John Mary Thomas, pray for us

Rocky and I decided that the baby should have a name. John because he (for some reason I feel like he was a he) was a gift from God, Mary, for the Blessed Mother and Thomas because every other guy in Rocky's family has Thomas for a first or middle name.

and i lived to tell the tale

On November 5th I went to work and passed out at my desk. At the hospital a surgeon told me that I had an cornual ectopic rupture. Our poor baby just got confused and implanted in the thickest part of my left fallopian tube instead of making it down to the uterus.

The hospital chaplain, a wonderful priest from Nigeria gave me Last Rites and then I went to surgery. Recovery has been slow but I was very much encouraged by my family, friends and the grace and mercy of God and His holy church. Priests came to give me confession and communion in the hospital and my parish priests called me on the phone to comfort me. Another wonderful priest walked from his rectory to my mom's home where I'm recuperating to give me Holy Communion.

Thank you, Lord for sparing my life.
Thank you St. Bernadette, St. Therese and St. Joan for your prayers.

Mozart's version of Dies Irae

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl-wRbJoWVA

the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven

Last night Rocky and I went to St. Rita's for the Tridentine Mass. It was for All Souls day and I can't remember a time when I've been so overwhelmed at Mass before. Everything was gorgeous. We had three (young!) priests in birettas and black vestments--- when I saw them I almost cheered. We had six well scrubbed altar boys. Those kids didn't make one mistake. We had chant provided by a schola choir. We had a sublime homily and the Dies Irae was the Sequence.

I cried the whole time. It's been a long time since I've felt like my heart was tearing itself out of my chest because of sheer, wild joy. That's what happened last night.

The church was packed and it was so quiet. I don't know if it's due to the action on the altar or the calming effect of chant but the babies and toddlers were very still and seemed to be happy. Young people were everywhere I looked. The Missionaries of Charity nuns came all the way from DC to attend the Mass and seeing the variety of veils on the ladies was cool. Everyone was decently dressed. I didn't see any butt cracks spilling out from low slung jeans and most of the young guys had on blazers. There were also a lot of first and second year seminarians there.

I almost couldn't walk out when Mass was over. I was so taken up with the love of Jesus that my legs didn't seem to want to work. There is something about the Traditional Mass that seems to let me be free to think, to pray to really focus on the holy sacrifice and who Our Lord is. In the Novus Ordo we are encouraged to be active, and to talk back and forth to the priest. In the Traditional Mass we are encouraged to pray hard.

I think I could've sayed for hours if Rocky hadn't had to go to work early the next day.

I don't know when St. Rita's will try this experiment again but I am sooooooo there when they do.

Sad, sad, sad today.

I read on Tea at Trianon and the Catholic Musings blogs that Fr. Francis Mary, the host of EWTN's Life on the Rock has decided to take a leave of absence to discern his vocation. Uh oh. Usually when priests announce that they are discerning their vocations it means they are really half way out the door already. Fr. Francis Mary is a fine man and I feel terribly sad and sorry for him and for all of us cause you know the Catholic haters are going to eat this like sweet cream.



A saint, I can't remember which one, said that priests must be ultra careful about women. Not the obvious trampy ones becuase they all but shout what they're about but the real danger is the nice ones, the ones who genuinely mean no harm. I've seen many a Protestant minister fall this way. It starts innocently enough. She needs help... she needs kindness... she's the most devoted worker in the parish.... she's the one person who will stay up all night blowing up balloons for the senior's dance. She thinks he's wonderful... he finds that he looks forward to seeing her alone each day and suddenly stuff happens.


Pray for our priests. They are men called to a divine vocation but they are just men and in the ungaurded moment stuff happnes in the mind, the heart and the body. Ladies, have a care for your priest. He's your father, not a regular guy. Don't get into the habit of hanging out at the rectory, no matter how legit your business there is. Whatever you need to see Father about can be taken care of in the office. Do not get into the habit of traveling alone with him, even if it's giving him a ride to the Catholic Family conference in the next county. People WILL talk and it could be an occasion for temptation--- yours, his, whatever.

Do not invite him to your house for "counseling". See him in the confessional or across a table in the office. Do not invite him to your house, PERIOD, if you are single or if you are alone in the house. People will talk.

Do not call his personal number unless it is for a genuine reason. Arranging a time for confession or checking to see what time he needs your husband to come by with the chain saw to clear the brush around the parish playground or asking a theological question is fine. Calling him just to say "hi" is flirting and darn if you don't know that deep down inside.

If you are afraid of sex and prefer to hang out with men who are unavailable go see a good Catholic therapist. Do it right now. Do not hug Father, especially if you are the type who tends to do the grinding bosom thing when you embrace someone. Do not ask him to be a dad figure to your son. That's asking too much and if he's at your house all the time people will talk and temptation might arise. Do not dress provocatively around Father because you assume he' s above all that and you can go all wild thing with him without any complications. Do not flirt with Father on ANY level.

If you have a crush on Father, take a deep breath, grow up and get over it. If you have to join a different parish, then do it.

Pray for our priests.

All Saints

Today was a holy day of obligation so I hope you made it to Mass. It’s easy to look at the saints and think I can’t be like them but except for a very few, like St. Therese and St. Dominic Salvo, the saints weren’t astonishingly pious from tender youth. Most strove hard for their level of holiness and we can do the same. St. Pelagia, started out as a harlot, St. Moses was a thief and a killer. St. Margaret of Cortuna lived in sin with a man for years. Blessed Bartolo Longo was at one time a satanic priest. That’s right, the dude was a devil worshipper. Once you repent and amend your life, great things are possible.

The saints are our friends in Heaven. We have very real relationships with them and they care passionately about us. Tonight, don’t forget to say thanks for all their prayers.

St. Elizabeth, pray for us.
St. Rita , pray for us.
St. Giana, pray for us.
St. Therese, pray for us.
St. Anthony, dear, dear friend, who’s never let me down, pray for us.
St. Joan, in this age of the “nice gospel” where so many of us would rather go along and get along, pray for us.
St. Pio, pray for us.
St. Nicholas, who once punched out the heretic, Arius, pray for us.
St. Athanasius, pray for us.St. Dymphna, pray for us.
St. Joseph, patron of the universal church and model for men, pray for us, especially for all the confused guys who have no clue what manhood is.
St. Maria Goretti, pray for us and all the young girls who think sex is love.
St. Raphaella Maria, pray for us.
St. Gemma, pray for us.
St. Martha, pray for us.
St. Jerome, pray for us.
Solanus Casey, pray for us.
Fulton Sheen, pray for us.
Catherine Dougherty, pray for us.
Queens Isabella and Catherine, pray for us.
All holy men and women, pray for us.