Sursum Corda Young Adults Camp - Part One

Yes, I survived the weekend - even the driving.  It was glorious.  We even had perfect weather.
Between my sister and I, we took LOTS of pictures - 1161, to be exact.  Of course, not all of them turned out, but I'm sure I can find a few to post ;).

Our journey started with a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, just outside of Green Bay, WI.  It is the site of a Marian apparition in 1859, which has been recently approved by the Church - the only approved site in the United States.

Mary asked Adele to teach the children "their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments." Adele started a school and a chapel. 

  The candles were in the crypt below the chapel, built on the site of the apparitions.

There was also this beautiful pieta statue.  If you look closely, you can see crutches in the background, from those who have had favors granted.











As promised, I lit a candle for my family, friends, and readers.

We happened to be visiting on the feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, making these statues in the main chapel even more meaningful...and a bit of a surprise!

The main alter has a beautiful statue of Mary and the Child Jesus.  On one side of the chapel there is a display with a statue given to Sr. Adele for processions (and still used today!) and two reliquaries.  One (center) contains wood from the trees Mary appeared on, and the other (right) a piece of the Blessed Virgin's veil.

Outside, they have a field with the Stations of the Cross in the center, and the mysteries of the rosary around the outside.  I really liked the way they did the rosary.  There were five banners, and on one side would be the first mysteries (for example,) and the other side had the fifth, so it didn't matter which side you started on.  Between the mysteries there were a couple of shrines and benches to stop and pray, such as this small grotto.

Another beautiful little spot was this Fatima shrine.  The statues are just gorgeous!

So concludes the first stop on our journey.  We had to drive a few hours south to our hotel, and we did a little shopping for some lavender lotion.  The mosquitos were very healthy - and hungry - in Wisconsin!  I also bought some awesome sandals :)

Packing...

...for my weekend of pilgrimage/retreat/camp!  I can't believe how quickly time has passed - it's already July!  I will be gone for the next 5 days, with no access to a computer, save my handy-dandy iPod touch, so I won't be able to post anything along the way, as much as I would like to.  But rest assured I WILL have my camera with, and I WILL take pictures, and I WILL post about our journey!

St. Raphael, guide us in our travels

In the mean time, all of my readers are in my prayers, as well as all of the intentions on my prayer wall- feel free to leave your intention, please!  We will be going to at least two pilgrimage sites this weekend, and I believe there will be daily Mass starting Friday.  I can't wait!  God Bless!

Ascension Thursday

"And it came to pass, whilst he blessed them, he departed from them, and was carried up to heaven." Luke 24:51

Today is Ascension Thursday, the day, forty days after Easter, when Christ Ascended into Heaven.
Unfortunately, in our diocese this is not a Holy Day of Obligation.  Fortunately, Mass will still be said tonight for the feast.
It continues to puzzle me why a diocese would choose to move feasts to Sunday.  Doesn't this reduce the importance of the feast?  I do understand that not everyone is able to make it to Mass on weekdays for Holy Days - yet there are still 24 hours in the day, plus the opportunity for a vigil.  Why give in to the pressure?
Unlike many feast days, the Ascension seems to get pushed aside.  I admit, my family doesn't have any special traditions.  Mass is the only thing that really makes it special.  How does one go about establishing traditions?  (Please note the lowercase "t," not a capital "T")  The most important thing is that the tradition means something.  A quick search doesn't bring up any specific traditions, except maybe picnicking.   There is even a lack of recipes out there!
Ok, how about this for an Ascension tradition?  Kite Flying!  What lifts your mind and spirit to the heavens more than a lovely kite (except maybe some beautiful music?)  I'm going to fly with it.  I'm off to fly a kite, everyone.  Happy Ascension Thursday!!!

Vigil

It was dark when he awoke.  This is not where I went to sleep.  I don’t think,  the little boy thought, looking around.  He was laying on something hard, and there was a coat under his head, and another over his legs.  A spicy smell filled his nose.  He knew what it was, but he didn’t know why.  Where was he? Strange singing filled his ears.  People were standing over him, but they weren’t looking at him.  They were looking at something he couldn’t see.  He sat up, and looked to see what they were seeing.  Through the darkness, there was a light.  It was a cauldron, with flames leaping towards the ceiling, casting strange shadows on the wall.  Standing over the cauldron was a big man in strange clothes.  He was waving something over flames, chanting.  Other, smaller figures surrounded him.  Huh, the little boy thought.  He watched for a moment, leaning against the wood back of the bed he had somehow found himself in.  He blinked a few times, yawned, and lay back down on his makeshift pillow.  Must be dreaming, he said to himself, falling back asleep. He rolled over, not noticing a quick movement beside him, keeping him from slipping off the pew.

                The young mother looks down at her three-year-old.  How would this first Easter Vigil be remembered?  She smiles, wondering what thoughts were drifting through his little mind, and wondering what dreams the strangeness of those few minutes would bring.  Standing to hold the boy on the pew, she turns her mind back to the priest, and the beautiful, ancient ceremonies she was blessed to witness.  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

   This is one of the stories from my creative writing class.  The assignment was to write a story that could be read in three minutes or less.  The inspiration for this short tale is, of course, the Easter Vigil.  I remember one year, probably four or five years ago, when we attended the Easter Vigil in the Extraordinary form and, for once,  I was not singing.  My little brother was only three or four, and this is pretty much what happened.  It's funny when you think of how the ceremony could be remembered, or misunderstood.  

   This year was the first in three or four years that I was able to attend the vigil AND I wasn't in the choir.  It was great!  I could see what was going on, and follow along without having to worry about the next song or response.  It also helped that my missal had both the Latin and the English for all of the readings, but I digress.   

   I love each of the services of the Triduum, and I love the way each builds on the last.  Holy Thursday begins everything now, as it did then.  It is a service both joyous and serious.  In the beginning, we have the bells and the organ and the Gloria.  In the end, the alters are stripped and Christ is in the garden, preparing for the sacrifice of the next day.  Did you know that the Mass on Holy Thursday does not officially end?  There is no dismissal.  Good Friday, there is no Consecration, as it is the continuation of Mass on Holy Thursday, just as Christ's offering of His Body and Blood in the form of the bread and wine of the Passover on Holy Thursday was the same as His sacrifice on the cross on Good Friday. 

  The service on Good Friday is not technically a Mass, as there is no consecration.  That said, I've always loved the solemness of the Mass of the Presanctified, as it is called (for the record, the "presanctified" refers to the reserved Hosts, not to the state of the people's souls.) The Tabernacle is empty, and the whole church feels empty.  It is a reminder to us of the emptiness of the world after Christ's death.  The organ and bells are silent, the alter is still stripped, and the choir is somber.  Even the candles and holy water are gone.  

  Holy Saturday, there is no Mass until the vigil.  The church stands empty.  Then, after sundown, is the vigil.  It begins with the blessing of the Easter fire.  I love the way the light spreads through the church as the candles are lit from person to person, the flame growing and spreading without diminishing, like our faith.  I admit, it makes me nervous watching the little kids with candles!  Especially remembering how I nearly set myself on fire a few years ago!  But that's another story....

  After the blessing of the fire, there is the blessing of the holy water. Here again, we see the rich significance of everything, from creation to now, and how it ties together.  The prayers talk about how in the time of Noah, the water purified the earth, and it talks about the water from Christ's side purifying our souls.  There are so many things we take for granted, yet they have so much meaning! 

  Gradually, what was missing for the days and weeks leading up to Easter is brought back again.  I realized this year how usually when we go to Mass, Christ is sacramentally there when we get to Church- in the Tabernacle.  But at Easter, the Tabernacle is empty, even through all of the prayers and blessings.  It is not until the consecration of the Mass that He is there again, fully present with us...as in the Resurrection.     

Happy Easter! 

Favorite Easter Books

Hi All!
It's hard to believe Lent is almost over!  With less than two and a half weeks left, I've started thinking of some of my favorite stories for Passiontide and Easter.  
Benjamin's Box is a sweet story about a young boy witnessing the events leading up to the Resurrection.  We follow Benjamin as he sees Jesus come into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as he helps prepare the upper room for the Passover, as he sees Christ carry his cross, and finally as he sees the stone that was rolled from the tomb, as well as many steps along the way.  As the story progresses, he collects things from each event and puts him in the box his grandfather gave him.  This is a great story to read to children during Holy Week, because they see the events from the perspective of a child like themselves.  You can buy the Resurrection Eggs to go with this book and there are Easter eggs with each of the items Benjamin collected.  Or, you can turn it into a scavenger hunt and create your own treasure box with items collected around the house.
The one issue I have with this book is that during the Last Supper, it says Jesus said that the bread was LIKE His Body, and the wine LIKE His Blood.  This is easily fixed with a sharpie, though.

The Country Bunny, I admit, does not say anything about the true meaning of Easter.  It is about the Easter Bunny, or rather many Easter Bunnies.  Still, it is one of my favorite stories from my childhood.  It is also an excellent reminder that you can't judge a book by it's cover.  The cover of this sweet tale suggests that it is a "modern feminist tale."  I disagree.  I think it is a very traditional look at motherhood.  The country bunny always dreamed of being one of the official Easter Bunnies, running around the world delivering baskets of eggs to children.  However, she found herself mother of no less than twenty-one children.  When they were very young, she undoubtably spent much time running after them, but as they got older, she trained her children well, until they were able to keep house as well as she could.  So now she has time to go be an Easter bunny once a year.  What's more, her children have kept her young and strong trying to keep up with the all, so she is able to compete with the much bigger bunnies for the job of Easter bunny.  I thing this story highlights the importance of diligence, kindness, perseverance, industry, and knowing that there is a time for everything. And the illustrations are adorable!

Before you say that Easter has nothing to do with Easter Bunnies, I present my defense.  The First Easter Bunny was written by a Catholic Priest, and tells the story of a little bunny who was the first to witness the Resurrection.  I admit, I don't know for sure if I have read this book, but I do recall the story, and I think that by explaining the Easter Bunny to children this way, they are able to make the connection between the colored eggs, the baskets of candy, and the bunny and the Easter Story.  For those who find the Easter bunny a fondly remembered part of childhood, or who have family who insist on sharing the story with your children, this is a great story.

Another story that I remember from my childhood is The Proud Tree. It's the story
 of the tree that became the cross.  Poor Rex, the proudest tree in the forest, is thrilled when two soldiers come to find a cross for a king.  He pictures himself moved to a palace garden, but is cruelly disappointed when he is chopped down instead.  I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story.  Another, similar story is The Tale of the Three Trees.





Finally, a book for adults.  The Spear, by Louis De Wohl, tells the story of the centurian who pierced Christ's side.  This book does an excellent job of weaving together the Easter story, the characters witnessing it, and, perhaps most of all, the historical background, all while building a believable character and a great plot.  I must warn you that there is an act of adultery between the main character and a young woman, but it is essential to the plot.  This book, like all of De Whol's stories, is hard to put down and really brings the events to life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!  I hope everyone has a nice long list of things to be thankful for this year!
I was asked to email this recipe to my sister this morning, so I thought that since I had it on the computer, I would share it with the rest of the world.  I cannot take credit for this recipe, although I slightly modified the amounts to fit into a larger pan.  It is a Taste of Home Recipe, originally titled "Mom's Sweet Potato Bake." I don't know what year it came out, but it has been a favorite at our house since we first made it.  It is good hot, cold, and in between.  It is an excellent side dish, and also a good desert.  I think I've had the leftovers for breakfast a few times, too.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (40 oz. can or cooked prepared without milk or butter)
• 1 ⅓ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 
  TOPPING:
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 teaspoons cold butter (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 9”x13” baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160º or a knife comes out clean;.

The original recipe can be found here: Mom's Sweet Potato Bake Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes