New Little Flowers Embroidered Hoodie!

For a limited time only, beautiful, snugly, embroidered Little Flowers Hoodies are available for only $22/each! Hurry, supplies are limited! Order for your daughter or your whole club today!

http://www.littleflowersgirlsclub.com/

Catholic Kids Christmas Dream Shop!

Catholic Kids Christmas Dream Shop! via #constantcontact

The Little Flowers characters in Virtue Stories, Wreath I come alive on Christmas morning for your Little Flower! Read about how sisters Mary Rose (brunette), Maggie (blonde) and Theresa (auburn), put into practice in everyday life what they learn as a Little Flower. Go to www.littleflowersgirlsclub.com for special bundle prices that include books and dolls as well as a Christmas book bundle for boys!

http://www.littleflowersgirlsclub.com/

Wreath I Badges now Available!

Thanks for everyone's patience on the manufacturing error that occurred with the Wreath I Patches. They are now on their way and we are once again taking orders for them. If you've have them backordered, they will be arriving soon.

As a big THANK YOU for your patience, those of you who had to wait for the patches to come in to order them, we are offering a whopping 50% discount on all shirts and totes just in time for Christmas! Just order your Wreath I badge online and enter the discount code BADGEHALF in the coupon area in your shopping cart and get your shirts and totes at HALF PRICE! This offer is good until December 15, 2009.

Valid on orders placed between December 3rd and December 15th online only. Offer cannot be applied to any other orders and must be placed online.

To order go to: www.eccehomopress.com

New Book Available NOW!

The Wreath I Virtue Stories is now available! Full of adventures and valuable lessons, this book comtains stories of virtues as they apply to young girls' lives. There is a story for each virtue in Wreath I an deach is based on real events...allowing the girls to relate to them on a very real level! Each story ends with discussion questions. They can be read and discussed as a group or read simply for individual enjoyment!

Click here to order! SPECIAL OFFER just in time for Christmas ordering: Order a Little Flower Doll and get the Virtue Book for 1/2 price! These dolls correspond to the characters in the book: Maggie, Mary Rose and Teesa. Offer is good for online orders only and expires November 15, 2009. Enter coupon code: VIRTUEDOLL on checkout.

New Year of the Priest Incentive

FOR ALL LITTLE FLOWERS GIRLS CLUB, BLUE KNIGHTS BOYS
CLUB, LITTLE WOMEN HOSPITALITY PROGRAM AND OUR LADY’S
HONOR GUARD PARTICIPANTS!
BY RACHEL WATKINS
Behold Children, Behold Christ programs celebrate “The Year of the Priest!”
It is truly fabulous that our Holy Father has given us such a wonderful year to celebrate! While many of us gained new knowledge of St. Paul and many graces from committing more time to studying his letters and life; the “Year of the Priest” seems much more approachable. I will admit that—having a brother who is a priest (currently serving as a military chaplain), as well as a son discerning the same vocation—I am more than a bit biased.
With this mandate from our Holy Father, we have created the following “bonus” activity. Not a virtue, but adding this to your program will certainly help the children grow in virtue as they discover the gift that the priesthood is to our faith and our families.
If you decide to take advantage of this, here is a new list of activities (there are 12 to chose from rather than the traditional 10 in honor of the 12 first priests/apostles), to complete it as you would any of the other virtues. Make a decision on what your member or group (based on age and ability as with all Behold Children, Behold Christ programs) can complete. The first three activities are * as it would be expected that all members would complete these.
Upon completion, you can receive a special recognition prayer card and a medal of St. John Vianney, the patron of the Year of the Priest, to commemorate your participation in this holy year. Also available at www.eccehomopress.com are award certificates, or if you prefer you can create something of your own.
The following can be downloaded as a .pdf from the www.eccehomopress.com website:
THE YEAR OF PRIEST
Memory verse: “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’” Jn. 2:5
1. *Memorize the verse above as a sign of your own respect and love for the priesthood. For while
they are not perfect, they are Christ for us here on earth.
2. * Commit to saying the Prayer for the Priest as suggested by our bishops during this year to
spiritually support all priests throughout the world. Perhaps you could add it to your family
rosary, say it together after your Sunday Mass, or after dinner each evening. You can find the
prayer at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website (http://www.usccb.org/
yearforpriests/pdf/Peoples%20Prayer%20for%20Priests%20(English).pdf)
3. *Send a letter of thanks to your parish priests thanking them for their commitment to your parish.
4. Contact your parish priest (or other priest you may know) and ask for permission to interview
him. Ask him about his ‘job’ and what he does. Ask about his vocation and how it came about.
What can you discover that you never knew about priests? After the interview, write up what you
discovered in the form of a newspaper column and give it to the priest as a thank you. Or you
could seek permission to create a display that could be exhibited at your parish. (This could be
done as a group if desired with each member asking questions.)
5. Contact your diocesan vocation office or military chaplain’s offices (www.milarch.org). Inquire
to see if there are any needs with which your group could assist them. Perhaps you could develop
a pen pal program, a fundraiser, or collection of needed supplies. If nothing is available, create a
spiritual bouquet and send it to the office (or seminary) requesting it be shared with those under
their care.
6. Ask your parents about the priests who married them and performed sacraments such as Baptism
or First Communion for your family. If possible, locate these priests and give them news of the
family and how you are doing. Thank them for helping your family in their faith journey. If this
is not possible, say a rosary in their honor and ask the Blessed Mother to grant them grace and
fidelity.
7. Choose one of the many saint priests. Read their biography and share it with your group. Having
an evening of discovery of the many priests who are also saints.
8. Priests give up a great deal of serve Christ and Christ alone. There have been priests who were
once doctors, scientists, and great athletes. Some of these men were able to continue their work
as priest while others gave everything up to follow Jesus. Investigate some of these extraordinary
men, and create a display honoring their work. Perhaps there is one such man in your own parish
or diocese?
9. There are many good movies that give tribute to the sacrifices and work of good priests (such as
The Scarlet and the Black or Boy’s Town). Have a movie night and watch one as a group.
Consider inviting your parish priests to enjoy it with you.
10. Using Catholic apologetic material or books, explore the scripture verses that show the
establishment of the priesthood in the Catholic Church. These include: Lk 16:24, 1 Cor. 4:15,
Mt. 19:12, Jn. 20:22-23, Acts 19:18, Mt. 16:18, and Lk. 22:23. Create an apologist’s brief in
defense of the priesthood to give to all the members of your group.
11. Priests come from families just like yours. Praying for an increase in vocations and a generosity
from many families is key. Many dioceses have Eucharistic adoration, contact those in charge
and inquire if time could be dedicated to praying for vocations. Help them advertise this addition
as a part of this year’s celebration. In addition, make a commitment as a family to pray for
vocations regularly during family prayer time.
12. Participate as a family or a group in one of the programs your own parish/diocese is doing to
honor this year. Send a thank you to the organizers of the event afterwards and let them know
you appreciate their service. OR Fulfill the necessary obligations to receive the indulgences
attached to this holy year as prescribed. You can find the list of indulgences on the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops website at http://www.usccb.org/yearforpriests/indulgences.shtml

New Year, New Club!

I've noticed a trend over the last few years of Little Flowers and Blue Knights clubs starting in January rather than September. This has some definite advantages. January is typically a slow month without a whole lot going on. Since it is the start of a new year, a new beginning for a club falls right in line with a new resolution to learn and teach virtues in our families. Since the clubs are flexible, you can start wherever and whenever you want. You can still do one virtue a month, work through the summer and finish by September. Or, you can really dive into the material and make the study last longer. Whatever works for you will be fine for the children involved, I'm sure. 

So if you've been hesitating in starting a club, now's the time to start! Just to give you a little more incentive, EHP will offer a 10% discount on all orders placed from now until December 31, 2008. Just type in the discount code: CLUB09  Orders must be placed online at the website: www.eccehomopress.com 

Have a Holy Advent!

Pink shirts

I just got a call from an upset customer who bought a child size pink shirt thinking it would be a polo shirt. I just want to clarify that the adult shirts are polo shirts and the children's shirts are 100% heavy duty cotton T-SHIRTS. The reason for this is that we couldn't find the children's sizes in azalea pink colored polo shirts in the wholesale market. If you know of any that are reasonably priced that we can buy in bulk, I'd love to hear from you (EcceHomoPr@aol.com). Thanks! Joan

Beautiful New Shirts!

Show some club spirit and unity with these beautiful new embroidered polos and shirts for your girls! Order before August 15th and get 10% off the shirts when ordering online and using the coupon INTHEPINK. Go to www.eccehomopress.com and click on the Little Flowers Logo to the left of the page and go to the page labled: Badges/Sashes/Vests.

Updates and News!

Well, we did it! The Hospitality Program is online and ready to go. Go to: www.eccehomopress.com and click on the cover of the book to take you to the Little Women Hospitality Program home page. Everything is ready to go except the Student Companion book which will be delivered next week.

I also managed another delivery last week: Thomas Benedict Stomberg was delivered at 5:11 pm on July 17th with a picture perfect delivery and baby! Thanks for everyone's prayers for a safe and healthy delivery!

Hospitality Program

Well, my goal was to have the program produced and ready for sale before I produce baby #10. Now it looks like they will be here simultaniously!! The Hospitality Program books should arrive around July 17th, the day after I'm scheduled to go in and birth the newest addition! So here's to a healthy delivery of books and babies!

Check the website: www.eccehomopress.com for availability and enjoy the summer!

PS: Prayers to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel are especially appreciated for a healthy and safe delivery (of baby). Oh, and you can pray to St. Francis de Sales for the safe delivery of the books!!

New Parish Powerpoint

It's time to start thinking about next fall's Little Flowers Girls' Club! We've put together a new Parish Powerpoint that gives a good overview of all EHP's youth programs. This gives a synopsis of what the programs entails, sample pages from the books and information on ages, how to run a group and how to obtain materials. If you'd like a copy of the powerpoint in a pdf format (acrobat reader...it is too big as a powerpoint to send through email), please send your request to: EcceHomoPr@aol.com.

Hospitality Program

For those of you interested in the Hospitality Program, you can now click here and read the introducion to the program online. Again, this program will be available in July and is great for girls ages 10 and up who have finished the Little Flowers Girls' Club Wreaths 1-3.

New Program for Catholic Girls!

Hi all,

This is an official announcement that Ecce Homo Press will have available this fall a new Catholic Program for girls! The Little Women Hospitality Program by Anne Milligan Callaghan will be available for girls ages 10 and up. The Hospitality Program will offer charms that the girls will earn as they practice different aspects of hospitality. Just like the old fashioned "finishing school," or, dare I say it, "charm school," these girls will learn the fine art of serving others through hospitality.
Using examples of scripture, Our Lady, literature and practical lessons, the girls will learn the basics of cleaning, cooking, setting and clearing a table, correspondence, table manners and conversation, preparing a room for a guest, planning a party, sewing and modesty, and hospitality to others.
This beautiful program is perfect for those of you who have finished the first three years of Little Flowers Girls' Club and aren't quite ready for Wreath IV (the Confirmation preparation year). Or perhaps you have older girls who have done the Wreaths and are looking for something new. This is a beautiful new program for you, too.
Like Little Flowers Girls' Club, this program is independently run and organized. You run it to the best needs of your situation and girls. It can be used in a home setting, homeschool setting and adapted for school or after-school use also.
The program will be ready by the end of July, so keep checking the website:www.eccehomopress.com for updates!

Come see us!

Ecce Homo Press will be a vendor at the following midwest conferences:

Dayton, OH: May 16-17
Indianapolis, IN: June 7
Lansing, MI: June 20-21

Look for us and come by and say "HI!" We have some special conference surprises for attendees. 15% off your entire order and a preview of new and exciting products! This is a great time to get a jump start and SAVE on next fall's school year.

May is just around the corner!

Time to get ready for your Clubs' May Crownings and Teas!

A May Crowning isn't complete without some beautiful traditional Marian Hymns. The Wreath 3 CD contains some of the prettiest and most popular Marian and Eucharistic hymns. We listen to it all year round in our house. Click on the CD cover for ordering information.

Another Marian favorite in our house is Behold Your Mother a two-CD pack from the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi (OK, I'm biased...my daughter's companions are the beautiful voices on the CD). Having been at their motherhouse for solemn rosary where they sing these songs between each decade, I can tell you the experience is a definite slice of heaven. Click here for more information.

What's your favorite Marian CD? Add it in the comment section!

Crafty Catholic Kids!

Here's a new book by EHP author Ann Ball that would be a great resource for Little Flowers Girls' Club Leaders looking for some supplemental crafts. Click on the book for ordering information from Our Sunday Visitor. For some great exerpts from the book, go to Ann Ball's website.

Ann wrote Jose Finds the King, a Blessed Miguel Pro Story which is part of the Glory of America Series. This is a great children's story about Ann's favorite saint. This is also a great First Communion story perfect for boys. Click here for ordering information.

First Communion Gifts going fast

These doll and doll outfits are going fast, order yours today!

Extra-Special First Communion Gifts!

Just in time for First Communion, we are offering these precious dolls and doll outfits for your Little Flower Girls! These are available for a Limited Time Only! We only have 10 of each of these outfits/dolls, so order early! Click here for order information.You can order the dolls with the outfits for $49.95/each. The dolls are 18" tall and come in three styles: Mary Rose doll has brown hair and brown eyes; Magdalen doll has blond hair and blue eyes and the Teesa doll has auburn hair and green eyes (shown).(if you can't access the links, copy and past this URL: http://members.aol.com/eccehomopr/specialdolls.htm

The outfits alone are $29.95/each. The First Communion outfit is satin and lace and comes with dress, stockings, shoes, veil, and necklace. The Carmelite habit comes with dress, scapular, headpiece, veil, rosary, shoes and stockings. Both outfits fit an 18" doll (American Girl sized doll).

BLOG READER SPECIAL! Enter coupon code: DOLLS08 at checkout and get 10% off your entire order!

Extra-Special First Communion Gifts!

Just in time for First Communion, we are offering these precious dolls and doll outfits for your Little Flower Girls! These are available for a Limited Time Only! We only have 10 of each of these outfits/dolls, so order early! Click here for order information.
You can order the dolls with the outfits for $49.95/each. The dolls are 18" tall and come in three styles: Mary Rose doll has brown hair and brown eyes; Magdalen doll has blond hair and blue eyes and the Teesa doll has auburn hair and green eyes (shown).


The outfits alone are $29.95/each. The First Communion outfit is satin and lace and comes with dress, stockings, shoes, veil, and necklace. The Carmelite habit comes with dress, scapular, headpiece, veil, rosary, shoes and stockings. Both outfits fit an 18" doll (American Girl sized doll).

Featured Items

February Featured Items! New tote and bandana designs are on sale for the month of February. Enter code NEWHEARTS on checkout for 25% off!

100% cotton Embroidered Canvas Tote. Large 15x16
inch tote with 22 inch handles. Embroidered flowered heart wreath on front.
Perfect for keeping all your important Little Flower stuff in one place. (thread
colors may vary from shown.) $12.95

Embroidered Little Flower design. All fabric items
are made of machine washable gabardine. $8.95