Our Hearts Are Restless

At the request of my cousin, who is an Assembly of God minister, I wrote a synthesis (as best I could whip together in a few hours) of the top 5 differences between Protestants and Catholics.  It was hard to narrow the list down to 5, because of course I wanted to include every topic, all of the arguments, all of the ramifications.  But I did my best to keep it to a simple presentation of Catholic belief. The five topics I chose are the papacy, the Eucharist, Mary, Purgatory, and Sacred Tradition.  Thanks to Catholic Answers, I had scriptural references and great explanations at my fingertips through  www.catholic.com  and  Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth , a handy little tract.  Thanks be to God, I just happened to have that little book with me, and it came in very handy.  A lot of the explanations below are only slightly modified from that book.  I'll make this a 5-part series for the coming Saturdays! All of Catholic teaching hinges on the doctrine of the Incarnation: that Chris...

I can't believe I'm a junior... Anyway, that aside, I thought I'd post a few pics for family's sake of the first weekend here on campus. Kevin and Blaise were wonderful gentlemen and helped me carry all of my stuff from the car to the dorm room.  I am immensely grateful!  They managed to move a van load of stuff in an incredibly short amount of time. [caption id="attachment_1090" align="aligncenter" width="652"] My roommate, Ann, is working on her thesis. We have a lovely little room, complete with our own bathroom. The dorm is a little further away but it's really quite nice and quiet.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1094" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Liz, Mary, and Kaitlin - didn't realize I caught the sun like that in the corner! Three beautiful girls and good friends.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1095" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Kevin's brother A...

Now that I have a camera, you might be more likely to get pictures of my life at Christendom this semester.  No promises, but at least I'm starting off well! We had the blessing today of taking an hour-and-a-half walk through the Christendom trails with Dr. Robert Rice.  Dr. Rice is one of the original professors at the college, and without him, the trails that connect our lovely campus to the Shenandoah River would not exist.  He's an amazing man, with so many wonderful stories about the earlier days of the college.  A hike with him is a treasure. [caption id="attachment_1073" align="aligncenter" width="652"] St. John the Evangelist Library[/caption]     [caption id="attachment_1083" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Our Lady's Grotto[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_1074" align="aligncenter" width="652"] A view of the river from behind the library.[/caption]   [caption id="...

At the request of my cousin, who is an Assembly of God minister, I wrote a synthesis (as best I could whip together in a few hours) of the top 5 differences between Protestants and Catholics.  It was hard to narrow the list down to 5, because of course I wanted to include every topic, all of the arguments, all of the ramifications.  But I did my best to keep it to a simple presentation of Catholic belief. The five topics I chose are the papacy, the Eucharist, Mary, Purgatory, and Sacred Tradition.  Thanks to Catholic Answers, I had scriptural references and great explanations at my fingertips through www.catholic.com and  Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth , a handy little tract.  Thanks be to God, I just happened to have that little book with me, and it came in very handy.  A lot of the explanations below are only slightly modified from that book.  I'll make this a 5-part series for the next Saturdays! All of Catholic teaching hinges on the doctrine of the Incarnation: that Christ i...

The topic of yoga is always an inflammatory one in Catholic circles.  People tend to get very defensive about their choice of exercise.  An interesting article came to my attention over at Catholic Lane  that I found very interesting.  It backs up what I've always believed about yoga, and the proof comes not from Catholic academia (easily set aside by a Catholic who wants to rationalize his or her choices) but rather from the American Hindu Foundation.  Take a look, and read more at the link. The appeal of the gentle movements and stretching of yoga really drew me in as I searched for the perfect exercise routine that would tend to my body but wouldn’t break me, and so I began researching it. I am a fairly grounded Christian but it was easy for me to see—rather quickly—that as a Catholic, yoga was a practice that I couldn’t or wouldn’t engage in. But a lot of Catholics do practice yoga. Each side—those Catholics who practice yoga and those who don’t—can make its case rather success...

I am a 10-year, 4th-generation 4-H'er.  I spent 2 years in mini-4-H, 10 in regular 4-H including being a Junior Leader, 4 years of 4-H State Band, held every office in my club, and exhibited in open show for 2 years since I graduated.  I entered a wide variety of projects, but my main efforts were in jewelry (arts and crafts), scrapbooking, collections (postcards, mostly), gift wrapping, and foods.  For most of my life, summers revolved around preparing 4-H projects and going to the Hamilton County fair!  Having exhibited in open show again this summer - I got a blue ribbon on my jewelry set - I thought about all the years I've spent at those fairgrounds or working on a project.  I realized yet again how much I've learned from 4-H! 1.  I nterviewing skills If there was open judging (when the judge talks to you about your project, like showmanship except not for animals), my parents always made us go.  I'm so grateful that they did!  Not only did I get valuable advice fr...

Here's a bit of a scrapbook post! Last week Friday:  I finally got my Indiana driver's license.  Yes, I know it's four years later than most young people, but that's the way it is.  After much struggle, I can check that off my bucket list! Last weekend:  My parents and I spent a lovely, relaxing weekend at a campground in northwestern Ohio.  We took our little RV and had gorgeous weather.  It was great to be able to have some quiet time with my parents before heading back to school.  We also visited the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio!  That pilgrimage was made even more epic by the fact that my boyfriend's family met us for the day!  Mrs. G. has pictures on her blog, here .  I lit candles for several special intentions.  That shrine is probably one of my favorite churches in the U.S.  It is so beautiful, and the reality of the miraculous is so clear and vividly seen, in the devotion of the pilgrims, the vases and baskets full...

I've been meaning for a whole week to get this post up!  Sometimes it takes me a while to process things in my head so that I can spit out something readable, though.  :) August 7-9, 2013 was the Catholic Writers Conference , in conjunction with the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, in Somerset, NJ.  I was the official Catholic Writers Guild Minion for the whole week, which was an exhausting position but very, very fun and rewarding!  My duties consisted of performing whatever tasks Ann Lewis and Margaret Realy needed me to do to help the conference run smoothly.  This meant frequently running to (or from...) one of our hotel rooms to (or from!) the conference center with various items of immediate necessity.  I fetched and carried, helped set up and take down, filled in on volunteer shifts, moved audio/visual equipment, got up early and went to sleep late.  I shook a lot of hands, met and made friends with some wonderful people, and generally enjoyed myself immensely!  I...

Feast Of The Assumption - Fr. Abram Joseph Ryan Dark! Dark! Dark! The sun is set; the day is dead: Thy Feast has fled; My eyes are wet with tears unshed; I bow my head; Where the star-fringed shadows softly sway I bend my knee, And, like a homesick child, I pray, Mary, to thee. Dark! Dark! Dark! And, all the day -- since white-robed priest In farthest East, In dawn's first ray -- began the Feast, I -- I the least -- Thy least, and last, and lowest child, I called on thee! Virgin! didst hear? my words were wild; Didst think of me? Dark! Dark! Dark! Alas! and no! The angels bright, With wings as white As a dream of snow in love and light, Flashed on thy sight; They shone like stars around thee, Queen! I knelt afar -- A shadow only dims the scene Where shines a star! Dark! Dark! Dark! And all day long, beyond the sky, Sweet, pure, and high, The angel's song swept sounding by Triumphantly; And when such music filled thy ear, Rose round thy throne, How could I hope that thou wouldst...

While sitting in the hotel restaurant with a number of others at the Catholic Writers Conference last week (more on that later!), an interesting conversation sprang up.  It centered around women wearing veils in church - an inflammatory topic in this day and age.  I was so interested to hear varying points around the practice that I was raised with, that I want to synthesize the conversation in a blog post.  Most of the following points originated with others in the tableside discussion, but some are my own meditation and musing on the matter. First, let me explain that I was raised to wear a chapel veil as a sign of respect for the Blessed Sacrament and for other reasons, but it is not, in fact, a requirement based on the current code of Canon Law.  It is a "best practice".  In fact, I disliked wearing a veil for a couple of years because I was being hounded.  Repetitive "joking" reminders of "Where's your veil?" turned the practice into something tha...