Is there something good thing what has happened in your life?
I think we could all use some good news.
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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 12: Some flowers for Mary: “SPACE EXPLORATION! I blame the Baltimore Catechism. In he 1950’s they added the question, “Is there Llife on other planets?”…”
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 12: Some flowers for Mary: “White to move and mate in 4. NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “I’m glad your mom fared well. If she needs anything let me know -one old LEO to another. Our diocesan…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “So glad to hear that your mother is doing ok, after all those tornadoes. Thank God.”
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 11: ‘shrooms: ““At Rome (how said in Latin?) the sun rose at 7:16. The sun will set at 18:37. Clouds moving in.…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “So glad to hear your Mom is OK! You are both in our prayers, as well as all those devastated…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: ““I got a message from her that she had gone to stay with a friend (with a generator) and they…”
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 11: ‘shrooms: “I wonder how many of the unseen guests were at the conference of Luv. I can smell sulphur right now.…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “Thank God for the good news about your mother and her home! Seeing the news coverage and damage made me…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “Great news on your mom, praise God! Prayers continue for the people still dealing with the aftermath.”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “Thank you for the update Father, glad to hear this and thank you God for protecting ‘Momma Z’! LOL! Further…”
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 11: ‘shrooms: “Fr. Z thank you for all of your columns! Did you know that the daily chess quiz has not been…”
- on UPDATE AND THANKS: “Your mother is in my prayers daily. I’m glad her house was saved and she was OK. Prayers work for…”
- on Rome 24/10 – Day 11: ‘shrooms: “NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others. In London at…”
ABORTION PILL RESCUE NETWORK
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I received a job offer and accepted said job offer. I get sworn in as a peace officer next week.
We had a visit from family that we have not seen in years!
This past Saturday, I went to a ‘mini-retreat’ at Auriesville Shrine on ‘The Spirituality of St. Joan of Arc’. I brought some items from my St. Joan collection to put on display for the people to see, including a replica of her battle standard. In case anyone here doesn’t know, 2012 is the 600th anniversary of St. Joan’s birth. And one of the North American Martyrs who died at Auriesville, St. Isaac Jogues, was born in Orleans, France, the city which St. Joan liberated in 1429.
Another piece of ‘good news’ is the announcement from the Holy Father of the impending canonizations of two Blesseds with ties to Upstate NY, Kateri Tekakwitha and Mother Marianne Cope! They, and five others, will be canonized on Sunday, October 21!
Oh, how I want to go to the canonizations! The only way I can do it is win a big prize in the lottery….
Saturday morning my wife & I learned that she is pregnant with our first child. This will be both of our parents first grandchild.
I heard I’m going to be offered the job I interviewed for in January. I won’t exhale in until all the paperwork is in and I’m at my new desk, but this is a big deal.
I also gave a paper at the national conference in my field in the past week, and it was very well received. Major prayers answered.
And congrats, APX!
I received a job offer after being unemployed for five months. Deo Gratias!
God has given us another day to give Him glory!!
I have a bit of good news… went out to my soon-to-be new digs on the Oregon coast this weekend. There’s a little parish called St. Mary’s By The Sea there. There was a strong feeling of reverence and love for God in that old church that overcame it. I also noticed that in spite of the town being chock full of retirees (avg. age is around 55 or so), the little church was comprised of mostly younger folk, which is an excellent sign. There were two infant baptisms yesterday morning to boot.
I’ll try to get up some photographs next week… but if you want an idea of the history, take a gander here: http://www.oregoncoast.com/stmarys/index.html (if I get time, I may have to offer to update the website… it’s contents are mostly current, but it seems a bit dated, design-wise).
I also found that while the nearest local KofC council was 20 miles away in Tillamook (a very rural town), the gents there seem very warm and friendly. There is a stronger presence of Catholicism in general up in Astoria, though that would be a 90 minute drive north of my new home.
Overall, I was worried that all I would find was a decaying Catholic presence with nodding old fossils. Instead I found a church that was not only alive and kicking, but had an active and excited congregation.
Today, if Baby No. 2 cooperates with the ultrasound tech, we find out whether we will be reusing JJ’s close or buying her all new girly ones!
of course that is “clothes” not “close”
My husband unexpectedly changed his mind and is now going to allow me to adopt a dog after being very opposed to the idea for the past couple years. I had all but given up on the possibility. As an animal lover this means a lot to me, and I am very excited.
Today is my 34th birthday. We ordered one too many cakes for my son’s fourth birtday last week and my wife has just taken the extra cake out of the freezer. I also have the week off from work, it being “ski week” or “February break” in some Californian school districts. My wife and kids will still be going to school everyday, so I plan to spend my spare time reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the first time – most likely Hound of the Baskervilles.
My girlfriend sent me a very sweet belated St. Valentine’s Day card, which ended “sic habeas anime cuncta cupita tue”. She’s a medievalist. Obviously.
Just back from vacation-a Caribbean cruise and a couple days in New Orleans. The wife and I were pleasantly surprised at the opportunity to attend Mass TWICE while on the ship! Kudos to the Alabama Knights of Columbus vacationing with us for bringing their pastor along!
As I drove up to our church on the way to Mass yesterday, I was surprised to see a small anti-HHS demonstration apparently taking place, with several placards, for instance, one reading TEAPARTY SUPPORTS CATHOLICS.
Selected a wedding dress, and future husband and I picked out our wedding bands. And future mother-in-law offered to pay for them! This is really happening, isn’t it. :-)
My wife is nearing her 12th week of pregnancy. We remain prayfully optimistic we have lost the last three pregnancies between 8 and 10 weeks. Things are really looking good this time, praise God. We’ve been looking forward to ‘the tie breaker’ for many years (we have 2 boys and 2 girls).
Also, we are having a TLM (Low Mass) for Ash Wednesday. Receiving ashes kneeling is pretty cool.
I was pulling out of a parking space and a woman came around the curve. I scraped her whole car from one end to the other – an ugly, ‘heart-stopping’ black mark. The whole mark came off on a Kleenex – it was just tire rubber – not the slightest scratch. We were just looking at each other thinking, ‘we are supposed to be angry’ But neither of us really wanted to . We didn’t embrace or anything but we both shared that ‘guardian angel’ feeling.
My husband and I taught a Natural Family Planning class yesterday and we had five couples in attendance! It was our largest class yet.
My brother went to Confession on Saturday for the first time in ages, and has been coming to Mass with us lately!
The Great Lent starts today! (for Byzantine Catholics)
I always find I need this season by this time of the year
We took our one-month-old son to his first Mass, a Latin OF. Monsignor and Deacon love children and were thrilled to meet him after Mass :)
We Had a Pontifical High Mass at St Martha Catholic Church in Enfield Ct
The Extra Ordinary form…..TLM…..
How Beautiful!
Pictures of the event soon to be on line
My cousin, a freshman in high school, informed me that he spent about $40 of his own money to order Christian Prayer so he could pray the Liturgy of the Hours. He’s a wonderful kid. Lord knows why he looks up to me but I guess one trait rubbed off, which hopefully makes up some for the horrible influence I was on his two older brothers back in my wilder days.
I cannot believe it.
THE ALTAR RAIL WAS RESTORED!!!! Please pardon my excited shouting.
Yesterday I knelt at the rail for Communion for the first time since the 70s. Because the parish is presently fund-raising for and building a new Gothic-style church, the pastor has been unable to divert funds to restore the smaller original church. A parishioner found a way to fund the restoration of the Communion Rail through a Loudoun County historical group! Found in a basement and restored, the rail was recently re-attached to the Sanctuary floor.
My childhood parish church in Leesburg VA is a Norman-style church, built by Mrs Eustis of the area’s Oatlands Estate. A wealthy Episcopalian woman of many art connections [such as the old Corcorans] became Catholic and went to great effort to create a beautiful little church. Formerly a small 1878 humble wooden church, in 1936 she transformed it into a medieval French country Norman-style church. The church included deeply-colored Norman-style stained glass windows, “half-timbered porches, statues based on the elongated proportions seen in the portals of Chartres Cathedral, images of the crucifixion attached to the rood beam, wrought steel chandeliers in the shape of royal French crowns, and French folk-art motifs stenciled on the beams and pews”* in crimson and teal, a della Robbia-reminiscent bas relief Madonna and Child sculpture, a crimson red Belgian tapestry baldacchino and a stuccoed exterior.
Now as a small chapel [the parish now uses a large meeting hall], The Little Church holds two daily Masses, adoration every Thursday, and the Tridentine Extraordinary Form Mass on the first and third Sundays of the month.
In the 1970s, changes were made to this parish church. The communion rail was removed [unbelievably preserved in a basement], the sculptured stations disappeared, the baldacchino was dismantled and cut in half, statues were painted over in beige. Eventually the red tapestry disappeared too, the Madonna was lost, the Sanctuary size was reduced and the side altars removed to make room for more pews. Now, slowly items are being remade, found, restored and replaced through the diligence of a parishioner.
*Dr. James P. Lucier, parishioner historian working the restoration
http://www.adoremus.org/1210Lucier.html
The re-making of the Madonna by the son of the original Italian artist is also interesting:
http://books.google.com/books/about/St_John_s_Madonna_returns_to_Leesburg.html?id=nGb_XwAACAAJ
http://italianpotterymarks.freeforums.org/inscribed-rooster-cantagalli-mark-t201.html#p660
My husband and I finally told everyone that I’m pregnant last week. I’m 15 weeks along and this will be our first child. I’m my mother’s only child, so she cried, before running out and telling everyone at work. My mother-in-law was so excited, she couldn’t sleep that night and actually broke out in hives. All the grandparents are already plotting how to best spoil this child, and I’m thinking about how to thwart them. lol I’m due in August, so I get to be a cranky pregnant lady this summer. ;)
Apparently adding blurring and doubling vision to other end of pregnancy miseries gets your c-section moved up to ASAP.
Happily our family is now one delightful little person larger. 8lbs 4oz at birth. Somehow his presence makes us feel more like a family than we did before.
My incision itches and I could use some prayers about the whole healing process!!
My third grandson (now two months old) was baptized yesterday at Mass. Although often a “fussy” baby, he slept peacefully through the whole thing.
We started a new website at a contemplative augustinian monastery in Nova Scotia, Canada
http://www.ourladyofgracemonastery.com/
The Mother House is Santa Lucia in Rome
Fr. David Wade DeCoste
Chaplain for Our Lady of Grace Monastery
Hubby got a well deserved, much needed raise! I am starting my first Adult Formation class this week – I have textbooks and everything! I’m hoping to learn a lot!
I have some GREAT news. Last week our wonderful, holy Pastor and Parochial Vicar began leading us in recitation of the full set of Leonine prayers after every daily (NO) Mass. Our pastor is doing this in response to the attacks on the Church/religious freedom. We are so blessed in our parish; my prayer is that all priests and Bishops realize that this is spiritual warfare and respond accordingly.
I get to kick off Lent with a three-day silent retreat, starting Thursday night.
And congratulations and prayers for all the preceding wedding/pregnancy/baby-related/job/other good news.
It is just over a year since I received the Sacrament of the Sick following my cancer diagnosis. Now, I’m doing really well, living a normalish life. Deo gratias! I know, of course, that it might not be for long, but God is good and at the moment, I feel well.
We’re going to be grandparents as of April Fool’s Day! Little girl, named for two of my son’s platoon members who were killed in Afghanistan. Big shoes to fill there, honey.
The choir knocked the Palestrina “Magnificat Primi Toni” on the head — again — and we are singing an entire Mozart Mass for the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.
Our pastor preached with fire and brimstone on the HHS mandate — that by the way is very unlike him. He also mentioned lobster as not being quite the thing for Lent . . . :-D
mamajen,
If you are considering one of the retriever or “versatile gun dog” breeds, let me know. You can take or leave my advice (every dog person has an opinion) but at least you’ll have it to take or leave . . . !
@ tygirwulf: Congratulations on your pregnancy! I almost started giggling here at the library as I read about your mother-in-law getting so excited she got hives (not AT her, of course). Never heard of a reaction like that!
I know all about being an August baby, because that’s the month I was born! And my mother had to carry TWO babies during the summer! (I have a twin sister)
Congrats as well to all the other new jobs/pregnancies/new parents posters!
@ mamajen: Oh, how nice to hear that you’re going to adopt a dog! Will it be from a shelter?
An American Mother knows all about dogs and their personalities, so take her advice!
Tomorrow it will six years since I had to put my last dog to sleep…..my ‘Tia’ (that was her name, she was a Jack Russell / hound mix)….I still miss her… [sniff]…. :-(
@mamajen Congrats! This is GOOD NEWS. You are being very PRO LIFE. Millions (about 4 mil) dogs and cats were killed in our shelters last year for the crime of being homeless. This economy has only added to those tossed out like a used rag. (Yet another group brought to misery by Obamanomics.) You are doing a very good thing. Please adopt do NOT buy from a puppy store. Buying from a puppy supplier keeps the misery faced by puppy mill dams, sires and pups going.
I am sure you love your husband very much and when he sees the love that forms between you and your dog, he will want to be part of it. I stopped dating one guy, whom many thought was “perfect” for me, when I saw his reaction to my beloved, first dachsie. He was one of only 5 people whom in her long (20yr) lifetime she could not completely win over. Years later when reconnecting with him, I found out her and my instincts were right and those who thought him perfect for me were wrong. My little guardian angel on 4 paws spared me from a bad match.
Lent starts tomorrow. +:-) (<– That is a smiley face with ashes, in case you're wondering!)
Also, on Sunday our choir sang for the first time at Mass the English Gloria with parts and descant, and I think it went well.
irishgirl,
Thank you for your kind words! I am sorry for your loss — they do wag their way into our hearts, don’t they?
AvantiBev, mamajen,
What you said, AvantiBev! Never, ever, ever buy from a pet store! You are simply supporting the puppy mills when you do that — plus you will likely get a pup with socialization problems, genetic problems, and probably bad health as well.
A good alternative to going to a shelter (where there is no telling what you might get – much like the pet store) is contacting one of the breed-specific rescue organizations. They pull dogs from the animal control units and county shelters, so you are still helping with the abandoned pet problem. The advantage to going through breed rescue is that the dogs are fostered by people familiar with the breed for long enough to evaluate their personalities & deal with any health problems (heartworm, etc.). The rescue folks will be able to tell you more about a prospective adoption’s personality, whether he or she is good with cats, birds, small children, etc.
On the other hand, if you think you might want a dog for a specific purpose (obedience, agility, bird dog work or retrieving – every dog needs a job!) it may be best to do some research and buy from a professional or serious hobby breeder who competes in that discipline. Although many breed rescue organizations have some fabulous dogs — and you can always provisionally register them for competition (in the agility world, mutts/Heinz-57s are registered as “All Americans”, something I have always liked the sound of).
If it’s not too late… I asked my girlfriend “Do you like sacraments?” [yes…] “Then would you like to enter into the sacrament of matrimony with me??”
Fortunately this went over quite well.
My son received his packet to apply to our Diocese for seminary sponsorship.
My husband had an interview and is waiting to hear the job offer.
I had an interview and am scheduled for a second.
All my people are healthy, fed, clothed, sheltered and loved.
Nothing out of this world but a great boon for me.
I forgot my handicap tag and had visions of limping across the packed parking lot.
Gave it one more try and said my following prayer
ANGEL OF GOD
MY GUARDIAN, DEAR
HELP ME TO FIND A PLACE THATS NEAR
Sure enough as I rounded the last line on my last try, a car was pulling out of a regular parking place right in front of the mall.
Thank you, dear Guardian Angel.
He never fails me.
He even sends a breeze to close my door behind me when I come in with my arms full.