Living Without School

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

St Benedict.

The feast day of St Benedict is tomorrow, July 11.

However ,we celebrated this feast today, as we shared lunch with some other Catholic homeschoolers and learned a little bit about the life of St Benedict.

He is the patron saint against poisoning and Pope Paul VI also recommended St Benedict as the patron saint of Europe.

The older kids in the group wrote their own rule of life, after discussion on the
Rule of St Benedict. The younger kids did copywork and colouring in. And one of the mothers distributed medals of St Benedict.

We also shared Italian food for lunch - the saint was born in Italy, after all~!

You can read daily sections of the Rule .

3 comments:

Cindy said...: Ok, Leonie.. can you help me here?

How did you get this going for your boys? Did you read the whole rule first? Ask them to read it then discuss? Read aloud? (I am interested in your older boys)

I am trying to simplify how I can introduce new things such as this without tons of prep/research time.

Any help? :); 11:49 pm
Leonie said...: Cindy, I replied in email but I'll also post it here, in case anyone else is interested ( I doubt it, I'm pretty dull! lol!).

We meet with two other families every month or so, for a feast day. Just in our homes.One mum read from a picture book of saints for the littlies, I pre-read the St Ben info and gave a narration, asking questions of the older as I went, cos some of them knew about St Ben already so they could supply the info.

All together, we looked at a map of thew world, at Italy and Australia and talked about what we knew about Italy ( food, customs, people we know who are Italian - one family's dad/dh!, etc).

The third mum read a little about the St Ben medal.

I tend to not do a lot of research but find basic info and share from there - highlights, maybe? We talked about St Ben's problem with the pagan schools, his learning to be a hermit, his use of prayer and penance against temptation and the devil, the attempted poisoning, his setting up of monasteries and a little bit about the Rule.

Could do more, but, hey, don't want to bombard or lose the kids...

Then we asked the olders to so their rule, asking for suggesions, giving suggestions, talking about the two Ps of prayer and penance, while the littlies did copywork from the pic book and the even littlers coloured in.

HTH!; 7:59 am
Leonie said...: Oh, and finished with lunch, of course!; 7:59 am

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Prayer of Consecration of St. Maximilian Kolbe

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to thee. I, N___, a repentant sinner, cast myself at thy feet humbly imploring thee to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to thyself as thy possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases thee. If it pleases thee, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of thee: "She will crush your head," and, "Thou alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world."

Let me be a fit instrument in thine Immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever thou enters, one obtains the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through thy hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V. Allow me to praise thee O Sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.

Prayer of St Bonaventure

Pierce, O most Sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee, that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, upon whom the angels desire to look, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God.May it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end.May Thou alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be fixed and firmly rooted immovably henceforth and for ever. Amen.