The "Extraordinary Moms Network" is hosting the new "40-Day Challenge" this Lent to help women give their marriages a "faith lift."

This week, Catholics and other Christians have not one but two breaks from their Lenten observances. Today, March 17, is the feast day of St. Patrick (This fifth-century bishop and missionary today is most often associated with green shamrocks, green beer and corned beef cabbage ... not necessarily in that order.)

St. Patrick's story is less well known. As a teenager, Patrick was kidnapped from his native Scotland (his parents were Roman citizens serving in an administrative post) and taken to Ireland as a slave. Six years later, a dream inspired the young man to escape his captors and return to his parents. But he could not forget the Irish people he'd met while in captivity, and when he began to dream that they were calling out to him, asking for him to return and tell them about God (at that time the Irish were Druids and pagans).

He made plans to do exactly that. He studied for the priesthood, was ordained a bishop, and returned to Ireland where, for 40 year,s he proceeded to perform miracles, convert and baptize thousands and build churches all over the country.

What's with the shamrock? St. Patrick used the three three leaves of the plant to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity: God is one divine nature expressed in three distinct persons —Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How God can be both three and one is one of the great mysteries and defined dogmas of the Christian faith.

On Saturday, March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron saint of families and of work. For some reason I've never quite understood, St. Joseph is also the one you're supposed to invoke if you want your house to sell. (Some even bury a statue of St. Joseph in front of their house until it sells... but this custom is frowned upon by many good Catholics, who consider this a superstition.)

On this day, the Italians have a lovely custom called St. Joseph's Table, A generous feast of spaghetti and cream puffs (called "sfinge") is created and shared with the poor of the community. This customed is practiced extensively in Italy — I encountered it for the first time at my home parish, Holy Family Catholic Church, in Pasadena, Calif.

St. Joseph has been on my mind a great deal this Lent. Since introducing the "40 Day Challenge" on the "Extraordinary Moms Network," I've been amazed and touched by the number of women who have written to me about the struggles and loneliness they are experiencing in their marriages.

St. Joseph's feast day is an especially good time to invoke the intercessions of St. Joseph, who was a faithful protector of the Holy Family.

Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I'm going to get myself a shamrock shake!

Heidi Hess Saxton is a contributing writer to the AnnArbor.com "Faith" channel and blogs for parents of adoptive, foster, and special-needs children at the Extraordinary Moms Network. You can reach her at heidi.hess.saxton@gmail.com.