St. Boniface (Feast Day June 5) 

c. 675 - June 5, 754 

St. Boniface was born around the year 675 in Wessex (present-day Devon), England. His birth name was Winfrid. He was a brilliant monk in a Benedictine monastery in England. Although he was the head of a school, he thought God wanted him to be a missionary. He went to Frisia (Northern Netherlands and Germany) to begin his work. A war forced him to return to England for a few years, but he did not give up. Next, he journeyed to Rome to ask the pope to tell him where to serve. Pope Gregory II changed Winfrid’s name to Boniface, which means “a man who does good deeds.” Then he sent Boniface to eastern Germany to convert pagans to Christianity. 

For nearly 35 years, Boniface traveled all over Germany, preaching, teaching, and building schools, monasteries, and convents. He returned to Rome to report to the pope about his work. There, the pope ordained him bishop and told him to return to Germany to continue his missionary work and to reform the German Church. In the kingdom where he lived, he had great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections and the worldliness of the clergy. In order to restore the German Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface was guided by two principles: 1) to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome, and 2) the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. 

As an old man, Boniface returned to Frisia to work among the pagans. One morning, while he was waiting to confirm a group of converts, a band of angry natives rushed into the church and murdered Boniface and about 50 converts. Today St. Boniface is the patron of Germany. 

·       How would you describe Jesus to someone who does not know him?

·       What was the reaction of the disciples when Jesus told him about his passion, death and resurrection? Do you think they were confused?

·       Why was it important for Peter to not impede God’s plan?

·       St. Boniface’s name means “a man who does good deeds.” What is the meaning of your name?

20 Questions Game

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked questions of his disciples. Playing this simple game will not only remind us of the Gospel, but also improves deductive reasoning.

One person thinks of an object and the other players to ask up to 20 “yes” or “no” questions to determine, through the process of elimination, what the object is. To narrow down the categories, consider questions such as: Is it living or has it lived? Is it an animal? Does it grow from the ground? Is it a vegetable or mineral?

The winner is determined by whether the person who thought of an object is able to successfully answer each of the 20 questions without giving away the object OR whether the person who is asking the questions is able to correctly guess the object in 20 or less questions.

Scones

In honor of our British saint, enjoy some scones today!

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup cold butter, cut in chunks

½ cup buttermilk

1 large egg beaten into the buttermilk

Milk and sugar

Sift together the first 5 ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Add buttermilk/egg mixture just until it comes together. Knead dough on floured surface a few times (not too much or they will become tough). Divide dough in half and pat into a 7-inch circle. Cut circle into 8 wedges. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425 F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Personalized Prayer Rows

Choose a word in each row. Then read your prayer starting with your circled word in the top row and reading down. You can add a word at the end of the row if you have a specific word you want for your prayer. Have each family member share the prayer they created.

Row 1: Amazing, Beautiful, Caring, Demanding, Ever-Present, Exciting, Forgiving, Gracious, Heavenly, Loving, Marvelous, Powerful, Transforming, Wonderful

Row 2: Being, Breath, Creator, Father, Force, Forgiveness, Friend, Maker, Mother, Power, Presence, Savior, Spirit, Transformer

Row 3: Your

Row 4: Blessed, Curious, Depressed, Grateful, Joyful, Questioning, Relived, Present, Sad, Sacred, Sorry, Thankful, Tough, Uncertain

Row 5: Ally, Being, Child, Companion, Creation, Daughter, Friend, Relative, Servant, Son, Student, Teammate, Worker, (Your Name)

Row 6: Accepts, Asks For, Demands, Has Received, Is Creating, Knows, Longs For, Needs, Rejoices In, Requires, Sees, Thanks You For, Wants, Wants to Give

Row 7: A Mission, A New Idea, Clarity, Forgiveness, Grace, Healing, Help, Hope, Joy, Love, Peace, Possibilities, Truth, You

How many crosses and crucifixes do you see at church today?

What heavy crosses are you bearing? Share these crosses/situations with your family members. Resolve this week to give your crosses to Jesus so that he can carry them with you.

Scones were a British traditional food at Afternoon Tea, which began right at 4:00pm.