October- Celebrating Our Lady

October is traditionally a month that Catholic's celebrate Mary because of the feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (October 14th) and like any good celebration it doesn't seem to end with one day, hence a post this late in the month. So, this year, the 14th fell on a Wednesday night and I couldn't pass up a teaching opportunity. Our Religious Ed. Parents' Night was fittingly scheduled for the evening of the feast and we were talking, making and eating the rosary!

Found this great idea on the Catholic Cuisine blog and it turned out splendidly thanks to some fast baking by a baker friend (don't think she's online or I'd link her new business, here).


Started out the evening with an old Totus Tuus song. "My Mother is Mary the Virgin" I am proud of the fact that I held up with the best of the students and my thighs burned for the remainder of the week.
The concept of the song/game was to stand or sit every time you sang a word starting with M. Then sing it and move FASTER! Hey, the kids and adults look like they're having fun.

We followed up our song with a short teaching on the Rosary. I felt a bit rusty having not taught that lesson in a while to a full house but it was a start. Then as a group we prayed a living rosary with vigil candles marking each bead and being blown out as we prayed. It was really effective in seeing where we were at in our prayer. Finally, the students and parents had the opportunity to make a rope chaplet rosary. By knotting rosary twine we had a few successes and lots of first time attempts. I think I found a market of buyers if I get knotting, too. Here are the directions if you're interested.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for us!