A blessed vigil of Pentecost to you all! Tomorrow is the great feast of Pentecost, Whitsunday, the birthday of the Church! We have a busy day planned with some fun activites so we thought we would share the wonderful writings of Dom Gueranger a bit earlier as well as some free Pentecost printables and acvitivies!

We have updated our Pentecost Page under the Liturgical Year tab to include a 7 gifts of the Holy Ghost Poster, Pentecost Liturgical Journaling/Planning page, Pentecost Crossword Puzzle, Pentecost Word Search, Holy Ghost Cupcake Toppers, and a Pentecost Coloring Page. There is also a wonderful children's story there on Pentecost from the title The Vine and the Branches.

On Sunday we will be making our Pentecost Cupcakes which have yellow (or orange, or red) frosting on them, with mini marshmallows cut in half and dipped in red, yellow and orange colored sugars to look like tongues of fire. And then we use the Holy Ghost cupcake toppers, tape them to a tooth pick and stick in the middle of our cupcakes. The boys have been counting down the days until they can have their cupcakes! For dinner we will be having fajitas... cooked over fire, the chicken as a reminder of the symbol of the Holy Ghost (dove), and red/yellow and orange peppers as the tongues of fire. Joining our main dish will be the 12 Fruits of the Holy Ghost Fruit Salad. Our twelve fruits include: watermelon, grapes, kiwi, pineapple, honeydew, orange, apple, pears, papaya, mango, cantaloupe and strawberries.  To top it off we will make a Sweet Sunrise (non-alchocolic Sunrise) with orange juice and grenadine. 

For breakfast we will have our Sunday usual with a twist... Sour Dough Cream Cheese braid, bacon, eggs, a preview of our 12 Fruits of the Holy Ghost Fruit Salad and a tongue of fire smoothie! The smoothie is made by blending banana, mango and strawberries separately and then layering them.

And now for the writings of the wonderful Dom Gueragner from the Liturgical Year set, volume 9, Paschal Time book III. Imprimatur 1927

The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has at last shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are accomplished. (Acts, ii. 1) We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the creation of the light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus: it is about to receive its final consecration, and bring us the fullness of God. (Eph. iii. 19. - See the Chapter on the Mystery of Easter', pages 19 and 20).

In the old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the fifieth day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the desert, which was to lead to the promised land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and His people. The pentecost (the fiftieth day) was honored by the promulgation of the ten commandments of  the divine law; and ever following year, the Israelites celebrated the great even by a solemn festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law.

But how different are the two Pentecosts! The one, on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God's anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first fruits of that new people, over whom the Sprit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spake on Sinai; repentance and gratitude are the sentiments now uppermost. A divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: "I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?" (St. Luke, xii. 49) The hour for the fulfillment of this word has come: the Spirit of love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about to descend from heaven, and realize the merciful design of our Redeemer.

Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims, who have flocked thither from every country of the Gentile world. They feel a strange mysterious expectation working in their souls. They are Jews, and have come from every foreign land where Israel has founded a synagogue; they have come to keep the feasts of Pasch and Pentecost. Asia, Africa, and Rome have their representatives. 
amidst these Jews properly so called, are to be seen many Gentiles, who, from a desire to serve God more faithfully , have embraced the Mosaic law and observances; they are come to Jerusalem out of a desire to observe the Law, gives the city a Babel-like appearance, for each nation has its own language. They are not, however, under the influence of pride and prejudice, as are the inhabitants of Judea; neither have theym like these latter, known and rejected the Messias, nor blasphemed His works whereby He gave testimony of His divine character. It may be that they took part with the other Jews in clamoring for Jesus' death' but they were led to it by the chief priests and magistrates of the Jerusalem which they reverenced as the holy city of God, and to which nothing but religious motives have brought them.

It is the hour of Tierce, the third hour of the day, (Our nine o'clock. Acts, ii. 15.) fixed from all eternity for the accomplishment of a divine decree. It was at the hour of midnight that the Father sent into this world, that He might take flesh in Mary's womb, the Son eternally begotten of Himself: so now, at this hour of Tierce, the Father and the Son send upon the earth the holy Spirit who proceeds from Them both. He is sent to form the Church, the bride of the kingdom of Christ: He is to assist and maintain her; He is to save and sanctify to the end of time.

Suddenly is heard, coming from heaven, the sound of a violent wind; it startles the people in the city, it soon fills the cenacle with its might breath. A crowd is soon round the house that stands on Mount Sion; the hundred and twenty disciples hat are within the building feel that mysterious emotion within them, of which their Master once said: 'The Spirit breatheth where He will, and thou hearest His voice'. (St. John, iii. 8.) Like that strange invisible creature, which probes the very depth of the sea and makes the waves heave mountains high this Breath from heaven will traverse the world from end to end, breaking down every barrier that would stay its course.

The holy assembly have been days in fervent expectation; the divine Spirit gives them this warning of His coming, and they in the passiveness of ecstatic longing, away His will. As to those who are outside the cenacle, and who have responded to the appeal thus given, let us, for the moment, forget them. A silent shower falls in the house; it isa shower of fire, which, as holy Church says 'burns not but enlightens, consumes not but shines.' (Responsory for the Thursday within the Octave.) Flakes of fire, in the shape of tongues, rest on the heads of the hundred and twenty disciples; it is the Holy Ghost taking possession of all and each. The Church is now not only in Mary, but also in these hundred and twenty disciples. All belong now to the Spirit that has descended upon them; His kingdom is begun, it is manifested, its conquests will be speedy and glorious.

But let us consider the symbol chosen to designate this divine change. He who shoed Himself under that of fire. He is the Spirit of love; and love is not only gentle and tender, it is also ardent as fire. Now, therefore, that the world is under the influence of the Holy Ghost, it must needs be on fire, and the fire shall not be checked. And why this form of tongues? To show that the heavenly fire is to be spread by the word, by speech. These hundred and twenty disciples need but to speak of the Son of God, who renews our souls; of the heavenly Father, who loves and adopts us as His children: their word will receive it shall all be united in one faith; they shall be called the Catholic Church, that is, universal, existing in all places and times. Josus had said: 'God, teach all nations!' (St. Matth. xxviii. 19.) The Holy Ghost brings from heaven both the tongue that is to teach, and the fire (the love of God and of mankind), which is to give warmth and efficacy to the teaching. The tongue and the fire are now given to these first disciples, who, by the assistance of the holy Spirit, will transmit them to others. So will it be to the end of time.

An obstacle, however, opposes the mission at the very outset. Since the confusion at Babel, there have been as many languages as countries; communication by word has been interrupted. How, then, is the word to become the instrument of the world's conquest, and to make one family out of all these nations that cannot understand each other? Fear not: the holy Spirit is all-powerful, and has provided for this difficulty. With the other gifts, wherewith He has enriched the hundred and twenty disciples, He has given them that of understanding all languages, and of making themselves understood in every language, In a transport of holy enthusiasm, they attempt to speak the languages of all nations; their tongue and their ear take in, not only without effort, but even with charm and joy, this plenitude of word and speech which is to reunite mankind together, The Spirit of love has annulled the separation of Babel' men are once more made brethren by the unity of language.

How beautiful art thou, dear Church of our God! Heretofore, the workings of the Holy Ghost have been limited; but now, He breatheth freely where He willeth; He brings thee forth to the eyes of men by this stupendous prodigy. Thou art the image of what this earth was, when all its inhabitants spoke the same language. The prodigy is not to cease with the day of Pentecost, nor with the disciples who are its first receivers. When the apostles have terminated their lives and preaching, the gift of tongues, at least in its miraculous form, will cease, because no longer needed: but thou O Church of Christ! wilt continue to speak all languages, even to the end of time, for thou art to dwell in every clime. The one same faith is to be expressed in the language of every country; and thus transformed, the miracle of Pentecost is to be kept up for ever within thee, as one of thy characteristic marks.

The great St. Augustine alluded to this, when he spoke the following admirable words: 'The whole body of Christ, the Church, now speaks in all tongues. Nay, I myself speak all tongues, for I am in the body of Christ, I am in the Church of Christ. If the body of Christ now speaks all languages, then am I in all languages. Greek is mine, Syriac is mine, Hebrew is mine, and lal are mine, for I am one with the several nations that speak them.' (Enarratio in Psalmum cxlvii., verse 14) During the ages of faith, the Church (which is the only source of all true progress), succeeded in giving one common language to all the nations that were in union with her. For centuries, the Latin language was the bond of union between civilized countries. However distant these might be from one another, was the medium of communication for political negotiations, for the spread of science, or for friendly epistolary correspondence/ No one was a stranger in any part of the west, or even beyond it, who could speak this language. The great heresy of the sixteenth century robbed us of this as of so many other blessings; it dismembered that Europe which the Church had united, not only by her faith, but by her language. But let us return to  the wondrous workings of the holy Spirit within this still closed sanctuary.

First of all, we look for Mary; for her who now, sureless gifts lavished upon her in her Immaculate Conception' after the treasures of holiness infused into her by the Incarnate Word during the nine months she bore Him in her womb; after the special graces granted her for acting and suffering in union with her Son, in the work of the world's Redemption; after the favours wherewith this same Jesus loaded her when in the glory of His Resurrection: we should have thought that heaven had given all it could to a mere creature, however sublime the destiny that creature might be. But no., Here is a new mission opened for Mary. The Church is born; she is born of Mary. Mary has given birth to the bride of her Son; new duties fall upon the Mother of the Church. Jesus has ascended into heaven, leaving Mary upon the earth, that she may nurse the infant Church. Oh! how lovely and yet how dignified, is this infancy in our dear Church, cherished as she is, fed, and strengthened by Mary! But this second Eve, this true Mother of the living (Gen. iii. 20) must receive a fresh infusion of grace to fit her for this her new office: therefore it is that she has the first claim to, and the richest portion of, the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Heretofore, He overshadowed her and made her Mother of the Son of God; now He makes her the Mother of the Christian people. It is the verification of those words of the royal prophet: 'The stream (literally, the impetuosity) of the river maketh the city of God joyful: the Most High hath sanctified His own tabernacle.' (Ps. svl. 5.) The Spirit of love here fulfills the intention expressed by our Redeemer when dying on the cross. 'Woman!' said Jesus to her, 'behold thy son!' St. John was this son, and he represented all mankind. The Holy Ghost now infuses into Mary the plentitude of the grace needful for her maternal mission. From this day forward, she acts as Mother of the infant Church; and when, at length, the Church no longer needs her visible presence, this Mother quits the earth for heaven, where she is crowned Queen; but there, too, she exercises her glorious title and office of Mother of men.

TO CONTINUE READING THESE WONDERFUL WRITINGS ON PENTECOST VISIT ALL THE SAINTS BOOKS FOR A COPY OF THIS TEXT

Our school year is done here and I've been busy working on next year's lesson plans. We studied bible history this year as our history course for 2nd grade. In doing such I found that just reading the stories and answering the questions didn't go over so well with my students. As I tend to find out, at least with my children, hands on activities seem to help them learn better and so I usually make things to go with our books to accommodate their learning style.

Sometimes I find this out half way through the year then struggle to find things to do with our lessons. This year I'm hoping to get ahead or at least on track and make the hands on items BEFORE school starts. This project is one of those items. We are doing bible history again for our 3rd grade history course but this year we are switching to a different book, Bible Stories for Children. Such a beautiful old book that is now back in print. It has short 2-3 page stories for all the main parts of the Bible, Old and New Testament. Its written by a Catholic Teacher and worded just right for this age group. It also connects the old testament stories to parts of the Catholic faith making it ideal for the young Catholic learning the Bible.

Combined with the Bible Stories for Children book is the Anecdotes and Examples for the Catholic Catechism, one of my absolute favorite books! They are short simple stories that explain some part of the Catholic Catechism in an easy way to understand and the short story is easy for short attention spans or a quick read. Sometimes the stories are even funny which makes the learning fun. I also wanted my children to learn the vocabulary words in the Catechism lesson they are doing on Sunday with their father and so those are integrated into this unit study as well. With worksheets for helping them to understand how the word is spelled, used and what the object or word looks like.

While this is written for early elementary students many students would enjoy these books and the lesson plans can easily be adjusted and added to according to age/learning level.

Every lesson contains several hands on activities and many of them have worksheet and/or templates to go with them. Any crafts done contain simple household items or things that most of us have as well as coloring pages around the house. A few lessons even have snack and recipe ideas to help tie in the chapter of the book with something yummy!

There are 52 Chapters in this book and 52 Units to download. This is my summer project so as I get them done they will be loaded on the Bible Stories for Children Unit Study Page located on the Sanctus Simplicitus site under the download page> educational downloads. Directions for using this unit study may be found on that page as well with all the details to get one started. 

Many of you have asked for a Lenten study and about the Jesse Tree study. This lovely book will cover both those topics! The Old Testament happens to be 25 lessons, which will work for the Jesse Tree using each lesson for each day of December up to Christmas showing the genealogy of Christ. And then the New Testament starts with the birth of Our Lord and ends with His Resurrection, perfect for a Lenten study and both of these will take you all the way through the school year! I hope that this project will be enjoyed by many and hopefully save all the other busy mothers some time, as we all seem to enjoy help in that area. May you all have a blessed Pentecost Sunday!

Now available are the May Notebooking Butler's Lives of the Saints! There are some small adjustments to the layout and the pictures this month are taken straight from Pictorial Lives of the Saints! Don't forget to purchase this newly reprinted copy of the book over at All the Saint's Books!

Download the new title piece and the saint's calendar pieces for the Liturgical Year Bulletin board! May is the month of Mary and the feature artwork of the title piece. Also check out some of the titles we have on the Blessed Mother to read during the month of May.

There are free downloads for the children's planners still up through June. Download May & June's files over at the new Crusader's for Christ planner page and the Maidens for Mary planner Page.

This year's printed planners feature 225 Catholic stickers and our new Maidens and Crusader's Designs along with a reproducible book report sheet, a tear out report card and monthly record keeping sheets.

Our friends over at Crusaders-for-Christ have a new St. Catherine Academy Gazette up for free download! Full of Catholic stories for children (and adults) as well as coloring pages and games.

PDF Downloads are NOW AVAILABLE for all three planners! Download your copy(ies) today for only $5.95. 

Tuesday is the Feast of the Great Martyr St. George! We thought we would share with you today the wonderful writings of Dom Gueranger, he writes like no other! Also if you hop on over to Crusaders-for-Christ they have a wonderful children's story and also two St. George Coloring Pages free for download! St. George ora pro nobis!


The Liturgical Year - Pascal Time Book II, Vol. 8
By: Abbot Dom Guranger, O.S.B.      + Imprimatur 1927

SAINT GEORGE, MARTYR   APRIL 23
Clad in his bright coat of mail, mounted, on his war-steed, and spearing the dragon with his lance, George, the intrepid champion of our Risen Jesus, comes to gladden us to-day with his feast. From the East, where he is known as the great Martyr, devotion to St. George soon spread in the Western Church, and our Christian armies have always loved and honoured him as one of their dearest patrons. His martyrdom took place in Paschal Time; and thus he stands before us as the guardian of the glorious sepulcher, just as Stephen, the Protomartyr, watches near the crib of the Infant God.

The Roman Liturgy gives no lessons on the life of St. George; but, in their stead, reads to us a passage from St. Cyprian on the sufferings of the martyrs. This derogation from the general rule dates from the fifth century. At a celebrated Council held in Rome in the year 496, Pope St. Gelasius drew up, for the guidance of the faithful, a list of books which might or might not be read without danger. Among the number of those that were to be avoided, he mentioned the 'Acts of St. George,' as having been compiled by one who, besides being an ignorant man, was also a heretic. In the East, however, there were other 'Acts' of the holy martyr, totally different from those current in Rome: but they were not known in that city. The cultus of St. George lost nothing, in the holy city, by this absence of a true legend. From a very early period, a church was built in his honor; it was one of those that were selected as Stations, and gave a Title to a Cardinal; it exists to this day, and it is called Saint George in Velabro (the Veil of Gold).

The Bollandists were in possession of several copies of the forbidden 'Acts'; they found them replete with absurd stories, and, of course, they rejected them. Father Papebroch has given us other and genuine 'Acts' written in Greek, and quoted by St. Andrew of Crete. They bring out the admirable character of our martyr, who held an important post in the Roman army during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. He was one of the first victims of the great persecution and suffered death at Nicomedia. Alexandra, the Emperor's wife, was so impressed at witnessing the Saint's courage, that she professed herself a Christian, and shared the crown of martyrdom with the brave soldier of Christ.

As we have already said, devotion to St. George dates from a very early period. St. Gregory of Tours gives us several proofs of its having taken root in Gaul. St. Clotilde had a singular confidence in the holy martyr, and dedicated to him the Church of her dear Abbey of Chelles. But this devotion became more general and more fervent during the Crusades, when the Christian armies witnessed the veneration in which St. George was held by the Eastern Church, and heard the wonderful things that were told of his protection on the field of battle. The Byzantine historians have recorded several remarkable instances of the kind; and the Crusaders returned to their respective countries publishing their own experience of the victories gained through the Saint's intercession. The Republic of Genoa chose him for its patron; and Venice honoured him as its special protector, after St. Mark. But nowhere was St. George so enthusiastically loved as in England. Not only was it decreed in a Council held at Oxford, in the year 1222, that the feast of the Great Martyr should be observed as one of obligation; not only was devotion to the valiant soldier of Christ encouraged, throughout Great Britain, by the first Norman Kings; but there are documents anterior to the invasion of William the Conqueror, which prove that St. George was invoked as the special patron of England even so far back as the ninth century. Edward III did but express the sentiment of the country when he put the Order of the Garter, which he instituted in 1330, under the patronage of the warrior Saint. In Germany, King Frederic III founded the Order of St. George in the year 1468.

St. George is usually represented as killing a dragon; and where the representation is complete, there is also given the figure of a princess, whom the Saint thus saves from being devoured by the monster. This favourite subject of both sacred and profane art is purely symbolical, and is of Byzantine origin. It signifies the  victory won over the devil, by the martyr's courages profession of faith; the princess represents Alexandra, who was converted by witnessing the Saint's heroic patience under his sufferings. Neither the 'Acts' of St. George nor the hymns of the Greek Liturgy allude to the martyr's having slain a dragon and rescued a princess. It was not till after the fourteenth century that this fable was known in the west; and it arose from a material interpretation of the emblems with which the Greeks honoured St. George, and which were introduced among us by the crusaders.

Although, as has been said, the Office of St. George is the Roman Breviary has been taken from the Common of Martyrs in Paschal Time, the following historical lesson has recently been approved for the Dioceses of England:

George, who among the martyrs of the East has received the name of Great Martyr, suffered a glorious death for the sake of Christ in the persecution of Diocletian. When shortly afterwards peace was given to the Church under Constantine, the memoir of St. George began to be celebrated. Churches were erected to his honour in Palestine and at Constantinople, and devotion to him spread through the East and into the West. From early times Christian armies have invoked the protection of St. George, together with SS Maurice and SEbastian, when going into battle. Special devotion was shown to St. George in England for many centuries, and Pope Benedict XIV declared him the special protector of that kingdom.


(Editors note: See the text of Dom Gueranger's Liturgical Year for a Hymn of St. George)

Thou, O George, art the glorious type of a Christian soldier. Whilst serving under an earthly monarch, thou didst not forget thy duty to the King of heaven. Thou didst shed thy blood for the faith of Christ; and he, in return, appointed thee protector of Christian armies. Be their defender in battle, and bless with victory them that fight in a just cause. Protect them under the shadow of thy standard; cover them with they shield; make them the terror  of their enemies. Our Lord is the God of Hosts; and he frequently uses war as the instrument of his designs, both of justice and mercy. They alone win true victory who have heaven on their side; and such soldiers, when on the battle-field, seem to the world to be doing the work of man, whereas it is the work of God they are furthering. Hence are they more generous, because more religious, than other men. The sacrifices they have to make, and the dangers they have to face, teach them unselfishness. What wonder, then, that soldiers have given so many martyrs to the Church!

But there is another warfare, in which we Christians are all enlisted, and of which St, Paul speaks, when he says: Labour as a good soldier of Christ: for no man is crowned, save he that striveth lawfully. (2 Tim. ii 5) That we have thus to strive and fight during our life, the same Apostle assures us in these words: Take unto you the armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. In all things taking the shield of faith, and wherewith ye may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of the hope of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. vi 13,17) We, then, are soldiers, as thou was, O holy Martyr! Before ascending into heaven, our divine leader wishes to review his troops; do thou present us to him. He has loaded us with honours, notwithstanding our past disloyalties; we must, henceforth, prove ourselves worth of our position. In the Paschal Communion which we have received, we have a pledge of victory; how can we ever be so base as to permit ourselves to be conquered! Watch over us, O sainted warrior! Let thy prayers and example encourage us to fight against the dragon of hell. He dreads the armour we wear; for it is Jesus himself that prepared it for us, and tempered it in his own precious Blood: may we, like thee, present it to him whole and entire, when he calls us to our eternal rest!

There was a time when the whole Christian world loved and honoured thy memory with enthusiastic joy: but now, alas! this devotion has grown cold, and thy feast passes unnoticed by thousands. O holy martyr! avenge this ingratitude by imitating thy divine King, who maketh his sun to rise upon both good and bad; take pity on this world, perverted as it is by false doctrines, and tormented at this very time by the most terrible scourges. Have compassion on thy dear England, which has been seduced by the dragon of hell, and by him made the instrument for effecting his plots against the Lord his Christ. Take up thy speak as of old; give the monster battle, and emancipate the isle of Saints from his slavish yoke. Heaven and earth join in the great prayer! In the name of our Risen Jesus, aid thine own and once devoted people to a glorious resurrection!

We are so excited to announce that the Holy Simplicity Planner, Maidens for Mary Young Ladies Planner and Crusaders for Christ Young Man's planners are available for pre-order!!! 

The Holy Simplicity Planner is currently at the printer and we expect its full release come early May. This planner is ideal for Catholic homeschooling parents who want to plan their home, school and Liturgical Year all in one! Its about 200 pages, all but about 15 of those are full color. Each month has a double spread planning page as well as each week. There is room for 4+ children's lesson planning and 9 subjects. Each week contains a saint quote and room for planning the weeks menu as well as the weeks projects and/or to-do list. Its color coded according to the Liturgical year and has reminders for major feast days. Special to this years addition are 225 stickers to use in indicating fast/abstinence days as well has stickers for marking feasts of Our Lord and Our Lady and to give to the children as a reward. In the back of the planner is a reproducible section that includes forms for keeping track of grades, attendance and also a Catholic report card and more! In addition and also new this year are 50+ pages of full color Liturgical feast/season planning and journaling pages! Click here to preview the Holy Simplicity Planner.

The children's planners are new this year, many of you have been enjoying the free download and voiced the desire to have a printed version. We have answered that request in the Maidens for Mary and Crusaders for Christ children's planners! 

Maidens for Mary Young Ladies Catholic Lesson Planner features an easy monthly layout for writing down appointments, classes, chores, and other items and then each week also has its own page with 9 subject spaces for writing down lessons completed or for writing lessons out ahead of time for the child to follow themselves and help to teach self regulation and discipline in regards to their daily lesson plans and education. Each week also features a saint quote as well as a new image of Our Lady or another maiden devoted to Our Blessed Mother. There is also a section on the weekly page for keeping track of weekly chores and errands as well as a daily check list for virtue practice. Another section is including for other basic record keeping such as a book reading log and more. For more information on this girls Catholic lesson planner please click here.

Crusader's for Christ Catholic Young Man's Lesson Planner is very similar to the young ladies planner but is designed to appeal to young men. The theme for these planners features a new image of a crusader on each weeks page and has a very knightly design and layout. Otherwise this planner has the same features as the young ladies: monthly calendar, weekly planning pages with daily task list, virtue practice and 9 subject spaces for lesson planning. To view more on all of these planners please visit our new book store site!

Our blog has been a little quite since Lent, Holy Week and Easter as we were busying keeping the season ( or in the case of Lent taking a break to keep the season) but we have also been working not only on these three projects but another exciting adventure for our little family!

Along with the release of the pre-orders on the lesson planners we also opened a book store featuring vintage Catholic reprints of some wonderful books! So many of these books we have reviewed and shared on our site and many of them can be hard to find. Quite a few of them are dated from the late 1800's and early 1900's. True treasures and full of the Catholic faith! We are so excited to be able to share these with you and make them readily available for your enjoyment. The book store may be found by going to www.AllTheSaintsAndPeterAndPaul.com and clicking on the book store tab to the top right.

We are still in the process of growing our selection so please check back weekly to see what is new. We are adding an average of one new title a day. To keep up on the new selections without the hassle please sign up for our e-newsletter that will come out once a month. The link to sign  sign up for the All The Saints and Peter & Paul Newsletter is here or you can also find it on our main book store site at the bottom right of the page.

Many different subject matters are covered in the book selections but special attention has been given to educational books as well as books on motherhood as we understand that our readers (of this blog) seek those sort of books out most and they can be hard to find. Please if there is a topic you feel is missing or a subject that you have been searching for let us know by emailing us.

We are so excited to have the new Children's planner design in the works! We thought we would give you a sneak peak at what the printed planners will look like this coming spring. If you haven't already seen the newest updates on the Holy Simplicity Planner take a gander over on our main Holy Simplicity Planner page. 

The Maiden's for Mary Catholic Young Ladies Planner features a different holy card of Our Blessed Mother, her symbols and various female Catholic Saints. With a new quote for every week on the top. Some very girly colors and lots of room for planning with space for 9 subjects, a daily checklist and virtue checklist. There will be some extra planning sheets as well for various things like a book log, report card etc.

Our Crusader's for Christ Young Gentlemen's Lesson Planner is very 'manly' or rather young manly. With a nice parchment scroll at the top featuring the quote for the week. A picture of Crusader's wearing their knightly armor. And all the other lovely things contained in the Maiden's for Mary planner as well. These brightly colored planners are sure to be a hit for any child in grades ranging from 3rd on up to 8th grade. Stay tuned, we should have more details soon! 

Our project list seems to grow rather than shrink around these parts. Thanks to our children they are always inspiring new ideas and showing us new needs that they have. This project is another of those created for our dear children who love to learn about our Holy Catholic Faith and especially by following the Liturgical Calendar. They have been wanting a Liturgical Calendar of their own and what better way to give that to them than to have them take part in the making of it!

This free download was created with our lovely friends over at Crusader's for Christ, they were so gracious as to create the coloring pages for this fun little project and we gladly put the calendar part together to go with it. This is a 26 page black and white download that can be printed 2-sided. The top portion will have a coloring page that fits the Liturgical Season for each month. The following page has a blank calendar in which the child will fill out the month, whom the Church dedicates the month to and the year of Our Lord. Children may also choose to write in the saint of the day, holy days of obligation and fast days, a free 2013 Liturgical Calendar may be found over at Crusader's for Christ. There are blank squares below to fill in the number for the month, so this printable may be used for any year and started at any time of the year! Simply bind the top, or have it bound at a print shop and punch a whole in the bottom middle of each page to hang. We pray that you enjoy this little project as much as we have already on just our first month! 
God bless, 
From us here at Sanctus Simplicitus

Ps. We are considering offering this as a printed item to purchase, would you be so kind as to take our survey below and let us know if you are interested? Thank you!

Our friends over at Crusaders-for-Christ have done it again, another wonderful  download. We are excited to share with you their handwork in their new Catechism in Rhyme Handwriting book, and yes its free to download! This little gem is geared for 4th through 6th graders who already know how to form their letters in handwriting but need some extra practice. It also teaches Catechism while they are practicing their handwriting. The wonderful content for this book is taken from an 1862 book titled "Songs for Catholic Schools and Catechism in Rhyme." Download this Catholic Handwriting book over at our friends site.

While you are there make sure you check out the latest Saint's doll outfit styled by Ms. Sarah! She continues to come out with beautiful work that is sure inspire young ladies with some fun Catholic playtime and also give them another outlet in which to learn their Faith. All these wonderful outfits come with a brochure on the Saint and their story.

Crusader's for Christ also has a series of wonderful sermons on Sunday, called Sanctifying Sunday Sermons. Another great item to visit while you are looking at their other goodies!

There are a few updates on our site:

For those who use the Liturgical Year Bulletin board we had a correction to make on the March Title pieces. The plain month title piece as well as the 2013 piece were cropped incorrect ally. That piece has now been corrected. We also added a split piece for the 23rd and 31st of March as if you have a 5 week calendar the 31st would not fit without attaching it below. Hopefully this will help resolve that issue.

March is dedicated by the Church to St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin and the Patron of the Universal Church. The monthly downloads are now available for March!

Butler's Lives of the Saint's Notebooking pages for March's Saints are here and may also be found on our Butler's Lives of the Saint's Notebooking Page

Download the March Liturgical Year Bulletin Board pieces on the Liturgical Year Bulletin Board page, there have been some changes made to the monthly prayer cards as well as the title pieces. If you have any questions please email us.

March and April downloads are up for the Catholic Children's lesson planners. Starting in May we will have printed planners available for both boys and girls, please visit the Holy Simplicity Planner page to sign up for updates on those as well as our main planner.

The March edition of the St. Catherine Academy Gazette is available for download over at Crusader's for Christ. 

We pray that this 2nd week of Lent is fruitful for you all and that God sends His choicest blessings upon you!

So many of you offered such wonderful support last year in purchasing our Holy Simplicity Planner. We are excited to announce that we WILL be printing again this year! There are a few changes to the layout but we hope that you will enjoy them and that they will still continue to make planning your homeschool, house and liturgical seasons easier.

The 2013-2014 Holy Simplicity FULL-COLOR Planner features double page monthly layouts, making appointment setting and keeping track of feast days simple. There is also room on the side for notes both for tasks and devotions. 

The double page weekly spread will look very familiar to all of those who purchased or downloaded a planner last year. We added some more space to the note section and made the meal planning section a bit larger. Also added is some beautiful Catholic artwork which is based on the theme in which the Church dedicates each month to. There is still room to plan 4 students lessons plus an additional 9th subject line verses the 8 from last year.

This year we will not be offering the Catholic Life book within the planner as we did last year. In its place we have designed some Liturgical season/feast day journaling pages that help to plan and/or record the happenings of your feast days and seasons. Plan your St. Valentine's day recipes, Christmas gift giving lists & space to write down devotions, Lenten season devotions and so forth. These pages are available for every major feast and every month of the year will have at least 1-2.

In the back of the planner you will find lesson planning pages, goal setting pages, forms that may be reproduced in order to track school attendance, grading etc. We hope that you will enjoy this years planner even more than last years! In addition we will also be offering PRINTED children's lesson planners. We will have more information on those as they get closer to completion. Please visit our Holy Simplicity Planner page often for new details and make sure to sign up to receive email updates. Expected release day is May 2013. Previews of what the children's planners will look like may be found on our children's planner page. God bless and may you have a most fruitful Lenten season!