I've had something on my mind for a while, and as today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, I figured I'd finally sit down and type it up. I'm generally a social media apologist. The Catholic mommy blog little pond of the internet (which is also peopled with...
The Family Rosary: Why is it SO Hard?
Happy October! In honor of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th, and the whole month of October, which is dedicated to the Rosary, this month's Catholic All Year Liturgical Living video is about . . . saying a family Rosary. We know we should be doing...
The Holy Cross: A Guide to Exalting and Sorrowing in September
September is traditionally a more somber month, liturgical calendar-wise. The month is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. On September 14 and 15 we observe the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The fall Ember Days are...
Being Weird Catholics: Seven Ways We Help Our Family Believe in the Real Presence
You've probably heard about the troubling study recently released by the Pew Research Center, stating that only one-third of self-professed Catholics believe in the Catholic Church's teaching that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ, and nearly half...
Changing the World One Casserole at a Time
I don’t want to fall into hyperbole, but the apostolate of bringing a meal really and honestly changed the way I see the world. It changed my heart when it happened to me, and practicing it for others is something that brings me great joy. While I was expecting my...
Now Available: The Real Thing
Seems like a good time to update you all on a few of the goings on around here, shop, home, and family-wise . . .
Pope Joan?
Rather heavy things loom on the horizon around here in general, and on Friday specifically (click for details here, but only if you have a hankie handy) . . . and Lent is here and Holy Week is coming for all of us. But we Christians know there is always a light in the...
Hooley at the Tierneys’ 2019: FAQs Answered
Another epic Hooley at the Tierneys' is in the books. I shared some photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram . . . and you guys had some questions. So even though it's St. Joseph's Day, I shall attempt to answer all your St. Patrick's Day party queries here. What...
The Catholic Mom Bundle Lent 2019
Lent . . . is coming. Finally. It's super late this year. Almost as late as it can possibly be. The latest since 2000 and the latest until 2030 when Easter will be on April 23 again. In 2038 it will be on April 25th, the latest possible Easter! I might be the only...
Five Ways We Incorporate Prayer into Our Liturgical Living
Happy New Year! I got this mailbag question and typed up the response a couple of weeks ago, emailed my reply to the questioner, and set the post to publish today. And then I got to thinking . . . and I ended up spending every spare moment I had since then creating...
Epiphany House Blessing
Happy New Year's Eve! New Year's Day, aka the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is coming up tomorrow, and is a holyday of obligation in many countries, including the US and Canada, so get thee to Mass! The next major feast day after that is Epiphany, one of our...
Merry Christmas From the Tierneys!
Happy sixth day of Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying your holidays. I wanted to pop in here to share our 2018 Christmas Card with all of you. For reasons I explained here, I'm redacting a bit of the text, but if you zoom in on the image of the card itself down at...
Hey, I Started a Tiny Liturgical Living Show, plus Reminders for Advent and the Feast of St. Andrew
Hey guys! Advent is JUST around the corner. In fact, today is the feast of St. Andrew, which, for us, kicks off our Advent traditions. (Even though Sunday is the actual beginning of Advent.) The very first thing I recommend in the Catholic All Year Compendium is the...
Our In-Progress At Home Painted Chapel, aka how I spent my summer vacation
I keep waiting to be finished with the chapel to share it here, but I keep NOT being finished with it, and I'm tired of waiting. I made a ton of progress on it over the summer, but now that the homeschool year is going and with all the conference and book launch stuff...
Some Advent Resources to Complement the Compendium
First off, thank you guys for liking the book. I mean, I hoped you would. But you just never know. It's been great seeing your social media posts and Amazon reviews (if you've got it will you leave one?) and getting your messages and talking to folks in real life...
Sexual Abuse, Sackcloth, and Ashes: Meeting Scandal with Acts of Reparation
We find ourselves again rocked by scandal in the Catholic Church. On Aug. 14, a Pennsylvania grand jury released its report on an 18-month investigation into seven decades of clerical sexual abuse allegations in six Pennsylvania dioceses. The details are sickening and...
A Compendium Update, Liturgical Living for June, and Coloring Pages!
This is from the introduction to the (forthcoming) Catholic All Year Compendium, that I wrote for the pitch I submitted to the publisher, back in 2015: "Sometimes all you really need is a little enthusiasm and the willingness to give things a try. The easiest way is...
It’s the Feast of St. Mark, or: Thank You For Participating, Here’s Me Not Listening.
Thank you all so much for your responses to my reader survey! Almost 1500 of you took the time to fill it out. It's been really interesting to see the results, and to read all your kind feedback. Just ONE story of this blog being a part of a conversion or a deepening...
An Easy, No Mess, Kid-Friendly, Not-Crafty-Mom-Friendly, Last Minute Advent Wreath and a Guide to the Upcoming First Week of Advent
Advent starts tomorrow! And that means tonight is Catholic New Year's Eve, so break out the champagne! If, like me, you are not quite ready to, um, get ready, I thought I'd share this quick and easy Advent Wreath that is our go-to every year now. We've had lots...
Do Catholics Need the Elf on the Shelf?
I had every intention of not wading into the Elf on the Shelf debate, because it's really not a matter of faith and morals, and is therefore something about which good Catholics are free to make their own choices, and follow their own consciences, and disagree. But...
Five Ways My Phone is Helping Me Be a Better Catholic
Our phones, right? We use them for all the things, but also maybe feel like we shouldn't be? As much? Ever? I'm all for balance and temperance, but in our concern about the pitfalls of our phones, it's easy to lose sight of the GOOD that's to be had from those...
Catholic Indulgences: what they are, when they are, and why you should care (as of the 1999 Manual of Indulgences revision of the Enchiridion of Indulgences)
Indulgences! So much opportunity, so much confusion and misinformation. And that's just among Catholics. It's really difficult to even find any information at all online about the most recent version of the Manual of Indulgences, a 1999 revision that replaced the 1968...
Stuff I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: including calendar explanations and errata, crazy plans, and other fun announcements
First off, I have to say how excited I am that anyone other than me wanted this calendar. I just can't believe how many of you have purchased it and are looking forward to starting off the new Catholic year on December 3rd and observing the feasts and the fasts. And...
How to do Santa Without Lying to Your Kids
This is the time of year I start getting emails and Facebook messages from parents who are trying to decide how to handle the cultural traditions surrounding Christmas, and how to balance them with their Catholic faith. There is genuinely a lot of worry that they'll...
Easy Family Activities for the Month of the Poor Souls in November
For Catholics, November is the month we remember the dead. On November 1st, we celebrate all the saints in heaven, who are our hope and help and inspiration. The rest of the month, we focus on the holy souls in purgatory. (They are also called poor souls . . ....
A Beginner’s Guide to Dissent: The Extended version
Disagreement with Catholic teaching is something that saints and heretics have in common. The great St. Paul himself, we read about in today's first reading, was a dissenter and debater. But the difference between the saints and the heretics has always been in how...
Liturgical Living for Beginners: An Our Lady of Guadalupe Play Date, with help from me and CCC
This is a sponsored post. See my disclosure policy. I had such fun last spring putting together a St. Patrick's Day play date that I decided to do another one . . . this time for the upcoming feasts of St. Juan Diego on December 9th and Our Lady of Guadalupe on...
When There Is So Much to Fear
Mailbag time: What to do when it all seems like too much . . . (and if you make it to the bottom there's news and shopping, yay!) The Question: Hi Kendra, I found you blog a new months ago and have so enjoyed going through your old posts and soaking up all the...
How to Advent, in three steps
Advent is less than two weeks away . . . are you ready, TO WAIT? Advent is a beautiful time of year. But for those of us attempting to live the liturgical year in our homes (at least a bit) it can be a tricky season to get right. Sometimes it feels like whatever we...
It’s Not You, It’s Him. Of Course, YOU Still Have to Live With Him.
Cranky Frankie is four today. He likes lots of things. Cowboy boots: His little sister: His other little sister: Confined spaces: A good seat for his brother's football game: The Communion of Saints: Chicken Frank the chicken (and Nana): This exact setup of buddies....