We are excited to learn more about our new Holy Father who greeted the world on Thursday, May 8 as Pope Leo XIV! He is the first American Pope! We will be learning more about him for our next issue of The Family Zone which will be published on May 25. May God bless him and our Church! Want to get started on your celebration? Here's a free download from Holy Heroes.

May God bless all mothers, godmothers, grandmothers and special friends who take on a motherly role!

During this period of mourning and then transition for a new Pope to be elected, some of the Jubilee celebrations have been paired down or temporarily postponed. This time of waiting and prayer is an excellent time to focus once again on the Jubilee attitude of HOPE. Let us wait in prayer and hope as we look toward the future of the Church! Here are some great HOPE-FILLED Jubilee coloring pages from the Archdiocese of Australia.

Cuddle Up is a Catholic story time podcast for Catholic families. It's a great way to learn together by listening along to a story that teaches your kids more about our Catholic faith. You can follow the podcast at https://cuddleup.buzzsprout.com/2387676/episodes. Below is a reading of We Have a Pope by Katie Bogner. Enjoy the listen!

Resources that accompany the story:

Agnes Mary Clerke was a Catholic astronomer and science educator in 19th century Ireland. She is most famous for writing about astronomy and communicating what she learned to scientists around the world, having fluency in over 6 languages. She began writing her own history of astronomy at just 15! Agnes Mary Clerke also wrote about faith, and had an article on Astronomy in the Catholic Encyclopedia. She received a prize for her work entitled "The Benificence of the Almighty" She saw the powerful link between science and God.

What type of science is your child curious about? Take some inspiration from Agnes Mary Clerke and research science together; there is so much to learn! Engage all 5 senses in exploring outside, conduct experiments on simple things such as which ball bounces higher, or investigate how long it takes for an ice cube to melt under certain circumstances. Foodies can bake together and talk about the chemistry of cooking; you may even want to explore what happens if you change that chemistry! God's world is amazing and science helps us to discover, investigate, and inquire. Become researchers of science as a family, and make important connections to understanding God in the process!

Here is a Marian Prayer you may not have heard. This beautiful Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary brings to life many of the title we have for our Blessed Mother. Click below to pray!

Click on the link below to find resources to pray for your priests, seminarians and future vocations!

This helpful article from Not Consumed, gives parents some simple tools for making works of mercy a way of life in attitude and action. Click on the paragraph below to read the article.

Made with ingredients you likely have on hand!

Do you meet up with extended family for Mass followed by brunch? Are there special prayers over the moms in your family at the celebratory meal? Maybe there is a special Mother's Day walk in a park to enjoy God's creation or a visit to the cemetery to place a plant on Great Grandma's grave. If you are looking for some new traditions, here are some additional ways you might bring faith into your day:

1. Say a decade of the Rosary with and for the moms in your family.

2. Pray for the intentions of the mother's in your family.

3. Complete a work of mercy for a new mom or moms in need.

4. Pray for women who struggle to conceive.

5. Plant a Mary garden together!

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Editor: Leslie Barkin leslie.barkin@dor.org

Debtor in Possession

Email: oec@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Location: Diocese of Rochester, Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210

See them all here!