Veil + Armour: Holiness in Motherhood and Daily Life

Sheila Nonato
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From former feminist to exploring the Catholic feminine genius: Learning how to be a "Proverbs 31 Woman" in the Modern World Authentic conversations about faith, family and femininity.Are you seeking a joyful, life-changing + Christ-centred vision of motherhood & femininity? Are you seeking authenticity, clarity, and confidence in your vocation as a Christian wife and mother, and seek to understand your husband's role and mission in the family, in his work, and in the world, and your divine calling as parents? Sheila Nonato is a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom, and an award-winning journalist. Her work has been published by The Catholic Register (Toronto), Postmedia News - Ottawa (National Post), The Jordan Times (Amman), IRIN Middle East (UN news agency), The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, China Daily, The Christian Science MonitorWe will explore the Catholic Feminine Genius of women. Is popular culture the only lens within which we can view a woman's worth and purpose? The Catholic vision of motherhood and womanhood presents the "feminine genius," embodying the Christian virtues of service, sacrifice, and lasting joy and fulfillment in our God-given vocation as women, mothers, future mothers and spiritual mothers. We seek to bridge the gap between the understanding of women in the secular world vs. a countercultural Christian vision of a woman's role & power, rooted in the Bible and Church tradition. Veil + Armour is a Top 10 Motherhood & Catholic podcast via Goodpods' rankings charts.  Thank you to our faithful listeners and subscribers! God bless!https://www.sheilanonato.comhttps://www.veilandarmour.comhttps://www.instagram.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonato on X/Twitter

  1. How to teach the faith and form saints in the family: The Inspirational Story of Carissa Douglas, Mother of 15, Canadian author and illustrator

    17H AGO

    How to teach the faith and form saints in the family: The Inspirational Story of Carissa Douglas, Mother of 15, Canadian author and illustrator

    Send us a text Merry Christmas Eve, Friends in Christ! We sincerely appreciate your prayers! Every listen, like, comment or subscription is like an answered prayer that the Good News is being heard on the Internet - a space where the battle between good and evil is being fought every single day. Thank you for joining us in that battle, especially with your prayers! This week, we continue our conversation with Carissa Douglas, homeschooling Mom of 15, author of The Little Douglings and Dougling Adventures series. Carissa also debuts her new baby board book! The sound of a restless toddler in the pew isn’t a nuisance—it’s a sign of life. We sit down with Carissa Douglas, homeschooling mother of fifteen and creator of the Little Douglings books, to explore how a real prayer life grows in the middle of noise, laundry, and car seats, and why bringing kids to church is an act of hope that shapes souls for years! Carissa opens up about building a daily rhythm that blends simple prayers with a constant, organic, authentic conversation with God. She shares how lighting candles, praying the Holy Rosary without pressure, and how Eucharistic Adoration with little ones turns doctrine into relationship. We dig into the surprising power of occasional daily Mass to train attention for Sundays, how to navigate discouraging looks with grace, and why praying for your priest changes the culture of a parish. Along the way, Carissa offers practical tips parents can use this week—everything from sippy-cup strategy to letting teens overhear your honest prayers when patience runs thin. We also tackle homeschooling with nuance: initial fears, the role of community, and the fruit of a gentler schedule that still leads to academic success and real-world dialogue. Carissa explains how she adapts for different learners, including dyslexia, and why the home can foster virtue in a way schools often can’t.  Then we face the smartphone question head-on. Hear why their family chose a phone-free, creative play path, and what kids gain—focus, resilience, deeper friendships—by delaying devices in a culture built on instant scrolls. Threaded through everything is Mother Mary: a living model of dignity and tenderness who protects purity, calms fears, and teaches daughters to be set apart without apology. Carissa’s newest baby board book, "Mother Mary’s Heart," flows from childhood images of Mary’s care that still steady her today. Come for the ideas, stay for the courage to try one small change. If this conversation strengthens your home or gives you a fresh start, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review to help other families find this hope. To find Carissa's books, you can visit https://amazon.ca and https://scepterpublishers.org and search for "Carissa Douglas"  or visit https://littledouglings.com In Canada: https://www.sunrisemarian.com Sunrise Marian Book Store in Waterloo, Ontario https://primaryeducators.ca Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    53 min
  2. 68. From Grief To Grace: A Mother Of Sixteen On Faith, Family, And The Feminine Genius

    2D AGO

    68. From Grief To Grace: A Mother Of Sixteen On Faith, Family, And The Feminine Genius

    Send us a text As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, please join us in this conversation about Canadian author and children's book illustrator Carissa Douglas: It is a story of how turned a family tragedy into a calling to become a mother of a large family. How did Carissa embrace this noble vocation that's shrouded in much mystery, and sometimes confusion or derision from an anti-Christian world? Start with a "Yes" and watch your world widen. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with children’s author, illustrator, and homeschooling mom Carissa Douglas, whose fifteen children (and Carissa lets us in on a surprise in this conversation!) aren’t just a headline but a living testimony to courage, vocation, and trust. We explore how a childhood loss formed a family rooted in hope, how Mother Mary’s Fiat reframes modern fears around motherhood, and how creative work can flourish right in the middle of family life without sacrificing presence. Carissa shares the origin of "The Little Douglings," a series designed to help children build a real friendship with Jesus in the Eucharist from an early age. As culture grows louder, she chose formation over panic: teaching kids to go directly to Christ so they can withstand the pressures of the culture to abandon faith. We talk about the creative process with toddlers underfoot, the surprising grace of detachment when a Sharpie hits a finished illustration, and how digital tools opened new ways to write and draw while staying close to her kids. We also lean into big questions many families carry: Is a large family too expensive, too chaotic, too hard? Carissa answers with lived wisdom how it's all rooted in God's grace and His Divine Providence —prudence, a mentality of sharing God's blessings, generosity from our neighbours, and God’s quiet provision that shows up right on time. Beyond logistics, a large family becomes a school of virtue where generosity, work ethic, and other-centeredness take root. For teens, faith becomes adventure, not afterthought, with saints like Padre Pio guiding stories that rival any superhero arc and direct young hearts toward purpose. If you’re discerning marriage, craving deeper meaning in motherhood, or searching for a way to form children who can withstand the cultural headwinds, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories of faith, family, and fearless yes. Are you in search of faith-filled, Christian books for your teens, tweens or littel ones? You can find Carissa's books filled with beautiful illustrations that she designed and a story that was crafted from her lived experience in her family of 18 here on this website: https://littledouglings.com They are also available at Sunrise Marian https://sunrisemarian.com https://scepterpublishers.org/products/copy-of-little-douglings-series?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZGzZ-PhSAHiQN0oOWHIQ7Wt3bb0ljrqiu7mnDH1FU8UqrkmP Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! Please join us next time for the continuation of the conversation with Carissa Douglas about how to pass on the faith to our children, and continued exploration of the feminine genius of Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    33 min
  3. 67. How A Pilgrimage To Lourdes Restored Hope After Miscarriage

    DEC 17

    67. How A Pilgrimage To Lourdes Restored Hope After Miscarriage

    Send us a text Happy Third Week of Advent, Sisters in Christ! Please allow us to re-introduce Day 7 of the Mother's Day Retreat, with a bit of a background story to accompany it. It's a busy time for everyone, especially mothers, and it would be a good time to slow down, reflect, and spend time with Our Lord in prayer. This week, we share a mother’s path from grief to consolation through a family pilgrimage to Lourdes and a renewed Advent focus on peace, prayer, and quiet healing. Along the way, we pray the Immaculate Conception Novena and reflect on faith, hope, and love in the busiest season. • Advent peace through simple daily prayer  • Novena to the Immaculate Conception  • Why contemplative prayer and communal prayer sustains mothers  • Offering sorrow and stress during Advent  • Lourdes pilgrimage after miscarriage and deployment  • Consolation versus physical cures  • Faith, hope, and love as a way of life  • Litany to Our Lady and closing blessing Please subscribe to our podcast and YouTube channel and please spread the word! Thank you + God bless! 00:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Retreat 00:46 Welcome to the Veil and Armour Podcast 01:21 Advent and the Mother's Day Retreat 01:41 Novena to the Immaculate Conception 03:39 Continuing the Retreat and Community Prayer 05:18 Personal Pilgrimage to Lourdes 08:30 Reflection and Healing at Lourdes 10:33 Closing Prayers and Litany 12:16 Final Blessings and Farewell The 9 Day Novena to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/immaculate-conception-novena Hozana Prayer App (Free) https://www.hozana.org Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    13 min
  4. 66. From Postpartum Darkness To A Veil Of Hope in Jesus Christ with Veils by Lily CEO Lily Wiilson

    DEC 2

    66. From Postpartum Darkness To A Veil Of Hope in Jesus Christ with Veils by Lily CEO Lily Wiilson

    Send us a text A mother’s raw account of postpartum crisis turns into a story of God-inspired healing: spiritual, psychological, and physical. We trace the years-long birth of the Merciful Love Veil, why veiling expresses dignity and freedom, and what is the future for Lily at Veils by Lily, and does she have a new adventure waiting for her in this season of life? • postpartum anxiety, depression, insomnia, and hospitalization  • parish and family support as lifelines  • therapy rooted in Catholic teaching and dignity  • St Elizabeth of the Trinity’s call to be loved  • medical roots: elevated copper and low vitamin D  • designing and launching the Merciful Love Veil  • veiling as sign of sacred identity and humility  • quality craft, ethical sourcing, lifetime warranty  • Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers and shipping deadlines  • practical veiling questions on length, fit, and discernment  • stepping back from leadership and sustaining the mission  • Advent hope, confession, Eucharist, daily conversion Please join us every week on the Veil in Armor podcast, where stories come alive through a journalist's lens and mother’s heart. To see Veils by Lily's veils and connect on social media: https://veilsbylily.com https://www.instagram.com/@veilsbylily https://www.youtube.com/@veilsbylily If this episode resonated with you, please share with a friend! Thank you + God bless! Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    1h 3m
  5. 65. How Losing A Child Led One Creator To Heal, Build Community, And Guide Mothers and Women Online

    DEC 1

    65. How Losing A Child Led One Creator To Heal, Build Community, And Guide Mothers and Women Online

    Send us a text For this first week of Advent, let us reflect upon Hope, Hope in Christ. We are honoured to welcome our next guest, Camille Mendoza, who is the designer of our podcast apostolate's logo!  She is a brand designer, and newly expectant mother! Congratulations, Camille! Camille shares the beautiful, heartfelt story of her daughter Lilo a lived a radiant, albeit short life, and how grief reshaped Camille's faith, family, and creative work, purpose, motherhood and passion. From counselling and prayer to charity and branding, she shows how small projects can become instruments of hope. • finding mission in motherhood and loss • Craft and Being as a blend of craft and sanctity • practical counsel for grieving parents • Lilo Café fundraiser and community support • using digital tools wisely for good • accessible branding for mission-led creators • discernment with spouse and seasons of family life • Christus Vivit, Mary at the Cross, and hope Please join us every week on the Veil in Armour Podcast, where stories come alive through a journalist’s lance and mother’s heart Camille Mendoza's creative work can be found on: https://craftandbeing.com She is on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@craftandbeing Camille's online course on Substack for business women is available here:https://camillemendoza.substack.com/ Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    1h 11m
  6. 64. Discipline, Faith and Phones: Christian Parenting in the Digital Age

    NOV 24

    64. Discipline, Faith and Phones: Christian Parenting in the Digital Age

    Send us a text Parenting today can feel like being in a tornado or holding back a storm brewing in the background —graphic headlines on every feed, smartphones in every pocket, and a culture that treats faith as a long-lost relic of an age gone by. We invited Dr. Ray Guarendi—clinical psychologist, EWTN host, and father of ten adopted children—to help us navigate the chaos with clear judgment, deep faith, and steady authority. The result is a candid, practical roadmap for raising resilient kids in a world that tests every boundary. We start with the hard question: how do we help children process violence they may see online, specifically news of recent school shooting at Annunciation Church in Minnesota and the targeted killing of prominent debater and podcaster Charlie Kirk? Dr. Ray shares age-specific guidance for shielding younger kids and engaging teens through thoughtful questions that surface doubts, fears, and assumptions. From there, we dismantle the “safety as a reason for smartphones" myth that may be used by some people, with the flip-phone test, then rebuild a practical path of parenthood: privileges earned through trustworthiness, strong filters, paired devices, and limited apps. You’ll hear why consistency matters more than speeches, and how to replace arguments with calm consequences that work—like the blackout method that ends endless negotiations. We also confront the myth that high standards cause rebellion. Standards give direction; love must always be accompanied with discipline. Dr. Ray shows how authority, delivered with affection, keeps homes peaceful and frees room for joy and humour. (Dr. Ray's got jokes, folks, lol) He opens up about adopting without boundaries, relying on grace, and finding laughter in the mess.  We close with hope for parents whose older kids have drifted from the faith. Even Christ, perfect in love, was rejected by many; your job is to witness, pray, and keep the light on. The seeds you planted can still bear fruit when the world’s promises fall flat. If you’re ready to parent with courage—setting firm boundaries, cultivating daily prayer, and guiding your kids through a noisy culture—this conversation will steady your steps. Listen, share with a friend who needs backup, and subscribe for more faith-filled, practical episodes. Your calm conviction is the compass your family needs. A Big "Thank you" to Dr. Ray Guarendi and Taylor Wilson! Wishing you and our American sisters and brothers a Blessed Thanksgiving Week!!! For Dr. Ray Guarendi's books, radio and TV episodes, and speaking engagements, please visit: https://www.drray.com He is also on social media:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.rayguarendi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.RayGuarendi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.rayguarendi/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/drrayguarendi Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    1h 2m
  7. 63. Holy Inspiration from Saints: Secrets to finding your spouse and a lasting marriage of 15 years and 6 children

    NOV 20

    63. Holy Inspiration from Saints: Secrets to finding your spouse and a lasting marriage of 15 years and 6 children

    Send us a text We trace a family’s roots from Holocaust survival and Bishop von Galen’s courage to a modern Canadian home shaped by saints’ names, a modern-day courtship (with the help of a Catholic dating website), and faith that guides marriage, parenting, and public service. Practical habits and clear principles show how love endures amid busyness, travel, and six kids. • naming children after saints who are role models of today • St. Carlo Acutis inspiring a child-led naming choice • von Galen’s witness and a grandmother’s survival • intentional dating, clear vocational alignment • long-distance courtship with focused questions • proposal story and early married life • practical conflict-solving routines in marriage • viewing love as a daily, chosen practice • faith integrated into family culture and work • gratitude for community and listeners Have you named your kids after saints? Let us know by commenting below or sending us fan mail on BuzzSprout Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    36 min
  8. 62. Faith, Family, And .... ? What do Filipinos value most?

    NOV 13

    62. Faith, Family, And .... ? What do Filipinos value most?

    Send us a text We honour veterans and their families this week. A Blessed Remembrance Day and Veterans' Day all veterans and their families, honouring those who made the ultimate sacrfice. What shapes the Filipino-Canadian identity? Sheila's husband, Joseph, traces a line from quiet devotion to public service, showing how heritage, resilience, and a shared purpose that builds a hopeful community. • context and origins of the Golden Balangay Awards: "Balangay" means a traditional Filipino boat (kind of like the one in the movie Moana) • Sheila introduces the armour side of the podcast, her husband • faith practices that renew parishes and daily life • family rituals that transmit culture and duty • resilience as service, courage and steady work • the "Balangay" as a symbol of unity and purpose • gratitude for unsung heroes: Filipino caregivers, clergy and workers • a call to document family histories and mentor youth • collective pride in educators, entrepreneurs and artists Please join us every week on the Veil in Armour Podcast, where stories come alive through a journalist’s lens and a mother’s heart Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know! Email: veilandarmour@gmail.com If our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

    17 min
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From former feminist to exploring the Catholic feminine genius: Learning how to be a "Proverbs 31 Woman" in the Modern World Authentic conversations about faith, family and femininity.Are you seeking a joyful, life-changing + Christ-centred vision of motherhood & femininity? Are you seeking authenticity, clarity, and confidence in your vocation as a Christian wife and mother, and seek to understand your husband's role and mission in the family, in his work, and in the world, and your divine calling as parents? Sheila Nonato is a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom, and an award-winning journalist. Her work has been published by The Catholic Register (Toronto), Postmedia News - Ottawa (National Post), The Jordan Times (Amman), IRIN Middle East (UN news agency), The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, China Daily, The Christian Science MonitorWe will explore the Catholic Feminine Genius of women. Is popular culture the only lens within which we can view a woman's worth and purpose? The Catholic vision of motherhood and womanhood presents the "feminine genius," embodying the Christian virtues of service, sacrifice, and lasting joy and fulfillment in our God-given vocation as women, mothers, future mothers and spiritual mothers. We seek to bridge the gap between the understanding of women in the secular world vs. a countercultural Christian vision of a woman's role & power, rooted in the Bible and Church tradition. Veil + Armour is a Top 10 Motherhood & Catholic podcast via Goodpods' rankings charts.  Thank you to our faithful listeners and subscribers! God bless!https://www.sheilanonato.comhttps://www.veilandarmour.comhttps://www.instagram.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonato on X/Twitter

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