Today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy week here at Knotty Pines Cottage. Although we started a new schedule at the Academy we will be taking a slight detour this week to prepare for the single most important occasion in Christian history - the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior!!!
Two or three years ago during my search for ideas on what traditions I could begin during the Lenten season a couple of resources were highly recommended. Two of these resources came from Celebrating the Faith in the Home Series, and the other invaluable book that has helped me find alternative ways of living our faith is The Year and Our Children by Mary Newland. The plans you see listed below for this particularly special week are a collection of basic ideas from these different books that are family does each year during Holy week.
Sunday
- Mass
- Palms procession and placement behind each crucifix
- Steps in the Christian Life Series (listen to one tape per day)
- Make caterpillars with kids
- Make Jonah figures with kids
Monday
- Mass
- Deep annual cleaning of upstairs
- Dinner - Chicken Almond Hoagies
Tuesday
- Mass
- Deep annual cleaning of kitchen level
- Dinner - Hot Dogs & Hamburgers
'Spy' Wednesday
- Deep annual cleaning of main level and learning room
- Carpets professionally cleaned
- Dinner - Spagetti at church or home
- Stations of the Cross
Thursday
- Dust and cover all religious pictures & crosses
- Garden of Arimeathea project with kids
- Place Jonah overboard with kids
- Dinner - Family version of Seder meal
- Mass
- Adoration
Friday
- Veneration of the Cross
- Begin 9-Day Divine Mercy Novena
- Outdoor Stations of the Cross (church or at home)
- Place crosses in garden project with younger kids
- Way of the Cross coloring book with younger kids
- Watch The Passion of the Christ with older kids (upper elementary/high school age)
- Let the younger kids watch The Miracle Maker
- Put Jonah in the Fish with kids
- Put caterpillars in brown paper bag
- Light alter candle at noon / extinguish at 3pm
- Breakfast - Hot Cross Buns (in silence listen to Matthew Chpt 26-28)
- Lunch - Salad with oil and vinegar (in silence listen to Mark Chpt 14-16)
- Dinner - White bean soup (in silence listen to Luke Chpt 22-24)
