The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John Southard This quote came by way of a friend, Terry Feuka. She is the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Resource Center Program Director and Media Specialist at St. Francis Retreat Center…and the best reference/library person ever! I’ve thrown her some pretty obscure requests over the years and she always comes through with the materials. Check out SPE at the link above, and visit the resource... Read more
The foundational bricks of the statues had eroded like shale. Sheets had formed from freezing and thawing, and fallen away. An orange silt deposit had collected around their bases. It was a problem that needed resolution before the structure that held the twelve foot statues gave way. The St. Francis Garden Society raised the money and I found a stonemason who chipped away the crumbling bricks and replaced them with locally quarried granite boulders. The bricks broke down in a... Read more
Lord Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim your word and to act in your name. For so great a gift to your Church, we give you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to fill them with the fire of your love, that their ministry may reveal your presence in the Church. Since they are earthen vessels, we pray that your power shine out through their weakness. In their afflictions let them... Read more
The Northern Catalpa, sometimes called a Catawba tree, is primarily used today as a large ornamental shade tree–lovely flowers too! Settlers planted Catalpa to produce fence posts…the wood is lightweight, and the heartwood is resistant to deterioration when placed in the ground. For these same reasons, railroad companies grew plantations of them for railroad ties and fuel. Me? I just like to sit under ’em and have a talk with Our Lord. (All images Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB. All... Read more
And since all this loveliness cannot be heaven, I know in my heart it is June. ~Abba Goold Woolson Read more
Tuesday before sunrise the intense heat and humidity of the past few days was broken by the cooling air that preceded a storm. Gathering myself into the morning, while waiting for the coffee to brew, I opened all the windows. When I lifted the sash in the oratory, the breeze drew the sheers delicately against the screens and then, just as softly, floated them back and up into the room. I breathed deeply the fresh unconditioned air. The rain started... Read more
O glorious Saint Joseph, who, on the word of the angel speaking to you in the night, put fear aside to take your Virgin Bride into your home, show yourself today the advocate and protector of priests. Protector of the Infant Christ, defend them against every attack of the enemy, preserve them from the dangers that surround them on every side. Remember Herod’s threats against the Child, the anguish of the flight into Egypt by night, and the hardships of... Read more
This winter-hardy cactus is Opuntia, sometimes called prickly pear cactus. Its fruits and paddles are edible! And the man that keeps the 95 acres growing (and the garden society’s resident hero)! All Images by Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB. All rights reserved. Read more
Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being to receive, to carry, and to give back. It is good to recall familiar quotes and remember why they echoed in our hearts. This one is by Dag Hammarskjolde, and over the years, one I have tried to follow. (Why Equus Passage) Read more
Ann Margaret Lewis arrived Friday night later than expected. I stood at the end of my drive, cell phone in hand, talking her in down the dark two-lane road. As she came around the second bend she flashed her high-beams across the distance and I confirmed her approach with a near squeal of delight. Her long drive and my eager anticipation ended as we embraced each other in the driveway. It was very good to feel her hugs and, as... Read more
Morning Rose Prayer Gardens
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