Sr. Mariana of Quito, Ecuador and the Bees

Our Lady of Good Success

Since becoming a beekeeper, I take special note of bees mentioned in my spiritual reading. This morning, Ash Wednesday, I was reading a biography of Sr. Mariana of Jesus, the mystic who experienced the apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The author, Msgr. Luis E. Cadena y Almeida, wrote this:

From early childhood, Mother Mariana of Jesus had exercised the secrets of prayer. She was an industrious little bee who daily built her honeycomb with the pollen of her virtues. She loved her relationship with God and found in Him strength for suffering, stimulation for perfection, skill and valor for confronting the forces of evil  and, finally, repose and sweetness in the toils of her exile.

The Tradition of the Jesse Tree

An apple for Adam & Eve

One of my favorite Advent traditions is the Jesse Tree. We generally set up our tree the first week of Advent and add the lights, but leave them unlit (except when I feel like I need to remind myself that the people in darkness have seen a great light). Then we add symbols of Old Testament and New Testament characters. Sometimes I also put on symbols for the special saints that grace the December calendar like St. Nicholas.

Baby "Noses"

We've already put on a "disco ball" to represent creation, apples for Adam and Eve, sheep and a little sheaf of "wheat" for Cain and Abel, a picture of Noah's ark and a white bird for the dove, a stack of wood and a (butter) knife for Abraham and Isaac, a ladder (from the doll house) for Jacob, a colorful folk doll for Joseph and his many colored coat, a baby doll in a basket for Moses (or "Noses" as my three-year-old granddaughter insists), and today a lily for Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

My oldest child's favorite Jesse tree "ornament" (It tickles her funny bone). is the grey dolphin puppet who masquerades as the whale in the Jonah story. By the time we are ready to "decorate" the tree a few days before Christmas, it will already be filled with wonderful symbols of our faith journey gathered from around the house. I love using everyday objects that we see all year in this special way during Advent.

When grandchildren are here for our Advent wreath lighting (all too infrequently I'm sorry to say) we let them add the figures to the tree and we tell the stories of the characters. My Jesse tree box still has a crown for David, a lion for Daniel, a necklace for Esther, a gleaner's basket for Ruth, and a golden rose for Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. John the Baptist will get a bee representing his wild honey and Joseph will be represented by a plastic hammer from a child's workbench. And we'll top the tree with the star of Bethlehem.

The Jesse tree makes Advent waiting a wonderful journey through salvation history. How I love it! What a Church we have that offers us so many traditions that help us grow in our faith.

Please Pray for my Friend Jim

A pro-life friend of mine, Jim, who is a sidewalk counselor and Catholic activist had a heart attack last Friday and is scheduled for open heart surgery tomorrow. Please pray that it will be a great success and he'll be back on the front lines soon. If I know Jim, he'll die with his boots on while he's trying to rescue another endangered baby from an abortionist. God bless him!

Did You See For Greater Glory?

The movie about the Cristeros who fought for religious freedom in 1920s Mexico against the brutal tyrant Plutarco Calles was terrific! I thought the secular reviews panning the film were typical of an anti-Catholic media that salivates over all things "gay" and doesn't have a clue about the things of God.

At any rate, having posted the video of the beautiful friesian horses, I took special note during the film when the general of the Cristeros told the young boy, Jose (a real life martyr), that his horse was the only friesian in Mexico. Just a little bit of trivia for your Friday. And if you haven't seen the film, don't miss it. It is the fastes 2 1/2 hours I've spent in a long time!

Read more about the persecution of Catholics during the Cristero War. Persecution makes martyrs. Viva Cristo Rey!

Denver Day Two

Thursday, October 13

Our second day in Denver began with Mass at St. Thomas More which was about eight miles from the campground. When we drove into the parking lot we thought we'd stumbled on a funeral there were so many cars in the parking lot. We'd already been to a baptism and a wedding at Sunday Mass. But this turned out to be a regular daily Mass. The school's seventh graders were there and several hundred parishioners. Wow! Must be a big parish.

The church is modern. You walk into a large lobby with an information room on the right and a wide staircase (and elevator) that take you up to the church level. The church was decorated for ordinary time with large green banners. A pro-life banner was placed prominently to the left of the altar, I presume to mark respect life month.

Lovely and Friendly Luverne, MN

Monday afternoon, September 12th we left La Crosse, WI, crossed the mighty Mississippi for the last time on our western leg and headed across Minnesota to the western border town of Luverne and two nights at Blue Mounds State Park. The ride across the state impressed us with the realization that this part of the country is truly a breadbasket for the U.S. - farm after farm with fields of corn and soybeans. In many places there were windmills turning. A flatbed truck passed us on the highway carrying two windmill blades that covered the entire length of the bed. Wow! Those things are huge. In one place there must have been 15 or 20 windmills and all but one or two were still. There was plenty of wind which made us wonder if they turn them off at certain times of the day. It was getting on toward dusk -- concern for the bat population? They are an impressive sight. Wonder how much energy each one actually generates.

Travelling west we had a magnificent view of the sunset. I was driving so I didn't get a picture, but the sun was just sinking below the horizon as we turned off the highway for the short trip to the park. Blue Mounds is another scenic campground and we had our choice of sights. We were among three or four campers and when we left on Wednesday we were the only ones left. Talk about feeling rich. We owned the place!

One of our best memories of Luverne will be the little parish of St. Catherine's. We went to Mass Tuesday morning and there were about 15 people in the church mostly older. We must have stuck out because father stopped us after Mass and asked our names and where we were from. Then he proceeded to introduce the "visitors" to all his parishioners. What a friendly group. Later that evening, after a day of hiking at the park and visiting nearby Touch the Sky prairie, we were relaxing around a campfire when a car pulled in and drove through the campground. As we watched them, Larry commented that they must be scouting the park for a future visit. We do that sometimes. Well they were scouting, but we soon found out why. They stopped at our site and introduced themselves again as parishioners who were at Mass that morning. Dell and Eileen just wanted to see how we were doing. It touched our hearts.

We had spent the day hiking along the crest and the base of the "blue mounds," the Sioux quartzite rock that gives the park its name. There's an old quarry that was active for about a dozen years, 1919-1931. Very dramatic views from both the top and bottom. We met a man giving a basic climbing lesson to a gal although he didn't look fit enough to be much of a climber. We also met a hiker from Wisconsin who gave us some tips about good hiking areas around Lawrence, KS where we'll be meeting our daughter and family on the way home. We met him again later and he'd written down the names. We have met so many kind folks on our travels!

We attended morning Mass on Wednesday before heading west and, at the final blessing, Father paused and prayed over us for safe travels. After Mass he invited us to join him for coffee back in the office with some of his parishioners. We had a delightful visit and found out that Father is an avid gardener, had won a gorgeous quilt at the country fair nearby (The ladies were already soliciting it for a parish raffle.), and had created a "duck garden" in the church courtyard where he installed twelve little "apostles" who thrived until they were moved to a farm. We read the article from the local paper that was mounted on the wall near the courtyard door where the little ducklings lived for awhile.

The statues in the outside gardens around the church are absolutely beautiful! I especially loved one of Mary and Jesus that Father bought in memory of his dad after he died. We loved Blue Mounds for its beautiful cliffs and prairie land, for the buffalo herd we saw up close and personal, for the big skies, waving grasses, and colorful wildflowers; but mostly we'll remember Luverne for the Catholic family we found there. We joined hands in prayer with them for two short days, but we'll remember their kindness and friendliness as a highlight of our trip. It gave me a graphic illustration of St. Paul's heart link to the communities he founded on his missionary journeys. I can say with him, "I continually thank my God for you."

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us

Monday morning before we left La Crosse, we visited the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside town. The ride gave us beautiful views of farms, forest, and rolling hills where we saw contoured farm fields. All was lush and green. We found the shrine without any trouble although we weren't too confident in the Garmin after our failed search for the Shrine to the Sorrowful Mother in Ohio.

We were hardly prepared to find the magnificence in store for us at here in La Crosse.

The main church is glorious with rose-colored marble columns supporting a baldacchino over the
altar. The paintings, statues, and stations in the church are beautiful, but it was the bronze statues and stations outside that really lifted my heart to God. There's a shrine to Blessed Kateri and a garden dedicated to the unborn with a large statue of Mary holding three tiny babies on her lap, a modern pieta. The rosary walk had four curved walls along the way depicting each set of mysteries. The individual mysteries were blue and white tiles. The coronation of Mary showed her over the earth with North and South America clearly visible on the globe and the moon and stars over her head, a powerful image of her as Queen of the Americas and Queen of the Universe.

St. Joseph the Worker

One of my favorite statues was in front of the main church. It showed Juan Diego before the bishop who is kneeling in front of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan's tilma. What a gesture of humility on the part of the bishop to kneel at the feet of Mary's messenger, her humble servant Juan. At the foot of the tilma are the roses he has brought to the bishop. I also loved the sculpture of St. Joseph the Worker. 

We attended the noon Mass and were pleased when Communion was distributed at the altar rail. The acoustics in the church are wonderful for amplifying the singing, but it was hard to understand the sermon because of the echo, the only disappointment of our visit. I imagine it isn't a problem when the church is full. After several hours we pulled ourselves away so we could make our next stop in Luverne, MN before dark. We bid a fond farewell to Wisconsin with the firm intention of returning again. Our Lady of Guadalupe and Mother of the Americas, pray for us.

Our Lady of Good Help, Pray for Us

Today we visited the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, where the Blessed Mother appeared to Adele Brise in the 1800s and urged her to "teach the children." Driving through the Wisconsin peninsula, I can easily imagine the challenge for Adele. Much of the land at that time was probably forest as immigrant families worked to clear their acres and prepare them for crops. The farms were spread out and it must have required real effort to go from one to another to gather the children for catechism.

Today, the shrine is located on six acres nestled in between farms. Corn silk sways in the breeze and hay bales are rolled and ready to store for winter feeding within a few steps of the chapel. It was a personal reminder to me that God is always right there amid the toils and turmoils of our day.

A crypt with a beautiful statue of Our Lady occupies the site of the apparition and Adele is buried nearby as are some of her co-workers.



What a place of peace! As Larry and I wandered around the grounds praying the rosary, visiting the Stations of the Cross and the Lourdes and Fatima grottoes, we felt we were standing on holy ground. The priest who celebrated Mass challenged us to open our hearts to receive God's gifts. If God is trying to shower us with graces and we open an umbrella, we block His generosity. He can only give us what we are willing to accept.

Father reminded us of the spiritual works of mercy, the need especially to bear wrongs patiently. What a challenge! How much easier to moan and wail like the children of Israel in the desert.

Our three hours at the shrine was a good reminder that our journey across this great country is a pilgrimage of hope. And we do not make the journey alone.

How many of my favorite saints adorned the church and grounds: St. Joseph, of course, St. Francis, St. Jean Vianney, St. Clare, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Padre Pio, and others.

St. Michael the Archangel was there with his big sword vanquishing the devil. Larry and I have three saints we have invoked for our trip. St. Joseph as our spiritual father, protector, and maintenance worker. He has already helped us with several mechanical glitches. We invited St. Benedict to make our car and camper a little monastery on wheels as we travel around and to intercede for a hospitable reception wherever we go. And last - St. Michael as a strong guardian. I'm sure a grizzly is no match for his shining sword, not to mention human grizzlies.

How I loved visiting this humble little shrine and reflecting on the witness of holy men and women like Adele Brise. (Learn more about her here.) We have so much for which to be grateful and a grateful heart is linked closely to humility. This lovely, humble shrine in the countryside of Wisconsin far from any imposing cities draws the pilgrim to desire a humble heart because, as the psalmist says, "A humble, contrite heart you will not spurn, O Lord." I don't think He will spurn a grateful heart either.

St. Joseph's in Martinsburg where Jesus lives in a Closet

It never ceases to amaze me to find ordained ministers who treat Jesus as though they are ashamed of Him. How else to explain the appalling reality of Our Savior being shuffled off into a back corner in the church, a renovated closet that calls itself a "Eucharistic chapel." But I'm getting ahead of myself.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Martinsburg, WV is beautiful from the outside. I wish I had looked for the cornerstone because it is obviously an old church. And it has some lovely statues on the grounds including a beautiful one of Mary. We were pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked when we stopped to make a visit. (If I'm on foot, I rarely pass a Catholic Church without stopping to say hello to Jesus.)

As soon as we got inside the church we could see that Jesus wasn't home and that his house had been got at by the church wreckers. It sported all the earmarks of the 70s and 80s ruination: the baptismal hot tub, an altar that had been moved, in this case to the side - very bizarre. But see for yourself.

Below is the view from the back of the church. The altar has been moved from its natural location at the front of the church to the right side between the windows with an artificial back wall. Where the altar used to be are rows of movable chairs. The arrangment is such that most worshipers are viewing the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass from the side and are facing each other rather than Christ.  But even those facing the altar receive a distorted view. The crucifix is off to the left as though to say, "Jesus death on the cross has no place at the center of our faith. It's simply off to the side." 

And where is Jesus in His Real Presence? We had to go looking for him. But we found a clue in the vestibule pointing to the little closet where He was hidden away as though an embarrassment. And it did, indeed, appear to be a made over closet. But See for yourself.

Below is the view of the "chapel" from the doorway. Would you call this a worthy place for the Lord of the Universe? Does it lift the minds and hearts of those who come to pray? We stayed and offered prayers of reparation and apologized to Jesus for the way He is being treated at this church. Note in the second picture below, the ladder on the left side of the room that apparently leads to a storage attic. Can there be any doubt that this "chapel" was once a back closet? Not in my mind.

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A number of years ago, Mike Rose wrote a book called Ugly as Sin about the horrible churches being built. St. Joseph's is one that is beautiful on the outside but, like the sepulchre, is filled with dead men's bones. It's hard to imagine that this is a good parish where Jesus is treated with such disrespect. I wonder if anyone ever bothers to visit him? Certainly not many; there's no room for them. And, in fact, there is no room for Jesus in the main church but there's room for a piano and a set of drums, musical instruments that should not be used for the Mass. But one consolation, there's a beautiful statue of Mary outside the Church. It would be funny if it weren't so sad: Jesus in the closet and Mary in the yard. Pray for a restoration of our churches and the rightful place of our Lord and Our Blessed Mother at the center of our faith.

Of Crepe Myrtles and Lives of the Saints

We have two crepe myrtle plants out front that we purchased several years ago on the way home from the Outer Banks. Last year they bloomed abundantly. This year one plant didn't bloom at all and the other got only a few flower clusters. We haven't figured out what the problem is: something missing in the soil? Too much rain? On strike?

Whatever the reason, the poor blooming reminds me that our spiritual life is sometimes like that. We are the fruitless fig tree or the flowerless crepe myrtle that the master says to cut down and throw into the fire. But then the gardener begs for a reprieve. "Let me try to figure out what's wrong with this poor plant and fix it," he says. "If that doesn't work, you can cut it down later."






I think the Blessed Mother is our spiritual gardener always urging her Son to give us one more chance for a change of heart, one more opportunity to be a fruitful, flowering vine. All she needs to see is one flower, one tiny sign that our hearts are not completely sterile and she works the soil with her prayers and waters it with her tears.

Today is First Friday, when the Church invites us to reflect on the apparitions of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. It was she to whom He revealed His desire for devotion to His Sacred Heart and that Catholics attend Mass on nine consecutive first Fridays of the month in adoration. From an early age St. Margaret Mary desired to be united to Christ in his sufferings and He answered her prayer by allowing her to participate in a small way in his agony. She suffered from terrible headaches that sometimes kept her from laying her head on a pillow. She often spent entire nights in Communion with Christ.

If you want to draw closer to Christ immerse yourselves in the lives of the saints. It brought St. Ignatius of Loyola to conversion and many others as well.

Make a Retreat with the Lord

I've been home from retreat for just over a week and I'm longing for another already. The happy news is that I can always take a five minute break to meditate on the face of Jesus or a twenty minute rosary walk or read a short life of a saint from Ann Ball's wonderful collection, Modern Saints. The sad news is that I will not have a sustained time of quiet and meditation with the daily Tridentine Mass for another year at least.

The 2009 retreat was indeed a peaceful and prayerful withdrawal from the world at a particularly dark time for our culture as the unborn and the elderly become ever-more targeted by the death-dealers on Capitol Hill. It was good to get away from the bad news and focus on the good news of the Gospel. Since the purpose of a retreat, however, isn't to run away from the world, but to withdraw for a time to be able to more effectively do God's will in the world, I thank God for putting me right back into the midst of the fight. Every morning I put on the armor of God and prepare to hold my ground and do what I can to take some back from the enemy who often seems much more zealous for evil than we are for good.

So I will still periodically pulling out my pictures of Mattaponi Retreat Center and sigh and pray that I may go again next summer to refresh my soul once more. But here at home I will fight for the unborn and do what I can to share and defend the faith. May I always do it according to God's will with the help of the Blessed Mother.

Knights of Columbus: All About Families

Larry and I just got home from the year-end party for the Knights of Columbus in our parish. It was a delightful affair with awards for outstanding young man and young woman in the parish, the Knight of the Year, and the Family of the Year. Listening to the beautiful stories of each of these award winners was touching. The family of the year have eight children and have been active in Boy Scouts, Little Flowers, community outreach, and many parish activities all centered on family and children.

Larry is taking over as Grand Knight for the coming year and his focus is getting more young families involved and active. Of course I'm along for the ride and our first joint activity will be a dinner party with some of the young member couples to talk about what kinds of activities they'd like to see for young families. Up til now there are few incentives for young fathers to get involved because it's all work and little play and most of the activities don't include the youngsters.

So please pray for the St. John Bosco Fr. Cyril Karlowicz Council and the new Grand Knight (as of the first of July) that this is the year of the family for our parish K of C council.