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A
few weeks ago, our
Community grew from
6 Nuns and 2
cats...to 6 Nuns, 2
cats, and 2
kittens! Yes, at
the rate we are
going, our feline
friends will soon
outnumber us! Some
friends of ours
found these
abandoned kittens
when they were wee
little. These furry
little guys took up
residence at Our
Lady of Solitude in
mid-May.
Our older cats
(who also sport a
grey coat) were
named after hobbits
from J.R.R.
Tolkien's Lord of
the Rings. Their
names are Fredegar
(nicknamed Fatty)
and Nibs. We
decided to break the
mold with our two
new kittens! So,
our newest additions
are named after the
main characters in
Jane Austen's Pride
and Prejudice (Mr.
Fitzwilliam Darcy)
and Charlotte
Bronte's Jane Eyre
(Mr. Edward
Rochester). |
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These two
mischievous
kittens are
hardly
English
gentleman...but
they will
undergo a
rigid
formation to
transform
them from
mischievous
kittens to
refined
feline!
This
'formation'
began when
they
received
their
official
'pet
blessing'
from our
good
Franciscan
Fr. Miguel
Marie. They
were very
attentive
during the
blessing,
endured the
holy water,
and have
shown marked
improvement
since then!
After they
get bigger,
they will
join forces
with our
other two
faithful
friends, to
help keep
OLS rodent
free! |
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With the celebration of the
Ascension comes our annual Rogation Days
processions. What are Rogation Days? The word
'rogation' is derived from that Latin root 'rogare'
which means to petition earnestly. For what are we
petitioning? That the Lord would bless our land and
the harvest...and to atone for our sins and the sins
of the world. Essentially Rogation Days are known
as penitential processions.
What is the history of Rogation
Days? In the 5th century, earthquakes and other
natural calamities afflicted the Diocese of Vienne
in Dauphine France. St. Mamertus, who was Bishop of
that Diocese, instituted a penitential procession
with public supplications on the Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday before the celebration of the
Ascension on Thursday. In 816, Pope Leo II
introduced this same practice to Rome and soon it
became a general observance throughout the Church.
Over the course of the years, 'Rogation Days' have
somewhat gone out of practice, however our Community
continues to observe these days of prayer each year
- praying for the Universal Church and the world,
imploring the Lord of the Harvest for the fruits of
the earth, and asking the Lord to have mercy upon
us! |
While we processed from the Chapel to the house, we prayed the Litany of the Saints Fr. Miguel, MFVA, with our Sister Sacristan, Sr. Esther Marie Here Fr. Miguel blesses our little vegetable garden "That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth...We beseech Thee hear us. "Let all those that seek Thee be joyful and glad in Thee, and let such as love Thy salvation say continually: 'Let the Lord be magnified!'" "O God, Whose property is always to have pity and to spare, receive our humble petition..." "O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication to Thee..." The Procession ends with a formal blessing...In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
While we processed from the Chapel to the house, we prayed the Litany of the Saints
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