2-fers

Two Things That Made Me Smile Today

 1 

This past June during Sr. Antonia's family visit, she joined her three youngest siblings and me on an eastern Iowa adventure. We had a good look around a couple of the cute little Mississippi towns on the way to our chief destination: the trails and caves at Maquoketa State Park (which we highly recommend as a go-to hike!), and of course, whenever we saw a historic old church, we stopped in  for a look around. Our Catholic heritage is just as rich here as it is in Europe; I think a lot of folks don't realize! Some of the great architecture of the world can be found in the tiniest towns in midwest America! I can't remember the name of this particular church, I'm afraid, though, or what town we found it in (I'll have to ask the kids if they remember) -- but it had stellar acoustics. Here you can hear Sister (soprano) with Gabriel (bass), Anna (alto), and William (tenor) joining their voices to the vibrations of over a century of praise and adoration sent heavenward in this beautiful church. 

I was looking for something else today and stumbled upon it -- and it made a dreary gray day here much brighter!

2

This photo of our beautiful daughter-in-law, Kevin's wife, Ina, and their first child, our granddaughter, Sophia Philomena. We haven't had the opportunity to go over to Germany yet to see our little sweetie in person (thanks to the absurdity of the plandemic), but we do get frequent photos over the internet and are able to be in almost constant contact. Say what you want about modern technology -- this is a major plus in its favor!  

Note the photo itself is totally grandmother smile material -- but Kevin sent it with this caption, which made it even better: "When Mom thinks you look really cute, but you've looked really cute for the past 10 minutes..." (Heehee!) Love these beautiful girls! 

Simple Woman Monday

What I'm hearing... The Bridge on the River Kwai. William Holden's voice, but most memorable, the theme song. You know the one? It's going to be stuck in my head now. (Not a bad thing. My Dad used to whistle that tune pretty regularly, and Dad memories are good memories.)

Outside my window...  It snowed this morning! Just a smidge. But then it sleeted and rained, so now it's a slushy, muddy mess. Good reason for a nice cuppa tea and an old movie.

What I'm wearing... Gray wool skirt, striped  green turtleneck, with warm navy blue socks, and gray slippers.

                                                                        What I'm thinking... I thought I'd gotten all my errands run today, including shopping for Thanksgiving groceries, and I was patting myself on the back that I wasn't going to have to go out any more this week -- but I blew it. I took too long pulling together and boxing up one of William's birthday presents (He'll be 15 on Thanksgiving Day !), so I'm going to have to go to the post office to mail it tomorrow morning. Ugh. (whiiiiine) I don't want to have to go out again...

Used to be, I wouldn't cringe at the idea of going out in the world to rub elbows with my fellow citizens. I like people! But elbow rubbing is akin to an act of attempted murder these days, and since I refuse to cover my face with a stupid mask (it's not movie star quality face, of courses, but it's a good face, doggonit -- and it hurts me right in the liberty to cover it up) -- going shopping requires an intestinal fortitude heretofore necessary only for such things as storming castles or jumping out of airplanes.  But I'm an old war-scarred veteran Momma, and I can scrape up the courage for it, you bet! I'd be ashamed not to! Knowing that our forefathers fought and died for our liberty while all I'm doing is smiling down virtue signaling Karens in Walmart, I can do no less than refuse to wear a useless facemask, the only purpose of which is population control. Not that big a deal for me; being the mother of ten children, standing out in a crowd is nothing new -- but, gee whiz, maybe I'm just getting old or something? But bravery is exhausting! 

What I'm learning... I'm reading The Divided Mind by Dr. John Sarno, a fascinating read. I highly recommend it for understanding the mind-spirit-body connection that so affects our health -- and how conventional medicine too often only succeeds in more thoroughly ruining our health with its pharmaceuticals, discounting of the mind's power over the body. It's a little more complicated than just mind over body -- for instance our nutrition is so poor in the 21st century, and our environment filled with toxins -- but, the state of our mind and our emotions also unquestionably influences the health of our bodies. Add the state of the soul into the variables, too, and it's easy to understand why the general state of health throughout the world is so terrible.  

What I'm hoping... Almost all my hopes and prayers are going to Donald Trump and his defense team these days. So much of the future of everyone I love and everything I care about will be shaped by the outcome of this election. God help us.

What I'm working on... Got some paint supplies today to paint the old green cabinet. It's not going to be green any more. There may be an uprising. But, hey. I live here and I have to look at the darn thing. I think it'll look nice with black chalk paint, rubbed to look antique -- with new antiqued fittings and a rebuilt top with dark walnut stain. Hopefully it'll be finished by Christmas break -- just in time for the fam to come home and be chagrinned about it.

What I'm planning... Thanksgiving dinner. We're having squabs this year, just for something different, since we just did a big Thanksgiving dinner when everyone was here for Cathy and Louis's reception in October. We three girls (Cathy, Michelle, and I) are going through our Pintrest  boards for fun and different side dishes and desserts, too! Should be tons of fun!

Some picture thoughts for today...

Me when I have to run an errand and I don't wanna...
(Actually our little princess grandbaby, Claudia, who was a
grumpy  St.Barbara for All Saints Day.)

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- a Special One for Boarder Parents

 “She existed in the Divine Mind as an Eternal Thought before there were any mothers. She is the Mother of mothers—she is the world’s first love.”

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

It is by long-held tradition of the Church that we know the Blessed Mother was offered by St. Anne and St. Joachim to the Temple to be brought up and educated away from the world by men and women dedicated to serving God. In the Eastern Church, celebration of this feast goes back to the 6th century, in the Western Church, the 15th -- and we don't doubt it's true. St. Anne and St. Joachim, long barren, would have well realized that Mary's birth was a singular miracle. Angels foretold it to them! It stands to reason that being holy, themselves, they would give her to the trust of the Temple, but the sacrifice of sending away their one and only child at so tender an age is hard to comprehend. It tears at the heart, doesn't it? 

But it was the right thing to do. Sentimentality has very little place in good parenting. The work of real love is hard. Witness the Supreme Act of Love, the Crucifixion and death of Our Lord, the grandson of Anne and Joachim. A million little sacrifices made up (make up) the one Great Sacrifice, and it started in a material way with the parents of the Mother of God releasing their only child back to God. There is no question Anne and Joachim missed their baby girl every minute of every day she wasn't with them, and even shed private tears over her absence, but I guarantee they didn't regret their decision.

Parents of Boarder Kids know about this. God bless all our Boarder Family friends for the sacrifices they make! St. Anne and St. Joachim are our patron saints, and this is our feast day.

Mother of Divine Grace, help us to learn from the example of your holy parents. Bless us, St. Anne and St. Joachim, on the Feast of the Presentation. Help us to carry on with fortitude when the sacrifices we make for our children's good is just plain hard.  Amen.

Random Questions

 List two things that are more easily done than said. (No, I didn't mix them up.)

1. Origami. You just have to show how it's done. In the same way you have to demonstrate how to do an inside-out ponytail or a bun, which are hair origami.
2. Also Pie Crusts and bread dough. You can read the instructions, but you really just need to do it a few times or watch someone do it, before you know how the dough should look and feel to be properly done.

1. 
   When was the last time you worked really hard to achieve something?
2. Painting the medallion figure of The Sacred Heart for Fr. P's ordination vestments was truly
   challenging. I'd never painted with oils before -- and hadn't painted anything but furniture since I was a teenager, so I had to study up, pray a lot, and put a lot of hours into it. It was far from perfect -- heaven knows, Fr. P could have done so much better -- but I really truly did my best and it turned out better than I very much feared it would!
3. How many all nighters have you pulled?
4. Oh, wow. hundreds. Or, well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but, really: a lot. When I worked on the college paper, we pulled all-nighters fairly often, getting the paper out. Then I become a mother. Ten times.  'Nough said. 
5. If humans didn't evolve to laugh or smile, how would we express our happiness instead? There are small children I know who jump up and down, flapping their hands when they're happy and that's a fairly natural and effective expression of excitement, I think -- but it would be exhausting when you got to be my age. 
6. How many romantic "things" or "flings" have you had?
   
7.                                                        One fling -- 33 years long. 
8. What is your paradise?
9. The closest thing to earthly paradise to me right now is finishing up a good list of chores and just hanging out in my cozy home with Dan (working in the library, maybe), my little dog, Dawsey, lying on the couch by my feet, a glass of good wine at my elbow, a good book to read, and nothing on my calendar hanging over my head. (Which is a description of right now. I don't take it for granted!)
10. 
    

Just sayin'. Praying for the legal teams that are working so hard to prove the evidence
of fraud in this presidential election. We have to be sure that the heavenly team is
also working with us through our prayers for truth and honor in our government. And
the defeat of socialism, not just in America, but throughout the world. 

 

Another Blast from the Past

Spelling Test Friday, November, 2017

Me: "OK, William. Number 10. Surgery. I have a scar from when I had surgery on my knee."

Him: "Did they take the banjo out?"

* Just a sample of the random, head-scratching, do-I-laugh-or-smack-him humor around here.

#homeschoolingforthecomedy##thanxforthememories#

There is an awful lot of wonderful benefit from being able to utilize a good Traditional Catholic School (we are certainly advocates when the situation is right!), but I wouldn't trade our years of home schooling -- as hard as they were sometimes -- for anything on earth! I miss it.

Simple Woman Monday

What I'm hearing... Nothing! Except the washing machine running in the mudroom. The parakeet just chirped. Dawsey is snoozing on the top of the couch, but isn't snoring like he sometimes does. It's very quiet around here these days with no children in the house any more. I very often will turn on a book-on-tape while I do housework, just for the company of voices. (How pathetic is that?) Dan is in the Library at work -- but I try not to bother him too much and he is a total "nose-to-the-grindstone" kind of guy. He comes out for potty breaks and that's about it! Good thing I'm not the one whose supporting income depends on being able to work from home all day! I am so easily distracted! Comes from juggling 10 or 12 balls, 24-7-365 for so many years, I'm sure! I've had so little opportunity to focus on one single thing for any length of time that I find now I don't know how to do it! 

Outside my window...  The last few leaves on the oak tree by the road are hanging on for dear life. After the cold snap a couple weeks ago, the wind, and the smattering of snow, all the color has gone out of the cheeks of Autumn, the leaves still left are exhausted, everything is wan and beige. All the corners of the property are filled with piles of crackly leaves -- from the Walnut tree, the giant cottonwood, the maples and oaks. You can trace the pattern of the wind by where the big piles ended up. I'm wondering  whether, if I wait long enough, it'll all get blown about again by disparate winds and redistribute -- like, out in the forest or down the road. ==but, sigh== I doubt it. We're going to have to get up a work-party to do some raking. We can probably lure them in with a promise of a weenie and s'more roast at the end.  

What I'm wearing... Long grey flannel skirt over leggings, grey thermal shirt under hunter green wool cardigan. Can you tell I woke up chilled? 

What I'm thinking... I've got to get Dawsey to the vet this week for his annual vet-check -- and then to the groomer. I think of that first because he's right in front of me, of course, but more importantly, perhaps, I have to get dentist visits rolling for Gabe and William in Idaho -- then get Gabe set up with an orthodontist. Maybe the week after Thanksgiving. Cruel and unusual punishment to have braces applied right before Turkey and Pie Day!

What I'm learning... I think I'm becoming more and more at peace with this new station in life, sans kids most of the time -- though it is still pretty weird. It's all simpler in that there's literally less that I need to do, but it's less simple in that I now have to figure out what I should be doing -- never had to think about that before! Thankfully, I do get to see Michelle's children at least once a week, and we still host the Sunday Afternoon Club here, so we keep in touch with what's going on with the teenage boarder girls from MDA (They are a delight!),and we're not complete hermits, but it's definitely a much quieter life these days. Maybe a God mandate, I'm learninging more and more, and a gift, because I think I need the peace and quiet. So many years of mental and physical stress (plus Lymes) has taken such a toll, I've come to understand that the only way to unroll the cumulative effect is to treat it with as much true rest as possible -- plus good nutrition, and as little conflict as can be managed. (Having gotten rid of FB should help that!) After over a year of trying the rest cure (to lesser and greater success), I know I'm the healthier for it, in general. My old carcass has had a chance to start healing itself. If I had a house full of kids still, I wouldn't have a chance at it, though. So it's all good. I'm growing accustomed to the gentle routine. And spending so much more time with Dan! That's the best thing.

What I'm hoping... To get all my Christmas shopping finished before the second week of Advent!

What I'm working on... Still working on study guides. An Enid Dinnis compilation of short stories; Enid Dinnis's The Anchorhold, and a stack of books for the AZ Sisters to use next year. 

What I'm planning... Trying to figure out what the plan is for Thanksgiving this year -- and who all is coming. Not sure if we'll have any Boarder kids, though I've heard rumors we may. Wondering if the kids will want to come over for the traditional Pie Day on Wednesday. Things that used to be a given, aren't any more!

Some picture thoughts for today...

Looking east at snow-covered-mountain clouds the other day.

Looking west, back at our homestead, from the Pigeon Creek tree line you see in the above photo.

When You Know the Meme-Maker Has Kids

Claudia with her Dad, Ben

 

Gabe with Daria

Claudia

Filed Under: Kids Will Be Kids

June 19, 2020 

William

Mission from Mom: make brownies to go with ice cream for Sr. Antonia's last night of visitation.

William's Preference: a million other things he'd rather be doing, not the least of which is making chain mail armor out of pvc and silver paint. Or reading.  Or playing with the dog. Or napping. Or anything but making brownies.

Strategy: wander in to where Mom is folding clothes and say: "How high does our oven go? Like, how hot?"

To which Mom responds: 

So he clarifies: "Does it go up to 700°?"

Sister Antonia is sitting next to me, and we look at each other with narrowed and knowing eyes. Sister says: "You don't have to double the temperature if you double the recipe, William!"

But he makes like exasperated and says: "No, no, no, I know that! I just want to be done twice as fast!"

This kid. God love him. I miss his face. I miss the comedy!

Moms

Margherita Sansen Sarto, the mother of Pope Pius X was present at his papal inauguration on August 4, 1903.

It is told that at the close of the papal inauguration ceremonies, as is the custom, she kissed his Papal ring, and then with the candor of a loving mother who understood the immense value of her own vocation, presented her left hand with its simple wedding ring to the pope, saying with a smile, “Now you kiss my ring — for without it, you never would have received yours!”

Isn't this an inspiration? Pope St. Pius X started out in the world as one of ten children reared in a humble ordinary home and became the Vicar of Christ, a sainted hero to traditional Catholics the world over!  

God bless all the Catholic mothers everywhere whose prayers and daily labor go into raising holy citizens of the Church Militant -- who will hopefully become members of the Church Triumphant -- and, who knows? Maybe even the future Pope who will once again " restores all things in Christ."

Pope St. Pius X, pray for us!

Cool Catholic Stuff: The Three Hail Marys

 There is no set intention required, but we've always said our three for "purity, our vocations, and a happy death." We follow each Ave with the Miraculous Medal prayer: O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. This devotion, plus daily devotion to our Guarding Angels and our patrons I've always felt in my bones to have been especially meritorious. How could it not be? It's like surrounding ourselves with heavenly Special Forces!

Random Question Day

Why?

               Why not? 

1. 
   1. Do you bite or lick ice cream? I lick. Mostly. I think. Whatever it is that I do, I end up finishing faster than I should. Like all eating scenarios. I eat twice as fast as Dan. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch today and split an order of twenty wings -- and even though I was also talking twice as fast, I finished all my wings before he'd finished his first five. Here's the thing, though: he's the one who's probably going to have indigestion later. It may be that's more because of all my jibberjabbering, though...? (I'm not going to ask him.)
2. 2. What is home to you? Having moved more than twenty-four times in my 56 years, I've learned better than most that this earth is my ship and not my home. The longest I ever lived in any house was the ten years we spent at the little farm out in Byers, Colorado, but I don't regret a single move we made. Though many might think it's a bad thing for a child (teen, adult, old person) to never have the security of a stationary home to rely upon (and I can see how someone with strong ties to one place might feel that way), I don't miss what I never had -- and actually rather feel that I've gained a perspective that in some ways can be a boon, spiritually and otherwise. I have very little attachment to things, as you might imagine, and even now consider the idea of moving and creating a comfortable and inviting home in a new place a challenge and a delight. I really do! You may think I'm crazy, but as much as I love our beautiful farmhouse in the Iowa Hills, having lived here five years now, I'm starting to get itchy feet! I'm going to need to paint some walls or something. Or maybe it's time we passed this way-too-big-for-us house on to one of the kids with a family and started to build the little cottage we've been dreaming of up on the hill... (Stay tuned for more on that thought.)

Anyway, that's the long answer. The short answer -- maybe the better answer -- is that my earthly home is where Dan is. And where the big green cabinet is. And my books. And the coffee pot.

1. 3. What was the last lie you told? Oh golly. I never lie. And there you have it.
2. 4. Does everyone deserve the truth? Yes, everyone deserves the truth, but there's a time and a place for it -- and a way of telling it. We never told our children that Santa or the Easter Bunny were real, for instance, but the truth of the mysteries of life -- how the stork delivers babies, you know -- should be revealed privately by a trusted authority (preferably Mom or Dad), with the appropriate amount of information at the appropriate age. 
3. 
   5. Describe a moment in which you did something unacceptable in a bad situation. I have an overdeveloped sense of justice and an underdeveloped sense of propriety, and it has caused me and others conflict at times, I'm afraid. 
4. When I was about twelve years old, my little sister was supposed to be helping my little brother load the dishwasher after having had dinner with our grandparents. As very often happened, my siblings got to bickering. If I recall properly, it was because my brother thought he was doing the lion's share of the work (and I think I agreed with him -- but then, he was my Irish Twin and I would have been on his side, regardless). So my brother was miffed and threatened to tell on my sis -- and in the mist of the decades since, I may have gotten the order of things turned around, but I think in response, she threw a piece of spaghetti on him and he retaliated by turning over the half-finished glass of iced tea he had in his hand over her head. And, of course, our Mom came in just in time to see the dousing and yelled at my brother. I butted in, trying to stand up for him, and made everything worse -- mainly for myself. Not for my sibs, though; they were probably pretty tickled that I took the spotlight off them... But I got into a rather regrettable fight with my Mom -- and ran away (my solution for most problems at that time), spending the rest of the day and into to dusk, sitting in a pecan tree on the golf course, eating pecans. I finally came home when I was so thirsty, I was pretty sure I was going to die. But, the long and short of it is that no justice was served except that I was justifiably placed on restriction to the house for a month. I'd embarrassing my Mom in front of her parents (badly done, Lis), but I'd embarrassed myself worse. I'm not sure grandparents ever thought the same about me after that. Little did they know, I really was not the problem child in my family; in fact I was the straight-A student who really never did cause trouble. But I never felt that way around them. I feel my ears getting red even as I type out this memory. I hope I learned something from it, but I'm not sure how well it's stuck. I still have an overdeveloped sense of justice. I feel sorry for the kaffoffle with my Mom so many years ago and have no trouble apologizing for that bad behavior. But nowadays the kaffoffles aren't about strands of spaghetti and iced tea dumpings, but in the defense of my Faith -- and (lately, especially) in the defense of freedom and the American way of life under the Constitution. I can't bring myself to apologize for that.

More Questions For Anyone Who Wants 'Em

(From a random question generator.)

I may tackle some another day. 

1.  List two things that are more easily done than said. (No, I didn't mix them up.)
2. When was the last time you worked really hard to achieve something?
3. How many all nighters have you pulled?
4. If humans didn't evolve to laugh or smile, how would we express our happiness instead?
5. How many romantic "things" or "flings" have you had?
6. What is your paradise?
7. What is your favorite background noise? (Ex. Water dripping, people talking.)
8. How many hearts do you think you have broken?
9. What is the most important thing about electronics? What does this say about you?
10. Why do people care about celebrities? Do you care about celebrities?
11. What is the most annoying thing someone can do to you?
12. Do you overexaggerate? What are the pros and cons of this?
13. Have you played any instruments before? Which instruments?
14. Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not?

Father P -- Child Number Three

  Then

(About 5 years old. I think he was St. Aloysius Gonzaga this All Saints' Day.)

And Now

Still on the run! Good heavens! He's here; he's there; he's everywhere! 

On mission for God always. Fr. Philip Marie, CMRI

He's an organist, choir director, high
school teacher during the week
 and a mission priest in Idaho on
weekends

Baptizing his niece, Claudia. (I got to be proxy Godmother.) The Sacraments
are in his daily toolbox. He's been ordained for about two and a half years now,
but I'm sure he's already lost track of the baptisms, Confessions,
Holy Communions, and Last Rites he's been able to confer.
He probably remembers the weddings, though! He officiated at the weddings
of his brother, Kevin, and his sister, Cathy, for instance, and served at the 
weddings of his sister, Michelle and his brother, Dominic! (Can't tell you, as
a Mom, how awesome that is. Who ever would have thought?)

John Madden-style depiction of what will
be going on the altar at one of the weddings
or ordinations (not sure which). He is a master
flower arranger!

With a fan -- at his happy place.

With Fr. Gronenthal, former teacher of all three younger priests here: Fr. Borja and Fr. Geckle (L & R on the ends), high school classmates and friends through the seminary years, now -- and on to eternity.

Fr. Philip is an extremely talented artist. Here
he's helping us repair and repaint our traditional
family nativity figures.

Not everyone knows this, but he's always been
a Baby Whisperer -- from childhood.

Always in for Nerf gun wars! Take no prisoners. (Except maybe this stuffed monkey.) Like his
brothers (maybe because he has five brothers!), he's a great athlete. I'm told he starts out the
school year in his PE classes by beating his kids in a footrace. He knows how to get boys to listen up!

With three of his sisters -- and me.
Father knows where all the best
 restaurants are. It's a gift.

Repairing a rosary here. He's good for that, too.

An Excellent woodworker, he's pictured here,
in the middle of rebuilding one of our book-
cases to fit out for the large statue of St. Patrick
he repaired and repainted for us.

Walking up the hill to Mount St. Michael, Spokane
with his brothers during one of the Fatima Con-
ferences, I think he spoke that year.

Baden, Germany, 2018

The best thing Fr. Philip does. Nothing else matters much.

 We love this man of God we've been so blessed with and are so proud of him, but we never stop praying for him. No other vocation is so targeted by the devil. This admonition we've heard most of our lives has been driven home in reality by having a son ordained to the priesthood. It's true. Our priests are on the frontlines on the war against evil and receive precious little support from the world -- when they are doing the one *real* thing that can even come close to satisfying for the sins of mankind. Please keep all our hard-working and under-appreciated priests in your prayers, and do everything you can toward their moral support, too. They are so vital in the grand scheme of things; we have a grave responsibility to take good care of all of our priests. They do so much for us! They stand between us and damnation -- individually and as a society. And there are so few of them. Pray for vocations!

The harvest, indeed, is great but the laborers are few. (Matthew 9:37)

Our Lady of Prompt Succor: Help for These Troubled Times

Prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor

(Suggested by Fr. Gabriel for these days)

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, thou art after Jesus our only hope. O Most Holy Virgin, whose merits have raised thee high above angel choirs to the very throne of the Eternal and whose foot crushed the head of the infernal serpent, thou art strong against the enemies of our salvation. O Mother of God, thou art our Mediatrix most kind and loving. Hasten, then to our help, and as thou didst once save thy beloved city from ravaging flames and our country from an alien foe, do now have pity on our misery, and obtain for us the graces we beg of thee. Deliver us from the wiles of Satan, assist us in the many trials which beset our path in this valley of tears, and be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor, now and especially at the hour of our death. Amen

We are praying for peace throughout America during the post-election confusion, that Donald Trump's election is verified and respected, for a smooth transition into the next four-year presidency, that the process of elections is rehabilitated and corrected to prevent fraud and regain the trust of the American people, and that Christ reigns as King, His Mother as Queen over our country, issuing in a new age of Godliness, morality and wholesomeness.

The History of  the Marian Title, Our Lady of Prompt Succor

One of the earliest orders of Sisters to help settle the new world, a group of Ursulines accompanied Fr. Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne to New Orleans as early as 1727. Arriving from Rouen, France they founded a convent, school, and orphanage in the settlement. By 1809, the work of the quickly growing mission had begun to overwhelm the few Sisters, and superior at the time, Mother St. Andre, wrote to her cousin, Mother St. Michel Gensoul, in France, to join her in New Orleans -- and bring more Sisters! Sr. St. Michel wished nothing more than to cooperate in bringing the faith to the New World, but protocol had to be followed; the Sisters had to apply for permission from the Order and receive the official blessing of the pope on the endeavor. Mother St. Michel, anxious to begin her mission work,

St. Mary's, known as " the Old Ursuline Convent"
at original site on Chartres St., New Orleans

prayed to Our Lady for a "quick and favorable" answer from the Vatican, approving the undertaking, promising to have a statue made honoring the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor if her prayer were answered in speedy fashion. 

Any kind of "prompt succor" at this particular time in history, however, would have been deemed by almost anyone as miraculous, as France was at war at the time and Pope Pius VII was being held captive, but such obstacles cannot hinder the Mother of God! Within five weeks, Mother St. Michel received a letter of permission! Within about a year's time, she and her Ursuline Sisters arrived in New Orleans, bearing the specially carved and gilded statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. 

A dozen years later, New Orleans, suffered a tragedy not uncommon at that time of timber construction: fire, practically impossible to control. There were no fire brigades at that time, of course and no hydrants. Inhabitants could only flee, but the Ursulines refused to abandon their chapel and buildings. As danger neared, they placed the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the convent window that faced the fire -- and prayed! Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us or we are lost! Miraculously, the wind immediately changed direction and the convent was preserved, when almost all else around it perished in the flames. This marks the first public miracle attributed to the Blessed Mother under this title.

See how the back of her robes were carved to look
as if they are flowing backward due to her hurry?

The second occurred during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 when 10,000 British troops descended upon New Orleans. The American soldiers, led by General Andrew Jackson, were outnumbered almost 2:1. Defeat more a probability than a possibility, the people of the city fled to the Ursuline convent for safety while the American soldiers fought from behind bales of cotton. The nuns and townspeople held vigil through the night, praying in the chapel before the image of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Miraculously, the Americans defeated the British, with almost no casualties (13 casualties to the British 285; 30 wounded to the British 1,265), and General Jackson (no Catholic, to be sure!), convinced of the heavenly support delivered by the Sisters' prayers, thanked the Ursulines in person. To this day, the Ursuline nuns celebrate an annual Mass on the day of the victory, January 8th, to thank the Blessed Mother for her intercession.

Pope Pius IX authorized the public devotion to this Marian title on September 21, 1851, designating January 8th as its local feast day. The Miraculous

Statue received the honor and approbation of the Church with the blessing of Pope Leo XIII in November, 1894 with the  Canonical Coronation of the statue and the Baby Jesus. In June of 1928, Pope Pius XI declared the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor the Patroness of Louisiana. 

The original statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, moved in the 1920s from the original site of the Ursuline convent in the French Quarter, can be seen at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on the State Street campus of the Ursuline Academy and Convent. 

Jesus Take the Wheel

There's so much conflict in our world right now, the air practically vibrates with it, from civil unrest to rumors of pandemic -- and all that has gone with that -- [grimace], to scandal in the government, and worries about the upcoming election  -- on top of the ever-increasing evidence of immorality and evil on our very doorsteps.

 It's hard not to be overwhelmed. But we don't have to be. We have it in our power to at least approach that 'peace which surpasseth all understanding.' Even in this world that seems so hopeless.  So much is determined by our attitudes and what we allow into our minds, our hearts, our homes -- and therefore, our souls -- and how good we are at letting Jesus be our GPS.

I never bought the idea that Jesus was going to "take the wheel," though there are times when He certainly does do the driving; in reality, He's expecting us to operate the car, fill it with gas, know and obey the rules of the road, be prepared for bad weather, prudently stop for rest and dining breaks (eat more than just junk food!), and listen to the GPS -- because when Our Lord is the GPS, you'll end up at the right Final Destination, even if you make wrong turns.

But I digress. [Recalculating-Recalculating]

Here's the rest of that Douay Rheims quote. It's found in one of the letters from St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 4, verses 4-8:

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. [5] Let your modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh. [6] Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus [8] For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good repute, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things.

I love these comforting words from St. Paul; they're dependable road signs to follow to a peaceful, calm heart. 

First go this way: Don't worry, just pray, and trust God to have everything under control (even if we can't see him any more than we can see the disembodied voice on a GPS). 

Next, turn over here and stay on this road: For peace which surpasseth all understanding (no human reason, just God reason), St. Paul reminds the Corinthians -- and us --  to keep our hearts and minds on Our Lord (which of course encompasses His Mother, the saints, and all heavenly things). The best path to peace and sanity is when our hearts are contemplating heaven, even if our bodies are bailing out a flooded basement. We have a responsibility to do our best in our stations of life, of course, but eternal things are all that matter in the end, anyway.  Lots of prayer goes in to mastering this mindset!

Then this: St. Paul tells us to fill our hearts, our lives -- and our homes --  (and I paraphrase here) with:

* things that are true

* things that are humble 

* things that are just 

* things that are holy 

* things that are lovely 

* anything that is of proven value toward virtue or orderliness

I love this last direction, because this is where a mother can truly shine for her family. If we're already praying and relying on God, and have determined in our daily lives to openly keep our eye on the prize (Our dear Lord and heaven, in general), then it's the most natural thing in the world to go about setting the scene for happiness and peace. Moms are in a unique position to surround our families with all these things in the way we choose to live:

* we can decorate our homes with a generous sprinkling of holy images and simply beautiful and comforting thigs

*  we can train our children's expectations to prefer simplicity and humility by choosing furnishings and fixtures that are not flashy, but of affordable good quality and clearly chosen for function and comfort and avoid objects (and even neighborhoods) that exemplify an overriding desire for popular acclaim or human respect

*  we can prepare our children for adult life by keeping a tidy and organized home and training them to be efficient participators in that goal (because sometimes it is just a goal... ;) )

*  we can teach them to discriminate carefully what type of information -- television, books, music, internet, conversations -- they allow to furnish their minds, hearts, and souls (garbage that goes in never really comes out without leaving debris behind -- and they need to know this!).

These are the things that should fill our minds and hearts. Even when the world is a disaster (it usually is in some way or another), our world doesn't have to be. Sometimes it's not possible to completely unplug ourselves from the media. The news of the world right now is in the very air, everywhere we go whether we like it or not, and it is important as parents to know what is going on and how to understand it all in terms of our faith -- for the purpose of voting, of protecting ourselves and our families -- and just answering the questions our children are bound to pepper us with.

But, if we want to keep our families moving heavenward, all the worldly news should be no more than billboards along the side of the road and not the scenery at all. We can't ignore that they're there, but if we're driving through beautiful country, we can make sure our children are having wholesome conversation inside the car, while focusing on the rolling hills and tidy barns instead. And if God really is our GPS, we'll hit rough patches (no question!), and the landscape might be iffy at times, but all is safe and good, no worries: Dad's steady as a rock, Mom's lined up In Praise of Mary and Enya on the CD player, the doors are locked, the children are teasing each other as children do, the baby is sleeping (God willing) in his car seat, God is never out of signal range, and everyone knows the destination is worth all the effort, even when the road are terrible and all the billboards all tell you you're going the wrong way. You can trust God's Positioning System.