others share how they approach Lent with their kids as well):

1. We give up sweets as a family except on Sundays and special saints' feast days. I know this is cliche, but it's an easy sacrifice for kids to understand. It's also a good way to detox from all the sweets we scarfed down back in December. Now I consider myself an understanding mother, so I allow my children to savor their last treat on Fat Tuesday. (Who am I kidding? I NEED the last hooray for myself.) So on Tuesday night we'll be eating ice cream for dinner. It's our feast before the fast, and Madeline looks forward to it every year (I score some serious cool points for serving ice cream for dinner).

Visit Kate here at her blog to see her whole post.

Interview with Kate Wicker about "Mother Teresa and Me"

"Today I'm honored to share an interview with Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle (pictured left), a wife, mom, author, and speaker who is committed to encouraging others to seek holiness in the context of a happy Catholic family.

Donna Marie's most recent book, Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship, recounts the lessons learned from a ten-year relationship with the humble nun from Calcutta who is known for serving the poorest of the poor.

When I was in seventh grade, a close friend of mine led me to fell in love with the wisdom of Mother Teresa. Later in life I first felt an authentic call to motherhood while commuting on a train to work and reading A Simple Path. Coincidentally, I discovered after reading Donna Marie's book that Mother Teresa received her "call within a call" - her first inspiration to start the Missionaries of Charity - while sitting aboard a train as well.

While my devotion to Mother Teresa has been long-lived, the magnitude of her works and her life have often made her seem aloof and unreachable to me. What Donna Marie's book did for me was to make Mother Teresa real. The book includes snippets of personal correspondence with Mother Teresa as well as photographs of the saint-in-the-making with Donna Marie's children. While Donna Marie's book focused on this one pious woman, it serves as a reminder that the entire "great cloud of witnesses" in which we call saints are not impassable, holy people who are just "out there." They are people we can turn to in our struggles and in our joy for inspiration. They are people who have stumbled under the weight of their crosses just as we do. They are people who wrote letters and hugged children and asked for prayers on their behalf. They are true friends in Christ.

I took advantage of a recent weekend on the road and read Mother Teresa and Me in two days. As is true with all of her books, Donna Marie's words encourage, inspire, and reaffirm the value of traditional motherhood. (Go, Moms!) But what sets this book apart is that it takes an intimate look into the life of a small woman who made a big difference not only in the lives of the people she served but in the world.

Now from Donna Marie:

Donna Marie, I am so honored to have you over here at my little corner of cyberspace. Thanks for sharing your time and talents with us all. Now please tell us a little bit about your relationship with Mother Teresa.

I met Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Washington DC a little more than 22 years ago at the Missionaries of Charity convent. My spiritual director at the time, Father John A. Hardon S.J., invited my family down to see him at Georgetown University where he taught theology. We had a lovely visit and were then encouraged by Fr. Hardon to visit the patients at the “Gift of Peace” home at the Missionaries of Charity convent. We visited the terminally ill AIDS and cancer patients there and observed the loving care given to them by the nuns. The nuns invited us to come back the next day for Mass at their private chapel. We were told that Mother Teresa would be attending one of their Masses. I had no idea up until that point that she was even in the country!

What prompted you to write Mother Teresa and Me?..." Continued here at Momopoly.

My recent interview with Al Kresta on webcam

You can see the the recent interview with Al Kresta and me here.

Watch live video from Kresta In The Afternoon's channel on Justin.tv

Praying for the Other Half!

A mother's study group gathering together to share their faith while studying The Domestic Church: Room By Room has just shared this with me:

"During the study of Chapter 1 Part 2, I was led by the Holy Spirit to pray for the husbands of our group...then prompted to suggest a novena for our husbands to the group... then I turned the page...and there it was, the next chapter! "The Garage" ! Boy, the Lord knows, Mother Mary knows just when to send the graces! So, as we embark on the "Garage" chapter we have listed the husbands in our weekly e-mail and each of us will be praying not only for our own husbands but for each other's husband as well."

Isn't that wonderful that these women are praying for all of the husbands as they connect with each other to strengthen their own faith and learn more about Church teaching and how it applies to them as women, mothers, and wives?

The novena prayer that they are praying is this:

O glorious Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death and the special favor we now request. (mention your request)

O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.

To see each day of the novena and find other great prayers to St. Joseph, click here.

I happen to be praying a novena to St. Joseph right now too, so I told them that I will include them in my novena. God is so good!

God bless and hugs!

Donna-Marie

My review for the new Celebrate books by Heidi Bratton

Award-winning photographer and author Heidi Bratton has given families something to celebrate! Heidi’s Celebrate series (Circle Press, 2009), comprised of four board books for the very young is bright, cheery, and inspirational for the whole family.


These sturdy and practically indestructible books: Celebrate: Me & You, Celebrate: Feelings, Celebrate: Animals, and Celebrate: Family bring the Gospel to life and are just perfect for little hands. They can be tossed into the car, diaper bag, purse, or playpen to be picked up and enjoyed on scores of occasion.

The author has captured and highlighted some essential aspects of family life in her enchanting photos illustrating the simple and understandable text which is based on Genesis, 6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:14-27, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Mark 10:13-16.

Your children, grandchildren, godchildren and friends will love these delightfully charming books while learning a number of timeless truths at the same time!

These books are available at Circle Press.org

Tomorrow, I'll be Al Kresta's guest chatting about my beloved friend Mother Teresa

I hope you can join Al Kresta and me tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM Eastern time. We will be chatting LIVE on Ave Maria Radio aired through EWTN and all of its affiliates and through Sirius Radio. We will be chatting about my book: Mother Teresa and Me: Ten years of Friendship and of course, my friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa. I am honored to be Al's guest again. He has a great inspirational show every afternoon called "Kresta in the Afternoon" where he "talks about things that matter most." I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Al's show and also being a guest on Al's show both in person LIVE at events I have attended around the country and over the phone LIVE as well.

The latest news on the "blogfront" is the new webcam on Al's blog. You can watch the webcam during our interview! You can join us by tuning into Kresta In The Afternoon.blogspot.com

See you tomorrow!

God bless and hugs,

Donna-Marie

Atheists are protesting the upcoming Mother Teresa stamp

It's unbelievable! Well, actually, why am I surprised? An atheist group (small but loud) is complaining, actually they're protesting because Mother Teresa will be on a US stamp and the group is claiming that this violates regulations against honoring individuals whose achievements are associated with religion.

When I first heard about this earlier today, I said to my friend, "Well, that's ridiculous because Mother Teresa doesn't only represent a religion, she was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a humanitarian!" When I read the article, I was happy to see that the fact that she was a humanitarian and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient were both mentioned in the article.

Here's the news article from Fox News...

An atheist organization is blasting the U.S. Postal Service for its plan to honor Mother Teresa with a commemorative stamp, saying it violates postal regulations against honoring "individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings."

The Freedom from Religion Foundation is urging its supporters to boycott the stamp — and also to engage in a letter-writing campaign to spread the word about what it calls the "darker side" of Mother Teresa.

The stamp — set to be released on Aug. 26, which would have been Mother Teresa's 100th birthday — will recognize the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner for her humanitarian work, the Postal Service announced last month.

"Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years," the Postal Service said in a press release. "Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world’s poorest populations."

But Freedom from Religion Foundation spokeswoman Annie Laurie Gaylor says issuing the stamp runs against Postal Service regulations... ( Continued here at Fox News)

At the end of the article, it says, "The Foundation is encouraging its supporters to purchase the new stamp honoring the late actress Katharine Hepburn, who was an atheist, instead — or any of the other 2010 stamps, which include cartoonist Bill Mauldin, singer Kate Smith, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, painter Winslow Homer and poet Julia de Burgos."

And I say, why don't we all buy up tons of Mother Teresa stamps when they are released August 26th, the anniversery of her birth (she would be 100) and use them abundantly! Let's bring back the art of letter writing. In fact, I am going to highly encourage everyone when it comes that time, to write a bunch of letters, getting in touch with loved ones and old friends and use that beautiful stamp to do so. :) What do you think?

Another idea is to buy a bunch of these beautiful stamps and then donate them to the Missionaries of Charity convents! The Sisters can sure use the stamps.

Pope Benedict's Second Book on Jesus of Nazareth is Complete

Vatican City, Jan 20, 2010 / 09:12 pm (CNA).- After meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in a private audience, American Rabbi Jacob Neusner, prolific writer, professor and expert in Judaism, told L'Osservatore Romano newspaper about his history with the Pope. He also mentioned that the Holy Father confided to him that the second volume of Jesus of Nazareth is complete.

The two met privately on Monday at the Vatican for 20 minutes, which the Rabbi Neusner called a "great gift" and said was "time enough for a nice meeting between two professors." During this encounter, the Pope chose to reveal to him that the second volume on Jesus is ready for the press.

The American rabbi was in Rome to take part in Catholic-Jewish dialogues following the Pope's visit to the Synagogue of Rome. He's no stranger to the environment, having dedicated his life to the scholarly study of Judaism, including how it interacts with Christianity and Islam... (Continued here).

You'll love this book!

I am a very honored contributor of The Handbook for Catholic Moms. You'll see a sidebar from me inside. Here's my endorsement for this wonderful book: Lisa Hendey is the sister friend of Catholic motherhood! We know her so well through her work for families, her website: Catholic Mom and her engaging podcasts. She now brings us her book: The Handbook for Catholic Moms; Nurturing Your Heart, Body Mind, & Soul in which Lisa openly discusses the essential elements of a Catholic Mom’s life in an exceptionally delightful, engaging, dynamic, and practical manner. You’ll be turning pages and feeling as if Lisa is there by your side lovingly offering her insight and warm encouragement. You’re going to love this book!

Watch for my review of this book coming up in the National Catholic Regiser.

Here's where you can purchase your copy:
Amazon - here.

The Catholic Company - here.

Barnes & Noble - here.

Aquinas and More - here.

Worrying about praying enough...

Next time you worry about fitting your prayers in during your overly-packed days with the kids, think about this notion which I wholeheartedly agree with, and well, it comes from a saint!

"Do not distress yourself about your prayers. It is not always necessary to employ words, even inwardly, it is enough to raise your heart and let it rest on our Lord, to look lovingly up toward this divine Lover of our souls for between lovers the eyes speak more eloquently than the tongue."

~ St. Francis De Sales

Of course, this doesn't mean you don't look for every opportunity for prayer because you can fit your Rosaries in on your fingertips when your hands are busy with the care of the household and family. But, there are plenty of times when your focus is critically needed for your family, and you can't formulate the words to speak to Our Lord; it is then when your loving looks to Him are enough - He knows!

Grace Cafe!

Here's a new review of Grace Cafe. Thank you very much, Amy, for your beautiful words.
Not A Microwave Meal

"Grace Cafe," by Donna-Marie Cooper Boyle is not a cookbook of microwave dinners, but one of 5 course meals. This lovely little gem, was full of wonderful quotes and thoughts that required thought and reflection. The chapters include topics such as a call to holiness, a vocation of love, self giving, and raising saints. It is adorably written with little recipe summary snippets at the end of each chapter. While the theme is quaint, don't let that fool you. Ms. Cooper Boyle writes with such spiritual depth that each page could be studied in and of itself. I wish I had time to read and just sit and ponder each line, each quote, each reference to the Catechism. What a labor of love this work must have been. I finished the book, enjoyed it, and learned more about my faith, but honestly it took me quite some time.

To see the full blog post, visit Amy here.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and beautiful feast day!

I am trying to catch up a bit here. I've been down with the flu and still trying to get over it. I've been posting little messages to Face Book when I can but haven't had time or energy to post on my blogs much.

I just heard the other day that I was noted as one of the top ten fascinating Catholics of 2009. Who me??? You can check that out here.

I will be speaking at the Boston Women's Conference in February. You can check that out here.

More news soon. God bless your first day of the New Year! Happy feast of our Blessed Mother!

Donna-Marie

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas yesterday. I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get a chance to post a message. My Christmas day began with a beautiful Mass on Christmas Eve and my Christmas day was filled with prayers, laughter, fun, conversation, sharing, cooking, baking, visiting with family and friends (over the phone too), hard work to get everything done, and collapsing at the end of the day in the living room, finally, to then top off the wonderful day playing a fun game with the family.

I hope that your Christmas was holy, beautiful and memorable - creating memories for future generations! Imagine that!

God bless and hugs!

Donna-Marie

Meeting Jesus at the Post Office!

Here is a segment from a past Christmas segment in which I chat with Teresa Tomeo about meeting Jesus in the Post Office. Just click here to listen to it as well as some other Christmas reflections we talk about.

The recipe for the Overnight Christmas Bread coming up!

Mother Teresa and the Poor in our midst

"What struck me the most about Mother Teresa when I saw her for the first time was her diminutive size. There stood the world renowned peacemaker, lover of the world’s poor and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient — a giant — but in the body of someone not much taller than my young daughter!

I first caught sight of Blessed Teresa in the flesh a little more than twenty years ago in the Missionary of Charity convent chapel as she came in for daily Mass. I had been visiting..." (Continued at Catholic Exchange today)

Interview at Faith & Family Live today!

The interview of me by Lisa Hendey for Faith & Family Live is now up at the website. You can listen in by clicking here.

There's also a contest going on over there to win my book: Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship.

God bless your Friday!

God bless and hugs!

Donna-Marie

Contest for my book at Faith & Family!

Go on over to Faith & Family Live to see how you can win a copy of my newest book: Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship by clicking here.

Also, very soon the podcast will be posted of Lisa Hendey interviewing me today about the book. Stay tuned or keep checking the Faith & Family website (link above) for the podcast.

I hope you win a book! Go over and take a look to see how you can win. It's very easy but the deadline is fast approaching.

Autographed copies of my new book are still available from my website: www.donnacooperoboyle.com and I will be including a Miraculous medal blessed by Pope Benedict while I was in Rome recently while supplies last. I am doing my very best to fill all orders and get them right out so you may have them in time for Christmas, God willing!

God bless and hugs!

Donna-Marie

More Radio Tomorrow...

Join me tomorrow (Friday) on Sacred Heart Radio with Brian Patrick. I'll be chatting with him at 8:50 AM Eastern time. You can tune in here. Just click on the "listen online" button at the top of the page.

We'll be talking about my new book: Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship.

Talk to you soon!

God bless!

Donna-Marie

Join me: Radio today!

This morning (on Thursday, December 17th), I will be a guest on Gus Lloyd's show: Seize the Day!. We'll be chatting about my new book. This show will be LIVE. You can tune in at 9:35 AM Eastern time. I won't have a link to give you to listen in until the end of December in case you can't tune to this morning.

Also today, at I will be doing a chat with a dear friend, Lisa Hendey who will be interviewing me for a Faith & Family podcast. I will let you know when it will air or you can check later on today on the Faith & Family Live website.

Talk to you later!

God bless and hugs!

Donna-Marie

How's your Advent season going?

How is your Advent season going? Have you tried to cut back on some activities to pause and pray and spend time with your family and loved ones? This holy time seems to speed by, doesn't it? We are already into the third week of Advent. which is hard to believe. What kinds of things are you doing with your family to make this season sprcial? Are you forming new traditions or reviving some old ones? Please feel to share in the comment section. I'll be doing some LIVE radio tomorrow and Monday (schedule here) about this season and about my new book just released: Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship, so please feel free to let me know what kinds of things you'd like to hear about.

Talk to you soon!
God bless you!

Donna-Marie

Esther recommends places to do your Christmas shopping

How nice of Esther to give us some recommendations for Christmas shopping. I was very much surprised and delighted as well to see my name on her list! Check it out here Which reminds me - I had better finish making my list and then check it twice!

CatholicTV

CatholicTV

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Happy Feast Day!

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. As Our Lady Immaculately Conceived is the patroness of the United States of America, this is a holy day of obligation in the United States.

Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."

~ Catechism of the Catholic Church
(From Witchita Catholic Examiner)

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

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A Reflection on the Saints

Although this refection is from last month, it may still serve us today...

Saints Surround Us
By Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle


My third grade student raised her hand and seemed bursting to share something with our religious education class recently when we were discussing the saints. I called on her and she quickly blurted out, “I know who the next saint will be!”

“Who?” I asked.

“I don’t know her name,” she answered, “but she’s a teacher at my sister’s school and someone said she only needs to complete one more course before she becomes a saint!”

I smiled and mused about what might have been expressed and overheard at school to cause this misunderstanding. It was very cute, no question about it.

I answered my student, “We don’t have to take any courses to become a saint. There could be a very poor person living on the other side of the world who has never gone to school ever. This person has no education, no courses, yet he can love God with all his heart and love others too. That person can become a saint, same as someone who learns more about the faith,” I told the class.

During the month of November we have the saints on our minds. We celebrate the saints and pray for all of the deceased on All Saints Day and All Souls day and throughout the month. As part of the Communion of Saints, we are formally called the Church Militant because we are busy working out our salvation. We most likely are not involved in any wars, but we encounter spiritual warfare on a daily basis as we tread through each day. The Communion of Saints supports one another in prayer. The souls in Purgatory, called the Church Suffering needs our prayers. The Church Triumphant consisting of the saints in Heaven will pray for us and also wait for our requests for their intercession. We are all linked together in the family of the Communion of Saints in the beautiful Body of the Church.

Pope Urban VIII put the formal process of canonization in place in 1634. When the Church formally canonizes saints she solemnly proclaims that they lived lives in fidelity to God’s grace and have practiced heroic virtues. We can invoke the saints for the most pressing or the most trivial of needs. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “We can and should ask [the saints] to intercede for us and the whole world” (CCC # 2683).

What makes a Saint a Saint?

We can think of the saints as people to emulate. But what makes a saint a saint? What’s the stuff that saints are made of? We know that saints are people just like you and me – from differing walks of life, races, eras and temperaments. What sets them apart? They all had in common a shared communal faith in God and His promises. The saints are people who all choose to become holy. They are united in the love of God and the love for their neighbor. They were all challenged in many ways and became saints despite of, and actually more accurately, because of the struggles. They rose above the trials and persecutions with their eyes set on the goal – eternal life! Their example speaks volumes to us.

I find it amusing when in talking with people about striving for holiness, I have been told, “Oh, I know I can be holy if I wasn’t sick” or “If I had more time” or “If I had a different boss” or even “If I had a different spouse!” I smile and say, “My husband tells me with a twinkle in his eyes that God put him on this earth to make me a saint!”

God knows just what each of us needs to become a saint. It’s when we decide to respond in love to all of the little details of life we are immersed in that we are heading in the right direction. A trying child, a grumpy spouse, an angry co-worker; all can contribute to our sanctity and theirs – imagine that! This gives us a better perspective and also a whole lot of hope for the future when we recognize that we are where we are for a reason. God is calling us to holiness in the here and now of our lives.

How to Become a Saint

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said time and time again, “Holiness is not a luxury of a few, but a duty for us all.” Jesus tells how to become a saint—how to inherit eternal life. He asks us, rather, He instructs us implicitly to live the Gospel of Matthew:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will put the sheep at His right hand and the goats on the left.

"Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed Me,

I was naked, and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you took care of Me; I was in prison, and you visited Me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when was it when we saw You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? And when was it that we saw You a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave You clothing?

“And when was it that we saw You sick or in prison and visited You?

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least who are members of my family, you did it to Me.”

"Then He will say to those at His left, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

I was a stranger, and you did not welcome Me, naked, and you did not give Me clothing, sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

"Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of You?'

"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Opportunities Surround Us

We live this Gospel every time we bring a glass of water to our child in the night or clothe our family, and when we visit the lonely and take care of the lonely in our own families. Do we have a lonely relative in need of a visit? We can put aside some time on Sundays for practicing the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Friday is another good day to give to others. Fridays are days meant for exercising penance and offering service to others. Amazing things will happen when we give of our time and love. Hearts are transformed!

Our Lord is asking us to see Him in others and serve Him in them. We have umpteen opportunities in our daily lives to live out the call to holiness; we just need to be attentive to the call. Perhaps we need to unplug from some of the technology and spend some time in quiet contemplation to hear Our Lord’s voice. And when there’s no time to be quiet and we are busy with the care of the family, right in the midst of changing diapers, keeping up with overflowing hampers of dirty laundry and all of the constant demands that call for our immediate attention - God speaks to us there too – even more clearly sometimes because we know we are serving Him as we tend to the needs of our families.

Blessed Teresa has told us: “The Church of God needs saints today. This imposes a great responsibility on us. We must become holy, not because we want to feel holy, but because Christ must be able to live his life fully in us.” We certainly live in an era when we are in need of saints to light the way to Heaven. God in His goodness has given us many holy people in our time—some have gone before us and are now in Heaven—some are here in our midst, humbling living out their lives of love and holiness.

No, we don’t need to take a course in sanctity to become a saint one day– it’s all mapped out for us and right under our noses. We only need to live out our lives faithfully, paying close attention to all of the tiny details while living in all of the present moments of our lives – surrendering everything over to God with great love. He’ll take care of it all if we allow Him to so that one day we will be rejoicing in Heaven – not just because we made it there, but because we lived out our lives with great love and service to others, and along with God’s abundant graces, we will have paved the road to Heaven for countless other souls!

Thank you dear Lord for Your love! Please teach me how to love with YOUR love and draw others to You so that we may all enjoy the eternal happiness of Heaven with You! Blessed Mother Mary, be a Mother to me and watch over and protect my family. All of you Angels and Saints, pray for us and guide us, please. Amen.

[This article originally appeared on the TORCH website (www.torchhomeschooling.org). Traditions of Roman Catholic Homes (TORCH) is an association of lay faithful established to promote homeschooling among Catholic families and to support those families who are engaged in providing their children’s primary education at home.]

Message from "Spiritual Motherhood for Priests"

"Don't forget tomorrow on the 1st Thursday of the Month you can receive a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions) if you offer the Mass tomorrow for Priests, through Christ the Eternal high Priest.

“During the Year for Priests a Plenary Indulgence is granted on the first Thursday of the month to all the faithful who are truly repentant who attend the divine Sacrifice of Mass under the ordinary conditions and offer prayers to Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, for the priests of the Church… accordance with the Supreme Pontiff's intentions’. (Vatican City, May 12, 2009)

Happy Advent to all!!
He is coming!"

"The Handbook for Catholic Moms" is coming soon!

I am thrilled to announce that my friend and founder of Catholic Mom.Com, Lisa Hendey will release her new book: The Handbook for Catholic Moms VERY SOON!

The Handbook for Catholic Moms
Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul
Published by Ave Maria Press
By Lisa M. Hendey

"Drawing from the deep tradition of the Catholic faith, Lisa Hendey coaches Catholic moms in how to care for themselves—heart, mind, body, and soul—so that they can better love and care for their families, their neighbors, and their Church.

With warmth and wisdom, Hendey creates an environment where Catholic moms can reflect peacefully upon often-competitive topics like parenting style, types of schooling, and working outside the home. By sharing her own story, Hendey inspires readers to better balance their own needs with the demands of family life and faith commitment.

Lisa shares stories from her personal life as a wife and mother, as well as stories contributed by Catholic moms and families from around the country. Each chapter of The Handbook for Catholic Moms contains relevant scripture passages, Church doctrine, and quotes from the lives of the saints. Noted Catholics such as Danielle Bean, Father James Martin, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle and Phil Lenahan contribute their expertise and wisdom to make this a tremendous resource for Catholic mothers. "Mom's Homework" reflections at the conclusion of every chapter help the reader apply the book's principles to her real world challenges as a Catholic Mom."

Contributors to The Handbook for Catholic Moms:

Sharmane Adams, Susan Bailey, Rachel Balducci, Mary Ellen Barrett, Danielle Bean, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Maria de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda, Lisa Duffy, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, Fr. Jay A. Finelli, Reverend Mr. Tom Fox, Pat Gohn, Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Mary Ann Kuharski, Phil Lenahan, James Martin, SJ, Laurie Manhardt, Arwen Mosher, Holly Pierlot, Sarah Reinhard, Paula Rutherford, Rebecca Ryskind Teti, Sue Stanton, Kate Wicker, Melissa Wiley

Topics of Interest include:

~Single Motherhood
~The Importance of Mass Attendance
~Working Outside the Home
~Doctor’s Orders: Recommended Medical Routines
~Becoming a Lifelong Learner
~Exploring the Bible

Lisa's book sells for $15.95 and will be available on February 2010.

Endorsements:

"Lisa Hendey’s CatholicMom.com website has long been a treasured internet gathering spot. The Handbook for Catholic Moms is a welcome extension of Lisa’s wisdom and energy, enriched by the experiences of the community of women who have found community, support, and strength through CatholicMom.com."
- Amy Welborn, Author of A Catholic Woman’s Book Of Days

"Lisa Hendey is the sister friend of Catholic motherhood! We know her so well through her work for families, her website, and her engaging podcasts. Lisa now brings us her book in which she openly discusses the essential elements of a Catholic mom’s life in an exceptionally delightful, engaging, dynamic, and practical manner. You’ll be turning pages and feeling as if Lisa is there by your side lovingly offering her insight and warm encouragement. You’re going to love this book!"
- Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Host of EWTN’s Everyday Blessings For Catholic Moms

"Lisa Hendey is the kind of friend whose advice you always treasure. Warm, wise, funny, compassionate, faith-filled, and, above all experienced in the joys and struggles of family life, her new book will be a lifesaver to Catholic women who try, hope, and pray to be good moms."
- James Martin, S.J., Author of My Life with the Saints

"Kudos to fellow blogger Lisa Hendey for such a comprehensive, holistic companion for women who can use their faith as a tool to empower themselves as mothers, as wives, and as individuals on the pilgrimage of life."
- Therese Borchard, Author of Beyond Blue

"Every mom needs a few good tools in her belt, to help her handle life’s challenges and The Handbook for Catholic Moms belongs on your short list of indispensable resources. Does your marriage need a tune-up? Does your friendship garden need cultivating? Could your parenting skills use a little remedial attention? This book offers sound advice to help you meet these and other challenges with confidence and grace."
- Heidi Hess Saxton, Author of My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories

"There is a saying: A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. For years, Lisa has been the candle that lights so many others. She also invites those with their own flame of faith to join with her so that more darkness is dispelled. This book is wonderful for Catholic moms (and others) to experience the Light burning inside as well as around Lisa Hendey. She is a gift to people of faith and journey."
-Deacon Tom Fox, Columnist and Podcaster at deacontomonline.com

Check out some of Lisa's appearances here.

Check out video interviews here.

Advent is coming up!

Go take a look at Mary De Turris Poust's ideas for Advent for families and classrooms here.

Do you know where your Advent wreath candles are? Or where to get some? It's coming up fast! I've even purchased candles at a Hallmark store in the past.

God bless!

Donna-Marie

Catching up

Hello!

I just returned home from a trip to Rome - actually a pilgrimage for me. I am blogging about it at my blog: View From the Domestic Church. Go on over each day and check it out. I'll be posting photos and news from the trip. I have been spreading myself thin lately so I may not be able to post much here for a while. But come back and check - you never know. So go on over to View From the Domestic Church and be sure to check the posts each day, not just the one from this link because I will be updating regularly.

God bless!

Donna-Marie

Unveiling the new cover image!

Are you ready?

Here's the new front cover image of my Mother Teresa book due to be released shortly.

News story: Victory!

The United States House of Representatives Pounds a Nail in the Eventual
Coffin of 'Roe v. Wade'

In historic healthcare vote, the Democrat lead House of Representatives
excludes taxpayer funded abortions and signals the "beginning of the end"
for abortion in America.WASHINGTON,Nov. 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Taxpayer
funded abortion was excluded from the final healthcare bill even though
President Obama made the public funding of abortion a key component of his
Presidential campaign and was strongly supported by Speaker Pelosi and House
leadership.


In spite of these facts, a healthcare bill including abortion funding would
not pass.


This vote is a reminder that America is turning away
from the violence of abortion and embracing social
justice and human rights for all.


It is now critical for the pro-life community to
passionately and prayerfully work to ensure taxpayer
funded abortions are not part of the Senate Bill and
that they are excluded from the final passage of any
healthcare legislation.


Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian
Defense Coalition, who led a national campaign
called "Abortion is Not Health Care" for the past
several months, states:


"This historic vote in the United States House of
Representatives signals the beginning of the end
for 'Roe v. Wade.' President Obama made taxpayer
funded abortions a key part of his presidential
campaign and it was strongly supported by Speaker
Pelosi and House leadership.


"Pro-choice groups spent millions of dollars to have
taxpayer funded abortions included in healthcare
legislation to no avail.


"It is important to note that taxpayer funded abortions
were excluded from the healthcare bill because of the
votes of Democrats in the House, not conservative
Republicans. This vote shows what recent national
polls have demonstrated, and that is -- America is
turning away from abortion and embracing human
rights and a culture of life.

"The pro-life community must now passionately and
prayerfully work to ensure that taxpayer funded
abortions are not a part of the Senate bill or any final
vote on healthcare.

"The House got it right. Abortion is Not healthcare."

For more information or interviews call: Rev. Patrick J.
Mahoney at 540.538.4741

Act TODAY please!

From: One Nation Under God. org...
Dear Friends,

Given the holdout of 40 pro-life Democrats, and intense pressure by pro-life groups and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) over the federal funding of abortion, last night Speaker Pelosi conceded that she did not have the votes to push a vote on the Rule. After hours of negotiations Congressman Bart Stupak was given permission by the House Rules Committee to offer his pro-life amendment. A vote will occur this afternoon.

Pro-abortion leaders left Speaker Pelosi's office last night upset with the news that the Stupak amendment will get a vote. Planned Parenthood of America president Cecile Richards isn't happy with the U.S. Bishops efforts, and holds them responsible for this new development. The following email was sent to Planned Parenthood supporters this morning:

Late yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met with leaders in the House of Representatives in their bid to eliminate women's access to abortion care under health care reform.

We have just received news that their efforts are working, and Representative Bart Stupak has introduced an amendment to the health care reform bill that will result in women losing health care coverage for abortion.

We urgently need you, and your friends and family, to call your representative...and ask him or her to reject the Stupak amendment that will remove abortion coverage from health care reform.

If the bishops and their anti-choice partners in the House succeed, they'll permanently alter health care in America, even taking away benefits from women that they have today. The bishops want to effectively eliminate abortion coverage in both private plans and the public option. We simply cannot stand for such a discriminatory, mean-spirited attack on women.

Warning to Congress from Fr. Frank Pavone

This morning Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, warned the members of Congress that he would distribute the voting records of members of Congress on the Stupak-Pitts amendment to HR 3962 (and other abortion-related votes) to every Catholic parish in America, with instructions to each pastor on how to make clear to his congregation the implications of how that congregation's representative voted. "Whatever one's position on abortion itself," Fr. Pavone commented, "the vast majority of Americans have always opposed the idea that taxpayers should fund it. Our plan to inform pastors of these voting records is phase one of a year-long effort to activate Churches as never before regarding what they can legally do in preparation for next year's midterm elections. Publishing voting records in a non-partisan fashion is certainly one of those activities."

President Obama is making a rare Saturday appearance to Democrats on the hill to rally support. Democrats need 218 votes.

Ask your Representatives to Support the Stupak-Pitts amendment

What the Stupak-Pitts Amendment Would Do

The Stupak-Pitts Amendment would remove the two major pro-abortion components from H.R. 3962: (1) The amendment would permanently prohibit the new federal government insurance program, the "public option," from paying for abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest; and (2) the amendment would permanently prohibit the use of the new federal premium subsidies ("affordability credits") to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest).

Note: The Stupak-Pitts Amendment explicitly allows private insurance companies to sell insurance policies that cover abortion (either abortion alone, or abortion coverage along with other coverage) to persons who pay for such policies entirely with their personal funds. Some pro-abortion groups have claimed that the Stupak-Pitts amendment would prohibit private companies from selling abortion coverage even to a person who receives no government subsidy, but this is false. - NRLC

1.) Contact your Representative and ask them to vote "YES" on the
Stupak Amendment. Contact your Members here.
or call the House switchboard at: (202) 224-3121

2.) Spread the word to 10 people.

3.) Continue to pray for our elected officials. Pray that our
nation -- founded on the inalienable right to life --
does not allow its government to fund the destruction
of human life at its most vulnerable stage.

That Congress will act to ensure that needed health care reform will truly protect the life, dignity and health care of all and that we will raise our voices to protect the unborn and the most vulnerable and to preserve our freedom of conscience.
We pray to the Lord.

Sincerely,


Lisa Correnti
Founder and Director
OneNationUnderGod.org

Check this link for more information.

Our Blessed Mother and Mothers

Here's an article: "Nearer to Our Blessed Mother" over at Catholic Mom.Com. It was originally written for the month of October but is really fitting for any time. You can see it here.

God bless!

Donna-Marie

Little Flowers

Have you heard of the Little Flowers Girls Club? I will be giving a talk to a local group tonight. It's really such a wonderful club. Here's some information for you here:

"Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of nine, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Nine virtues are included in each of three different wreaths or years of study. A fourth year, studying the fruits of the Spirit is also available. The format of the Clubs is flexible, with groups meeting monthly, bi-monthly or weekly. Badges for the virtues are earned by studying the saint associated with the virtue, memorizing relevant scripture verses and studying the Catechism. The program is flexible enough to use with a variety of age groups. Little Flowers Girls' Club® has also been successfully implemented in the family. Sashes, vests, skirts, bandanas, t-shirts and other items are extras that add to the experience, but are not necessary to running a successful Club.

The Leader's Guide for each wreath offers suggestions for running meetings, planning crafts and activities, talks on virtues and other relevant information. The Member's Guide includes the activities, saints' biographies, pictures of the saints, and prayers for each girl. Each of the girls in the Club should purchase their own Member's Guide.

Other items that leaders find useful are the Memory Verse CD/Cassettes, the Tea and Luncheon Manual and the Craft Companion and Merit Certificates.

Leaders should have fun with the program and use the flexibility to choose the items that are right for your group's needs. God bless you in your work for His work!"

Please take a look at the link here.

Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers To Be

Anne McClure at "Catholic Mommy Brain" has just reviewed my book: Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers to Be:

"Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is a Catholic wife, mother of five, author, speaker, and Lay Missionary of Charity. Inspired by the idea that pregnancy spans nine months, Donna Marie created a guide to using this period of time for a novena of prayers and reflection on the blessing of new life.

This reflective journal helps you pray through your pregnancy, using beautiful meditations on all the mysteries of the Rosary and asking the intercession of Saint Anne and Saint Gerard Majella in particular. Interspersed with these prayers are descriptions of the baby’s development and quotes from wonderful models of love such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (a personal friend of Donna-Marie’s). These nuggets of wisdom will deepen your experience on the incredible dignity of life.

I am praying through this book myself and am so grateful for the peace I am finding. It can be so difficult to simply appreciate pregnancy. After all, everything about a pregnancy is oriented towards its conclusion. We can’t help but ponder names, prepare for labor, and dream about cuddling a new baby. These thoughts can be fun, but they can also prevent us from enjoying the experience of pregnancy itself. Prayerfully Expecting allows us an opportunity to slow down and find God in the process and not just the product. It offers a window into how God sees pregnancy– as a gift of self and an act of love.

Donna Marie is an inspiring witness to the joy of mothering. Prayerfully Expecting seeks to help every mom deepen that joy. To purchase this book, or to learn more about Donna Marie’s other writings, visit her website. You can also find her blogging at View From the Domestic Church, Moments of Inspiration From Your Favorite Saints, Embracing Motherhood, and Daily Dose of Donna-Marie. Her new TV series, “Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms” will soon premiere on EWTN as well."

Visit Anne's blog here.

Exciting contest at Catholic Mom.Com

Lisa Hendey at Catholic Mom.Com is running an amazing contest...

"Bringing new life into the world is a profound miracle; but for some women, pregnancy itself isn’t easy. To show our support, celebrate the blessing, and pamper our pregnant friends, we decided to offer a pregnancy giveaway during the month of November. Leave a comment on this post, and you’ll be entered to win one of two pregnancy prize packages.

Prize Pack 1:

1 copy of Erin O’Brien’s Complete Pregnancy Fitness DVD set
1 Bella Band
1 copy of the complete Laugh and Learn DVD package including Laugh and Learn about Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Baby Care; 1 Laugh and Learn T-shirt; 1 copy of Sheri Bayles’ Laugh and Learn about Childbirth book
1 copy of Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Mothers to Be by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
1 copy of Margo Smith’s CD “Sending Up A Prayer”
Prize Pack 2:

1 copy of Erin O’Brien’s Complete Pregnancy Fitness DVD set
2 boxes of Organic Preggie Pop Drops
1 copy of the complete Laugh and Learn DVD package including Laugh and Learn about Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Baby Care; 1 Laugh and Learn T-shirt; 1 copy of Sheri Bayles’ Laugh and Learn about Childbirth book
1 copy of Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Mothers to Be by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
1 copy of Margo Smith’s CD “Sending Up A Prayer”
Visit Kate Wicker at Momopoly for a detailed review of the Complete Pregnancy Fitness DVD set. Visit Anne McClure at Catholic Mommy Brain for reviews of the Bella Band, Laugh and Learn package, and Prayerfully Expecting."

So, go over to Catholic Mom.Com and see how to enter!

Praying for souls...

I'm praying for the souls in Purgatory today especially, but I pray for them every day. Go on over to my blog "View From the Domestic Church" to read a couple of posts about fellow Catholic authors writing on the poor souls and Purgatory.

Happy All Saints' Day!

Feast of All Saints

"Let us rejoice in the Lord and keep festival in honor of all the saints. Let us join with the angels in joyful praise to the Son of God."

Entrance Antiphon

This morning's segment with Teresa Tomeo on "Mom's Corner"

Here's the link to this morning's show in case you were unable to listen in at the time. Just
click here to hear my chat this morning with Teresa Tomeo. We talked about Halloween, alternatives to the tradional Jack O'Lanterns, All Saints Day, kids, families, the culture, my week end retreat at the Abbey, our upcoming trip to Rome, my Mother Teresa Book and more!

Saint O'Lanterns and Pro-Life Pumpkins!

How about focusing on the saints and precious life this time of year and stay away from the gory scary images? I am going to have an All Saints party with my CCD class this week rather than a Halloween Party. We may even carve a pumpkin or I may bring it with me for a decoration.

Teresa Tomeo and I chatted about these images earlier this morning on our segment together, "Mom's Corner" on Catholic Connection (Ave Maria Radio) and aired through EWTN.

Here are a few images and directions:


Go on over to Catholic Cuisine for some more great ideas and the directions.



Check out the American Life League website for directions and down loadable template for this unborn baby image.

Have fun with these. I'll be back later to post some additional ideas.

God bless your day!

Donna-Marie

"Mom's Corner" LIVE this morning...

Teresa and I will be at it again LIVE this morning on "Catholic Connection" Ave Maria Radio on our "Mom's Corner" segment which is aired through EWTN. We'll discuss All Saints Day, family spirituality, and our upcoming trip! Where will that be? Well, tune in to find out!

Just tune in at 9:15 AM Eastern Standard Time or before by clicking here at avemariaradio.net and then click "listen live."

I hope you can join us. Feel free to call in.

God bless your day!

Donna-Marie

Mom's Corner Coming up!

I hope you can tune in to my chat with Teresa Tomeo on Monday morning on Ave Maria Radio on "Catholic Connection." Just tune in tomorrow, Tuesday at 9:15 AM Eastern Standard Time by clicking here at avemariaradio.net and then click "listen live."

I'll be back later to post a link as soon as I can in case you can't tune in.

God bless!

Donna-Marie

Special treat at Catholic Mom.com

Lisa Hendey at Catholic Mom.Com says, "We are thrilled to announce that on Monday, October 19, Catholic Mom.com readers will have the first opportunity to read the brand new novel Sweet Dreams, by noted Catholic author and Catholic Mom.com contributor Katherine Valentine."

So go on over to Catholic Mom.com and take a look.

Natural Family Planning and Family Planning

Vatican City, Oct 13, 2009 / 03:58 pm (CNA).- "The expert Italian gynecologist Elena Giachhi said last Friday at the Synod for Africa that natural family planning through the Billings Method “fosters conjugal love, family unity, respect for women and generous openness to welcoming life.”

During her remarks at synod hall in Vatican City, Giachhi said that the simplicity of the Billings Method makes it accessible to all couples, “regardless of their educational level, religion or socioeconomic state,” whether they are Catholic, Muslim, Hindu or profess any other creed.

Giachhi, who belongs to the Center for the Study of Natural Family Planning at the Sacred Heart University of Rome, explained to the assembly that, 'Couples can manage their fertility in a natural way, both for obtaining as well as for avoiding pregnancies in all the situations of fertile life.'

This method, she said, also contributes to “promoting the family and responsible procreation in a way that respects life, love and conjugal fidelity; promoting the dignity of women; preventing abortion, avoiding the use of artificial fertilization and helping couples with fertility issues to obtain pregnancy in a way that respects ethical values; preventing sexually transmitted diseases; teaching young people mature sexuality that encompasses the spiritual, bodily and psychological dimensions.”

The Billings Method, Giachhi said, 'helps to spread human and Christian values, contributing to our pastoral commitment and to evangelization.'"

From The Catholic News Agency

This is why I do not eat red meat.

Have you heard the news about the 22 year old woman who is now paralyzed after eating dinner with her family? She went into a coma after feeling incredibly sick. Her stomach ached and she thought she had a flu. The poor woman is now in a wheelchair because she ate a hamburger. You can read the full news story here. This is the biggest reason why I do not eat red meat. It's not safe. Granted you can also get e-coli from fruits and vegetables that are eaten before they are washed and from other foods. But, e-coli is generally contracted from red meat. The other reasons why I do not eat red meat is because I do not think it's healthy. I've done the research and choose not to eat it. I'm praying for this poor woman who used to be a dance instructor.

Faith & Family Live reporting on my EWTN series

Faith & Family Live reported on my new television series for EWTN. Go on over and take a look!

God bless your day!

Donna-Marie