Good Friday sorrow...

Bare altar on Good Friday at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Diocese of Buffalo

I hope that you are all having a very blessed and holy Good Friday. I am feeling quite melancholy today, and it ties into the suffering theme of the day, I suppose. I've known for a few weeks that the daughter of a good friend was diagnosed with cancer. It's been heavy on my heart, and the news coming out from the hospital via Facebook has been increasingly difficult, particularly today. They received some bad news yesterday. I'm just beside myself, and I can only imagine what her parents are going through. She's just 14, and her name is Julia. Would you wing up a prayer for her health and healing on this Good Friday? It is much appreciated.

On that solemn note, I'm not really in my happy writing place like I usually am when I compose these posts. So I'll keep it brief. But I did attend the Holy Thursday liturgy yesterday, and Henry accompanied me, which meant so much to me. It was an absolutely beautiful Mass. And my very favorite part? The end, with the Eucharistic procession, incense, and repose of the Blessed Sacrament in the side altar. And then the dramatic departure of the priest and deacon without a word. WOW. Powerful stuff, right there. I know that when Anne and I arrive for the Good Friday service at 3 pm, the altar will be bare and the main tabernacle open and empty. Very stark, and fitting.

It's a very gray and dreary day here in WNY, which also seems fitting. If you're able to attend your parish's Good Friday liturgy, that takes the place of Evening Prayer, should you be praying the Liturgy of the Hours this Holy Week. Magnificat, special Holy Week issue, to the rescue. ;-) I hope that you're able to take part in at least one of these beautiful Triduum liturgies, and write in and tell me all about it if you do. :)

I'll be home with the kids again on Monday, but I'll be sure to post about Easter weekend. I'm aiming to attend both the Vigil Mass and Easter morning. #Catholicnerd Until then, I hope that you all have a prayerful end to the Triduum and a beautiful start to the Easter season. Talk to you all on Monday.

A blessed Holy Thursday to all of you!

We have grass! Could spring finally be sprung?!

Hello all, and I hope that you're as excited about the start of the Triduum as I am! I'm home from work for the duration actually, through Easter Monday. A mini staycation of sorts. :) And I'm loving it, it's been a beautiful day here. So far today, I crammed in Morning Prayer, worked a bit on a pair of Easter socks that I'm knitting, then got ready so that the four of us could run a few errands. Mike's car needed a new battery, so we took care of that, and then went to Dinosaur BBQ for lunch. I'd never been there before, this franchise is new to our city, and HELLO! We'll be going there again. :0 Awesome beer on tap plus barbecue sandwiches? Yes, on all fronts. The kids liked it too, getting small barbecued sliders with homemade macaroni and cheese on the side. It was a huge hit.

Now we're home, Anne is napping, Henry is over at a friend's house, and I'm thinking ahead to the Mass of the Lord's Supper at 7 pm. This will be my very first time attending this liturgy, and I can hardly stand it, I'm so excited. My Triduum Fever has rubbed off on Henry and he has volunteered to go with me tonight, which should qualify as a miracle for somebody's cause of canonization, I'm thinking. I'm looking forward to that very much, and I'm hoping that I don't forget about Evening Prayer tonight, because that little enterprise has been going very well so far for the week. I attempted to pray a rosary in the car today while we were running errands, but with interruptions every 15 seconds of...:

"Mommy! What's that? Why is it taking so long, Mommy? Where are we going again? Mommy, Henry made a face at me! ARE WE THERE YET, MOMMY?!"

...I got through two mysteries. :0 Sometimes, that's all you can do. But I'm feeling spiritually bright eyed and bushy tailed for tonight's liturgy. Tomorrow, I doubt I'll do 7 Quick Takes, because I just won't have time, but I will check in with all of you briefly about how Holy Thursday Mass went. And then Anne and I will be attending the 3 pm Celebration of the Lord's Passion and Veneration of the Cross. Oh! And don't forget about the start of the Divine Mercy Novena tomorrow. :)

How is your Holy Thursday going, dear reader? *heart*

The Catholic Nook: Spy Wednesday

It's Wednesday of Holy Week, and suddenly we're on the heels of the Mass of the Lord's Supper! Time flies. Thus today, as I scrolled through my social media feeds, I noticed several mentions of Spy Wednesday. I thought to myself:

"I wonder what that means?!"

And this is one of the many things I love about being Catholic - it doesn't matter how many years I've done this thing, there are still always new and fascinating tidbits to learn!

So, Spy Wednesday. The explanation was simpler than I anticipated, but no less profound. As this is the day prior to Holy Thursday, it is the occasion on which we remember how Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus by going to the high priest and negotiating information in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. The Synoptic Gospels record this scene in Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, and Luke 22:1-6. Ominous music is playing in the background as we draw closer to the Last Supper. :) It is also the day the Scriptures note (Matthew 26:613, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-19) that Jesus was in the home of Simon the leper, and anointed with expensive perfume by a woman who was also present. Lots of foreboding right there. As I was looking for information on Spy Wednesday, I read on several sites that this day is marked in Poland with a tradition of dragging a three dimensional representation of Judas through the streets.

We now all know what Spy Wednesday is all about, horray! For my part this Holy Week, I've been like the Little Engine That Could with my Divine Office app, trying to squeeze in Morning and Evening Prayer each day. I'm on the reference desk right now, and I forgot to pray Morning Prayer before I came down (oops!) so that will be prayed when I get back to my office at 11 am. Not exactly on a monastery schedule, but for a laywoman I do what I can. ;-) I've also been trying to think more deeply about the mysteries of the rosary as I pray them, but yesterday as I prayed in the car, I managed to get my Bl. Mother Teresa rosary entangled in my *steering column* as I drove. Right, I was turning a corner, it was REALLY bad timing, *and* was I trying to rewind the Catholic podcast I had on in the background. Is God trying to tell me that I do too much multitasking? I wouldn't be surprised. :) At any rate, I broke my rosary, and had to make a trip to JoAnn's for replacement chain to make it up to poor Bl. Mother Teresa. I've promised her that this will never happen again. :0

How is your Holy Week going dear reader?

*Photo from Patheos

"We've done it the same way for 40 years." Adventures with the Worship Committee :0

Happy Tuesday of Holy Week everyone! I wanted to share my experience on my parish's new Worship Committee, since I'm very excited about it. As decor is one of the items that is on our list to discuss, to the left is another photo of our altar on Palm Sunday, and yes, on the far end of that shot there is Anne, in motion, moments before I grabbed her and hauled her to my side. Such is my lot in life at Mass these days. ;-)

At any rate, I arrived last Thursday with my liturgy Sourcebook, a pen, and a notepad, a full five minutes early, like a true nerd. There was a decent crowd there, just over a dozen people in all, and I recognized most of them from either the music ministry or from Mass generally. Turns out a large contingent of them were from the parish Ladies Sodality. I can never attend the Ladies Sodality, because their meetings are on a night that Mike teaches. Mike has also wondered whether or not I'd be the youngest person there by...quite a lot. :)

I don't think he's wrong, but that wouldn't discourage me. :) At any rate, since I can't attend that group, it's especially nice that I'm able to be involved in this way. So, we get started, and this was really just a meet-and-greet type of session. For the rest of the liturgical year, Fr. Joe is planning to not make any sweeping changes and just see how things go, since he's so new. Beginning in October, our group will start to meet regularly to plan for the new liturgical year. And he gave us a schedule.

*angels sing!*

I love schedules. :0 In October, we'll meet to discuss the feast of All Saints/All Souls, and plan for a Memorial Mass to pray for those who died over the course of the year. We'll also discuss the feast of Christ the King. In November we'll meet to discuss Advent and order Christmas flowers. In December we'll meet to discuss Christmas. And so on.

So for each of these items, we'll discuss the options within the liturgical norms. We'll discuss decorations, if applicable, and scheduling. So, Mass times, in the future, will be on the table. This is where a bit of resistance came in. :) Some members of the Ladies Sodality DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE MASS TIMES. They feel very strongly about this. :0 Fr. Joe acknowledged that changing Mass times is no easy feat, and he does not take the task lightly. And so perhaps they will stay the same. But it only makes sense to evaluate the number and timing of weekend Masses to assess whether or not a different schedule would be more practical and appropriate. There were some frowns over this, but we were able to move on. ;-) The scheduling of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion was also a bit of a controversy, who knew? There were a number of people present who feel like more stations for reception of the Eucharist need to be set up. I'm not certain that I agree with that, so here's to exploring this more in the future. :)

And so next year, we will all be able to discuss Lent and the Holy Week liturgies. I received a few comments about what I noted for our upcoming Holy Thursday liturgy, and I appreciate them, truly. In all honesty, this is what I suspected anyway. To put it in a nutshell, my feeling on this issue is that I am no liturgical expert right now. I'm going to let that be worked out on its own, by the proper authorities. I'm just along for the ride and to learn this year. Next year, as a member of this committee, I will have a say in things, and yes, I am very much a fan of more traditional interpretations. :) Ironic, coming from "the young one."

"Father, isn't it so nice to see *such young people* like Tiffany involved in the parish?"

Who is this lady, I love her?!?!! She's my new best friend at Mass.

*beams*

How is your Holy Week proceeding, dear reader?

"OW! ANNE!! Be careful with your palm!!" Adventures with my young at Palm Sunday Mass...

AAANNNDDD so began our Palm Sunday Mass experience in a way that I can only characterize as *completely expected.* ;-) But let's rewind back to the very early morning...

I have been looking forward to Holy Week for months and months. And Palm Sunday, being the first liturgy, has a special place in my heart. :) I woke up with an actual excited feeling in my stomach that Holy Week was beginning. I got out my phone and used the Divine Office app to pray Morning Prayer. It was all so glorious I could hardly stand it. Breakfast went well, and then we did our usual morning chores and then getting ready for Mass routine. I wore red, just so that I could match the liturgical color of the day. :0 Then...

Super cute, dramatic offender #1, pictured here in the forefront...

 The children started fighting, which 100% of the time translates to Henry being bored and thus filling his time doing things he knows will annoy Anne, and Anne screaming at him. I was doing my best to retain my serenity and refereed them as best I could *halo*, but right before we left some act of annoyance transpired which left Anne is a huge sulk. Anne, at nearly 4 years old, has the *dramatic pout* expression and countenance down to a science. She resisted putting on her shoes and coat, and went limp when I intervened. Joy.

I got her stuffed into her car seat, Henry smirking all the way because he knew that his efforts at Extreme Sister Annoyance had borne fruit. My serene outlook was already in danger, but it all flew out the window when a disturbance in the back seat, followed by me looking in the rear view mirror, resulted in me catching Henry pulling Anne's hair, followed by Anne walloping Henry with her Olaf purse.

"I thought I told you two TO IGNORE EACH OTHER!"

*cacophony of objections from the back seat*

"She hit me again!!"

"ANNE! Stop that! DON'T EVEN LOOK AT EACH OTHER."

:0

Ugh. We weren't off to a good start, but I will say that things improved greatly. We arrived to find our church decked out in all it's Palm Sunday glory:

We immediately fetched palms, which Anne commandeered forthwith and nearly took my eye out.

"Honey, you cannot wave the palms around, you could hurt somebody."

"But I love the palms, Mommy."

"I know, and you can hold them, but you have to keep them down."

*pointedly ignores me*

It was a challenge. :0 Anne got back from Children's Liturgy of the Word to announce:

"Mommy. There was a little boy back there, and he hit me with his palm RIGHT IN THE FACE."

"I'm sure it was an accident, Honey. That's why you can't wave them around."

*mutinous look*

But we all persevered, me carefully managing Anne's palm use. This was the first weekend that the statues were veiled at our parish. In the past, we've done it halfway through Lent, and next year this will be something the Worship Committee decides on. But for now, Fr. Joe is just trying to keep up with things as best he can. I do love the symbolism of the veiled statues, makes everything look all the fresher at Easter, and we can appreciate them anew.

Henry looked aggrieved by the length of the Passion narrative, but he quickly got into it. The schedule for Holy Week was in our bulletin and I happily took note of everything during the Offertory. I wish I could go to the Chrism Mass tomorrow at our cathedral, but I have a conflict. Everything else I can attend, and plan to. *beams*

As ever, the Palm Sunday liturgy was beautiful, and it really put me in a happily contemplative place for Holy Week. We chatted with our new parish friends afterward about plans for Easter Mass, I'm just so, so pleased about our new sense of community. And the rest of the day improved as well. The children seemed contrite and stopped arguing, and Mike's NCAA Tournament bracket took a turn for the better. Hey, if he wins, I consider that a victory, given that we share the same pot of money. ;-) I also worked on some craft projects, I'll have to devote a whole post to that coming up, maybe next week? Some good, some bad. Some REALLY BAD. :0 It's all part of the adventure.

How was your Palm Sunday, dear reader?

7 Quick Takes {Take 75) Holy Week edition!

OOhhhhh, I have so much fun stuff to report! I had Worship Committee last night, and I want to devote a whole post to that :) so look for that next Tuesday. First, I wanted to spend an entire 7 Quick Takes on Holy Week, as it deserves it, don't you think? I'm in a pretty good mood on this Lenten Friday. Fish fry at our parish tonight, I mean, !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good stuff, right there. OK, so a parish report-in next week, but right now, Holy Week. What am I going to be up to? And what are YOU going to be up to? I want to know. :)

-1- Hope springs eternal...

I love the Liturgy of the Hours, I really do. You'd think this meant that I pray them every day, but, well... I don't. :) I have the app and everything, but fitting it into my schedule is always a challenge. I pray Morning and Evening Prayer sporadically, when I can, and I do use the app when I do that. I knew better than to make this a Lenten goal, because I was setting myself up to fail. ;-) So, what I decided to do is try to pray Morning and Evening Prayer for all of Holy Week. I'm off for part of Holy Week anyway, so I think it may actually be manageable. My plan is to start with evening prayer tomorrow, since that is the vigil of Palm Sunday, and I am SO EXCITED for Palm Sunday. We'll see how this goes. :) But speaking of Palm Sunday...

-2- Mini palm trees from Home Depot? Sounds good to me.

Our new pastor is just darling, I really like him. And for two weeks now, the sacristy has been bursting at the seams with these palmy bushes that he plans to use as decor for Palm Sunday. I can tell that he's trying not to rock the boat by making sweeping changes, but he wants to put his own stamp on things and mix things up from the way we always do things. Because...we have sorta done things exactly the same way every year for the past 10 years. ;-) So he has this new altar decor planned for Palm Sunday, and I'm curious to see how it turns out, and how open people are to it. Based upon the Worship Committee meeting last night (again, details next week) there is some definite resistance to change, so we'll see how this goes.

For my part, I'm looking forward to Palm Sunday, and the kids and I can't wait to get our palms. And the beginning of Holy Week! *swoons* So much liturgical goodness to come. Starting with...

-3- Washing of the hands? Sounds a bit like a ritual I force upon my children :)

Holy Thursday! One little tidbit that came out of our meeting is the plans for Holy Thursday. Now, I've never been to the Mass of the Lord's Supper (scandalous!) and this year, I'm going for sure, so I'm all excited. But even I know that on Holy Thursday, there is a washing of the feet ceremony. With our new pastor still just getting to know everyone, he decided to to substitute finding 12 male volunteers for this shindig in favor of a hand washing ceremony in which the entire congregation comes forward. Interesting? Yes, I suppose. Somewhat untraditional, but what do I know? :)

-4- Good old fashioned Good Friday solemnness...

I've been to the Good Friday liturgy for the past two years, and now I won't miss it. There is a Liturgy of the Word and Veneration of the Cross. Anne has gone with me the past two years, and I plan to bring her again. I'm hoping Henry will come to Holy Thursday, I'll have to find an incentive to coax him into this. :) But on Good Friday we'll be at the service at 3 pm, and then having a simple meatless dinner later. I will try to pray the Stations of the Cross with Henry before bed.

-5- Divine Mercy novena!

Good Friday is also the start date for the Divine Mercy novena, and I've created a special page with all the details! I pray this novena every year and just love it. Consider joining in! Pray More Novenas is involved this year, meaning that you can sign up to get the prayers and a reminder right in your email inbox. I'm doing that! Join me. :)

-6- A light in the darkness.

In all of my years of being Catholic, I never had ANY idea of the hidden jewel that is the Easter Vigil until a handful of years ago. Now, I will grant: the Easter Vigil can be LONG. There are nine readings, though some parishes choose not to do all of them. The shortest Easter Vigil I've ever been to was an hour and a half. Not bad at all, but I was at one that was three hours. :0 But it's SO WORTH IT. Seeing people receive the sacraments and come into the Church...I cry, even if they're strangers to me! And the fire outside that begins the liturgy? I mean, that's a real crowd pleaser. :) And having the Eucharist in the Tabernacle again after it being missing since the conclusion of Holy Thursday? That's packs a wallop, right there. Hearing the Gloria sung again for the first time since before Ash Wednesday? Oh! It's so wonderful. I can't wait to go.

-7- And finally, we eat chocolate.

Easter Sunday I'm planning for the entire family to attend morning Mass (either 8 or 10 am, that is still under negotiation :)) and we're hosting Easter dinner for our parents. Ham and chocolate for everybody! We have Easter chocolate from Henry's school sale tucked into our cupboard, and I haven't let anybody eat it, which Henry thinks is a human rights violation. But soon! I have other special treats planned for the kids' Easter baskets as well.

What are your Holy Week plans, dear reader? Do let me know! And don't forget to check out more 7 Quick Takes over at This Ain't the Lyceum! Talk to you on Monday!

Have you gotten to Confession for Lent? :) and Worship Committee meeting tonight!

Morning all! It's a pretty rainy one here in WNY. Hey, maybe it'll melt more of the snow.

#win

BUT I have my first Worship Committee meeting tonight at 7 pm, and I'm super excited. I really don't know anything about this little endeavor, but that has deterred me not one bit. Ever since I discontinued as a catechist for the Children's Liturgy of the Word program (schedule conflict), I have been chomping at the bit for another opportunity to become involved at my parish. Lectoring really isn't an option with the kids, and religious education has the schedule concern, so I was really hoping for parish council or a committee or some sort. I work in academia, I am a pro at committee meetings. ;-)

In my six years at our parish, I have never once seen anything about an official council. I believe there is a finance committee, but...no thanks. :) Somebody's got to do it, to be sure, and I'm grateful for those who do, but that's not really an interest of mine. Liturgy? Yes, here we go.

So, we'll see how this works out. We have these books we're going to use that discuss every single Sunday and holy day of obligation within the liturgical year, and that's all I know. But books, Mass, liturgical year?! Those words make my heart sing. I'll report back in.

In other Lenten news, we are on the very heels of Easter at this point. How has it been going for you? For me, this has been a quietly lovely Lent. No grand visions, but on the other hand, no spiritual dryness. I have special plans for Holy Week, which I'll talk about tomorrow in 7 Quick Takes, Holy Week edition :), but in terms of the goals I made for this Lent, I'd say things went decently well. Rosary, Magnificat Lenten Companion, all good. Fasting from dessert, not TERRIBLE. I have not been perfect, but I have done a lot better with this than I ever have in previous Lents.

I did want to get to Confession this Lent, and on Tuesday I was able to cross that off my list, score! I don't know about you, but availing myself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation makes me very anxious. I know that that's silly, that this is a very freeing sacrament, and indeed, I feel that freedom the instant I leave the confessional, but still. I fret the entire time I examine my conscience, drive to the church, and wait in line. And the parish where I attend Confession (the one affiliated with Henry's school, the weekday afternoon timeslot just works better for me than the Saturday one offered at my own parish) *always* has a line. :0 Penitents just flock to this Confession session, for whatever reason. So then I'm standing around waiting and letting my anxiety marinate. I wouldn't say that I'm scrupulous, but I really beat myself up over things. And because of my inherently private nature, it's hard for me to share such details with another person, but I think this is a common struggle others have with Confession as well. So there you have it, but I went, and it was marvelous. And during Lent? It just feels even better than usual. So have you gone?! You should. :) You'll feel great afterward, and with Holy Week just days away, the graces of the sacrament couldn't come at a better time.

So. Lenten update. It's your turn now. :0 How's it going?!

Catholic Book Club: Trusting God with St. Therese

Happy Catholic Book Club Wednesday everyone! I'm a little tired following a long night with a coughing Anne (poor wee babe), but I'm in good spirits. Despite a cold sweeping through the household (Henry has it too), spring is here, the snow is melting, and I'm all atwitter about Holy Week and upcoming exciting summer plans.

*angels sing!*

And today is book club day, which is always fun. :) This month, I read Trusting God with St. Therese, by Connie Rossini. Have any of you read it? If you haven't, I absolutely recommend it, and it's only $4.99 for Kindle. Worth it! Let's describe, shall we?

What I really enjoyed about this book are two things: (1) the creative structure, which I'll describe in a moment, and (2) the personal nature of the narrative. The way that the author organizes the book is both chronological and thematic. All of the themes tie-in to trust in God's plan for our lives, but it's broken down a bit. For example, there's a chapter addressing anger and other negative emotions, and one that deals with spiritual dryness and darkness. We start with St. Therese's infancy and work our way through to her death at age 24. Each chapter begins with a scene from Therese's life, and it's written in a very down to earth, relatable style. I've read The Story of a Soul, but I still felt like I was getting an insider's view into St. Therese's life, along with new information, just based upon the way the author presented the material. Following that, the author discusses the theme for a bit, relating it to Scripture or other Church teaching, and then moves into an applicable anecdote from her own life. We also move chronologically with our author, so as the book progresses, we learn about her childhood charismatic Catholic faith, the early death of her own sister, her deep desire to be married and having a difficult time waiting to meet Mr. Right, her struggle with new parenthood, and a painful encounter with her local Secular Carmelite community. Each chapter ends with us going back to the life of St. Therese briefly, to wrap up the theme. As well, each chapter includes two reflection questions and a handful of practical suggestions to grow in your own spiritual life based upon the content.

You all know how I sometimes struggle with non-fiction - I have a short attention span, and anything short of personal memoirs or biographies usually don't grab me. This book isn't a memoir per se, but it has a very personal style and includes many personal anecdotes from both St. Therese and the author. I found it very pleasing and engaging to read, and I truly enjoyed it. I looked forward to pulling out my Kindle each evening, which is always the sign of a book that I like. If something is taking me a long time to read because I don't excitedly bring out my Kindle out here and there, well...that's a bad sign. :) I read this book quickly due to my enjoyment of it.

If you've read this, please leave a comment with your thoughts! For the next few months we have some religious fiction on our list, which is always fun. April heralds Vow of Evil (A Sister Joan Mystery), by Veronica Black. I hope you'll read and join in!

The Church Triumphant: Spotlight on St. Isidore the Farmer

Happy Tuesday everyone, and welcome to the March edition of The Church Triumphant! I looked at my handy dandy saints calendar to garner an idea, and noticed St. Isidore the Farmer on March 22nd. I perked right up. Interestingly, his memorial is celebrated on May 15th, but apparently in the older 1962 calendar (which is used when the Traditional Latin Mass is offered) his feast was celebrated on March 22nd, hence his indication on my all- inclusive calendar. I love fascinating little facts such as these. ;-)

St. Isidore captured my attention because I've written about him before. He is a favorite saint of my Henry, and isn't it just so precious when children take a shine to a particular saint? St. Isidore's story is a simple one in many ways, and that's part of why Henry is drawn to it, I think. St. Isidore was just a guy who was a hard worker, but he loved to attend daily Mass, and that's where the story gets interesting...

St. Isidore was born in the late 11th century in Madrid. He later married, and he and his wife lost a son in infancy. Following that tragedy, he and his wife discerned that they would dedicate the remainder of their lives to God, and they chose to live as brother and sister. During the course of his daily labors, Isidore wanted to make his work sacred by prayer and attending Mass. His fellow workers felt that he was being lazy by slipping off to attend Mass and, in their opinion, sticking them with extra work, so they informed their boss of his actions. When his boss came to check on the situation, he found angels plowing the field in Isidore's stead. I love that that image always appears in St. Isidore's iconography, as you can see above. And in fact, that's Henry's favorite part of the story, the angels. Maybe he's hoping that they'll come do his chores for him sometime? ;-)

There are a few saints that Henry is always interested in when we flip open his saint books each evening: St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Dominic Savio, and St. Isidore the Farmer. For Christmas, I bought him a St. Isidore wooden saint figurine:

As soon as Henry pulled St. Isidore out of his Christmas stocking, he recognized him. :) I love the sweetness that comes from a child's devotion to a saint, and thus I have a fondness for St. Isidore as well. In fact, a few years ago he was patron saint of this blog, and that came from the random saint name generator, so obviously God has deigned him as special for me as well. :)

I very much relate to St. Isidore's desire to sanctify his work. Ever since my early 20's, I have longed for a job that was more religious in nature, but that was not to be. And so within my secular jobs, small reminders to offer things up, pray an Angelus at noon or Morning Prayer during a quiet reference shift, or attend daily Mass at lunchtime take on greater significance. Our secular work still has deeper meaning for our souls, for the souls of others, and for our relationship with God. St. Isidore is the perfect example of that.

As I was researching this post, I found that there are official prayers for a novena to St. Isidore. Score! Traditionally, his novena is prayed from May 7th to his feast day of May 15th. Maybe we should do this this year? Think about it. :) Perhaps I'll pray this with Henry this year. I'm going to write myself a little reminder in my planner...done!

Does anybody else have a devotion to St. Isidore the Farmer? Do leave a comment!

People at our parish like us, I think they actually like us!! on the 5th Sunday of Lent...

Snazzy outfit and Frozen shoes, check!

Happy Monday everyone! Though admittedly, I'm not feeling exactly enthusiastic about being back at work, I did have a fun, jam-packed weekend. So let's discuss, shall we?

Before we get to Catholic stuff, I wanted to briefly mention two shows that I saw this weekend. On Saturday, I took Anne to see the new Cinderella adaptation. I was planning to take Henry as well (he was in it for the popcorn) but in the end, he decided to stay home with Mike and they watched a super hero movie together that they procured from Redbox. Apparently, they felt very manly and bonded while they did this. ;-)

But Anne and I headed to the movie theater, and well...BEAUTIFUL. I mean really, this is a beautiful movie. The pairing with the Frozen Fever short certainly sweetened the pot for Anne, she loved that. But we *both* loved Cinderella. The cinematography and costuming is just breathtaking, and this movie just had a "feel" about it that swept you into a magical place. And can I just say, I WANT HER DRESS. I'm not usually a princessy type of gal; in fact, when I married Mike, the one quality I was looking for in a dress was that it was NOT a ball gown. But her blue gown? *swoons*

It's just swirly and magical and feminine and wonderful. And her wedding dress at the end, in the same style, was also stunning. Gorgeous! I loved the movie, it was terribly sweet and endearing, perfect for little girls. As the final scene faded, with Cinderella and her groom on the balcony in their wedding attire, the theater burst into spontaneous applause. Just lovely.

And yesterday, my mom and I went to see the touring production of The Phantom of the Opera, which is here for about two weeks at a beautiful historic theater downtown. I've seen this show before, but not for many years, and they're redesigned it since then. I had a wonderful time. The new set is amazing, truly, and I just love the music. Afterward, my mom and I went out to dinner to arguably the nicest steakhouse in Buffalo, and I'd never been there before. Travesty! I rarely get to share a meal with just me and my mom, no kids along. It was really, really nice. A wonderful way to end an otherwise depressing weekend of basketball. ;-)

*sound of Tiffany discreetly slipping her bracket into the trash can*

But Catholic stuff! Yes, lots of that. This was the final Sunday of Lent prior to Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and I am nearly bursting with excitement. But before we get to that, we have this week, including the first Worship Committee meeting this Thursday. I will be reporting in on that, to be sure. :) But I'm just feeling so warm toward my parish these days. After 6 years, I finally feel like I'm getting to know some people. Anne has made a friend in a college-aged girl who usually sits near us with her mom. We chat with her every week now after Mass, and this week Anne ran to her with an enthusiastic "HI KENDRA!" when we first spotted her in the parking lot. Anne even brought her back a handout from her Children's Liturgy of the Word session. *heart* Adorable.

As we were chatting following Mass, Fr. Joe came over to greet us all, and a few other people stopped to say hello to Kendra, who introduced them to us...and I just got such a happy feeling from all of it. I've always liked and gotten a positive vibe from our parish, that's why I've stayed there rather than transferring over to the parish affiliated with Henry's school. But now I feel integrated, like people notice that we're regulars and want to get to know us. I'm loving. :)

So, an exciting week ahead. I'm very curious to see who else volunteered for the Worship Committee and what kind of role I can play there. I have my Sourcebook and pen all ready to go.

#nerd

How was your weekend, dear reader?