Seasonal Activities for the Home

          Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the Trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy; and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their Head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejoice in her birthday, as the Church has done from the earliest times.
         On Our Lady's birthday the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany.

Things to Do:

• Learn prayers to Mary, such as the Angelus, Litany of Loreto, Memorare, Hail Mary, and Hail Holy Queen.
• Learn and sing various hymns to Mary, such as the Salve Regina, Immaculate Mary, Hail Holy Queen. See top bar for list of suggested hymns.
• Start researching and planning a Mary Garden, or a special plant or flower for each feast day of Mary. This can be for next spring, but if some bulbs are to be included, this is the time to plant them!

                                          Source: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-09-08

The Revelation of St. John tells us that Michael led the heavenly hosts that cast Satan and his followers out of heaven. He was also regarded in the early Church as the protector of Christians against the devil. Appropriately, he is the patron saint of infantry, paratroopers, mariners, and police.

Gabriel was the archangel who was God's messenger. He was mentioned twice as such in the Old Testament (Book of Daniel), but is more prominently known in two New Testament passages. He foretells the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah (Lk 1:11-20), and proclaims the birth of Jesus to Mary (Lk 1:26-38). Gabriel is the patron of messengers, postal workers, and those working in various telecommunications fields.

Raphael is the only other archangel identified by name. One of the seven archangels who stand before the Lord, Raphael was sent by God to minister to Tobias and his family (Book of Tobit). He also is the angel who healed the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels (Enoch 10:7). Raphael is the patron of physicians, nurses, travelers, the blind, and lovers.

The three archangels are honored together with a Feast on September 29. This date was formerly St. Michael's feast day and has been known for centuries as Michaelmas Day.
                                   Source: https://lifelongcatechesis.osv.com/saint_of_the_week/sow/thirtieth_sunday_in_ordinary_time1