FSSP Ordinations

I was going to put together some thoughts and reflections on the FSSP ordinations, but due to lack of time, I refer you to Fr. Z's blog (Card. Castrillon Hoyos ordains priests for the FSSP in Lincoln, NE - Extraordinary Rite) for an in depth look.

Please remember to pray not only for these priests, but all the Catholic priests throughout the world!

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica from the River Tiber. The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome.

Our art study will include a look at Vatican City and the four major basilicas. The first is St. Peter's Basilica. Remember that St. Peter's is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop as that is reserved for Basilica of St. John Lateran. But many, if not most, of papal activities occur here.

The dome, designed by Michelangelo, is one of the most recognizable features of St. Peter's. The interior can be seen here.

The Chair of Peter is a wooden chair enclosed in a gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The chair of a bishop is a cathedra. Tradition holds that this chair was used by St. Peter himself.

The Cathedra Petri, seen from

behind the High Altar of St. Peter's

Our last study of artwork from St. Peter's (it is so hard to limit) is Michelangelo's Pieta.

A Prayer for Daily Neglects

During a conversation with a friend, she mentioned the following prayer. I have seen it, but not paid much attention to it. But over the last couple of days, I have been working on my Rule of Life and found one of those great forms at Donna Young's on organizing household duties. I "see" how much time I do not make good use of. Lights go off as I recall excerpts from many of my spiritual readings about "wasted time". As of this past Sunday I renew my focus on fulfilling my duty stated in my blog description, but I also know my weaknesses and "idleness" will undoubtedly find a way to creep in. So I accept my weakness and trust that by leaning more on God than myself, I can overcome it. I will begin to offer this prayer daily and strive to His perfection.

Prayer for Daily Neglects

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all its love, all its sufferings and all its merits. First --- To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. Gloria Patri. Second --- To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life. Gloria Patri. Third --- To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life. Gloria Patri. A Poor Clare sister who had just died, appeared to her Abbess who was praying for her, and said to her: "I went straight to heaven, for, by means of this prayer, recited every evening, I paid all my debts."

Of Note - FSSP Ordinations on EWTN

Please remember in your prayers the following men who will be ordained to the holy Priesthood on May 30.

PRAYERS FOR HOLY PRIESTS

My Dear Jesus, Thou desirest that we pray the Lord of the harvest that He send zealous laborers into His harvest. Deign to raise up in Thy Church, and especially in this diocese, numerous and holy priests who, taking Thy Divine Heart as their Model, will, in the exercise of their holy priesthood, promote the glory of Thy heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood. Give us truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love, seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of souls.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests.

Press release (borrowed from Fr. Demet's site)

Vatican Cardinal to Visit Nebraska

DENTON, Nebraska – May 21, 2008 –

On Friday, May 30th, 2008, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the following four men will be ordained priests for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter by Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, the President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Rev. Mr. Jared McCambridge, FSSP, from Arlington Heights, Illinois
Rev. Mr. Dennis Gordon, FSSP, from Nogales, Arizona
Rev. Mr. Justin Nolan, FSSP, from Guthrie, Oklahoma
Rev. Mr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP, from New Cumberland , Pennsylvania

To be televised live on EWTN at 11:00AM (EST), the ordinations will take place at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

About the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Corpus Christi Sequence and Artwork

The painting is The Institution of the Eucharist by the Flemish artist
Joos van Wassenhove, c.1474

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

From the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales:

SEQUENCE : LAUDA SION
On certain days the Church wished to prolong the joy of the Alleluia, or the sorrow and penance expressed in the verses of the Tract which sometimes replaces it, and so a hymn or psalm called the Sequence was added. There are five Sequences in the 1962 Missal which are as follows :

Victimae Paschali for Easter Sunday thought to have been composed about 1048;
Veni Sancte Spiritu for Pentecost, to Pope Innocent III about 1198;
Lauda Sion for Corpus Christ composed by St Thomas Aquinas about 1274;
Stabat Mater for the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother composed about 1306;
Dies Irae in Masses for the Dead (Missae Defunctorum) composed about 1250.

These Sequences, hallowed by centuries of continued use, abound in poetic beauty and doctrinal orthodoxy, as we can see from reading the incomparable Lauda Sion reproduced in full below. Their disappearance from the liturgy of the Mass is a loss to the Church which has never been made good. For many Catholics today the Corpus Christi procession, accompanied by the chanting of Lauda Sion, the beautiful hymn to the Blessed Sacrament, was an unforgettable highlight of the feast day. It still brings back memories of the lengths to which the Church was prepared to go to lavish praise and honour on the Blessed Sacrament which is to be adored in the most solemn manner. We recall the priest carrying the Host under a richly ornamented canopy, the path before him strewn with flowers over which the Son of God was to pass, the seemingly endless procession of the faithful following behind, and the strains of Lauda Sion surging heavenwards.

Click here to read this beautiful sequence by
St. Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Botticelli

The Madonna of the Book, also known as the Madonna del Libro, is a small painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, circa 1483. It is housed in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli of Milan.

I simply love this artist and will have a very hard time presenting only one of his works this upcoming school year. CHC's Liturgical Masterpieces has Madonna with the Child (Madonna with the Book) scheduled to be studied in January.

This print is beside my dresser in my bedroom.

Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints
(San Barnabas altarpiece). c.1487.

"A Virgin became the Mother of God, in order to reconcile man with God, to give peace to the world, triumph to Heaven, salvation to mankind, and life to the dead." St. Augustine

American Shakespeare Center

A couple of weekends ago, a good friend of mine and I went up to Staunton, VA to the Blackfriar's Playhouse and saw two plays - The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice. I have been to the Shakespeare Center before and absolutely love the evenings of plays and the days of shopping in Staunton. It is a quaint little town which is home to the American Shakespeare Center, Mary Baldwin College, and numerous stores of all my favorite things: antiques, books, arts, and architecture. Unfortuately, there is never enough time to fully exhaust all of the offerings. But then it makes me anxious for my return trip! Hopefully, I can make it back up to catch Henry V that I missed this time.

Slow Down and Think to Enjoy

From The Simple Woman's blog:

FOR TODAY Monday, May 19, 2008...

Outside My Window...
watching the squirrel on my deck while my cats nap comfortably around them.
I am thinking...
of my husband who has left on a business trip and should be landing at his stopover right about now.
I am thankful for...
a beautiful day and for being able to be here with my children to enjoy it together.
From the kitchen...
planning chicken sandwiches for lunch and wondering about dinner.
I am wearing...
a light weight summer skirt with a spring colored shirt because I want to be sunshiny today.
I am creating...
lesson plans for the summer and fall. I want to be creating sewing plans!
I am going...
outside as much as possible. I will take a few minutes to read on the deck.
I am reading...
my spiritual reading which I am behind on (out on the deck!).
I am hoping...
to seriously start some spring cleaning this week.
I am hearing...
my 5 year old who is not as jolly as his mother today and his siblings trying to coax him into a better mood.
Around the house...
I really need to start that spring cleaning (is it summer yet?!
One of my favorite things...
is watching the birds at the feeders (when my cats leave them alone).
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
clean, organize, garden, and plan.

Here is picture I am sharing...

Three Back in College

Well, for 6 days I could say I had only 2 kids in college, but my oldest son who graduated with his BS in chemistry found out yesterday that he has been accepted into a Doctorate program in Medicinal Biochemistry. I have never seen a kid (he's 24), so excited about finding out he will be in school for another 4 years! Of course, he is still hoping to hear from the National Institute of Health, but he is very happy to know that he has this as an option. He is so excited about being almost full-time in a lab setting and out of most classrooms.
It's funny. We had some testing done when he was about 9 and the tester told us that he expected him to go into this field and be successful in his studies. After several turbulent high school years and still a lot of growing up in college, I really think he has begun to " mature". At least I hope this course of study will keep him so busy, trouble won't be able to find him!
Of course, my daughter will take the GRE next fall (her senior year at Belmont Abbey) and start deciding whether to go on in school or work for a year. But she is pretty level-headed and will do well either way. Now if I can just get the 18 year old to study like his sister, not go to every single sports event at UNCC, and get him through the next 3 years of math, science, and engineering courses. Oh, these boys . . . and Michael is only 5, but growing up so fast . . . How much I appreciate the babies I use to get up with in the middle of the night and rock.
I thank God for all the blessings He has sent to my family and pray to all the saints in heaven to help us to see His path and keep us on it!
Deo Gratias!

Co-op End of Year

Last Wednesday was our last day at co-op. It has been a wonderful year with wonderful families. Two moms, Liz and Peggy, from co-op have posted pictures of our May Crowning. It was a great day to celebrate the culmination of the year. We already have a schedule planned for the fall semester and moms are busy planning their curriculum. What a blessing this group is!

At the Wellsprings of Traditional Life: Something I have been thinking on.....

From At the Wellsprings of Traditional Life: Something I have been thinking on.....

"Christ: My child if you desire true happiness, then I must be your ultimate goal of all your works. Too often your affections are inclined toward yourself and other creatures; direct them toward Me, and they will be purified."

This is a great quote from an even greater book! The Imitation of Christ is a spiritual classic. If you do not own a copy, run to your nearest Catholic bookstore and pick one up! A full view is available from Google Books here. The blog is worth time exploring the archives, also. Mrs. L has a wonderful Catholic blog.

The Angelus

This is one of my favorites!
The Angelus is a prayer rich in doctrine and devotion. It commemorates the mystery of the Incarnation by reciting certain versicles and responses with three Hail Marys and a special concluding prayer. It is recited morning, noon and evening. The church bells ring--three tolls for each of the invocations and nine for the concluding prayer.
The renowned painting by Jean-Francois Millet entitled the Angelus depicts a man and a woman standing in a field. They are farmers. He holds his cap reverently as he stands with bowed head, and she in a white cap and long blue apron over her dress clasps her hands as a prayerful look sets her face. They pause in prayer near the end of the work day.

Art Appreciation

As I prepare my class plans for beginning school in the Fall, I am checking out some Catholic art that we will be studying. So I thought it would be cool to include some pictures and link to information about it and/or the artist.
The first one is The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Guido Reni.
I hope everyone enjoys the postings.

What I Am Reading . . .

I have several books going all the time. Last night I started on one a friend lent to me that I had wanted to read for quite some time. The Art of Catholic Mothering ( or from Amazon ) is by a homeschooling, Catholic mother of 5 who was so overwhelmed by motherhood that she retreated, literally an Ignatius 5-day retreat, while pregnant with her 2nd child. There she was inspired to write, or rather gather the stories, for this book. She gathered the stories of twelve Catholic mothers. From her introduction:

. . . . It was this thing called SELF SACRIFICE. No one had ever told me that motherhood and dying to self were synonymous! . . .
. . . But it wasn't all wrong; motherhood was exactly the tool that God had chosen to shape my soul and this may not be news to you, but "being shaped" rarely feels pleasant. And even in that retreat of 1997 God allowed me to see and understand that each child He would send would be yet another tool with which He would try to remove some part of SELF that wasn't Christ-like"

I am also almost finished with How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D. I picked up my copy from my local library. This is a very informative book and I highly recommend it. I hope to give a copy to my doctor.

Blogger help

This is the greatest site for us who know very little about HTML. I hope to explore it more in the near future. Click here

Math U See

Although we are not schooling full-time yet, we have started a new math program. After almost completing MCP's Kindergarten book, we started over with Math U See at the Primer level. I hope to complete the Primer by mid-August, so that Michael will begin the Alpha level at the beginning of the school year. He is really enjoying this program and asks if it is time to do math and "Decimal Street". Here is a picture of him this morning working in his book.

Prayer for the Ascension

Let us ascend in spirit with Christ, that when His day comes,
we may follow with our body.
Yet you must know, beloved brethren,
that not pride, nor avarice, nor impurity, nor any other vice ascends with Christ;
for with the Teacher of humility pride ascends not,
nor with the Author of goodness, malice, nor with the Son of the Virgin, impurity.
Let us then ascend with Him by trampling upon our vices and evil inclinations,
thus build­ing a ladder by which we can ascend;
for we make a ladder of our sins to heaven when we tread them down in combating them.

- St. Augustine