Archbishop Sheen is One Step Closer to Beatification

Click here.

I love watching "Life Is Worth Living" on EWTN.

2001 MFVA Seminarians

I just HAVE to share this picture!

Throwback Thursday

Unanswerable Questions

Sometimes, when I read an old book, or rather an old, used copy of a book, I find myself wondering about the book's earlier, or I should say earliest readers. For example, I'm currently reading a copy of Louisa May Alcott's Under the Lilacs which came out in 1905.

I wonder about the first person, (who was, I assume, perhaps erroneously, a young girl,) who read this particular copy. Where did she live? What else was going on in her life? What games did she play? What were her friends like? Did she enjoy school, or was school a struggle for her? Did she have a yard or a garden with a lilac bush, and actually read "Under the Lilacs"  under the lilacs? Or did she sigh wistfully, and wish she knew how lilacs smell?

I chose this post, originally published on August 9th, 2012, because I've been reading

"Under the Lilacs" again.  (Not, unfortunately,

the copy pictured; that was another book lost

when I moved.)

  (This post has been very slightly edited.)

My First Ash Wednesday (re-post)

I remember my very first Ash Wednesday, my first day of
fasting as a Catholic. For me it was easy as pie; it was
a piece of cake. (Although, of course, I had neither pie nor
cake!)
Remember, I am a Jewish convert, a veteran of Yom Kippur
fasts: From a little before sundown until a little after sundown,
no food, and nothing to drink. Not even a sip of water!
The not eating wasn't all that hard (I'm not saying it was a picnic, but who picnicked on Yom Kippur, anyway?).
What I found hard was the "not even a sip of water" part.
So, my first fast as a Catholic was easy in that respect. What I found difficult was figuring out the "two small meals that
together don't equal a full meal."
It was like a combined one-day-diet and math exercise!
When Fr. Kelly asked me how I'd gotten through my first
fast-day, I couldn't help laughing.
"Father," I said, "you don't know from fasting!"

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Come one, come all, to Sunday Snippets ! Thanks to RAnn for hosting!  I've discovered some wonderful blogs here.  How about sharing yours?

Semper Gaudete!: Well, you KNOW I love the Betsy-Tacy books!

Semper Gaudete!: Thanks to the Singer Sewing Machine Company

Semper Gaudete!: Wrong Again, Mr. President!

Semper Gaudete!: Throwback Thursday

Semper Gaudete!: This Week's Fan Fiction

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

Books Read in the Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with a #

"In A Great Tradition
Tribute to Dame Laurentia McLachlan,
Abbess of Stanbrook" #
by The Benedictines of Stanbrook
(I am very glad to have this book.  Rumer Godden
wrote in In This House of Brede: "All of the characters
in this book are imaginary, but many of the episodes
are based on fact; some are taken from the life and
sayings of Dame Laurentia McLachlan and Sister Mary
Ann McArdle of Stanbrook Abbey."
"In This House of Brede,"
by Rumer Godden
[fiction]
{Sunday Books}

"The Imitation of Mary In Four Books" #
by Alexander De Rouville
Revised and Edited by Matthew J. O'Connell
[devotional reading, Catholic]
(one chapter a day; more on Sunday 

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club" #

{carried over from last week}

"Much Ado About Anne" #

by Heather Vogel Frederick

[children's fiction]

(that Mrs. Chadwick makes me think of a fat,
modern-day Harriet Oleson from the "Little House
on the Prairie" tv show.)


"Marya of Clark Avenue"

by Marie Halun Bloch

[children's fiction, based on the author's childhood]

(this is one of my VERY  favorite books,

one of my SPECIAL books.)

"Portrait of Lies"
by Dandi Daley Mackall
"Tangled Web"
by Kristi Holl

[children's fiction, Christian, (Protestant, denomination

 or denominations not specified ) 

( todays.girls.com series, created by Terry K. Brown) ]

(openlibrary.org loans) 

Some, but not all, of the books in this series

were lost when I moved, so thank God for

free online books!

"Lily The Rebel"

"Lights, Action, Lily!"

by Nancy Rue

[children's fiction, Christian, (Protestant; no denomination
specified) ]

"How To Be A Clubwoman" #

by Helen Cowles Le Cron

and Edith Wasson McElroy

[nonfiction]

(This title made me laugh.  The way I see it,  any woman who
belongs to at least one club IS a clubwoman.  Perhaps a

better title would have been, "The Clubwoman and Her

Club(s)"

"Donna Parker at Cherrydale"

"Donna Parker, Special Agent"

by Marcia Martin

[children's/young teen fiction]

(I loved these books when  I was

in my early teens.  Not great literature,

but still enjoyable.)

"Our Miss Boo" #
(In "Time For Miss Boo",
two books in one volume)
by Margaret Lee Runbeck
{carrying over into next week}
(openlibrary.org loan)
Thyra Ferre Bjorn mentions Margaret Lee Runbeck on
page 139 of "Mama's Way," which is why I wanted to
read her books.

This looks like a long list, but some of the books on it are "quick reads."

This Week's Fan Fiction

One Careless Moment

New chapter added.