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Of Your Charity Please Pray for:-   Mothers to be and their unborn children  those afected by Dementia and Alzheimers and their families and carers Nick, that he return safely from duty in Afghanistan. Dear St Joseph,  please present our prayers to God. Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit.     Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen       if you wish your intention to be added email   m.bankswilkinson@btinternet.com    

Of Your Charity Please Pray for:- For those afected by Dementia and Alzheimers and their families and carers Nick, that he return safely from duty in Afghanistan. Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God. Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen

My dad has Alzheimer's. We don't talk about it much if for no reason other than, it hurts. He is still Dad. He will always be Dad; but the shell of him is being slowly stripped away. Word loss creep first led to fewer letters. I've saved them all. When he visits, we get to eat together, to share the chaos that is my life and laugh a bit, sometimes it overwhelms him --which is reasonable; they overwhelm me sometimes too. Alzheimer's is brutal and it's ongoing and it makes my heart howl sometimes when I know he's fishing for the next word, the next thought and they all get away. When my grandmother had it, I remember I did what I could to joke it away whenever possible, and I could usually make her laugh. "You always get to go new places. You always meet new people. You can claim you met anyone you want to and impress because we'll never be certain and neither will you." We had a good laugh about that as I helped her get her "doll face&quo

For those of you grumbling and threatening to click over to another blogpost or website, hang on a second. I have given this a lot of thought. The last thing I need is one more item added to my to-do-list. However, contemplating how I could best document and communicate my experiences while I’m attending the Religious Education Congress , to "tweet" became the answer. So, I’m officially tweeting from @LSCatholicblog and let me tell you the 140 characters limit is a challenge! My last writing instructor tried to break me of my proclivity toward wordiness, but I fear she was unsuccessful in her effort. Shrinking my tweets and not coming off as a dunderhead is quite a talent—not to mention picking 140 characters for which someone gives a hoot. Yes, tweeting is also valuable for telling the world about the nagging hole in your dish gloves or your job as an Actuarial Scientist Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz… . Believe it or not, it can go deeper. I’ve accessed some pretty darn good material v

View from the Domestic Church: "Pathways of Faith" today at noon Eastern!

Of Your Charity Please Pray for:- Nick, that he return safely from duty in Afghanistan. Dear St Joseph, please present our prayers to God. Trusting in the Holy and Undivided Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thy Will Be Done O God, Amen

 Lord, thank you for your presence this moment, holding us in your love. Help us to share your love with those who live among us with dementia,  that we may see your beauty in them. Amen . Pastoral Care Project , located in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, whose mission is To raise awareness to the spiritual needs of the frail elderly - enabling carers to support them in their journey to the fullness of life has once again organised a Day of Prayer for Dementia . Indeed, somewhat like World Youth Day, it was much more than a day of prayer but more than a week of prayer with special Masses and Prayer Events/Services being held in a number of English dioceses starting on 11 March and ending yesterday, the Solemnity of St Joseph. Frances Molloy, the Project Manager and founder, originally from Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, describes how Pastoral Care Promect came about: In 1989, I was leading a Spiritual Development programme (Light Out of Darkness writte

Dear friends, Jackie and I have been considering a prayer sharing element so that we can offer prayers for each others needs. I'm not very good technically so the new side bar gadget is the best I could devise , if anyone can find a widget or gadget that would allow us to add our petitions to a roll below the picture please give it a try! This Blogg is a co-operative of equals and our only rule is Caritas. Jackie suggested I give my email for you to send special intentions too and I will then add a daily summary for us all to use as a guide. I'm more than happy to do so . so email m.bankswilkinson@btinternet.com with your specific intentions, but we can all pray for each other anyway. I'm exploring the idea of writing and having approved a specific prayer so any ideas for that would be gratefully received St Joseph seemed an ideal choice as intercessor but if anyone has other ideas please let me know. So I now give you our first intentions list, Of Your Charity Pl

"Exult, you just, in the Lord ... sing to Him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.."  (Psalm 33:1 & 3)   I read this scripture with a sigh.  Loving to sing, I can't carry a tune in the proverbial bucket. Although I savor the sounds of harpsichords and pianos and cellos and harps, I myself am no plucker of strings.  Even with no musical talent, however, I find singing to be a path into prayer.  I like to pray with psalms, using the words as a springboard to my own conversations with God.  "I will extol you." I read in Psalm 145... and so I do.  I begin to thank Him for His goodness and kindness and mercy (this can go on for some time before I turn again to what I'm reading).  And when I feel pretty sure no one is within hearing distance, I just might burst into song.  Sometimes using a tune I know, sometimes making up my own, I sing to God of His wonders.  I set thanksgivings and praises to music; I may even

I am a new contributor to The Association of Catholic Women blog.  Jackie asked that I introduce myself. It might be better if someone who knows me well did the honors.  I can’t be very objective, but I’ll try.  My name is Ruth Ann (Keller) Pilney.  I am a native of Chicago, Illinois, where I was born and raised.  My heart lives in Chicago!  Currently I live in California with my husband Jim, who retired two weeks ago, from his work in manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.  The two of us will have been married 33 years in June.  Our daughter, Catherine is married to Andrés (Andy). In 2008 I retired.  Now I enjoy the freedom that retirement brings.  Among other things, it gives me time to write, read and study.  Writing is something I like to do, and I do it often.  However I don’t write professionally, and never have.  Instead, I write letters, emails, and journals---and essays for my blog.  In school I did scholarly writing, and I liked that.  I ventured into blogging abo

Am I what I do, or who I am? Please click through to read our latest post at The Feminine Gift.

I bind to myself today The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity : I believe the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe. I bind to myself today The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism , The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial , The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension , The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day. I bind to myself today The virtue of the love of seraphim , In the obedience of angels , In the hope of resurrection unto reward , In prayers of Patriarchs , In predictions of Prophets , In preaching of Apostles , In faith of Confessors , In purity of holy Virgins , In deeds of righteous men. I bind to myself today The power of Heaven , The light of the sun, The brightness of the moon, The splendour of fire, The flashing of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of sea, The stability of earth, The compactness of rocks. I bind to myself today God's Power to guide

Fiftysomething: Dydd Sant Padraig hapus I gyd o'n ffrindiau a teul... : Dydd Sant Padraig hapus I gyd o'n ffrindiau a teulu Gwyddelig! Happy St Patrick's Day to all my Irish friends,  Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit...

From The Gospel of John (2003).  Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator: Christopher Plummer . Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel John 3:14-21 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Jesus said to Nicodemus: 'The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God's only Son. On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has co

Dear friends in Christ, I am starting a movement - Dare to Be: Radical Christians. It is a movement inviting all Christians to live their lives as radical. It is a call out of going through the motions. We must live in this world, why not love with the love of Christ, and bring as many with us as possible. I  want to ask you to join me in the movement. Each day I will be posting a reflection on something. For example: Dare to be..Joyful. Calling each of us to be joyful in our work, that we may spread the joy of Christ everywhere. Or Dare to be...forgiving. Viewing each person as a son or daughter of God, recognize we are all imperfect, and being a forgiving person so that we can grow further in love. Below I posted a facebook link and a blog link. Follow the blog for daily reflections. Stayed connected by liking us on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/DareToBeRadical http://daretoberadical.blogspot.com/ I invite you to join me in the movement to be set apart and fight again

 Saturday, 17 March, is St Patrick's Day and Ireland's National Day. One of Miss Cunningham's pupils in Rutland St School in the heart of Dublin half a century ago tells how St Patrick came to Ireland twice, the second time to stay there. You will notice that in this Brown Bag Production, done a few years ago, the pope who gave St Patrick permission to go to Ireland as a bishop bears a remarkable resemblance to a much more recent pope! Mary, the young girl telling the story, has Patrick being kidnapped in France. I'm more inclined to think he was from Wales, much nearer to Ireland. But we don't know. Scholars can't identify 'Bannavem Taburniae', Patrick's native place as mentioned in the opening paragraph of his Confession . Young Mary sees Patrick's reluctant willingness to return to Ireland as a missionary. There is no doubt about the truth of this because the saint writes about his struggle in his Confession, the authenticity of which no

Pugin’s Church becomes Official Shrine of St Augustine Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark has formally established Pugin’s church of St Augustine in Ramsgate as a shrine of ‘the Apostle of the English’. In an official decree the Archbishop grants the shrine canonical privileges and designates it as a place of pilgrimage. The establishment of this new pilgrimage site fills a five hundred year gap created when the last shrine of Augustine was destroyed in the 16 th century. A shrine to St Augustine existed on the Isle of Thanet before the Reformation and so this new place of pilgrimage recovers an ancient tradition. St Augustine’s is a Catholic church already dedicated to the saint and stands closer than any other to the place of Augustine’s landing, his first preaching and his momentous encounter with King Ethelbert of Kent in 597AD. The official day on which the foundation of the shrine will be remembered is 1 st March. This is Pugin’s birthday and rec

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, we now begin a new chapter on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of Saint Paul.  Today I wish to speak of the figure of Mary, who with the Apostles in the Upper Room prayerfully awaits the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In all the events of her life, from the Annunciation through the Cross to Pentecost, Mary is presented by Saint Luke as a woman of recollected prayer and meditation on the mystery of God’s saving plan in Christ.  In the Upper Room, we see Mary’s privileged place in the Church, of which she is the “exemplar and outstanding model in faith and charity” (Lumen Gentium, 53).  As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary prays in and with the Church at every decisive moment of salvation history.   General Audience: Pope reflects on the prayer of Mary, the Mother of God

St. Matilda

Fiftysomething: St Joseph novena day 5 : This novena to St. Joseph requests divine assistance from someone close to our Lord, quite close indeed: His foster-father! Although he was...

Toward the end of my daily commute to work, as I head 40 miles an hour down a state highway,  I have often seen a white Volvo parked at the edge of a driveway, its motor running and lights on. I often wondered if it was a unmarked police car. But then again, what police officers do you know who drive Volvo cruisers? Then, one day I was running late and a school bus stopped just before the driveway. I stopped too. A little girl got out of the Volvo, the bus drove off and then her father drove out the driveway. Mystery revealed. Dad waits with his daughter in the car until the bus comes, then heads off to work. These family rituals are so important. Our family now consists of two working parents and two busy teenagers. (Boys who do not like their pictures taken) Long gone are the days when my husband and I would load our sons, in their pajamas, into the double stroller and walk to the ice cream parlor for an evening treat. Gone too, are the days when our so

View from the Domestic Church: My launch of "Food for the Family's Soul!"

"The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine genius which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms that the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope, and charity: she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness (n. 31)."--- Blessed Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem Holy Women included are: St. Hildegard of Bingen St. Claire of Assisi St. Matilda of Hackeborn St. Gertrude the Great Bl. Angela of Foligno St. Elizabeth of Hungary St. Bridget of Sweden Marguerite d Oingt St. Juliana of Cornillon St Catherine of Siena Julian of Norwich St. Veronica Giuliani St. Catherine of Bologna St. Catherine of Genoa St. Joan of Arc St. Teresa of Avila St. Therese of Lisieux Women have always played a unique and critical role throughout Scripture which has continued th

Calling ALL Catholic women who love the Catholic Church! Do you have a blog or use twitter/facebook or the New Media? Would you like to post on our blog? We currently have 50 blog authors all who have full admin access. We also invite any men..priests or laymen who can give us a male perspective! There are no rules for posting apart from trying to show the positive side of our glorious faith. Contact Jackie at   jacquelineparkes@hotmail.co.uk 

Image & Likeness: Meeting God in Silence : One of the most beautiful aspects of Lent in the monastery is the greater silence that is sought, both exteriorly and interiorly.  Perhaps ...

Ephesians 5 is one of those Scripture stumbling blocks for the modern man... err, woman. Just what did Saint Paul mean by "Wives be subordinate to your husbands"? And what does the Church mean by authority? How do you feel about the roles of men and women within the marriage relationship? Click on over to The Feminine Gift to read our latest post.

I learned the Act of Contrition in first grade, and recited it in Confession every other week.  I was around nine when the priest on the other side of the grille stopped me just after I'd begun with my usual:  "O my God, I am partly sorry for having offended Thee, and I..."   He broke right in.   "Are you only partly sorry?", he asked.  I sat there in panic.  Well... well, of course!, said I.  That's what the prayer says, that's how I learned it, yes Father I'm sure I must be partly sorry, I'm at least partly sorry and that's a good thing isn't it Father? (am I passing this test?). Father was kind in his correction. And I've been heartily sorry ever since.  Although... There are times when I think about Father's gentle question.   It's not a bad one for an examination of conscience, really.  I mean - how many times do I confess sins and faults for which I'm only partly sorry?  If I'm really honest wi

New Family Radio Show!

This second week in Lent has the theme of transformation.  Sunday we had the Gospel of the transformation of Jesus, on our blog I was struck by the post about the Gift of Self in Marriage, that I thought this post from my site: Spiritual Lives Of Women would fit right in:  Servant Leadership has become a a model of business as coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf. Mr. Greenleaf (1904–1990) was the founder of the modern Servant Leadership movement. Greenleaf was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1904. After graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota, he went to work for AT&T. For the next forty years he researched management, development, and education. All along, he felt a growing suspicion that the power-centered authoritarian leadership style so prominent in U.S. institutions was not working, and in 1964 he took an early retirement to found the Center for Applied Ethics. Mr. Greenleaf got his inspiration from a work of fiction in which a group of men are going on a

Sign the petition at link below: I support the legal definition of marriage which is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. I oppose any attempt to redefine it. Coalition For Marriage