Catholic Family Vignettes

As we approach the Feast of All Saints, it is great fun discuss the holy men and women our young ones wish to emulate. Many of my "internet friends" have already begun discussing costume ideas. Here are a few photos from last years All Saint's Day party at our parish.

Meet: St. Joan of Arc


The Blessed Virgin Mary


St. Joseph


St. Maximilian Kolbe


And, of course, St. Michael the Archangel


The costumes were all created with materials readily available at home (we have an assortment of plastic armor and swords...all obtained at the dollar store). Even St. Michael's wings were quite easy: silver poster board reinforced with coat hanger wire, sandwiched between the layers and hot-glued.

I'm not quite sure whom the children will choose this year...we will be having that discussion on Tuesday. I'll keep you posted! Read more!

Barbara at Praying For Grace has nominated me for the Mathetes Award for Excellence in Discipleship. I am truly touched and humbled. To be considered an "excellent disciple" by this lovely, faith-filled woman is a weighty matter. God grant me the grace to remain worthy and the humility to realize that there are many more worthy than I. Thank you Barb, for your good example and for providing encouragement for other Catholic mothers.

Mathetes is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) it to make more disciples. So the rules for accepting the award are such: Winners of this award must pick five other "disciples" to pass it on to, and provide links for (1) the originator of the award (Dan King of management by God), (2) the person that awarded it to you, and then (3) name and sites of the five people that you believe are fulfilling the role of a disciple of Christ.

Alas...only five. There are so many deserving disciples. Here are some who encourage me, daily:

Elena Maria Vidal at Tea at Trianon

Allison at Totus Tuus Family

Ken at Hallowed Ground

Leticia at Causa Nostrae Laetitiae

PJP and the gang at Recapturing Our Catholic Patrimony

Thank you all, for your excellent example. God's blessings upon you! Read more!

My Gareth. Sporting a really nice set of wings in emulation of his patron.

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us! Read more!

From Goffine's Devout Instructions:

September 29

MICHAEL is the prince of the heavenly armies, who first contended against the proud Lucifer. The holy Church honors him as a particular defender, and the faithful call upon him in all dangers of soul and body, but they particularly implore his intercession at the hour of death, in order that, after having, according to his example, courageously fought against Satan, they may receive the crown of victory, and that their souls may by him be brought before the throne of God. Let us also venerate him, and, full of confidence, cry out with the holy Church, "Holy archangel Michael, protect us in battle, that we may not perish in the tremendous judgment."

Prayer

O God, Who with wonderful order dost direct the miuistry of angels and of men, mercifully grant that our life on earth may be protected by those who ever minister before Thee in heaven. Through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Epistle: Apocalypse 1:1-5

In those days God made known the things which must shortly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel to His servant John, who hath given testimony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, what things soever He hath seen. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy, and keepeth those things which are written in it. For the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you and peace from Him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, Who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins, in His own blood.

This epistle is read to-day because Saint Michael so bravely contended against the sedition of Satan, and, after gaining the victory, drove him and his adherents from heaven.
Gospel: Matthew 18:1-10
[] At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest Thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in My name receiveth Me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come, but nevertheless, woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

Great prince of heaven, Saint Michael, to thy protection commend my soul and body, and, by the glory which thou possessest in heaven, I beseech thee that thou wouldst ever assist me, particularly at the close of my life; that thou wouldst strengthen my faint-heartedness, and obtain for me from God the remission of my sins, and au entire submission to His holy will, that my soul may depart full of comfort. Then receive it, and bring it, under the guidance of the holy angels, before the face of God, to enjoy the contemplation of Him for all eternity. Amen.

Read more!

"At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people."

Tomorrow we celebrate Michaelmas, also known as the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. Our family has a great devotion to St. Michael, most particularly due to the great devotion our young son, Michael Gabriel has shown since early childhood.

Michael is convinced that St. Michael is his personal Guardian Angel. He speaks with such conviction, that we don't question his belief.

Here's a little background on the Great Prince, St. Michael the Archangel:

SAINT MICHAEL—ARCHANGEL

Feast: September 29

St. Michael, who ranks among the seven archangels, is also one of the three angels mentioned by name in the Scriptures, the others being St. Raphael and St. Gabriel. St. Michael is spoken of twice in the Old Testament, and twice in the New. The first reference occurs in the Book of Daniel (chapter x), where Michael comes to comfort Daniel after he has had a vision, and promises to be his helper in all things. In Daniel xii, Michael is called "the great prince who standeth for the children of Thy people." In these references Michael is represented as Israel's great support during the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity. Daniel, wise and holy leader that he was, wanted his people to understand that God had not forgotten them, and that, even though enslaved, they had a royal champion. In the New Testament (Jude ix), we are told that Michael disputed with the devil over the body of Moses; this episode is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible.

In the Apocalypse (chapter xii) we find the most dramatic reference to St. Michael. Here John recounts the great battle in Heaven, when the wicked angels under Lucifer revolt against God, and how Michael, leading the faithful angels, defeats the hosts of evil and drives them out. In this role he has been painted by many artists, and the poet Milton, in book vi of , recounts the famous struggle. Because of this victory, St. Michael is revered in Catholic tradition and liturgy as the protector of the Church, as once he was regarded as the protector of the Israelites. In the Eastern Church, as well as among many theologians in the West, St Michael is placed over all the angels, as prince of the Seraphim. He is the special patron of sick people, mariners, and grocers; in Asia Minor many curative springs were dedicated to him. His cult has also been popular in Egypt, Rome, France, and Germany. His emblems are a banner, a sword, a dragon, and scales. The name Michael is a variation of Micah, meaning in Hebrew, "Who is like God?"

Saint Michael, Archangel. Scriptural Saint. Celebration of Feast Day is September 29.

Taken from "Lives of Saints", Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.

We are planning a family celebration and have found a few interesting recipes that would be served at a traditional Michaelmas celebration.

Check out Michaelmas Pie, St. Michael's Bannock, Michaelmas Broth and the ever so important Michaelmas Goose! Read more!

Three weeks down.

I'm very encouraged. School is going so very well...why do I keep waiting for the rose to lose it's "bloom?"

Today was an excellent day. A day devoted to History, Science and Art. The scholars (a term I use as a reminder of our mission statement) had an excellent time creating their own...gasp! ancient Roman tomb markers. Using the example of Gaius Mucius Scaevolus' marker, they designed their own. Abigail was tickled to hear Gaius Mucius referred to as Mucius the Left-handed. She's been calling herself Mucius the Left-handed all day.

We had initially begun an exploration of aerospace and aeronautical engineering. Due to a very profitable thrift store expedition, we have changed course. A really nice microscope and a good friend's donation of a smaller microscope and slide preparation kit, have paved the way for Microscopy. We have prefaced our class with the history of the microscope. It was such fun to see the look of delight on four year old Rylee's face as she observed the magnification properties of a drop of water. Not once did the younger children exhibit any signs of boredom or restlessness. The up close view of an "invisible world" was simply too intriguing.

To my great delight, Zachary has asked to lead our microscopy class labs. He is more than able, having poured over manuals on care and usage of equipment and slide preparation. All in all, a delightful and engaging day.

Monday, we travel to the National Museum for the USAF for Homeschool Day. The children are excited, but are even more anxious for Tuesday's classes at home. Microscope slide preparation.

I hear the "professor" is very, very good... Read more!

It's official. I'm losing my mind.

Every morning, the ritual is the same: fix the coffee, make a bacon/egg/cheese bagel sandwich, fill the water jug and pack his lunch. In that order. Because I love him.

I filled the coffee pot with filtered water, poured it into the machine, put the filter in the filter basket and opened the box of dishwasher tabs, placed one in the filter basket and shut the compartment.

A DISHWASHER TAB!! IN THE COFFEE MAKER!!

Thank heavens I didn't turn it on. My dear husband might want to take a closer look at his lunch today.

Insanity is such an insidious thing...I never saw it coming! Read more!

Up at 6:00 a.m. with six very sleepy children and a college student. A hasty breakfast, dress for Mass, out the door and into a torrential downpour. Ten minutes later, stuck in traffic.

Shortcut.

Late. Not for Mass...college. Again. An hour and fifteen minutes on the road for a twenty minute drive. God bless her, she's been late twice. Not a single word of reproach.

Mass. Praise God! On time, the boys don their vestments. This is the Homeschool Latin Mass. Seated with the younger children, I observe the sea of empty pews. Two families. Then three. Four. A very slow trickle.

Fr. Lutz asks Zachary for a count. "Thirteen, Father!"

"Thirteen?!" Father places a few hosts in the ciborium. A few moments later, the church is swarming with children!

Mass begins, and the Church continues to fill. I didn't count, but I would estimate at least one hundred children and parents were in attendance.

At least 85% of these families were from neighboring parishes. This was their first Latin Mass. How precious!

These wonderful mothers and fathers brought their children, on a weekday, during the worst storm imaginable, fighting their way through snarled traffic due to numerous weather-related accidents to attend this Mass. A Latin Low Mass.

How well-behaved the children were! Wet and cold, to be sure, but no more noise than one would expect under the circumstances.

What could be lovelier than a sanctuary full of kneeling children and their loving parents? Read more!

The 40 Days For Life Campaign begins today and ends November 4th, 2007.

From the website:

Why 40 Days?

Throughout Biblical history, God has used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities and nations...

* Noah was transformed by 40 days of rain
* Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai
* David was transformed by Goliath's 40 day challenge
* Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from one meal
* Nineveh was transformed when God gave the city 40 days to remain faithful
* Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the desert
* The Disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus following His resurrection

Imagine the transformation God could accomplish in America this fall when individuals and communities unite together for 40 days of prayer and fasting, pulling out all the stops to end the violence of abortion...

You can be a part of that transformation by taking action today!
Never underestimate the power of prayer. You CAN make a difference. Read more!

A lovely family meal. Chicken parmagiana served on a bed of whole wheat garlic infused pasta and the best loaf of crusty, Italian bread.

Of course, there were the inevitable complaints: "what's this?" "do I like this?" "have we had this before?" - I've heard them many times.

"It's chicken parmagiana...you'll love it. Yes, we've had it before. You should be thankful for a homecooked meal. When I was a child (yes...I actually said those dreaded words) the only way I ever had chicken parmagiana was in a TV dinner."

Blank stares.

"What's a TV dinner?" my oldest son asked.

VICTORY!!

It took quite awhile to explain to them why anyone would want to eat instant mashed potatoes, unidentifiable meat and cooked carrots...in front of the television, no less.

Having "not-so-fond" memories of salisbury steak... Read more!

Thanks Esther!

One of my favorite pics of the boys...Just for fun! Read more!

Be sure to tune-in to EWTN September 26 at 8:00 P.M. Holy Family Columbus parishioner, classical architect William Heyer and Monsignor Michael Schmitz of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest will be discussing the ongoing restoration of Chicago's Shrine of Christ the King.
If (like me!) you don't have access to network television programming, you can watch live on the internet at EWTN. Scroll down under the “television” tab along the top of the page to find “Live TV English.” Select windows media player or real player and the speed that you need to view the program. Read more!

h/t to +JMJ+

Absolutely wacky! Want to buy a blog?!! Let's see...I could buy more school books, fix the car, tune the piano...Sweet!

From Catholic Culture:

The story of Our Lady of Ransom begins with St. Peter Nolasco, born in Languedoc about 1189. At the age of 25 he took a vow of chastity and made over his vast estates to the Church. After making a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montserrat, he went to Barcelona where he began to practice various works of charity.

He conceived the idea of establishing an Order for the redemption of captives seized by the Moors on the seas and in Spain itself; they were being cruelly tormented in their African prisons to make them deny their faith.

He spoke of it to the king of Aragon, James I, who knew him well and already respected him as a saint; for the king had already asked for his prayers when he sent out his armies to combat the Moors, and he attributed his victories to those prayers.

In effect all the Christians of Europe, and above all of Spain, were praying intensely to obtain from God the remedy for the great evil that had befallen them. The divine Will was soon manifested. On one night — August 1, 1218 — the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Peter, to his confessor, Raymund of Penafort, and to the king, and through these three servants of God established a work of the most perfect charity, the redemption of captives.

On that night, while the Church was celebrating the feast of St. Peter in Chains, the Virgin Mary appeared first to St. Peter, saying that she indeed desired the establishment of a religious Order, later known as the Mercedarians, bearing the name of her mercy. Its members would undertake to deliver Christian captives and offer themselves, if necessary, as a ransom pledge.

The Order, thus solemnly established in Spain, was approved by Pope Gregory IX under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. By the grace of God and under the protection of His Virgin Mother, the Order spread rapidly. Its growth was increased as the charity and piety of its members was observed; they very often followed Our Lady's directive to give themselves up to voluntary slavery when necessary, to aid the good work. It was to return thanks to God and the Blessed Virgin that a feast day was instituted and observed on September 24, first in the Order, then everywhere in Spain and France. It was finally extended to the entire Church by Pope Innocent XII. Pope Leo XIII encouraged the devotion by making this feast proper to all the dioceses of England, with a focus on how Our Lady ransoms us from the slavery of our sins, and brings us the grace of conversion.

Extract from the Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Octobri Mense (September 22, 1891), 3, 5-6:

"The world goes on its laborious way, proud of its riches, of its power, of its arms, of its genius; the Church goes onward along the course of ages with an even step, trusting in God only, to Whom, day and night, she lifts her eyes and her suppliant hands. Even though in her prudence she neglects not the human aid which Providence and the times afford her, not in these does she put her trust, which rests in prayer, in supplication, in the invocation of God.

"Thus it is that she renews her vital breath; the diligence of her prayer has caused her, in her aloofness from worldly things and in her continual union with the Divine will, to live the tranquil and peaceful life of Our very Lord Jesus Christ; being herself the image of Christ, Whose happy and perpetual joy was hardly marred by the horror of the torments He endured for us.

"This important doctrine of Christian wisdom has been ever believed and practiced by Christians worthy of the name. Their prayers rise to God eagerly and more frequently when the cunning and the violence of the perverse afflict the Church and her supreme Pastor. Of this the faithful of the Church in the East gave an example that should be offered to the imitation of posterity. Peter, Vicar of Jesus Christ, and first Pontiff of the Church, had been cast into prison, loaded with chains by the guilty Herod, and left for certain death. None could carry him help or snatch him from the peril. But there was the certain help that fervent prayer wins from God.

"The Church, as the sacred story tells us, made prayer without ceasing to God for him; and the greater was the fear of a misfortune, the greater was the fervor of all who prayed to God. After the granting of their desires the miracle stood revealed; and Christians still celebrate with a joyous gratitude the marvel of the deliverance of Peter.

"Christ has given us a still more memorable instance, a Divine instance, so that the Church might be formed not upon his precepts only, but upon His example also. During His whole life He had given Himself to frequent and fervent prayer, and in the supreme hours in the Garden of Gethsemane, when His soul was filled with bitterness and sorrow unto death, He prayed to His Father and prayed repeatedly. It was not for Himself that He prayed thus, for He feared nothing and needed nothing, being God; He prayed for us, for His Church, whose prayers and future tears He already then accepted with joy, to give them back in mercies.

"The design of this most dear mercy, realized by God in Mary and confirmed by the testament of Christ, was comprehended at the beginning, and accepted with the utmost joy by the Holy Apostles and the earliest believers. It was the counsel and teaching of the venerable Fathers of the Church. All the nations of the Christian age received it with one mind; and even when literature and tradition are silent there is a voice that breaks from every Christian breast and speaks with all eloquence.

"No other reason is needed than that of a Divine faith which, by a powerful and most pleasant impulse, persuades us towards Mary. Nothing is more natural, nothing more desirable than to seek a refuge in the protection and in the loyalty of her to whom we may confess our designs and our actions, our innocence and our repentance, our torments and our joys, our prayers and our desires. All men, moreover, are filled with the hope and confidence that petitions which might be received with less favor from the lips of unworthy men, God will accept when they are recommended by the most Holy Mother, and will grant with all favors.

"This storm of evils, in the midst of which the Church struggles so strenuously, reveals to all her pious children the holy duty whereto they are bound to pray to God with instance, and the manner in which they may give to their prayers the greater power. Faithful to the religious example of our fathers, let us have recourse to Mary, our holy Sovereign. Let us entreat, let us beseech, with one heart, Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Mother. 'Show yourself to be a mother; cause our prayers to be accepted by Him Who, born for us, consented to be your Son.'"

© Urbi et Orbi Communications

This item 6712 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org Read more!

How lovely that the Feast of St. Linus falls on the Sabbath this year! It is to this Holy Pope and Martyr, that we owe our thanks for the decree that women should enter church only with heads covered. What a privilege it is to "veil"...

It is a common misconception that the Church decreed that head-coverings for women are no longer necessary; most Catholic women are unaware of this. From the Fatima Family Apostolate:

On April 3, 1969 when Pope Paul VI promulgated the new Roman Missal reporters gathered at the Vatican and quizzed those who were announcing the new missal. One reporter asked, "Does the new Missal say anything about women wearing head coverings in Church?" The answer given was simply, "No." Other reporters picked up the response and interpreted it that women no longer needed to wear any head covering in Church. Articles appeared in the secular press around the world, "Catholic women no longer need wear head coverings in Church." That was a conclusion not even implied in the "No" answer. The Missal had never ever been the place where women were told to wear head coverings. Why should the new Roman Missal so state what concerned the rubrics for the priest celebrating Mass?

Need a few reasons to veil? Check out these essays: Wear Your Mantilla With Pride, Mantilla: Sell Out Or Sacramental? and Why The Veil?
Need to shop? Check out Halo Works and Headcoverings by Devorah.

So, when you see a lady in Church this Sunday, sporting a hat or mantilla...think of St. Linus and say a prayer. Thank God for Sacred Tradition! Read more!

It was simply a matter of time before the most outrageous fabrication regarding the death of Pope John Paul II, would rear it's ugly head. In a Time Magazine report Was John Paul II Euthanized? an Italian medical professor has issued her "professional" opinion that the Pope, long known for his outspoken stance against euthanasia (Evangelium Vitae), seemingly exercised (contradictorily), his "right to die."

The article is awash with typical "double speak". Here are few excerpts (emphases and comments are mine):

In a provocative article, an Italian medical professor argues (this assumes that incontrovertible facts are presented to back up these allegations...they are not!) that Pope John Paul II didn't just simply slip away as his weakness and illness overtook him in April 2005. Intensive care specialist Dr. Lina Pavanelli has concluded that the ailing Pope's April 2 death was caused by what the Catholic Church itself would consider euthanasia (see definition here). She bases this conclusion on her medical expertise and her own observations of the ailing pontiff on television, as well as press reports and a subsequent book by John Paul's personal physician (she was NOT his attending physician, nor was she on staff, nor does she have access to the Holy Father's medical records - so much for a factual conclusion). The failure to insert a feeding tube into the patient until just a few days before he died accelerated John Paul's death, Pavanelli concludes. Moreover, Pavanelli says she believes that the Pope's doctors dutifully explained the situation to him, and thus she surmises that it was the pontiff himself who likely refused the feeding tube after he'd been twice rushed to the hospital in February and March. Catholics are enjoined to pursue all means to prolong life.

Concludes. Believes. Surmises. This is news?! How often does Time magazine provide a forum for someone who believes something may be true...or surmises, based on their distant observation? How often? Everyday...

The article in it's entirety may be viewed here.

Does it not seem more than coincidental, that this heinous "report" comes to us exactly one week after the issuance of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration" also termed "The Terri Schiavo Responses"?

It is no coincidence...

So what are we left to surmise? Here is the statement from Pope John Paul II's long term physician, Renato Buzzonetti (who is, by the way, providing care for Pope B16): "His treatment was never interrupted," Buzzonetti told the Rome daily La Republica. "Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken."

"Lying", seems a more accurate word. Perhaps not as charitable as "mistaken", but nonetheless accurate.

Read more!

Autumn
by Emily Dickinson

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

The first day of Fall is nearly upon us. What a glorious season! The crispness of the air, the misty mornings and lengthening evening shadows...already the trees surrounding our home have begun to don their finest gowns. Scarlet, gold and umber. Just as the earth prepares to sleep, I find myself most energetic! The sights, the sounds, the smells; the carnival-like aura of this season is precisely my cup of tea...which would be Marco Polo, to be precise!

The garden has given what it can, and is ready to be "put to bed". We didn't manage a late season planting, though the tomatoes are still producing at an insane rate. We lost the pumpkins to cut-worms, but have managed to produce several birdhouse gourds which are now gracing our "fall display."

The school year has begun and the scholars are so very motivated. The new classroom is perfectly suited to our needs, but the schedule has made all the difference thus far. May we continue as successfully as we have begun!
Read more!

Here is what happens when an agnostic Senator files a frivolous lawsuit to prove that anyone can file a frivolous lawsuit:

From CNN:

LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response.

One of two court filings from "God" came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.

"This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here -- poof!" Friend said.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued God last week, seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers, a self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians, said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. He said he's trying to make the point that anybody can sue anybody.

Not so, says "God." His response argues that the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction.

It adds that blaming God for human oppression and suffering misses an important point.

"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.

There was no contact information on the filing, although St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness, Friend said.

A second response from "God" disputing Chambers' allegations lists a phone number for a Corpus Christi law office. A message left for that office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Attempts to reach Chambers by phone and at his Capitol office Thursday were unsuccessful. Read more!

A sinus headache. And where are the last two sinus tabs? In the bottom of my purse (cue dramatic music!)

As I'm rummaging through my purse, which is a large, shapeless bag, I'm cursing the sheer volume of paper, the three mantillas, two church bulletins and large umbrella stand (oh...wait...that's Mary Poppins!), trying to find the world's smallest pack of foil-wrapped pain relievers.

"I hate this purse!"

My thirteen year old son, with a wry smile, says:

"Hey mom...maybe you need to find a purse with shelves...or maybe you just need those stackable things, like in a toolbox..."

Very funny...very, very funny.

My dear friend Sandra, who actually puts her cash in her wallet and knows where her keys are, is laughing her head off right now...

Do they make purses with shelves? I wonder... Read more!

I truly thought leaving an hour early would get us there on time.

WRONG!

Apparently, when you live outside of Columbus and you need to be downtown during the morning rush hour, and it's the first day of school for two very large colleges...well, you should probably leave much, much earlier.

Much.

She was late for her first day of college. The dear girl sat in a mini van with her six brothers and sisters during morning rush hour traffic, watching the time tick away, listening to the complaints...sigh...

I had envisioned something much more pleasant.

Much.

But such is life. You envision one thing, and receive another. You live to see another day. And you vow to leave much, much earlier.

Much. Read more!

excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

On 19 September, 1846, about three o'clock in the afternoon in full sunlight, on a mountain about 5918 feet high and about three miles distant from the village of La Salette-Fallavaux, it is related that two children, a shepherdess of fifteen named Mélanie Calvat, called Mathieu, and a shepherd-boy of eleven named Maximin Giraud, both of them very ignorant, beheld in a resplendent light a "beautiful lady" clad in a strange costume. Speaking alternately in French and in patois, she charged them with a message which they were "to deliver to all her people".

Here is the message:

Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news.

If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it.

For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to pray to him without ceasing; and as to you, you take not heed of it.

However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.

Six days I have given you to labor, the seventh I had kept for myself; and they will not give it to me. It is this which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.

Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the two things which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.

If the harvest is spoilt, it is all on your account. I have you warning last year with the potatoes ('pommes de terre') but you did not heed it. On the contrary, when you found the potatoes spoilt, you swore, you took the name of my Son in vain. They will continue to decay, so that by Christmas there will be none left.
Ah, my children, do you not understand? Well, wait, I shall say it otherwise.

If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; all you sow the insects will eat, and what comes up will fall into dust when you thresh it.

There will come a great famine.

Before the famine comes, the children under seven years of age will be seized with trembling and will die in the hands of those who hold them; the others will do penance by the famine.
The walnuts will become bad, and the grapes will rot. If they are converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat, and the potatoes will be self-sown in the land.

Do you say your prayers well, my children?

Both answered with complete frankness. "Not very well, Madam."

Ah, my children, you must be sure to say them well morning and evening. When you cannot do better, say at least an Our Father and a Hail Mary. When you have time, say more.

There are none who go to Mass except a few aged women. The rest work on Sunday all summer; then in the winter, when they know not what to do, they go to Mass only to mock at religion.

During Lent, they go to the meat-market like dogs.

Have you never seen wheat that is spoilt, my children?

"No, Madam," they replied.

But you, my child [Maximin], you must surely have seen some once when you were at the farm of Coin with your father.

The owner of the field told your father to go and see his ruined wheat. You went together. You took two or three ears of wheat into your hands and rubbed them, and they fell to dust.

Then you continued home. When you were still half and hour's distance from Corps, your father gave you a piece of bread and said to you: "Here, my child, eat some bread this year at least; I don't know who will eat any next year, if the wheat goes on like that."

Confronted with such precise details, Maximin eagerly replied, "Oh yes, Madam, I remember now; just at this moment I did not remember."

Then the Lady, again speaking French as the beginning of her discourse and when giving the secrets, said to them:

Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people. Read more!

Sunday evening and another "Teddy Graham" birthday cake creation. Since Dad had to work on Joseph's birthday (9/11), we opted to celebrate on Sunday. Which, of course, means a cake.

Not just any cake will do...

I have, in years past, created a number of "Teddy Graham" scenarios: "Teddy's Under The Sea" complete with a "Teddy-eating" shark... "Teddy Graham Sacrificial Volcano", complete with lava and grass-skirted natives preparing the "victims" for sacrifice... "Teddy Graham Ski Mountain", my personal favorite, with tobogganed teddy bears skiing downhill, crashing, making snowmen and having snowball fights...and the "Teddy Graham Campground", outfitted with tents, fishing gear, canoes and all the trappings of an outdoor adventure...

Joseph's request this year: "The Big Rock Candy Mountain Teddy Graham Mining Expedition." The bears are busily engaged in mining the large quantities of caramel and candy corn trapped inside the chocolatey recess of the mountain. No Teddy Grahams were injured in the making of this cake...

He liked it.

The problem: the brothers are becoming highly competitive in the "idea arena"...Maximilian wants a "Teddy Graham Civil War". That's an awful lot of blue and gray...

Maybe I should just make cupcakes...

Oh...check out this gift. Truly the most unusual thing I've seen in awhile! Read more!

On the evening of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the entire left side of the Church was a sea of black...black suits, that is. Seminarians from the Pontifical College Josephinum had turned out in great number for the celebration of the implementation of Summorum Pontificum.

My three sons had spent the entire day, in joyful expectation of this lovely feast. As regular servers of the Extraordinary Rite, they are used to arriving very early to vest and practice their assigned position. Though all three are very enthusiastic participants in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the younger of the three, Michael Gabriel, is the most enthusiastic of all.


Michael made his first Holy Communion on the Feast of Christ the King, in 2006. Immediately following his reception of the Blessed Sacrament, he asked Father if he could begin serving the Mass. Eight years old...and he simply couldn't wait to ascend the steps to the altar!

Ever since, Michael has served every single Sunday and Holy Day, with the exception of maybe three or four Masses. The forlorn expression of this beautiful child when he can't serve is simply heartbreaking.

On Friday evening, as Michael was vesting, he had an absolutely catastrophic nosebleed. The Master of Ceremonies said it was one of the worst he had ever seen. Michael's surplice was horribly stained...and the bleeding just didn't seem to be stopping. Ten minutes before Mass, our dear MC had to make a really tough call. Michael could not serve. I can't adequately convey the extreme devastation of this poor boy, as he was lead down the steps, sobbing, into my arms.

Quickly, I ushered him down the aisle and took him to the Men's Room. A few moments later, sitting upon the steps as he tried to compose himself, a kind young man dressed in black, knelt beside him.

"Hi! My name is Joshua...what's your name?"

(sniffling) "Michael..."

"It's nice to meet you Michael. I'm a seminarian from Josephinum. Do you know what a seminarian is?"

(still sniffling)"...y-y-yes..." (I tell this charming young man that for the past five years Michael has been telling his family that he is going to be a priest.)

"Well, Michael, tonight I can't serve the Mass either. And I don't even have the very good excuse of a bloody nose! Would you like to come and sit with all the seminarians? We'd like to be up there, too, but we can't! Would you like to sit with us?"

What an offer! Unfortunately, our poor bloody and embarrassed boy was too shy to take him up on the offer...but how precious!

That young man has no idea what an impression he made upon a young man who already has a very high opinion of those pursuing the priesthood.

Please pray for Joshua and all the wonderful young men like him...one day he just might be the priest offering you the Sacraments...may God increase his number! Read more!

Thanks to Krislynne Lyons for these incredible photos!

On the Feast Of The Exaltation Of The Holy Cross, the implementation of our dear Holy Father's motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, was celebrated with a Solemn High Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church, Columbus. What a joyous evening! Never have the voices of the faithful more loudly and proudly proclaimed the ancient "Credo"..."

Et in unam sanctam cathólicam et apostólicam Ecclésiam...










Upon the altar was the 1607 Pius V Missale Romanum, the Mary Queen of Scots Chalice, a Relic of the True Cross and a vintage ciborium. Our holy priests were adorned in golden vestments from the 19th century. The english readings of the Epistle and Gospel where read from a 1st edition Rheims Bible. How beautifully each of these artifacts complimented the ancient liturgy, so beloved from antiquity!
The two motets, so beautifully rendered by the choir, Jubilate Deo (Mozart) and Adoremus Te Christe (Clemens non Papa), were performed during Holy Communion.

Voices soaring during the recessional, proudly proclaimed:

Holy God, we praise thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite thy vast domain;
everlasting is thy reign.

The celebration that followed allowed the faithful the opportunity to venerate the Relic of the True Cross (to be able to kiss this holy relic...can words describe?!!) On display, as well, were the Missale, Bible and Chalice.

What an evening...what a grateful people... Read more!

Introibo ad altare Dei...

Deo Gratias! Effective immediately, the Holy Father's motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" is released for implementation. Thank you, Holy Father, for giving your children and holy priests the ability to experience, without restriction, the beauty and transcendence of the ancient liturgy.

As the world-wide Church prepares for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, may we all join in prayerful thanksgiving as we celebrate the end of the Indult and the beginning of the Extraordinary!

Don't forget: Solemn High Mass and celebration at Holy Family Columbus Read more!

Heraclius, flanked by Saint Helena, returns the Cross to Jerusalem

Today marks the traditional Feast Of The Exaltation Of The Holy Cross.

Here is a brief story about the finding of the True Cross, from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

In the year 326 the mother of Constantine, Helena, then about 80 years old, having journeyed to Jerusalem, undertook to rid the Holy Sepulchre of the mound of earth heaped upon and around it, and to destroy the pagan buildings that profaned its site. Some revelations which she had received gave her confidence that she would discover the Saviour's Tomb and His Cross. The work was carried on diligently, with the co-operation of St. Macarius, bishop of the city.

The Jews had hidden the Cross in a ditch or well, and covered it over with stones, so that the faithful might not come and venerate it. Only a chosen few among the Jews knew the exact spot where it had been hidden, and one of them, named Judas, touched by Divine inspiration, pointed it out to the excavators, for which act he was highly praised by St. Helena. Judas afterwards became a Christian saint, and is honoured under the name of Cyriacus.

During the excavation three crosses were found, but because the titulus was detached from the Cross of Christ, there was no means of identifying it. Following an inspiration from on high, Macarius caused the three crosses to be carried, one after the other, to the bedside of a worthy woman who was at the point of death. The touch of the other two was of no avail; but on touching that upon which Christ had died the woman got suddenly well again.

From Catholic Culture:

This day is also called the Exaltation of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, Holy Cross Day, Holy Rood Day, or Roodmas. The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when he was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. To follow Christ we must take up his cross, follow him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross.

We made the Sign of the Cross before prayer which helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.

O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.

Symbol: The cross of triumph is usually pictured as a globe with the cross on top, symbolic of the triumph of our Savior over the sin of the world, and world conquest of his Gospel through the means of a grace (cross and orb).

The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following September 14 marks one of the Ember Days of the Church. See Ember Days for more information.


Read more!

From Goffine's Devout Instructions:

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

September 14

This feast is a yearly commemoration of the erection, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, and his mother, Saint Helena, of the cross on which Christ died. This took place under the Emperor Heraclius, by whom the holy cross, which Khosroo, King of Persia, had carried into his own conntry, was, after fourteen years, recovered, brought back to Jerusalem, and borne by the emperor himself to the hill of Calvary, whither it had been borne by the Saviour. Upon this occasion a miracle occurred. As Heraclins was about to carry the cross to the proper place on his shoulders, out of veneration for it, he found that while wearing the imperial dress he could not move it, until, by the advice of the patriarch Zachary, he laid aside his royal ornaments, dressed himself plainly, took off his shoes, and in such manner made himself like the humble Saviour.

Introit of the Mass:

"But it behooves us to glory in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life, , and resurrection."

Prayer

O God, Who on this day givest us joy by the annual solemnity of the exaltation of the holy cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may deserve the reward of His redemption in heaven Whose mystery we have known upon earth. through the same Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
Epistle: Philemon 2:5-11

Brethren: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied, Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

Gospel: John 12:31-36

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the judgment of the world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself. (Now this He said, signifying what death He should die.) The multitude answered Him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light that you may be the children of light.

Instruction on the Devotion of the Way of the Cross

What is the Holy Way of the Cross?

It is a devotional exercise by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Jesus, and particularly upon His last way of sorrows, from the house of Pilate to Mount Calvary. Tradition testifies that after Christ's ascension the Christians living in Jerusalem were accustomed particularly to venerate the holy places which had been sanctified by the passion of the divine Redeemer. But after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the infidels, so that it became dangerous, and often impossible, to pass over the ground which Our Lord had trod, the children of Saint Francis of Assisi began to erect in their churches the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, by meditating on which the faithful might, in spirit, accompany the pilgrims to Jerusalem on the way to Calvary, dwelling in thought on what Christ had suffered for men. Station here means a place to pause, a resting-point for meditation. This devotion has been examined and approved by many Popes, enriched with indulgences, and earnestly recommended to Christians. It may be found in any prayer-book. No exercise is more profitable to our souls than this. What can bring before us the love of God and the abominableness and frightfulness of sin in a more vivid manner than the sufferings of the God-man? How can we any longer indulge in hate when we hear Jesus pray for His enemies? How can we give ourselves up to sensuality and lust when we see the divine Saviour scourged, crowned with thorns, and hanging on the cross? How can we murmur at our trials when we think that Jesus innocent takes up the cross for us guilty? In truth, we should see our coldness and indifference disappear, as ice melts in the heat, we should grow more and more zealous in the way of virtue, if we would but rightly meditate upon the passion of Christ.

How are visits to the Stations of the Cross to be made?

Rightly to visit the Stations of the Cross, and to draw therefrom real benefit, we should at each station consider with attention, with devotion and sorrow, what Jesus has done and suffered for us. We should not content ourselves with merely reciting at each station the proper prayers and meditations, but should pause, to impress upon our hearts what is there represented, that we may be moved and quickened to wholesome resolutions.

In order to gain the indulgences we must endeavor to be in the state of grace, and therefore at least, by way of beginning we must have perfect contrition for our sins. Read more!

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution – September 11, 2007

Priest Training Latin Mass Workshops Announced

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, in collaboration with Una Voce America, in response to overwhelming popular demand is happy to announce two additional workshops for training priests in the “Extraordinary Form” of the Roman Rite, to be conducted at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary during the Fall Semester of 2007. The first workshop will take place from *Friday October 5th through Tuesday, October 9th*. The second will take place from *Friday, November 2nd through Tuesday, November 6th*. Available placements are limited so priests are urged to contact the seminary at their earliest convenience. The cost for each of these five day workshops is $300.00 All the fundamentals involved in learning the Traditional Latin Mass will be covered. Priests will receive a complete explanation with hands-on practice of the rubrics of the 1962 Missale Romanum as well as an introduction to Latin, traditional liturgical principles, and Sung Mass. A comprehensive materials packet will be provided including translations of the rubrics, audio CD’s with the recited texts of Low Mass and Celebrant’s chant for Sung Mass, and a demonstration DVD with examples of both Low and Solemn Mass.

To receive more information or to make a reservation, interested priests should contact:

Fr. Goodwin at (402) 797-7700 or email: seminary@fsspolgs.org

or write to: Attn: Mass Workshops, O.L.G. Seminary, P.O. Box 147, Denton,
NE. 68339.


Media inquiries may be directed to:

Mr. Jason King at (206) 931-8844 or email: unavoceww@gmail.com

Una Voce, PO Box 1146, Bellevue, WA 98009-1146 Read more!

September 12th marks the traditional Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary. Here are few lovely quotes and observations about our Lady's Most Holy Name:

Pondering the Meaning of "Mary"

In Hebrew, the name Mary is Miryam. In Our Lady's time, Aramaic was the spoken language, and the form of the name then in use was Mariam. Derived from the root, merur, the name signifies "bitterness."

Miryam was the name of the sister of Moses; and the ancient rabbinical scholars perceiving in it a symbol of the slavery of the Israelites at the hands of the Egyptians, held that Miryam was given this name because she was born during the time of the oppression of her people. The Old Testament, chronicling as it does the "Time of Expectation" of the Redeemer, is filled with "types," or foreshadowings of people and events which would be made manifest during the "Time of Redemption," when. Christ walked the earth. Jesus Mary and Joseph, the Sacrament of Baptism, the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Calvary, etc., are all foreshadowed in the Old Testament, but we view them there "through a glass darkly," so to speak, under the guidance of the Catholic Church, which alone possesses the authority to interpret the sacred texts.

Miryam, the sister of Moses is a "type" of the Blessed Virgin. Miryam was a prophetess who sang a canticle of thanksgiving after the safe crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's army; Mary prophesied in Her Magnificat that all generations would honor Her, and She sang of how God would topple the proud and raise the lowly. Miryam supported her brother, Moses, the liberator of his people; as the Co-Redemptrix who united Her sufferings to those of the One Mediator on Calvary, Mary labored alongside the Redeemer, the true Liberator of His people. Just as Jesus was the "antitype" [i.e., fulfillment] of Moses, so was Our Lady the "antitype" of Miryam, the fullest realization of the courageous woman standing beside, and laboring with, the one who comes to free captives.

Throughout the centuries, Saints and scholars have put forth different interpretations for the name "Mary." A mixture of etymology and devotion has combined to produce an interesting array of meanings:

"Mary means enlightener, because She brought forth the Light of the world. In the Syriac tongue, Mary signifies Lady." [St. Isidore of Seville +636]

"Let me say something concerning this name also, which is interpreted to mean Star of the sea, and admirably suits the Virgin Mother." [St. Bernard +1153]

"Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession." [St. Thomas Aquinas +1274]

"This most holy, sweet and worthy name was 'eminently fitted to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea, the illuminated or illuminatrix. Mary is interpreted Lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to men She is the Star of the sea; to the Angels She is illuminatrix, and to all creatures She is Lady ." [St. Bonaventure +1274]

"God the Father gathered all the waters together and called them the seas or maria [Latin, seas]. He gathered all His grace together and called it Mary or Maria . . .This immense treasury is none other than Mary whom the Saints call the 'treasury of the Lord.' From Her fullness all men are made
rich;" [St. Louis de Montfort +1716]

The hallowed title, "Star of the Sea," dates back to St. Jerome [+420]. It has been said that the great Doctor had originally used the phrase Stilla Maris to describe Mary as a "drop of the sea," the sea being God. A copyist's error, then, could have resulted in stilla [drop] being written down as stella [star]. Of course, the hallowed title, "Star of the Sea," suits Our Lady perfectly:

" 'And the Virgin's name was Mary.' Let us say a few things about this name, which can be interpreted to mean Star of the sea, an apt designation for the Virgin Mother. She is most beautifully likened to a star, for a star pours forth its light without losing anything of its nature. She gave us Her Son without losing anything of Her virginity. The glowing rays of a star take nothing away from its beauty. N either has the Son taken anything away from His Mother's integrity.

"She is that noble star of Jacob, illuminating the whole world, penetrating from the highest heavens to the deepest depths of Hell. The warmth of Her brilliance shines in the minds of men, encouraging virtue, extinguishing vice. She is that glorious star lighting the way across this vast ocean of life, glowing with merits, guiding by example.

"When you find yourself tossed by the raging storms on this great sea of life, far from land, keep your eyes fixed on this Star to avoid disaster. When the winds of temptation or the rocks of tribulation threaten, look up to the Star, call upon Mary!" [St. Bernard, Second Homily on the Missus Est]

The interpretation "Lady" for Mary was also proposed by St. Jerome, based on the Aramaic word, mar, meaning "Lord". This would render the meaning "Lady" in the regal or noble sense [as in "Lord and Lady."] Catholic sensibility, however, recognizing in Mary the simple dignity of a Mother, as well as the grandeur of a Queen, did not hesitate to add an affectionate touch to this majestic title. Mary is not just "Lady;" She is "Madonna," Notre Dame-----i.e., She is Our Lady. This aspect of Mary -----"Lady" or "Mistress"-----is close to Our Lord's Heart. We read in the Scriptures how, for a time, the youthful Christ made Himself "subject" to Her and St. Joseph, an act of Divine condescension which caused St. Bernard to wonder:

"Which shall we admire first? The tremendous submission of the Son of God, or the tremendous God-given dignity of the Mother of God? Both are marvels: both amazing. When God obeys a woman, it is humility without precedent. When a woman commands her God, it is sublime beyond measure." [First Homily on the Missus Est]

It is not difficult to see why these various interpretations of the name "Mary" should have been proposed and cherished, for they encapsulate many of our Marian doctrines and beliefs. "Bitter sea [mara = bitter; yam = sea]," for instance, in addition to the interpretation given by St. Bonaventure, also calls to mind Our Lady's Seven Sorrows and the sword which "pierced" Her soul on Calvary, recalling the lamentation of the mother-in-law of Ruth, who had lost a husband and two sons: "Call me not Noemi, [that is, beautiful,] but call me Mara, [that is, bitter,] for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness [Rt. 1: 20]." Maror are "bitter herbs," such as are found on the seder plate at Passover.

The "Illuminated" points us to St. John's apocalyptic image of the "Woman clothed with the Sun," a dual image encompassing both the Catholic Church and Mary, the Mother and Image of the Church. In addition, the "Illuminated" has also been rendered as the "Enlightener" and, like St. Bernard, St. Aelred [+1167] combines this meaning with that of the Stella Maris in a powerful passage:

"Therefore a certain Star has risen for us today: Our Lady, Saint Mary. Her name means Star of the sea; no doubt the Star of this sea which is the world. Therefore, we ought to lift up our eyes to this Star that has appeared on earth today in order that She may lead us, in order that She may enlighten us, in order that She may show us these steps so that we shall know them, in order that She may help us so that we may be able to ascend. And therefore it is a beautiful thing that Mary is placed in this stairway of which we are speaking, there where we must begin to climb. As the Evangelist says, Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, so immediately at the very moment of our conversion She appears to us and receives us into Her care and enlightens us in Her light and accompanies us along this laborious path." [Sermon 24, For the Nativity of Holy Mary]

There is another interpretation for the name "Mary" which is quite interesting in that it relates to the Church as well. This supposes the name to be derived from the Hebrew verb mara, meaning "to be fleshy or robust. In the East, such descriptions implying corpulence were used to indicate beauty and fecundity. Here, then, Our Lady's name would indicate "The Beautiful One," quite fitting for the Immaculate Conception. [Tota Pulchra Es, M aria!-----"You are all beautiful, Mary!"] The Psalms prophetically describe the Church in this manner, all alluding to the fruitfulness and spiritual gifts of the Holy Ghost:

"The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain . . . A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell." [Ps. 67:16-17]

This image resonates with the prophecy of Isaias concerning the New Dispensation [and the Church], and with the words of Our Lord:

"And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all the nations shall flow unto it [Is. 2: 2] . . . You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid." [Mt. 5: 14]

It is here that the Psalms intersect with St. John's Apocalyptic vision, to present the maternal function of the Church, a virginal maternity mirroring that of Our Lady, which begets new "brethren" of Christ, new sons and daughters of Mary ["the rest of Her seed," as Catholics are called by St. John in his Apocalypse] and new children of God the Father:

"But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." [Jn. 1: 12-13]

"The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains: The Lord loveth the gates of Sion above all the tabernacles of Jacob. Glorious things are said of Thee, O city of God . . . Shall not Sion say: This man and that man is born in Her? And the Highest Himself hath founded Her." [Ps. 86: 1-3, 5]

The inspired texts prophesy that the Church will be "exalted"-----It shall be exalted above the hills, and all the nations shall flow unto it. So, too, will be the Mother of the Church, She who prophesied that "all generations shall call Me blessed." Another proposed meaning for the Blessed Virgin's name reflects this exaltation, the majesty of the Queen of Heaven. It derives from ancient Canaanite literature, where the word mrym [pronounced somewhat like Maryam] means "height" [sharing the same derivation as marom, the Hebrew word for "height"]. This would render Mary's name as "Highness" or "The Exalted One."

This fascinating-----and very, very Catholic-----desire to explore the meaning and depths of the holy name of "Mary" is not merely a pious pursuit, unrelated to any theological concerns. In the various interpretations set forth, a wealth of Marian doctrine is made manifest, not in the clinical language of theology , but in rich, colorful meditations on Our Lady's name, and sacred truths are explored and taught in language easily comprehended and appreciated by all.

In his fine book, The Wondrous Childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God, St. John Eudes [+1680] offers meditations on seventeen interpretations of the name "Mary," taken from the writings of "the Holy Fathers and by some celebrated Doctors. "Among these are "God born of my race," [St. Ambrose] "Rain of the sea, falling at convenient time and season," [St. Peter Canisius] "Myrrh of the Sea," [St. Jerome] and "The hope of those who voyage on the stormy sea of this world." [St. Epiphanius] It is quite clear-----from Scripture, Tradition and history-----that the Church owes so much to Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer and our Mother "in the order of grace." How does the gratitude and affection of Her spiritual children manifest itself in the beautiful Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, and what does this cherished name mean to those who love and venerate the Mother of God?

excerpt from September 2001 edition of Catholic Family News Read more!

Once again, I'd like to extend an invitation to you, dear friends in Christ, on behalf of Holy Family Catholic Church in Columbus, for the September 14th Solemn High Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. As many of you are aware, September 14th is the date set for the full implementation of the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum."

The Solemn High Mass which will be offered on Friday, September 14th at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio, will provide a unique opportunity not only for the faithful as yet unfamiliar with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, but will also utilize several precious artifacts from the Holy Family Jubilee Museum. The 1607 Pius V Missal will be used for this very special Mass, as will the Mary Queen of Scots Chalice and vintage vestments. To quote Fr. Lutz: "the oldest of the old."

These items are generally kept in the Pontifical Museum, but will be brought out for this day of joyous celebration.

Additionally, on the same day, at EWTN, there will be a Solemn High Mass with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. We have let them borrow our main altar cards, historic missals and ciboria for the occasion. In exchange, Holy Family and the Jubilee Museum will be mentioned on air. Be sure to watch EWTN for this coverage.
Read more!

A Boy Is...
Trust with dirt on its face,
Beauty with a cut on its finger,
Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the
Hope of the future with
A frog in its pocket.

Happy Birthday Joseph!

Today our dear Joseph Thomas is 11 years old...11 on the 11th! How precious you are to us, my son. You are growing into a wonderful young man. Happy birthday, big guy! Read more!

What a lovely start to the school year! Our new schedule has been well received by the scholars of Sacred Heart Academy. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos...I'm not the photographer that my dear daughter is.
Nonetheless, we are quite pleased with our little classroom...though the toddler did take great offense, at not having been given her very own desk (the picnic table must suffice, for the time being!)

Here is our current schedule:

The Sacred Heart Academy
Schedule

7:00 – Mom rises, prepares Dad’s breakfast and lunch
7:30 – Mom eats breakfast, researches Saint of the day
8:00 – Children rise, eat breakfast while Mom reads aloud (we call this Breakfast At The Monastery!)
8:30 – Morning Offering and “10 minute tidy”
9:00 – Classes start

(Mom will start class with morning directions for older students and “Calendar Time” and “Bible Story” for little ones)

12:00 – Lunch
12:30 – Rosary
1:00 – Classes resume, if necessary

(At end of class, each child will receive another “10 minute tidy” assignment)

Free time when school is done!

*Schedule will be altered to accommodate Friday a.m. Mass/Little Flowers Group and Tuesday a.m. Schola – most Fridays, we will not have school, unless we have to substitute for a field trip or sick day.

What is the "10 minute tidy"?

Years ago, I utilized this technique to stay on top of the housework during the course of the school day. The primary goal is to accomplish a great deal of work, with as little effort as possible.

Slips of paper bearing the names of household "problem areas" and four or five "quick fixes" are placed in a jar. For example: the slip of paper has "kitchen" on one side and on the reverse, it contains a list...sweep floor, pick up trash, empty dishwasher, etc.

Twice a day, each child will draw a slip and devote ten, concentrated minutes of effort to the "problem area." I have actually labeled three slips with "10 minutes of folding laundry"...my personal dragon!

Having drawn a slip, each child is quickly excused to accomplish as many tasks as they can on their slip during the 10 minute period, while mom sets the timer. It is simply amazing how very motivated the children are, when the work is broken down into bite-sized pieces. Within minutes the "problem areas" are no longer a problem.

And the real beauty of the "10 minute tidy"? With six young children at home, and two "tidy" periods...I'm getting two hours of concentrated effort for the "price" of twenty minutes. Tidy house, motivated children...happy, happy mommy! Read more!