Silent Sunday: Corpus Christi

Novena for Pentecost begins today!

You can find a very simple, lovely, traditional novena to the Holy Spirit here.

Last day--free ebook from Tuscany Press

Tuscany Press, a publisher of Catholic fiction and sponsor of the Tuscany Prize for Catholic fiction, is giving away free copies of one of their novels today only (well, it was yesterday, too, but I forgot to post about it!).  You can download it from Amazon here.

A special novena

I've been asked by my dear friend, April, to promote this novena.  There is a former Gallatin, TN police officer named Kevin Thomas, a father of 6 children, who is suffering from inoperable brain cancer, and this novena would be prayed for his complete recovery.  The novena is to Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago, Puerto Rico's first Blessed.  The miracle for his beatification, cure of a non-Hodgkins malignant lymphoma, took place in 1988 and was approved by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1999.  He needs one more miracle for canonization, and it would be wonderful if it could be the recovery of this man.

We are going to pray this novena beginning on April 26th, so that it will end on May 4th, Bl. Carlos' baptismal date.

Prayer for Carlos Manuel Rodríguez (from ewtn.com)
O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, You enlightened your humble servant, Blessed Carlos Manuel, to understand and live the Paschal Mystery, which is the source of our liturgical life and becomes manifest in the service of our neighbor, especially the humble and needy. Grant that Carlos Manuel's commitment to Your Church and the return of her people to eternal values, based on a Christ-centered and paschal piety, may lead to his prompt canonization. And if You so will, grant us, through the intercession of your Servant, the grace we plead for (the complete recovery of Kevin Thomas from brain cancer).Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory BeMay God reward you!

How a new pope is elected

My friend Annita just sent me this link to the Vatican Insider.  It is a great little animation on the process of electing a pope.  It's a great little aid for Catholic kids and grown-up, too!  Thanks, Annita!

The stars on her mantle and in the December sky

Few things are as evocative of the 9 years I spent in Tucson, Arizona as it the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Perhaps only saguaro cacti are more so.  Our Lady, in that representation, appeared everywhere: in grocery store windows, in colorful tiles by front doors, even tattooed on young Hispanics.

I am hoping to read this beautiful book on Our Lady of Guadalupe to the kids today.  Adrian also received this lovely pop-up book from his Godparents.

Gabriel has an interest in the night sky, and tonight--12/12/12--is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, one of the best of the year.  We've clear skies, a moonless night, and look forward to spotting a few, although we'll have to bundle up to stay out for any length of time, as the low will be 25 degrees tonight.  Somehow my mind keeps making a connection between the falling stars and those on the Blessed Mother's mantle.

I don't have EWTN, but I found The Cloak of Juan Diego on GodTube, and am embedding the three parts here for your viewing pleasure (and for my kids as well!).

And for those of you whose kids enjoy stargazing, this is a fabulous book, (by the author of the Curious George stories, no less!) and I found a couple of good online resources here and here.

.The Cloak of Juan Diego - EWTN Special - Part: 1 of 3 from objektivonemusic on GodTube.

The Cloak of Juan Diego - EWTN Special - Part: 2 of 3 from objektivonemusic on GodTube.

The Cloak of Juan Diego - EWTN Special - Part: 3 of 3 from objektivonemusic on GodTube.

Sorry I haven't made much of an appearance here this week--just busy with Advent!

One more thing:  I would like to call your attention to a fantastic, huge, giveaway on Small Things.  It isn't your usual giveaway, it is to help a family that is being forced to leave their home this month, a family with young children and no money.  Please, please check it out!

Te Deum

The Feast of All Saints

I'm one of those wishy-washy folk who can't seem to decide whether I like Halloween or not.  I know I certainly don't like what it has become, and I don't like the kids having all that candy.  In our home we have always foregone the whole Trick or Treating thing (we live in a rural neighborhood with no near neighbors, so that's easy to do) and had a little at-home party.  The kids would dress up and we would play Halloween Bingo, Pin the Head on the Headless Horseman, watch a bunch of old Scooby Doo cartoons and finally have a treasure hunt with clues, with each child getting a bag of candy.  It's a good plan, and I rather like it.

 The only real trouble is that the next day is All Saints, and we just can't seem to have two celebrations in two days.  The other trouble is that I alone am in charge of any celebration, and just in November and December there are Thanksgiving, Gabriel's birthday, St. Nicholas Day and Christmas.  I am in charge of shopping, cooking, baking, gift-buying, decorating, card-writing, and anything else connected with any holiday.  I get burnt out.

This year I hoped Halloween would go unnoticed.  I didn't buy candy (as we are moving away from sugar as well as we can) and I didn't do the clues for a treasure hunt, and our VHS player is dead, so no Scooby Doo.  Well, the older kids noticed and passed the information to the younger kids, and there was a great deal of disappointment, and naturally, I feel guilty.

Today we will have a simple celebration of All Saints Day...the kids have the day off (that is always a popular choice), and I printed out an All Saints Bingo Game.  I will bake something special, and we will go to Mass this evening. I think that we'll do an actual All Saints party next year...I think that if there is enough fun and baked goods, the kids will be okay with not celebrating Halloween.  The truth is, I can't manage to do both, and a Holy Day of Obligation takes precedence.

Happy All Saints Day!

Monday Musings--8 October 2012

Right now...nearly 7 a.m., just getting light.  Una is online doing her history course and Gabriel is dozing on the sofa.  I think someone is in the bathroom.  The house feels really chilly this morning.

This weekend...was a whirlwind of activity centering on Adrian's First Holy Communion.  On Friday and Saturday I mopped floors, baked three cakes (I had two failures due to what turned out to be a baking powder fail), and cut hair on four boys.  I bathed little ones, grated cabbage for coleslaw, made batches of lemonade and iced tea, decorated the cake...both days found me completely wiped out at the end of them.

Yesterday was, however, perfectly wonderful.  Adrian awoke so excited, and was so happy to put on his suit and get ready for Mass.  He received his missal and the rosary I made for him before we left the house.  He went to confession and after communion he remembered to pray for a number of people and intentions.

After Mass there was a procession and crowning of the statue of Mary in front of the Chapel of Divine Mercy in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary.  Una had been asked to crown the Blessed Mother and was terribly nervous, but managed to look very calm and composed, even going up the rather tall ladder to crown Our Lady.

Once home, we had family come over to help us celebrate.  The kids played with their cousins and the adults chatted and it turned out to be a cool but sunny day in spite of the gray chill of the early morning.  In the evening, after cleaning up, we sat down to watch For Greater Glory.  What a wonderful ending to a perfectly lovely day!

Some plans for this week:  bill-paying, necessary phone calls, order yarn for a few Christmas gifts, do school and just pretty much take it as easy as I can after the last weeks madness.  I do think I would like to make a batch of yogurt and some granola.

If I find some time for myself, I would like to...work on a cardigan for Gemma I have just started and cast on another hat.

I am grateful for...Adrian's joy in receiving Our Lord; a perfect Sunday; my family and my faith; confessors who take their time and offer much good spiritual direction; fresh eggs, butter and milk.

Some prayer intentions for this week (and what a long list it is!): for Gabriel, who has been having pain in one knee every morning, so that walking is impossible until he lies with a heating pad on it for a while.  Seems fine by afternoon, and then is bad in the morning again. My first thought is arthritis, since Gemma has JRA, but with Gabe the pain is more in the back of the knee..tendons?  I don't know.  For my friends Cindy and Dale, and for their children and first grandchild, Aiden Christopher, who was just born at 30 weeks, but who is a strong little mite and at just over 3 lbs is breathing well on his own!  I am praying for Rylee, for Matthew and for the soul of my dad, who passed away four months ago today.  And I am praying for this country and the elections.  I can honestly say that although I will not vote for Obama, I don't feel so great about voting at all this year.  I feel that there are some very important issues that are being completely overlooked and which need to be addressed. Such are the inherent frustrations of a two-party system...

Something that makes me smile:  this great kid's gappy grin.

Feast of the Holy Archangels

It's been a busy week, as they all seem to be lately.  I have a week before Adrian's First Holy Communion, the schooling of 5 kids, and the dreaded Changing of the Seasonal Wardrobe to deal with.  My great urge is to hole up in the bedroom with my Kindle and my knitting and not come out for anything!

Today is the Feast of the Holy Archangels.  When I was looking for images for this post, I came across so many that I found just plain wrong.  Although the angels are spirits, and therefore in their true form lack gender, I dislike images of female angels.  Why, it the Bible, do they always choose to appear as males?  Maybe it is because of their nature.  They do not seem, when they make an appearance, to be soft, nurturing beings with those attributes we connect most frequently with females.  They are powerful, they are protectors, and they are clearly quite awesome, as they usually have to tell those to whom they appear to not be afraid.  I wouldn't want to dishonor them with insipid depictions.

Take a few moments to honor them, these generals in the Army of God who are assigned to aid us poor, weak human beings and keep evil at bay.  Below is a hymn that comes from the Orthodox Christian tradition.


HYMN OF PRAISE
The Holy Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven


Heavenly Commanders,
Who watch over us with great care,
Cover us with your wings,
And shield us with your power.

Armed with the power of God,
Crowned by His glory,
You wield flaming swords,
To cut the demons down.

Swift, swift as rays of light
You soar on the clouds-
The clouds of the air-
Where you do battle for God.

Without fatigue and without sleep
You hover ceaselessly
Over men and created things,
And over countless worlds.

Behold, yours are mighty armies,
Legions virtuous,
And gentle battalions of angels:
And, according to the Creator, our brothers.

Commanders of the might of heaven,
Lead us where we need to go-
To the throne of the Most High
Who created us from nothing.


From the Prologue of Ochrid
November 8
by St Nikolai Velimirovich 

Monday Musings--20 August 2012

I know that I have neglected the blog a bit lately.  It really couldn't be helped, as I dislike to griping about the various challenges we are dealing with right now, and the temptation to do so is very great. And so I have been pretty much avoiding the blog, the phone and the email.  The things going on are Big Things.  We are still awaiting word on Bret's biopsy results (yes, we have been waiting a full week), and due to the slow economy (thank you, President Obama), Bret is out of work again.  There just wasn't enough work coming in to keep Bret on.  So we are looking at it as an opportunity for Bret to get some work done on the house in KY, but it also means that things are financially impossibly tight right now, and likely will continue so for a while.  I could count off several more items that have made me feel like I need a Vodka-Valium Tonic, but I would rather just ask you to say a prayer for Bret's health and employment.  May God reward you.

Right now...it is 6:00, and I am finally feeling somewhat awake after sitting here for an hour with my coffee and my volume of In Conversation with God.  Gemma customarily awakens a few times per night, and I customarily feel very tired...

This weekend...was really quite beautiful.  On Friday afternoon Bret repaired my washing machine after it had stopped dead in the middle of a cycle.  I really didn't enjoy rinsing a load by hand in the sink and hand-wringing each piece, but I am grateful that there were no jeans in the load (or bed sheets!), and that the weather was fine enough to hang it all out.

Saturday was wonderful.  It was Bret's birthday, but we put off celebrating and went to the Chapel of Divine Mercy for Family Vocation Day.  There were representatives from various religious orders there giving conferences, and there were vendors, and there were activities and games for the kids.  The weather was perfect, and there was an incredible turn-out, somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 people.  I have never seen the chapel so full, not even at ordination Masses.

The highlight of the day was really the talent show.  We are able to brag that our (yes, I claim the Fathers of Mercy as "our" priests) Fr. Joseph Aytona is likely the first Filipino break dancing Catholic priest in history.  That would make his brother, Fr. Jewel Aytona, the second.  And Fr. Jewel gave a pretty impressive demonstration of beat boxing as well. We came home completely exhausted, but all feeling very blessed.

Sunday we decided to take in a later Mass so that we could enjoy a more leisurely breakfast.  We picked up groceries on our way home, and I made a nice dinner and an almond cake for dessert.  Sweet, buttery--neither healthy nor low-cal, but very easy and quick, and man, is it ever good!  I'll try to get the recipe up here later.  In the evening we watched disc one of The Blue and the Gray.

Some plans for this week: I have a few Etsy orders to send out this morning (yay!), as well as a custom order for a watercolor journal to work on; I have cream that needs to become butter; I want to make a batch of granola.  I need to do a thorough sorting of the school room and start getting things ready for the start of school after Labor Day.  I still haven't many of the things we need for the coming year, but I have enough on hand to get a good start.  And I really need to do some cleaning.  The place is fairly orderly, but it needs to be cleaned.

If I find some time for myself, I would like to...finally finish Una's skirt and work on some knitting.  I am getting only a little done on my February Lady Sweater because I am starting a series of hats and fingerless mitts and so forth for Christmas.  And speaking of Christmas, I think I really need to start thinking about it, especially since it will be, once again, on a tight budget.

I am grateful for...cooler temperatures; having my education plan for each of the children done for our umbrella school; being about 90% over the colds we recently had.

Some prayer intentions for this week:  yes, I would like Bret to have work, but the only thing I feel inclined to pray for right now is a good result for Bret's biopsy.

Something that makes me smile:  The multi-talented Fr. Jewel Aytona, CPM, a very devout and holy priest (and a great dancer!).  I am so pleased to have seen him and his brother journey from the novitiate to the priesthood.

Have a blessed week!

Wishing you a blessed Feast of the Assumption of the BVM

This morning is quite incomprehensibly lovely.  The humidity is not at its normal, suffocating level for this time of year, and it is sunny and mostly clear.  Gemma slept well last night for the first night in many, Bret has a day's work today after two weeks of nothing, and Dominic's appointment at the ENT went well--ears are healed and hearing is normal.  Me?  I just happen to be sick as a dog.  The kids have relatively mild colds, and I got the full-blown grown-up version.  I slept on the sofa last night so that Bret could at least get some sleep.  I awoke at 11-something and had to take some effervescent cold remedy because of sinus pain--feels like my sinuses are packed with rock salt.  Played solitaire til the medicine kicked in at 12:30.

Looks like Bret may be at Mass alone tonight, as he will likely go straight from the job.  I offer prayers and congratulations to Br. James Walther, CPM, who made his first vows yesterday and to his family, and also to Br. Peter Joseph, OP and his family. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their generosity in giving their lives to Christ for the sake of all men.

Now I think I am going to make a tall glass of lemonade and wash down a handful of vitamins.  Hope your feast day is blessed.

Family Vocation Day at the Chapel of Divine Mercy

If you live anywhere within driving distance from Auburn KY and are Catholic, pile your kids in the van on Saturday, August 18th and come to Family Vocation Day at the Chapel of Divine Mercy (link will take you to the PDF of the flyer)!  This looks like it will be a great event, and it is absolutely free and includes lunch.  There will be talks and activities for all ages, a talent show, and a Holy Hour.  Do take a look at the page 2 of the flyer for the full schedule.

We plan to be there (it'll be Bret's birthday, too!).  Here is a link to register online. You need to be registered by August 15th so that they can make sure there's enough food for everyone!

For those of you closer to Charlotte, NC, there will be a Family Vocation Day on October 20, 2012 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church.

Monday Musings--4 June 2012

 

Right now...it is 7-ish and everyone in the house is up.  Well, maybe Sebastian is still abed, as I haven't seen him yet this morning.  I have allergies and am sniffling and constantly on the verge of a sneeze.

This weekend was...exhausting and absolutely wonderful.  On Saturday we went to the ordination of two priests and one deacon at the Chapel of Divine Mercy.  We have seen quite a few ordinations over the years, but this one will stand out in memory.  The weather was perfect--sunny, cool, breezy--as we pulled into the parking lot.  Bret, surrounded by the boys and with Gemma on his back, said good morning to a priest who was getting out of his car and putting on his jacket, and exchanged a few pleasantries.  The priest greeted all the children.  "Are you visiting?" Bret asked him.  "Oh, yes, I am here for the ordinations," he replied, pulling a suitcase from the car.  "Let me help you with that, Father...Father...?"  "Archbishop Kurtz", the gentleman smiled a bit sheepishly, and Bret blushed.  "I'm sorry, I really had no idea what you looked like!"  The good archbishop laughed and walked with us toward the church until he was greeted by some of the priests, with whom we left him and his suitcase.

The three young men being ordained are all wonderful, joyful, humble men who love God above all and who are zealous for His Church.  One in particular made this a special ordination.  When I met him and he was a novice, I really felt that I was supposed to pray for him.  Now, I pray for all the seminarians, but for some reason, I felt called to "adopt" him in prayer.  Then he left The Fathers of Mercy at the end of the the novitiate--not for the seminary, mind you--and I was confused and devastated.  I felt that I had been given this "assignment" and had somehow failed him.  We stayed in touch, and it was obvious that he was still on a spiritual journey, but he had to take care of something before going on.

Then he came back, and went through the novitiate again!  And this time he went on to the seminary, and I was so delighted.  And so seeing him ordained was so incredibly special to me.  I fought tears at the Litany of the Saints, as he and the two other wonderful, young men lay there prostrate before the altar; I fought tears during the vesting; I fought tears afterward, seeing his family beaming as they took numerous photos; and finally I lost the battle and fell apart when he came over to greet me.  At the reception, when the priests were  giving first blessings, I received the most beautiful I have ever received (and I have received a few over the years!).  One of the most moving things I have ever witnessed was the newly ordained Fr. Andy Cravalho giving his own dad a blessing. In fact, I can't even describe it.  Everyone around me was in tears.

Leaving the reception, we had grocery shopping to do, so we went into Bowling Green for that.  We got home at about dinner time, I put a pizza in the oven, unloaded groceries and Sebastian went out to milk.  After dinner, we watched The Third Man from Netflix and I knit.

Of course, I had some protests the next morning when I roused everyone to go to Mass again!  This time it was for Fr. Ken Geraci's Mass of Thanksgiving.  I have never been to one before, as the new priest usually chooses his home parish as the location for it.  We were blessed to have it at the Chapel of Divine Mercy.  The Mass was lovely.  Again, the new priests were giving blessings, and I received one from Fr. Andy and managed to wrangle the whole family together to get a family blessing from Fr. Ken.

We went home to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.  I am still sort of floating above ground on the beauty and joy of this weekend...

Plans for this week:  Alleluia, I made a two-week menu plan, mainly because Una and I will be at a Mother-Daughter retreat this coming weekend at Casa Maria, and I won't be grocery shopping for two weeks.  I need to come up with a cut list for the side of beef we are buying.  The big cleaning chores this week are windows and floors.  I don't have many plans other than school and getting ready to leave this weekend.

If I find time for myself, I would like to...write a couple of actual snail-mail letters...

I am grateful for...beautiful days; a well-stocked pantry; great conversations with my older kids and the silly antics of my younger ones; Holy Orders.

Some prayer intentions for this week:  For my sister and my nephew, Matthew; for a few hours of overtime for Bret to make up for some extra expenses this month (beef being one of them!); for a great retreat and a safe drive down to Alabama, with all things going smoothly for Bret as he takes over for the weekend; for all the intentions of my friend Cindy; for the new priests and deacon, and for wisdom and discernment in planning the next school year, Una's first of high school.

Something that makes me smile:  a very poor candid shot of FATHER Ken Geraci, CPM with Fr. David Wilton, CPM and Father--er--Archbishop Kurtz.

Have a blessed week!

Happy Easter to all!

relishing the quiet...

No, the last four photos are just random and have naught to do with yesterday's Blessing of the Palms.

I have been sitting here, relishing the quiet, as Bret took the kids into Scottsville so that the boys could finally  get their pre-Easter haircuts.

The ride to Mass yesterday was so lovely.  But Holy Week had to begin with lessons in humility.  My confessor said, in effect, that I was being scrupulous and confessing things that weren't sins.  Then I came home to the shredded pork that I had forgotten to turn off in the morning (not really forgotten, but just didn't really think through accurately) and found that I had a pot full of charcoal.  I am cooking water and baking soda in it for the second time now, trying to remove all the baked-on crud.  So there I was, crying as I cooked a dinner that I had been so looking forward to not having to cook!  As I berated myself for my stupidity, Bret, with his ability to see the bright side in any situation, quipped, "Could have been worse; we could have been expecting company."

I learned via email that the sister of a friend had died, on her birthday, at age 60.  When Gemma woke me up at 1:30 a.m., I lay awake for a long time.  Memento mori; remember, you will die.  No, it isn't morbid--it is a reminder to live each day well.  And here we are in Holy Week.  Am I living each day well?  Prayer, penance, alms-giving...loving my neighbor as myself...were I to die tonight, would I have cause to feel shame?

You can see that Gemma, who normally runs around here half naked (I hot, Mama!"), cleans up pretty well on a Sunday morning.  And if anyone knows the name of that little inverted ladybug, black with red spots, please email me...I'm that curious.  And spring butter, oh-so-yellow, all that beta carotene.  We are making plenty of butter right now and freezing what we don't use.

Well, the boys are back and things are back to normal (read: loud).  I like the quiet, but I'm not accustomed to it anymore.  Too much silence and I start to worry and look for my children!  It's like my closed comments...here I am wondering who is actually reading what I write here.  I am looking forward to next week, when I'll be able to interact with everyone again!

Palm Sunday

This is it, folks...the Lord is coming to Jerusalem, approaching His death and our salvation.  I want to follow Him closely these last few days, so I am not sure how much time I'll be spending here this week.

By the way, if you need some good food for meditation, there are wonderful homilies and mission talks available in mp3 format from Audio Sancto  and from the Fathers of Mercy.

Have a blessed Holy Week...

A cause for joy

Today on Laetare Sunday ("Joyful Sunday"), Adrian will be making his first confession.  It is a good reminder, this day in the midst of Lent, that joy is the opposite of sadness, not the opposite of penance.  We are praying that he makes a good and humble confession, and that he continues to grow and mature as a Christian.  A joyful Laetare Sunday to you!

A conference on Spiritual Motherhood

Fr. Joseph Aytona, CPM, will be offering a women's conference on the topic of Spiritual Motherhood for priests on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at the Chapel of Divine Mercy in Auburn, KY.  It will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  There is no cost, but you must register by January 19th.  A pdf for the conference is available here, and to find out more about what Spiritual Motherhood is, please use this link here.

I plan to be there!

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Happy feast-day!  We would be on our way to an early Mass this morning, but we are on day 3 of having no water, and the electrician is supposed to be here in an hour or so with a new pump, alleluia!  Our water supply for flushing toilets and washing the few dishes I have been using has come from gallon jugs filled at my mom's place, but yesterday Bret had to make a trip to the KY property and filled up a 50-gallon barrel to refill up our cows' stock tank.  It has not been fun.

We will have to go to Mass this evening.  And my plans for today?  Well, if the pump is functional by lunch, I intend to run my dishwasher, which has been full for 3 days, wash a mountain of laundry and take a shower!

I am so sleep-deprived, I am probably capable of doing something really dumb this morning, like putting the milk away in the cabinet or something like that.  Gemma had a bad night and for whatever reason could not get into a deep sleep.  she kept waking every 45 minutes or so, and yelling, sitting up in bed, calling for me, etc.  At about 2 I brought her into my room, where she continued to keep us awake until around 3.  After that, I moved to the sofa with my pillow and reheated rice pack.  I got up at 6 so as to have some time before the coming of our hero, the electrician, but I feel like my head is full of wool.

One of my favorite Catholic art blogs has this interesting post on a particular painting of the Immaculate Conception, if you are interested.