Standing for Life

Anna Marie spent several very cold days this January in Washington, D.C., standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Participating with 650,000 others in the March for Life 2013 was an unforgettable and awe-inspiring experience. We watched the whole event live on the internet while Anna Marie was marching.

Bless you, Anna Marie, for standing up for the babies and the elderly who do not have a voice. We love you, and we are proud of you!

Anna Marie in orange.

Anna Marie in orange, front row.

Anna Marie and Ben

Anna Marie and Ben

Touring after the March for Life

The Diocese of Madison youth delegation

Religious Freedom Rally

Joe was invited to join the distinguished ranks of Sen. Glenn Grothman, Rep. Evan Wynn, Julaine Appling, and Matt Sande to speak at our most recent Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally at the Federal Courthouse in Madison. Always a defender of the good, the beautiful, and the true, Joe gave a rousing speech—successfully out-shouting the very vocal protestors with unarguable, unassailable facts.

I was very proud of Joe. Those who know Joe know that he is nothing short of opinionated. But he is also logical and well-reasoned and has a great way of engaging the audience with well-constructed arguments. In this case, he was not arguing a claim for a patent application.  Rather, he was arguing that people of faith in the Unites States of America should be free to practice their faith, and no government should require its people (employers, in this case) to purchase goods or services (insurance, in this case) which contravene the tenets of our faith.

Joe Leone, you rocked the house and did an amazing job. I love you for telling it like it is.

Our friend, Syte Reitz, wrote an insightful post, featuring rally-goers, Joe and Lucia Leone.

Rep. Evan Wynn (for whom I am now working, incidentally) introducing none other than Joe Leone.

Joe Leone, doing what he does best—talking.  ;)
What an amazing defender of religious freedom I have in my husband.

Just after Joe finished speaking, he grabbed Lucia and posed for this photo.
And just as this photo was being snapped, protesters turned their signs to ensure Joe and Lucia had a nice little backdrop. Lovely, eh? 

Andrew Receives Jesus

Our little man, Andrew, receives Jesus for the very first time on his all important First Communion Day, May 2012.

As Catholics, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives. This is a very big day, indeed.

Prayers for Our Goddaughter

How blessed and honored we are to have been chosen as Godparents for our dear friends' eighth child. Sweet Elizabeth, you will be always in our prayers, and we will aim to live a life of good example. We love you!

The parents of beautiful Elizabeth are also the Godparents of our beautiful Lucia.  

Awwwww, look at my sweet Goddaughter!

Pretty girls, Little Elizabeth and Little Lucia.

Is that a beautiful family, or what?
Elizabeth, you are blessed.

Confirmed!

Kathleen Louise was confirmed this March at a beautiful Confirmation Mass through Fr. Rick's church, St. Mary of Pine Bluff. She picked one of my favorite people of all time as her Confirmation sponsor (apparently one of her favorite people too), and she chose the name Cecilia as her Confirmation name, in honor of St. Cecilia. Since Kathleen is quite the musician, St. Cecilia was the perfect fit.

We pray for Kathleen, newly filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit:

English

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Latin

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium: et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.

V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.
R. Et renovabis faciem terrae.

Oremus. Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere; et de eius semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.

Amen.

Lucia is Baptized

Just nine days after we arrived home with Lucia, she was baptized.

Our pastor, Monsignor Kevin Holmes, performed the baptism at St. Patrick Catholic Church (part of the same parish of our church, Holy Redeemer).

We were honored when our friends, Jill and Dave, accepted our invitation to be Lucia's Godparents. Jill and Dave also have a large family (eight children) and are adoptive parents themselves. Not only will they make excellent Godparents for Lucia, but they are good and kind to us—inviting our tired family over for a cozy get-together at their home after the Baptism.

One more milestone for little Lucia, now baptized into the Catholic Church. God bless Lucia Rose!

William gets ready to serve Mass and the Baptism. 

I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

Lucia and her proud mama. 

Joe & Elizabeth with newly-baptized Lucia.
Lucia is wearing Papa Del's (grandfather's) baptismal gown, worn also by all her siblings.

Posing with Monsignor Holmes and Lucia's Godparents and their children.

Our friend Angela (Godmother of Marguerite) snuggles with Lucia.

All Saints Day

In keeping with tradition, we attended the huge Carey Family All Saints Day party this year, complete with a parade of little saints, games and prizes in the pole barn, a roaring bonfire, the litany of the saints, and a veritable abundance of great food. We also stayed late to participate in the (very) haunted trail.

Although I did not get photos at the party, we did take some snapshots of the kids in costume before our departure.

From left to right:
Kathleen as St. Elizabeth of Hungary
William as St. Michael the Archangel
Therese as St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Andrew as St. Padre Pio (complete with stigmata)
Anna Marie helped man the spooky trail this year, so she didn't do a saint costume.
And we didn't have our act together to costume little Marguerite.

Fr. Z!

The elder Leones might have been hangin' with Scott Walker this month. However, our fourteen-year-old Anna Marie, together with her friend Ben, was hangin' with none other than Father Z. Yes, THE Father Z.

For lovers of authentic Catholicism, it doesn't get much better than this. Fr. Z was in Madison for a two-day chant workshop which Anna Marie and Ben had the privilege of attending.

A Soldier of Christ

Last Sunday wasn't just any Sunday.

It was the day on which our oldest daughter received the sacrament of Confirmation, the day on which the Holy Spirit gave her the graces to be a soldier of Christ.

We pray that Anna Marie, our pride and our joy, takes advantage of this sacramental grace and lives her life in accordance with God's will and as a witness to all.

We love you, Anna Marie. We are so proud of you. The signs of greatness are already there. Seize your potential and live your life for Christ. We will be here for you in love and in prayer.


Anna Marie (second from left), with some of her homeschooling girlfriends, just before Confirmation:

Anna Marie (front row), with the Bishop and the whole Confirmation class, just after Confirmation:

Mary's Anawim

I am pleased to announce that one of my favorite priests, Fr. Rick Heilman, right here in the Diocese of Madison, has begun to blog. His new blog, Mary's Anawim promises to be a great place to find authentic Catholic teaching and a bolstering of those Catholic clergy who take sometimes-unpopular positions in their fidelity to Christ's Church. Do check out Fr. Rick's blog!

My Knight in Shining Armor

It's not every day that my husband is knighted.

On Sunday, my handsome, amazing husband was formally knighted in an awe-inspiring Knights of Divine Mercy ceremony.

Joe, together with nearly 80 men, completed a year of spiritual study and homework and a regimen of regular Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, Spiritual Direction, and more -- all under the tutelage of the saintly Fr. Rick Heilman. I couldn't be more proud of Joe. He was invested in the brown scapular on Sunday (something that he had missed out on during his childhood), and he was given a "battle-pack of Catholic sacramentals--Rosary, holy water, blessed salt, and more--the recommended "spiritual armor" for Catholic men, husbands, fathers, and leaders.

Congratulations, my Love! Your Lady hopes to live up to your fine example.

Do you know your Baltimore Catechism?

Take this handy little quiz to find out.

Oh yes, here are my results (and yes, I did grow up with the Baltimore Catechism):

You are a 100% traditional Catholic!

 

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
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Monsignor Swain becomes Bishop Swain!

Our little Kathleen who made her First Holy Communion just last spring with then-Monsignor Swain is feeling mighty proud! She has already told us how "cool" it is to have made her First Communion with a man who was soon to be bishop -- the 8th Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota! The URL above takes you to some of the awe-inspiring photos and sounds of that ordination day. We weren't there in person, but we watched every minute of it by live webcast. Madison and the Leones sure will miss Monsignor, I mean Bishop, Swain. Congratulations, Bishop Swain!

Cardinal Urges Catholics to Heed Modern Science