Sainthood is within reach XD

Picture from here!

Tagged for a meme by Aunty Esther! Haven't done one of these in a while.

"Assuming you are a saint, and your cause has been executed, your miracles confirmed, your date on the calendar established, all that is required is to select that of which Holy Mother Church will name you Patron (ess) of.
For this meme, you must name your patronage
and then tag 5 other people who would like to play along."

I'd actually like to be the patroness of (cell) phone users, just 'cause there's nobody yet. So I've got dibs! All joking aside, another reason is because one of my secret fears is calling people on and answering the phone. (Ok...so it's not a secret anymore but...) I have trouble talking on them, so for all my buddies who are just as flabbergasted when it comes to these inventions, I shall be praying for you fervently.

Wow, this is a new version of an old meme. Since I don't know who comes here anymore (cue crickets in the background) I'll have to leave this as an open invitation. So have fun!

Happy last few days of summer, everyone!

"A Little Progress Everyday"

Ah, summer days. There have been a lot of tourists on the island lately! (Thank you for visiting!) While they crowd the main beaches and make it hard for the rest of us to find parking, they do give us occasion to seek out the hidden island treasures that only we locals know about.

The tide pools are so clear, it makes it hard not to want to jump in! ^^

* * *

Several years ago, there was a story about a college bound guy who asked everyone in the world for a penny. The story came with a picture of the smart student sitting in the middle of a pile of copper coins, happy that he could actually pay for his tuition. Even if I was far from college myself back then, I remembered the story and, up to now, still pick up the random pennies on the ground that nobody seems to care for. After all, pennies do make dollars, right?
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save quite enough to pay for college....in fact...I'm not even sure what happened to all my pennies. o.O If I were to find them all someday - probably stored away in some place secret to even me - I'm sure they would amount to something!

Lately, I've found that this little story of spare change can also be related to a person's change of heart. To explain that though, I think I ought to introduce a friend of mine!



Meet Maggiorino Vigolungo, a young member of the Pauline Family! A bit about him: he entered the Society of St. Paul in 1916 at twelve years of age and had "a great love for the Eucharist." Although he died at the age of 14, he strove to be a saint, his motto being "a little progress everyday," a goal that he remained faithful to for the remnant of his life. You can read more about him here.

"A little progress everyday."
People are constantly changing. A person probably isn't the same as he was the day before, since the events between then (however minor) would have effected him in some way. So every day we each have before us a choice: either we miss our chance to become a better person, or we take that chance and choose to make the right choices that will lead us Heaven-bound.
"Sure, Cy, it's probably easy for you to say." Haha....no. (I wish!! D'X) To be honest, that's the reason why I like Maggiorino's quote so much; because I face the same dilemma as the next person....assuming, of course, the next person isn't Mother Teresa. (Although, even Mother Teresa had her hardships. But that's another story.) I seriously doubt that I can completely change overnight, and that's where St. Therese's Little Way meets Maggiorino Vigolungo.
Are there times when you want to return your neighbor's insult with a volley of your own? Pick up that penny and hold back the words. Can't seem to find a smile in your heart but know that your brother could really use one? Even if you can't feel it, smile anyway and dust off that extra penny. There are pennies for you to find every single day, from helping a homeless man find a meal to opening a door for an elderly lady.
"Store up your treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy."
If we choose these little paths in life, storing up our pennies in Heaven, then even if we can't pay college tuition, we can at least become saints.

Pennies do make dollars.

God said: "Let there be Light!!"

Ok, so I didn't make up the idea behind the picture. ^^ It's pretty awesome though!

Christians are like lights for others, for everyone in all the world. If we are christians then we must become like Christ. If you want to learn how, then the art of foresight will make you more and more like Christ, for he was humble of heart and always attentive to people's needs. Great sanctity begins with this attention to others. If it is to be beautiful then our vocation must be wholly filled with this attention. Wherever Jesus passed, he did good. And the Virgin Mary at Cana only thought of the needs of others and passed them on to Jesus. A Christian is a tabernacle of the living God. He created me, chose me, came to live in me because he needed me. Now you have learned how much God loves you, what could be more natural than for you to spend the rest of your life spreading this love? To be truly a Christian is truly to welcome Christ and become another Christ. It is to love as we are loved, as Christ loved us on the cross.
~Mother Teresa

"Called to Love"

"We have been called to love the world. And God loved the world so much that He gave Jesus to it. Today, He loves the world so much that He gives you and me to the world to be His love, His compassion, and His presence through our lives of prayer, sacrifice, and self-surrender. The response that God is waiting for from you is to become a contemplative, to be a contemplative. Let us take Jesus at His word and we will be contemplatives at the heart of the world, because if we have faith then we are His permanent presence. In contemplation the soul draws directly from God's heart the graces that the active life has been entrusted to distribute. Our very existence is to be intimately bound to the living Christ within us. If we do not live in God's presence, we cannot keep going. What is contemplation? It is to live the life of Jesus. That is how I understand it. To love Jesus; living His life at the heart of out own; living our own at the heart of His... Contemplation has nothing to do with shutting oneself up in a dark cupboard but in allowing Jesus to live His Passion, His love, and His humility in us, to pray with us, to be with us, and to make holy through us. Our lives and our contemplation are one. It's not a question of doing but of being. In fact it is about the complete happiness of our spirit through the Holy Spirit Who breathes God's fullness into us and send us out into all of creation as His own, personal message of love."
~Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Patron Saints....Good Friends!

If you're like me and tend to just miss the deadline to request a patron saint for the year, well, thankfully someone understands that and has put up a Saint's Name Generator! The site isn't just for finding your yearly friend either. It's also a good way to get to know our heavenly friends who are well known, and not so well known.

Oh, and meet my new friend, Saint Dymphna!

Meet one of my friends!

Gasp! Can it be?? There’s actually a new post?! It is, and it’s about Father Alberione!

Here's a bit of an introduction:



Now watch the EPIC trailer!! XD




I’ve gotten to know Father Alberione a little more this past year, and one of the things that amazes me is how fiery and passionate he was about bringing the Good News. He reminds me of Saint Paul - his patron; he wasn’t just content with hearing it, he had to share it! It couldn’t be contained! It was something far too great to keep to himself. Father Alberione is called one of the pioneers of Catholic media because his dream was to proclaim the Gospel through it. Of course, back in Father Alberione’s time, the world of media as we know today was only beginning and people didn’t quite see eye to eye with his visions. (Many thought it was absurd.) Well, when you’re working with God, it doesn’t matter what time it is ‘cause His time is His own. And Father Alberione did work in God’s time. Because of Father Alberione, much of the Catholic media is what it is today.

…and no, I’m not just saying this ‘cause I recently spent a week in Boston with the Daughters of St. Paul. (But it had a lot to do with it! Plus I'm sort of reading a book about him. ^_^) Father Alberione really is amazing, and he makes a great friend.

If you'd like to get to know Father Alberione a little more, visit this link!

"One love, Jesus Christ. One burning desire, to give Him to others." ~Blessed James Alberione

Damien Day in Hawaii

Mahalo to CT who took the picture! ^_^ We were blessed to come to Mass today and find out that they were showing Father Damien's relic! This picture shows the relic of Father Damien's right heel.
The one thing that I really admire about the gruff, short-tempered, but honest and compassionate farmer from Belgium, is that he dared to go to a place that hardly anyone had dared to even think about. He did what people should have done, but didn't. He cared when everyone else turned away. Father Damien brought hope to a place where hope was a dream. And he didn't do it for himself.
There's something about having heroes who kind of belong to your hometown. Somehow, it gives you hope that there's still such a thing as a hero, and that maybe...just possibly...you could be one too.

Bread from Heaven...

Yesterday and today's reading


Panis angelicus
fit panis hominum;
Dat panis caelicus
figuris terminum:
O res mirabilis!
Manducat Dominum.
Pauper, servus et humilis.

The angelic bread
becomes the bread of men;
The heavenly bread
ends all prefigurations:
What wonder!
consumes the Lord
a poor and humble servant.
~Saint Thomas Aquinas~


"...and all ate and were satisfied."

We attended the 6pm Mass last night and the lead soprano just sang it afterwards (it wasn't planned or anything, she wasn't even facing the front). It was so lovely and I couldn't get it out of my head...
...that such a great Happening everyday during Mass occurs in the simplest of appearances, and all becuase of the unfathomable Love God has for we who can barely pay attention sometimes.

Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Pictures from here.

Happy feast day!!
And so ends the Year of Saint Paul...now it's the Year for Priests.





Oh, please keep Jon Cabico in your prayers. He will be ordained a priest today at the Cathedral! Thanks.

St. Juan Maria Muzeyi - Happy Feast!

St. Juan was one of the Martyrs of Uganda. He had converted and performed many acts of charity before his death in 1887 at Mengo, Uganda. June third is his feast and the feast of the Martyrs of Uganda.

Click here to read more!

Close ups!

Sorry, didn't have much time to post last time...or enough pictures. Got more this time!
BTW, the exhibit will be at the Cathedral gallery until the end of the month (which means there's one week left). Stop by if you've got time! The gallery is usually open Tuesdays and Fridays after the noon Mass, and after Sunday Masses.

First off, a closer view of Father Damien's nice handwriting on some of the letters he wrote. His walking stick is just behind...







Father Damien wasn't just a caretaker of his flock's spiritual needs, he was also their carpenter, doctor, and friend.




Pipe (The face is a part of the pipe, the part behind is it's case)



Father Damien was already sick by the time Mother Marianne had come to Hawaii, but it's really neat when two saints know each other and are friends.

Best for last! Father Damien's glasses.

I'll try to post more later, but many apologies if it turns out to be much, much later...

Photos by CT

Items of a soon to be Saint

Sorry for not posting...got used to not using the computer for Lent. :P


Father Damien's feast day was last week and we had an exhibit at the Cathedral! Click to enlarge...


Some letters, birth certificate, bills (all with really, really nice handrwiting!), his walking stick, some tools, and his pipe.

Funeral vestment, chalice, some items for Mass, and a tool for making the hosts for Mass.

...and my little brother's favorite, Father Damien's vestment for Mass. My brother stood in front of it and pretended to wear it! :-)

Pictures by Cy, CT, and younger brother

Patron Saints for 2009!

Blessed Appolinaris and Saint Juan Maria Muzeyi!

More on their feast days...

Thank you Ms. Sue and Aunty Esther!!
You can find out which saint has chosen to be your patron here:
Patron Saint of the Year Ministry Blog

Or, leave a comment on the page following this link: Click here

Feast Day

Happy Feast to my friend, Saint Saturninus!!
Acctually, I'm not sure if he is my patron saint for '08 or another Saint Saturninus

...but a happy feast to both of them




"...indeed, we are called to join them."
The saints are holy men and women who have attained their glorious reward in heaven...
...and ultimately, isn't that our goal as well?

Pauline Confidence

"Have courage, have confidence, because spiritual graces are precisely the ones to which the promise of God is linked: `Ask and you will receive. Knock and it will be opened to you'. If we ask the graces needed to correct ourselves, they will certainly be granted." ~Venerable Thecla Merlo~ Found here!

Sites to see!

Posting in between days...




Yesterday was Saint Faustina's feast day!
We attended a Divine Mercy conference during the past weekend and a pro-life youth rally. Interesting way for kids to spend an entire weekend :-) but yes, we had tons and tons of fun!!
Click here for a Divine Mercy Site

Tomorrow is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary♪
Click here for another site
...and another one with a million versions of Ave Maria♫
(alright, not a million, but a whole lot!)

Guess the Saint

Part II!

It's one poem about the same saint even thought it looks like six. I couldn't get the punctuation...

There she sat a young lass
Hopeful cadence from prayer fast
Hope to save the renegade
Fervent soliloquy desperately prayed

Enamored by the great solitude
All hate did desert oasis elude
Betrothed she was though edict firm
Sincere the love, so tables turn

Stricture expected, contempt and snub
Did not succeed to erase her love
Insensate to all else but Christ
Seeking good in others, little price

Though all usurp oasis around
Nothing malicious could muffle her sound
Ever faithful to above triumvirate
Vestment confirmed vocation sought

Votary peaceful, vocation love
Canon approved from the above
Free of blasphemy, pure and true
Denouement now saved for few

Steadfast faith through suffering
In heaven now with angels sing
Spending heaven for all
Showers of roses ever fall





Oh, and Happy Feast of Saint Therese!! :-D












Picture from Patron Saint's Index

Feast Day

Happy Feast of Saints Peter and Paul!!
...and Happy Year of Saint Paul! :-D

About Patron Saints Index

Click the link for the story behind Patron Saints Index! :-D
SaintCast Extra #92, Saints.SQPN.com

Answers

Sorry, I forgot to post the answers...
Here they are:


Blood and sweat on He so tired
The veil at hand; and so inspired,
I rushed then quick and pressed it fast
And beheld an image that would long last.
~Saint Veronica~

I traveled far where none would go
To depressed hearts and hopes bent low
Across the isle on mule did I ride
For Christ in every leper does reside
~Blessed Damian~

Hermit in my own garden near
Bearing the sufferings of Our Lord dear
Devoted to Saint Catherine in Italy
Entered Saint Dominic's as Tertiary
~Saint Rose of Lima~

Thank you for guessing! :-D
I have to think up more now!