September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is celebrated September 1st.  In keeping with this theme, we also celebrate Saint Hildegard of Bingen and the Stigmata of Saint Francis on the same day:  Sept 17th.  Both saints are invoked for nature, as they contributed greatly to theology referencing God’s creation.  We also have the Ember Days of Autumn on the 24th, 26th and 27th, in which we perform prayer and penance for the upcoming season.  Reading the Mass missal for the Ember Days is a wonderful way to celebrate them.  In addition, traditionally, meat was eaten at only one meal on Ember Wednesday and Saturday.  If you missed praying for the earth on the 1st, these feasts would be a great time to do so. 

There are countless devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Seven Sorrows and the Sorrowful Heart of Our Lady.  We honor our Sorrowful Mother on the 15th, which gives us our theme of this month (there are 4 more Marian feasts, see below in bold).  Let us show our love and empathy for her by choosing one of these devotions to perform.  We at Nomen Christi Apostolate also contemplate the Marian Triad of the Months during these 3 months in honor of the Mother of God.  Next month is Our Lady of the Rosary, when we also honor the sanctity of life.  For this month, we may meditate on how the Immaculate Heart we celebrated last month, intertwines with the Sorrowful Heart.  They are often invoked together. 

Other notable feasts of September in both the trad and post-con calendars… 

6th-First Saturday of the Immaculate Heart

8th-Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

12th-Holy Name of Mary

14th-EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

21st-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

24th-Our Lady of Ransom

26th-North American Martyrs

27th-Saint Vincent de Paul

29th-Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels/Dedication of Saint Michael 

Homeschool Activities for September 

1)       List the 7 Sorrows of Our Lady.  Can you find where they are in Holy Scripture?

2)      Make an Autumn craft for the Ember Days, incorporating a spiritual theme.

3)      Draw a picture of the 3 archangels.

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

Prophecy of Simeon + Flight into Egypt + Loss of the Child Jesus + Way of the Cross + The Crucifixion + Descent of the Body of Christ + Burial of the Body of Christ

We honor Our Lady's sorrows this month-she suffered so much to bring us Our Savior!  Let us find ways this month to show our thanks and love for her.  There is a chaplet of her Seven Sorrows, which can be purchased, or you can even pray it on regular rosary beads.  What a wonderful devotion to pray with your family this month!

What are some other features of the liturgical month of September?  As the season of Autumn begins, we celebrate the Ember Days of September, for a fruitful harvest.  This is a great traditional Catholic time to do creative seasonal crafts with kids or anything else you can think of which would be in keeping with the spirit of the Ember Days.  We celebrate 5 Doctors of the Church, including St. Hildegard, one of the few women Doctors-a great lover of nature, which resonates with the mission of Nomen Christi Apostolate.  We also honor 3 20th-century saints, including St. Teresa of Calcutta, who was canonized one year ago! 

Wishes for a blessed month of September-may we all grow closer to Christ in the next 30 days....AND DON'T FORGET OUR FATIMA FAMILY HOLY HOUR ON THE 13TH!

9/1-First Friday

9/2-First Saturday-what a great year to perform the First Saturday Devotion!

9/3-Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church, 604/Pope St. Pius X, 1914

9/5-St. Teresa of Calcutta, 1997

9/8-Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

9/11-Let us never forget that terrible day 16 years ago!  We pray for the souls of the departed and all those affected by this crime against humanity!

9/12-Most Holy Name of Mary

9/13-Centennial of the Fifth Apparition at Fatima, Portugal/St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, 407

9/14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

9/15-Our Lady of Sorrows/Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

9/17-St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, 1621/St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church, 1179/Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi, 1224

9/19-Our Lady of La Salette/St. Januarius & Companions, Martyrs, 304-St. Januarius is the saint whose blood liquefies in Italy several times per year-when it fails to liquefy, it signals a upcoming local disaster

9/20-Ember Wednesday in September-day of prayer and penance, trad meat at one meal

9/21-St. Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist

9/22-Ember Friday in September

9/23-Ember Saturday in September-trad meat at one meal/St. Pio of Pietralcina, 1968

9/24-Our Lady of Ransom

9/27-St. Vincent de Paul, 1660

9/29-Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael

9/30-St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, 420