A paper doll to call your own

Check out a blast from the past!  These paper dolls of Father Peter and an altar boy (circa 1943) were used by Catholic Extension to teach children about the Mass and Benediction.  With eight pages of cut outs, including a pop-up altar with candlesticks, there's a lot to keep little hands busy.

Image source

Fellow Church Ladies

This just in from St Francis de Sales Seminary in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee:

Today, just like in Biblical times, faithful women play an important role in the vitality and future of our Catholic Church. The de Chantal Society is a newly founded group for women who are passionate about supporting the Church, raising their children and grandchildren in the faith, and supporting vocations. The group is named after St Jane Frances de Chantal, a 16th century woman who was inspired by St Francis de Sales to start the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.

If you are local, you can check out their meeting schedule here.

In today's mail ...

We received a letter today from Abbey, a lovely young lady in our parish who has discerned a vocation to religious life. The part I want to share with you is the accompanying letter from the Laboure Society whose mission is to foster "priestly and religious vocations through student loan resolution."

It is said that 1 out of every 2 Aspirants is prevented from entering formation because of student loans. Without assistance, these vocations of whole-hearted and free love and service are delayed for many years - even abandoned. Can our world afford to lose the goodness of these modern day saints?

The Laboure Society has assisted over 200 men and women into formation as a result of the generosity of God's Holy people: 45 to the priesthood, 141 as religious sisters and 23 as religious brothers. There are currently 60 qualified Aspirants in our portfolio and we need your help! [...]

Please join this important work through your prayers and financially.

If you're interested in learning more, go to their site (still under construction, but there is contact information) or watch the video interview with their founder below.

From the vocations blog of the Congregation of Holy Cross comes a story about a young priest who is putting his love of reading to good use (besides the good that normally comes from reading, that is):

I read. A lot. Well over a one-hundred books a year, in fact. I mix fiction and non-fiction while sprinkling in a little theology here and there to stay updated professionally. Previously, it all added up to an impressive (yet perhaps ministerially irrelevant) intellectual stew. Inspired by fellow Holy Cross priests who run marathons to fundraise for parish and school, I decided to use my powers for the forces of good. Last summer, I proposed a reading marathon to the parish: churchgoers would sponsor me $1 per book I read over the course of the year with the proceeds subsidizing youth group expenses to the National Catholic Youth Conference in the fall of 2011.

(read the rest here)

National African American History month

As a first generation immigrant who grew up with a strong sense of the universal Church, I remember how shocked I was to learn in an American Catholic history class at Our Lady's University how long it to the Church in America to ordain African American priests. February is National African American History month. I'd like to bring your attention to some excellent resources on the American Catholic experience.

Quick Facts on Black Catholic History
[From the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's thinkpriest.org]


My Church Home
The Irish, the Italians, the Poles, the Mexicans — it’s second nature to think of members of these ethnic groups as Catholic. So much so that group and faith are inextricably linked in the imagination of the American public...

And yet, as Cyprian Davis observes in his book, blacks have been part of the U.S. Catholic faithful from the start, “add[ing] another essential perspective to the meaning of the word ‘Catholic’ and to the understanding of the American Catholic church.”
[full article at Notre Dame Magazine]

A biography of Franciscan Sister Mary Antona Ebo, one of six Catholic sisters who participated in the 1965 Selma March
[Catholic News Service]

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning-"my country 'tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride; from every mountain side, let freedom ring"-and if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. [Martin Luther King, Jr]

Dominican Sisters, Mary Mother of the Eucharist on Oprah...again!

I just received this reminder via facebook and wanted to pass it on --

The Dominican Sisters of Mary will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, November 23rd.

This is a new show that includes interviews with Mother Assumpta, Sr. Joseph Andrew, Sr. Mary Samuel, Sr. John Dominic and other Sisters; as well as on-site filming of the First and Final Profession Masses and this year’s Entrance Day, during which we welcomed 22 Aspirants.

The show will feature the experience of a Sister entering religious life and the meaning of religious profession as being ‘married’ to Christ.

You may recall that Oprah first reached out to our community on February 9th of this year due an interest in the hidden aspects of religious life.

The response from the first show was so positive that the Sisters were asked if we would be open to another opportunity to share our life. We have accepted this invitation in the hopes of reaching an audience we might not otherwise reach with the witness of our life and the Gospel. Please join us in praying that the show will be for the good of souls and the honor of God.

If you will be work, then set your DVR to record to this episode. Pass the word!

Women and Spirit: Coming to a museum near you!

From the time the Ursulines arrived in New Orleans in 1727 up to today, women religious have made an incalculable contribution to this nation. Running schools, hospitals and orphanages from America's earliest days, these women helped foster a culture of social service that has permeated our society. Over the centuries these courageous women overcame many obstacles--both physical and cultural--to bring their civilizing and caring influence to every corner of the country. Understanding and celebrating the history of women religious is essential to understanding and celebrating the history of America.
(Cokie Roberts, news analyst and author)

If you haven't already visited, I strongly recommend a trip to see Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America, sponsored by the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious). I saw the exhibit on a recent trip to Cleveland, and can't recommend it highly enough.

The exhibit pays tribute to the extraordinary legacy that Catholic sisters played in the development of America, from building strong institutions in the cities to ministering to God's people on the frontiers and the edges of society. It does an excellent job of putting the sisters' accomplishments into historical perspective, and answering questions about issues faced by the Church in America throughout the years. For example, one part of the exhibit addresses the significance of the Catholic school system. The exhibit explains how many things we might take for granted as American Catholics were quite counter-cultural.

The exhibit will take you about 90 minutes to view, and is very accessible for all ages, although the educator's guide is helpful as well. The exhibit contains a nice variety of tributes to history, historical objects (such as possessions of St Elizabeth Ann Seton and Mother Cabrini), and multimedia.

Another aspect I find truly Catholic is that at the end of the exhibit are brochures for local congregations of women religious, recognizing that this exhibit may be the first time many young women think about a vocation.

As we celebrated the Year for Priests, we gave thanks for their ministry to the Church. "Women and Spirit" is an opportunity to pay tribute to the sisters who have done so much for our country.

Hopefully you can see "Women and Spirit" somewhere near you. Ellis Island is a very appropriate host site; I am also thrilled it is coming to the environs of Our Lady's University.

• May 9, 2010 - August 28, 2010
  Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage (Cleveland, Ohio)
  
  
• September 24, 2010 – January 22, 2011
  Statue of Liberty National Monument / Ellis Island Immigration Museum (Liberty Island, New York)
  
  
• February 2011 - April 2011
  The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, Iowa)
  
  
• June 17, 2011 - August 14, 2011
  Mount St. Mary's College (Los Angeles, California)
  
  
• September 2, 2011 - December 31, 2011
  Center for History in association with the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College (South Bend, Indiana)

Blast from the past

A vocations prayer booklet from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, imprimatur granted by Bishop Cousins in 1967 (found inside a secondhand book).




The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a source for great hope- their ordination numbers over the last several years have been consistently good. Check out their priestly vocations website thinkpriest.org for ideas to foster vocations in the family.

What to do (and not do) about vocations

Some Dominican wisdom from one of my favorite blogging priests, Father Powell at Domine, da mihi hanc aquam.

There is no vocations crisis. God is calling more than enough men to the priesthood to cover the needs of the Church. The real crisis is twofold:

• A crisis of commitment (men who are reluctant to say yes to their call)
• A crisis of encouragement (Basically, mothers and fathers who are not supporting sons who express an interest in saying YES to God’s call. Also, bishops and their vocation directors, and their discernment and vetting processes. Does your bishop really believe that an ordained priesthood is necessary for the flourishing of the Church? Is there a culture of priestly community in the diocese? Are the priests happy and encouraging of vocations? Bottomline: no young man is remotely interested in joining an order or a diocese controlled by bitter, angry ideologues who loudly and proudly celebrate the coming demise of the priesthood. Who wants to jump on a failing project as it sinks under the weight of its stewards’ neglect?)

So, what should we do?

• First, give God constant thanks for the vocations He has called.
• Second, pray that God will encourage those whom He has called. Pray that they will say YES.
• Third, personally, one-on-one invite a young man to think about priesthood.
• Fourth, spend some time studying what the Church teaches about priesthood. Ignore functional models of priesthood (i.e., the priesthood is a job or a role) and ignore attempts to turn the Catholic priest into a Protestant minister (i.e., a minister of the Word in the pulpit but not a priest at the altar of sacrifice!). Also avoid all attempts to understand that priesthood is rooted in baptism only - ordained priest ministers out of his baptism AND out of his ordination.

Those called to priesthood will not be encouraged to say YES to their call until it is crystal clear to them that we need them. Communion Services and other forms of “celebrations in the absence of a priest” only serve to reinforce the idea that a priest for Mass is a luxury.

Read the whole article at Father Powell's site.

Image Credit: St. Dominic by Cosme Tura

Discerning Your Vocation

I've been thinking about vocations lately--about the mysterious process of discerning, and how would I feel of one of my children were called to religious life, and how does one really know their choice is the right one, and about how many people there are who would firmly declare themselves t0 be Catholic, but don't even ask themselves the question, and I'm reading a piece of McInerny fiction where a number of people seem to have chosen poorly, and what am I supposed to do as a parent, and gee, those Dominican Sisters sure seemed to be happy (despite the fact that their choice is so very different than the one that has made me happy), and I have a number of young friends who are in the process of discernment right now. So, yes, I've been thinking about vocations lately.

I don't have too many answers, except the Catechism tells me that parents should encourage the vocation that is proper to each of their children, "fostering with special care any religious vocations," but it also emphatically states that adult children have the right and duty to choose for themselves and it then becomes a parent's duty to give advice and then respect their choices (which is a polite way of saying something that could be summed up in two words - butt out).

I also found this recent post with lots of really sound advice about the process of discernment and reminders that God will let you know His plan in His own time, when He thinks you're ready to hear it. Until then, pay attention to what God is calling you to do today.

Anyway, if you have any other great links on the topic, be sure to share them with us.

Thanks for listening, and keep praying for an increase in vocations.

Jan 10-17: National Vocation Awareness Week

The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, January 10-16. “This week provides the opportunity for parishes across the country to promote vocations through prayer and education,” said Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. “It is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church. We must also ask parents, families and our parish communities to assist with this work, vocations are everyone’s business. As we pray for an increased number of seminarians and candidates for religious life, we recognize the importance of safeguarding the gift of vocations.”

Several initiatives to highlight priesthood and religious life are on-going in 2010. The Vatican-sponsored Year for Priests continues through June 2010 http://www.usccb.org/yearforpriests/. Dioceses are highlighting the role of priests in diocesan newspapers, on their Web sites and with other events.

An exhibit on the contributions of women religious in the United States, Women & Spirit, opens at the Smithsonian institution in Washington, January 14. More information on this traveling exhibit can be found at www.womenandspirit.org. The Smithsonian is co-sponsoring this exhibit with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

The U.S. bishops have also named promotion of vocations to priesthood and religious life as one of their current five priorities and are deciding on efforts to promote vocations, for example, through their Website, www.usccb.org.

Father David Toups, interim executive director of the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, added, “The church needs to help young people hear the Lord in prayer, so they can recognize him in their lives. “This week reminds us that it is our responsibility to pray for vocations and to invite young people to consider a call to ordained ministry and consecrated life.”

The observance of National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) began in 1976 when the National Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year as the beginning of NVAW. In 1997, this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on January 10 in 2010, marks the initiation of Jesus into public ministry. At his baptism Jesus is named the beloved Son of God. With this celebration the faithful recommit themselves to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. They are also initiated through their own baptism to be the Beloved of God, commissioned to proclaim Good News with their lives.

(from the USCCB)

Brides of Christ

You may have already seen the Kansas Catholic's post about the investiture of four postulants to the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, but if you haven't been there yet, you'll want to go. The photos are beautiful and the witness of these four radiant ladies is even more so!

Cloche tip to Fr. Z

Class of 2009

The USCCB has a created an electronic yearbook of the priests ordained in 2009. Mouse over each of them for a short bio. Pretty cool!

Props to the diocese of La Crosse

For including women religious on their diocesan vocations poster. And as a former Milwaukee resident, thanks for the bishop!

US House of Representatives Honors Historic Contributions of Catholic Women Religious

On May 14, 2009, the Honorable Marcy Kaptur of Ohio introduced a resolution into the US House of Representatives honoring the historic contributions of Catholic women religious. The resolution notes in part "honors and commends Catholic sisters for their humble service and courageous sacrifice throughout the history of this nation; and supports the goals of the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Traveling Exhibit, a project sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and established to recognize the historical contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States"

US House of Representatives Resolution Honoring Catholic Sisters

Congresswoman Kaptur is currently serving her 14th term in the US. House of Representatives. She is the senior-most woman in the 111th Congress

The Practical Problems of Celibacy

From Father Dwight Longenecker:

...we need to love our priests, pray for our priests and realize how very difficult it is for many of them.

Ultimate Church Lady

The Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were founded by Mother Teresa Casini in Grottaferrata, Italy on February 2, 1894. They are women who strive to attain union with God by offering their lives for the diocesan priesthood. Their special charism is both spiritual and ministerial. The sisters are called first of all to pray for priestly holiness and to offer the joys and sorrows of their lives for the good of priests. Ministerially, the sisters care for retired and convalescent priests and collaborate with them in parish ministry which includes teaching, directing religious education, hospital visitation and distribution of the Eucharist to the homebound. [website]

Beautiful thought of the day

My professional Church Lady occupation required researching religious communities today, and I came across this lovely passage:

"As he crossed the vast ocean, he dreamed of mounting any pulpit, stepping down any street, stopping into any hovel just to reach them, to touch them, to save them…

He was like many of the other good American priests, but there was something about him, something unique, something special. Was it because he was like the people? Was it because he was one of them, talked like them, used their words, knew their first names? He seemed always to be there. His church and rectory were open from dawn to dusk. Like his people, he, too lived a family life. He prayed and ate and laughed and lived in a home with his Redemptorist family. He waited on tables, washed dishes, did the shopping and sat around at night telling stories…

He looked on his days as days of privilege, wonderful moments of grace and life. He heard the laughter of their weddings, graduations and baptism. He tasted the tears of their sickness and death, their mistakes and sins. He got them out of trouble and into heaven by walking with them as one of them. And they grew old together."

-- Rev. John McGowan, C.Ss.R

Our Favorite Novels about the Religious Life

Perhaps you're looking for an escape from a snowy day. The solitude of a retreat without leaving your armchair. A way to present the cloistered religious life to your young adult children who might not otherwise be able to gain this exposure. Whatever you are searching for, the following are some of the Church Ladies favorite novels depicting the priesthood and religious life. So make a pot of tea and settle in for a cosy day with one of our picks.

In this House of Brede
Rumer Godden's novel follows the lives of the contemplative Benedictine nuns in the English abbey of Brede. It contains rich accounts of their daily lives and the seasons in the monastery. The main character, Sister Phillipa, comes to the cloister after a successful professional career and a great tragedy, but the lives of all the sisters are woven together well, like the beautiful silk vestments the nuns produce. Mystery, drama, and a keen understanding of the human condition make this my favorite book ever.

Death in Holy Orders
Technically Anglo-Catholic, but in a sweeping gesture of ecumenism, it makes the list. PD James' Adam Dagliesh is called to investigate a murder at the physically and ideologically isolated seminary of St Anselm at the demand of the murdered ordinand's father. St Anselm's Seminary symbolizes the Church's artistic and liturgical treasures, hanging over a cliff,a generation away from demise if no action is taken. Like all Baroness James' novels, it contains a sub-plot about the role of the Church and Christianity in the modern world. My favorite book until I read In This House of Brede.

Diary of a Country Priest
On the top of my to read list, this book is the journal of a young holy French priest serving a self-absorbed parish.

All We Know of Heaven
Seeking refuge from the upheaval of the sixties, young Paul leaves his secular French Canadian family for the peace of St Norbert's abbey. As Paul's vocation deepens, he discovers the human condition is the same within the cloister as it is in the world.

Death Comes for the Archbishop
Willa Cather's novel about two immigrant missionary priests ministering to the people of Southwestern America in the 19th century.

Do you have any to add?