St. Joseph: The Greatest of All Earthly Fathers

Today is the feast of St. Joseph.

There was a time when my husband and I were facing some very difficult decisions, the kind that would change our family's life for a very long time. It was wrenching to face those challenges, but we did...with the help of St. Joseph...and succeeded.

This was when I finally learned more about Jesus' foster father and why he is the greatest of all earthly fathers. What a gift he gives to us!

At the end of the post linked below, I give you the prayer of intercession I turned to during those tough times. After I said my rosary, I prayed this prayer, then--and this is important--I reflected on St. Joseph's role as husband, father, protector, and provider. In other words, I didn't just rattle off the prayer and expect something magical to happen, although magic did happen, which I noticed only in retrospect. But in the meantime, I was so happy to be able to call upon him in Heaven, and then ask him to take my prayers to his little boy, Jesus. He was a great comfort to us.

Click the link below to read my reflection on St. Joseph. God bless!

Kathleen's Catholic: St. Joseph: The Greatest of All Earthly Fathers: "by Kathleen Blease What a tender sight to see: Our Lord, a little boy, leaning his head on his daddy’s chest. Do you remember your little ..."

For St. Patrick's Day: Quick and Tasty!

Alicia's Soda Bread

A friend of mine gave me this recipe. She quickly wrote it down from memory, and it's excellent. Buttermilk makes all the difference, but plain milk will work if necessary. Another friend of mine, Mary, tells me that her Irish grandmother would have called this a scone. Soda bread or scone, it's delicious and easy to make. Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Visit The Little Catholic Kitchen for more delicious recipes.

3 c. all purpose or bread flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. each aluminum free baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. raisins or dried cranberries

Yields: One large loaf

Preheat oven 350. In large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Then add buttermilk all at once. Stir until almost combined. Add the raisins or dried cranberries. Mix until just combined. Do not mix past this point, or else it will rise less. This will be a sticky dough that is hard to mix with a spoon. Flour your hands and mix by hand if necessary. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam). Place the dough in one heap on the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. If the top browns too fast, place a sheet of foil on top, without wrapping it. When finished, the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom with your fingers. Delicious served warm or room temperature.

Lenten Meals from The Little Catholic Kitchen: Burgers on a Friday? Only These!

Salmon Burgers

These are delicious, satisfying, and remarkably healthy--high in calcium and omega-3s. You can cook these on the grill, but I like to saute them in a pan with a little olive oil. Serve on a burger bun with all the fixings, or just by themselves, along with a salad. If you don't have green onions (also called spring onions or scallions), finely diced yellow, white or red onions also work great.

Visit The Little Catholic Kitchen for more delicious recipes.

1 14-oz can canned pink salmon (such as Chicken of the Sea), drained.
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon style mustard
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 sliced green onions (include as much of the green as you'd like)
2 whole eggs (or 3 egg whites), beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Yields: 4 servings

Drain and flake salmon. (There's no need to remove the bones, as they are soft. They also contain a lot of calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. The skin can also remain.) Add all other ingredients and gently mix. Try to keep a few salmon chunks in tact. Form into 4 large patties. Grill or saute in pan with olive oil until crispy on the outside. Serve alone, or as you would a hamburger.

Great Lenten Resources at Your Fingertips: Catholic Media Promotion Day

Here's a great opportunity to find something special to help you through your Lenten Journey.


St. Maximilian Kolbe is in Heaven smiling upon us, enjoying the Catholic Media Promotion Day. In the saint's time, he was a master of communications technology and had millions of readers.


Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com, is helping to promote this grassroots effort. At her website, you'll find dozens of links that can help you throughout your Lenten journey. Whatever you prefer--books, podcasts, blogs, TV shows, and so on--you'll find the best at Lisa's site. Click here to go there now.

Lisa writes:
"This grassroots effort is designed to help spread the word about all of the great work being done in Catholic Media.

"We’ve asked our CatholicMom.com family of contributors to share their favorites, and here are some wonderful suggestions for you to enjoy. In parentheses, you’ll see the names of the contributors who made these recommendations."

The Catholic CyperCommunity is alive and well. You can also find links to Catholic websites, as listed at Kathleen's Catholic by clicking here. Check it out!

Got Family Meal Time? Better to Say YES. Here's Why.

Allison at Totus Tuus Family & Catholic Homeschool found a very interesting report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. It explains how the family meal benefits our children in a plethora of ways. It's almost shocking just how much children are affected when the family meal is absent in their lives.

As a parent, of a child of any age, you should read this.

Click here and travel on over to Allison's blog and read all about how eating with Mom and Dad --and learning table manners, among other things--protects our children from otherwise chilling realities.

God bless!

Lenten Meals from The Little Catholic Kitchen: Today, A Little Bit of God's Green Earth on Your Plate

Figuring out a simple Lenten meal can be pretty easy, no? Just cook up a little fish, and you're done. Hmm...

Wouldn't it be nice to make those fish meals a little more bright? When I make these two recipes, below, I think a lot about God's bounty...how it is fresh and various. There is plenty for us to explore and enjoy on this planet. (I'm also remembering just how much Christ loved his Father's creation, too.) A Lenten Friday is a great time to put aside the heavy comfort foods and get back to the basics...and revel in a few recipes that reflect something of God's green earth--wheat, mango, cherries, herbs. Can you taste it? Me, too!

This Lent, I'll bring you some of my recipes from The Little Catholic Kitchen. Click the link to see all the recipes, both meat and meatless, that I've posted throughout the year. Happy Lenten Friday!

Kathleen's Mango Salsa

This is one of my own creations. Try this with any fish. I think it's particularly good with salmon that's been pan sauteed. It's also delicious mixed with cous-cous. To make a healthy salad out of leftovers, flake the salmon and add to the salsa/mango mix. Add a little olive oil, if you'd like. This makes a great lunch the next day.

1 mango, peeled and finely diced
1 small zucchini, peeled and finely diced
1 14-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 14-oz. can black olives, sliced
1 14-oz. can peach slices or halves, finely diced
1/8 c. finely diced fresh cilantro (optional)
lime juice to taste
kosher salt to taste

Yields: 6 large servings

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients well. Let sit for one hour to blend flavors.


Kathleen's Cous-Cous Summery Salad

Are you hankering for the taste of summer? Okay, this recipe calls for a chicken bullion cube, which disqualifies it for Lenten Fridays. So, for Fridays, take the bullion cube out and add a little salt and pepper to taste. (A bullion cube is mostly salt anyway.) By the way, if you need to know: cous-cous is made of wheat. Check your grocery store for fresh herbs and tart cherries. If you need to use canned tart cherries, rinse them thoroughly before dicing.

1/2 c. uncooked instant cous-cous
1 c. water
1 chicken bullion cube
1 navel orange, peeled and diced
1/2 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 c. tart cherries, pitted and diced
1/4 c. fresh mint, julienned
generous squirt lime juice

Yields: 4 servings

Cook cous-cous in water and chicken bullion cube, until fluffy, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently mix the cous-cous and all other ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If the mixture is a little too dry, add more lime juice.

My First Mortification This Lent

Ash Wednesday Mass was beautiful. The church was packed, so the line to receive ashes was long. The lady who sat behind me is a prominent member of the parish. I belonged to this parish for more than twenty years, before moving out of the area and joining another out of necessity. I thought Ash Wednesday would be a good day to visit.

Besides, this parish has noon Mass, while many don't. I like to get our ashes early, so we can wear them throughout the day, even if we're just staying home.

After the ashes were distributed and just before the offering, the lady tapped me on the shoulder. "There are ashes all over the floor. People will step on them during Communion and grind them into the rug."

I nodded. Yes, I thought, that would be a shame. And I casually concluded, but what can you do?

She continued. "I can't kneel down to clean them up. Would you do it?"

I turned around and looked at her. Now?

Anyone who knows me will confirm that I am the ultimate introvert. In fact, I'm terrified to get up in front of people. The thought of going to the front of the church, kneeling down, and cleaning the floor was not on my mental plate. But, I was asked and it seemed the job had to be done.

Reluctantly, I left the sanctuary to go to the ladies' room and grab some paper towels. Then I returned and knelt down in front the altar and began sweeping the ashes. But it didn't work. I was making a mess. Do I stay and try harder?

Sensing that Father was ready to begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and being very much aware that I was kneeling down in front of the altar in front of a packed church, I quickly gave up, left to discard the paper towels, and returned to my seat in the front pew. I was glad that was over. The lady behind me quickly thanked me for trying.

Once Mass was finished, I was enjoying the recessional hymn and was singing at full volume, soaking in the remarkable acoustics of the place. In this sanctuary, one doesn't really need a microphone, although the priest is still wired in.

At the last beat of the song, just as I was finishing my final note and closing the hymnal, someone was poking my shoulder. I don't know why, but I thought someone--surely someone, says my ego-- noticed my nice voice and wanted to send a compliment or two my way.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Ooo, get ready to say, "Oh, thank you. That's nice of you to say."

Instead, it was the lady who sat behind me. She looked crossed.

"I didn't mean for you to use water! Or paper towels! I meant that you should just..." Her fingers were making little jerking actions. "...just. pick. them. up. with. your. fingers." And she promptly went up to the altar and began picking. them. up. with. her. fingers.

My first mortification this Lent. I had to smile. Thank you, Lord, for keeping my ego in check.