How the Garden Grows

 

May is the month of Mary and how lovely it is to offer a flower or two to her. We had a lovely procession after Mass inside the church because it's been raining so much and I do so love all the Marian hymns, invoking her prayers and protection over us. I really enjoyed this recording of children's voices singing our parish hymn: Hail Queen of Heaven... 

Pomegranate

Purslane

New this year are the microgreens--amaranth, arugula, broccoli, radish, etc. They are delicious, bursting with flavors. A great addition to any meal. Outside, we have basil and tomatoes, sweet potatoes and collards. I hope that fig tree survives. Michael has fixed the deer fence so we hope the deer won't be jumping it to eat all our goodies. The raccoons are digging up our ginger and turmeric. They don't eat it but they're so nosy about what we've planted.

 Madonna and Child by Enric Monserday Vidal

Hail, Queen of heaven, the ocean star,

Guide of the wanderer here below,
Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care,
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, Star of the sea
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.

O gentle, chaste, and spotless Maid,
We sinners make our prayers through thee;
Remind thy Son that He has paid
The price of our iniquity.
Virgin most pure, Star of the sea,
Pray for the sinner, pray for me.

Sojourners in this vale of tears,
Blest advocate, to thee we cry,
Assuage our sorrows, calm our fears,
And soothe with hope our misery.
Refuge in grief, Star of the sea
Pray for the mourner, pray for me.

And while to Him Who reigns above
In Godhead one, in Persons three,
The Source of life, of grace, of love,
Homage we pay on bended knee:
Do thou, bright Queen, Star of the sea,
Pray for thy children, pray for me.

Habemus Papam!!! Happy Mother's Day!!!

We have a new Holy Father--Pope Leo XIV. May he be a true shepherd of the flock, a shepherd after the heart of the Good Shepherd. May the Holy Spirit guide him all the days of his life. 

He's the first pope from the US. I confess I didn't know anything about him until now, but I am certain I will learn more over the years. I really like this picture of him meeting Pope St. John Paul II, considering that May 18th, the day of Pope Leo XIV's installation is the birthday of JPII. 

How fortuitous that on this Mother's Day, it is also the third Sunday after Easter, with my thoughts upon the Holy Father and fatherhood, that traditionally, it is a feast honoring St. Joseph as protector of the Church. I tell you, the riches in The Liturgical Year are inexhaustible.

Wishing all mothers a very happy Mother's Day. I still miss my mom, but not as much now that I have Mary in my life. She's the BEST Mother and I'm so grateful she has made herself known to me, mothered me. Her Magnificat is one of the most beautiful prayers. This is my favorite arrangement, by Palestrina, sung by Voces8. 

My Conversation with Kiki Latimer

Dagny's birthday was quite eventful--morning brought a delightful conversation with Kiki Latimer. You can listen on WCAT Radio or WCAT TV. How I wish I'd known about her wonderful resources on her website when I was writing Bound. But I only heard about her podcast, the Catholic Bookworm, because of the online Catholic Writing Conference I attended in January. What a joy to discover more about her--she tells lovely stories and I'm looking forward to reading her memoir: Seeing God's Face: A Catholic American Woman in India. 

Afternoon was for Adoration. I had so much to thank our Blessed Lord Jesus and pray for--my writing, my music, my family, our priests and choirs, and most of all for the conclave that is at this moment deliberating and casting their votes for the next Pope. God already knows, and we pray that the cardinals are listening to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We pray our next pope will be a man after God's own heart, a good shepherd.

Evening brought choir practice. So many of our choristers are sick or taking care of others who are sick. We pray they will recover. But we had such a good time--with Palestrina and Josquin mostly. This music makes my heart sing. We went to Home Team BBQ afterwards to celebrate Dagny's birthday. Max is toasting her from NYC. My heart is full. (The two outdoor pictures were taken at Momo's at Waterfront Park over the weekend--you should know that we celebrate birthdays all month long :) 

Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy

What a wonderful Easter! I only just learned about the Via Lucis--the Way of Light--and it is so wonderful meditating on the Resurrection and all that He promises. From Mary Magdalene mistaking the Risen Christ for the gardener to recognizing Him (Noli me tangere by Fra Bartolomeo) to telling the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" Peter and John running to the empty tomb (Disciples Running by Eugene Burnard) and discovering the folded napkin (it means He's coming back) to the Apostles receiving the power to forgive sins and Thomas believing because he can see and touch our Lord (Incredulity of Thomas by Caravaggio). I am so grateful for Confession, where our Lord's Divine Mercy is poured out on us, making us as new as the day of our baptism. 

Some pictures from our Easter Octave: a visit with my friend from CA, practice with my quartet, Adoration, singing at a wedding, enjoying a meal out, meeting the kids at a brewery (very important for Michael's research), and with my barbershop sisters, dancing on the pier! Every day I am grateful to God for bringing us to beautiful Charleston, where we've grown so much in our faith, thanks to our good and holy priests and our friends.

Sede Vacante

INTROIT • “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine…” keeps running through my head for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Divine Mercy chaplet too.  

I've also been praying to St. Catherine of Siena for the church. Please join me. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Heavenly Father, Thy glory is in Thy saints. We praise Thy glory in the life of the admirable St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church. Her whole life was a noble sacrifice inspired by an ardent love of Jesus, Thy unblemished Lamb.

In troubled times she strenuously upheld the rights of His beloved spouse, The Church. Father, honor her merits and hear her prayers for each of us, and for Thy Holy Catholic Church.

Help us to pass unscathed through the corruption of this world, and to remain unshakably faithful to Thy Holy Catholic Church in word, deed, and example.

Help us always to see in the Petrine See and true Vicar of Christ an anchor in the storms of life, and a beacon of light to the harbor of Thy Love, in this dark night of Thy times and men’s souls.

Grant also to each of us our special petition:

For the conclave to elect a deeply Catholic Pope; that we receive the gift of Counsel so that we may quickly and accurately discern the truth of current events and react rightly, and above all, that God’s will be done.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, in the unity of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.

St. Peter, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Happy Easter!!!

He is Risen!!! Alleluia!!! Happy Easter!!! I'm so grateful for the many graces showered upon us this Lent and especially during the Sacred Triduum. I love the Exultet that's chanted during Easter Vigil. It's an encapsulation of our salvation history. Some of my favorite verses are:

O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!

O happy fault
that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants' hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.

It always reminds me that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. How paradoxical, yet I see it operating in my own life. Grateful to be His beloved. We've had a lovely time in prayer, in choir, with our family and friends.

I just learned this morning that Pope Francis died. Let us pray for his soul and a good and holy new Pope. 

Books

The newest issue of The Star arrived in the mail and with it my reviews of good Catholic books for kids and grown-ups. Happy reading! I have my trusty companions for reading, writing, and meditating.