Hosting Isabella {Day 1: Windy Waterfront}

Johnny, Chris, Joseph and Isabella picnic on the shores of Bellingham Bay.

Continued from the Backstory

With an eye on the weather forecast, we decided that Isabella's first day with us should be spent closer to home rather than up in the mountains.  As part of our normal Wednesday, we headed off to daily Mass, excited to share our beautiful little local Church with our guest.  We packed the cooler with sandwiches and fruit with hopes of a picnic lunch to follow Mass.

Outnumbered, but in good company, Isabella enjoys a stroll along the boulevard.

Upon arriving at Church, we found the parking lot empty ~ never a good sign.  Somehow we had missed the announcement of a time switch for that day's Mass, and so our plan A vanished into thin air. A few of our fine young friends from the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at Western Washington University (including Zachary's good friend Chris) pulled in right behind us, and were also disappointed to learn that the daily Mass had been rescheduled. 

Bridget and Isabella on the edge of Bellingham Bay

Rather than crying over spilt milk, we took a moment for proper introductions, then hatched a plan to head for the closest park and share our picnic lunch with Johnny and Chris.  After all, they were all dressed up with no place to go! 

White caps on Puget Sound with full sunshine; an awesome autumn afternoon in Bellingham

We endured a short stretch of picnicking at shady table, which proved to be an act of penance.  As soon as the closest sunny table opened up, we quickly relocated and enjoyed the several-degrees increase and subsequent enhanced comfort level.  A brisk walk along the boulevard after lunch gave us an opportunity to visit and share the sights of our beautiful home town with Isabella and our friends.

Day 2 follows.

An ocean away from home, Isabella re-connects with the waters of the Pacific (a bit colder than her Aussie shores).

A picnic with Isabella's family (+my parents and grandparents) in 1990 on the shores of the Sunshine Coast.

Bridget (me), Grandma O'D, Pete (Dad), Patty (Mom), and Granddad O'D(+) on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, 1990

Pity the Home Schooled

Joseph whittles away at camp

Following our Sunday afternoon return from backpacking, we worshiped with the lively Newman Catholic Campus Ministry crowd at their Sunday evening Mass at Western Washington University.  Our pastor, Father Altenhofen, chaplain, completed his first school year with NCCM at last night's Mass.  Father preached boldly, encouraging his flock to depart from campus with great missionary zeal into whichever parish community they land ~ whether on summer break or as graduates.  He exhorted them to take their flame of faith and keep it burning brightly to help build up the fires of faith in their homes and workplaces.  He reminded us that the message of the Gospel, the whole Truth, will be contradicted at every turn, especially in the so-very-secular Pacific Northwest, and rallied the troops to be a voice for Jesus in every situation.

One of these boys attended the camp-out despite great fear of the unknown and anxiety over the physical challenges.

After Mass, the 20+ graduates lined up to speak to the congregation.  After a brief introduction stating their name and degree, each one shared what their 'next step' would be and offered words of wisdom.  With great clarity and conviction, these young Christians inspired us with their wisdom:

• take your prayer time very seriously
• grow more in love with Jesus every day by scripture reading and prayer
• reach out in love to everyone you meet; the depth of loneliness on campus is appalling 
• be true to who you are and how God is calling you to serve Him
• play to your strengths ~ they are God given and meant to help you fulfill your unique mission
• stay close to the sacraments, stay grounded in prayer and connected to a faith-filled community
• don't let fear and anxiety control you ~ these are not from God

Zac on water duty at the lakeside

This morning one of our boys joined an off-season early morning work-out, and the topic of the weekend's mountainous adventure came up with one of his teammates, who replied:

"Is that how you poor home schoolers have to spend your weekends?  The rest of us are using drugs and partying!"

Pity the home schooled. 

Peter leads the charge for firewood retrieval as fire building forces gather.

A Scout is brave.

A Scout is cheerful.

Joseph seeks old growth support for his hammock.

Surprise Sight for Sore Eyes {Zachary Visits}

Answered prayers!

Our universal Church's opening prayer for Sunday Mass (plus daily Masses and morning and evening prayers last week) really inspired me to pray BIG:

Almighty ever-living God,
who in the abundance of your kindness
surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you,
pour out your mercy upon us
to pardon what conscience dreads
and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

I do not make a habit of praying for exceptional consolations, but this powerful prayer moved me to ask God for the grace of seeing Zachary.  His first semester at Notre Dame halfway over, with eight weeks' count-down until his visit home for Christmas break, I asked for the grace of bi-location, just to SEE Zachary for an instant.

A pretty far-fetched prayer, yes, but certainly falls within the "dare not ask" category, don't you agree?

Back at home for fall break, our Irishman

God answered my prayers with a tremendous gift, and a huge surprise (which did not involve bi-location).  My sweet husband, Tim, arranged flights for Zachary and brought him home for six days' break. They conspired together and secretly coordinated Zachary's arrival to coincide with my second Sunday Carmelite meeting in Stanwood.  Tim snapped a shot of the look on my face when I saw Zachary walk into the living room yesterday, but it's far too embarrassing out-of-focus to post on the blog.

Inclined toward Sunday Mass after Zac's covert travels (which started with his 4AM bus ride from Notre Dame to a Chicago airport) we attended Church together with our local Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at WWU.  Some of Zac's favorite friends worship at the Sunday Mass said by our priest, Father Altenhofen, on Sunday nights. What a great way to begin our week together, praising God for his many gifts, most especially for giving us His Son, truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

Thank you, God!

The Golden Flute {+6}

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

It's not often we pray that a stolen golden flute would turn up at our pawn shop... but this week we did.  Our prayers were answered, and the criminal (also in our prayers) will face justice and hopefully find healing and repentance.  In a very exciting twist of fate, the solid gold flute stolen from our dear friends' car, which was smashed-during-daily-Mass, was brought in by a suspicious customer who asked $60 for the extremely rare and highly valued instrument.  The golden flute was immediately recognized by our store manager, who knew of the theft and called the authorities while delaying the transaction to allow the law to arrive and catch the criminal in the act of attempting to pawn (our friends') stolen goods.

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

After almost six months without our former foster twins living under our roof, I have completely forgotten how to pack a diaper bag (again).  On their recent stay we loaded them up after naps and headed for daily Mass with a hastily packed collection of mismatched shoes and various other items intended to keep them warm, dry, fed, and entertained (and slightly quiet).  They love our Church, and Luke, vocalist that he is, still joins in the Alleluia verse sung before the proclamation of the Gospel... and keeps singing Alleluia throughout the Gospel, and the homily...  It could be worse, he could be screaming like he ALWAYS does when we put him down for a nap.  Some habits die hard!  Another favorite passtime at Church for these extremely mobile toddlers is the 'climbing to the loft and stomping above the congregation' feat.
The usual crowd there doesn't seem to mind the added noise, and enjoys the opportunity to catch a glimpse of these two, clearly growing, developing and thriving in their mother's care.

Learning to love books, Luke and Leia sit still for Peter's dramatic reads.

When our old van almost exploded in a ball of flames en route to a family vacation in 2004, Tim's parents insisted that we were never allowed to transport their grandchildren in that vehicle e-v-e-r again.  They literally put their money where their intentions were and purchased an amazing vehicle for us to safely transport such precious cargo.  Eight years later, our Toyota Sienna is still healthy and strong, and although showing the love of so many teenage passengers, is cruising right along.  A big thanks to Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Billie for the upgrade.

Somewhat of a milestone, don't you think?

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

Zachary's crowd joined the celebration of his graduation at our house recently on one of the rainiest days in recent memory.  The guys didn't mind hanging around indoors, and have clearly grasped the concept of multi-tasking, wouldn't you say?

Let's just say, we decided it was time to sort out the enormous boot and shoe bin hidden in the garage.

I am not a big fan of shoes, but they do serve a purpose.  We let a shoe pile grow in our garage, without really paying attention to the vast quantity of outgrown and unused pairs being deposited as if to their final rest there.  The time arrived to tackle the bulging bin and our subsequent donation of many, many pairs of useful shoes and boots will soon bless the children of migrant workers being ministered to by our local NCCM 'Agape' team.

Instead of asking our kids, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" the Holy Catholic Church encourages parents to train our children to listen to the call God has placed upon their hearts and to courageously follow His lead in whatever path they take for furthering their education and entering into their particular vocations.   Most are called to married life, some to single life, some to the consecrated life and a few are called to the ordained life.  The annual "Quo Vadis"  retreat offers our boys an opportunity to grow in faith and learn about the specific nature and gift of a call to the priesthood while living/camping in community with boys from all over the Seattle Archdiocese.  This year Joseph and Zachary attended Quo Vadis together, though they were placed on opposing 'teams' for the camp-wide games and competitions ranging from Biblical dramatics to big field games like capture the flag.  Joseph's first QV Days ended in victory, as his team took top honors when the final points were tallied.  Zachary's team took second place (of 4 teams total), and the boys shared many fun memories from the 4-day experience.  Our thanks to Fr. Lappe, Fr. Olson and all the priests, seminarians (esp. Louis and Patrick) and Archbishop Sartain for their leadership and example.

Another tremendous Quo Vadis experience thanks to our amazing archdiocese (bishops, priests, seminarians) plus generous donors.

This was no easy feat.

Sometimes a clean shelf means more than meets the eye, which is certainly the case in this instance.  The never slowing stream of assorted-papers-without-a-home seem to find their way to this shelf in our living room, and unless properly tended, begin to multiply and attract papers from all over the neighborhood!  But a good sorting and filing binge served us well, and now we have a shelf worth showing off.  So there you have it, one small victory over clutter worth celebrating, or at least worth remembering.

Farewell Father Qui Thac {Rest in Peace Marian}

 Zachary incenses Father Qui Thac at the preparation of the altar during Marian's funeral Mass.

As our Holy Universal Church enters into the celebrations of the Ascension followed by Pentecost, the selected readings recount Jesus' readying his disciples to let Him go and preparing them for life after his ascension: 

Jesus said to his disciples:d
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
~John 6: 5-11

As we hear these Words proclaimed today by our beloved pastor Father Qui Thac, they are especially meaningful.  For he, too, is going to the Father (in a manner of speaking).  Discerning a call to monastic life, our cherished priest will enter the Benedictine Monastery, St. Martin's Abbey in Lacey, WA, in July.  We celebrate his devotion to our Lord and his willingness to follow wherever God's call may take him.  What a gift for our community to witness our pastor take this plunge into discerning life as a monk, serving God in a profoundly counter-cultural priestly lifestyle at the Abbey.  We will be sad to see him go, and we shall miss him terribly.  Yet knowing that he is so faithfully following the promptings of the Holy Spirit gives us great consolation in our sorrow at saying farewell.

Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.  - Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict

Our Holy Archbishop Peter Sartain wrote a letter which was read aloud at each of the Masses last Sunday to inform us of Father Qui Thac's departure.  Our incoming priest is Father Joseph Altenhofen, ordained June 12, 2010, serving currently at St. Joseph in Vancouver, Washington.  Fr. Altenhofen is in our daily prayers as he prepares to come lead our Sacred Heart parish and serve as the chaplain for our mission, Western Washington University's Newman Catholic Campus Ministry.  Zachary remembers Fr. Altenhofen as a well spoken, outgoing seminarian who helped lead, rally and inspire Quo Vadis campers.  Our future looks bright.

Father Qui Thac elevates Jesus, Truly Present in the Eucharist

Our friend and faithful parishioner, Marian Main, died on Mother's Day, and was buried on Ascension Thursday (yesterday).  Marian's funeral Mass may be the final funeral our boys have the privilege of serving with Father Qui Thac before his entrance into the monastery.  Over the past six years, Zachary, Joseph and Peter have served dozens of funerals with Father, and Marian's funeral was especially meaningful for many reasons.  Marian had a profound impact on those who knew her and her husband, Jerry.  Our church was packed with people from many denominations, who respectfully witnessed Benediction before the Mass of Christian Burial for Marian.  Normally the Blessed Sacrament (Jesus) is not displayed on the altar for adoration before a funeral.  But Marian's husband, Jerry, fostered a special devotion to adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (every Saturday from 2-3AM to be exact) during her extended illness.  Jerry found profound peace and consolation in spending time with Jesus even as his heart yearned for the love of his life as dementia took Marian further and further away.

Pall bearers carry Marian's body from the church to the hearse.

Preaching with a gentle passion, Fr. Qui Thac spoke lovingly about Marian and Jerry, sharing the touching stories spoken by family and friends during the previous night's vigil service.  Preaching zealously, he called us out, exhorting all who loved Marian to follow Christ more faithfully and live in Him, in the Eucharist.  Father boldly exclaimed that anyone not moved to live their life more fully in Christ by Marian's example is simply a fool. 

Immediately following the heartfelt, impassioned sermon, a woman in the back began to complain out-loud to those near her about the (exact) number of minutes Father spent speaking. And so it goes.

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.

~Proverbs 1:7

 Jerry thanks Father Qui Thac following the funeral Mass for Marian, his wife of 59 and three quarter years.

 Jerry sprinkles holy water, a blessing upon his wife's casket as it is loaded into the hearse.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
~ John 16:12-13

 COME HOLY SPIRIT!

Visit Jen @ Conversion Diary

In Awe {Worlds Collide}

Archbishop Peter Sartain elevates Jesus~Truly Present in the Holy Eucharist.

Surrounded by hundreds of young adults praising God and giving Him glory by their fervent and reverent worship, our family attended Mass on the Western Washington University campus Sunday night.  The Viking Union Building's multi-purpose-room-turned-Church has sweeping views of Bellingham Bay and beyond which provided a stunning backdrop for the sacred celebration and gave us a glimpse of God's glorious creation.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter Mass was con-celebrated by our Archbishop Sartain and our pastor, Father Qui Thac Nguyen (Chaplain for the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at WWU).  In a characteristically profound and awe inspiring homily (sermon) Archbishop Sartain exhorted us to be like Barnabas and root out all that causes division in our communities/families.  He called for an end to gossip, sarcasm and hurtful speech, encouraging us to seek the peace of Christ by living in union with Him and with one another.  Such an engaging speaker, such a prayerful, holy man; we are truly blessed with Archbishop Sartain's leadership in our diocese. 

Sunset over Bellingham Bay

Archbishop Peter Sartain

Rev. Qui Thac Nguyen thanks Archbishop Sartain.