I’m linking up with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You for #WorthRevisit Wednesday Linkup.
This remains one of my most-shared posts, on a subject I return to in my thoughts and memories each May. Continue reading
Mary
Fatima: The Apparition That Changed the World Blog Tour
I’m happy to host the blog tour for Jean M. Heimann’s latest book:
Fatima: The Apparition That Changed the World
About the Book:
Fatima. Few place-names in the Christian world conjure up such powerful images and associations as that of this humble town in Portugal. For it was there that Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children beginning in 1917 apparitions that are intimately linked to pious Catholic practices such as devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the five first Saturdays, daily recitation of the Rosary with the Fatima prayer, as well as miracles attested to even by non-believers, such as the day the sun danced. The Virgin’s message, as it always is, was penance. But she also predicted world historical events such as the rise and fall of communism, the second world war, and the attempted assassination of Pope St. John Paul II. She promised refuge in her Immaculate Heart to all who approach her – a promise extended, and urgently needed, today. Continue reading
Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Reasons I Haven’t Given Up on the Rosary
The Rosary drifts in and out of my life. Seasons change, lifestyles are uprooted, and my interest in the prayer waxes and wanes. Yet, same as the beads scattered across the dining room buffet, it remains within reach.
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary, and I’m bothered by the fact the Rosary isn’t part of my routine the way it once was. I had no experience with a family recitation of the Rosary, so praying it privately during my daily commute for years suited me just fine. Then the commute ended, and I’ve struggled ever since. Continue reading
Seven Quick Takes Friday
Lourdes Grotto Edition
Short of a schedule conflict, my husband attends an annual Catholic men’s retreat at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Families are welcome to join the retreatants for Mass on Sunday morning at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. Situated on a wooden hillside above the university and seminary campus, the Lourdes Grotto includes paved paths lined by depictions of the mysteries of the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and numerous statues. With its wildflowers, natural spring, towering trees, and native Mountain laurel, it’s one of my favorite places.
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The Giant Mary Statue
This towering statue of Our Lady, visible from Route 15 once you cross the border from Pennsylvania into Maryland, is a sight to behold. She towers over the treetops with outstretched arms, beckoning to passersby below.
O Sanctissima: Memories of May
My memories of May are bound to May altars and crownings. In the small Catholic grade school I attended, the May crowning was not an annual event as it is in my children’s school. Instead of a solemn celebration in which several students are chosen to place a lovely, silk flower crown on the large statue’s head, our small celebrations were held daily throughout May, with crowning duties rotating from one student to another. I anticipated my turn with a mixture of eagerness and dread.
Photo by Michael Astfalk.