The True Tree of Life

"Happy the soul in which Mary, the Tree of Life, is planted; happier the soul in which she has acquired growth and bloom; still happier the soul in which she yields her fruit; but most happy of all: the soul which relishes and preserves Mary's fruit until death, and for ever and ever. Amen." ~St. Louis de Montfort

I've been working full-time these days, which leaves little time for blogging, and little from which to draw writing inspiration, it seems.  But today, since I was too wimpy to take a walk outside in the first really cold day of the season (I mean, we did have snow flurries earlier in the day), I spent my lunch time walking the stairwells and sky-walks at  the hospital where I work while praying my rosary.  I've walked these paths many times and have always admired the lovely stained glass window display in the middle of my walk.  But today, for the first time, a particular window caught my eye. It was the Tree of Life!  Considering all of the time that Christi Jentz and I have spent working on our sea glass version of the Tree of Life, I don't know how I missed this one before!  

Although we have been focusing on the passage from the Book of Revelation (22:2) in regard to the Tree of Life, I'm fascinated by St. Louis de Montfort's description of Mary as the True Tree of Life.  In The Secret of Mary, he tells us how to cultivate the true Tree of Life within our souls:  

THE CARE AND GROWTH OF THE TREE OF LIFE
or, in other words, HOW BEST TO CAUSE MARY TO LIVE AND REIGN IN OUR SOULS

[A. The holy slavery of love. The Tree of life.]

70. Have you understood with the help of the Holy Spirit what I have tried to explain in the preceding pages? If so, be thankful to God. It is a secret of which very few people are aware. If you have discovered this treasure in the field of Mary, this pearl of great price, you should sell all you have to purchase it. You must offer yourself to Mary, happily lose yourself in her, only to find God in her. If the Holy Spirit has planted in your soul the true Tree of Life, which is the devotion that I have just explained, you should see carefully to its cultivation, so that it will yield its fruit in due season. This devotion is like the mustard seed of the Gospel, which is indeed the smallest of all seeds, but nevertheless it grows into a big plant, shooting up so high that the birds of the air, that is, the elect, come and make their nest in its branches. They repose there, shaded from the heat of the sun, and safely hidden from beasts of prey.

[B. How to cultivate it]

Here is the best way, chosen soul, to cultivate it:

71. (1) This tree, once planted in a docile heart, requires fresh air and no human support. Being of heavenly origin, it must be uninfluenced by any creature, since a creature might hinder it from rising up towards God who created it. Hence you must not rely on your own endeavours or your natural talents or your personal standing or the guidance of men. You must resort to Mary, relying solely on her help.

72. (2) The person in whose soul this tree has taken root must, like a good gardener, watch over it and protect it. For this tree, having life and capable of producing the fruit of life, should be raised and tended with enduring care and attention of soul. A soul that desires to be holy will make this its chief aim and occupation.

73. Whatever is likely to choke the tree or in the course of time prevent its yielding fruit, such as thorns and thistles, must be cut away and rooted out. This means that by self-denial and self- discipline you must sedulously cut short and even give up all empty pleasures and useless dealings with other creatures. In other words, you must crucify the flesh, keep a guard over the tongue, and mortify the bodily senses.

74. (3) You must guard against grubs doing harm to the tree. These parasites are love of self and love of comfort, and they eat away the green foliage of the Tree and frustrate the fair hope it offered of yielding good fruit; for love of self is incompatible with love of Mary.

75. (4) You must not allow this tree to be damaged by destructive animals, that is, by sins, for they may cause its death simply by their contact. They must not be allowed even to breathe upon the Tree, because their mere breath, that is, venial sins, which are most dangerous when we do not trouble ourselves about them.

76. (5) It is also necessary to water this Tree regularly with your Communions, Masses and other public and private prayers. Otherwise it will not continue bearing fruit.

77. (6) Yet you need not be alarmed when the winds blow and shake this tree, for it must happen that the storm-winds of temptation will threaten to bring it down, and snow and frost tend to smother it. By this we mean that this devotion to our Blessed Lady will surely be called into question and attacked. But as long as we continue steadfastly in tending it, we have nothing to fear.

[C. Its lasting fruit: Jesus Christ]

78. Chosen soul, provided you thus carefully cultivate the Tree of Life, which has been freshly planted in your soul by the Holy Spirit, I can assure you that in a short time it will grow so tall that the birds of the air will make their home in it. It will become such a good tree that it will yield in due season the sweet and adorable Fruit of honour and grace, which is Jesus, who has always been and will always be the only fruit of Mary. Happy is that soul in which Mary, the Tree of Life, is planted. Happier still is the soul in which she has been able to grow and blossom. Happier again is the soul in which she brings forth her fruit. But happiest of all is the soul which savours the sweetness of Mary's fruit and preserves it up till death and then beyond to all eternity. Amen. "Let him who possesses it, hold fast to it."

Here are the some images I captured of the stained glass windows at my downtown hospital-isn't it wonderful that they have been preserved?

I was hungry and you fed me

I was a stranger and you invited me

I needed clothing and you clothed me

I was in prison and you visited me

I could not get a picture of this beauty without a reflection from the window interfering

Shhh....It's a Library Post!

 

Photo Credit:   John Bender

I've always been a lover of libraries and was blessed to work as a "Page" at the Manitowoc Public Library during my high school years.  My favorite library, The Salzmann Library, on the campus of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee, has been the subject of many blog posts here, and I've enjoyed reading other's library posts, as well, such as a post on the world-famous Kansas City Library, One of the Most Unusual Libraries in the World, by Christi Jentz and Milwaukee's Sublime (Public) Library by Cream City Catholic.  (Please do take the time to visit both of those posts and the links they provide as well-you will love them!)

Recently my children and I had the great privilege of visiting a library that completely took my breath away.  I was astonished by it's beauty and saddened that my time there was far too short.  Much to my chagrin I was equally saddened that, although I took many photos of my favorite parts of the library, they were accidentally deleted from my camera.  Thankfully, my son, John, took a few photos which he generously shared with me, and I found lots of google images as well, so I have shared some of them here, but you can find so many more with a simple google search.  It may be a while before I find another opportunity to visit the Feehan Memorial Library and McEssy Theological Resource Center at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, which is renown as one of only 250 of the world's greatest libraries, so I will try to put the missing pictures into words and share the beauty of that magical place of learning here and now without waiting for another trip to Illinois to capture more photos.

If you are ever afforded the opportunity to visit St. Mary of the Lake Seminary at Mundelein, after enjoying the beautiful grounds, lush with lakes and gardens and statues, and perhaps after bending your knees in prayer in the bright and spacious chapel, do pay a visit  to the Feehan Memorial Library, and, like a book that you just don't want to finish and return to the library, be renewed.

Photo Credit:  John Bender

Photo Credit:  John Bender

Photo Credit:  John Bender

Silenced by the Wonder

Open the door to hush and coolness and beauty, leave the natural and architectural feats behind, and bask in the wonder of books towering three floors high.

Stack after stack of knowledge is waiting to be imparted to those seeking the treasure of wisdom and learning that is available here.  I can't help but ponder whether the knowledge found in this library will be shared in future homilies.

For in a building not too far away, bishops and priests and seminarians still in training find that this source of knowledge is theirs for the taking.  And it's not only men of the cloth who can take advantage of this wonder, but anyone who thirsts after meaning and understanding in this world today and is eager to find that which they seek in the written word, in the wealth of timeless books written across the centuries. Who would not be overjoyed by this gift to be had for free?

Climb the metal spiral to the furthest hidden away corner on the third floor to find rows of Civil War history books wrapped and tied with cloth. Best to leave them wrapped and tied, I suppose.  Why loosen the wounds of war in a world already besieged with too many battles?

Just below another spiral stair, a quiet lounge awaits, immaculately clean and inviting, with relics and statues of Our Lovely Lady to enchant the visitor and accompany the student working quietly nearby.

Oh, blessed librarian, who quietly sits in waiting for those who come to explore the written words held within the hallowed walls of this magnificent library, may you long bring the joy of knowledge to those who enter your world of silent wonder!

google images

google images/Mundelein Seminary

google images

Beautiful Churches in Wisconsin and the Midwest

Old St. Bruno Dousman, Wisconsin-photo credit:  Roamin' Catholic Churches

Last year I wrote a post about the Seven Most Beautiful Churches in Milwaukee which has become one of the most popular posts on Imprisoned in my Bones.  It seems that a beautiful house of worship is quite important in bringing about deeper prayer in the hearts of those who worship.

With a hat-tip to one of my favorite Wisconsin bloggers, The Badger Catholic, I have found a fairly new Wisconsin blog that is completely dedicated to beautiful churches.  Roamin' Catholic Churches is "A site diving into the architecture, decor, and geography of Roman Catholic churches and other noteworthy places, mostly in Wisconsin and the Greater Midwest."

The blogger keeps a map of all of the churches he's visited and includes his own photographs as well as a little background on the churches.

It's well worth a visit to the blog and perhaps to the churches themselves if you are able!

St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Fr. Solanus Casey

"Man's greatness lies in being faithful to the present moment.  We must be faithful to the present moment or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives.  We are continually immersed in God's merciful grace, like the air that permeates us."  ~Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey

Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey (source)

St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Milwaukee (source)

source

St. Francis of Assisi Parish on 4th and Brown St. in Milwaukee, a German Church built in 1876 and run by the Capuchin Franciscans, has recently begun to hold a Blessing of the Sick Prayer Service on the first Friday of every month, at 2 PM, in honor of Fr. Solanus Casey.  Led by Fr. Mike Bertram, with the assistance of Fr. Marty Pable, the prayer service includes an opportunity for confession (at 1:30 PM), scripture readings and a homily, prayer intentions of gratitude and petition, an individual blessing with a relic of the True Cross, and the opportunity for Anointing of the Sick.

Fr. Mike Bertram,
Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish (source)

I had the great joy of attending the most recent service with my sister and my son, and we found it to be deeply touching and filled with compassion for all of those present. Following the service and a light social, we were able to spend quite a bit of time talking with Fr. Bertram, who very generously and graciously shared a bit of the history of the church and the organ with us, as well as the story of Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey, for whom the prayer services are dedicated.

Fr. Bertram shared anecdotes about former pastors of the parish.  He told us about the financial savvy of a pastor from the 1980's whom Fr. Bertram credits with saving the beauty of the parish through great resourcefulness and clever bargaining with local painters.  He also told us about a pastor from the 1970's who had tried to sell the historic pipe organ that is now valued at over one million dollars, but his plan was thwarted, which turned out to be a blessing since the organ was built for the church and never would have sounded the same anywhere else.  The Schuelke Organ, built in 1885 for St. Francis of Assisi Parish, is one of only two in the United States from that era that is still in use today.  In 2013  a local organist offered a free recital hosted by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Organ Historical Society and the Milwaukee Chapter of American Guild of Organists.  For a small sampling of that recital as well as some sights of the inside of the church, visit this link or watch the you tube video at the end of this post.

Historic William Schuelke Pipe Organ from 1885 (source)

When it came to sharing stories of Fr. Solanus Casey, I'm sure that Fr. Bertram could have easily gone on for hours. His love and devotion to Fr. Casey was palpable.  He was clearly proud of the fact that Fr. Casey was a native Wisconsinite.  He told us about how Fr. Casey struggled in his seminary studies, and through a friendship with Archbishop Messmer who led the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at the time (sometimes it really is who you know) and who was impressed with Fr. Casey's holiness, Fr. Casey was ordained as a "simplex" priest, which meant that he was not allowed to preach or hear confessions.  When he was sent to Detroit, Michigan for the humble position of porter, he affected many lives through his ability to listen to their stories, pray for them, and somehow, bring about miraculous healings.  Fr. Casey loved the sick, but he also loved the poor very much and had great success in feeding the poor of Detroit, establishing a soup kitchen that still exists today.  Detroit likes to claim Fr. Casey as their own and he is deeply loved in that area.  Thousands of people make pilgrimages to visit his former home at St. Bonaventure Friary where he lovingly ministered to so many.

For more details about Fr. Solanus Casey and the Father Solanus Casey Guild, visit this link.  For more information about  St. Francis of Assisi Parish and the healing prayer services, visit this link.  And reading this link, a Milwaukee Catholic Herald story promoting the prayer services, has some some great information from Fr. Bertram.  Please note that there will not be a prayer service during the month of June as the Capuchins will be holding their tri-annual conference at this time.  The prayer services will resume on July 4th, 2014.  

Are you, or is someone you know, in need of healing? Why not plan to attend the monthly Blessing of the Sick services and pray to Fr. Solanus Casey for healing.  The peace and comfort you will find at the service and the possibility of a miraculous healing through the intercession of Fr. Casey await! 

relic from the Father Solanus Casey Guild given out at the prayer service

PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE SOLANUS CASEY

O God, I adore You. I give myself to You.
May I be the person You want me to be,
and may Your will be done in my life today.

I thank You for the gifts You gave to Father Solanus.
If it is Your Will, bless us with the beatification of
Venerable Solanus so that others may imitate
and carry on his love for all the poor and suffering of our world.

As he joyfully accepted Your divine plans,
I ask You, according to Your Will,
to hear my prayer for . . . (your intention)
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Blessed be God in all His designs.”

Imprimatur: Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit
March 31, 2007   © F.S.G. 3/07

Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Sheboygan/Fr. Matthew Widder

my family with Fr. Matthew Widder after Mass

There's nothing quite so special as a Sunday drive, but what makes a Sunday road trip even more meaningful is when it's made to visit and pray with a wonderful friend.  My family and I made the one hour trip up north to Sheboygan, Wisconsin to attend Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Parish, the new home of our dear friend, Fr. Matthew Widder.  Holy Name and St. Clement Parish's newest pastor is beginning his first pastor assignment just three years out of seminary, and it looks like he's off to a fantastic start.  Both Holy Name of Jesus and St. Clement Parishes are absolutely beautiful churches and Fr. Matthew was all smiles during the Mass we attended in a fully packed church.  It's clear to see that he loves being a priest.  He offered a fabulous homily regarding what a privilege it is to pray and the importance of keeping our connection with God through persistence in prayer.  Ever deeply devoted to the Blessed Mother, Fr. Matthew concluded Mass with the Hail Mary. 

Holy Name and St. Clement Parishes have made prayer cards for Fr. Matthew with the following prayer:

Lord God, in your loving kindness you sent your Son to be our shepherd and guide  Continue to send workers into your vineyard to sustain and direct your people.  Bless Father Matthew.  Let your Spirit uphold him always as he takes up his new responsibility among the people of this parish.  Amen.

If you live in Sheboygan, you are blessed!  And if you don't live in Sheboygan but have a chance to visit, be sure to stop in and pray with Fr. Matthew and spend some time on your knees connecting with God in one of Sheboygan's gorgeous churches.   You'll be glad you did!

St. Joseph in the Courtyard

My friend and namesake, St Anne, and the Blessed Mother greet parishioners in the narthex

Isn't He sweet?

St. Michael the Archangel in the narthex

and St. Michael the Archangel above the entrance to the church

my blurry pictures don't do justice to the beauty...

The Twelfth Station-Jesus Dies on the Cross

the adoration chapel

a collection of chalices in the narthex

What a Saint!!!

In my previous post I shared the story of St. Philomena and how my friend and I were making a pilgrimage to pray to St. Philomena on behalf of her daughter who has been very ill, in great pain and very often bed-ridden for the past few months.  Although our original plan was to travel to Briggsville, Wisconsin to the Shrine of St. Philomena, a winter snowstorm prevented us from making the two hour drive so we settled for a hometown pilgrimage instead.

The snow was softly falling outside as we began our day with a leisurely breakfast and the opportunity to catch up on all of the current news in our lives.  My friend spoke about her excitement over the fact that at that very moment there was a group of pilgrims praying for her daughter at the St. Philomena Shrine in Italy.   Before we left the restaurant I heard a loud knocking noise which I explained away as the kitchen staff working noisily.  But, at the same time that I became aware of the knocking sound, my friend received  a text message from her daughter saying, "I feel fantastic!"  My friend could not remember the last time she had  heard her teenage daughter express anything but pain.  We believed that the prayers of the pilgrims in Italy were already working.

Old St. Mary's

After lunch we went to Old St. Mary's in downtown Milwaukee for the noon Mass.  Old St. Mary's is one of the original fourteen churches that was built in the city of Milwaukee and is the only one of those fourteen that is still standing in it's nearly original glory.  The snow was falling heavier now and we were feeling grateful that we didn't make that two hour drive to the Shrine even though we had both wanted to go there so badly.  As we entered the church and  knelt down to pray we both heard a loud knock.  It was unmistakable in the silence of the church.  In the back of my mind I thought it might have been a noisy furnace, but still, it was most definitely a knocking sound so I told my practical mind to quiet down and gave the credit for the knock to St. Philomena.  After a lovely Mass and some time spent praying, lighting candles and admiring the beautiful Stations of the Cross, we decided we had better get a move on to our next destination-The St. Joseph Chapel inside the School Sisters of St. Francis Convent.

St. Joseph Chapel

We drove across town and found that the streets were much more slippery than they had been when we arrived at Old St. Mary's.  We were more grateful than ever that we stayed close to home.  As we entered the chapel we found the sacristan near the altar.  We were close to a large reliquary about the size of a treasure chest under a side altar and I asked the sister who was sacristan about whose relics were within it.  She told us that the reliquary contained the entire skeleton of St. Leo.  She pointed out the relic behind it of the True Cross of Christ and shared some of the history of the chapel with us about the sources of the marble, the mosaics, the stained glass windows and the stations of the cross.  I told her that I had always wanted to go up to the balcony and asked her if it was possible.  She told us that we could access the staircase in the priest's sacristy and that we were welcome to explore the balcony.  Knowing that St. Joseph's chapel has many relics within it, I asked her if she knew whether or not there might be a relic of St. Philomena there.  She answered that there most definitely would be a St. Philomena relic there and that there was a small chapel in the balcony right above the priest's sacristy that contained thousands of relics.  The sacristan said that it would be awfully hard to find her particular relic considering the fact that there were so many which were above reach and the print was so small it would be hard to read, but she wished us luck in our search and she then excused herself so she could attend choir practice.

reliquary chapel

reliquary chapel

reliquary chapel with catalogue on altar

reliquary chapel

My friend and I had only intended to pray in the adoration chapel but now we excitedly headed for the priest's sacristy first so we could find the reliquary chapel!  When we walked inside the door we were astonished at the amount of relics within the chapel!  After looking for a while, my friend said that there must be a catalogue of relics somewhere. Then she glanced at the altar and sure enough, there was a shoe box filled with alphabetized index cards.  She found one with St. Philomena's name on it that described her relic as being one in a case of eighteen.  Even with that description we still felt as though we were looking for a needle in a haystack.  I began to pray to St. Philomena asking her to knock again if we were getting close and to please help us to find her relic.  Nothing-no knock, no relic.  We decided to take a break and explore the rest of the balcony.

When we came back she was determined to count the relics in each case looking for the one containing eighteen.  Suddenly she gasped, "Here she is!!!"  The St. Philomena relic was hidden in the very bottom right hand corner of a large case.

the case with St. Philomena's relic-she's hidden behind the crucifix on the bottom right

The V.M. stands for Virgin Martyr

After finding her relic, our time in adoration was filled with prayers of gratitude.  We  were so happy that even though we weren't able to travel to the St. Philomena Shrine in Briggville, we really didn't miss a thing since our day was filled with prayers to St. Philomena, the sound of knocking, a positive message from her daughter, safe travels and best of all the discovery of St. Philomena's relic right here in our hometown!  After we made the short but treacherous ride home, my friend wrote to say that her daughter had four hours without pain.  Could it be a miracle?  I would say most definitely and if you were to ask me if I believed that St. Philomena really is powerful with God as so many claim, my answer would be "You bet she is!"  What a saint!!!