Mission of Love

Peter takes the newly secured pathway leading to Great Grandma's house; leveled out so that Grandma can walk up and down without the uncertain stones causing tripping hazards.

Grandma's yard and gardens are spectacular, and she's back at yard work again this spring,

despite having broken her neck 4 months ago.

Peter completes a very special knitting project, his first.

Grandma looks on as Peter "binds off" the rainbow scarf.

Peter surprises Great Grandma by presenting her with his creation.

Grandma's neck brace is a thing of the past!
She celebrated by making an appointment and getting her hair permed (the first one in 6 months).
Her health is good, and she is being lovingly cared for by her (amazing) children who visit her regularly and bring meals, supplies, and drive her to Mass.

I would have never guessed that she would be living at home again after her terrible accident last year.
The power of prayer, the amazing grace of healing... Grandma is a treasure.

And now for something completely different:

Here's an update on Rocky, who was neutered about 2 weeks ago:

By vet's orders, Rocky has been confined to his kennel, save for his walks on a leash in the backyard to do his business.  He gets so excited for these short bursts of freedom, that he is like a bullet coming out of the barrel of a gun.  On one of these explosions in the backyard, Rocky severely damaged his cone of shame.  Nothing a little duct tape couldn't remedy!

As you might imagine, he has not been a happy puppy with this confinement.

He whines, barks (loudly and incessantly if the boys are playing in the house or in the backyard), moans, and makes loud crashing noises as he attempts to make himself comfortable in his cage of doom.

But thanks to the the strict confinement (and of course, the outstanding surgical skills of Uncle Craig), Rocky has healed from his incision, without any complications.

Yesterday we gathered forces, and with Zac, Joseph, Collin, and Ezra each holding a limb, I clipped and removed Rocky's stitches.

(Oh, did I forget to mention that we slipped him a little something?  Yes, we used some left-over doggie downers to help keep Rocky a bit more manageable during the suture removal process.)

Now Rocky is getting back to his normal activity level, chasing Charlie all over the house.

The fun never ends around here!

Easter Celebration

Peter receives the wine during the presentation of the gifts.

Zachary incenses Father, preceding the Eucharistic prayer.

Joseph, as cross bearer, assists Zachary, as acolyte, in preparing the altar.

Simply put, our Easter morning liturgical celebrations were amazing.

Zac, Joseph and Peter all served at the 11AM Mass, having gone to bed after 2AM due to the Easter Vigil Mass and the party which followed.

Zac, Peter and I also attended the 8:30AM Mass to witness the baptism of Samuel Jean Marie Baptiste.

Glorious Day!

Now the Easter season continues, and we look forward to the upcoming celebration of

Divine Mercy Sunday, having begun our Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday. 

Jesus Christ is Risen Today!

Alleluia!

We began our celebration before sun-up, and it continues through this glorious day!

Good Friday

The Crucifixion of our Savior

(Peter's art, 2010)

Today, in a very special way, we recall and reflect upon the suffering and death of

our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

In a special service at the hour of Christ's mercy, (no Mass is celebrated on this day) we will venerate the cross and hear scripture proclaimed.  We will receive Holy Communion, consecrated at last night's Mass.

We will return to Church for the Stations of the Cross tonight.

Below are the 14 Stations of the Cross. 

I pray that all Christians will make some time today to reflect on Christ's great sacrifice for us.

1

Christ is condemned to death

2 

The cross is laid upon Jesus

3

Jesus falls the first time

4

Jesus meets His Blessed Mother

5

Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross

6

Christ's face is wiped by Veronica

7

Jesus falls the second time

8

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

9

Jesus falls the third time

10

Jesus is stripped of His garments

11

Jesus is crucified

12 

Jesus dies on the cross

13

Jesus' body is taken down from the cross

14

Jesus' body is laid in the tomb

Snapshots of Samuel

Meet Samuel, 6 days old today, in the arms of Maria on her birthday!

Samuel's hand inside his brother's hand (Joseph, 3)

Now that Joseph is 3, he can open his eyes and show his teeth in photos.

News Flash:

Samuel will be baptized on Easter Sunday!

What a beauty.

Congratulations again, to Janell and Alain & family.

Final Preparations for the Easter Triduum:

Holy Wednesday

Yesterday was a big day of preparation for the Easter Triduum, which will begin tonight, at our 

Holy Thursday Mass of our Lord's Last Supper, continue with tomorrow's Good Friday celebration, and conclude with Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday.

The 40 days of lent have been a time of preparation for spiritual readiness, with special additional prayer time, works of charity above & beyond the norm, alms giving, fasting, and reconciliation.

Now the final physical preparations are being made to prepare our worship space and to train our ministers.

Zachary held a second rehearsal for the altar servers who will serve in the Easter Vigil Mass, which will be our first Easter liturgy.  Zachary is again the MC for the Easter Vigil, and worked diligently (and meticulously) with the servers (including his younger brothers) to prepare for the celebration.  They have many roles to fill, and the liturgy is multi-faceted.  It is an amazing liturgy! 

Many new members will be welcomed into the Church at Easter Vigil celebrations world-wide.

The altar servers are prepared and ready to serve, now let's just hope they get a nap on Saturday so they can stay alert for the 9-midnight Mass!

Peter captured this beautiful sunset as we were leaving Church last night.

We spent over 5 hours at Church yesterday helping to prepare for the Triduum and also celebrating a funeral Mass.  What a blessed way to pass Holy Wednesday...