Our beautiful Lady

I love this jeweled icon

Pope Francis

On the Feast of St. Joseph

we have a new Pope

at Poor Clares

Danny and his boys made a visit to the Poor Clares today.

Assumption of Mary

 

Elizabeth had a lovely tea party on Monday to celebrate the feast of Assumption of Mary

The table setting was beautiful, the food so carefully prepared and labeled AND delicious!!!

All the Cheim family, Annette, Dad and I, June Cheim and Father Hogan.

Sister Mary Constance. RIP

Died peacefully in the lord on June 14, 2011. Born in Philadelphia, PA, July 4, 1934. A Carmelite Nun for more than 50 years. Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. Monday June 20th, at the Carmelite Monastery, 1000 Lincoln St., Santa Clara, CA with viewing from 1 - 4:30 p.m. Sunday June 19.

Sister Mary Constance taught me the prayer they say everyday at the Carmelites:

Mary, my Queen and my Mother
Remember I am Your own
Keep me and guard me
As Your property and possession.

Bless her heart. I for one will miss her sweetness and loving help in times of trouble.

Sign her guest book;

http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/mercurynews/guestbook.aspx?n=sr&pid=151990575&cid=full

Bobby do you remember Greg being baptized there and the rainbow on a sunny day??? And all the painting she did in the church and chapel.

click:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM6XFxi8ivU ;
and
http://www.mary-queen-of-carmel-assoc.org/santaclara/index.php

Cathleen and St. Gregory

 

We will be watching Cathleen's new painting with interest!

Pope Gregory I (Latin: Gregorius I) (c. 540 – 12 March 604), better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death. Gregory is well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.

He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.

Mary, Queen of May...

On this day, O Beautiful Mother!
On this day we give thee our love;
Near thee, Madonna, fondly we hover,
trusting thy gentle care to prove.

On this day we ask to share, dearest Mother,
thy sweet care;
Aid us e'er, our feet astray, wandering from
thy guiding way.

Queen of Angels, deign to hear, thy dear
children's humble pray'r;
Young hearts gain, O Virgin pure, sweetly
to thyself allure.

Feast of the Holy Family

Epiphany...

The Cheim family celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, by going to mass, exchanging gifts and having a Christmas like dinner with turkey, stuffing, potatoes & gravy, wonderful vegies and delicious pumpkin pie made by Marie. This year we got to share when Robbie brought over a huge box filled with goodies and a present as shown below. A lovely picture of the 3 Magi and a piece of gold (in right hand lower corner of photo) and lavender (myrrh) and some incense. We loved it!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

and thanks to Annette for her gourmet style beans...(I had them for breakfast over eggs...yummy) habas y huevos. Myahhhh...xxx

Raphael's Madonna

Raphael (1483 – 1520), one of the most prominent Italian Renaissance painters, created masterpieces that epitomized the High Renaissance ideals of harmony and beauty. From Urbino, Italy, Raphael was admitted to the workshop of the town’s leading painter at age 12 and quickly surpassed his instructor. Possessing a remarkable command of depth, perspective, light and shadow, Rafael imparted warmth and serenity to his magnificently lifelike figures. His most brilliant works include the stanzas inside the Vatican, and Madonnas which he portrayed with human emotions, as no artist had previously done. Pope Julius II had such high regard for the grace and perfection of Raphael’s work that at one point, he was inclined to make him Cardinal.

i like this...

"And the lion shall lie down with the lamb…”

Although a misquote from the bible....it was a wolf and a lamb....we can hope peace....

Isaiah 65:25

"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the Lord.
As you can see, the lamb is both times paired with the wolf and the lion is paired with a beast of burden (once with calves and another with the ox). Still, the meaning behind the imagery is not really done damage by switching the juxtaposition to include lions and lambs. One can see with little trouble how the image became as widely popular as it has.

Dec 9th...our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe
of Juan Diego 1531

"Hear and let it penetrate into your heart, my dear little son; let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you. Let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Also do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain.
Am I not here who am your Mother?
Are you not under my shadow and protection?
Am I not your fountain of life?
Are you not in the crossing of my arms?
Is there anything else that you need?"



Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his home village to Mexico City early on the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen to sixteen, surrounded by light. This event occurred on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac. Tepeyac. Speaking in the local language of Nahuatl, Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. From her words, Juan Diego recognised her as the Virgin Mary. When he told his story to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga. the bishop asked him to return and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin then asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. He found there Castilian roses (which were of the Bishop's native home, but not indigenous to Tepeyac). He gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his tilma or peasant cloak. When Juan Diego presented the roses to Zumárraga, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth of Diego's tilma.

Because of the symbolism of her garments (e.g. her belt was a symbol of pregnancy) many believe that the Virgin Mary made her appearance regarding the sacrifice of innocent children by the Aztecs (1427-1521) In 1521, the Aztec empire was decimated and Spanish rule soon spread throughout the newly gained land.

The Catholic Church's role in Mexican history goes back to 1519. When Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conqueror of New Spain, landed on the coast of Mexico, he was accompanied by Roman Catholic clergy. All new Spanish territories were to be conquered in the name of the cross as well as the crown.

the Immaculate Conception...

The Immaculate Conception
by Murillo, 1660,
Museo del Prado, Spain.
















The feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December, was established as a universal feast in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV.

from the first moment of her existence, she was preserved by God from the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts mankind, and that she was instead filled with divine grace. It is further believed by Catholics that she lived a life completely free from sin.

St. Joseph's Feast Day

St. Joseph with the infant Jesus., my favorite Saint.

Today is St. Joseph's feast day and it is usually celebrated by having a meatless meal called St. Joseph's table. Every year we go to St. Thomas More School and share in the wonderful food prepared by the mothers.

This ancient tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. At that time there was an exceptionally severe drought in Sicily. No rain fell for an extended period of time, no crops would grow, and countless people died of famine. The peasants prayed to God for rain, and they also prayed to St. Joseph to intercede with God on their behalf. They promised that if God caused it to rain, they would have a special feast honoring God and St. Joseph.

By miracle, the rains came and the crops were planted. With the harvest, the people prepared a feast of foods from their crops. This has become known as the Tavola di San Giuseppe. Through the centuries, people who have prayed for a favor and been granted the favor use this festivity to show their thanks. The "favor" requested must not be for personal gain or benefit.

We know St. Joseph was a carpenter, a working man...he wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified, he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24). Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage...descended from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38).

He was a compassionate, caring man of faith, obedient to God. Joseph is the patron of the dying, of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.


To the right is my favorite painting by Martin Feuerstein


"O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear for Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His Holy name, deign to hear our prayers and obtain for us our petitions.

O Jesus, Mary and Joseph come to our assistance. Amen "

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

Saint Patrick (estimated AD 387 - AD 461) Latin, Patricius, Irish : Naomh Pádraig), said to have been born Maewyn Succat, was born a Roman-Christian and was a Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland. When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken from his native Wales as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the church, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked and no link can be made between Patrick and any church. By the eighth century he had become the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.
It appears that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. Two letters from him survive, along with later hagiographies from the seventh century onwards but may not authentic traditions. He lived from 340 to 460, and ministered in what is modern day northern Ireland from 428 onwards. On 17th March St.Patrick's day is celebrated to remember him and what he did. This is celebrated across the world.