Love is Our Mission/Pilgrimage to See the Pope

"If your Catholic faith ever becomes complacent, if you ever find yourself in a rut spiritually, if going to church and praying become routine, here's what you do:  you throw some stuff in a bag, including a pope t-shirt, you jump on a bus and ride for fifteen hours, you come to a city that maybe you've never been to before, you hook up with over a million other people and you celebrate the faith...When we open ourselves to go on pilgrimage, to do something new, to step outside of our comfort zone, God richly blesses us."  ~Bishop Donald Hying

The stuff in my bag included Pope Francis' favorite book, The Betrothed, to read on that 15 hour bus ride.

When in Philly do as the locals do-wear the local sport's team hat-even if you're a cardboard cut-out of the Pope!

From the moment I learned that my sister Cindy and I would be joining the Diocese of Gary, Indiana on their pilgrimage to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia, I got busy researching the city and the World Meeting of Families.  I investigated the shrines, the food, the historical points of interest, and sent email after email to Cindy with suggestions for all of the wonderful things I hoped we'd do while on pilgrimage.  I could not remember a time in my life when I had ever been so eager or excited.

As the date of our departure drew nearer, I became more and more nervous about the idea of traveling to an unknown city to experience something that I was sure would be beyond anything I had ever experienced before.  Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from my friend, John Schultz, about two days before we were set to leave, and he told me that he would also be traveling from Milwaukee to Gary, Indiana to join in the pilgrimage with Bishop Hying and the Diocese of Gary. He offered to drive which greatly relieved the worry I was feeling about driving through Chicago and Gary. Knowing that John would be traveling with my sister and I felt like a little miracle, a sign of God's providential goodness, bringing security to two women fearful of traveling alone. With John we were blessed to safely reach the church where we would leave for Philadelphia on one of three buses, together with about 130 pilgrims from Gary. And with John, we were blessed to have a guardian angel who befriended and looked after all of the Gary pilgrims during the entire trip.  God always provides for our needs!

I told Bishop Hying that he should have a cardboard cut-out made of himself so that he wouldn't have to pose for so many pictures.  It turns out that in his first assignment as a parish priest he did have a cardboard cut-out and the parishioners would use it to play pin-the-collar on Fr. Don at the parish festivals!  It was auctioned off at a parish benefit when he became bishop.

Before departing on our journey, I asked Bishop Hying why he wasn't already out East celebrating with Pope Francis and all of his brother bishops of the United States.  His response, so sweet and humble, touched my heart deeply.  He simply said, "I want to be with all of the people of Gary.  I want to journey with them and spend time with them."  It was the response of a true shepherd, one who is willing to endure a challenging journey so as to be present to the people who love and need him.  It was a response I won't soon forget and hope to mimic in my own shepherding of my family.

Over the course of the pilgrimage our group experienced injuries, illnesses, missing pilgrims, some anti-Catholicism, weariness, large crowds and confusion.  We also experienced new friendships, deep prayer, spiritual inspiration, healing, forgiveness, profound joy and love.  The latter definitely outweighed the former.  I felt flooded by God's grace and goodness throughout the pilgrimage but never so poignantly as I did when Bishop Hying announced that Anointing of the Sick would be offered to every pilgrim who desired the Sacrament.  As the oil dripped down my forehead, I felt the love of God permeating my sin-sick soul.  Now surely I didn't have to travel on a pilgrimage to receive the blessings of the Anointing, but perhaps, in this far-away church, the significance of the Sacrament, the peace and fortitude it brought, was more meaningful than ever.

"The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock."  ~Jeremiah 31:10

We were blessed to attend Mass at three churches along the way:  The Cathedral of St. Columba in Youngstown, Ohio, St. Peter's Church in Merchantville, New Jersey and Christ Our Light Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  At each parish we were greeted with great joy and hospitality and were offered feasts to strengthen us along the way.  Fittingly, the responsorial psalm at the Mass we celebrated just before heading into Philadelphia for the Festival of Families was "The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock."  It was a beautiful reminder that God would be protecting us as we traveled to a large and crowded city to face the unknown, hoping for a glimpse of the Pope.

St. Peter's in Merchantville, New Jersey was a gorgeous church.

I'd been praying to the Infant of Prague hoping he'd help me get a selfie with the pope.
 I didn't get that selfie, but I did get many graces!  This large statue was at St. Peter's in Merchantville, New Jersey.

Bishop Hying and Fr. Andrew posing with the lifesize cardboard cut-out of Fr. Andrew serving up meatballs.
 Pope Francis isn't the only one with cardboard cut-out images!

Our time in Philadelphia was exciting to say the least.  None of us were entirely certain of where we were going or what we would see but I don't think anyone was disappointed if they missed out on anything that they had been hoping for.  This adventure turned out exactly the way God intended it to be for us!  We enjoyed walking down the quaint and lovely streets of Philadelphia, we encountered heavy security, we treasured our time visiting The Shrine of St. John Neumann (that visit requires a post of its own which will follow shortly) and Old St. Joseph's-the oldest church in the United States that is still in use today. We enjoyed the Festival of Families on the jumbotron,  we ate Philly Cheesesteaks, we prayed more rosaries than I can count (one of the pilgrims from Gary, Dave, made rosaries for each of the pilgrims and had them blessed by Bishop Hying), and we lived our pilgrimage like we try to live our lives-with complete trust and confidence in God despite so many unknowns.

Old St. Joseph's is the oldest church still in use in the United States.

The church entrance.

A charming Holy Family holy water font-fitting for the World Meeting of Families!

Old St. Joseph's organ.

One of the many beautiful buildings in Philadelphia.

Since the celebration in Philadelphia was for the World Meeting of Families, we were joyously surprised, yet found it very fitting, that we should run into a beautiful family from Milwaukee!  Our guardian angel, John Schultz, is in the red shirt.

We spent a great deal of time walking the streets of Philadelphia and I just fell in love with the city. Every new street that we encountered was more charming than the last!  We stood and waited in the midst of large crowds for hours and walked the streets for miles.  And often, as we waited or walked, we prayed the rosary.  This, of course, made me feel right at home as I so often participate in rosary processions.  But each of those walks were not without a purpose.  Our main goal, of course, was to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, to receive his blessing, and hopefully, to have a selfie taken with him.

Pope Sightings

On Saturday afternoon, our small group of about 20 pilgrims had a moment of excitement as we paused to rest in a park.  Suddenly we heard sirens and people started running to a nearby fence, so we ran, too.  It was as if we were all teenagers hoping to see our favorite rock star!  And then Pope Francis passed by in his Fiat on the way to give his talk at Independence Hall.  A man from our group was able to catch a picture of the pope waving from the back seat of his car.

Pope Francis waving from the back seat.

We journeyed on with my sister Cindy and Dave, another pilgrim, braving leading the way as they were the only ones who had maps of the city.  After passing through the tight security, having the entire contents of our purses emptied out and inspected, our cell phones and cameras examined and our bodies scanned by Homeland Security, we arrived at City Hall and the parade route that Pope Francis would travel before attending the Festival of Families.  We waited for three hours. No Pope. Rumours circulated that the pope had gone back to the seminary to take a nap.  Later that night as we watched the news coverage of his visit we noted that he did look extremely tired during his afternoon talk, but appeared to be rested and refreshed during the Festival of Families, so maybe that nap theory was accurate.  At any rate, when the parade finally took place at 7:00 pm, it happened so fast that it would have been easy to miss the pope passing.  Our three hour wait culminated in a two-second sighting of Pope Francis whizzing by and blessing the crowd on the other side of the street.  By this time many of our cameras had gone dead from having them at the ready for three hours.  Luckily, Cindy was able to capture this image of him.

Our one and only clear view of the pope during our visit.  

On Sunday we stood in line again, this time for two hours in a solid-packed two-block section of people, waiting to get through a security checkpoint that turned out to not be a checkpoint after all. 

Bishop Hying realized that we would not get to the Mass from this route and he called all of the 130 Gary pilgrims out of the crowd and we looked for an alternative route.  The crowds at the next checkpoint didn't look any more promising so the decision was made to find a jumbotron where we would celebrate the Mass.  Prior to the beginning of Mass, another papal parade occurred and Cindy was able to capture another image of Pope Francis in his popemobile on the jumbotron screen.  

Part of the crowd for the papal Mass.

This image is so amazing to me because it almost looks as if Pope Francis
is really right in front of us instead of on a jumbotron screen.

Following the Mass, we headed back by train to the stadium where our buses were parked and we prepared for our 15 hour ride back home through the night.  We were all exhausted but deeply moved and very happy. I have never before experienced such a fantastic opportunity or enjoyed myself more.  What a thrill to be in the same city as Pope Francis!  What a treasure to spend a significant amount of time with my sweet sister Cindy and my dear friend Bishop Hying.  What a joy to make so many new friends from the wonderful Diocese of Gary, Indiana.  I praise and thank God for this fabulous opportunity of a lifetime and for the grace of safety for all of the Gary travelers and especially for our beloved Pope Francis!

"Like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures."  ~Pope Francis

Viva il Papa Francis!

I didn't get that hoped-for selfie with Pope Francis, but here's the next best thing!

While I was away in Philadelphia, Paul and Mary had fun with Pope Francis right at home!  
Our parish has a cardboard cut-out in the office window so they took advantage of a photo-op after Sunday Mass.

When I arrived home I found that my loving husband picked flowers from the yard and arranged
them into a beautiful bouquet displayed with my daughter's note.  It's good to be home!

To read Bishop Hying's re-cap of the pilgrimage, visit here.

Doors Open Milwaukee/Calvary Cemetery Chapel

Milwaukee has so many treasures! When Historic Milwaukee offers Doors Open Milwaukee, an annual event which offers the opportunity to get behind-the-scenes views of the most beautiful architectural gems in the city, including many Catholic churches, it's almost impossible to choose which of the 150 historic buildings to visit.  One site that I definitely wanted to visit was the Calvary Cemetery Chapel.  The Chapel, which had fallen into disrepair and had been badly damaged by vandals, was in danger of being torn down by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1992, but a group now known as the Friends of Calvary Cemetery petitioned to save and restore the building.  What a gift the Friends have given to our city in saving and working to restore this landmark!  After perusing my snapshots below, why not visit the Friends of Calvary Cemetery website for more in-depth details on the project as well as many more amazing pictures?  

The Chapel at the top of the hill

The chapel is surrounded by the graves of local Jesuits.
I love the unique circular arrangement of the headstones.

The interior ceiling.  The windows all need replacing.

The remains of the high altar.

An empty rose window.

This is all that's left of the statuary after vandals destroyed them.

The only remaining grave in the crypt belongs to Fr.Idziego Tarasiewicza,
the first pastor of St. Casimir Church in Milwaukee.

Natural skylights between the crypt and the upper chapel.

A view of the cemetery from the chapel. What unique arrangements of the tombstones!  I love the half-circle!

This was in the cement on one of the steps.  It must be a logo for the construction company.
I just found it to be sweet and photo-worthy.

Following the cemetery we enjoyed a humorous and historical visit to Best Place at Pabst Brewery where we discovered King Gambrinus, the legendary Patron Saint of Beer!  (story)   We also learned that the name Pabst means Pope.  So, should we welcome Pope Francis to the United States with a Pabst?  No, I don't think so.

We discovered over-sized lounge furniture at the Milwaukee City Hall, which at one time had been the tallest building in the United States.  The boys just couldn't resist a photo-bomb opportunity!

We can hardly wait for next year's Doors Open Milwaukee for more historical fun and adventure!

Films That Move the Soul

The talented people at Ahava Productions, under the direction of Erin Berghouse, have created soul-stirring films that "reaffirm the depth and beauty of the Catholic Faith."  Their most recent endeavor is a short film created to benefit Saint Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee.  Original music, written by Erin Berghouse and performed by Luke Spehar, accompanies the breathtaking images that showcase the beauty of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, the surrounding natural beauty of the Lake Michigan shoreline, and the brave and holy men who are studying for the priesthood in Milwaukee.  Take a few minutes to enjoy the film.  Then share it with others!  The creators of the film and the staff at the seminary ask that you pray a Hail Mary for the people with whom you share the film and for the seminary staff and students, as well.  You can be sure that I am praying a Hail Mary for each one of you who read this post!

You can view the seminary film below or at this link.

After you have enjoyed the seminary film, take a minute to visit the Ahava Productions website to learn more about this amazing organization and to order their series of films, Crux, Kenosis and Blaze, featuring Bishop Donald Hying of Gary, Indiana.  Each film is beautifully orchestrated to inspire and educate.  It's easy to download or purchase a DVD to share with friends, family and your parish!  You will love them!

A Birthday Party for the Blessed Mother-UPDATED

Roses for Our Lady in Milwaukee has an annual tradition of celebrating the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a Mass or Holy Hour and an outdoor Eucharistic Rosary Procession each year. This year that celebration took place at Old St. Mary in downtown Milwaukee.

We are blessed to be joined by the Dominican Sisters, and this year they shared the facebook post with details of the event with the caption "Let's party!"  Doesn't that make you smile?  And it really is a party; a party that sends the devil running, as Fr. Tim Kitzke, Vicar General for the Urban Ministry in the City of Milwaukee and Spiritual Advisor for Roses for Our Lady, told us during his homily.

This year our procession walked right past a downtown location where a gentleman's strip club is being proposed.  Fr. Tim has been working hard to fight against that club being allowed a license, and has been asking for the help and prayers of everyone who attends Mass at Old St. Mary.  As our procession moved past the empty building of the proposed club we paused to pray a decade of the rosary there, and then Fr. Tim blessed the building with Our Lord in the monstrance.  At the very instant that he blessed the building, the church bells rung out.  It was a powerful moment of prayer! Fr. Tim said that he felt that the ringing of the bells was a sign from God.  Let's continue to keep the devil on the run as we invoke Our Lady's assistance in all that we do!

UPDATE:  The Milwaukee Common Council voted 3-2 against granting a license to the Gentleman's Club on September 17th.  Much thanks is due to Fr. Tim and all who worked and prayed to keep it away from our downtown neighborhood so close to Old St. Mary and St. John the Evangelist Cathedral, and most of all, thanks be to God for all of His blessings.  Story here and here.

(All photos courtesy of Jazmin Trujillo)

Saints of Summer

Where do the summer days go?  It seems as though we blink and they're gone.  The busyness of summer has kept me away from the computer, but it hasn't kept God's saints and holy ones away from my heart.  Here's a few beautiful ways that I found God's grace this summer.

I was blessed to take every Wednesday off from work so that I could spend some quality girl time with my daughter, Mary, before she made the leap into high school.  We spent many a lovely day together riding a tandem bike (it's harder than we'd imagined), searching for sea glass, and rummaging through antique shops.

A bicycle built for two with a lovely Lake Michigan view.

We had a blast trying on vintage hats!

Sweet Mother Mary, I love you!

At one antique shop we found this beautiful statue of my Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe. She had a bunch of purses and junk piled up in her arms so I had to clear that away for her. Then I noticed that the picture propped in front of her was of a man flashing a work of art with the caption "Expose yourself to art." So I had to turn that around to face the wall. My Mother doesn't want to look at that! They were selling the statue for the ridiculously low price of $125. I should have paid it and brought her home with me so she wouldn't have to be treated with so much disrespect. After all, who else tells me "Am I not here, your Mother? Are you not under the shadow of my protection?"  I was so grateful that a friend of mine was able to go and rescue her and is now finding many blessings in her home with Our Mother's presence there.

Marquette Hall mirrored in the stained glass windows of The Church of the Gesu

The Holy Spirit will overshadow you.

I'm blessed to walk the Marquette College Campus every day on my lunch break. The bells at Marquette Hall ring out the Salve Regina and my heart sings along. I marvel at the sight of the Marquette Hall tower reflected in the Gesu windows and each time I see it I tell myself to bring my camera so I can capture the image forever. But when I leave my office I always forget to bring it...until one spectacularly sunny and beautiful day when I was able to capture the image above.  The bonus: I took a picture of the outside of the stained glass window of Our Lady and didn't notice the gull (that looks like a dove of the Holy Spirit) flying in the reflection until I got back to my office and looked over my pictures. A perfect overshadowing!

Source

Schoenstatt Shrine

One day as I was driving home from work, I saw the most beautiful sight and wish I could have pulled over to take a picture. (I found the picture above on pinterest and it looked very much like the scene I witnessed.) There, walking across the busy Wisconsin Avenue bridge, were 12 Schoenstatt sisters carrying the Rosary Campaign flag. Although I couldn't hear it, I imagine they were praying the rosary as they walked. Maybe they were on their way to their beautiful little shrine just further west on Wisconsin Ave! Sanctifying the city! Just what we need!

I'd been looking for a statue of the Infant of Prague ever since last Christmas when my pastor, Fr. Tim Kitzke, told me that everyone should have a statue of the Infant in their homes saying that He is a help with financial situations.  On one of our Wednesday outings my daughter and I paid a visit to a little antique mall and cheese shop (well, we do live in Wisconsin!) and there we hit the jackpot.  We found four statues of the Infant so I bought them all!

Not too long ago I met a woman who told me that she received a blessing from Pope John Paul II, and then later was able to shake his hand after praying a novena to the Infant of Prague.  When I told her that I will be going to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia this month, she recommended that I pray a novena to the Infant for whatever I might want from that experience, and when I found those four statues all in the same place, I took it as a sign that my prayer might be favorably received.

Now naturally I hope to receive spiritual blessings for myself and my family, but I would also want to meet Pope Francis personally.  So I have been praying a beautiful novena to the Infant of Prague with the intention that my traveling companions and I will be blessed to meet the Pope and  have a selfie taken with him.  Then my sister Cindy and I will be able to replace our paper pope picture with a real one!  I know that sounds awfully selfish to pray for a selfie, but Pope Francis is always reminding everyone to be joyful, and thinking about a selfie with the pope sure does make me joyful!  

Here's the prayer I'm saying.  It's so lovely!  Care to join me in prayer?

Novena Prayer to the Miraculous Infant of Prague

Dearest Jesus, Little Infant of Prague, how tenderly You love us! Your greatest joy is to dwell among us and to bestow Your blessing upon us. Though I am not worthy that You should help me, I feel drawn to You by love because You are kind and merciful. (say three times)

So many who turned to You with confidence have received graces and had their petitions granted. Behold me as I come before You to lay open my heart to You with its prayers and hopes. I present to You especially this request, which I enclose in Your loving Heart:

(Mention your request)

Rule over me, dear Infant Jesus, and do with me and mine according to Your Holy Will, for I know that in Your Divine Wisdom and Love You will arrange everything for the best. Do not withdraw Your hand from me, but protect and bless me forever. 

I pray You, all-powerful and gracious Infant Jesus, for the sake of Your Sacred Infancy, in the Name of Your Blessed Mother Mary who cared for You with such tenderness, and by the greatest reverence with which Saint Joseph carried You in his arms, help me in my needs. Make me truly happy with You, dearest Infant, in time and in eternity, and I shall thank You forever with all my heart.  Amen.

Like the Dewfall

"Stop and consider!  Life is but a day; a fragile dew drop on its perilous way."  ~John Keats

Glancing up from the kitchen table early in the morning, I spotted a sight I'd not seen in all of the twenty-three years that my family has lived in our house.  The entire grapevine arbor, abundant with newly-formed clusters of grapes, was covered with dewdrops clinging to the points of each leaf. Quickly grabbing the cell phone, I was able to catch a few photographs despite my shaking hands and the angry robin that was squawking and flitting about protecting an unseen nest.  Not ten minutes after my impromptu photo shoot, the rains poured down destroying that delicate scene.  

I can't stop marveling over this fascinating sign of God's provision and love! His Hand beautifully nourishes in all stages of life, sustaining the grape buds during the early morning hours with drops of precious dew until the rains fall, lavishing the vine with necessary moisture for growth.  How blessed I was to be a humble witness to this sign of natural love from my Father.  What blessings He bestows upon His creation!

(Science fact:  I believe that the water droplets on the grape leaves were not really dew but actually a process called guttation, where the plant "leaks" excessive water through it's leaves.  Want to learn more?  Here you go!)