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Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween Storm


At first it looked pretty. It was just frost on the pumpkin. Then the leaves were encased in diamond settings.

But then it turned ugly. Those crystallize leaves weighed too heavily on their branches. Branches snapped. Trees split. There's a tree on the Town Common that split evenly in thirds--center, to the right, and to the left. Some parts of the town looked liked a tornado went through it. A few streets have telephone poles pulled down by trees falling on their wires. Live wires on the street have caused a lot of problems: no electricity, no school, and no trick or treating. You can't have kids walking in the dark with no street lights, or even lights from houses, and accidentally stepping on one of those live wires. So trick or treat has been postponed for Friday.

And I'm exhausted. Since we had no electricity, I had no alarm clock. I kept waking up during the night to check the time on my cell phone. I didn't trust its alarm because I had never used it before. Finally, one of the times I check, I thought the time said almost five o'clock. Close enough to get up. I usually get up at 5:30 AM. It was as cold as a freezer in the house. You could hang meat. So I took a nice, hot, long shower. Afterwards, I checked the time and it was just past four o'clock. So when I got up it was only three something. !!!!!!!!

I was wide awake.

I decided to take advantage of the quiet time and read the Office of Readings, besides pray Morning Prayer. I even had time to pray a Rosary.

I would have enjoyed the time spent alone with God, were it not for the cold. But after two days of no electricity, we just now got the electric power back on. Thanks be to God. This Halloween storm turned out to be a "trick" and also a "treat."

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Beatification of Pere Lataste


The beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Jean-Joseph Lataste

The Secretariat of State has announced that the rite of Beatification of the Venerable Jean-Joseph Lataste will be held in Besançon, France, on Sunday, 3rd June 2012.

His Eminence Card. Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will represent the Holy Father on this occasion.

The Postulation of the Order


Pray that I can go to Besançon.

No Curse on this 9th



The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester with Hebert Blomstedt performs Anton Bruckner's 9th symphony. Love recording at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms on September 1, 2010. I've been listening to Bruckner ever since Pope Benedict tuned me onto him.

* The title "No Curse on this 9th", refers to Beethoven's curse on a composer's 9th.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Apple Affirmations


I wanted to do something fun in T.O.P.S. today. Since this is Halloween weekend, I thought we'd play a game. I thought of bobbing for apples, but that can be messy and isn't really hygienic. So I made up Apple Affirmations. It's not a game. It's more like a T.O.P.S. Chinese Cookie. You know, the cookies with fortunes in them. Although, since this was for T.O.P.S., I exchanged the cookie for something healthy, i.e., an apple. Instead of fortunes, I thought I'd give motivational boosts, with little slips of paper attached to the apple stems. The motivational boosts were in the form of affirmations:

Better choices lead to better living.
The only person that stands in the way of my success is me.
Taking control of my weight and my health is my number one priority.
Persistence and resistance will prolong my existence.
I won't let slip-ups be my downfall.
Self-control is my antidote to temptation.
My genes are not my fault, but my behavior is my responsibility.
I can manage temptation.
If I am wise, I will exercise.
I will maintain a positive attitude.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Anton Bruckner's Te Deum Laudamus



Pope Benedict XVI praised Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony and his "Te Deum," interpreted by the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Audi Youth Choir Academy, conducted by Kent Nagano and Martin Steidler, after attending a concert.

B16 continued praising Anton Bruckner: "Bruckner asked this beloved God to let him enter his mystery, ...to let him praise the Lord in heaven as he had on earth with his music. 'Te Deum laudamus, Te Dominum confitemur'; this great work we have just heard--written at one sitting then reworked over 15 years as if reconsidering how better to thank and praise God -- sums up the faith of this great musician."

The Pope also said that this music gives people hope and brings light and faith into our own lives. This video is not the interpretation of Anton Bruckner that the Pope was listening to. But it's as close as I could find on You Tube. There was no description just the title Anton Bruckner Barenboim 1 Te Deum.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Blaming God when the Bad Happens


People often question God's reasons for whatever misfortune happens to fall. I guess that's a very human response. Our first reaction is to blame somebody. "Who did this?" is a common question. So it's easy to blame God, He's in charge. Wait....is He?

Well, yes and no. I'm not a theologian, or a philosopher, or even a deep thinker. I'm just a simple, old lady fingering her Rosary beads. But I think until I get an answer that satisfies my own questions. And how I see the answer to "why God allows bad things to happen to good people," is because we're in charge of our world.

Remember, we chose to not follow God's rules in the Garden of Eden. We're not living in the Garden anymore. God gave man (us) dominion over this world. We're in charge, meaning we are suppose to help each other, solve our own problems, and take care of our world.

Psalm 115: 16

The heavens belong to the Lord
but the earth He has given to men.


God doesn't allow bad things to happen. We're not living in the Garden of Eden. God made us to use the earth and master it.

Lord have mercy on us.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

New Missal Translation in Boston

Dominican Forum on November 20, 2011

The Greater Boston Pro-Chapter of Saint Dominic will join Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish in co-hosting the sixth in its series of Dominican Forums on Current Issues of Faith and Morals at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, November 20, 2011 in the Lower Church Hall of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish, 270 Elliot Street, Newton Upper Falls. A presentation on “Changes in the Prayers and Responses of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” will be made by Father Charles Higgins, Pastor of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish. The revised translations of the Roman Missal, which are the subject of the presentation, will become effective in all Catholic Churches of the United States on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27th.

All parishioners and members of the Lay Dominican family are welcome to attend the Forum presentation. Ample parking is available behind the church. For further information, please contact either the Church Rectory or call 617- 472- 4446.

This Dominican Forum Series is sponsored by the Lay Dominicans of Greater Boston. The members of the Greater Boston Pro-Chapter of St. Dominic are Catholic men and women, married and single, who live and work in the Greater Boston community. As members of the world-wide Lay Fraternity of Saint Dominic, they have dedicated themselves to remain loyal to the teachings of the Church and to live in accordance with the rule established and modeled by St. Dominic, that is, a life of Prayer, Study, Community and Apostolate. This Greater Boston Chapter of Lay Dominicans will be meeting at 1:00 PM on November 20th, prior to the Forum program, in the Lower Rectory Conference Room of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish for those who are interested.

For further information please contact:
Raymond DiBona at 617 – 472 – 4446 or Ken Caldwell at kmcaldwell1@verizon.net
Thank you for your cooperation and support.

A Representative of Christ

Yesterday, I posted about Confession. However today, I find a need to clarify a statement I

wrote. I was reading Father Z, this morning, and he makes a distinction that is important enough for me to call attention to:

The priest is there not as a “spiritual counsellor” (a phrase I – unfortunately – have seen used to “advertise” confession in another parish), but as the representative of Christ.

As Aquinas would say, "Distinctions are important."

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Confession by the Book of Faith

"-)" ----------- 70 % serious

According to the Book of Faith, here is how to go to Confession:

Where
This depends on your comfort level. If you want a friendly "counseling" Confession then go to a priest that you somewhat know, i.e., your parish priest.
If you want a Confessor that you don't know, that you don't want to know, that you will never, ever, see again--then go to Confession some place far away.
Then there's always personal preference. Some people like Confessors in colleges. They figure that nothing they could do would shock the priest as much as the college kids. Some like the priests at Shrines and Retreat Centers because they might not speak English well...as long as they give Absolution.
Perhaps the best choice is your own parish priest. He should know you well; he's helping you get to heaven.
Then there's the Jesuits. They're easy.

Find out the times
If you can't find a convenient time, you can call the place and make an appointment for Confession.

Examination of Conscience
Go through the ten commandments. Do a Google Search for "Examination of Conscience." Make sure your examination applies to your state of life. If you're an adult husband and father, you don't take your kid's First Penance Catechism and use that Examination. C'mon, be serious.
Take notes if you need.

The Confession Itself
Finally, you're here. If you've made an appointment then you're probably sitting across from the priest. Although, you could tell the priest that you're not comfortable in a face to face position,and he'll take you someplace else.
Begin:
With the Catholic Prayer, "Bless me Father for I have sinned." It is my first Confession; it's been over 20 years since my last Confession; I haven't been since I made my Confirmation; ... tell the priest the truth. Don't play games with your Confessor; he's going to get you to heaven, don't buck him. If the Confessor doesn't know you, it is very helpful if you tell him your state in life, e.i., I'm a married woman with five young children.
Tell your sins.
Take out your notes, if you blank out. And tell the Confessor if you've blanked out, or having a problem. He'll have some prompts to trigger your mind. Don't be too general, e.i. "I've been a bad wife." But don't go into too detailed, detail. Give the Confessor enough information to get the picture. And remember, the Confessor is not a Mental Health Counselor. He's a Spiritual Health Counselor.
Ending
Whew! That's the worst of it. It's done. Let the priest know your finished by telling him: "that's it; I'm sorry for all this; I'm sorry for all my sins now and in the past; and I'll try to be better in the future."

Penance
Now the priest will yell at you. NO! That won't happen. He might fall asleep on you, but he's not going to judge you. He might ask you some questions if he didn't understand you, or get a clear enough picture to what you were confessing, but what he definitely will do will be to give you something to do. More than likely prayers will be your penance, maybe some sort of reparation would be discussed, but it is important that you remember what the Confessor tells you to do. Write it down. Don't forget it.

Contrition
Next the priest will say to you, "Make a good Act of Contrition." Eh???????
An Act of Contrition is a particular prayer. If you don't know what I'm talking about, tell the priest; he'll hand you the prayer to read. If you don't have your reading glasses, he'll read it to you, and you'll understand what an Act of Contrition prayer is. Easy.

Absolution
Don't leave. This is why you came. This is the most important part. You will hear the priest pray:
God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son
has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

and you will see the priest make the sign of the cross. You also in tandem, bless yourself, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Exit
The priest is done. He'll probably say goodbye in a priestly way, e.i., "Go in peace; God bless you; pray for me, etc." It would be nice if you say, "Thank you Father, God bless you."

Wait!
Don't forget to do your penance. Do it immediately, so you don't forget. Then you're done.

\(^^)/
--
\0/

When in Doubt


When in doubt of exactly when a church was dedicated, then do it on October 22. That is, if you belong to the family of the Order of Preachers. (Dominican Family) When the actual date of the dedication of a church is unknown, the Dominicans celebrate its anniversary, today, October 22, the day on which the Dominican church at Toulouse was dedicated in 1385. This church which was one of the most famous of the Dominican churches in the early days of the Order was designated by Pope Urban V, in 1328, as the resting place for the remains of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Mass is celebrated as a Solemnity.

* h/t http://daveys2france.blogspot.com/2010/01/toulouse-church-where-thomas-aquinas-is.html

Friday, October 21, 2011

Bling Bling!


Visiting the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center: that's the Boston Bruin's Stanley Cup ring on your left, and the Patriot's Superbowl Championship ring on your right. I love living in Boston, even though the Boston Red Sox break my heart, time, after time, after time,...

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Potholes


Potholes are ruining my car. All along the right side of the road are potholes, after potholes. Everyone is driving in the middle, in order to avoid their right tire going into one. Filling them with tar is useless, that only washes out in the rain. What to do?

I have an idea. Slant all roads towards the middle. Rain would then collect in the middle of the road, inside of the sides, or shoulders, or whatever. (Roads are personified?) Let the pot holes form in the middle. Who would care about that? You are not suppose to hug the middle, anyway. Put narrow drains in the middle, if you must. But somebody please solve the problem of pot holes in the streets of New England.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

WPI Flashmob



Worcester Polytech's first attempt at a Flash Mob. Good try but what were you guys promoting?

This is Worcester, MA, USA

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Scorecard

Monseigneur Peter's homily made me smile. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It's like a baseball game--you need a scorecard to know the players. I'm talking about Sunday's Gospel, Matt. 22: 15-21.

On one side you have the Pharisees. The leaders of the law. The protectors of religion.
The other side you have the Herodians. They represent the secular. Those that owed the government their livelihood. They support King Herod who support Caesar. Normally, the Pharisees and the Herodians were on opposite sides. But they've joined together to defeat Jesus. A common enemy united them.

Then there's their opponent, Jesus. They throw him a curve ball. They slick it down to slide towards Him, ever so smoothly, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and than you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth...", but it's a trick.

Will Jesus be fooled?

No! Jesus hits the ball out of the park.

"Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Blessed Mother's Chakra Energy





Looking at the differences between the authentic Fatima Statue and the "Hollywood" traveling one, I noticed something interesting. Our Blessed Mother is gathering the "good energy" from heaven, in one hand, and sending the "bad energy" back into the earth.

What??? It's part of Tai Chi, and Yoga, and Prana, etc. IOW, it's a common stance to receive the good and get rid of the bad. I'm talking about energy, or chakra.

I'm not saying what this means. But it's interesting.

Other differences between the statue that Sr. Lucia directed and the showy one,directed by the Bishop of Fatima are:

One is simple----- one is dressed for a "Hollywood" gala
One is veiled----- one wears a humongous crown
One's dress is simple----- one has a lot of "bling"
One's heart is outside----- one doesn't depict a heart
One's hands are in chakra position----- one's hands are folded in prayer

One thing to keep in mind. It's ONLY a statue. Catholics don't worship statues. Catholics honor Mary. Whichever statue turns you on, then let it give you inspiration to venerate the Mother of God.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

No Catholics Need Apply

The USCCB Office of Migration and Refugee Services has been very effective in servicing the victims of human trafficking. This organization had the ability to move in quickly and help the victims of slavery. If an Immigration Enforcement Official found a vulnerable child, a call to MRS found a safe house, immediately. It didn't take mounds of paperwork, purchase orders, authorizations, etc., that governments require. The MRS moved quickly due to its well organized network.

Now, however, the USCCB Office of Migration and Refugee Services has received notification that it won't receive anymore grant money because the USCCB does not promote the government's agenda of sterilization and abortion. IOW, you want government money, then you have to support government programs.

For the past six years, the Federal Government and the USCCB worked well together in servicing the victims of human trafficking. But now, the American Civil Liberties Union brought suit against the Federal Government for not forcing the USCCB to comply with the government's agenda on contraception and abortion.

What happened to the conscience protection clause?

America Needs Fatima




At noon, we all simultaneously prayed the Rosary. By "all," I mean Americas and 22 other countries, across the globe. We were praying for the special intercession of Our Lady for blessings on our world. The praying in particular, is to be a statement, i.e., very public. Most are done in a Town Square, not inside a church. Ours was held on the Town Common.

Friday, October 14, 2011

30 Second Rule

Something funny happened after the Consecration of the Hosts. Father didn't notice that the sleeve of his vestment knocked one of the Hosts onto the floor.

In my parish, the EMHC, the Lectors, the altar servers, all gather around the altar to receive. So we all saw what happened. Everyone looked at each other and smiled sheepishly, not sure what to do. Then Father turned and walked to the Tabernacle to get more consecrated hosts. Frank stepped forward, picked up the Host, and placed it on the altar, next to the ciborium.

Father comes back. He sees the lone Host. He just picks it up and tosses in amongst all the others.

All our eyes popped open wider.

We looked at each other.

Frank in an Irish whisper quips, "30 second rule!" *

* 30 Second Rule

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A Lector's First Proclamation

Yesterday, while my friends and I were walking, we were discussing Carmen's funeral Mass that morning. Someone said that Carmen's Mass was their second for that day. I happened to remember that I once went to four Masses in one day. That feat went uncontested! This is how it happened. When it comes to proclaiming the Word of God, I'm overly conscientious. I think everyone should be. After all, the
Word is the communication of God's will. I consider it an honor to Lector, and as such, I have to work to perform the ministry of being a Lector well. I feel that I'm God's co-worker. He has entrusted this job to me, and I must do everything I can to do Him honor. Feeling as I do, you can imagine my first time lectoring. I was assigned Wednesday night. I forget the scripture reference, but I certainly remember the mention of "the King of Salem." Salem, easy enough you think. Ha! Not for me. I pondered the pronunciation of this word. Was it Salem, as JeruSALEM; or was it Salem, as SALEM, Massachusetts, or SALEM, New Hampshire? Being a smart cookie, I didn't sweat it; I figured I'd just listen very well at morning Mass, and I'll be all set for my evening Mass.

God teased me all day. He must have chuckled at my expense, because Morning Mass at the Abbey was some special occasion. The Abbot was there and he celebrated a Mass of the Holy Spirit--different readings.

After Morning Mass I drove as fast as I could to my own parish Mass at 9:00 AM. Only to find out that it was a funeral Mass--different readings.

One more chance!

I went to Fatima Shrine's daily Mass at 11:00 AM. Success? Not quite! Yes, the reading were the same that I was going to read. However, the Mass celebrant was Italian and spoke with a strong accent. Although, he did say "Salem," like Salem, NH. But I didn't trust his pronunciation. So I telephoned the Dominicans at St. Stephen's Priory, in Dover, MA, and asked to speak to someone who could help me. The friar assured me that however I pronounced "Salem" would be fine. I was to pronounce it the way I was most comfortable.

Well, there I was. I was very nervous, after all, this was my first Lector assignment. I chose to pronounce "Salem" as if it were Salem, NH. It went well.

Then the priest read the Gospel and gave his homily. In his homily he mentioned the King of Salem. And! he pronounced it "Salem", as JeruSALEM.

And God laughed.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

I'll be Seeing You, Ronnie

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near
The winter winds will be much colder
Now that you're not here
.



This stanza is the opening for the Moody Blues song, "Forever Autumn."  I was thinking of autumn this morning, as we buried my brother, Ronald E. Dawson.  I am always grateful that I'm Catholic. Again.  How awful to think that death is the end of life.  


All you have to do is look around at nature to prove otherwise.  The four seasons in nature mirror the four seasons of our human lives.  That's why I was thinking of the Moody Blues' "Forever Autumn."



Réquiem aetérnam dona ei Dómine; et lux perpétua lúce at ei.  Requiéscat in pace.  Amen

Friday, October 7, 2011

Our Lady Help of Christians, Pray for Us

Juan Luna

October 7th in our Liturgical Calendar is the day we celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary.  This day commemorates the victory of the armies of Christendom over the armies of Islam.  G.K. Chesterton wrote a famous poem, entitled Lepanto, about the battle itself.  It is quite long, but here is the first stanza:
Lepanto: by G.K. Chesterton

WHITE founts falling in the Courts of the sun, 
And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run; 
There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared, 
It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard; 
It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips;         5
For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships. 
They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy, 
They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea, 
And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss, 
And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross.  10
The cold queen of England is looking in the glass; 
The shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass; 
From evening isles fantastical rings faint the Spanish gun, 
And the Lord upon the Golden Horn is laughing in the sun.


Lepanto is the most complete victory ever won over the Ottoman Empire.  We Catholics know that the battle was won through the intercession of Our Lady.  The Pope at that time, Pius V, urged everyone to pray the Rosary.  The Rosary is a powerful prayer.  It is a contemplative, vocal, mental prayer that asks Mary's intercession to give us God's blessings.  In thanksgiving for the victory, Pius V instituted the feast day of Our Lady of Victory.  It started to be commemorated by the invocation "Help of Christians," inserted in the Litany of Loretto.

Other victories are attributed to the praying of the Rosary.  At Belgrade the Turks were defeated on the Feast of Our Lady ad Nives in 1716.   A second victory gained that year on the Octave of the Assumption determined Pope Clement XI to command the Feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church. Leo XIII added the invocation "Queen of the most Holy Rosary, pray for us," to the Litany of Loretto. The Feast is in reality a great festival of thanksgiving for the signal and countless benefits bestowed on Christendom through the Rosary.


You can be confident that your trust in Mary will help you confront any problems that you may be facing.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Ronald Edward Dawson

Did I tell you that we're burying my brother tomorrow?

The life of man seems to me like the flight of a sparrow through the hall wherein you are sitting at supper in the winter time, a warm fire lighted on the hearth while storms rage without.  The sparrow flies in at one door, tarries for a moment in the light and hear, and then flying forth through another door vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it had come.  So tarries man for a brief space, but of what went before or what is to follow, we know not.
                                                                                                           The Venerable Bede

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wedding Invitations


Have you ever given a party and no one came?  I have.  And so I sympathize with the host of the wedding banquet in Matt. 22: 1-14.  It's incomprehensible how people don't RSVP.  The first invited guests in Matthew's Gospel do respond negatively.  Their excuses were poor and insulting.  Then the hosts try again and the invitees kill the messengers!

The host reciprocated in kind.

So others were invited and enjoyed the feast.  There is one however, who wasn't dressed properly.  Not only that, he gave no reason for not being prepared.

Are you ready for heaven?  Or will you be unprepared?  You are invited.

R.S.V.P.

Walk to School

I was held up in traffic, this morning.  Not vehicle traffic, but pedestrians.  Not just any ole pedestrians, but kids, children.  It was a parade of school kids.  A hundred kids walking to school.  No, I wasn't dreaming.  Today was International Walk to School Day.

Back in the day, I walked to school twice a day, and walked back home, twice a day.  No wonder I was a skinny kid.  I remember that it took me 20 minutes, if I stopped at the bakery and bought a donut for $.05, then ten minutes if I ran to school.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Franicans


Legend has it that St. Dominic and St. Francis both had similar dreams that they met each other on the street.  The very next day, their dreams became real.  They met and immediate embraced each other.  That is why we Lay Dominicans refer to St. Francis as our Father, too.  We pray for our Father Francis, today.

But whenever I think of St. Dominic and St. Francis, I don't think our our saintly fathers.  No, not at all.  There's only one image that comes to mind, and that's Sister Ruth and Sister Kathleen.  O.P. and O.S. F.

Can You Carry 46 Bags of Potatoes?

At a weight loss workshop in Bridgewater, Tom Carano with potatoes representing the 230 pounds he lost; below, a before picture.
46 bags of potatoes!  When you're over weight by 230 pounds, like Tom Carano was, that's what you're doing. I belong to an organization called T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly).  So does Tom Carano.  He lost the most weight, so he was crowned our International King, for this year.  He certainly is an inspiration.

But T.O.P.S. isn't a Diet group.  It's a health, nutrition conscious, weight management group.  I used it to gain weight, when I was recuperating from Cronkhite Canada Syndrome.  It's about a healthier you.

Do you believe that picture!  If you are overweight, think of your weight as sacks of potatoes.  Read about Tom Carano on this site.


Sunday, October 2, 2011

Our Lady of Fatima came to Visit Us

The traveling Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima came to my parish, tonight.  As I've said before, Our Lady wasn't dressed so flashy, "a la Las Vegas."  This is the traveling statue.  Mary's traveling clothes.  Like all us, when we go out, we get dressed up.

Sr. Lucia gave the sculptor, Fr. Thomas McGlynn, OP directions on what Our Lady looked like.  Her heart was on the outside, and she was dressed very simply.  But this statue is the Pilgrim traveling statue.  The Pope crowned this statue to honor Mary, and a Bishop in Portugal dressed her up to travel around the world giving the message to pray for peace in the world and in the family.

With the permission of Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the World Apostolate of Fatima is traveling the diocese of Boston.  This Statue travels throughout the diocese of the United States.  The Statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI in 1967 and given as a gift to the U.S. by the Bishop of Fatima, under the care of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA.

It is the hope of the Apostolate that more men, women and children will have the opportunity to learn more about the Message of Fatima, gather to pray for peace in the world and in the family, and give honor to Our Lady.  May many prayers be offered this October for these intentions, and may Our Blessed Mother continue to intercede for us, especially the Archdiocese of Boston, and the parish of St. Mary's Franklin.


Prayer to Get A Job Answers

When I look at my "stats," I check to see what "posts" are popular.  I always see that people have looked at, and stayed on, "Prayer to Get a Job."  I'm always moved by this, and pray for them.

Prayer is the first thing people should do, before anything.  It's so simple.  Even if someone didn't believe in God, they need to sit quietly and reflect.  No, God isn't going to do the employment search for you, but you need to touch base with Him.  This quiet time will help to keep things in perspective.

I've been praying for a way to help people.  The answer has come from my own family and friends.  My daughter uses a "head hunter."  "Head Hunters" are employment agencies.  They place you in companies looking for employees.  These were all temporary positions.  Two of them turned into full time job offers.

A friend's daughter got a job through Linkedin; and she wasn't looking for a new job.  Linkedin is a business Facebook.  People with the same job skills network with each other.  Someone needed her skills, and contacted her.  And that's the way Linkedin is supposed to work.

My last suggestion is Jooble.  Jooble is where you find jobs in the USA.  You'll see their ad on my right hand margin.  Click on the rabbit and see how it works.  What have you got to lose?

eVotions App


eVotions

Digital Devotions for Modern Catholics
Catholics can now use modern technology to participate in the beautiful traditions that have kept our faith alive for centuries. Scott Hahn, Archbishop Chaput, and Lisa Hendey are among the list of contributors to the new series of digital devotions.  Order it in iTunes.

Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, Android, iPad and iPod touch. Available on iTunes, Android Marketplace and Amazon.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Turkeys can be a Blessing!


The Feast of St. Therese Lisieux blessed me today.  I attended Mass at Mt. St. Mary's Abbey this morning.  I was happy to see an old friend in the aisle across from me.  During the Kiss of Peace I made a little bit of a show waving to her, so she would see me.  She was with another lady, and when that lady turned around...I knew her also--in a completely different context.  I couldn't believe it.  How could these two be connected?  You never can predict the Holy Spirit.

After Mass, I went and got three prayer books for Terce, and went and sat with them.  It is also a blessing to pray with friends.

Afterwards we reconnected and caught up on each other's lives.  I know Carol because she is a cousin of a Lay Dominican friend.  The last time I saw her was when I was visiting my Spiritual Director at St. Joseph's Abbey.  She is a Lay Cistercian and often attends religious events, where we encounter each other, now and then; but not too often because we live on opposite sides of the state.  Carol was with Sister Mercedes.  I know Sister Mercedes because Sister ministered to the Hispanic community in MCI Norfolk.  Sister's schedule has changed this semester, and she doesn't come to the prison, anymore.

How do they happen to be together?  Both are going to Boston College this semester and living at the same dormitory.   They said they needed a break, so they came to Mt. St. Mary's Abbey for the weekend.  This is where I came in.  We had a happy reunion.

As we were leaving, we ran into a flock of turkeys.  Real ones, this time.

I just smiled.   Turkeys, again!  I took this pic with my iPhone.

Praying from the Heart

 The book I chose for my Lenten reading was Inner Life A Fellow Traveler's Guide to Prayer, by David Torkington.  I finished it this Sun...