Feast of St. Lucy, December 13, A Visit to Venice, Italy

Front Door of the Church of Sts. Jeremiah and Lucy
La Chiesa dei Ss. Geremia e Lucia, Venice, Italy

 

Remains of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Church of Sts. Jeremiah and Lucy, Venice, Italy

In 2018, my husband and I went to Italy. It wasn't our first time, but as you know there is so much to see and do in Italy. You can go back many times and not exhaust seeing and enjoying the beautiful country with its Catholic history.

St. Lucy has been one of my favorite saints for many years. She is an Advent saint, and I love the season of Advent, the season of waiting and preparing for Christmas. 

The season of waiting for the birth of Christ is one many of us take quite awhile to learn well. St. Lucy learned at a very young age to be Christ centered. She gave her life for Christ both in pledging her virginity to Him and then suffering martyrdom in Sicily in 303 AD rather than honor the Roman gods. See my blog post St. Lucy 

Recently we were able to return to Venice for a half day visit. It was then that we went to The Church of Santi Geremia e Lucia to venerate her remains and to learn a bit more about this young saint. 

Born in Syracuse, Sicily, in 283, Lucy was beloved by the people. After her martyrdom, her body remained in Syracuse until the Arab invasion of 878 when it was hidden away for fear it would be desecrated. From 1040 to 1204, it was honored in Constantinople. In 1204 when the Venetians conquered Constantinople, they moved the saint's body to Venice. Between 1204 and 1609, St. Lucy's remains were to be found in various Venetian churches. They were moved from one church to another for different reasons, finally resting in a church named after her, Santa Lucia, with an associated monastery.

In 1845, a spot for a new train station was being contemplated in Venice, and it was in the area where Saint Lucy's remains rested that the station was to be built. A number of buildings were torn down to make room for the station. The Church of Santa Lucia remained untouched, but eventually it was determined due to the noise of the trains and the deterioration of the church building that it, too, must be torn down. It caused great consternation among the faithful. To acknowledge the great devotion of the faithful, the train station was named Santa Lucia and a commemorative stone with an engraved picture of the former church and an inscription were placed in the center of the train station floor. 

The question, of course, was where to put the venerated remains of St. Lucy. Much consideration was given and on July 5, 1860, the Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Francesco Ramazzotti, sent a letter to the faithful explaining the Church of St. Jeremiah, Chiesa San Geremia, was chosen for the honor and a beautiful chapel would be built to house her remains. On July 11, 1860, the transfer of St. Lucy's remains took place in great solemnity and were placed above the high altar until the chapel was completed in 1863, 

There is a great deal of architectural history and conversation regarding the Chapel of St. Lucy which I am not going into in this little write-up. What I would like to leave you with is the simple fact that for centuries the faithful in Sicily, in Byzantium, Sweden, Venice, and elsewhere have been inspired by the deep and courageous faith of this young virgin and martyr to the point of protecting her remains that they might be honorably venerated. The body of St. Lucy has been allowed by God to remain incorrupt. You can see her feet in the picture above that I took in October 2022. Her head has a silver mask over it and her body is covered by a red garment. In an earlier writing, I mistakenly said St. Lucy was stabbed to death, but it seems rather that she was decapitated. In fact, unfortunately, on November 7, 1981, her body but not her head was stolen from the Chapel of Saint Lucy in Venice. Many prayers were offered for its return. During the night of December 12 to December 13, 1981, the Venetian police found the body of St. Lucy and returned it to the Church of Saints Jeremiah and Lucy in time for her feast day!

I hope you have a chance to go to Venice some day and to visit the Chiesa dei Ss. Geremia and Lucia and venerate her remains. Whether you are able to go or not, be sure to ask her to intercede for your intentions, help you to prepare well for Christmas, and grant you and all your loved ones the gift of healthy eyes. St. Lucy is the patron saint of eyes.

St. Lucy, Pray for Us!

Below is a picture of a yummy bread, Luciakrona, Lucia Crown, that I make every year for her feast day along with the fun St. Lucy Eyeballs treats! You can find the recipes for these items in my book Celebrating Advent and Christmas with Children, pages 65 and 69. The Eyeball treat recipe is on my blog. See the link above. Enjoy!

Happy Feast of Santa Lucia!!!

 

There are many good children's books about St. Lucy. Here is just one that I recommend. You will find others in your Catholic books stores, publishers, and on Amazon.

The resource I used in writing this blog post is La Chiesa dei Ss. Geremia e Lucia by Pala Bin.

Advent 2022

Over the years, I have written, prepared workshops, and baked many edible and a few inedible food items for the Advent and Christmas seasons. I truly loved those years. It was great fun doing all the many seasonal activities. In this post I am going to list some of the Advent feast days that I wrote about in the past with their links.

This Advent I am limiting myself to a post on St. Lucy. Bob, Catherine, and I went to the church in Venice where St. Lucy is entombed and remains incorrupt. I took pictures and purchased a book which I will share with you closer to her feast day on December 13.

I am working on another writing project this December which I look forward to sharing with you after the first of the year. In the meantime, I am going to recommend The Harwood Mysteries Series for your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews who are ten and up by Antony Barone Kolenc. It is published by Loyola Press. There are four in the series currently with six in total planned. I will write about them in another post, but I recommend them as great reads and Christmas presents for your middle schoolers and up. I have read two of them already and am now reading the third. Don't wait for me to finish!  Check them out yourself at this link:The Harwood Mysteries

The links below will take you from my oldest posts on Advent starting at the top to the newer posts at the bottom of the page. The novena prayer to St. Andrew concludes the post. Tomorrow's is his feast day. Happy Feast of St. Andrew! St. Andrew help us to have a fruitful Advent.

Advent Saints

St. Nicholas

Juan Diego

Our Lady of Guadalupe

St. Lucy, Las Posadas, Books

St. Lucy,

Legend of the Poinsettia

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Las Posadas

Song of Old: Lovely Advent Story

Song of Old: An Advent Calendar for the Spirit by Miriam Scott - available on Amazon. Highly recommend it for age 9 and up, especially for girls. It is a lovely and beautifully written story.

Celebrating Advent and Christmas recipe photos

Every recipe from my book is photographed and the page is listed where it may be found in the book.

Feast of St. Andrew

St. Andrew, First Called

More Advent

St. Juan Diego & Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hispanic Catholic Decorated Shrine

St. Nicholas

The Advent Wreath 

The Advent Calendar

The Jesse Tree

Advent Waiting Through Baking

Four Weeks of Baking Using a Different Cookie Cutter Each Week 

Week 1 - Angel Cookie Cutter

Week 2 - Shepherd Cookie Cutter

Week 3 - Candle Cookie Cutter

Week 4 - Star Cookie Cutter

     WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A GRACE-FILLED ADVENT SEASON

                                        St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment when the Son of God was born of the most 

pure Virgin Mary at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, Oh 

God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the intercession of our Lord and 

Savior, Jesus Christ, and His most Blessed Mother.

Many say this prayer for 15 times from the Feast of St. Andrew to Christmas Eve.

Feast Day of Our Lady of La Leche, First National Marian Shrine in the United States, October 11

 Last year was a very special year at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. The devotion to Our Lady under her title of Our Lady of La Leche received a special honor from the Holy See called a Canonical Coronation. You can read my post from last year  Canonical Coronation

While writing that post, I was not able to find a children's book to recommend for families to purchase for  children about the shrine or the Blessed Mother under this title. During the last few months I have learned of this book, The Little Pilgrim Kid's Companion to The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. You can go online at The Little Pilgrim Kid's Companion to make a purchase. It is an excellent companion for a child while visiting the Shrine with activities and exercises for various ages. It includes: guided prayer activities, coloring pages, quizzes, and information that will encourage your child to learn and grow in their faith.

May Our Lady of La Leche bless you and your families. 

Happy Feast Day, Our Lady of La Leche! Pray for and intercede for us.

Santo Antoni Basilica, Padova, Italy

Tomb of St. Anthony

We arrived in Italy on September 21 and after a little bit of adjusting to the time difference - 6 hours - we began taking in the soccer games, gymnastic classes, walks to and from school, and family time. The setting is beautiful as all of you know who have been to Italy. The hillsides, mountains, lakes, beaches, and small towns with their churches dotted throughout speak a cultural language all their own. There is a very rich Catholic cultural heritage here in Italy for those who can see and chose to embrace it.

On Wednesday, September 28, Catherine drove us to Padua. Our first visit was to the Scrovegni Chapel. I will save the description of that visit for another post, but I will say this. If you have a chance to visit Padua, do not miss visiting the Scrovegni Chapel. It is the work of Giotto, a fourteenth century painter whose frescoes of the life of Christ, His mother, grandparents remain alive on the walls to this day in a way never before seen.

Front of the tomb of St. Anthony

The Scrovegni Chapel is at one end of Padua and the Basilica of San Antonio is at the other. When we finished our tour, we walked to the other end about 15 - 20 minutes away. There was a tram to take for those who prefer not to walk. When we arrived at the Basilica of San Antonio, we found out that the relics of St. Anthony were in a room that closed at 12 noon and not at 12:45 as my guidebook had mentioned. Before we went to venerate the relics, I first went to St. Anthony's tomb, placed the intentions both general and specific in the box for intentions, and then prayed before the tomb for my intentions and for all of you who asked me to pray to him for you. The picture below is the front of the tomb of St. Anthony. The back of the tomb is where many pilgrims, including myself, prayed by placing our hands on the back of the tomb and asking for St. Anthony's intercession.  

Statue of St. Anthony beside
the reliquary chapel

The reliquary chapel contains a number of relics of St. Anthony and other saints, notably St. John Paul II, and Sister Faustina to name two others. Below are pictures of the reliquaries.

Relic of St. Anthony's tongue

For those of you that would like more 

information 

on the Basilica of Saint Anthony, here

is a link in English

Basilica of San Antonio 

Saint Anthony's feast day is 

June 13. He is greatly 

loved by many for interceding

in small and large matters. It was a 

blessing for Bob and me to visit the

basilica and to pray for our intentions and yours. 

Thank you, Catherine for driving

us there.

St. Anthony, Pray for Us!

Relics of St. John Paul II and
Sister Faustina

 

Padua and Venice, St. Anthony and St. Lucy, June 13 and December 13

Basilica of St. Anthony

Bob and I are visiting Padua and Venice soon. I will be sure to send many pictures and update you via this blog or Facebook. Our primary reason to visit Italy is not to see these two beautiful and historic cities, but to see our five grandchildren who live in Italy and their parents. However, since we will be very close to Padua and Venice, we plan to visit them. Padua will be seen for the first time and Venice for the second.

In Padua we will visit the tomb of St. Anthony of Padua and venerate his relics. When we visit the Basilica of Santa Antonio there is an area to post intentions. I plan to post intentions for all of my family and friends, so please be assured that your intentions will be placed in the basilica of this dearly, loved saint in a general way. Some of the pictures and things I learn about the saint and Padua, I will save for his feast day, but not everything. I plan to do one post just on Padua while in Italy or soon after.

Basilica of St. Mark, Venice

 In 2018, Bob and I visited Venice for the first time on our 35th wedding anniversary. Venice as many of you know is very beautiful. The Adriatic Sea with the incredible onion church domes and spires lining the sky across from St. Mark's Square are breathtaking, especially when the sun dances on the water. There were many churches, paintings, museums, and restaurants we wanted to see on that trip. We saw many of them including Titian's Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Santa Maria de Gloriosa dei Frari Church. A copy of the painting hangs in the upper church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. What I missed seeing in Venice, because I did not know they were there, were the tomb and relics of St. Lucy. Our family loves Saint Lucy. We celebrate her feast day and are familiar with her life at least up to a point. I am not familiar how her relics came to be at St. Geremia Church in Venice. Bob, Catherine, and I will go there and venerate her relics and pray for our intentions and yours. I will post pictures and share how her relics came to be enshrined in Venice. Until then Ciao!

Happy Birthday Mary! Founder's Day in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, September 8, 1565

Happy Birthday, Mary! September 8th is the day we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. December 8th is the day we celebrate her immaculate conception. September 8th is nine months later. This is truly a happy day for all of us. Mary accepted willingly the Angel Gabriel's annunciation that she was chosen to be the mother of the savior of the world.

Pictured to the left is a photo of the young virgin Mary with her mother, St. Anne. I love this statue of the two, mother and daughter. The statue is from my hometown parish which is St. Augustine Catholic Church, Montpelier, Vermont.

There is no mention of Mary's mother in the Scriptures, but the Proto-Evangelium of St. James, although not an inspired writing tells us the mother of Mary was named Anne which means grace.

I now live in St. Augustine, Florida where September 8 is also known as Founder's Day. It is called Founder's Day because Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine on September 8, 1565. He named the site St. Augustine because he had sighted land on August 28, 1565, the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, after an exhausting and turbulent oceanic crossing from Spain. Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, the fleet's chaplain, offered the first parish Mass on September 8, 1565, when Pedro Menendez came ashore and claimed La Florida for God and for Spain. The Mass was held on what is now called the Sacred Acre. When the Mass was finished, Menendez invited all who had attended, priests, soldiers, women and children, and the Timucuan natives to a meal of thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving meal was  held here on the grounds in 1565. The name Sacred Acre is an expression coined by President John F. Kennedy upon receiving copies of historic documents pertaining to St. Augustine in  November of 1963. The grounds are the site of the first mission, Mission Nombre de Dios, Name of God.

Reenactors, Founders Day, September 3, 2022

Bishop Erik Pohlmeier

This past Saturday, September 3rd, Founder's Day was celebrated. This was the yearly reenactment of the claiming of St. Augustine for God and for Spain by Pedro Menendez. Reenactors dressed in original costumes reenacted the historic scenes. After the reenactment, Bishop Erik Pohlmeier, newly consecrated bishop of St. Augustine, offered Mass. Many attended this Mass which is offered on the rustic altar, thought to be the original spot where Fr. Lopez offered the first Mass. Every year people throughout the diocese make it a point to attend Founder's Day recognizing this historic event and embracing the love and devotion of the Blessed Virgin under her title Our Lady of La Leche, a devotion brought by the Franciscan missionaries to the young Spanish colony about 1600. In 2019 the Bishops of the United States recognized the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche as a national shrine, the oldest Marian Shrine in the United States. October 11 is the Feast Day of Our Lady of La Leche.

    

                                                                                   

Dr. Mary Soha

Every year, Dr. Mary Soha pictured to the above gives a talk on the history of Our Lady of La Leche on the Shrine grounds. You can find her talks also on Youtube, EWTN, or by googling the Knights of Columbus talks by Dr. Mary Soha. Besides speaking on Our Lady of La Leche , she also speaks and is the Vice-postulator on the Florida Martyrs. I encourage you to check her talks out. She has a wealth of information on our Catholic history here in Florida.

Happy Birthday, Mary! 

Truly you are the mother of all of us. You were once a young girl and as such we honor your birth and your childhood under the loving and watchful eyes of your mother, St. Anne. 

The Royal Family Reenactors, Founders Day, September 3, 2022

Bishop Erik Pohlmeier giving a blessing
after Founder's Day Mass

 

St. Clare of Assisi and St. Agnes of Prague, August 11 and March 2

St. Clare used with permission by
Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, Silverstream
Priory, Ireland 

St. Clare of Assisi is one of the women saints whose spirit has influenced many throughout the world. In August of 2012, I did a blog post on her. In October of 2018, I was fortunate to visit the Basilica di Santa Chiara, Assisi, Italy, where I took a number of pictures. I include a few in this post. 

The post of 2012 is biographical with a recipe and a book by a Poor Clare.  I hope you will enjoy them. You  can find the post here: St. Clare

While living in Virginia and working at St. Veronica's Parish in Chantilly, Carol Krieger and I would cut through the hills of Clifton on our way to work. Nestled in that lovely hidden community was St. Clare Catholic Church. The church itself was quite new and had been the brainchild of Fr. Cornelius O'Brien, a diocesan priest from Ireland. He made his way to Virginia and served in the Diocese of Arlington for many years. My husband and I had been fortunate to hear him speak on a couple of occasions. Before he retired back to his native country, he designed and built this lovely church of St. Clare. Carol and I would stop in for morning Mass on our way. Fr. O'Brien was no longer there, but this little gem located among the woodlands of Clifton provided the quiet start to the day we both desired, and it reflected the spirit of the foundress of the Poor Ladies, or as we know them today the Poor Clares. 

St. Agnes of Prague

St. Agnes of Bohemia, January 1211 - March 2, 1282, often referred to as St. Agnes of Prague lived during the time period of St. Clare, 1193 - 1253, and was influenced by her. Like St. Clare, Agnes was of noble rank, in fact she was a princess, the daughter of King Ottokar of Bohemia and Queen Constance. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was her first cousin. I will save the many biographical details of her life for her feast day on March 2 of the coming year.

What I wish to bring out is the spiritual relationship between St. Clare as foundress and abbess of the Poor Clares and St. Agnes. Agnes as a princess was given in an arranged marriage from her earliest years. However, one can only assume that her education first under the watchful eye of her holy aunt, St. Hedwig Andechs in the monastery she had founded in Poland, and later under the Premonstratensians nuns, inspired in Agnes a deep love of the King of Heaven rather than an earthly king. For  this she turned to Pope Gregory IX to assist her in renouncing her arranged marriage to Emperor Frederick II. Agnes had made a vow of virginity in her earlier years after a previously arranged marriage was dissolved. Pope Gregory IX supported her request and Emperor Frederick II accepted her vocation .

When Agnes was about twenty, the Friars Minors of St. Francis visited Prague. They told her of the life of St. Clare and how she embraced the spirituality of St. Francis. Agnes was very much drawn to this Franciscan spirituality of embracing Lady Poverty.  She soon founded a monastery hospital which she named after St. Francis. Shortly after founding the hospital, she built a monastery for the women of the Poor Sisters. Today we know them as Poor Clares. On Pentecost of 1234, Agnes entered the Order and took solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Her entrance into contemplative religious life was heralded throughout Europe. 

It was during this time that St. Agnes and St. Clare began corresponding. Theirs became a deep and true spiritual friendship based on the love of Jesus Christ and the understanding each had for the other coming from a similar noble background. Here are some quotes from a letter St. Clare sent to St. Agnes encouraging her in her vocation: 

“If with Him you suffer, with Him you will reign; if with Him you weep, with Him you will rejoice; if in His company you die on the cross of tribulation, you will possess with Him the heavenly dwellings in the splendour of the saints, and your name will be written in the Book of Life”.

There are four letters extant which are in the possession of the Poor Clares in Assisi from  St. Clare to St. Agnes. None remain as far as is known in Prague. Pope John Paul II had this to say at Agnes' canonization in 1989.  "Agnes played a remarkable role”... “in the civil and cultural development of her nation.”  Below is a link which will take you to the Italian letters of St. Clare to St. Agnes of Bohemia/Prague. You can use the Google translator to read them in English if you are interested. There are some other websites that have portions of the letters in English which you may prefer to use. None of the sites including this one says it is secure, so please use at your own discretion. 

Letters from Saint Clare of Assisi to Saint Agnes of Bohemia

St. Clare in glass casket. Basilica di 
Santa Chiara, Assisi, Italy

 Here are some other quotes from St. Clare of Assisi taken from a prayer card I found at St. Clare Catholic Church, Clifton, Virginia.

"Love God, serve God; everything is in that."

"Gaze upon Christ. Consider Him. Contemplate Him and desire to imitate Him."

"Love totally Him who gave Himself totally for your love."

"Go forth without fear, for He who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you..."

"Blessed be You, my God, for having created me."

Painting in the Basilica di Santa Chiara of St. Clare
Showing Claire warding off invaders off her monastery by
holding up the Monstrance.

Happy Feast of St. Clare!
St. Clare, Pray for us!
St. Agnes of Prague, 
Pray for us!

Saint Bridget of Sweden, July 23, Mystic, Wife, Mother, and Grandmother

St. Bridget of Sweden was a mystic. Her life like St. Hildegarde Bingen, St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and others was woven out of the ordinary and the mystical. 

She was born in Sweden in the 14th century, 1303 - 1373. As a young girl of ten she was deeply touched by a vision of  Jesus hanging upon the Cross. She asked Him, "Who has treated you like this?" Christ answered, "They who despise me and spurn my love for them." From that experience on, she had a profound devotion to the sufferings of Christ.

St. Bridget was the daughter of  Birger Persson, a knight and governor of Uppland, a wealthy land owner, and Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, a relation of the reigning royal family in Sweden. As was the custom she was married at an early age, thirteen. Her husband, Ulf Gudmarsson,  was three years older. They were married for nearly thirty years and had eight children. In 1341 they went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.  On the return trip, Ulf became ill and was taken to the Cistercian monastery at Alvastra where he was cared for until his death in 1344.

After Ulf's death, Bridget remained living near the monastery. She spent many hours in  prayer and caring for the poor. The prior of the abbey recorded the many visions that she had during this time. One of the revelations instructed her to form a religious order of cloistered women and men which she did. The Order became known as the Bridgettines or the Order of the Most Holy Saviour. The Order consisted of women and a few men under the same religious rule but they lived in separate monasteries at Vadstena. 

You might think Bridget was enamoured with her visions but on the contrary she was concerned about them, wondering if the devil was influencing her in an unstable way. She submitted her visions to a priest of experience and learning who confirmed their authenticity and later she committed them regularly to Peter, the prior of Alvastra Abbey, who wrote them down.

In 1350 St. Bridget with her daughter Catherine and a few priests went on a Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Rome. She was to remain in Rome until her death in 1373. It was in Rome that she hoped to receive approval for the Rule of the Bridgettines by the pope and while there to encourage the papacy to return from Avignon, France to Rome. 

During this period of time she carried on numerous charitable works and was beloved by all in Rome and its surroundings for her kindness and generosity. In 1370 when Pope Urban V was in Rome, she received approval of the Rule for the Bridgettines. 

Inspired in one of her visions to visit the Holy Land, she left Rome in 1372 on pilgrimage to the holy sites. She died shortly after her return from this pilgrimage.  Her daughter, Catherine, who is venerated as a saint, returned to Sweden to carry on the religious direction of the Bridgettines, and later St. Bridget's granddaughter, Ingegerd Knutsdotter, became the Abbess of Vadstena.

St. Bridget is known for many things. She was a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, foundress of a religious order, mystic, advisor to the hierarchy, and author of many prayers. Her original feast day was October 8, but with the updated Roman calendar under Pope Paul VI, it was transferred to her date of death, July 23.

The fifteen prayers of St. Bridget are recited by many during Lent or on Fridays when the sufferings of Christ on the Cross are especially remembered. I think you will find her prayers inspired.

 15 Prayers of St. Bridget

Here are some websites for further reading

St. Bridget

St. Bridget of Sweden

History of the Bridgettine Order

 https://stpius10mulund.org/st-bridget-of-sweden/

You will find a Swedish Spice Cookies called Pepparkakor in this blog in the September 23, 2014 Archives. It is a delicious cookie to make and enjoy as you honor St. Bridget on her feast day.

St. Bridget, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, lover of the Lord,

                                                      Pray for us and our families!

Summer Reading 2022

Summer is that glorious season when we relax from life's usual routine to refresh and recharge for the coming school/work/volunteer year. The kids and grandkids are out of school. The mountains, beaches, and rolling hills are beckoning. The bicycles are loaded on the car, the swimsuits are packed, suitcases loaded, and we are off to a spot which promises a break from the everyday schedule.

The summer vacation is the time to curl up with a good book in a cottage or on the beach, unwind with a new movie, play a favorite board game, or listen to the waves break along the coast. It's summer and we need its slower rhythms.

Miguel's Bay is a great book to bring along on your trip. Its warm-hearted story about a family, a geographical area, and historical time period make it the perfect mode of transportation ferrying you away from the twenty first century into the past. 

Peggy Donoho and Ron Prouty are no strangers to Miguel Bay. Peggy is the great-great granddaughter of Miguel and Fredericka Guerrero, the married couple who the story centers around. Miguel Bay near Terra Ceia, Florida, is named after Miguel. Ron Prouty is a multi-media designer with thirty years at the Tampa Bay Times and a life-long resident and lover of  Manatee County history.

Since my husband and I are new residents to Florida, I was thrilled to meet Peggy and Ron when they came to St. Augustine on a research mission. When they put Miguel's Bay into my hands and told me to keep it as a gift, I was pleasantly surprised.   

When I picked up the book to read it, I wondered who wrote what? I learned later that Peggy wrote all the chapters related to Fredericka, and Ron wrote those related to Miguel. The story begins with Miguel, a sailor/fisherman, recalling his life in Menorca as he leaves for his new life in America. His adventures take him to the west coast of Florida, north of the Manatee River and the Island of Terra Ceia via New Orleans.  If you check out Terra Ceia on a Florida map, you will find a bay named after Miguel.

Miguel is not so much looking for adventures as he is looking for roots. The roots one puts down when you have matured; be it 20 or 50! He wonders if he will ever find the right woman. He finds the English language hard to learn. Perhaps he is destined to grow old alone.

Fredericka has the opportunity to leave Germany and begin a new life with her aunt and uncle in Florida. The German economy is failing. Her father's successful furniture business is no more. Her brothers are leaving. Should she? 

The Atzeroths, Fredericka's aunt and uncle, have managed to buy land, start a general store, and build a home in Florida. They invite Fredericka. There is a place for her, and she is a welcome addition with her alert mind, work ethic, personality, and good looks.

And so the story goes on with Miguel and Fredericka eventually meeting one another. He is older. She is twenty-five. Neither speaks the other's language. But there is something in the character and substance of each one that brings them together in a life which lays down roots and brings forth five children.

The retelling of their life together is filled with warmth and joy. The warmth of a woman and a man who have found a good mate in each other despite the limitations of language. (They do learn the rudiments of each other's language.) Mostly, though, there is a depth in each person which finds a depth in the other, amidst the day to day living of ordinary life. 

The welcoming of children reflects the depth of their love. Each looks forward to the birth of the new life they have created together. There are many lovely descriptions of family life, ordinary family life, but cherished family life in the scenes which play out before the reader's eyes. In a day and age, when there are fewer children and often not wanted, it is refreshing and reaffirming to read of the love of a mother and a father for their own, treasured children.

This story is historical fiction. The basic facts are true. Miguel and Fredericka and their five children did live on Terra Ceia Island.  But the flesh and blood details that are woven into this work of fiction and which bring it to life are taken from the families who formed the hearts and souls of Peggy and Ron as they grew up in Manatee County, Florida. There is love of the family as I have mentioned, but there is also love of the sea, love of the land, and its history. It is a land brimming with palm trees, palmettos, sunshine, geckos, flowers, and water. A land Miquel and Fredericka loved. It was the period when Florida passed from territory to state, and its men were called to bear arms. The love of one's homeland runs deep. This story of family, land, and country is set in the 1840, 50, and 60ties and paints a picture of life lived by those who settled Manatee County, Florida, and those who know and love its land today

Miguel's Bay is available on Amazon.

 Miguel's Bay

My 91 year old father, Alan, with Peggy on right 
and me on left.

Passing on Your Family's Catholic Legacy, June 12, 2022

I am up in Vermont, my home state. I love coming home. The fresh mountain air, the beautiful spring flowers, shrubs, and flowering trees, all remind me of how blessed I was to grow up in the physically beautiful surroundings of the green mountains. Vermont is a charming and picturesque state. It is the home of my ancestors both Catholic and Protestant for many generations.

It is my Catholic ancestors that I have come to Vermont to search out and learn more about. I have a purpose, too. I want to write down for my family, for my children and grandchildren, the legacy of our Catholic roots in Vermont. It is in this blog post that I want to encourage you to do the same. 

It is not that I knew nothing of my Catholic family history. Years ago I had heard that the first Mass in Underhill, Vermont, was held in the home of my great-great-great grandfather Michael Barrett. I had also heard that Fr. Harold Barrett, my grandmother, Katherine's first cousin, had given  her 25 silver dollars from his twenty fifth silver anniversary. Were these true stories or family legends?

 I began searching the stories out. I was looking for some external documentation that would corroborate these events. I went to St. Thomas Church, Underhill, Vermont to ask questions of those who worked at the parish and lived in the community. I found many facts about the early history of our family on my grandmother Katherine's maternal side there.  I was given the centenary booklet produced in 1991 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the church. In it I found the documentation I was looking for regarding the site of the first Mass, and I received direction to more external sources which will help me fill out the picture of the deep faith of Michael Barrett and his family line - my Catholic family line.

I encourage you to do the same. Whether the Catholic faith has been carried on for many generations in your family or you are a convert or a revert to the faith, write down your story or your family's story. Save it for your children and their children.  I only  learned in 2019 that my great great grandfather, Patrick Barrett and his wife, Cecelia, donated a stained glass window to St. Thomas Catholic Church in Underhill, Vermont. I wondered why I had not heard of it from older family members? There may be many reasons, but I am proud that one of Michael Barrett's sons, my great great grandfather was willing to give the money for a beautiful rose window when the church was built in 1891. Patrick and Cecelia were not wealthy people. Patrick did not live to see the window put in. Cecelia who died in 1895 did.

Window donated by Patrick and Cecelia
Barrett, St. Thomas Church,
Underhill, Vermont

There are many personal details in our family stories of sacrifice for the faith, of willingness to go the extra mile when establishing the new community of faith for themselves and their children. There is a beautiful cooperation in these histories between the Bishop of the Diocese, of pastors, and parish priests and the laity of the parishes that we can't let be lost to history. We must search them out and make them known if only to our own children and grandchildren. 

So this week while I am in Vermont with my husband enjoying the scenery, cooler northern climate, and beautiful flowers, I will be digging away researching our Catholic family line. Will I find evidence that Fr. Harold gave my grandmother 25 silver dollars? I doubt it, but I might! I do know that I will find many other details regarding our family line which will fill out the history that I am piecing together. A history which makes me proud of those who came before me and who I wish to honor by retelling their faith and devotion to my family.

Let us remember to pray for those in our family who have gone before us, and to ask for their prayers as we journey together to the eternal city. 

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, And may the perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen

 

May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary

May Crowning at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche

May is the month of Mary. Many parishes throughout the U.S. have May crownings in their churches and schools. Recently I heard one woman remark that she had not seen a May crowning for many years. While it is true this devotion is not as common as it used to be. It nevertheless does take place in many parishes and also in family homes. 

The picture to the left was taken on May 13 at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche after the young girl in her first communicant dress crowned the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. It was a lovely outdoor ceremony attended by fifty people, some home schoolers and their parents, attendees from noon Mass, and some of the Shrine staff with Fr. Erlin. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin was prayed first and then the crowning. Later Fr. Erlin and Sheila brought the statue of Our Lady of Fatima into the church where Adoration was taking place. The statue was placed so the adorers could venerate Our Lady of Fatima on her feast day, May 13, while they adored Our Lord in the Monstrance.

Fr. Erlin with Sheila, Docent at Shrine Museum

A few years ago, Fr. William Saunders of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, replied to a question regarding the history of the May Crowning. Here is the link to his informative answer. I think you will find it helpful. background on May Crowning

The May Crowning is a tribute to Our Blessed Mother that we should work to promote and/or support in our parishes when we have the opportunity. Devotional traditions such as the May Crowning of Mary are rooted in deep truths about our faith and make present the truth in a concrete and appealing manner. For example we honor the Blessed Virgin in song, prayers, and gestures such as crowning a statue of her with flowers, and in turn we are uplifted by the knowledge that Mary recognizes and appreciates our loving efforts from her home in heaven and showers us with many graces.

We can have a May Crowning in our homes, too. It can be very simple with a homemade crown, a song, and a short prayer or a longer one if you wish. The Memorare Memorare or Hail Mary Hail Mary are two short prayers to Mary that might be prayed. A longer prayer but a very beautiful one is the Litany of the Virgin Mary. Litany of the Virgin Mary    

Here is a very simple crown I made for the grandchildren to use to crown our statue of Mary.

It is a very short ceremony we have in our home. I love the song Bring Flowers of the Rarest. We play the song on Youtube and all join in singing it. Below is a picture of Vivian crowning Our Lady a few years ago. Last year Maddie crowned her here in St. Augustine. This year, we will do our home May Crowning in June when Patrick and Becca's family visits. 

These are the wired roses you can get from the craft stores that carry fabric and other decorative materials. You can see how the crown is made up of roses twisted together and then a few ribbons are added to flow down the back of the crown. After we crown the statue, I keep the crown on until the next year, removing it just before our next May Crowning! 

Bring Flowers of the Rarest

On This Day O Beautiful Mother

Vivian crowning the Blessed Virgin.  Woodbridge, VA

While there are only a few days left of May, let us join together honoring the Blessed Mother and praying for her help in the many situations that face our world these days.

  Mary conceived without sin, Pray for

    us who have recourse to thee.

May Saints: St. Damien of Molokai, May 10 - A Saint of Heroic Proportions

 In Honolulu in front of the state capitol building is a statue of Joseph de Veuster, better known as St. Damien of Molokai. At the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in Statuary Hall along the Hall of Columns stands another statue of the same man. Belgian born, Fr. Damien spent half of his life serving in the Hawaiian islands. In Rome on October 11, 2009, he was canonized by the Catholic Church for having lived a life of heroic virtue.

Fr. Damien's life is a standout by anyone's measure. He is known for his work with the lepers on Molokai, an island in the Hawaiian chain. A work he began at age thirty-three and which ended at his death from leprosy in 1889 at the age of forty-nine. 

John Farrow's Damien the Leper reissued in 1998 is an engaging biography of the Belgian missionary in Hawaii. Farrow who is known for Thomas More and the Pageant of Popes was a Hollywood screenwriter and director. His biography excels due to his talent for writing and ability to tell a story well. Farrows early life was adventurous taking him to the Hawaiian Islands as a young sailor. It was there that he heard the remarkable accounts of Fr. Damien the Leper Priest. Intrigued by what he heard and having received a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's defense of Fr. Damien - a response to the slanderous accusations of the Rev. Dr. Hyde - he proceeded to Belgium and France to research his early life. Returning to the Pacific, he continued the research and then wrote a lively and inspiring book. It first appeared in March of 1937. Damien the Leper

Who would imagine when you look at the leprous face of Fr. Damien today that he was once a  handsome youth physically fit from working on his father’s farm? His Hawaiian parishioners from Puno and later Kohala on the island of Hawaii would. He served these parishes between ages twenty-four and thirty-three. They had never seen anyone with a work ethic like Fr. Damien. Farrow details what he was up against in terms of the Hawaiian terrain, relaxed work ethic, and pagan traditions. His parishioners responded to him with love and generosity. Many Hawaiians embraced the faith. His superior, Msgr. Maigret, was well-pleased when he visited the young priest during these years.

When Msgr. Maigret called for priests to serve the lepers on Molokai Fr. Damien was one of four to volunteer. The good monsignor could not bring himself to insist any of his priests serve there since he knew it was a certain death sentence. Instead he asked for volunteers. Damien was chosen because of his record of success in the parishes of Puno and Kohala. The term he was to serve was described by Msgr. Maigret as “You may stay as long as your devotion dictates.”

Fr. Damien said of his calling “Divine Providence will assist me in this work, because it is solely for the good God that I work…” In his characteristic style he threw himself completely and passionately into his work with the leper colony. He lived, ate, breathed and worshiped with the lepers. He exhausted himself building and furnishing the church, erecting huts, establishing choirs, altar, and funeral societies, offering Mass, teaching the children, administering the sacraments, admonishing those guilty of immoral behavior,  begging state officials for basic necessities, in every way spending himself completely for his beloved lepers. Mahatma Gandhi said of him “ It was from Fr. Damien that I drew my social principles.”

 His life with the lepers became known far and wide, not through any publicity he initiated but through those who saw and wrote about what he did. His life through his letters to his family and religious congregation, and from those who wrote of his work give us a good view of this saintly man. There are many saints who we know little about, but St. Damien like St. Therese of Lisieux’s  life is available for our inspection, edification and imitation. I have included the Kindle version of Fr. Damien and his brother, Fr. Pamphile letters below.

                                               Prayer of Fr. Damien, Apostle of Molokai   

"Were it not for the constant presence of our divine Master in our humble chapel, I would not have found it possible to persevere in sharing the lot of the afflicted in Molokai...The Eucharist is the bread that gives strength...It is at once the most eloquent proof of His love and the most powerful means of fostering His love in us. He gives Himself every day so that our hearts as burning coals may set afire the hearts of the faithful."    

St. Damien, Pray that our hearts may be set on fire for the love of Jesus and the afflicted!

      Children's Books    

          Damien of Molokai: Builder of Community

          by Barbara Yoffie, Liguori, 2013, ages 4 - 9

          Saint Damien of Molokai

          by Virginia Helen Richards, FSP. Pauline Books & Media, 2009

           Father Damien and the Bells                                               

           by Leonard Everett Fisher and Elizabeth Odell Sheehan, A Vision Book, 2004

     Adult Reading - Here are two books

    Holy Man: Father Damien of Molokai   

    by Gavan Daws, April 1, 1984

     Saint Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled

      by Margaret Bunson and Matthew Bunson, Sept. 2009

      Life and Letters of Father Damien, Apostle to the Lepers

      Kindle edition Amazon.com 

   

      Father Damien, an Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of

      Honolulu, by Robert Lewis Stevenson, Kindle edition, Free

      

To learn more about the inspiring work St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope did on Molokai, visit this link:

Damien and Marianne Education Center

The stars below are not related to any book, article, or mochi ice cream. They inadvertently were put on this blog post, and I can not figure out how to remove them. Please disregard them or have a chuckle on me!

4.1 out o

If you are looking for a treat to celebrate St. Damien's feast day, I recommend mochi ice cream. If it is made with rice flour which mochi ice cream often is then it is gluten-free. Mochi ice cream is a popular treat in Hawaii. It is available in most supermarkets in the freezer case.

Mochi Ice Cream comes in many flavors

Enjoy!