{"id":34153,"date":"2013-01-29T07:58:58","date_gmt":"2013-01-29T13:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=34153"},"modified":"2013-01-29T07:59:17","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T13:59:17","slug":"what-fajitas-taught-me-about-faith-and-catholic-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/what-fajitas-taught-me-about-faith-and-catholic-education\/","title":{"rendered":"What Fajitas Taught me About Faith and Catholic Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gbm-sf__medium\"<\/p>\n

Before we cancelled cable, the Food Network was one of my favorite channels. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Giada at Home, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I can still see the butter dripping off Paula Deen\u2019s spoon. There was one episode, however, that piqued my interest in both Catholic schools and cooking.<\/p>\n

Fr. Leo Patalinghug was challenged by Bobby Flay in a fajita competition<\/a>. With rosary beads, holy water and a killer recipe on Fr. Leo\u2019s side, Bobby Flay never stood a chance. After that episode aired, I looked at my husband and commented, \u201cI think that priest is for real!\u201d<\/p>\n

This past weekend, Fr. Leo travelled to Austin to share his cuisine, his faith and his wisdom with hundreds of Catholics<\/a> as we kicked off Catholic Schools week around the nation. He\u2019s the founder of the apostolate, Grace Before Meals<\/a>, and author of two cookbooks, Grace Before Meals<\/a> and Spicing Up Married Life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"fr<\/p>\n

During his Friday evening cooking demonstration and Saturday keynote, he got us laughing and thanking God for the gift of Catholic education.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod desired to feed us from the beginning.\u201d<\/strong> Our belly buttons are a reminder that from the moment of conception, he desires to feed us, both physically and spiritually. The same is true for our Catholic schools. They educate and form our children\u2014mind, body and spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus\u2019 first miracle was performed at the Wedding of Cana, when he turned water into wine.\u201d<\/strong> Make no mistake he desires to perform the same miracles at your dinner table and in our Catholic schools. He wants to multiply our faith, our devotion and our love for him. Our teachers take an ordinary student and make him extraordinary with God\u2019s guidance and wisdom.<\/p>\n

Good food is worth it. As a self-proclaimed lover of fajitas, Fr. Leo\u2019s were rockin\u2019 good, y\u2019all. His win, hands down. \u201cTransform your dinner table into a desk, where the greatest life lessons are learned.\u201d<\/strong> As my children are fed at school, both in academics and the faith, I am grateful our diocese places such a high emphasis on the importance of excellent Catholic schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod uses a crockpot, not a microwave.\u201d<\/strong> We can\u2019t feed our children in the fast food lane and expect them to be formed Catholics. We must nourish them with the best ingredients we\u2019ve got, play an active role in their religious education and spend time helping them come to understand the teachings of Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing more ferocious in the jungle than a mother, who desires to feed her child.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s no coincidence that our schools are referred to as an \u201calma mater,\u201d the Latin words for \u201cnourishing mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the mother of five children, four of which are old enough to attend Catholic schools, this week represents many things to me. Our Diocese is blessed with 23 amazing Catholic schools. They are thriving and growing. Our students are achieving high honors, pursuing noble vocations and becoming powerful witnesses for Christ. Every year, when the new school term begins I say a prayer of gratitude for the opportunity to send my children to Catholic school.<\/p>\n

\"clare_032\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re considering a Catholic school education for your child, I encourage you to visit the diocesan school website<\/a> and like them on Facebook<\/a>. Choosing Catholic education for our children was one of our best decisions as parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before we cancelled cable, the Food Network was one of my favorite channels. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Giada at Home, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I can still see the butter dripping off Paula Deen\u2019s spoon. There was one episode, however, that piqued my interest in both Catholic schools and cooking. Fr. Leo Patalinghug was challenged… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31168,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/celebrating-catholic-schools-in-the-diocese-of-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":0},"title":"Celebrating Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Austin","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"December 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We got news of a really cool event that is coming up as part of \"Celebrating Catholic Schools Week\". If you are a fan of Catholic schools, the Food Network, The Catholic Channel then this is for you. If you're not a fan of any of those then I'm sure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CDA_logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/CDA_logo-e1356879267327.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33787,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/the-cooking-priest-hosts-a-fajita-picnic\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":1},"title":"The Cooking Priest Brings His Fajitas to Austin","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"January 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In early 2010, I\u00a0unexpectedly\u00a0met Fr Leo\u00a0Patalinghug at an event where one of his friends was speaking at my parish. Oddly enough, no one else seemed to recognize him, but if you're at all into Catholic media, this priest is hard to miss. It's hard to name a place he hasn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"patalinhug","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/patalinhug.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33951,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/my-saturday-and-sunday-in-pictures\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":2},"title":"My Saturday and Sunday (In Pictures)","author":"Elizabeth","date":"January 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When I finally got some time to relax on Sunday evening, I realized that the\u00a0weekend went by in a flash. Friday, I spent some time helping at a dinner for seminarians who were in town for the Texas Rally For Life. On Saturday, I was at the Texas Rally for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World and News"","block_context":{"text":"World and News","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"trfl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/trfl.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32995,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/two-guys-a-girl-and-a-catholic-podcast-episode-80-k-9-drivers\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":3},"title":"Two Guys a Girl and a Catholic Podcast Episode 80: Get Crunk","author":"2GGCP","date":"January 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Episode 80 [powerpress] Feedback: \u00a0 Flu Feedback Communion, passing the peace and Our Father Current Events Facebook Vs. Google: Fight!! http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Technology\/facebook-graph-search-facebook-takes-google-long-awaited\/story?id=18221206 Manti Te\u2019o a fraud? \u00a0Lance Armstrong repents! A big announcement \u00a0 Church News: Joining us will be Father Leo Patalinghug, founder of the movement \"Grace Before Meals\", author, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/2guysagirl\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2GGCP-LOGO2-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1185,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/04\/two-guys-a-girl-and-a-catholic-podcast-episode-7-can-you-image-what-its-like-to-sleep-with-a-chicken\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":4},"title":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast Episode 7: Can You Imagine What It’s Like To Sleep With A Chicken?","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"April 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"[powerpress] Feedback from last weeks show: Segment #1 - Current Events - Chris Don't know if you've heard about this new web series on Hulu called \"The Confession,\" starring Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt. \u00a0Here is a description from Entertainment Weekly article (http:\/\/insidetv.ew.com\/2011\/03\/28\/hulu-debuts-kiefer-sutherland-drama-video\/): Hulu today debuted the first installment of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/2guysagirl\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":966959,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/blessed-isidore-bakanja-martyr-of-the-brown-scapular\/","url_meta":{"origin":34153,"position":5},"title":"Blessed Isidore Bakanja – Martyr of the Brown Scapular","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"June 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Blessed Isidore Bakanja is the first martyr of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel whose feast we celebrate on Monday, July 16th. \u00a0Isidore Bakanja was a young black teenage martyr from the Boangi tribe in Zaire, Africa with plenty of zeal, valor, and faith for the gospel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/image1-116x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34153\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}