C.Ruegg

Photo found here Prayer to be said each day: St. John Bosco, you are such a remarkable saint, full of such kindness and mercy. Your heart went out even to those who were seen as hopeless cases. Please, turn an eye to me. Hear me. I beg of you to intercede on my behalf for all of my intentions but especially for (list intentions here). Please pray for my soul to be saved so that I may join you in heaven. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...  Prayer as a mother:   St. John Bosco, behold me, a poor little mother. This world is full of so many terrible temptations and I worry for my child’s soul. Please, take my child under your care as you did so many boys. Take my child as one of yours! May you be his/her guide and as it were another father to him/her. May you teach him/her to love Christ and His mother and to be a good Christian.   May you also teach me to be a good mother, to be truly charitable, compassionate, to care for my child for love of the Christ Child, and to imitate the V

By: Cara E. Ruegg Saint John Bosco is known for his care for the youth. His methods were perhaps seen as “new age” during his time, even though he drew inspiration from those before him such as St. Francis de Sales. His methods clearly bore good fruit, however, despite scrutiny from others. Under his care arose a great saint: Dominic Savio. He likewise converted many who were seen as hopeless cases. Below I have summarized one of Don Bosco’s writings: The Preventative System . In it, he outlines his discipline methods that bore such good fruit. I feel it can be easily applied both to educators as well as parents. Corporal Punishment is Largely Ineffective   Don Bosco says, "With the young, punishment is everything that is meant as a punishment. Thus it is known that a reproachful look is more effective than a blow...To strike one in anyway...and other similar punishments should be absolutely avoided." (pg 3) Punishment Should be Administered Privately "Except in very

By Cara E. Ruegg There is something very beautiful about a young woman who, prompted by love, surrenders herself entirely to God and chooses the more perfect way: the life of a religious. You can easily imagine her standing there at the airport. Friends and family hold her for one last hug. She promises she’ll write them often. She squeezes them with all her might, fully believing this distance she is willingly putting between them will be for the rest of her life. At this moment, she likely has no doubt this is God’s will. She might say to them, “We’ll see what God wills,” but more than probably the last thought from her mind is: you don’t have a vocation, and even if there is such a doubt, it is still that: a doubt. The thing is not everybody is meant to be a religious; sometimes God has other plans and that same woman, so desirous to give everything up, so excited and happy to take on the title “Bride of Christ” may come to realize through her own discernment or thr

I was kneeling in the pew after Mass, reflecting on this blessing inside me when the urge to cry became very real. How many struggle for years for a healthy child growing inside them — to have what I have? There was a time at the start of my marriage where that unfounded fear: what if I can’t conceive? cropped up. It was silly, but very real to me and I felt like if I couldn’t well, then, it was unfair. I cried to my husband about my worries. He held me in his arms and told me I was likely being insane, but child or no child, it was God’s will and we could look into adopting later on if there was actually a problem. He cared of course, but like a man typically cares; it’s not usually as strong as the desire of a woman who has that inherent desire to be a mother, to nurture, to give life. He likely cared more for the sake of making me happy than to fill any emptiness he had himself inside him without a child to fill the gaps. Prompted by fears, even without healthcare due to my no

So, while they do exist, I know I struggled to find a novena to Saints Louis and  Zélie  Martin online, so I've decided to write my own.  Novena to Sts. Louis and  Zélie  Martin Saint Louis and Zélie Martin, you were parents to one of the greatest saints of modern times, you always gave God the first say, and you practiced an amazing resignation to His holy will. I ask you both to please come to my aid, help me in my needs; I place my worries at your feet. Please pray for this special intention of mine (list intention), please beg God, on behalf of your loyalty and love of Him, and on behalf of your saintly children, to grant my request. I have full confidence in your intercession. God answered so many of your requests; you asked for a missionary and behold your daughter has been declared a patroness of missionaries! And He blessed all your living children with vocations just as you requested Him to. I beseech you, in your mercy, to hear me, to pray for me, and to take