Sisters of Divine Love and Mercy

 

I am over the moon happy!

After more than a decade, my sister was able to canonically establish her order!!

She's the one on the left; isn't she beautiful!!

If you don't know how this works, she was asked by her bishop to found an order of teaching sisters in Ghana.

In order to found an order, the new foundress (and the first few sisters) are formed by an established order, in this case the order my other sister is in: the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT).

The superior of that order is the sister in gray.

If all goes well, after full formation, the foundress and her new sisters make their vows and receive their new habit, and a new order is born: The Sisters of Divine Love and Mercy!

They made their new vows on the feast of the Annunciation, just about this time last week!

I can't tell you how happy and proud I am of her - this is so much more exciting, even than when she got her doctorate.

It's been such an incredible blessing to accompany her on this journey.  Please say a prayer for her and her new order!

All Souls

 

Finally got a chance to visit the cemetery to pray for All Souls, but especially those dear to us.

 

 

This year it hasn't frosted yet, so we have an abundance of the cold loving camellias along with a lot of late blooming summer flowers.

 

I had so many flowers this year, instead of bouquets I just plucked the flower heads to make arrangements on the graves.

I thought it was very pretty!

Klenda helped with the arranging, and I think, next year, I'll have all the kids do some if they like.

We had all voted by mail weeks ago, so today was a beautiful and peaceful day to pray and talk about our loved ones.

Remembering the Poor

We haven't been going out much lately, but we are still occasionally running into people who are down on their luck and asking for help.

I know there is some debate about giving people money directly.  I do try to give money, but I often am not carrying cash.

I try to always have a bag of helpful things to give them.  I make 6 bags, one for each car and a couple of extras, so that as soon as we give one away, I can replace it.

This is what the summer bags look like this year: a water bottle, socks, tissues, toothbrush and toothpaste,  wet wipes, deodorant, bandaids, dental floss (which has multiple uses), wet wipes, an energy bar, a piece of candy, a cloth mask, and a pair of gloves.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Poster

Well, Choclo's Confirmation is postponed due to the pandemic, and who knows when it will be rescheduled.  But it will happen, and we are still preparing. 

The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit are easy to turn into lists to be memorized, but they can then all run together without a clear idea of what is a gift (special grace from the Holy Spirit), and what is a fruit (a sign that the Holy Spirit is acting in your life, a sign that you are using the gifts).

Putting them in separate posters  and uncovering one at a time lets us spend a few days with each gift or fruit, and hopefully will help him understand them at a deeper level.

As you can see, he "opened" all the Gifts of the Spirit, and we've moved on to "picking" the Fruits of the Spirit.  The Gifts poster has the Holy Spirit actively giving the gifts, and the Fruits poster has Him resting in the tree (representing the soul). 

As Choclo "picks" a random fruit, it uncovers a gift and we discuss what it looks like when a person is showing that fruit.

Wordless Wednesday: May Crowning

Happy Feast of the Annuciation!

Annunciation

‘Hail, space for the uncontained God’
From the Agathistos Hymn,

Greece, VIc

We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,
almost always a lectern, a book; always
the tall lily.

       Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings,
the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering,
whom she acknowledges, a guest.

But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions
courage.

       The engendering Spirit
did not enter her without consent.

         God waited.

She was free
to accept or to refuse, choice
integral to humanness.

                  ____________________

Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?

         Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.

More often
those moments
      when roads of light and storm
      open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from

in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
                                 God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.

                  ____________________

She had been a child who played, ate, slept
like any other child–but unlike others,
wept only for pity, laughed
in joy not triumph.
Compassion and intelligence
fused in her, indivisible.

Called to a destiny more momentous
than any in all of Time,
she did not quail,

  only asked

a simple, ‘How can this be?’
and gravely, courteously,
took to heart the angel’s reply,
the astounding ministry she was offered:

to bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power–
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light.

                     Then bring to birth,
push out into air, a Man-child
needing, like any other,
milk and love–

but who was God.

This was the moment no one speaks of,

when she could still refuse.

A breath unbreathed,

                                Spirit,

                                          suspended,

                                                            waiting.

                  ____________________

She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’

Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’

She did not submit with gritted teeth,

                                                       raging, coerced.

Bravest of all humans,

                                  consent illumined her.

The room filled with its light,

the lily glowed in it,

                               and the iridescent wings.

Consent,

              courage unparalleled,

opened her utterly.

By Denise Levertov

HT Ignatian Spirituality

Happy Feast of St. Joseph!

Limbo
By Sr. Mary Ada

The ancient greyness shifted
Suddenly and thinned
Like mist upon the moors
Before a wind.
An old, old prophet lifted
A shining face and said :
“He will be coming soon.
The Son of God is dead;
He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred
All souls.
They wondered if they dreamed ---
Save one old man who seemed
Not even to have heard.

And Moses standing,
Hushed them all to ask
If any had a welcome song prepared.
If not, would David take the task?
And if they cared
Could not the three young children sing
The Benedicite, the canticle of praise
They made when God kept them from perishing
In the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them,
Stilling Moses’ words.
No one could speak, remembering
The first fresh flowers,
The little singing birds.
Still others thought of fields new ploughed
Or apple trees
All blossom-boughed.
Or some, the way a dried bed fills
With water
Laughing down green hills.
The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam
On bright blue seas.
The one old man who had not stirred
Remembered home.

And there He was
Splendid as the morning sun and fair
As only God is fair.
And they, confused with joy,
Knelt to adore
Seeing that he wore
Five crimson stars
He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung.
None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song.
A silent man alone
Of all that throng
Found tongue ----
Not any other.
Close to His heart
When the embrace was done,
Old Joseph said,
“How is Your Mother,
How is Your Mother, Son?”

Welcome to November

 We went directly from highs in the low 70s in October to our first frost and a high of 55 on the first of November!

But it was a lovely All Saints.  We went to Mass together, and ate lots of candy while listening to fun stories about random saints.

 All Souls Day was crowded! 

We made it to Mass again, then Choclo and Oob helped the younger Scouts go door to door Scouting for Food.

Then it was off to the cemetery to decorate graves, pray for our dear ones and tell stories about those who have gone before us.

Then Leena and I set up the flowers and candles for our parish's Rite of Remembrance.

This is a lovely Mass for all the people who have been buried from Holy Redeemer in the past year.

The families come and each light a candle and receive a flower.  There's an extra candle for those we lost who were buried elsewhere.

The arrangement stays up over the weekend to remind everyone to pray for our departed, then the families get to keep the candle with their loved one's name.

I HAVE RETURNED!

 From the Sublime to the Ridiculous...

We took down all of the Halloween decorations and brought up

THE GLORIOUS TURKEY!!

Poem of the Week: St. Patrick's Breastplate

St. Patrick's Lorica

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

HT for image and the full prayer: Discerning Hearts

 

All Souls Day

Eternal rest

grant unto them

o Lord,









And let

perpetual light

shine upon them.














May they rest

in peace,

Amen.

Retreat!

Long time, no blog.  We've been working like crazy to put on our Regional Lay Dominican Retreat.

It happened the weekend before last, and it went really well!  We had our long time friend (and Zorg and Mxyl's godfather), Fr. John Paul Walker, OP as our retreat master. 

He talked about rekindling our first fervor, often by telling us beautiful, moving, and funny stories from St. Dominic and early Dominicans.

There's something special that happens in any family when you start telling old family stories, and the older, the better.  These stories are 800 years old!

It was a good reminder of why we became Dominicans, of how we love God, love each other, and love souls.

Zorg came along and recorded the talks, so we'll be making CDs in a little while.

And now that it's over, I have been scrambling to pick up the pieces of the new school year!

Baltimore with Klenda

Klenda is starting at the Schuler School in a few weeks, and she wanted to do a test run of her train commute.

I spent 6 years living and working in Baltimore, so I volunteered to ride along and show her the sights.

I really love Baltimore!









After checking out the lay of the land around her new school, we walked downtown and visited the Basilica of the Assumption.





 We walked around the Mount Vernon neighborhood and stopped in at The Walters.

It was lovely to linger over the paintings.

The 1890s townhouse the museum was renovating was finally open, and it is really an architectural gem.

 
 I've always loved this sweeping staircase which curves up to a carved plaster dome crowned with this beautiful window.

 They've actually installed a lot of modern art  in the townhouse, and I felt the stylistic conflict was a bit jarring.  Previously, they had the house decorated as a period piece: the home of a collector of Japanese art, and I really had enjoyed that, so maybe it's partly just the contrast.

We did find some pieces we liked, though, including this exquisite pottery.

Then it was time for the train back!




One of the things I've always loved about Baltimore is that the city overflows with art.  I've never seen a building there that was strictly utilitarian.  Even the warehouses have little architectural  flourishes.

The main train station has beautiful stained glass ceilings and  walls decorated with marble and carved plaster.


It was such a fun and beauty filled day!

The Lawn, or In Praise of Dandelions

More flowers!

Honestly, I love dandelions.  I never got over seeing a field of dandelions when I was 4. 

I know this is supposed to be the suburban gardener's nightmare, but if dandelions were difficult to grow, they would be really expensive!  Think about it: beautiful flower, interesting seed head, fascinating floating seeds, interesting leaf shape, and edible (and medicinal) leaves.

I love it that God didn't make them hard to grow!  Since they are so prolific, every child can make dandelion crowns from the flowers and blow wishes (or dandelion clocks) on the seed heads - play that never would be allowed on, say, a lotus.  I'm glad God didn't make beauty rare.

To me dandelions are an invitation to enjoy God's gratuitous beauty.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sorry, I've been off Ye Olde Blog for a bit.  I've been busy both having fun and putting out fires.
Which reminds me, I have a ton of things to blog about!

 

I'll get to everything eventually.  Probably.

Right now, it's St. Patrick's Day!!!!   I'm cooking 20 lbs of corned beef, 3 large cabbages and 10-15 lbs of potatoes. Klenda just finished making a double batch of Irish cream flavored Oreo truffles for dessert. Here's a post on why this day is special to us.

We are feeding the 16 gentleman our parish is currently housing for Safe Haven, as well as another 10 or so here at home.  Yes, I realize that's a lot of meat for 26 people, but I'd love for everyone to have as much delicious corned beef as they want to eat!

This year I'm trying the enormous pressure cooker my mom gave me.  If it works, it'll be by far the easiest way we've ever done this.  It's just the "If" that worries me!

In the meantime,  let's enjoy a discussion of the Trinity with St. Patrick's Bad Analogies!

And, of course, the Lorica, St. Patrick's Breastplate:

Wordless Wednesday: May Crowning

Wordless Wednesday: St. John Paul II Shrine