Saint of the Week

Another one of my favorites


St. Therese of Lisieux, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

"The Little Flower"

"AFTER MY DEATH I WILL LET DOWN A SHOWER OF ROSES"




1873 - 1897

FEAST : OCTOBER FIRST

See this blog: The Beautiful Roses for another St. Therese fan

The spread of devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux is one of the impressive religious manifestations of our time. During her few years on earth this young French Carmelite was scarcely to be distinguished from many another devoted nun, but her death brought an almost immediate awareness of her unique gifts. Through her letters, the word-of-mouth tradition originating with her fellow-nuns, and especially through the publication of , Therese of the Child Jesus or "The Little Flower" soon came to mean a great deal to numberless people; she had shown them the way of perfection in the small things of every day. Miracles and graces were being attributed to her intercession, and within twenty-eight years after death, this simple young nun had been canonized. In 1936 a basilica in her honor at Lisieux was opened and blessed by Cardinal Pacelli; and it was he who, in 1944, as Pope, declared her the secondary patroness of France. "The Little Flower" was an admirer of St. Teresa of Avila, and a comparison at once suggests itself. Both were christened Teresa, both were Carmelites, and both left interesting autobiographies. Many temperamental and intellectual differences separate them, in addition to the differences of period and of race; but there are striking similarities. They both patiently endured severe physical sufferings; both had a capacity for intense religious experience; both led lives made radiant by the love of Christ.

The parents of the later saint were Louis Martin, a watchmaker of Alencon, France, son of an army officer, and Azelie-Marie Guerin, a lacemaker of the same town. Only five of their nine children lived to maturity; all five were daughters and all were to become nuns. Francoise-Marie Therese, the youngest, was born on January 2, 1873. Her childhood must have been normally happy, for her first memories, she writes, are of smiles and tender caresses. Although she was affectionate and had much natural charm, Therese gave no sign of precocity. When she was only four, the family was stricken by the sad blow of the mother's death. Monsieur Martin gave up his business and established himself at Lisieux, Normandy, where Madame Martin's brother lived with his wife and family. The Guerins, generous and loyal people, were able to ease the father's responsibilities through the years by giving to their five nieces practical counsel and deep affection.

The Martins were now and always united in the closest bonds. The eldest daughter, Marie, although only thirteen, took over the management of the household, and the second, Pauline, gave the girls religious instruction. When the group gathered around the fire on winter evenings, Pauline would read aloud works of piety, such as the of Dom Gueranger. Their lives moved along quietly for some years, then came the first break in the little circle. Pauline entered the Carmelite convent of Lisieux. She was to advance steadily in her religious vocation, later becoming prioress. It is not astonishing that the youngest sister, then only nine, had a great desire to follow the one who had been her loving guide. Four years later, when Marie joined her sister at the Carmel, Therese's desire for a life in religion was intensified. Her education during these years was in the hands of the Benedictine nuns of the convent of Notre- Dame-du-Pre. She was confirmed there at the age of eleven.

In her autobiography Therese writes that her personality changed after her mother's death, and from being childishly merry she became withdrawn and shy. While Therese was indeed developing into a serious-minded girl, it does not appear that she became markedly sad. We have many evidences of liveliness and fun, and the oral tradition, as well as the many letters, reveal an outgoing nature, able to articulate the warmest expressions of love for her family, teachers, and friends.

From EWTN.

Hilarious

My Stats professor seems really nice. She's the "perky and cute" sort and the only time she seems to get peeved is when she asks a question and it is followed by a long silence. No one likes to talk in that class - I think it's too early in the morning for critical thinking (10 AM).

Today, she was teaching us about probability or somesuch, and she was creating an example for us to learn from, when she said, "Okay, I need the name of a crazy girl!" The example, you see, involved a garden with carefully measured plants. "What is the probability you will get a plant that is more than 8 inches tall" etc. What sort of person would measure all the plants in their garden? A nutcase, that's who. And we must have a name for this hithertofore anonymous nutcase.

In response to Dr. Bashaw's question, one of the other students shouted out, "Margaret!" Yes, I apparently have a name with "looney tunes" written all over it. The professor knows what my name is and she replied, "Oh, we have some of those in here, so I'm sure they'll be happy." It was quite amusing. And for the rest of the day I got to hear about "Margaret's garden" which made me jump nearly every time, thinking I was being addressed, since that name isn't exactly common nowadays.

The crazy girl is going to bed now.

Yeah yeah yeah

I'm on top of the world today. I got my two tests back, and neither one was as bad as I expected. I expected to fail both. On my Stats test I got a 35/50, a 70% (which I believe is a C-), and on my Precision Language test I got an absolutely unbelievable 82%. I do not know how this happened, except that Someone up there is looking out for me. Obviously He has better things to do than help me out with a couple exams, but I asked, and I guess He likes to dote sometimes ...

Ah nappy time

This evening, when I was supposed to be studying for my Logic test, I made the mistake of lying down while going through my stack of index cards. I was out like a light and when I woke it was 10 PM. It was 7:30 when I fell asleep ... oh well. Maybe I will count that as sleep time and keep working until 2 or 3 AM instead of my usual 1 AM. Nahhhhhhh ;)

Also, we didn't get our Stats tests back today. I was relieved and bothered, because that means I am going to get news about Stats and news about Grammar in the same day. Which can't be good.

Leslie didn't come to dinner with us tonight! I guess she was taking an Italian test. I was sad. We missed her :(

Click the pic

Nothing new, yawn yawn yawn

Today was not the most exciting Saturday I have ever spent, but perhaps that is a good thing. I did about thirty problems from my Logic book to prepare for the test on Tuesday. That's one class I'm doing really well in, so I don't want to screw it up. At seven I went to Confession, and my confessor was a very good advice-giver as usual. I'm lucky in that regard! My sister goes every week at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and she says sometimes the priests don't say much. Then again, a lot of them are foreigners, and I would not be too happy-slappy to give advice on salvation vs. damnation in French ... too important a topic to be accidentally using the word for "shacking up" when you mean to say "pray..."

Snore. That's all. More work to do tomorrow ...

Saint of the Week

This one (Padre Pio) is a modern saint and stigmatic. If you look at the picture you can see where the wounds of the cross appeared on his hands and bled profusely.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina
b.1887 d.1968
Feast: September 23





Francesco, named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, was born to Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione, peasant farmers, in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina on May 25, 1887. From his childhood, it was evident that he was a special child of God. Francesco was very devout even as a child, and at an early age felt drawn to the priesthood. He became a Capuchin novice at the age of sixteen and received the habit in 1902. Francesco was ordained to the priesthood in 1910 after seven years of study and became known as Padre Pio.

On September 20, 1918, Padre Pio was kneeling in front of a large crucifix when he received the visible marks of the crucifixion, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of Church. The doctor who examined Padre Pio could not find any natural cause for the wounds. Upon his death in 1968, the wounds were no longer visible. In fact, there was no scaring and the skin was completely renewed. He had predicted 50 years prior that upon his death the wounds would heal. The wounds of the stigmata were not the only mystical phenomenon experienced by Padre Pio.

The blood from the stigmata had an odor described by many as similar to that of perfume or flowers, and the gift of bilocation was attributed to him. Padre Pio had the ability to read the hearts of the penitents who flocked to him for confession which he heard for ten or twelve hours per day. Padre Pio used the confessional to bring both sinners and devout souls closer to God; he would know just the right word of counsel or encouragement that was needed. Even before his death, people spoke to Padre Pio about his possible canonization. He died on September 23, 1968 at the age of eighty-one. His funeral was attended by about 100,000 people.

On June 16, 2002, over 500,000 Padre Pio devotees gathered in Rome to witness Pope John Paul II proclaim Padre Pio, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. The Padre Pio Foundation and many benefactors traveled to Rome, San Giovanni Roton do, Pietrelcina, Piana Romana and many other holy places to celebrate Padre Pio's Canonization.

From Catholic Online.
Link to EWTN site on St. Pio

C'est finit.

I refer, of course, to my feels-like-pulling-the-nail-off-my-thumb week. The only test that went sort of well was French. Out of gratitude, I have put some French in my title. Stats and Grammar, well, all I can say is they earned a rating of thumbs waaaaay down. Ah well. Two of my friends are up in Cleveland country this weekend to attend the wedding of another friend who transfered back there last year. Hahaa, I don't get to go because of my academic stress. I guess I technically COULD have gone but I'm trying to be mature and put grades first ... there was some drama in our little group about the whole trip to Cleveland but I don't want to get into it, it's a bit nerve-fraying so I think I'll let the situation be.

Today I also went through the third floor of Perkins Hall with Leslie, looking for male responses to my wonderful super sophisticated Stats survey question: How many hours a week do you study? It was amazing how many of them laughed when I asked. But nobody turned me away without answering. I think the fact that I offered them (bribed them with) minature KitKat bars had something to do with it. All in all, a pretty productive way to spend a half hour, considering how I otherwise would have spent it. Doing nothing.

The Story of My Life

Weeeellllll maybe not quite that bad. Just feels that way sometimes :)

Yeah ... so...

Well, that certainly didn't go very well. I speak of my Stats exam, of course. I actually ran out of time at the end and just filled in some of the multiple choice randomly. Nooooot good. I think the reason I had trouble was that I didn't start studying early enough. Ugh. Now I'm going to have to bust my butt this weekend so as to get back on track in that class, if I actually CAN get back on track. Yes, I am freaking out about this. A lot.

Grammar tomorrow. I'd say I want to die, except that I don't. My little world is not going to end ... :)

PS I only got a "B" on that French exam. Accents? They didn't take off for accents in high school! Oh, wait, this is college ... ;)

Development in our National Psyche?

The Get Religion blog notes some interesting style choices journalists made when reporting the devestation from the recent hurricanes ...

Here are the key sentences as published on the CNN website, which would hardly qualify as a media outlet that would lean to the conservative side on such a hot social issue. The information is the same, yet the material was re-written somewhat, meaning that the word choice passed through another reporter and-or copyeditor.

Eight deaths blamed on remnants of the storm in North Carolina were in the southwestern part of the state. ... Four people were killed Friday in Macon County, in the southwest corner of the state, said Rob Brisley with the state Office of Emergency Management. A toddler, an unborn child and two adults died when a wall of water smashed a community of 30 homes to bits.

This is a copyediting style question that we have noted here before at GetReligion.org -- when a similar style decision was made (believe it or not) at the New York Times.

This is a hard issue for journalists who want to be fair to partisans on both sides of the issue. Perhaps this small but symbolic action is, somehow, linked to the Peterson case. Perhaps it is linked to the growing use 4D ultrasound technology.

Then again, perhaps it is a concession to reality, to the words that people use in real life. This is not politics. It is a matter of simple humanity. Faced with this kind of tragedy, loved ones and public servants do not tell journalists "we lost a fetus."

No, they lost the baby. They lost a child, an "unborn child." It is awkward or even cruel to say anything else.

Click to see the entire post.

Hooooooo

I have a mucho nasty week in the oven. Today was a French test which I think I actually did really well on! Wednesday is a Stats exam. Death. Thursday is a Precision Langauge exam. Death, then mutilation of corpse. Argh. Not a good time to be blogging, and look what I'm doing! Well, this is not so much blogging as it is complaining. It's cathartic.

I need to cut down on the chocolate intake, or by the time I graduate I'll be in serious trouble. "Girl dies of heart attack at age 22. Spent last four years consuming candy, with butt glued to desk chair. Friends say, 'We tried to warn her about her arteries, but she loved Snickers too much."

Hooray! It Changed

From Zenit, via A Saintly Salmagundi:

Saint's Blood Reportedly Liquefies Again

NAPLES, Italy, SEPT. 19, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The blood of St. Januarius ran -- again. So said Cardinal Michele Giordano, archbishop of Naples. Before thousands of faithful gathered in the cathedral this morning, on the liturgical feast of the city's patron, the cardinal announced that the saint's blood liquefied yet again. The cardinal also announced that the Church in Naples will observe the 17th centenary of St. Januarius' martyrdom by promoting, next September, an international study congress on the saint's life, Vatican Radio reported. The meeting will address questions linked to archaeology, anthropology, art history and music. The miracle of the liquefaction of St. Januarius' blood, contained in a sealed glass vial, can occur three times a year: on Sept. 19, his feast day; the first weekend of May; and Dec. 16, anniversary of the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 which, according to tradition, ended after the faithful prayed to the city's patron. Januarius, bishop of Benevento, was decapitated in 305.

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=59092

Update

Soooo ... I've forgotten to update on my little phone call problem. The priest called me back on Friday and I let the machine get it. I was scared stiff! But I was online talking to my sister, and she bullied me into calling back right away instead of the "at 2 o'clock ... or next week ... or never" I was thinking of. Thanks Betz :)

I'm not being sarcastic either! It went very well. He wasn't scary at all. He was super nice!They're not doing confirmation this year (they do it every other year) but he's thinking of having us instructed in a special little class (there's a couple other people besides myself) and confirmed at home. That would be the Diocese of Cleveland, for me. So that would mean my sister would probably have to be my sponsor. I'm not gonna make people from southern Ohio drive all that way! Anyway, we'll see what happens. Maybe he'll do an about- face or whatever.

Saint Maria Goretti, patroness of young girls (do I still qualify as a young girl?), pray for us.

Sorry I was late for dinner tonight!

PS I just realized that I can hear the Angelus bells from St. Paul's from my dorm! Every 6 o'clock in the morning, at noon, and at 6 pm. Whoopeee!

Argh!

It's Talk Like A Pirate Day!

This is easy for me since I talk like a pirate on a regular basis. Ahoy! Avast! Shiver me timbers!

I forgot to mention

that John Edwards was here on Wednesday. I guess there was a decent (maybe 40 people) protest crowd, of which I was NOT a member, alas. It was quite dwarfed, of course, by the crowd gathered to see the Senator. Nevertheless, I was pleased to hear I am not the only Republican in the city ... he he he, sometimes you can get that impression.

Here is an article on the subject from The Athens News (mentions the protestors).

ROFL

Ha, ha. I love Angry Alien. This is not a movie cartoon, it's Behind the Shiman (Shiman is the cartoonist) and is very funny.

Click, my pretties!

Same-Sex Debate Outline

Excerpt from the outline Fr. Bryce Sibley (A Saintly Salmagundi) used in his debate at University of Louisiana, Lafayette. You can read the whole thing here. (Hosted on VictorLams.com)

E. Again, returning to the topic – my primary argument is from nature

1. Even without faith, rational beings should be able to discern the problem with homosexuality

2. Begin with an example: Evaluation of bestiality or necrophilia as unnatural

a. Presumes something natural
b. That natural would be man and woman

i. Cases of incest pose a problem, but are still unnatural

c. Also, why do we get embarrassed when the dog humps the sofa in front of company? Or when it humps our leg?

i. Because we know it is not natural…

3. From looking at our bodies, we can see that man and woman were made for each other

a. The man’s body complements the woman’s, and the woman’s complements the man’s
b. They are able to give themselves to each other in their bodies
c. In fact the very desire for sexual union is a natural inclination
d. The bodies of two women or two men do not complement each other
e. This is the primary argument – it is natural and it is good

4. More technically, the sexual act must be ordered toward an “end/telos”—i.e., toward its intended natural purpose

a. Looking at the sexual act, we see that it has two ends - unitive and procreative (first seen by Aristotle)

i. It must flow from a unitive complementarity (as we have seen)
ii. And must have the natural potential to be open to life
iii. This procreative urge is built into nature, and should not be thwarted
iv. Produces the “good of the child” which furthers union

b. Homosexual sex can have neither, therefore it cannot be accepted

5. However, some will say “It exists in nature”

a. It is an aberration of nature, it is not “natural”
b. Then would we call filicide and cannibalism “natural” also?

6. This is the main argument against homosexuality, and thus homosexual marriage

Hoorah for OU

I am so glad to be back at Ohio University, Number Five Party School in the Nation. This is obviously a great fit for a girl who does not enjoy alcohol, tobacco, or "messing around" with boys. Thanks, Mother and Dad, for helping me make just the right choice.

My ungrateful sarcasm is just in jest, of course :) There are other things to do on campus, and my friends are very nice, cool people (yes, this includes you, Leslie! Don't you enjoy my gratuitous compliments?). It's not a no-pressure situation, but definitely qualifies as no-ostracism.

Or should that be non-ostracism? I want to mention that I hate, loathe, and despise my Precision Language course. It is beginning to take on elements one would normally expect to encounter in one of the lower-most Circles of Hell. These ominous developments are particularly noticeable in the Precision Language homework with its nasty little "So-is-this-a-predicate-adjective? Or-is-it-not? Guess-and-die" questions. However, us poor saps in the Scripps School of Journalism have to get at least a "C" in said class before we are allowed to advance.

That's right, I'm going to be a trained news monkey! Feed me fruits and I'll do tricks!

From the Too-Thin-Lately Good News File: Cardinal Pell bans liberal Catholic conference. I already knew Pell was one of the good guys, but he keeps getting better! Why on earth do people think that they have a right to dissent from doctrine and then demand that church property be open for their group's little gatherings?

Also, via CWNews.com, comes this: New volume will collect social encyclicals. This is great because it will provide an opportunity for the orthodox to further enlighten their minds with regard to the responsibilities, requirements, and beauty of Catholic social teaching, while administering an excellent smack-down to all the liberals who think that the preferential option for the poor provides carte blanche for every big-government, vaguely-socialistic novelty that appears on the scene.

Ahhhhh, now I fell better ...

What a great opener

Jonah Goldberg is such an interesting (by that I mean talented) journalist:

I love the CBS News forged-document story. To paraphrase the abominable snowman from the Bugs Bunny cartoons, I want to hug it and squeeze it and name it George. Okay, I don't want to name it George, but you get my drift. If this story were hot fudge, I would smear it all over my body and then roll around in nougat.

Before I go on, please take a minute to finish your dry heaves of disgust as you purge that image from your minds.

Goldberg File: Goodbye to All That

Like, duh

Now you can translate this or any other site into that mysterious language, VALLEY GIRL!

Click to see this oh so wonderful blog in Valley Girl

Click here to translate any website of your choice into Valley Girl

My my, what a wonderful resource! At last, all those poor folks in the Valley will be able to read the web in their native tongue. Standard English can be such a bore :)

Saint of the Week - St. Robert Bellarmine

Yep, it's one of my favorites, good old Roberto Bellarmino!

ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE



Doctor of the Church, Patron of Catechists

Feast Day: September 17


Born at Montepulciano, Italy, October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, a niece of Pope Marcellus II, was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification of the body.

Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus in 1560 and after his ordination went on to teach at Louvain (1570-1576) where he became famous for his Latin sermons. In 1576, he was appointed to the chair of controversial theology at the Roman College, becoming Rector in 1592; he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594 and Cardinal in 1598.

This outstanding scholar and devoted servant of God defended the Apostolic See against the anti-clericals in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. He composed an exhaustive apologetic work against the prevailing heretics of his day. In the field of church-state relations, he took a position based on principles now regarded as fundamentally democratic - authority originates with God, but is vested in the people, who entrust it to fit rulers.

This saint was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, helped St. Francis de Sales obtain formal approval of the Visitation Order, and in his prudence opposed severe action in the case of Galileo. He has left us a host of important writings, including works of devotion and instruction, as well as controversy. He died in 1621.

From Catholic Online.

His spirit of prayer, his singular delicacy of conscience and freedom from sin, his spirit of humility and poverty, together with the disinterestedness which he displayed as much under the cardinal's robes as under the Jesuit's gown, his lavish charity to the poor, and his devotedness to work, had combined to impress those who knew him intimately with the feeling that he was of the number of the saints. Accordingly, when he died there was a general expectation that his cause would be promptly introduced. And so it was, under Urban VIII in 1627, when he became entitled to the appellation of Venerable. But a technical obstacle, arising out of Urban VIII's own general legislation in regard to beatifications, required its prorogation at that time. Though it was reintroduced on several occasions (1675, 1714, 1752, and 1832), and though on each occasion the great preponderance of votes was in favour of the beatification, a successful issue came only after many years. This was partly because of the influential character of some of those who recorded adverse votes, Barbarigo, Casante, and Azzolino in 1675, and Passionei in 1752, but still more for reasons of political expediency, Bellarmine's name being closely associated with a doctrine of papal authority most obnoxious to the Regalist politicians of the French Court. "We have said", wrote Benedict XIV to Cardinal de Tencin, "in confidence to the General of the Jesuits that the delay of the Cause has come not from the petty matters laid to his charge by Cardinal Passionei, but from the sad circumstances of the times" (Études Religieuses, 15 April, 1896).

[Note: St. Robert Bellarmine was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930, and declared a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1931. He is the patron saint of catechists.]

From the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Heh heh heh

Very amusing parody of the whole possibly-maybe-seems-like-quite-likely forgery "memos" from CBS, courtesy of a most clever poster at Freerepublic.com (check out the image he has right below it on that page, too). Bwaaaaa haaaa.




Ugh. I hate homework. I hate going to bed. I like the actual sleeping part just fine, however. In other news, I had my first couple trips to Grab n' Go this weekend! For chicken! Yes, you knew it would happen sooner or later. I lasted an entire week. Impressive, hmmm? You have to take what you can get!

September 11, 2001

NEVER FORGET

Oh I'm skeeered

Ohhhhhh. Yesterday I called St. Paul's to ask about Confirmation and the lady on the phone took my name and number and told me the priest would call me, probably on the first of the week. The priest!? Ahhhhhkkkkk. I don't want to talk to the priest! It's too nerve-wracking. I'm sure I'll embarrass myself totally and I won't know what to say. I'm afraid of the phone call but I really want the call, at the same time - because if it doesn't come I'll have to call back, which would be worse. Ick, ick, ick. Impossible situation. Say a prayer for me that my head doesn't explode into a thousand pieces which OUPD will have to sweep up ...

I love love love classes (not not not)

A couple days ago I said I would elaborate on what my classes were like, but I never have yet. So here's the rundown: Nine AM French seems okay so far - it's in Copeland instead of Gordy, because it's one of those fancy classes that are broadcast to the branch campuses. It's a bit disconcerting to look at this bank of TVs and talk to the students that appear on the screens. There's a somewhat hot guy in Ashland, however :) The teacher seems a bit on edge but I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of the language.

My next class, at ten, is Statistics. Ahhhhhh Stats, but so far we haven't been given much math. Then again, it's only the first week. And she gave us a formula with lots of variables in it today. Not a hard formula, but owwww it burns! The professor seems really nice, and Leslie's in that class with me, so if I ever feel like ending it all I can go and cry on her shoulder, I hope ;)

Precision language is my noon class. That's right, grammar. Not my favorite subject - not anyone's favorite subject, except for people like Bill Safire. I've read a couple of his books on the subject and he's far gone. Just kidding - well, his fondness for combing through sentences is a bit bizarre, but the books themselves were amusing. My professor strikes me as someone I'm not going to like, although she seems perfectly nice. One of those "I'm toooo sweet but really deadly" people. She reminds me of a bird. Birdy birdy bird.

My last class is Logic. The professor is a grad student and seems pretty laid back. There's some math in this class, too, although he said not to worry about it. We have been discussing premises and conclusions this week, and I already know about those terms from Tad's Wondrous Trip Down Philosophy Lane. Hopefully Dan (the grad student) won't talk about drop kicking infants ...

Ohhhh the rain

Rain Rain Rain. That's what we've got today. I guess it's the remnants of Hurricane Frances. Somehow my umbrella didn't keep me very dry - well, it kept my head dry I guess, but my arms are all wet. My hair has also realized that this is frizzy weather and has responded accordingly. For a brief moment this morning I thought I had it fooled - alas.

I'm going over to the Languge Lab now. I'm not sure where it is. Hmmmmm better to find that out before I leave ... ;)

UPDATE: So, East Green Steet decided to turn into the Nile for the afternoon ... I was pressured (all right, so it didn't take much pressure!) into wading through some of it. Quite fun and I was already quite wet. One can carry around an umbella all one likes, and it will do one exactly nada good when the wind blows the rain sideways into your face. I left my ID card at Jeff at dinner time (yay for me!) so I get to wake up early tomorrow and go see them ... yeah ... I'm enjoying this big time ;)

Wasn't so rough

But I'd have to say it wasn't thrilling, either ... I'm talking about my classes of course. I had all four today, and I will again on Thursday. But tomorrow I only have one! Yay! It's at 10 o'clock so I can sleep in an hour, hurrah. It's pathetic that I'm so excited about it.

I felt like I was in class the whole day long, even though I finished up at 4. I have two one hour breaks in between sets of classes so it's kind of pointless to trek all the way back from Porter Hall to the dorm just to go out that way again. It'd take the whole hour! That's probably why it feels like this, it's because I'm not skipping back to the dorm for a few minutes between classes like I used to. Mmmmm, maybe next year I'll try to make my schedule more geographically compact.

You know how I filled out a survey for free pizza from Campus Crusade for Christ? Well, the girl across from me in my hall is FROM THEM and came knocking on my door asking if I wanted to come to their meeting tonight. I went (ha ha ha laugh at me all you like!:)) since it's about time I hung out with someone in my dorm. While we were there I met (or shall I say re-met) a nice girl from my precision language class. There were also a shocking number of good looking guys, drool drool drool. So it was a pretty cool, profitable evening. Also they're all into the non-drinking thing, LOL. You mean I'm not the only dork on campus? Shocking! Well, I am still the biggest dork on campus. So there. :)

I'll say more about what my classes are actually like tomorrow. Yawn. Sleepy time.

Saint of the Week

Well, I've used up all the major heresies from Catholic Answers for the Heresy of the Week bit. Not that those are the only ones out there! But those were the main ones. So now for mostly my own amusement I will post the Saint of the Week or more accurately, the Feast of the Week (since it is their "memorials" or "feasts" we are celebrating!). This week it is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I once heard that the Nativity of Mary is the only day the churches in Capri bother to open, since otherwise no one cares about religion. I'm sure that's gross exaggeration :)

ST. ANSELM'S PRAYER IN HONOR

OF OUR LADY'S NATIVITY

Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life.

When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light.

Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin.

Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin.

Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins.

O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner.

Amen.

From the Catholic Information Network

FEAST OF MARY'S NATIVITY - 8 SEPTEMBER

Novena for the Nativity of Our Lady

The prayer of each day is preceded by the following:

V. O God, come to my assistance

R. O Lord, make haste to help me

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit

R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

First Day: Heavenly Child, lovable Mary, the Eternal Father delights in your birth, for He beholds in your coming into this world one of His creatures who is so perfect that she will become the worthy Mother of His divine Son. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the heavenly Father, the pardon of my sins, and an abiding sorrow for them.

Hail Mary...

Second Day: O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Son of God delights in your birth, for He beholds the one chosen to be His Mother, and oh! Such a beloved Mother. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining from your divine Son the grace to be born again spiritually to a holy life, perfectly conformed to yours, so that I may merit to obtain eternal glory.

Hail Mary...

Third Day: O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, lovable Mary, the Eternal Word takes delight in your birth, for He sees the source of His Immaculate Blood. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the Word made Flesh, the grace to find in this Divine Blood the eternal happiness of my soul.

Hail Mary...

Click here for the rest

From The Mystical Rose Catholic Page

Here we go

It's finally happened. First Item I Have Realized I Have Forgotten: My copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Real smart for someone who wants to be confirmed this year, isn't it?

Ohhhh but I like doing nothing

So, tomorrow school starts. Would you like to read my whining? ;) Well, I'll try to keep it to a mininum, especially since everyone has problems and they would probably think mine were somewhat (or very) childish.

Whining like this: Waaaaaaah! I don't wanna wake up for a nine AM class! It's French. Do you know how long it's been since I was in a French class? A year and a half. I don't remember hardly any of the grammar, and brilliant me, I signed up for an intermediate level course. Auuuuugh. Oh well, I'll do okay. Or I'll do badly, but not lose any limbs or ears or eyeballs. No getting rid of Maggie just yet :)

I had a visit from the somewhat good-looking ARA Tommy today, about the Lounge Chair Trauma, which really wasn't that traumatic after all. I've decided to keep it (the chair, not the trauma!) since that way I'll have two chairs and when people come over they'll have more options than my bed or the floor. What a waste of time. Argh.

Here's some good news: Bill Clinton's Surgery Successful

Never liked him (at all) but don't wish him dead! Or ill. Well, if he caught cold and had to cancel some of his ultra-successful little fundraising gigs, I wouldn't exactly be weeping ... ;)

John Kerry Attempting to Shoot Skeet

Ouch, this looks like it had to seriously sting:





Don't let the rich debutante near the firearms or the huntin' rifle, Pa ... lol. Seriously, I would never vote for the guy, but I feel sort of badly for him. And I know that if it were I who was on the campaign trail I would be twice as clumsy and would even be making a much, much bigger fool of myself, guaranteed.

Helloooo OU

Well, I'm all moved in. My room is pretty nice for a single, especially since I don't have a loft. Mother wasn't too fond of it, she insisted on repeatedly referring to it as a "hole." Whatever, Mother! It seems fine enough for lil' ol' me :)

I've decided to get confirmed this year, and Leslie is going to be my sponsor! Yay yay hooray! I've been really jealous of my sister ever since she was confirmed in April. Jealousy, what a wonderful reason to do it. LOL I also just want to get it done because ... Well, it's right there to do and it's not like it's going to kill me to do it. I don't think. Betsy said there were classes or something ... Ew, but I'll live. It's all church stuff anyway so it can't be that hard :)

When I said "all moved in" I exaggerated. I still have two suitcases of Grandma Clothes to unpack, whoop de doooo! I better get going on that ... I'm so looking forward to it ... It will be so fun and entertaining ... You can obviously tell that I'm not stalling or procrastinating or trying to avoid doing it ...

Ah done

Okay, I think I'm finished packing. At last. I didn't realize I had so much stuff, but from the looks of the mini-van it's going to be a tight fit, especially with four people in the car. Yah, four - me, Dad, MOM and Arthur. That's right, the MOM is possibly, maybe coming. It all depends on how she's feeling in the morning. "Feeeeeelings. Woah-woah-woah feeeeeelings ..." Ahhh, all right, if you insist, no more singing.

Can you tell I'm a little bit tired? I really need to get into bed early tonight. Laaaaa laaaaa laaaaa.

We don't leave until around twelve tomorrow, so I have about four hours after I wake up to realize I've forgotten something. Gosh, I'm feeling manic.

Most amusing

Hurray for Strongbad! (Click!)

Riiiiiiight. I belieeeeeeve you.

Via A Saintly Salmagundi:

Product for sale:

Incense from St. Michael the Archangel.

In 1991, St. Michael appeared to The Trumpeter and brought from Heaven a tin container which St. Michael opened, and poured something into it. St. Michael the Archangel told The Trumpeter that this is the incense from the Last Supper of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This same incense was used continuously from The Last Supper, during the Passion of Our Lord and up to Our Lord Jesus’ burial in the tomb. St. Michael never left Our Lord’s side and continued to anoint Him and the area with this incense from Heaven in order to remove Satan’s influence from the plans of the Almighty God. Even Pontius Pilate could not change or alter the inevitable plans of God. Our Lord Jesus told Pilate so by saying, "You have no power over Me, if it were not given to you from above."

St. Michael has given this heavenly incense to the faithful in order to remove Satan and the devils from the location desired, or from the person’s home. However, if the person in the home does not wnt to change and desires to remain in the evil state that it is in, the incense will react the opposite. Instead of exorcising the home and people, St. Michael will remove grace from the home or location. And the incense will neither burn nor smoke.

The incense from Heaven is mixed with other incense so that no one will be able to tell which is the incense from Heaven.

Sure. Obviously. They wouldn't make things up on the Internet, would they? Especially not someone who calls themselves "The Trumpeter."