The Good Samaritan

What a hot day today was! But we had a nice shady spot under some beautiful trees during Mass. Today's Gospel was the Good Samaritan. I bet that is a story many of you know. But let's recap using with this video.

So Cloë who is our neighbour?

Well Tallulah, a cat who needed help could be our neighbour.

But I like to chase cats Cloë!

I know you do Tallulah, but Jesus said we should love and help others.

Well I guess if the cat was hurt I would help.

Boys and girls who do you think your neighbour is?

• What about the kid at school who is being picked on?
• or the one who has no friends?  
• Giving food to an organization like St. Vincent de Paul is also a way to help your neighbour.

Sometimes Tallulah, our neighbours live far away. There are lots of kids in other countries who have almost nothing. One of the things you could do is sponsor a child. Check out Chalice to learn more.

Download this poster and put it on your fridge. Each time you do something to help someone colour one of the hands.

Hey Cloë can we download a poster too!?

We sure can.

Well that's it for today - woof! Don't forget to be a good neighbour and send us your ideas of how to be a good Samaritan.

Cloë and Tallulah

Part II - The Mass: Making An Entrance!

Today we thought we'd continue our series about the Mass. By doing it today you can practice so that you are ready for this Sunday's Mass!

In Part 1 we talked about why humans go to Mass. Today we want to talk about the 2 things you do when you go into the church before Mass even starts.

Holy Water
At the back of every Catholic church you will find Holy Water. Sometimes it is in a little dish attached to the wall (just inside the door),

sometimes it's in a stand alone "dish"

and sometimes it looks like a fountain. 

Dip your fingers into the water, that has been blessed by the priest, then make the sign of the cross. You do this to remind yourself of your baptism, when you first became part of God's great big family.

Genuflecting
Tallulah, do you know what the next thing is that the humans do?

Well Cloë I LOVE to greet people and say hello when we go visiting, so it must be say hi to Jesus when you arrive!?! (That's me saying hi to our granny.)

That's right Tallulah, but maybe people should not be quite as boisterous as you are - :)

This is how to say hello to Jesus. Before you sit down in the pew...

Ha!Ha!Ha! does that mean it's a stinky chair Cloë.

Very funny Tallulah. The benches or seats in the church are called pews.

As I was saying, before sitting down it is important to properly say hello to Jesus by genuflecting.  Watch this little video to know how to properly genuflect.

Hey Cloë, I sometimes see humans making a little curtsey or they genuflect to the pew! And sometimes they don't do anything. They must not have watched this video.

So Tallulah, do you know how you know where Jesus is in the church?

I do Cloë! It's actually very easy, you just look for the red light, which is called the Sanctuary Light!

That light always hangs above the Tabernacle, which is the "box" where we keep the Eucharist, which of course is how we receive Jesus.

Can you find the sanctuary light and the Tabernacle in this photo?

 

Well this seems like a lot Cloë, my brain feels like it is going to bust!

Tallulah it's actually very simple, when you go into the church you dip your fingers in the Holy Water, you bless yourself by making the sign of the cross, you say hi to Jesus by genuflecting to the tabernacle. Easy Peasy!

See you at Mass!

Cloë & Tallulah

Parents here is a neat video about how to get your children prepared to go to Mass.

We are back!

Hi All!

Our secretary/master was away for 4 days so we weren't able to post to our blog. While she was away we were staying at the Howliday Inn - get it! Howl just like a dog!

Today it's another great saint's feast - Saint Benedict. He lived more than one thousand six hundred years ago! He spent much of his life leaving as a hermit meaning he lived all by himself in a cave!

(Saint Fun Facts)

Cloë I could not bear to live by myself I love people too much.

You sure do Tallulah!

It's a short one today, but we have a few good ones coming up - stay tuned!

Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

The Apostle St. Thomas

Today, July 3rd, is the feast day of one of Jesus' most well-known apostles - Thomas.

Many people call him Doubting Thomas because he did not believe the other apostles when they told him that the risen Jesus had come to visit them. Here is the story.

(Here is the link: http://youtu.be/foJgyECyUFQ)

Cloë, I personally think poor Thomas gets a bad rap. I know he did not believe his friends, but once Jesus appeared again he not only knew the truth (My Lord and My God) but he spent the rest of his life telling people about Jesus!

You are right Tallulah. Just imagine if Thomas had seen and believed and then done nothing with that information! Many people think that Thomas went to India to spread this Good News. Today there are about 24 million Christians in India!

Here is a neat craft to make which will help you remember the story. Click here to find out how to make it.

If you want to know more about Thomas and the other apostles we encourage you to buy Victor's e-book called Happy Saints Apostles and Evangelists eBook. The book has all kinds of great pictures like the one at the top. Plus there are posters and cards you can colour and make to send to your friends and family. Click here for more info and to buy this great book.

After you have read the story and watched the video, try this quiz to see what you remember! Click here for the quiz.

Well that's it for today! and remember what Jesus said: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." We agree with that: Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

The Mass: Part I

Hey Everybody! We hope you had a good Canada Day! We went to the cottage with our master and Granny. It was squirrel heaven!

On Sunday we went to Mass as usual, but we did not understand too much because it was in French!! (even though Tallulah is from the French speaking part of Belgium.)
 

(Here we are with our Granny in front of l'Église Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Caramel in Duhamel, Québec.)

 

So we thought this might be a good week to start our series explaining the Mass.

There are a lot of things happening at Mass every Sunday and there are a lot of things to remember. So we thought we would break it down over the next couple of months so that you know why you go to Mass and so that you can get the most out of this special time you spend with God!

I think this is a great idea Cloë! As you know, I've only been coming to Mass for a little over 2 years so I still have lots to learn.

Well Tallulah, I've only been coming for 5 years, so we can all learn together! Even our master still has lots that she does not know.

So I guess the first question is why do we go to Mass? What do you think Tallulah?

One of things I've noticed is that lots of people fill the church each Sunday, so it must mean that someone has invited them. And they always seem pretty happy so it must be like a celebration - though I have never seen any balloons or cake!

Very good Tallulah! The church is like God's house. Here are just some of the churches in our area. Do you recognize any of them?

He invites us to join Him every Sunday to come together as a family

to give thanks

and for a meal.

Hey that sounds a lot like why we go to our Granny's house. And I love going to Granny's, she always has treats for us.

Well God has many "treats" that He shares with us at Mass. Be sure to stay tuned to find out what they might be.

That's it for now - catch you at Mass!

Cloë and Tallulah - Woof!

Parents if you are wondering about whether to take your children to Mass, the answer is a resounding Yes. Here are a few ideas about this topic.

A Muddled Maundy Thursday

Top 10 tips for taking kids to Mass

 

The churches from left to right: St. Margaret of Scotland (Glen Nevis), St-Martin-de-Tours (Glen Robertson), Notre-Dame des Anges (Moose Creek), Our Lady of Grace (Ingleside), Precious Blood (Glen Walter), Ste-Thérèse-de-Lisieux (Cornwall)



The First Leaders of the Church

Well Tallulah we have another important feast day today (June 29th). Today we remember St. Peter and St. Paul! What can you tell us about these two great saints? 

(Click here to download this picture to colour.)

 

Well I know that Peter was a fisherman and that Jesus asked him to be one of his apostles. I also know that Peter was the first pope.

 

Very good Tallulah. So maybe today would be a good day to go on a virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome! Let's get on our virtual plane.

 

 

 

Click here to start your trip.

 

 

So what do you know about Paul?

 

I don't think he was one of the apostles. Isn't he the guy who did not like the Christians. And something about him falling off his horse?!

 

You have part of the story Tallulah. Watch this video to see the whole story. (Here is the link if you are having trouble viewing this video: http://youtu.be/whp6-pqDgfs)

 

 

Hey Cloë I found another video to help explain our story. This short little video covers all the Acts of the Apostles. We get to see Peter and Paul in action.

 



Here is the link if you cannot see the video: http://youtu.be/MJIHgMR7LP0

Another important event that happens today in Rome is the presentation of the Pallium to all the new archbishops of the World by Pope Francis. The Pallium is sort of like a scarf that is a sign that the archbishop is the leader of a particular territory. Archbishops and bishops trace their office all the way back to St. Peter and St. Paul!

So that must be why they get the pallium on this day, right Cloë?! Oh I remember now, our master was in Rome last year to see Archbishop Paul-André receive his pallium. We stayed with our granny. And Great Uncle Billy and Great Auntie Judy walked us every morning - I miss them.

Well I guess that is it for today, see ya next time - Woof!

Cloë and Tallulah

Parents if you would like to know more about these two saints or are looking for activities to do with your children to mark this feast click on this link.

Fun! Fun! But too many hot dogs!

Hi Everybody! Yesterday we got to go and meet some of our young fans at the Nussbaumers. We got to run around and eat lots of hot dogs and cookies.

I loved all those hot dogs Cloë. It was too bad our master cut us off but I guess it did not help that I threw up all the hot dogs I ate.

Eww Tallulah, that's just gross. But I guess that is why gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins as outlined by St. Thomas Aquinas.  He said that gluttony was when we overindulge in food. Here is a little visual of the 7 Deadly Sins using some of the Disney baddies.

We had a great time! Here is a photo of all of us! (It looks like Kim is strangling us!)

 

Woof Nussbaumers!

Cloë and Tallulah

Parents if you want to know more about the 7 deadly sins click here. Of if you are a Willy Wonka fan try this explanation.