Some churches do offer Communion at Good Friday services which is consecrated and reserved from the day before - remember it doesn’t have to be Mass, just communion.I have begun making the First Fridays but have hit a bit of a snag. It has come to my attention that the first Friday in April is Good Friday thus there will be no Mass celebrated. Does this cancel out my continuous run of first Fridays and do I have to slide down the snake all the way back to the starting line? Please say no - I’ve come too far up the ladder!
I know that there are others in our local parish making the First Fridays also so I will ask if our priest will be offering Communion.
Hehe … not silly at all, very flattering in factThanks for clearing that up Lily!
May I just ask…um…how do you know so much about the Church?! Lol…sorry that sounds a bit silly…but most of the Aussie Catholics I know around our age don’t even know the basics of the Faith. I guess what I’m asking is - what did your parents do to raise a practising, knowledgable Catholic? Enquiring parents need to know!!!
And you’re absolutely right, and I could mention members of my own family who are woefully ignorant, but I won’t.
and only returned to the sacrament of Confession about a year ago. Since then I’ve learned an awful lot from CAF and EWTN to be honest.
Lily, I meant to explain why I really didn’t want to have to start again. It’s not that I thought the Masses would be “wasted”, it’s just that I have been attending them with my one and two year olds…by myself! If you knew these young men you would know that this is a very foolish thing to do lol!Don’t get upset if you can’t though - I’m absolutely positive your good work up till now will not go unrewarded
I feel especially bad because they are the only children there so our noise reeeally stands out. I fret about disturbing the other parishoners. God Bless them and keep them! 
Hopefully it will get easier. Hehe, no need to explain. And try not to focus on what other people wil think of you bringing your children - I think it’s wonderful and remember our Lord himself was no older than 40 days the first time he went to church (or the local equivalent).Lily, I meant to explain why I really didn’t want to have to start again. It’s not that I thought the Masses would be “wasted”, it’s just that I have been attending them with my one and two year olds…by myself! If you knew these young men you would know that this is a very foolish thing to do lol!
Last time however several extremely gorgeous people came up to us and thanked me for bringing the kids to Mass! I had been feeling so anxious about keeping them still and quiet that I was literally sick in the stomach. But these lovely people lifted me out of my anxiety!
My two year old has now turned three and has achieved a little more ahem maturity…well sort of!
OK - exposing my ignorance here - what is a secular Franciscan?The main thing I think my parents did was teaching by doing - and enjoying the doing. They’re secular Franciscans, and hanging around their Fraternity meetings and socials was a great no-pressure and fairly fun way to be involved. I’m still not formally a member of the SFO, though I may well end up joining them or perhaps some other Third Order.
Tell you what, though, being friends with the local clergy and/or nuns is a great way to learn. I think they’re so often used to being misunderstood that they enjoy it when they have someone to actually talk to about their beliefs.
They tend to be very patient with young’uns too, even when when said young’uns are disagreeable and argumentative so-and-sos - not mentioning any names
It is one of our favourite topics in case you haven’t guessed lol! Last time Father R was leaving he said “Ask me again! I’ll be rude and invite myself”! I guess he loves hanging out with a family too. Whenever he greets our boys Father R always says things like “Hey future Priest!” or " Hey you might grow up to be a Priest one day, you think about that uh!" I love the way he does this with all the boys at Mass. He is one of our FSSP priests and he really makes the priesthood an attractive option for young men. He is welcome at our table anytime! Now however if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he yells “A Stuntman!” Every mother’s dream! Father R come quick we need you! 
Most of the religious orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines, Carmelites etc) have groups of lay members attached to them, which are variously called ‘Third Orders’ ‘Tertiaries’ ‘Secular Orders’ ‘Oblates’ or a couple of other names.OK - exposing my ignorance here - what is a secular Franciscan?
We love having our priests over - we get to pester them with a million questions on religion and the Church.
We are very grateful to have found this environment to raise our children in. Our then two year old (now three) used to say that “he wanted to be up the front like Farva at Mass”. We of course were extremely chuffed and congratulated ourselves on having produced a son with a priestly vocation at the tender age of two.