Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Happy twelfth day of Christmas! I hope you’re enjoying your twelve drummers drumming. This evening is called Twelfth Night, traditionally the vigil of the Epiphany. In my Monastic Diurnal, Epiphany begins with tonight’s Vespers. This was traditionally a time of feasting and festivity (all of which seem to include various varieties of enormous pastries) marking the end of Christmastide and […]
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In our life of faith, we are given a name at Baptism, and we choose a new name at Confirmation. It was a little different for me, as I was baptized and confirmed on the same day as an adult. My mother gave me the name Thomas at my birth, and for my confirmation, I took the name of John, […]
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This past year, we lost our elderly cat Lucy. She’d lived a good long life, despite some self-destructive behaviour and the fact that most days she was dumb as a bag of rocks. In her kittenish youth, she was quite acrobatic and active, though she also once ate a wicker basket. I miss her. I am reminded of this because […]
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Yesterday, on the great feast of Christ the King, we held our annual feast of thanksgiving at Pistachio House as we do every year. Daughter Raine and I went to the Noon Mass at Holy Rosary. There were some additions to the Mass, as we closed out the great Jubilee Year of Mercy. In the afternoon and evening, we had […]
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Dear Saint Monica, troubled wife and mother, many sorrows pierced your heart during your lifetime. Yet, you never despaired or lost faith. With confidence, persistence, and profound faith, you prayed daily for the conversion of your beloved husband, Patricius, and your beloved son, Augustine; your prayers were answered. Grant me that same fortitude, patience, and trust in the Lord. Intercede […]
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Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. In memoria æterna erit iustus, ab auditione mala non timebit. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon her. She shall be justified in everlasting memory, and shall not fear evil reports. Absolve, Domine, animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omni vinculo delictorum et gratia tua […]
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Eleven years ago today, on the night of the 26th of March 2005, I was baptized into the Church at the great Vigil of Easter. Last year, I wrote a retrospective on my first decade as a Christian. I don’t think I have much to add to that. I remain absurdly grateful to God for the life He has seen […]
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My very smart daughter has enrolled in college! I’m so proud of her. Huzzah, huzzah, and thrice huzzah! Her first day of classes is our first day in Spain. Being as there’s no such thing as a meaningless coincidence in the rhyming poetry of God’s great creation, I suspect that means that this is a great day for new beginnings. […]
» Read moreHappy twelfth day of Christmas! This evening is called Twelfth Night, traditionally the vigil of the Epiphany. This was traditionally a time of feasting and festivity (all of which seem to include various varieties of enormous pastries) marking the end of Christmastide and the beginning of Epiphanytide. These days, of course, the calendar has been moved around a bit and […]
» Read moreOn Friday, my son Tristan graduated from the Art Institute of Portland with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Game Art and Design. He’s a 3-D modeler, and a good one. For my long-time readers, you know that Tristan’s life has not been without it’s troubles. That sentence there may hold this blog’s record for understatement. We are positively […]
» Read moreYesterday, on the great feast of Christ the King, we held our annual feast of thanksgiving at Pistachio House. We had a houseful of guests for dinner, including family and friends. We ate good food, drank good vino tinto (or beer, tonic, cider, water, coffee, or tea as the occasion demanded), played board games, wore silly hats, talked, and laughed. […]
» Read moreDear Saint Monica, troubled wife and mother, many sorrows pierced your heart during your lifetime. Yet, you never despaired or lost faith. With confidence, persistence, and profound faith, you prayed daily for the conversion of your beloved husband, Patricius, and your beloved son, Augustine; your prayers were answered. Grant me that same fortitude, patience, and trust in the Lord. Intercede […]
» Read moreYesterday, my step-daughter Michaela married Mr. Corey McKee in a lovely outdoor ceremony. Although she was raised a Reform Jew, it was a largely secular ceremony. There were some nice nods to the Jewish traditions, though. In particular, Michaela’s father gave one of the traditional blessings in Hebrew. He then blessed a glass of wine, which the couple drank before […]
» Read moreThis week we’re visiting family in the midwest. On today’s Feast of Our Lady of Fátima, we visited the church of Saint Vincent (now, apparently, part of Saint Jude the Apostle parish) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful 20th century church with a Romanesque flair. Now, when I attended Mass there yesterday, not one person spoke to me. Today, I […]
» Read moreRequiem æternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. In memoria æterna erit iustus, ab auditione mala non timebit. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon her. She shall be justified in everlasting memory, and shall not fear evil reports. Absolve, Domine, animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omni vinculo delictorum et gratia tua […]
» Read moreCongratulations to my new Goddaughter Monique’ on her Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil! She took the name Anastasia, for Saint Anastasia of Rome, who is honoured in the Roman Canon. It’s always amazing to me to see the smiles on the faces of the newly Baptized. I remember it my own Baptism, and I’m pretty sure my jaw […]
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Ten years ago today, on the night of the 26th of March 2005, I was baptized into the Church at the great Vigil of Easter. I used to think that it was a rare thing that one could point to a specific day, a specific moment, and say with certainty, “that’s it; that’s when everything changed”. As it turns out, […]
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