The Annunciation is one of my favourite feasts of the Church. Perhaps even my favourite after Easter and Christmas. There is just so much beauty and richness in this day and in this event. My excitement about this feast has only increased as I’ve gained more knowledge about it. So let me share with you …
My First Homeschool Convention Experience Last month I got to go to a homeschool convention! It was a last-minute surprise – someone in my prayer group just started homeschooling and mentioned there was a convention in our city! Our provincial homeschool association puts on a convention every year – but I thought they were all …
Great Lent While there are several differences between the way Roman Catholics and Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox families celebrate Lent, the three pillars remain the same: prayer, alms, and fasting. The goal of this period is to repent and prepare for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. It is a time to deepen our relationship with …
Meatfare and Cheesefare: the Basics Great Lent is fast approaching. This Sunday is Meatfare and the following week is Cheesefare. I think these Sundays are really unique. In the Roman Catholic Church, these Sundays will merely be the 7th and 8th Sundays of Ordinary time. Boring, right? We Byzantine families are taking the time to …
In a few short months, we will get to meet our Little Badger baby outside my womb! And more exciting than the impending birth is her reception into the church. (I mean, labour isn’t exactly a fun activity to look forward to). I remember when Little Fox was born, I felt anxious about her not …
My birthday is this week, so I thought I’d do a fun family update article! So much has happened in the last year. In February we will mark a year since launching TheByzantineLife! And what an incredible year indeed! Little Fox Highlights Of course, my darling firstborn has been a major highlight of this past …
The Presentation Explained On February 2nd, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple. We also call this day The Meeting of our Lord with Simeon and Anna. Other names for this feast include: Presentation of the Lord, Encounter of Our Lord, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Candlemas. It is the final of the …
Byzantine Baby Names Picking baby names is one of the awesomest honours bestowed upon new parents. It’s a lot of fun to pour over names, and a great responsibility to pick one. Since we just recently got to decide on a name for our second child, I thought I’d do a blog post on Byzantine …
On January 6th we celebrate Theophany, which is the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan. Theophany is one of the Feasts of Light (alongside the Nativity, and the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple). Western Christians primarily celebrate this day as when the Magi arrived to present their three gifts to Jesus. Both traditions …
I found out I really was pregnant on the day of my last final in the first semester of my final year in University. We really weren’t sure I was pregnant before that because hey – a lot of stress can cause a missed period and finals and papers are stressful! Pregnancy during university meant …
