Living the Church calendar: October, part 1

So, October started with a bang for us with the cold-from-hell-coupled-with-strep everyone being sick.  I do intend to regularly post helpful links to the year-long family liturgical calendar post (from our Prayer Book in progress) that I wrote earlier this school year...  New thoughts are in "October orange" along with my original post excerpted below.


October--
1. Feast of St. Therese

She is a special saint for me because she was introduced to me by two close friends in college who loved her and really lived/live her "Little Way."  Both claim her as special patronness because their middle names are Therese.  We all visited Lisieux together during our Rome semester and it was then that I learned there is so much more to this smart, strong, and holy woman than the sappy sweet ways we often refer to her.  The book below is  great for getting to know her in this way.  And while the website I linked to below does not mention the rose St. Therese sends to those who ask fo rher intercession, I have always found her to be generous in fulfilling that promise.
Start or finish the unique and beautiful Rose Novena of St. Therese, a favorite among Catholic women for generations, found in this prayer book. An atypical treatment of this young & innocent saint whose "Little Way" of spirituality is anything but sappy sweet & weak can be found in the book Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux, by Heather King. 

2. Feast of the Guardian Angels
Another good day to bake an angel food cake to celebrate and give thanks for God's provision and protection for us in His angels.
I always buy boxed cake mixes- what can I say? They are good & cheap.

4. Feast of St. Francis Take your family pets to the "Blessing of the Animals" held at many parishes on this day, in honor of this saint of radical material & spiritual poverty who was so peaceful that it is said he could communicate with animals. Or bless your animals at home as a family with a simple spontaneous prayer.
We did bless our pets at home this year in three groups: inside pets: Jude's gerbil & mouse, outside pets (dog &cats), and farm animals: chickens & horses.  We used this blessing that I found on a holy card in an on-line Catholic shop (author not credited):

In your infinite wisdom, Lord God, when You created the Universe You blessed us with living creatures.  We especially thank You for giving us our pets who are our friends and who bring us so much joy in life.  Their presence very often helps us get through trying times.  Kindly bless my pet.  May my pet continue giving me joy and remind me of Your power.  May we realize that as our pets trust us to take care of them, so we should trust You to take care of us, and in taking care of them we share in Your love for all creatures.  Enlighten our minds to preserve all endangered species so that we may continue to appreciate all of Your creations.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

St. Francis patron of those who study & care for the earth, ecologists, pray for us!