GOD AND COUNTRY (2012 MEMORIAL WEEKEND)

I am getting ready to attend the 9:00 a.m. Mass.  It is the only Mass schedule for today.  My husband is driving back to St. Louis from Detroit and he probably won't get home until 8:00 tonight.  I will be taking my sister to the airport for her flight back to Atlanta at 3:00 p.m.   We plan to go to a festival prior to heading to the airport.  We had a good time at the Lantern Festival and also at the Cardinals v. Phillies game last night.  I will be posting lots of photos taken this weekend in future posts.  (Please come back and visit often :) and I promise to share many interesting stories!)

I took the photo below a few months ago when I was asked to help at a 7:00 a.m. Mass.  I am not really a morning-person but I was glad I agreed to be there early because it was completely empty and spiritually beautiful.  People don't normally attend the early Mass and I had to get there 6:45 am to get ready so it felt as if it was just the Lord and me.  After we were done with setting up, I sat and waited.  It was my quiet time with God.  If you are a person of faith, you might share my appreciation of being in the presence of Christ.  On this Memorial Day, let's pray for peace and in rememberance of the men and women who gave their lives and those served and are serving our nation so we could enjoy freedom and liberty.  

FRIDAY SKY - EDEN, WYOMING

There is no particular reason for posting these photos, I just thought they would go nicely for this week Friday Sky post during Lenten Season. Last September, as we were on our way to Rock Springs, Wyoming, we passed by the little church as we approached the town of Eden, Wyoming. I could not resist capturing the image of the rustic look of the building against the sunset. My husband was again very accomodating to my request to turn around so I could take a few photos.

I am sure there is a lot of interesting history about this Saint Christopher's Catholic Church. My personal reason was because Christopher is my baptismal name. (Yes, I know that Christopher is traditionally baptism name for boys. It is an acient tradition that babies at their baptism are given the name of a saint whom later they should come to know, to love and to venerate. As an adult who coverted to Catholicism, since there are no doctrines against selecting baptismal names according to genders, I got to choose my own baptismal name and that is Saint Christopher.)

Above sculpture of Saint Christopher in front of the church as he is usual depicted as a giant of a man with a Christ child on his shoulder and a staff in one hand. For people of Christian faith, we believe that Saint Christopher is patronage saint of travelers. Medallions with his image and prayers are kept in vehicles as we request protection when traveling. Do you have Saint Christopher's Church in your town?

LENTEN SEASON (2012)

"You are dust and to dust you shall return."
February 22nd was Ash Wednesday. Receiving ashes on the first day of Lent is a practice that dates back to the 5th century and by the 11th century was a universal Christian practice. In ancient times, many people used ashes for religious, magical and medical purposes. In the Old Testament, ashes were sprinkled on the head or over the whole body as a sign of mourning and penance. During the Reformation, most Protestant Churches eliminated the use of ashes. In recent years, however, many of these Churches have resumed the practice. Pope Urban II (c.1035-1099) is credited with recommending that Catholics receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.

As Catholics, the imposition of blessed ashes on our forehead on Ash Wednesday signifies the purification of our minds and hearts, which is the fruit of our Lenten observance of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I pretty much was at church the whole day starting with 8:00 a.m. Mass, went back in the afternoon to help get the Lenten Supper ready to be served at 2:45 p.m. This was our first year providing Fasting Supper that included 4 kinds of homemade soups (Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with making the soups. I just helped serving the food), grilled cheese sandwich, salad and drink (lemonade and water). We requested donation only. Ash Wednesday (and Good Friday) are days of fasting and abstinence from meat. My husband stopped by after work and we had supper. I selected the clam chowder and CP had his favorite brocolli cheese. I continued to help until 6:45 p.m., just in time to join my husband for 7:00 p.m. Mass.

HOW GREAT THOU ART

The guidebook states that the above image is the most photographed and a favorite for visitors and wedding photos while couples exchanging vows. The altar of the Chapel of the Transfiguration with the large window framing the majestic Teton Mountain Range makes an almost perfect view. The rustic log Chapel was built in 1925 and has been functioning as an Episcopal church.

The Chapel is accessible all year around but religious services and weddings are conducted only during the summer months from May to September. It was nice to see there were many people just quietly sat in the small chapel. You could tell that they were visitors passing thru while on vacation but recognized that they should slow down and took the time to simply meditate. We said prayers for our country, our Armed Forces, our family and ourselves.

I thought of these images when we sang "How Great Thou Art" at Mass this morning. The winter has been unseasonably mild. The temperature has been in the upper 60s since Monday. So far we only had one sort-of winter snow without much accumulation. Looking up at the blue sky while walking back to my car, I thought of the wonderful memories of our recent road trip to the Northwest (Wyoming and Montana).

"O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder. Consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder. Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee ; How great thou art, how great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; How great thou art, how great thou art!"

"When through the woods and forest glades I wander. And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; Then sings my soul, my Savior God to theee; How great thou art, how great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; How great thou art, how great thou art!"

DOOR #125 - PEACE

I don't know when and how it started but I have been interested in the design and decoration of entry doors, whether buildings or homes. I was like a kid in the candy store when we were in Rome trying to take photos of so many interesting looking doors. They were all different, no two doors were exactly the same. In Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, doors were painted blue, the color of happiness, against the white paint of the structure, just beautiful. The robin's egg-blue sympolized the color of the Mediterranean sea.

It was a treat when I saw the above door #125 with the word PEACE while walking along Liberty Street in Savannah. I was walking back to the hotel after the morning Mass and seeing the door reminded me that God has always provided strength and a peaceful heart for whatever is coming my way.

FRIDAY SKY - CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, SAVANNAH

According to the Cathedral's website, "French Catholic emigres established Savannah's first parish, called the Congregation de Saint Jean-Baptiste, shortly before the end of the 18th century." Many of these emigres were nobles fleeing the French Revolution that had begun in 1789. In 1849, the Church of Saint John the Baptist, then the only Catholic church in Savannah, became the Cathedral.

In 1876, the new brick Cathedral was dedicated. The style was of French Gothic with imposing nave and transepts. Bronze-colored iron columns supported triple rows of groined arches. The brick structure was also stuccoed and whitewashed. The building of the spires was completed in 1896.

In 1898, the Cathedral survived the fire that nearly destroyed the structure, only the outside walls and the two spires remained standing. The Cathedral was rebuilt and re-dedicated in October 1900. A major restoration of over 50 stained glass windows was completed in November 2000, in time for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the diocese and the 100th anniversary of the re-dedication of the Cathedral.

TUESDAY TWO - CHURCH DOOR IN SAVANNAH

The address of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was listed as 222 East Harris Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401, the above was a side door into administrative office.

The 7:30 a.m. Mass was in the lower level on the south side of the church. The main entrance into the Cathedral was not opened to the public until 9:00 a.m. I walked around the block and to the nearby squares. I went back to the hotel and made the trip later to take photos inside the Cathedral.

TUESDAY TWO - CHURCH DOOR IN FARMINGTON, MISSOURI

Last Sunday when we drove around historic downtown in Farmington, the first time I saw the address on the side of this church and I knew it would be perfect for the next Tuesday Two post.

Because it was one-way street, so I begged (well, requested nicely) that my husband circle around the block. CP dropped me off at the corner. I got out and took the photos. CP then had to drive around the block again, then came back to the corner, to pick me up.

Before you said that I was so lucky to have such a loving and sweet husband, and that he was a good man who was so accomodating to his wife's every little requests, you need to remember that the reason CP willingly drove around the block because he was driving the T-bird. He never missed any chance parading around town showing off his toy!

TWENTY-TWO

My husband and I celebrated our 22nd Wedding Anniversary this month. I ordered a marble cake (our favorite choice instead of the white or yellow cake). I chose white icing and red lettering because red/white are the colors of the Polish flag, to honor my husband's heritage. The young lady at the bakery did a good job decorating the cake with the rings tied together.

My husband sent me the above beautiful basket of flowers. However, the order got mixed up and was not delivered to the office when it was supposed to. Turned out the delay caused the flowers to be delivered on the day after "the incident" took place. The flowers really made my day because I was very upset, not wanting to be at work yet trying hard to continue performing my job in a professional manner. It really made you believe that everything (delay of the delivery) happens for a reason (to remind me of the love from my husband and that I was not alone)!

I took the basket home and placed it on the kitchen counter so I could enjoy both the flowers while looking out the window watching Yan and Yvette (yellow finch). There were ups and downs in my marriage. There were good times and there were bad times. There are still not-so-nice times and I am still learning how to be a loving, supportive, respectful and prayerful wife to my husband. The last 22 years were not all wonderful and the next 22 years might not be smooth-sailing. Just for today, I am reminded of God's Blessings and take comfort in trusting that He will provide what we need and He will keep us together in faith and in love.

BLACK MADONNA SHRINE AND GROTTOS - EUREKA, MISSOURI

The last two years, we attended Memorial Day services at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/jeffersonbarracks.asp. We no longer wish to attend the service because the occassion that was supposed to honor the men and women who gave their lives defending our nation has turned into opportunity for politicians to give speeches about themselves and why they should be elected or re-elected. This year, on Monday, May 30th we decided to attend Mass at the Black Madonna Shrine in Eureka, Missouri. A group of AARP members from Chicago, Illinois were also there for their annual pilgrimage to the Shrine. The members were Filipinos and they were the most faithful and joyful worshipers I have ever celebrated Mass with. It was a privilege to share the celebration with them.

The Black Madonna Shrine and Grotto was constructed in 1938 by Brother Bronislaus Luszcz, a Polish native, of the Franciscan order. The Shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and is a replica of the shrine in Czestochowa. Brother Bronislaus spent 20+ years of his life building the rock grottos all by hands, without mechanical tools.

Visit www.franciscancaring.org to read more about the Shrine, the Grottos on the ground and other information such as nursing home and schedule of liturgical services.

The above icon of the Madonna and the mosaic wall of the Chapel (below photo) were created by Frederick Henze .

In 1958 an arsonist set fire to the altar which burned the chapel. It was hard to believe that the shrine was also vandalized many times.

The image is known as the Black Madonna because of its dark skin tones.

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS - ILLINOIS

The weather turned out to be sunny and comfortable on Sunday, May 29th. Since we were temporarily safe from any thunderstorms or tornadoes warning, we decided to drive to Our Lady of the Snows to attend the 11:30 a.m. Mass. The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows is located in Belleville, Illinois.

The above is the Outdoor Altar and Amphitheater. To read the details of how this spiritual structure is built and other Devotional Areas on the ground at the Shrine, visit www.snows.org.

Above is the Millennium Spire, constructed at 85 feet tall, it stands at the top of the hill overlooking the Amphitheater. At the base of the Spire are votive candles for visitors to light up when submitting prayer requests.

I was glad that I took these images of the Resurrection Garden. The above shows one of the geode-shaped rocks circling the Resurrection Cave, depicting the appearance of Christ to the Apostles and others after His resurrection.

Thursday, June 2nd is the Feast of Ascension when Christ ascended into Heaven. "HE is not here for HE is risen", the angel tells the disciples as they watched Jesus ascended bodily into the clouds.

After Mass, we had a nice brunch in the cafeteria. Before leaving the Shrine, we visited the gift shop and purchased a few DVDs.

A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN ST. LOUIS

On Saturday, the snow continued to fall throughout Christmas Day. The snowflakes were so fine that at first it looked like the snow has stopped. We had nowhere to go, so we did not mind that it was snowing! Compared to previous posted photos, you could tell that the snow has really piled up on the bench and started weighing down the tree branches.

I got up around 8:30 a.m. and was wide awake even though we did not get home until 2:30 a.m. from attending Midnight Mass and did not get to bed until after 3:00 a.m.

It was a nice relaxing Christmas Day. After breakfast, we shared a piece of birthday cake since it was my husband’s birthday (a Christmas baby). I continued to catch up on reading the library books I took out last week while my husband watched his favorite silly movie, A Christmas Story! We took a nap in the afternoon, got up and ate some more. The same routine was repeated with dinner, pies and then it was time for bed.

The midnight Mass at the New St. Louis Cathedral was wonderful. We left the house around 10:30 p.m. and thanks to the road crews, the highway was all cleared. A new parking lot was added this summer and it was right at the corner which made it so much easier to walk to the cathedral. We found good seats in the center. It did not take long for all the seats to fill up from the time I took the photo below. We did not get home until 2:30 a.m. but we were not really tired since we already took a long nap in the afternoon.

I don’t remember what time we got to the cathedral last year but it was packed by the time we got there. We were lucky to find two seats far away to the right of the altar. We noticed that as soon as the music was over, a lot of people got up and left. So it was good that people who really were there for the Mass did not have to stand the entire length of service

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH

On Sunday, November 28th, I visited my godmother, MC and her husband, JC. My brother VL was so nice to drive us all the way from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. Originally we planned to take the subway there and that would have taken us 2 hours being that it was on the weekend and we had to wait to transfer from one train to another. MC and JC are both in their 90s yet, they are so vibrant, sharp and in better shape than I am. MC said she volunteers at nursing home twice a week “to take care of old people”!

I met my godmother, MC when I worked at my first job in America. A few times when I stayed overnight at MC’s place, we would go to church together. Back then I would sit and waited while MC receiving communion. This time, we received communion together. MC has always been kind to me and my family without expecting anything in return. I believe God has brought us together and our Catholic faith has kept us closer.

After church and then lunch, it was time to say goodbye. We hugged and promised to keep in touch often.

Here is what I wrote in a previous post about how I met MC:
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

"Feel better?", MC said to me after showing me how to rub the Vaseline lotion on my hands and thru the fingers. We could not communicate much since my English was limited when we met (in 1980) one week after I started working at MK Company. MC just came back to work after a week of vacation in Florida. MC was responsible for rotating the displays of merchandise in the show room, working with photographers of various magazines to feature new items and selecting pieces of jewelry that would go well with certain outfits for the models at upcoming fashion shows.

After we met and MC saw how dried my hands were, during lunch MC went out to purchase a bottle of hand lotion to give to me. That was the beginning of our friendship. I will always remember the little things MC did to help me. Instead of eating in her comfortable office, MC would bring her lunch to the breakroom. While we ate, MC would talk to me and encouraged me to share with her what I learned from English classes. She corrected my pronunciation, grammar and taught me American expressions. During the summer months, when we walked around the blocks at lunch time, MC would teach me about New York City, about America and about being a young woman (I was 19 years old). I laughed so hard the first time MC asked me whether I had been kissed by a boy and if I liked it. Perhaps because the subject of kissing was such a taboo in conversations in the Asian culture, I laughed to avoid giving MC an answer. As I became aware of my maturity as a young woman, I asked MC many questions that I would not dare to ask my own mother. These questions probably would make mother very uncomfortable and I had no business discussing the topics until I got married anyway.

MC provided words of encouragement during my years of working full time and seeking a college education. We remained good friends when I moved to Michigan. MC visited me when JC came to St. Louis to attend a convention for World War II veterans. We have continued to keep in touch regularly by letters, phone calls and now by email. I felt so blessed to have such wonderful friends like MC and her husband. The kindness they extended to me and my family over the last 27 years has lessened some of the difficulties on my journey being a refugee in the new land. Very often in life, kindness of strangers is the thing we most likely depend on. Thanks, MC and JC, for all your support and encouragement.”