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 :)

St. Michael, Protector

It may be spring in the rest of the world but here in Minnesota, winter refuses to give up.  Tuesday and Wednesday brought March's characteristic temperamental weather, and naturally I had to drive through some of the worst of it.
I thought I might get home without trouble Tuesday night.  When I left school, the weather was quiet, with just of bit of rain.  I knew that things were supposed to get nasty, but hoped I would have an hour to get home before the rain turned nasty.  I don't remember when I said my guardian angel and St. Michael prayers, whether it was before or after the rain picked up, but I do know I prayed them.
I didn't get far before the light rain turned heavy, and I could see sleet on the hood of the truck as I waited at the last stop light as I headed out of town.  Still, it wasn't too bad.  Everyone was going slow.  It was hard to tell if it was raining or sleeting, but the roads weren't slippery, so I wasn't too worried.

I was half way home when I started wondering what I would do if I had to stop.  The wind and rain were picking up, and I could see the sleet building up on the road.  I was still going fairly slow, and I couldn't feel it, but knowing it was there made me mentally prepared for trouble.  I was also worried about flooding.  This is my first spring driving these roads, and I don't know if they have any problems.  I could see, even in the darkness and rain, that the small, quiet rivers were rising quickly.  Even on my regular route I knew there was a risk of flooding this year.  But, with no place to stop and my sister to pick up from her classes, I figured I should keep going until I had good reason to stop.  But I knew, at that half way point, that the worst was ahead.
There is one state highway I have to take that has a couple of hilly curves.  It isn't a problem most nights, but when the weather gets bad, well, it's been known to get messy.  As I pulled onto the highway, a snowplow pulled on, a car ahead of me.  I didn't expect it to go far - maybe a few miles.  The bright lights were annoying, but I was thankful for the salt spread on the road.  The plow was going very slow, and I started hoping that it would pull off soon.  By this time the rain was pouring down, mixed with sleet.  I could see the spray of the sleet off the snowplow.  It occurred to me that maybe this was my escort, and that maybe St. Michael was driving the plow.  As the miles passed, I could no longer tell where I was along the route, but I just kept following the plow, saying a prayer of thanksgiving for the path it was making and the guide it provided.  We parted ways when I reached the next highway of my route, and I made it safely to my destinations.  My sister said there were at least 6 accidents in the county that night, but I didn't see any, nor did I slip once.  When I told her who I thought was driving the plow, she reminded me of an old story of St. Michael she heard on the radio once.  I'll post that story next time.