Living the Liturgical Year: September

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, which is celebrated on September 15th.

Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Mother of Christians, ora pro nobis!

The Holy Father's Intention's for the month:

General: That people today, often overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value of silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.
Missionary: That Christians suffering persecution in many parts of the world may by their witness be prophets of Christ's love.

Ember Day Reminder!
September 18th, 20th, and 21st 

Since man is both a spiritual and physical being, the Church provides for the needs of man in his everyday life. The Church's liturgy and feasts in many areas reflect the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall and winter). The months of August, September, October and November are part of the harvest season, and as Christians we recall God's constant protection over his people and give thanksgiving for the year's harvest.
The September Ember Days were particularly focused on the end of the harvest season and thanksgiving to God for the season. Ember Days were three days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) set aside by the Church for prayer, fasting and almsgiving at the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year. The ember days fell after December 13, the feast of St. Lucy (winter), after the First Sunday of Lent (spring), after Pentecost Sunday (summer), and after September 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (fall). These weeks were known as the quattor tempora, the "four seasons."
Since the late 5th century, the Ember Days were also the preferred dates for ordination of priests. So during these times the Church had a threefold focus: (1) sanctifying each new season by turning to God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving; (2) giving thanks to God for the various harvests of each season; and (3) praying for the newly ordained and for future vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Recipe for the Month:
 St. Michael's Waffles
In France, paper-thin sweet wafers called gaufres were baked by street vendors. Serve waffles on St. Michael's Day to continue this tradition.

Michaelmas is celebrated on September 29th.

Liturgical Craft for the Month:
On September 12th, the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, have your children try to draw Mary's monogram and see if they can find the letters that spell Maria within it. Then color it and decorate it!

 Special Announcement:
This Saturday, September 14th, there will be a Traditional Latin Mass at 11:00 in honor of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, at St. John the Baptist in Front Royal, VA.

 (Explanation of Ember Days and Recipe taken from CatholicCulture.org)