Therese's First Holy Communion - Photo Journal

Therese in her First Communion dress
Procession into Mass with First Communicants
Therese receives her Lord and Savior for the first time in Holy Communion
Therese and the other First Communicants are enrolled in Our Lady's Brown Scapular
Two of the Dominican Sisters came down from the girl's school for the feast. Sister Mary Scholastica, Dominican Sister to the right, is Therese's teacher.
Blessed with a moment of sun on an otherwise rainy and overcast day for an outside photo

Parish luncheon for the First Communicants after Mass


Therese opens some gifts with Joshua's help
Isabella receives a bowl of the '12 fruits of the Holy Ghost Fruit Salad' in honor of Pentecost

Pentecost 2009 / Whit Sunday

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Today is the great feast of Pentecost where we celebrate the decent of the Holy Ghost on our Blessed Mother and the disciples as Our Lord promised before His ascension, an event that formally marks the birth of the Catholic Church. As Dom Gueranger wrote paraphrasing the event described in the Acts of the Apostles:

Suddenly is heard, coming from heaven, the sound of a violent wind; it startles the people in the city, it fills the cenacle with its mighty breath. A crowd is soon round the house that stands on Mount Sion; the hundred and twenty disciples that are within the building feel that mysterious emotion within them, of which their Master once said: 'The Spirit breatheth where He will, and thou hearest His voice.' Like that strange invisible creature. which probes the very depth of the sea and makes the waves heave mountains high, the Breath from heaven will traverse the world from end to end, breaking down every barrier that would stay its course.

Tongues of fire would make apostles out of disciples, disciples who, up to this point were confused, some waivering, most fearful for their lives, hiding from the authorities. These tongues of fire would infuse dauntless courage into them, perfecting them for the mission their Master gave to them. They would bear their cross in imitation of their Master, most going to their death like Him. Many would leave their native land. They would receive the gift of tongues, giving them the ability to overcome the curse of Babel and convert foreign lands.

The Church would indeed overcome Babel, which was necessary in order to fulfill her Divine Mission to convert all nations. It would not be long before one language stood out from the crowd as a binding force in the growing Church --Latin. Often those outside of the Catholic Church do not understand the importance of the Church's attachment to Latin. There are actually several reasons for that attachment, but the primary is universal unity. Dom Guaranger demonstrates this point within the context of the gift of tongues given to the Apostles, first by quoting St. Augustine:

The great St. Augustine alluded to this, when he spoke the following admirable words: 'The whole body of Christ, the Church, now speaks in all tongues. Nay, I myself speak all tongues, for I am in the body of Christ, I am in the Church of Christ. If the body of Christ now speaks all languages, then am I in all languages. Greek is mine, Syriac is mine, Hebrew is mine, for I am one with all the several nations that speak them.' During the ages of faith, the Church (which is the only source of all true progress), succeeded in giving one common language to all the nations that were in union with her. For centuries, the Latin language was the bond of union between civilized countries. However distant these might be from one another, there was this link of connection between them; it was the medium of communication for political negotiations, for the spread of science, or for friendly epistolary correspondance. No one was a stranger in any part of the west, or even beyond it, who could speak this language. The great heresy of the sixteenth century robbed us of this as of so many other blessings, it dismembered that Europe which the Church had united, not only be her faith, but by her language.

Latin united peoples of the world, in commerce, in science, in literature, and, most importantly, in worship. A Christian could go to Mass in any part of the world and feel perfectly at home because of the Latin and the uniformity of worship. And, given the purity and precision of the Latin language, it was and still is the most fitting language for worship as it is the best that we have to offer Him who is perfection itself and deserves the best.

Today we especially pray Come Holy Ghost! Fill us with the zeal necessary to rebuild Christendom and restore Christ's rightful place as King of All Nations, with all societies and all laws in conformity with Divine Law and in union with His Church.

Andrew and the International Latin Exam

I just heard word from Andrew that he received a Magna Cum Laude award (2nd place) on the International Latin Exam taken by the La Salette Academy students and other schools throughout the world. 136,000 students took the exam this year and 10,000 out of the 136,000 received awards. Taking a second place award is quite an achievement. Congratulations, Andrew!

Andrew's finals at La Salette begin next Wednesday.

Note: I've updated this post after another conversation with Andrew. Apparently, this was not a national but an international examination. In addition, another La Salette Academy student was one out of only fifty three to receive a perfect score on the Prose exam. Go La Salette!

Teaching Domincan Sisters at Wanganui

Follow this link to the blog for the Teaching Dominican Sisters at Wanganui, New Zealand. This is the same Congregation that is teaching our daughters in the North Country. As mentioned in a post several months ago, their mother house is in France, and they presently have schools located in France, the United States and New Zealand.

“Who shall find a valiant woman? Far and from the uttermost coast is the price of her.” (Prov. 31, 10)

In the Hospital Again

Leslie was having strong contractions last evening, so off to Malone we went. Alice Hyde Medical did not waste a whole lot of time before deciding to transfer her to Burlington. We set off to Burlington in the wee hours of the morning, and she contracted heavily for some hours after arrival at Fletcher Allen. She is between 2 and 3 centimeters dialated. Things were moving along and then tuckered out. So now she is down in a room in Maternity under observation. I imagine if the contractions pick up again, we will be back in Labor and Delivery and will perhaps see a baby soon. Otherwise, we may be back home again and in the wait pattern. It's 4:40 on Thursday as I write this. We will see what the next 12 hours or so holds.

-Albert

The Christian Life is a Struggle

[...] we know that the Christian life is a struggle - much of the teaching of St. Paul deals with that idea - but in a way, each life is a victory and therefore a struggle. Life - just life, we could say - is a marvelous victory over so very many obstacles; moral life is a victory of good over evil; intellectual life over ignorance and error; human and Christian life is victory over the sinful deviation of nature, of grace over sin; civilization is victory over barbarianism, after innumerable efforts of all kinds.

St. Paul again compares this life on the one hand to athletic training:

"Brothers, know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize: So run that you may obtain. And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptable crown; but we an incorruptible one. I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air: but I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

On the other hand he compares life to military training:

"Therefore take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day [...]. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having a breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:13-17).

No matter what image is chosen, it is a question of struggling, resisting, holding up and ... being victorious!

Excerpt from a Meeting for Parents by Mother Marie Genevieve Riviere, Prioress General of the Teaching Dominican Sisters of Fanjeaux, France, read on Ascension Thursday 2009

Memorial Day at the Park

With our Green BoB Replacement -- Ghost Rider.

The Early Days

As we approach the birth of Thomas (child #11) and another baptism, I reminisce about the early days...


Leslie's First Baby Shower (for Andrew, child #1) circa 1993

Meghan's Baptism (child #2) circa 1995, with my Paternal Grandmother

Andrew, Meghan and newborn Amanda (child #3), circa 1997

My Mother-In-Law with Amanda

Overwhelmed

We received an item in the mail today that was unexpected, supremely generous, and leaves me speechless. Thank you! You know who you are.

Lead Kindly Light (Part 4)

A number of months have passed since my last installment in this series. The subject requires a great deal of reflection, reflection requires time, and it is time of which I have such short supply. I do, however, feel compelled to keep writing about the hand of God in my life, more for Him than for me. A sinner's return to God is ultimately a reflection of His Mercy and Glory. You see, given my background and my past interests and motivations, I am the unlikeliest of men to be where I am today – a member of the Church that Christ Himself founded, the True Church, and fighting for His Sacred Kingship in a world that extols the so called “rights of man” and ignores the rights of God.

In my last post on this subject, I mentioned influences in my life, college professors, literary figures, writings that began to till the hard soil of my soul, scorched by ignorance, unbridled passions and vanity. It is quite amazing to think that I could have been influenced at all towards faith and towards the Catholic Church in a secular college atmosphere. Just about everything in these institutions is liberal and anti-religion (especially anti-Catholic ) but somehow my mind would keep coming back on occasion to something larger than myself, something universal and objective. It is important to note that I was no angel in college and some great vices were cultivated there, vices that I would wrestle with for years after graduation. On the whole, my mind and character were mush. I fell like most into the supreme desire for a life of ease, money and possessions--that was presented to me as true success. What a destructive and hollow pursuit that would turn out to be in the early years of my career.

I studied Newman, Solzhenitsyn and was introduced to Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, along with others at Community College. After two years, I transferred to Rutgers University to study English Literature with the original intent of becoming a teacher. If there was any place that could have derailed all religious sensibility in me, it was at university, I am sad to say. I had several radical liberal feminist professors for courses like "Sociology of the Family" (anti-family was more like it) and "Psychoanalysis and Feminism in Film Studies". Also, an earlier curiosity with the occult reared its ugly head when I signed up for a course entitled "Witchcraft and Magic." With occasional exceptions as noted in my experience, what modern universities are teaching kids should make parents recoil in horror. It is no wonder society is in the state it is in today. There is no fear of evil, and good and evil themselves have been relegated to the subjective. This is a result of the modern pseudo-philosophies of the likes of Descartes, Locke and Hume, where reality is something that is in the mind of the beholder as opposed to something objective outside of him.

I believe what really kept me semi-sane at Rutgers was the study of Shakespeare. I signed up for Histories and Tragedies my first semester. I had a dynamic professor, Ronald Levao, who taught both at Princeton and Rutgers and was/is a respected scholar in Renaissance fiction. Those who know Shakespeare know that his works are impregnated with Catholicism. A strong argument has been made that Shakespeare was a closet practicing Catholic and even considered a priestly vocation. It is also believed that his father provided hiding places for Catholic priests, there to secretly provide the sacraments for the faithful, who were barbourously hunted down and butchered by the scourge of Queen Elizabeth during the Protestant revolt in England. The late sixteenth and early seventeenth century was a perilous time for Catholics in England, clergy and faithful, and the blood of the martyrs watered London at Tyburn.

I fell head over heels for Shakespeare. After the Histories and Tragedies course, I signed up for Comedies. As a quick aside, Professor Levao had an identical twin who was a lawyer. During one of the lectures for The Comedy of Errors (a comedy about two twins who exchange places), the professor's twin showed up to teach the class. It was about twenty minutes into the lecture before some of the students caught on as laughter slowly grew throughout the lecture hall. The giveaway was that the brother read from lecture notes, whereas Professor Levao always taught spontaneously without notes or prompts.

After Shakespeare, I followed Professor Levao into the study of Milton. Although Milton was a Puritan, there is a good deal of truth and beauty in his work, obviously emanating from the Catholicism from which it originally came. All of these things would help on occasion elevate my mind to God amidst a general spiritual sloth and growing relativism in my personality. I remember also being fascinated with the theological seminary that was on the Rutgers campus. I used a paper I was required to write for a literature course as a pretext for attaining entrance to the seminary library. There was a fascination there that I cannot describe. I had a similar fascination to the old stone chapel on the Rutgers campus that would occasionally host a Catholic Mass. Across the street from the chapel was a large Catholic church proper. I would enjoy sitting on a bench between these buildings often, finding solace and peace at a very confusing time in my life. God was trying to get my attention, there is no doubt.

The single most important event that happened at Rutgers would change the course of my life forever. There, through what I would have regarded at the time as the most amazing of coincidences, I found who was to become the future Mrs. Hickman. I will take up that story in the next installment.

Ascension Thursday Events

The boys and I spent a beautiful feast day at the girl's school in Massena today. There was the Solemn High Mass for the Ascension followed by a parent conference, a roast pork luncheon, songs and skits performed by the girls and, finally, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. I should have some pictures posted in the coming weeks once we get them from the school photographer.

Every time I attend an event like this, I feel a great sense of gratitude that we are here. I find myself occasionally mulling over how we ever got here in the first place--certainly through no merit on our part. God's designs are very mysterious and His ways so awesome. Our children are in very good hands, and I hope to thank Him for it with a faithful and unwavering heart. There is so little to offer in comparison to what is given.

The parent conference was very profound. It was a talk written by Mother Marie Genevieve Riviere, the Mother General in France, and given by Mother Prioress of the school in Massena. I will be posting quotes from this talk, dedicated to nurturing the Virtues, now and then over the next couple of weeks. I will begin with the following:

As is true for the heroism of heroes of all times, or for the strength of the martyrs who follow in the steps of Jesus Christ, or for the sanctity of His disciples, her dedication is not manifested all of a sudden in a surprising way. We can be sure that the long fidelity of some and the sudden heroic witness of others have had a long preparation, particularly during childhood and adolescence, and even young adulthood. Education has no other function - as we have had to recall very often - than to place before your children's eyes the goal to be reached and to put at their disposal the means to attain it.

Now, what makes a being human, what makes its difference and its superiority, is its intelligence, this power that it has to know its destiny and to decide to realize it. What St. Thomas calls a human act has these very qualities; it is a reasonable act, a virtuous act. (On the contrary, the sinner is first a fool "stultus peccator.") Virtue, indeed, far from being an old-fashioned sclerosis that would take over a person's rich qualities in order to stifle them, is an astonishing capacity of development. In truth, veritable human life is unthinkable and unachievable without virtue. "Virtue is the highest degree that a human being can reach; it is the fullness of the capacity of being of each man" (J. Pieper).

As a side note, we have had a dickens of a time keeping the boys in clean clothes sans the holes. I think this has something to do with the fact that they are boys. We had them looking nice this morning to go up to the school and the 45 minutes between Mass and the luncheon (while Dad was away at the parent conference) saw them transformed into something very close to the picture on the left. Christopher just this past weekend purchased a new pair of pants for himself as a lesson for being too careless with his clothes. Just a few days later, we find ourselves in similar circumstances. We have yet to find a solution to this problem, but are working on it. We need to somehow get them from the jungle to civilization. Lord have mercy!

The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Matt 28:18-20

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With what affection the disciples gaze upon the divine Master as they see Him rising up towards heaven, and stretching out His hand to bless them! Their eyes, though full of tears, are riveted on the cloud which has come between themselves and Jesus. They are alone on the mount; Jesus' visible presence is taken from them. How wretched would they not feel in the desert land of their exile, were it not for His supporting grace, and for that holy Spirit who is about to come down and create within them a new being?

Our earth leaped with joy as the Son of God walked upon it; that joy is now past. It had looked forward, for four thousand years, for the glory of being the dwelling-place of its Creator; that glory is now gone. The nations are in expectation of a Deliverer, and though, with the exception of the people of Judea and Galilee, men are not aware this Deliverer has come and gone again,--it shall not long be so. They shall hear of His birth, and His life, and His works; they shall hear of His triumphant Ascension, too, for holy Church shall proclaim it in every country of the earth. [Two thousand] years have elapsed since He left this world, our respectful and loving farewell blends with that which His disciples gave Him when He was mounting up to heaven. Like them, we feel His absence; but like them, we also rejoice in the thought that He is seated at the right hand of His Father, beautiful in His kingly glory. Thou, dear Jesus! have entered into Thy rest! We adore Thee on Thy throne, we Thy redeemed and the fruit of Thy victory. Bless us! Draw us to Thyself, and grant that Thy last coming may be to us a source of joy rather than of fear!

Farewell, dear paschal torch, that hast gladdened us with thy lovely flame! Thou hast sweetly spoken to us of Jesus, our light in the darkness of our pilgrimage; and now thou leavest us, telling us that He is no longer to be seen here below, and that we must follow Him to heaven, if we would again behold Him. Farewell, loved symbol made by the hand of our mother, the Church, that thou mightest speak to our hearts! The impressions excited within us, as we looked upon thee, during this holy season of Easter, shall not be forgotten.

- Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.

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We beseech Thee, almighty God, grant that we who believe Thine only-begotten Son our Redeemer to have this day ascended into heaven, may ourselves dwell in spirit amid heavenly things. Collect of Lauds for Ascension Thursday

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Promising New Fatima Movie

"Seventy Thousand People Saw The Sun Dance That Day"

I did not see this film coming. It looks remarkable, and even more so because the story is true:



The fact that this movie will be released during the largest Rosary Crusade in recent history, dedicated to fulfilling Our Lady's wishes as she expressed them at Fatima in 1917, can hardly be a coincidence. Let us pray that it will touch many hardened souls. View The 13th Day website

The following is from Bishop Bernard Fellay's (FSSPX) latest Letter to Friends and Benefactors inaugurating the 12 Million Rosary Crusade for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the Consecration of Russia:

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But on this difficult path, and confronted with such violent opposition, we ask you, dear faithful, once again to have recourse to prayer. It seems to us that the time has come to launch a broad offensive, deeply anchored in the message of Our Lady of Fatima, to which she promised a happy outcome since she announced that in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph. We ask her for this triumph by the means she herself requested: the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart by the Supreme Pastor and all the bishops of the Catholic world, and the propagation of the devotion to her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. That is why, to this end, we desire to offer her between now and March 25, 2010, a bouquet of 12 million [five-decade] rosaries as a crown of as many stars round her person, accompanied by an equivalently important number of daily sacrifices, which we will take good care to look for first of all in the faithful accomplishment of our duty of state, and with the promise to propagate devotion to her Immaculate Heart. She herself presented this as the purpose of her apparitions at Fatima. We are deeply convinced that if we carefully carry out what she asks of us, we shall obtain very much more than all we could ever dare to hope, and especially that our salvation shall be ensured if we profit from the graces she has promised us.

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-Albert
+Vigil of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

"Pray. Pray Much. And Make Sacrifices for Sinners!"

Upcoming Events and Some Wisdom from G.K.

Here are upcoming family dates of note for anyone interested:

May 31: Therese's First Holy Communion at St. Therese's Church

June 11: Amanda's Solemn Communion at Holy Name of Jesus Academy

June 18: Andrew returns home from La Salette Academy for summer break

June 19: Joseph's Birthday

June 21: Andrew's Birthday

???: Thomas' Birthday

The most unfathomable schools and sages have never attained to the gravity which dwells in the eyes of a baby of three months old. It is the gravity of astonishment at the universe, and astonishment at the universe is not mysticism, but a transcendent common-sense. The fascination of children lies in this: that with each of them all things are remade, and the universe is put again upon its trial. As we walk the streets and see below us those delightful bulbous heads, three times too big for the body, which mark these human mushrooms, we ought always primarily to remember that within every one of these heads there is a new universe, as new as it was on the seventh day of creation. In each of those orbs there is a new system of stars, new grass, new cities, a new sea. - G.K. Chesterton

-Albert
+St. Peter Celestine O.S.B.

Fr. Timothy Pfeiffer Anniversary

We celebrated Fr. Timothy Pfeiffer's 20th anniversary as a priest today. Father is from Kentucky, so there was a round of My Old Kentucky Home followed by a Southern potluck supper topped off with nips of fine Kentucky Bourbon.

Alas, an audio problem (in honesty it was my own stupidity in setting the computer up this morning) prevented the recording of Fr. Pfeiffer's great sermon on True Happiness. Father told the story of a priest imprisoned in a Communist gulag who regarded the tortures and confinement as the greatest time of his life. He had nothing as far as possessions, not even his freedom, but had true joy because he possessed God. Conversely, Father went on to describe a Joe Sixpack character who had possessions, nice truck, motorcycle, four wheeler, the best beer and lived it up. That is until those toys were all taken away from him, and then there was nothing that could console him. I do not do the story justice. It was powerfully told and a good reminder of where our real treasure lies amidst all the temptations and allurements of the world.

May God Bless all of our family and friends in the new week. O Lord, Grant Us Holy Priests!

-Albert

Jeanne d'Arc

"Believe the incredible, and you will do the impossible."

Christopher Turns Double Digits Today

Happy Birthday, Christopher Kolbe!

Christopher was our most memorable birth to date and the fastest labor. I believe the labor lasted all of about 40 minutes. We only lived 5 minutes from the hospital, and it was the longest 5 minute drive of my life. I also learned on that drive never to ask a stupid question with an obvious answer like "are you okay?" to a woman that is within minutes of giving birth.

-Albert

The Anniversary of Our Lady's Appearance at Fatima

This is a beatiful video. It is important to note that the Miracle of the Sun took place less than 100 years ago and was witnessed by thousands, including the secular anti-clerical media who reported the events. I would only fault the video for not explicitly mentioning Our Blessed Mother's most important request, that is, that the Pope in union with the bishops of the world consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart. This is necessary, as she said, in order to prevent Russia from spreading her errors and causing great global catastrophe and apostasy. We have seen terrible wars since and are in the midst of apostasy now; therefore, we continue to pray and plead that the Holy Father will fulfill this most urgent request.

In a world that will believe in the existence of little green men from outer space over the reality of the existence of Hell, Our Lady at Fatima provided a sobering reminder. One of the three children, Lucia, describes the vision given them:

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she openned her hands once more, as she had done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. Terrified and as if to plead succour, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly: "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go..."

Nothing is more important than love of God and the salvation of souls.

-Albert
+Feast of St. Robert Bellarmine (another hero of the counter-reformation at Trent)

Leslie and BoB

Leslie had her O.B. appointment today and managed to be sent home and not to the hospital for pre-term labor, Deo Gratias! We are at thirty one weeks and we need to get through at least four more.

Green BoB (Bucket of Bolts), our aged, rusty, titanic-esque van, has finally seen its last days I am afraid. We've done our best to keep the thing going to avoid adding another car payment to an already stretched budget; but, with frequent commutes coming up this fall to the girl's school in Massena, and the imminent need for additional BoB repairs, the time has come to give up the fight and tug once again on the sleeves of St. Joseph for a hand.

Life has been getting a bit more challenging as of late; I can only see that as a good sign.

-Albert

Truth and Beauty

Father Hewko's very edifying sermon from yesterday entitled "Christ the New Song" is now posted in the sermons links. An audio glitch at the beginning cut off some of the epistle reading -- my apologies.

Below is a picture from recent ordinations by Bishop Bernard Fellay, FSSPX, at the Romanesque abbatial church of the Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of Bellaigue in France. Click here to see more...



-Albert
+Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles

May Crowning and Mother's Day

- Happy Mother's Day! -

Therese was chosen to crown the Blessed Mother statue today for May Crowning
Joseph, overjoyed to have his picture taken
End of May Crowning Procession after Mass
Therese Marie under the Mantle of Mary
Mom has been on some interesting medication to help with the contractions :)
The priceless fruits of sacrifice and love

The Glories of Christendom

Notre-Dame de Chartres (13th Century)

Is it any wonder, then, that we should call the generations that gave us the cathedrals, the universities, the great technical schools that were organized by the trades guilds, the great national literatures that lie at the basis of all our modern literature, the beginnings of sculpture and of art carried to such heights that artistic principles were revealed for all time, and, finally, the great men and women of this century--for more than any other it glories in names that were born not to die--is it all surprising that we should claim for the period which, in addition to all this, saw the foundation of modern law and liberty, the right to be hailed--the greatest of human history?

- Historian James J. Walsh, The Thirteenth: Greatest of Centuries

Leslie Update

Leslie came home from the hospital this afternoon. For the moment, contractions are relatively under control, but it does not take much for them to get going again. It will be a long few weeks, methinks. We are simply taking it day by day, for every day that we keep Thomas inside the bakery, it reduces risk should he be born pre-term. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns.

Hospital Visit #1

I am fresh home from the hospital where Leslie has spent the day with some steady pre-term contractions. It looks like they are finally under control, although they want to keep her overnight just to be sure. Thomas is looking really good, however 30 weeks is still too soon to be greeting the lad outside of the womb. Please God, we will make it another five weeks at least. Leslie is in good spirits despite receiving about eight shots of various medications to stop the contractions, in addition to an I.V. and the usual mystery dinner.

-Albert

Requiscat in Pace

Yesterday, the Feast of St. Monica, witnessed the loss of my good friend Chris Beattie's mother, Sandra Blacketor, following a difficult surgery. Whereas St. Monica prayed her famous wayward son into the Church over the course of many long and painful years, Chris did the same for his mother who converted to the Holy Catholic Faith just this past March. Amidst the great pain of loss, this is certainly cause for hope and a great comfort. Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her.
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I cannot let the day slip away without acknowledging the Feast of Pope St. Pius V, who was the Successor of Peter in the Sixteenth Century during the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation, who canonized the Ancient Mass in the famous encyclical Quo Primum, and presided over the miraculous victory against the Turks of Lepanto, thanks to the Holy Rosary, thus saving Europe from Muslim rule. There is so much to be said about Pius V, and I have little time to write so I must leave it at that. St. Pius V, pray for us and for the restoration of all things in Christ.


-Albert
+Feast of St. Pius V