[Salvation]

January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Although New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Each family and country has different traditional foods to eat on New Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year. New Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be sanctified in Christ. Day Eight activity (New Year's Day Party) Day Eight recipe (New Year's Pretzel)

[Mad Dawg]

Friends,

We might want to discuss a shared discipline to take us from January 13th (for Catholics, that's the end of official Christmastide this year) through Ash Wednesday.

I fear we may lose focus on being an ecumenical group dedicated to praying for the salvation of our country if we don't have a shared discipline.

Many of you may have read this upsetting story. I think the personal self-debasement of Ms. Griffin is distressing.

The kind of contempt she shows for herself, Mr. Cooper, and the audience suggests to me that we might focus our attention on prayers concerning human dignity.

I'm open to suggestions.