Baby Ticker

Thought this was cute! Stromberg number 10 will be welcomed sometime in July to make our own Catholic American History!

Quiz for today!

We were travelling again, so I got behind on my weekly quizzes. The answer to the last one was St. John Neumann. Although Mother Seton is credited with having the first Catholic school in America, St. John Neumann, while bishop of Philadelphia, set up the first parochial school system that other diocese then imitated and led to our current diocesan school system.

Try your hand at today's quiz. I am fascinated by the holy people of color that have graced and inspired the Catholic Church in this country. See if you know who they are.

Come see us!

Ecce Homo Press will be a vendor at the following midwest conferences:

Dayton, OH: May 16-17
Indianapolis, IN: June 7
Lansing, MI: June 20-21

Look for us and come by and say "HI!" We have some special conference surprises for attendees. 15% off your entire order and a preview of new and exciting products! This is a great time to get a jump start and SAVE on next fall's school year.

First Communion American History

This week was my daughter, Theresa's First Communion. She was radiant as she wore her grandmother's veil from 1939. It still looked fresh and white after all these years. My sisters and I also wore the same veil for our first communions. These pictures are my mom, Maureen Smith Siewert in May, 1939; me, Joan Siewert Stromberg in May, 1969 and Theresa Stromberg, April 27, 2008. Congratulations, Theresa!

Also, today is my Joseph's birthday (and St. Joseph the Worker's Feast Day!) Happy Birthday, Joe!

Thanks for the Memories!

Hopefully you all got to watch or read some of the coverage of Pope Benedict's historic visit to America. I was pleasantly surprised by the coverage. The secular media was mostly positive! How often has that happened when covering anything to do with the Catholic Church? Most people got the last two quiz answers correct...the four diocese that were celebrating their 200th anniversary were: Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Louisville (which was originally Bardstown). Mother Theodore Guerin, who started the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute, IN, was the only American citizen to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI...so far.

Try your hand at this weeks quiz and pray that the Holy Father's words last week inspire Americans for a long time to come!

Getting to see the Holy Father!

America is getting ready for Benedict XVI's visit and both my daughters in Rhode Island were able to get tickets to go see the Holy Father in New York! Mary Rose (L, age 15) and Elizabeth (R, age 20) will go with their school and fellow consecrated members of Regnum Christi. It should be a great experience for both of them.

My husband, Bob and I were fortunate enough to attend Mass with the Holy Father, John Paul II in Oriole Park in Baltimore in 1995. It was a great experience and one that I'll always remember. Please pray for the Holy Father's visit, and my daughters while during the next few days. Thank you!

Benedict XVI visit to the US

Although this may or may not give you the answer to this week's quiz, this site from Pflaum publishing is a great teaching tool for primary and intermediate grades for the Holy Father's upcoming visit to the US. It has stories, word games, quizzes and activities to help the kids (and moms) get excited about the Pope's visit.