Feast Day: Our Lady of Lourdes

Our family is very tied-into the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes:  my husband and I met while we were teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes School .... we were married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church ... two of our children were baptized at Our Lady of Lourdes Church ... we've been very blessed to go to Lourdes as a family, twice -- once in 2000 and again in 2001.  My maternal great-grandfather came from the Basque village of  Oloron-Ste.Marie, about 20 miles west of Lourdes in the Pyrennes.

We have many connections.

This apparition of Our Lady to St. Bernadette in a grotto in the south of France 18 times in the 1850s is one of the most visited shrines in the world.  Catholics, Christians, Jews ... even pagans go to Lourdes to pray and become whole in mind, body and spirit.  Some are cured ... some are eased in their illness ... some are left with the crippling diseases which have brought them to this spot.  But all leave with a sense of peace and love and care that only the Blessed Mother and her Son can bring.

It is an amazing place like none other on earth ... a place of prayer ... a place of peace ... a place of love.  The candlelight prayer service everynight is amazing: singing and crying and praying in different languages, warmed by the glow of the thousands and thousands of candles that fill the area in front of the Cathedral.  There is a constant flow of penitents into and out of the Confessional Building, where the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered all day every day in just about every language.  The Blessed Sacrament is available for adoration as is Holy Mass throughout the day.  The sick ... wheeled in on stretchers or wheel chairs, some even carried ... are all there for a special healing service in the afternoon, every afternoon. 

What a haven of peace and Divine love in the midst of our 21st Century.

Today, we'll read stories from The Wonders of Lourdes: 150 Miraculous Stories of the Power of Prayer ... we'll watch Bernadette and Song of Bernadette (we started last night by watching Loretta Young in Road to Lourdes).  We'll eat Tuna Lorenzo (tuna salad on homemade English muffins, broiled) and Gateau Basque (I'll post our version later) ... and of course, we'll pray for all those who are sick, suffering or dying as well as praying in thanksgiving for God's Love which allowed St. Bernadette to see Mary and God's Charity which continues the miraculous cures into the 21st century.

 

Feast Day: Our Lady of Czestochowa

Our Lady of Czestochowa ... the patron of Poland and a favorite pilgrimage shrine for the man born in a small village nearby, a man who was born in an area of Poland where my Dad's family originated, a man who would become Pope John Paul the Great. 

Our Lady of Czestochowa is another reminder that God is in charge and prayers are amazingly, miraculously answered by our loving God.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us all!

When BamBam was just a few months old, I was blessed to be able to go on a peace pilgrimage with college students ... about 40 of us (including 3-month-old) piled on a bus for the overnight journey from Austria into southern Poland ... a trip I will never forget. 

Here is an article I wrote back five years ago about our visit to Jasna Gora:

It’s her eyes you notice first. Her eyes invite you to contemplate, to meditate, to pray. Her eyes are mysterious and yet open, sorrowful yet loving. These are the eyes of the icon known as “Our Lady of Czestochowa”.

John Paul II understood the power of this icon. As a boy growing up in Wadowice, the parish church had a life-sized version of the icon – a picture the young Karol prayer to after attending Mass. He had at least two copies of the Black Madonna in his private Papal apartments some 70 years later: one full-size version in his private chapel where he said his morning prayers and a smaller version near his desk in his private office. John Paul II arranged to stop at Jasna Gora and celebrate Mass on almost all of his six trips back to his homeland, ; his inability to visit imposed by the Communist regime who, as George Weigel explains in Witness to Hope, “didn’t want him working the crowd”.

Because of this icon, Jasna Gora is Poland's most important and revered Marian shrine among the numerous sites dedicated to Marian devotion throughout the country. In a country where Catholicism has been able to beat the Tartars and the Swedes, the Nazis and the Communists, this shrine is the focal point.

The shrine is part of the Monastery of Jasna Gora – Bright Hill. It shelters the miraculous icon of Our Lady, which is also known throughout the world as the “Black Madonna”. Housing a Basilica, museums, and the precious icon (in the Our Lady’s Chapel), Jasna Gora is a site of pilgrimage for millions of visitors each year.


Every night at 9:00 p.m., the final prayer is prayed and the icon is covered for the night. Poles at the Shrine are joined in prayer by Poles around the world in what has become known as the “Jasna Gora Appeal”. This Appeal was first prayed in 1954 for Poland and the freedom of the Primate, Stephan Wyszynski, who was imprisoned under the Stalinist regime.


The Appeal begins with the singing of the Polish Marian hymn, “Bogrodzica”. This hymn was the national anthem for many years. All then sing the appeal three times: “Mary, Queen of Poland, I stand before you, I am watching, I am on guard!” More prayers and intercessions follow and a final hymn is sung. During the final hymn, a silver plate is rolled down over the 4 x 2-1/2 foot image – this cover is over 300 years old – and the Sanctuary is closed for the evening.

As Polish people around the world join in this prayer it was a special blessing for me to be able to stand before “Our Lady of Czestochowa” on what would have been my father’s 75th birthday. I was able to pray for my father of Polish descent in front of the Queen of Poland. To pray in front of an icon my father had talked about when I was little.


The “Black Madonna” is steeped in mystery and miracles. Traditionally, the painting has been attributed to St. Luke, who painted the Madonna’s portrait on a table that Jesus had built. Art critics dismiss this, saying the icon is 5th or 6th century. Whoever painted the icon, and whenever it was done, doesn’t really matter. The fact remains that the venerated icon is many centuries old and has been protecting the Polish nation since it was brought to Czestochowa by Prince Vladislaus of Opole in 1382. Prince Vladislaus asked the Pauline Monks to build a monsatery and chapel to house the already revered icon.


This icon is more than just an ancient, mysterious painting. Many miracles, and the religious and patriotic spirit of Poland, are centered around this icon. The veneration of this icon, and the trust in the intercessions of “Our Lady of Czestochowa”, continues to bring the pilgrims – on foot, by car, by bus – from Poland and all the world. All come to venerate this lovely lady.

“Our Lady of Czestochowa” looks out at the viewer and her eyes mesmerize. She holds Jesus in her left arm and her right arm is raised, inviting us to meet and love her son. Jesus is also facing the viewer, but his eyes are turned elsewhere. He holds his right hand up in magisterial benediction while holding a book in his left hand. Both faces have a serious (almost sorrowful) but loving look. The icon invites you to prayer and contemplation, belonging to the group of Hodigitria icons, "she who indicates and guides along the road".

There is something which makes this icon even more dramatic. On Our Lady's right cheek are two slashes and a third horizontal cut. The neck of the image is marred by six additional scratches and there is another cut over her right eye. These are marks that were left when the image was stolen by a group of robbers on Easter Sunday, 1430. A gang of Bohemians, Moravians and Silesians, stole the painting, tearing-off the valuable votive offerings and slashing the image that looked back in sorrow as they desecrated the holy image. When the Pauline monks found the discarded image, they brought it to Krakow and had it repainted, leaving the slash marks as a reminder of the barbaric act of near-destruction.  On every rendition of this Black Madonna, these "war wounds" are always a noticeable feature.

Because of this desecration, and subsequent attacks by warring factions, the monks built a fortress around their monastery. A fortress that repelled invaders for centuries and protected the art works and precious objects given by the faithful for prayers answered. The walls of the Our Lady Chapel, where the icon is enthrnoned above the altar, are covered with amber and coral beads – thanksgivings from the faithful. Other walls of this side chapel are covered with crutches, canes and silver votives. The Pauline Monks keep these items in trust as they are thanksgiving offerings given to Our Lady.

A beautiful museum houses many of these offerings, as well as some being incorporated into the “dresses” that the icon wears. Our Lady has seven dresses made from precious jewels, velvet and silver and gold donations. In addition, the altar that surrounds the icon is made of silver and black marble – built through donations of the faithful. A gold rose is permanently displayed on Our Lady’s altar – a gift of Pope John Paul II during his first papal visit to Czestochowa in 1979. Additionally, a golden heart, emblazoned with the words “Totus Tuus”, is another gift of the Polish Pope to the Queen of Poland after the unsuccessful attempt on his life in St. Peter’s Square in 1981.


“Our Lady of Czestochowa” was enthroned as “Queen of Poland” in 1716 by Clement XI. From 1795 till 1915, a period of 120 years, Poland disappeared from the map of Europe – it was consumed by Austria, Prussia and Russia. During this unhappy period, Jasna Gora became the rallying point of the Polish nation and the icon became a pledge for a free Poland.

Poland and her people have turned to “Our Lady of Czestochowa” for help from invaders – such as the “miracle of Vistula”. In 1920, the Russians stood on the banks of the Vistula River, ready to conquer Warsaw. The entire Polish nation prayed to the “Black Madonna” for deliverance, while thousands traveled to the Shrine to beg her for victory. On September 15, 1920, the Feast of the Assumption (in the old calendar), the outnumbered Poles reigned victorious, pushing the Russians back to their homeland.


The irrepresible Polish Catholic culture has meant that Jasna Gora as a rallying point continued through the history of Poland. When Poland was occupied by Germany during World War II, the Poles turned to Jasna Gora. When Poland was occupied by the Communists during the post-War era, the Poles turned to Jasna Gora. When a Polish Pope was elected, the Poles turned to Jasna Gora to thank Our Lady. When the Communist-led government fell in 1989, the Poles came to Jasna Gora by the hordes to again thank their Queen for her intercessory prayers.


Today, this monastery is still operated by the Pauline monks who are entrusted with the care of this symbol of Poland’s Catholicism. Sitting high above the city of Czestochowa, this monastery is a beacon for the faithful, for the pilgrims who come to pray and attend the various services held within the shrine. This is the center of Poland’s catholicism. This is Jasna Gora!

Where should we go today? Parish Pilgrimage June 2010

Well, Tuesday actually.

Our new pastor (we got him in January) likes to make small local pilgrimages as a way to get to know his "flock". We were fortunate to be able to participate in his first for our Parish ... a drive to Maryland and the site of the very first Carmel in the new world at Port Tobacco, Maryland.

Boy, was it hot! 

Poor LegoManiac was wearing slacks so he could serve Mass.

Our Lady of Consolation -- painted by one of the Carmelites -- in the "new" (built in the 1937) chapel.  You can see the gate that separates the cloistered sisters from the public.  For a short time (when the sisters were forced to move to Baltimore -- from 1830 to 1852), the sisters were asked to leave the cloister and help teach in the new United States.  In 1852, they were allowed to go back into the cloister and do what Carmelites do ... pray and meditate for all of us.

The original house (built when the original four sisters -- three were native Marylanders -- came in 1750).  This Carmel convent spawned all the other Carmels throughout the United States, sending cloistered nuns throughout the country in the past 260 years of their existence!

After saying the rosary in the chapel and taking the group picture, above, we headed to Chapel Point and the Jesuit church, St. Ignatius.

"The oldest continuously active parish in the United States, founded 1641 by Father Andrew White, SJ"

And boy do they now how to pick a spot!  This is from the side of the church, looking out onto the cemetery with Port Tobacco River and the Potomac (and the Virginia side) in the distance.  The cemetery is filled with gravestones dating from after the Civil War ... seems the Union soldiers camped here never had to fight a battle so spent their time taking potshots at the gravestones in this cemetery -- there are NO stones left from the pre-Civil War era.

In side the church, this is the main altar, where our pastor celebrated Mass.  At the end of Mass, we were able to venerate a relic of the true Cross brought from England when Fr. Andrew White came to establish this Jesuit mission -- VERY COOL!

After Mass, we had a picnic lunch in the cool, air-conditioned Church Hall.  After eating Father and another priest from our parish, serendaded us with guitar/harmonica music and gospel songs ...

A wonderful day and a new-found place to explore (it's only about 1-1/2 hour from here) when visitors come calling ... 

Feast Day: St. Bernadette Soubirous

Today is the celebration of St. Bernadette Soubirous, the young Basque girl privileged to see the Blessed Mother at the grotto in Lourdes, France.  We really love this little saint who died so young, in so much pain, and yet offered it up for us all.

St. Bernadette is from the area of France where my maternal great-grandfather was born.  He was born in the mountains just above Lourdes not many years after Bernadette saw Our Lady.  What crazy times those must have been ... with the French Revolution, the secularization of much of the country and a young girl privileged to speak to Our Lady and then to relate to us all the messages of love and sacrifice. 

Millions of pilgrims go to Lourdes annually .... many non-Catholics too believe in the miracles that have occured at the waters ... miraculous healings of mind, body and soul.  My dh gave me a wonderful book about these miracles, The Wonders of Lourdes, and we have been blessed to visit the waters twice on pilgrimage with the kids (String Bean was just months old when she "took the waters" the first time). 

So tonight, I will make clafouti (recipe below), we will watch The Song of Bernadette and Bernadette and we will pray to this lovely Basque saint who continues to give such a great example of how to love completely.

St. Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us ... that we may learn how to love even our trials.

Clafouti ... Julia Child’s Version


Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups milk

• 2/3 cup sugar, divided

• 3 eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup flour

• 3 cups cherries, pitted (or any fresh/frozen fruit like apples, peaches, pears, etc – peeled and pitted)
• powdered sugar, for garnish

Using a blender, combine the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour, and blend. Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish, and pour a 1/4-inch layer of the blended mixture over the bottom. Set remaining batter aside. Place dish into the oven for about 7-10 minutes, until a film of batter sets in the pan but the mixture is not baked through. Remove from oven (but don’t turn the oven off, yet). Distribute the pitted cherries over the set batter in the pan, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the clafouti is puffed and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Servings: 6-8 for dessert, 4 for breakfast.

Feast Day: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first American-born saint canonized by Holy Mother Church.  She is patroness of Catholic education and the patroness of our home-education adventures (with St. Athanasius).  Her national shrine is in Emmitsburg, Maryland where she founded her congregation and schools ... a wonderful place to visit and pray and learn about this widowed mother who did so much in her relatively short life.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us!

Feast Day: St. Teresa of Avila

Now, this is a cool saint ... she's one of only three women Doctors of the Church ... yep, that's how profound are her writings.  Dh studied her extensively in grad school and still loves reading about her.  I never studied her but everytime I read a quote, I think "yes, exactly!"  For instance the quote I attached the above icon ...

With the Lord by our side, there is nothing we cannot do.  Separated from Him, we will collapse ...

 

Cool, eh?

Today we learned about St. Teresa (1515-1582, Avila, Spain)  ... and her many gifts to the Church, not least of which would be the reform of the Carmelite order in Spain.  She was one tough woman who didn't take lightly anything that would lead souls away from truly loving God.  We also colored the page Waltzing Matilda so graciously posted for all while we talked about visiting Avila back in 2000 for our Jubilee Year pilgrimage.  It was hot (July in Spain!) and dry and dusty and trains were delayed ... and yet, Avila was cool, clean, and gorgeous! 

I wanted to find a fun recipe to try for this feast.  The yemas -- candied egg yolks -- just didn't sound like anything my family would like and yet that was the only sweet that was associated with St. Teresa!  I decided to do an online search of Spanish recipes and found a great-sounding recipe for polvorones, traditional special-day cookies (often made for Christmas) ... I tweaked the recipe just a tad and must have done the right thing because dh and ALL three of the kids ate almost the whole plate after dinner!  They loved them and dh said it was probably the best cookie I've made!

So, yemas step aside and let's do polvorones for St. Teresa of Avila!  Here's the recipe I made:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 3/4 cup almonds (raw)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

This polvorones or Spanish almond cookie recipe makes approximately 16 (2-inch round) cookies.  We made heart-shaped as I still can't find my biscuit cutters!

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure and pour flour out onto a cookie sheet. Place in oven and "toast" the flour. Occasionally move the flour around on the sheet, so that it toasts evenly. Leave in oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.  At the same time, place raw almonds in a glass pie pan and toast till fragrant (about 8 mins). Remove and place almonds into a food processor. Process almonds until they are finely ground.
Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees.

Cream butter, egg yolk, sugar and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and finely ground almonds and continue mixing. The dough will be very crumbly!

Place a sheet of waxed paper on a cutting board or other flat work surface. Press the dough together to form  ball. Then press the dough onto the waxed paper. Carefully flatten it down to about 3/4-1 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and a spatula to move cookies to cookie sheet for baking.

Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet for 30-45 minutes at 250 degrees. Turn off heat and leave cookie sheet in oven, allowing cookies to cool completely before removing them.

 

That's it ... for "the best cookies I've ever made!"  I think next time I'll try using powdered sugar in lieu of the granulated as I think that will make them even more melt-in-the-mouth!

 

Blessings and hope you had a wonderful St. Teresa Day!