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Celebrate Catholic Life

A Resource for Families, Teachers, and Catechists

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Home: Welcome

About Me

I am Colleen Rooney, a Catholic baby boomer. My husband, Bob, and I have been married for  41 years. We have four grown children and eleven grandchildren. I have a M.A. in Theology from St. John’s University, Jamaica, N.Y. Celebrate Catholic Life is about the building blocks and resources for  living a healthy, holy, joy-filled Catholic life. Some think to celebrate means to party, like college kids at the end of the class week. To celebrate on this site means to recognize the components, the ingredients,  for the kind of life that human beings were created to live. So what can you expect to find on Celebrate Catholic Life? Under the Faith tab you will find Jesus, who said: “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” The core building blocks for establishing that life are found under Faith. Under the Family tab you will find God’s design for the human person, a life lived first in a family with a mother and a father. Under Food, you will find how Catholics celebrate an event with festivity, rejoicing and food. Under Saints you will find models, the incredible variety of human beings, who have gone forward on this journey to our heavenly home. Under Prayer you will find the lifeline to our communication with our Creator. Under Talks you will find titles of talks I have given and would be happy to give again. There will also be links to others who are building a culture which celebrates Catholic life. Under the Resource tab there will be listed books, DVDs, programs, and recommended links to other very good sites which will help you to live, teach, and grow in your Catholic life. Finally, we recognize and offer throughout this site the means Our Lord left us in His Church and through His faithful followers to aid us in the crosses that we all inevitably experience at one time or another.

Home: About
Home: Food Traditions

Celebrating Advent and Christmas with Children,

Colleen Rooney

Are you looking for a warm, inspiring book for Christmas? Look no further!

Celebrating Advent and Christmas with Children offers warmth and inspiration

and much more. It introduces your children to traditions and customs drawn from

many cultures as they prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. What can you expect

from this book? Parents and teachers will find a new resource to expand their

children’s understanding and enjoyment of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

​

Liturgical Calendar

The Catholic Church has a calendar, the General Roman Calendar. It is also 

called the Liturgical Calendar. Some call it the Christian Calendar. The 

Liturgical Calendar focuses the faithful on honoring those who are living in the

Church triumphant, now. The popes have taught, including Pope Paul VI in

Mysterii Paschalis that these celebrations of the life of Our Lord, His Mother,

and the saints during the liturgical year exert “a special sacramental power and 

influence which strengthens Christian life.” The more actively engaged we are as 

Christians in participating in liturgical celebrations of the Christian Calendar,

the more fully we are transformed by the living Christ.

The Christmas Book,

Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J.

The well researched and delightful work of Fr. Francis

X. Weiser should engage any reader interested in

the history of Advent and Christmas traditions. Fr.

Weiser writes in an easy to read style while recounting

stories, legends, history, symbols, and  recipes linked

to the celebrations associated with the Advent and 

Christmas seasons.

The Easter Book,

Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J.

Published two years after his Christmas Book,

this book recounts the origin, history and meaning

of the greatest feast of Christianity: Easter. Fr. Weiser

describes in his charming and well-researched

style the liturgical and popular celebrations which developed over

centuries in the pre-Lenten, Lent, and Easter seasons.

Food Traditions

Throughout the centuries Christians have celebrated the feast days of the Liturgical Year with special foods. Culinary traditions associated with these

festivities hold a distinctive place in the domestic lives of the faithful, both in

the monastery/convent and the homes of the Christian family. Join me on my blog where I feature weekly, a saint, a recipe, a prayer, and a children's book.  Just click here

The Holy Day Book,

Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J.

This book is the third in the trilogy of Fr. Francis

X. Weiser’s work on the origin, development

and meaning of feast day celebrations in the Church.

The focus is the saints’ feast days found in Ordinary

Time. Father concludes his work with these words.

“It is the author’s wish that this final book...not

only deepen the understanding of our feasts but

also inspire a more fruitful and joyful celebration

 in church, home, and heart.”

A Continual Feast,

Evelyn Birge Vitz

This book is a classic in the genre of Catholic cookbooks that follow

 the liturgical year. Published in 1985 by Harper & Row and acquired

 by Ignatius Press, it entered a field which had been vacant for years

 and captured the spirit of wives and mothers with its knowledge of Catholic 

food traditions and the delights of the home. Evelyn B. Vitz at the time was

 a recent convert to the Catholic faith, a professor of French Literature

 at New York University, and mother of five children. The subheading of

 the title says it all: A cookbook to celebrate the joys of family and faith

 throughout the Christian year. The recipe selections are drawn from around

 the world. Pithy quotations are sprinkled throughout. History and charm abound. 

Cooking with the Saints,

Alexandra Greeley, Fernando Flores

Do you know a Catholic foodie? If so, this book is for them. Written by 

Alexandra Greeley, a formally trained chef, and Fernando Flores, a 

world traveler, this book is a result of their combined enthusiasm for the faith

and good food which first began as parish cooking classes. With the support

of Fr. Edward Hathaway, then pastor at St. Veronica Church in Chantilly, 

what began as cooking classes turned into a beautifully photographed collection

of recipes celebrating saints’ feasts throughout the year. It is both scrumptious

and exquisite. Published in 2019 by Sophia Institute Press, it is sure to be 

another classic in cookbooks following the liturgical year.

Book Signings

Book Signings

  • Author Book Signing, Colleen Rooney, Our Lady of La Leche Gift Shop, Friday, November 1, Saturday, November 2, 10am - 4:00pm

  • Author Book Signing, Colleen Rooney, Our Lady of La Leche Gift Shop, Saturday, November 23,10am - 4:00pm and Sunday, November 24, 10am - 2:00pm

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