Lovely Lady in Blue

The first time I read the following poem was when a nice gentleman in Church gave me a card with the poem on it. I posted it on Catholic Homeschooling site a few years ago.

It was recently after he passed away, that I learned his name. Thank you Eric!

Lovely Lady, Dressed in Blue
Teach me how to pray.
God was just your little boy
Tell me what to say.
Did you lift Him up sometimes,
Gently on your knee.
And did you sing to Him
The way mother does to me.
Did you try telling Him stories of the world?
And, oh, did He cry?

Do you think He minds if I tell Him things,
Just little things that happen?
And do the angels wings make a noise?

Can He hear me if I speak low?
Does He hear me now?
Lovely lady dressed in blue,
Teach me how to pray.
God was just a little boy
You know the way
You know what to say.

Amen.

Video - Our Lady of Fatima

Picture used with permission from Aida Yared

MARY APPEARED TO LUCIA MORE THAN A 7TH TIME

CLICK HERE to read what Fr. Robert Fox has written on subsequent appearance by the Blessed Mother to Sister Lucia.

The Rosary in Latin

H/T to Therese's Roses

The following are the mysteries in Latin:

Mysteria Gaudiosa (Joyful Mysteries said on Mon. and Sat.)
Annuntiatiónem Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis
Visitatiónem Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis
Nativitátem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Oblatiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Inventiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi in templo

Mysteria Luminosa (Luminous Mysteries said on Thurs.)
Qui apud Iordanem baptizatus est.
Qui ipsum revelavit apud Canense matrimonium.
Qui Regnum Dei annuntiavit.
Qui transfiguratus est.
Qui Eucharistiam instituit

Mysteria dolorosa (Sorrowful Mysteries said on Tues. and Fri.)
Flagellatiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Coronatiónem spinis Dómini nostri Jesu Christi
Bajulatiónem Crucis
Crucifixiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi

Mysteria gloriosa (Glorious Mysteries said on Wed. and Sun.)
Resurrectiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi a mórtuis
Ascensiónem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi in cáelum
Missiónem Spíritus Sancti in discípulos
Assumptiónem Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis in cáelum
Coronatiónem Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis in cáelum

CLICK HERE for the rest of the prayers.

Saintly Advice - Sufferings

Mahalo Sue.

"Take advantage of your sufferings and more so of the small ones than of the great. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer. To suffer much, yet badly, is to suffer like reprobates. To suffer much, even bravely, but for a wicked cause, is to suffer as a martyr of the devil. To suffer much or little for the sake of God is to suffer like saints".

"If it be right to say that we can choose our crosses, this is particularly true of the little and obscure ones as compared with the huge, conspicuous ones,for proud human nature would likely ask and seek for the huge, conspicuous crosses even to the point of preferring them and embracing them. But to choose small, unnoticeable crosses and to carry them cheerfully requires the power of a special grace and unshakable fidelity to God. Do then as the storekeeper does with his merchandise: make a profit on every article; suffer not the loss of the tiniest fragment of the true Cross.

It may be only the sting of a fly or the point of a pin that annoys you, it may be the little restlessness of soul, a slight physical weakness, a light pain in your limbs. Make a profit on every article as the grocer does, and you will soon become wealthy in God, as the grocer does in money, by adding penny to penny in his till. When you meet with the least contradiction, simply say: 'Blessed be God! My God I thank you.'

Then treasure up in the till of God's memory the cross which has just
given you profit. Think no more of it, except to say: 'Many thanks!'
or, 'Be merciful!'

-St. Louis De Montfort

The Rosary

Picture used with permission by Aida Yared

Thanks Sue for sharing the following:

The Rosary is the simplest yet most profound of prayers. In the words
of Saint Louis de Montfort

"It is a priceless treasure which is inspired by God." The Rosary is made up of two things: mental prayer and vocal prayer. In the Rosary mental prayer is none other than meditation of the chief mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and of his blessed Mother. Vocal prayer consists in praying the decades of the Hail Mary, each decade headed by an Our Father, while at the same time meditating on and contemplating the principal virtues which Jesus and Mary practised in the mysteries of the Rosary.

For more information on the Rosary and for a Scriptural Rosary complete with pictures, please be sure to visit the The Holy Rosary Page of my Catholic Homeschooling website.

Senator Disinvited From Daughter's High School Commencement Over Stem Cell Debate

ST. LOUIS — Sen. Claire McCaskill was disinvited from speaking at her daughter's Catholic high school commencement because her positions on abortion and embryonic stem cell research are at odds with those of the church.

Students at St. Joseph's Academy in the St. Louis suburb of Frontenac wanted to have McCaskill speak at their graduation this month, McCaskill spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh said Tuesday.

But the offer was rescinded last week. The senator was told by the school that the decision came from St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, Marsh said.

ARTICLE

Prayer Request for a Homeschooling Mom

Please pray and continue to keep in your prayers, homeschooling mom Heather who is undergoing brain surgery today. Also, please pray for Heather's family.

For more details, please visit Margaret Mary's Blog

Free Catholic E-Books

H/T to Un-Muted Mumblings, a new blog I found today.

CLICK HERE for a great collection of Catholic works. You'd be surprised at what you can find there. I know I was. I will be permanently posting their link on my sidebar.

A Taste of Hawaii

I thought this was beautiful. Hope you enjoy.

Mary's Garden

Picture used with permission by Aida Yared

Spring is here and no doubt most of you are planning your gardens. Since we are in the month dedicated to the Blessed Mother of God, why not make a Mary's Garden?

In a book I bought at a book sale a long time ago there was a chapter on Biblical gardens. One section dealt with what flowers could be included in a "Mary" Garden:

Picture of the lily courtesy of This site

All white flowers represent the Blessed Mother's purity and holiness. One such flower that you can plant would be white snowdrops. The White Lily is to remind us of the Visitation of Our Lady.

Picture of the rose courtesy of THIS SITE

The rose is the flower most associated with the Blessed Mother because it is believed to be the first that blossomed at Our Savior's birth, closed at His crucifixion and reopened at the first Easter Sunday. Roses are also a symbol of God's love.

"One of the most picturesque rose miracles is the creation of the rosary, which is found in the early history of almost every Christian Country. The story is told and retold of the young man who made the Virgin an offering of 150 roses each day. The roses he wove into a wreath for her altar. Eventually he became a monk in an austere order, and in his new way of life it bothered him that he had neither time nor opportunity to continue performing the devotion to his adored Lady. The abbe whom he consulted advised him, instead to say 150 Aves to the Blessed Virgin each day, assuring him that they would be just as acceptable to her as his daily offering of roses. Thereafter at a certain hour each day, the young man knelt at the altar of the Blessed Virgin repeating the required number of Aves".

From the book mentioned above...The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations by Maguerite Ickis

Daffodil picture courtesy of THIS SITE

Daffodil's are in remembrance of the Annunciation.

Rosemary picture courtesy of THIS SITE

Rosemary. Legend has it that the flowers of this plant were originally white. However, they turned blue, the color associated with the Blessed Mother's color,"in reward for service it offered when Our Lady looked for some bush on which to spread her sky-blue gown on her way from Bethlehem".

Thistle picture courtesy of THIS SITE

Thistle. Our Lady's thistle has green leaves spotted with white caused by some drops of the Virgin's milk flowing upon them.

Lily-of-the-Valley picture courtesy of THIS SITE

Lily-of-the-Valley is sometimes called Our Lady's Tears. It is the favorite flower in many countries to decorate her shrine for the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th.

Foxglove picture courtesy of THIS SITE

Foxglove. The bell-shaped flowers cover with small blank dots is called Our Lady's thimble.



Snowdrop. This delicate flower blossoms early in the spring, sometimes between patches of melting snow. Little bouquets of snowdrops are the first floral tribute of the year to shrines of the Madonna.

Lily. This stately dignified flower has been associated with Jesus and Mary since early times. It is used at Easter to symbolize radiance of the Lord's risen life.

Snowdrops picture courtesy of THIS SITE

For more information on creating a Mary's Garden or to learn more about the history, etc., please visit Mary's Garden Home Page

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

Picture courtesy of This Site May 1st


Lyrics courtesy of This Site

"...May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i
Garlands of flowers ev'rywhere,
All of the colors in the rainbow
Maidens with blossoms in their hair
Flowers that mean we should be happy,
Throwing aside a load of care,
Oh, May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i
Lei Day is happy day out there."
~ Red Hawke, 1928

The first of May is quite a day of celebrations! First off, it is a day dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker. In Hawaii we celebrate Lei Day with the beautiful leis that the skillful lei makers make every day of the year. But my favorite celebration is the first day of the month dedicated to our Blessed Mother! I will try very hard to post items of Marian interest in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This is a painting of a Lei maker that hangs in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Papal Quote

Mahalo Sue.

For a Christian to pray is not to evade reality and the responsibilities it entails,but to assume them to the end,trusting in the faithful and inexhaustible love of the Lord.

Pope Benedict XVI (March 3, 2007)

Roman Catholic Church Tells Mexico City Doctors to Refuse Abortions

MEXICO CITY — The Roman Catholic Church on Sunday called on doctors in Mexico City not to perform abortions and lamented the city's decision to legalize the procedure in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The church has vowed to continue its anti-abortion campaign even through it is under investigation for possibly violating Mexican laws forbidding the church's participation in politics.

ARTICLE

Well Are You or Aren't You...

...a Roman Protestant?

Click Here for the Lair of the Catholic Cavemen's list.

BTW, I know I have been blogging all day. I am so nervous right now...two hours before the Confirmation Mass. I think I am more nervous than Joey. Or could it be the four cups of tea and two cups of coffee I had today?

Vatican's Best Film List

H/T to Fr. Stephanos

CLICK HERE for the entire list. The following are the ones I have watched:

Religion
Ben-Hur (1959)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

The Mission (1986)

Values
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Schindler's List (1993)

Art
Citizen Kane (1941)

Fantasia (1940)

Little Women (1933)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Cardinal Van Thuân's Cause to Begin

Fr. Duffy lent me the Cardinal's book The Testimony of Hope a few years ago and I just devoured it. I remember how touched I was by a passage wherein the cardinal celebrated the Mass on the palm of his hand with a tiny piece of bread and a tiny bit of wine that somehow he was able to have smuggled to him by either a fellow prisoner or a sympathetic guard. His hand became an altar for the Sacrifice of the Mass.

I highly recommend this book.

Vatican Official Recalls Vietnamese Prelate's Devotion to Hope

ROME, APRIL 24, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace said Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân's beatification process is about to begin, some five years after the Vietnamese prelate's death.

Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi made the announcement when presenting a book by Cardinal Camillo Ruini entitled "God's Truth and Man's Truth: Benedict XVI and the Great Questions of Our Time."

The book is being published as a part of the Cardinal Van Thuân International Observatory's "Journals" series.

Bishop Crepaldi explained: "The book urged me to link the theme of truth -- of God's and man's -- to which Cardinal Ruini's book is dedicated; and the theme of hope, so dear to the departed Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân and at the core of his spirituality and his exemplary living of human and Christian life."

The prelate, who worked with the cardinal and who is president of the Van Thuân Observatory, explained how "truth and hope have deep ties. The intelligence of faith leads me to the firm conviction that truth, in surrendering or uncovering itself, reveals a vocation and therefore brings about hope."

Biography

Bishop Crepaldi underlined the connection between the theme of the book and the Vietnamese cardinal, saying that it "is made even more immediate and meaningful by the fact that this year we will be remembering the fifth anniversary of his death, which occurred on Sept. 16, 2002, and the cause for his beatification is starting."

Nguyen Van Thuân was ordained a priest in 1953 and appointed bishop of Nha Trang in 1967.

In 1975, Pope Paul VI named him coadjutor archbishop of Saigon (today's Ho Chi Minh City).

After the defeat of South Vietnam, he was detained for 13 years in a Communist re-education camp. Nine of those years he spent in solitary confinement.

In 1988 he was liberated and forced into exile. Pope John Paul II welcomed him to Vatican City and entrusted him with responsibilities in the Roman Curia, naming him president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

In March 2000, Archbishop Van Thuân preached the spiritual exercises attended by John Paul II and the Roman Curia, sharing many of his spiritual experiences in prison. "The Testimony of Hope" was published as a collection of his meditations.

He was made cardinal in February 2001 and died the following year at the age of 74.
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How To Repel a Jehovah's Witness

Just tell her you are a Catholic.

Yesterday, after Confession, I was walking in downtown. A lady approached me and asked me if I would like an Awake magazine. I replied "No, thank you. I am Catholic". Boy, she immediately stepped away quickly and said. "Okay, thank you".

This isn't the first time that has happened. In fact, my brother's Southern Baptist father-in-law, will tell JWs he is a Catholic, so they will leave him alone.

Does that happen to anyone else?

Strange Not Going to Early Morning Mass

Usually on a Sunday, we are up at 5am and getting ready for Mass. Today, we slept in until 7am and then went out for Dim Sum in Chinatown. No Mass....

It feels really strange, but then again, we have to attend the last Mass for Sunday, the 5:30 a.m. Mass geared to the younger Catholics.

It is the big day... the day of Joey and his group's Confirmation. They will be confirmed by our former pastor Fr. Marc Alexander, who is now the vicar general.

These kids have been prepared by the InHim Ministries so my husband and I were confident Joey was in good hands. These young people from InHim have Stuebenville connections. How great is that?

Hope to be able to post photos later.

Another Bishop We Should Get to Know Better

H/T to Roman Catholic Blog

Apparently, this bishop, Biship Edward K. Braxton, of Belleville, Illinois wants to make sure an individual knows his or her faith before he or she is confirmed in the Catholic Church. In other words, he is a bishop worthy of being a shepherd to the flock.

CLICK HERE TO READ