Every Catholic knows the primacy of love in the Christian life. Jesus’ words (Mt. 19:19 and 22:37) about love of God and love of one’s neighbor as oneself immediately come to mind, as does St. Paul’s warning (I Cor. 1:13) that without charity as a motive, all that we do becomes “sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.”…
In the poem, The Ballad of the White Horse, King Alfred and all of Christianity seem to be lost to the Danes. It is a time of despair for every part of Europe. The only hope is Alfred’s faith in God, strengthened through a vision of Mary. Alfred fights a fierce battle using his God-given skills and is eventually victorious. The Ballad of the White Horse is the eleventh grade English requirement our oldest son, Benjamin, and I have been reading for Seton Home Study School. Our family can relate. We have had our own battle to fight, against all odds, and we have survived it only with and through the help of God…
Life does not always turn out as we expect! We are Steven and Joy Domangue and we have been married since 1994. Although we intended to have a large family, several years without growing our family made it clear that adoption would be our only alternative. It was a roller coaster ride dealing with adoption agencies, state governments, social workers and lawyers, but in 2002, we adopted our son Phillip as a newborn…
Hello from the Gowans’ family! – Dad Bob, Mom Andrea, son Hugh (age 9), daughter Lauren and twin brother Leo (age 7), and beloved cats Mr. Kitty and Stella. We live on a 300 acre ranch with a vineyard, fruit orchard, pecan trees, chickens, fishing pond, a John Deere tractor, four wheelers, and all the accoutrements that come with living out in the country. Our town’s public schools are rated among the best in the area. Families from neighboring towns vie to have their children transferred into our public schools. There is a Catholic elementary school in the next city, and there are a number of excellent private schools. Our family chooses a different path. We choose to homeschool…
On June 10, 2012, we gathered to celebrate our first 8th grade graduation from our homeschool. Our thirteen-year-old daughter, Bernadette, rejoiced that she had successfully completed nine years of Seton Home Study School. My husband and I rejoiced that with the grace of God, we had successfully educated her. At that celebration, my husband read and shared publicly, for the first time, the mission statement we had written nine years earlier…
“The UPS truck just dropped off our school books!” My sisters, Emily and Mary, my brother John, and I race to the door hoping to arrive first at the four brown boxes that hold our new curriculum. Mine is the easiest to find since it is the biggest and heaviest of them all. There is an advantage of being the oldest: I get all the new books! Boxes are sorted, scissors are found, and packing peanuts start to fly as the boxes are opened. Soon, fresh books emerge which captivate our attention. Thus, our family’s thirteenth year of Seton Homeschooling begins and we all eagerly anticipate the new year’s adventures…
Let us introduce ourselves – we are the McWilliam Family, Chay (Dad), Katie (Mom), & Jamie, our son. Since 2003, when Jamie was 6 years old, we have been cruising around the world on our 46-foot sailboat, Esprit. Over the last 9 years we have become known as the “Esprit” family. Keep in mind as you read our story that when we are on the boat we are together 24/7 in less than 500 square feet of space.
One of the first challenges faced by the Holy Family was their forced relocation to Egypt when Jesus was but a young Child. According to the Scriptures, an angel appeared in a dream to St. Joseph and told him immediately to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt (Mt 2:13). The Holy Family stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod. Although this story takes only a few sentences in the Gospels, we can imagine the difficulties encountered in this move. To start, the Holy Family must have left many possessions, taking only with them what they could carry, and perhaps pack onto a donkey or an ox. They must have sold some items to secure money for the trip. Once they made their way to Egypt, they must have started over with almost nothing, in a strange land, speaking a strange language, and looked upon as strangers themselves…
Every fall, circumstances in the typical homeschool family line up to create a perfect educational opportunity. First, Mom is wistfully remembering how Dad grilled all summer as she tries to put some sort of well-balanced supper on the table with a toddler clinging to her legs. Second, the produce at farmers’ markets and grocery stores is both abundant and reasonably priced during and right after harvest. Third, the children really need to learn some practical life skills. Finally, in my own experience, children who moan about having to mop floors or take out the trash actually seem to enjoy meal preparation. All of these factors ensure that Mom can feel good about herself when passing on some kitchen responsibilities because she is training her sons and daughters in necessary adult skills…
I’m a cradle Catholic, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, the premier archdiocese of the United States. Here, when someone asks, “Where did you go to school?” they mean which Catholic high school you attended (e.g. – Mount de Sales, Cardinal Gibbons, St. Joe, etc.), rather than which college or university. Baltimore is a big-small-town, and its Catholic community even more so.
