Looking to Find Out More about your Family History?

Have you always wanted to know more about your family history, but never had the time to do the research? My husband is now offering reasonably priced genealogy services. He has done the family histories for us and several of our friends and all have been fascinating. Family histories also make great gifts for Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Please check out his website at: http://www.macarthurgenealogy.com/

Beautiful Art by Lori Barker

I saw the art of Lori Barker at a craft show this past weekend. I was so impressed with her mixed media pieces, I wanted to share them with you. Please visit her site at www.spiritcollage.com

For WMass Residents - Divorced and Beyond

St. Catherine of Siena Parish is offering a ten-week program for people who are already divorced or have filed for divorce. It examines what happens to most husbands and wives going through the breakup of their marriage. It helps participants understand what they are going through and that others have gone through the same things. Finally, it suggests activities for making divorce a growth experience. The program asks that you commit yourself to all the sessions. You and other participants will share insights you gain from reflecting on your experiences and the reading material and exercises. All the sessions for this program will be on Monday and will begin on Monday, September 13, 2010, and continue for 10 weeks, ending on Monday, November 29, 2010 (there will be no sessions on October 11th or November 1st.) The sessions will be held in the Fr. Griffin Room from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. The fee is $10 (for the cost of the book). This program is limited to 12 persons only. Topics for the sessions are:

The Process of Divorce
Self-Image
Stress
Anger
More on Anger
Blame and Guilt
Loneliness
Forgiveness
Happiness
Pathways to Growth

To register, call Sr. Mary Petisce, SSJ, at 413-783-8619

The Importance of Listening

I've been reading We Really Need to Talk: Steps to Better Communication by Paul j. Donoghue, Ph.D. and Mary E. Siegel, Ph.D.

They remind us of the importance of truly listening to others:

So why don't you share yourself? Why don't you voice what you are feeling and needing and make yourself truly visible to the persons in your life with whom you would like to be close? When we ask this question at our communication workshops, the answer most frequently given, whether by spouses, professionals, business people, or students, is "I don't share because I don't think he/she/they would listen." It seems that people would reveal themselves if they trusted that they would be understood. But, fearing that by being transparent they would open themselves to rejection, advice, or misunderstanding, they keep what is within them hidden, sometimes even from themselves. . . So if you want others to be open with you, don't nag them; learn to listen.

The Value of Humility

Read Why Humility Opens Doors" today on Catholic Exchange.

Discover a Modern Day Hero of Divine Love

Most of the saints we learn about and love lived a long time ago. As much as we can study their lives and, when available, read their writings, it can be difficult to imagine them as living, breathing human beings who struggled with life. That is one reason why it is so amazing to watch “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love,” a new DVD about a saint who lived in our own time. The DVD is a visual delight, featuring photos and home movies of St. Gianna, who lived from 1922 to 1962. One gets to see her getting married and playing with her children and living out her career as a doctor. Viewers see her laughing and smiling and loving life. This is a real woman. She is someone like us. Sadly, one also has the opportunity to get a glimpse of the outpouring of mourners at her funeral. She was truly loved in her community and admired for her sanctity.

Here we get to know a woman like so many of us who struggled to balance work and family. She was highly intelligent, excelling in her studies. She also loved music and art and being in the mountains. She loved her family above all else, but saw her career as a physician as a calling from God. Not only did she run her own practice, she was an active volunteer and sought to bring medical care to those who needed it, especially mothers and children. She would tell other doctors that “when you have finished your earthly profession, if you have done this well, you will enjoy divine life ‘because I was sick and you healed me.’”

St. Gianna was raised in a Christ-centered family and sought to raise her children the same way. Her life was one of service and was deeply rooted in prayer. She attended daily Mass as often as possible and prayed her rosary daily. She was always ready to encourage others in their relationship with God. She was a woman who viewed life as a gift from God and trusted in the power of prayer. Totally pro-life, her ultimate sacrifice was to give birth to her last child, even though she was advised against it and knew it might result in her own death. After giving birth, she bravely bore her final suffering with grace and prayer. She died on April 28, 1962 at the age of 39. Beatified in 1994 and canonized in 2004, Pope John Paul II held St. Gianna up as a role model for mothers, physicians, and the pro-life cause.

Watching “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love” is an opportunity to discover a wonderful woman devoted to God who can serve as a model for all of us struggling with life as mothers.

To order this DVD produced by Catholic Action for Faith and Family, please visit www.stgiannaphysicians.org.

Summer Fiction Giveaway

Enter to win at the summer fiction giveaway on Catholic Mom:

The Dog Days of Summer Catholic Fiction Giveaway