Patron Saints for Writers

I saw a wonderful blog post about Patron Saints of Writing Professionals which lists 7 excellent patron saints and tells a bit about each one. Noting that not one of my favorite Saints were on the list, I decided that I needed to do my own blog post about my “7” patron saints for writers. Each of these Saints were writers who left behind a body of work that has had a deep impact on me. Their books are cherished volumes on my shelves and their prayers I request every day. Saint John the Evangelist: writer credited with the gospel I … Continue reading

Historical Fiction for U.S. History

Did you know that Louis L’Amour would scour libraries, court houses, and museums for original source materials such as diaries, old letters, records of all sorts, in addition to newspapers before writing his stories? Supplement a unit study with his books or build an entire unit study around them, Mr L’Amour’s intense research makes his stories a good source for educational enrichment. His westerns are Historical Fiction and better researched than nearly anything else in that genre.  Westerns are a form of Historical Fiction that often gets overlooked. As parent educators we have the opportunity to bring history to life for … Continue reading

How Catholics Understand the Bible

I hear claims that because there are stories of violence in the Bible that we should reject the claims of Christianity.  This is a straw man argument; it ignores the actual manner in which Catholics understand and use the Bible.  For us, the proper way of understanding all scripture is within the context of the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.  This teaching authority comes to us from the Apostles who got it from Jesus. An excellent resource for reading scripture in context is the Ignatius Press version of the DIDACHE BIBLE. Or, if one prefers, the CATECHISM OF THE … Continue reading