{"id":108639,"date":"2024-05-31T17:17:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-01T00:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=108639"},"modified":"2024-05-31T17:17:17","modified_gmt":"2024-06-01T00:17:17","slug":"the-visitation-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-visitation-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

M<\/span>ary’s month of May draws to a close with the Feast of the Visitation. This feast celebrates the visit of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this feast is a celebration of the very first Christian community, consisting of two pregnant mothers and their unborn children.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"VisitationMS\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Saint Luke’s account culminates in one of the great New Testament canticles, Mary’s Magnificat<\/a><\/em>, which we recite at Vespers every day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MAGNIFICAT \u00e1nima mea D\u00f3minum,<\/font>
<\/strong> et exsult\u00e1vit sp\u00edritus meus
in Deo salvat\u00f3re meo,
quia resp\u00e9xit humilit\u00e1tem
anc\u00edll\u00e6 su\u00e6.

Ecce enim ex hoc be\u00e1tam
me dicent omnes generati\u00f3nes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,<\/p>

et miseric\u00f3rdia eius in prog\u00e9nies
et prog\u00e9nies tim\u00e9ntibus eum.<\/p>

Fecit pot\u00e9ntiam in br\u00e1chio suo,
disp\u00e9rsit sup\u00e9rbos mente cordis sui;<\/p>

dep\u00f3suit pot\u00e9ntes de sede
et exalt\u00e1vit h\u00familes.<\/p>

Esuri\u00e9ntes impl\u00e9vit bonis
et d\u00edvites dim\u00edsit in\u00e1nes.<\/p>

Susc\u00e9pit \u00cdsrael p\u00faerum suum,
record\u00e1tus miseric\u00f3rdi\u00e6,
sicut loc\u00fatus est ad patres nostros,
\u00c1braham et s\u00e9mini eius in s\u00e6cula.<\/p>

Gl\u00f3ria Patri et F\u00edlio
et Spir\u00edtui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princ\u00edpio,
et nunc et semper,
et in s\u00e6cula s\u00e6cul\u00f3rum.<\/p>

Amen. <\/p><\/td>

 My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD,<\/font>
<\/strong> my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.<\/p>

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.<\/p>

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.<\/p>

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.<\/p>

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.<\/p>

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.<\/p>

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. <\/p>

Amen. <\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love this song.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tacoma<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today’s feast also brings to mind for me my three years working for Visitation Catholic School as its marketing coordinator. Ultimately, my job was successful in that during my time we raised enrollment some 20%. Unfortunately, I was never able to convince the school’s new Principal that what we were doing was vital to the school, so I was let go in favour of a part-time bean counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s so irritating to me. I don’t see any reason why the Catholic schools in Pierce County shouldn’t be full to bursting – the demographics certainly support it. Most of the issue is lack of community presence and marketing. When I first started at VCS, I was finding parents who lived in the neighbourhood and wanted to send their child to Catholic school, but they didn’t even know the school was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So very frustrating. It’s not rocket science – go to community events where parents and children are: street fairs, park district events, Taste of Tacoma, Ethnic Fest, the farmers’ markets – and talk to parents<\/em>. Advertise in parenting magazines. Have a consistent message and a consistent brand and present it everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s it. Full enrollment in five years. I guarantee it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there are still too many Catholic professionals who believe that they are managing a decline, so they never see the opportunities for explosive growth that exist. They can see the compost, but not the sprouting vines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this feast always reminds me of missed opportunities, mixed in with its true meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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