. Contemplative Haven: March 2007

Monday, March 26, 2007

Moving Day

Friends, you can now find me here, a move precipitated by the discovery of some very alarming and abhorrent facts. You can read them for yourselves, although it makes my stomach churn to have to show you.

"Freedom negates and destroys itself, and becomes a factor leading to the destruction of others, when it no longer recognizes and respects its essential link with the truth. When freedom, out of a desire to emancipate itself from all forms of tradition and authority, shuts out even the most obvious evidence of an objective and universal truth...then the person ends up by no longer taking as the sole and indisputable point of reference for his own choices the truth about good and evil, but only his subjective and changeable opinion or, indeed, his selfish interest and whim." (Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae)

I can no longer remain with a service provider that refuses to protect our children.

posted by Gabrielle at 12:40 AM |

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré


Talk of shrines led to longings for some readers and wonderful memories for others, so here is the beautiful site for Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, which will celebrate its 350th Anniversary in 2008. Stop by, take a tour, linger awhile.




Prayer of the Year at Ste. Anne's:

Grant Us Peace In Our Day

O Good Saint Anne, grandmother of the “Prince of Peace”, we come to you in prayer. We offer you our world, our families, and ourselves. Men, women, and children of this world are longing to live in peace. Many are innocent victims of division, violence, and hate. In communion with you and your daughter Mary, we turn to your grandson, the Lord Jesus. We implore him to place his Spirit in the hearts of all people. May the Lord grant us peace in our day. O Good Saint Anne, through your intercession, may we all be “peacemakers”.

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posted by Gabrielle at 2:20 PM |

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Brother André

In the previous post I gave a link to St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal. For any of you who may be interested in learning more about the Oratory and Brother André in particular, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) has eight short clips (from both t.v. and radio) in its archives which you might enjoy.

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posted by Gabrielle at 11:45 AM |

Monday, March 19, 2007

Feastday of St. Joseph


St. Joseph was named the patron saint of Canada in 1637 by Pope Urban VIII.

St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal is dedicated to this humble, silent saint, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of Jesus.

The Oratory is filled with unused crutches, similar to at Lourdes; they are wooden and metal witnesses to the miracles that have taken place there.

St. Teresa of Avila was a recipient of just such a miracle. As a young woman she was paralyzed for more than two years following an illness. In her autobiography, she tells us that it was St. Joseph who was responsible for her cure, that he, "was true to his own nature when he cured my paralysis and gave me the power to rise and walk..."

St. Teresa of Avila had a very special devotion to St. Joseph. She writes, "To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all..." She explains that Jesus, in Heaven, wishes to do everything that his guardian and foster-father asks of Him, just as He did on earth.

St. Teresa tells us that, "those who practise prayer should have a special affection for him always", and that if, "anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray."

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posted by Gabrielle at 1:10 AM |

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Feastday of St. Patrick




We generally hear of St. Patrick as being a missionary, driving the snakes out of Ireland and teaching the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Not as much is said of the fact that St. Patrick was a man of deep prayer, and a contemplative. Yet he was.









This is Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy Mountain, formerly known as Crochan Aigh, "the mount of the eagle." St. Patrick stayed there for forty days and nights in contemplation, prayer and fasting.


This is an aerial view of the summit of the holy mountain. We can see St. Patrick's Oratory which was built in 1905, and make out the Celtic Hillfort of pre-Christian days, which archeologists discovered in 1994.

And this is a short video about St. Patrick and his writings.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, EVERYONE!

Okay, okay, being three-quarters Irish, I just couldn't resist: I'll Tell My Ma

posted by Gabrielle at 12:10 PM |

Thursday, March 15, 2007

St. Brigid

A couple of posts and several comments ago, Carol mentioned one of her many loves; you can find out more about St. Brigid here, and also over at Lily's today! I would like to share this (a curious but beautiful mixture of Latin and Gaelic), sung by Katy Taylor on her CD entitled, "Welcome Brigid". The first time I heard it I was startled, thinking that the lyrics were identifying St. Brigid and the Blessed Virgin Mary as being one and the same. Then I realized that the song was being addressed to the Blessed Virgin, in praise of St. Brigid. The appropriateness of this became more apparent when I came across an excerpt from an article written by Father Denis Murphy, S.J. in The Journal of the County of Kildare Archeological Society (Vol. I, No. 3; 1893):













Anyway, I hope you enjoy listening to the song! I really love the ending.


Ave Maris Stella/Ode to Brigid

Ave Maris Stella, Dei mater alma
Atque semper virgo, felix, coeli porta
Gabhaim molta Brighde, Iníon í le hÉireann,
Iníon le gach tír í, molaiimís go léir í
Lóchrann geal na Laighneach, soils’ ar feadh na tire,
Ceann ar óigheacht Éireann, ceann na mban ar mine
Tig an geimhreadh dian dubh, gearra lena géire,
Ach ar lá le Brighde, gar duinn Earrach Éireann
Monstra t’esse matrem sumat per te preces
Qui pro nobis natus tulit esse tuus.

Translation

Hail, star of the sea, sweet mother of God
And always virgin, favorable gate of heaven
I sing loudly the praises of Bridget,
she it is who is a daughter not just of Ireland,
but of all the countries of the world.
Let us all praise her.
A shining lantern of Lenster,
a flame throughout the land,
leader of the women of Ireland,
one of the finest women ever.
The hard dark winter comes, short and sharp,
but once Bridget’s day appears,
Ireland’s Spring is not far behind.
Show yourself to be a mother,
prayers ascend through you
Which for us your Son accepted.

(Gregorian chant and anonymous Irish Gaelic song, 1900, learned from the singing of Nóiirin Ní Riain)

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posted by Gabrielle at 1:25 PM |