The Very First Apostle

So did anybody guess which was the fourth church celebrating a feast day in November?

Cloë! Cloë! I know, know! It's St. Andrew!

 

(Be sure to check out all of Vic's Saint drawings at www.happysaints.com )

That's right Tallulah. And what do you know about St. Andrew.

Well that is the parish that our granny belongs to!

What I meant Tallulah is what do you know about Saint Andrew?

Well, I was listening to today's Gospel and I know that Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee and that he saw Andrew and his brother Simon (who most of us know as Peter).

 He told them to follow Him and that he would make them fishers of people! But I don't know what the heck that means - how do you fish for people? Don't you fish for fish?!

Jesus was using a metaphor, Tallulah.

There you go again Cloë with your big words. What does metaphor mean?

A metaphor is when you compare one thing to another thing to help explain that second thing.

Here is a video to help explain a metaphor.

And here is a video to illustrate the story of Andrew and Jesus.

But Cloë, I still don't understand what Jesus meant when He said He would make them fishers of people.

Well Tallulah that is the great mission that Jesus was about to give Andrew and Simon. He wanted them to tell everyone about God. Of course they still didn't know too much at this point, so that is why Jesus needed for them to follow him - so He could teach them first.

Now I get it!

Well that's it for today. Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Christ the King

So Tallulah, do you know what is so special about this particular Sunday?

It's very cold out!

 
Well that is true, but today is a very important feast day - Christ the King. Also this marks the end of the Church year.

 
Well that is weird, doesn't the year end on December 31st?!

Yes the regular year does, but we are talking about the Church year. You know the way the school year runs from September to June?! Well the Church year begins on the 1st Sunday of Advent and ends on the Feast of Christ the King. 

OOOH that means Christmas is coming.

Whoa Tallulah! Christmas is coming, but we have to prepare for it, that is why we have the period of Advent. But we'll talk more about that next Sunday.

Getting back to this Sunday, the title says it all: Christ is the King.

He is a good king, right Cloë?

Yes Tallulah, He is the best king. He loves all people and He wants only what is best for everyone. And best of all He wants all people to share His Kingdom forever and ever.

So what is this Kingdom?

It's Heaven Tallulah!

Click here for a Word Search to help you remember all these things.

 

Woof!

 

Cloë and Tallulah

Another Parish Celebrates Its Feast Day

Wow Cloë I can't believe how many of our parishes are celebrating feast days this month! This is #3.

I agree Tallulah, and we still have one more to go next week.

Today (November 23rd)  is the feast day of St. Columban.

Saint Columban is another of those saints who lived a long, long time ago! He was born in Ireland. He was great evangelizer and travelled throughout Europe to tell people about God.

Hey Cloë isn't that what we are trying to do around here, evangelize I mean?!

Yup, we sure are Tallulah. We want people to know all about God and about how good He is and how much He loves people.

I recognize this church, our master takes us there every once in awhile! OOh and look at all that snow, I love snow.

Here is a prayer to Saint Columban for your collection. It's a prayer that you can pray when you need help telling others about God.

O Blessed Columban, who, in your zeal for the extension of Christ's Kingdom, and the salvation of souls, spent your life in suffering and exile, assist and protect, we humbly ask you, the missionaries of our day, who have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel throughout the world.

Obtain for them, we beseech you, that prudence and fortitude by which you overcame the dangers which beset your path, and that firm faith and ardent charity which enabled you to endure gladly the privations of this life for the love of Christ.

Assist and protect us, also, dear St. Columban, so to live for God's glory that when our pilgrimage through life is over, we may enjoy with you the eternal rest of heaven through Christ Our Lord.

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

P.S. Does anybody know the 4th church in our diocese that will be celebrating its feast day this month?!

The Mass - Part 6 - The Penitential Rite

Gee Cloë it's sure been awhile since we talked about the mass! Maybe we better recap before we move on to Part 6.

I have a better idea Tallulah, we'll list the dates for parts 1 through 5.

We did Parts 1 and 2 in July. We did Parts 3 and 4 in August. We did Part 5 in September.

Today we are going to talk about the Penitential Rite.

After the priest greets everyone, the next thing the humans do as a group is to tell God about their sins and to ask Him to forgive them.

If the people are talking about what they did wrong, why do they use the word right?!

Tallulah, the word is rite - R.I.T.E. A rite is kind of like a ceremony.

Ok, now I understand. Do the humans confess things like eating their master's lipstick and highlighter pens?!

No Tallulah, dogs ask forgiveness for these kinds of things.

So does God always forgive the humans.

He always does if the humans are genuinely sorry for what they have done.

Sometimes the humans use the longer prayer

I confess to almighty God

And to you, my brothers and sisters,

That I have greatly sinned

In my thoughts and in my words,

In what I have done and in what I have Failed to do,

Through my fault, through my fault,

Through my most grievous fault;

Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,

All the Angels and Saints,

And you, my brothers and sisters,

To pray for me to the Lord our God.

and other times the shorter one.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Here is a short video of Fr. Greg explaining the Penitential Rite.

(The YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8fnMNlGH4A)

Cloë, I think Fr. Greg is a Legion priest just like Fr. Timothy!! I miss the Legionaries and going down to what used to be their Noviciate.

I do too Tallulah.

Well that's it for today - Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

A Real Life Fairy Tale

Today, November 16th, is the feast day of St. Margaret of Scotland.

Why do you say it's a real life fairy tale Cloë?

Well Tallulah, it's all about princes and princesses and kings and queens and castles.

Wow! this sounds like quite the story.

Margaret was the daughter of Princess Agatha of Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon Prince Edward Atheling. Her great-uncle was the English king. She ended up in Scotland when her family's ship wrecked as they escaped from William the Conqueror.

While in Scotland, Margaret met and fell in love with King Malcolm. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070. Now the king had a bad temper and not the best manners. But Margaret was kind and the King loved her so much that he too became kind and virtuous.

This is very exciting Cloë. But I don't understand how she became a saint.

Well Tallulah, Margaret worked very hard to make Scotland a better place. She was a great promoter of the arts and education as well as religious reform. Many people had begun doing bad things in the name of religion and she helped to lead people back to God's ways. She and the king built a number of churches.

 
Margaret always made lots of time for prayer, reading the Bible and going to Mass. She also helped the poor, the beggars and the children who had no parents, usually before she helped herself. And not just with money but also with her time.

She sounds amazing, but a lot of what she did are things that everyone could do.

That right Tallulah and that's the point. Too often we think that we cannot be like the saints. We won't all be royalty, but God wants all of us to be saints.

 

Hey I just remembered we have a church around here named after St. Margaret of Scotland. It's one of my favourites.

 
Here is an idea for celebrating this great feast day - why not make Scottish shortbread!

That's my way of celebrating!

Grandma's Shortbread Cookies

Cook Time: 15 to 20 min.
 Makes 24 Cookies
 1/2 cup (125 mL) Corn Starch
 1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar
 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
 3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened

Directions
 Sift together corn starch, sugar and flour. With wooden spoon,
 blend in butter until a soft, smooth dough forms.

 Shape into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. If dough is too soft to handle,
 cover and chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Place 1 1/2 inches (4 cm)
 apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten with lightly floured fork.
 Alternatively, roll dough to 1/4 inch (6 mm); cut into shapes
 with cookie cutters.

 Decorate with candied cherries, coloured sprinkles or nuts, if desired.
 Bake at 300°F (150ºC) for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Butter - oooh, these sound delicious!

That's it for today - woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Happy Birthday Cloë

Today is my birthday! I am 6 years old.

It seems like just yesterday that I was this little tiny puppy!

This is me, my brother Goliath and that is our sister Fifi Schwarz behind us.

I was born in West Vancouver. My mom's name is Lucky and she belongs to our master's brother, Michael. I took a plane to Cornwall. It was a strange trip. One flight attendant said I could sit on Michael's lap, the next flight attendant said I had to stay in the carrier on the floor. It was all very confusing.

I was scared when Michael left me behind but soon I was best friends with Milo (I talked about him on All Souls Day) and with our master.

Our master promised to take me to the pet store tonight to get a treat for my birthday!

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! That's dog for Happy Bday Cloë! It also means thank you God for Cloë.

Cloë and Tallulah

Remembrance Day

Today we remember those Canadians who died during the various wars. November 11th was chosen because it was on November 11, 1918 that the First World War ended. We wear poppies to help us remember. It has also become a time to thank all those who serve in Canada's military.
 

 
Why poppies Cloë?
 
Because poppies grow wild in many parts of Europe where most of World War I was fought. In fact, it was a Canadian who wrote one of the most famous poems about those who died. It's called In Flanders Fields.
 

(Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6BlOkpdkg8)

Click here to read about some of the things you can do to mark Remembrance Day.
 
In addition to it being Remembrance Day, it is also the feast of Saint Martin de Tours, the patron saint of soldiers! He lived a very long time ago. His father was in the army, so it was expected that he too would join the army when he was old enough. But when Martin became a Christian at 18, he decided that the army was not a good idea.
 

(This picture was painted by Maria Cristina. To see more of her saint pictures click here.)

So what did he end up doing Cloë?
 
Well Tallulah, he became a monk. He founded the very first monastery in Gaul, which is what France was called at the time. He was a good man and he helped the poor. Eventually he became the Bishop of a place called Tours.
 
Don't we have a church around here called Saint Martin de Tours?

 
That's right Cloë. It is in the very far corner of the diocese in a place called Glen Robertson.
 
To celebrate the feast of Saint Martin de Tours you can bake St. Martin Croissants. They are very popular in Poland where they are called Rogal Świętomarciński.
  

 
Wow that is a very complicated name! But it sure looks deeelicious.
 
The people love them and they eat lots of them on this feast day. If you click here you can find the recipe.

Well that's it for today - Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Eternal Life

Tallulah, do you remember that we talked about the Pharisees a few weeks ago?

Yes I do Cloë, they are a particular group of Jews.

Good job Tallulah. Do you remember the other group that I mentioned?

Sad something?!

The Sadducees. One of the things that distinguished the Sadducees from the Pharisees is that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurection.

Really?! That would mean that when someone dies that is just the end.

That's right Tallulah. But we know that the Good News that Jesus came to share with everybody, is that God created all humans and loves all humans. And that He is always with them and that after someone dies God wants them to come and live with Him in Heaven.

Hey does God love dogs?!

Of course He does Tallulah, after all He created us. In fact, here is a neat story about God and dogs.

Today we also wanted to remind you to pray for the people of the Philippines who have gone through terrible times lately. Yesterday a terrible wind and rain storm, called a Typhoon, hit the country. We also want to encourage you to consider giving money to help them. Many people lost their homes and even their families.

One of the charities you can donate to is Development and Peace. Click here to donate.

Development and Peace (The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace) is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

The Bishop of Rome's Church

Today is another feast day - but this one has a twist to it. It does not recall a saint, but rather a church. The church is called the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Whoa that is a really big church Cloë! Those people look like ants beside it!

It sure is Tallulah and this particular building is more than 300 years old. The very first one was built more than 1,600 years ago but it was destroyed by fire a long time ago.

Most people do not realize the importance of this church. When we think of the pope we think of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

But the pope is also the Bishop of Rome. A bishop's church is generally the cathedral in the diocese. In Rome that is the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Although we can't take you to Rome, if you click here you can "visit" this amazing church.

(http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/vr_tour/index-en.html)

St. Augustine said this about the Basilica of St John Lateran:

What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36).

Hey that is too complicated for me Cloë. Can you tell me what he means.

Well Tallulah, St. Augustine is saying that the people of the world are like this church. You need stones and wood to build this church. For the humans, it is their baptism, learning about God and Love that makes God's Church!

Wow, that is pretty neat.

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Mischievous Dogs

Today our master wanted us to tell you about a bad thing we did yesterday.

We were at our granny's all day. She had to go out and she left us alone. Normally we just have a snooze while she is gone. But yesterday we went exploring and we found her stash of Christmas presents!

It was quite exciting Cloë!

Tallulah you are not supposed to be happy about this because we did a bad thing.

I guess you are right, but I quite enjoyed the hot chocolate powder, and the chocolates were delicious!

Again Tallulah we did something we shouldn't have. We should not have been nosing around Grandma's bedroom and we certainly should not have taken her stuff.

I guess you are right Tallulah, but we did say we were sorry and she did forgive us.

She did indeed. And that Tallulah is just a small example of what God does when the humans tell Him how sorry they are when they do something they shouldn't. He continues to love them and He always forgives them.

Kids - don't be snooping around your parents' room because it is not nice. We certainly learned our lesson.

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

P.S. For those of you who are worrying about the church dogs eating chocolate, know that they ate far more sugar than chocolate and between them there is 100 pounds of dog and the amount of chocolate they ate was very minimal. According to the Discovery website:  It would take 20 ounces of milk chocolate to kill a 20-pound dog. Bottom line they are both perfectly fine and Grandma has found a new place for the Christmas presents.

Another Tax Collector

Cloë, we keep talking about tax collectors, but what are they?

Well Tallulah, today the government is the tax collector. Basically all adults have to give some of the money that they earn to the government. The government then uses this money for all kinds of things like building schools, hospitals and roads.


In Jesus' time, the Romans took over Israel (and many other countries!)

They would make the Israelis pay money to them that would go back to Rome. The even worse thing is that Jews were usually the people who collected those taxes (sometimes called publicans) from the other Jews. And sometimes they would collect extra for themselves.

Boy I bet the people didn't like those tax collectors!

You've got that right Tallulah! They were some of the most hated people. Zacchaeus was one of those tax collectors. So when Jesus told Zacchaeus that He was coming to his house for supper, the followers of Jesus were not very happy!

Watch this video to see what happened.

Wow! Zacchaeus sure changed his attitude.

He certainly did. I think there are two good lessons today. Can you tell us what they are Tallulah?

Well I think one of them must be that Jesus loves everyone. He loves even those who have done something bad. Also He lets us know that it is not too late to be good. I'm not sure of the other lesson Cloë.

The other lesson is that if we let Jesus be our friend, He will make all the difference in our lives!

Here is another version of the story that you could have mom or dad read to you. We love Paul's website so we hope you love it too!

Now it's your turn to help Zacchaeus find his way!

Well that's it for today! Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Remembering Those Who Have Died

November 2nd is the day that in a special way we remember those who have died. It is both a sad day and a happy day. It is sad because we miss the loved ones that are no longer here on earth with us. But it is a happy day because we can still ask God to bless them and welcome them to His home. 

I don't think I know anybody who has died Cloë, do you?

Yes I do Tallulah. There is our grandpa and my best buddy Milo.

Tell me about them Cloë.

Well our grandpa was married to our granny. I did not know him for too long, but I sure liked him. I was just a little puppy at the time. I had just turned 1 about the same time he died. Here is a picture of he and our granny.

As for Milo, you would have loved him Tallulah. He was our master's first dog. He taught me everything I know and he is who I first started going to Mass with.

And here is a picture of me and Milo going for a swim. He loved the water even more than I do.

Wow, they sound really neat. I'm sorry I never got to meet them.

Here is an activity to help you mark All Souls Day and to help you remember and pray for someone you loved who has died.

Click here for the instructions and to download this page.

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah