All Saints and All Souls

The following is an educational piece that I wrote for our parish newsletter on All Saints Day and All Souls Day:

“How beautiful and consoling is the communion of saints! It is a reality that infuses a different dimension to our whole life. We are never alone! We form part of a spiritual "company" in which profound solidarity reigns: the good of each one is for the benefit of all and, vice versa, the common happiness is radiated in each one. It is a mystery that, in a certain measure, we can already experience in this world, in the family, in friendship, especially in the spiritual community of the Church.” ~Pope Benedict XVI















We are so blessed as Catholics to have so many heavenly friends in the communion of saints to whom we can look up to as examples of faith and upon whom we can call for prayerful intercession to the Father. Who among us doesn’t have a “favorite” saint or two with whom we can identify in our struggles to live our faith each day? Although many saints are given specific days on the church calendar in which we honor them alone, the Church in her wisdom has dedicated one day each year in which we honor all of the saints in the Church Triumphant (those who are in heaven) and the Church Militant (those still living on earth) including those who are known, as well as those who are unknown to us or to the world at large. Together, the saints living and deceased make up the Communion of Saints, to which we confess our belief in the Nicene and Apostle’s Creeds.

All Saint’s Day is always celebrated on November 1st and it is a holy day of obligation in which all Catholics are required to attend Mass. The solemnity of All Saints Day can be traced back to Pope Gregory III (731-741) who consecrated a chapel within St. Peter’s Basilica to all of the saints on November 1st, and nearly 100 years later the celebration was shared with the entire Church by Pope Gregory IV (827-844.)

All Saints Day is immediately followed by All Souls Day on November 2nd, where we pray for all of our beloved deceased especially those who are part of the Church Penitential (those who are being purified in purgatory.) Our prayers on this day are meant to help those we love to be released from the pains of purgation for their venial sins and to enter into the glories of heaven. The celebration of All Souls Day can be traced back to seventh century monks who wanted a special day to pray for their deceased community members. By the 13th century it was added to the calendar of the Church. Although All Souls Day is not a Holy Day of Obligation, praying for the dead is a spiritual act of mercy so attendance at Mass on this day and the offering of special prayers for the dead is a beautiful way to love and honor those who have passed through life before us.

Please honor the communion of saints with your prayerful presence at Mass on these days!

Chick Flick

My youngest two children had a day off from school for a teacher in-service and Jack was invited to spend the day at a Halloween Party with a classmate. That left me in a predicament for what to do with my daughter as she is too young to stay home alone and Paul and I were both scheduled to work. I had asked my boss if I could bring Mary to work with me but apparently there are liability issues involved with that, so she generously told me that I could take the day off to care for my daughter.

What a treat to have a Monday off to spend it with my daughter and what fun we had!

After morning Mass and some shopping for presents for my husband's upcoming birthday, Mary and I did something that we just never do-we went....to the Mall. We haven't gone window shopping and browsing at the Mall in years-everything is so high priced that it seems like a waste of time to walk around looking at all of the things you don't want and can't afford. But today, Mary and I had the time of our lives!

After walking through several clothing and jewelery shops and leaving in astonishment over the tacky items that pass for fashion today, we stumbled into a Sephora Cosmetics store that offered samples of every type of make-up imaginable. Now if there is one thing Mary likes to do it's to experiment with make-up. She must have the most scrubbed-clean face of any ten-year-old girl for all of the times that Paul and I find her dipping into my make-up basket at home and send her to the sink to wash it off. But today, since it was a special girls day out, Mary and I enjoyed sampling every type of eye-liner, eye-shadow, blush and mascara that was on the shelf at the store. We sampled some blush that was clearly not in our color palette and nearly rolled on the floor laughing at how silly we looked. We doused ourselves with Justin Bieber perfume samples and then left the store smelling sweet and feeling even sweeter.

Then we headed over to the movie theater and caught a showing of The Mighty Macs. With a supply of Halloween candy loading down Mary's purse as a movie treat we were well prepared to sit through the movie. We easily found a seat as the theater was empty except for one man who had arrived before us. It almost felt like a private showing! The movie was excellent! It was both clean and wholesome with a great moral. It seems to be pretty rare to find a family-friendly story that includes a strong faith element, especially one that is clearly Catholic. The nuns in the story which was inspired by real-life events, were represented in an attractive fashion and all of the women characters were strong, resilient and faithful to their commitments and vocations. It was a joy to watch a group of women come together as a team and play basketball with the belief that no matter what they would be #1. What was really impressive was the fact that at the end of the movie, the credits showed the real-life pictures of the characters in the story and shared what they were doing today. They all appeared to be successful and satisfied. With Mary's first season as a basketball player rapidly approaching after years of sitting in the bleachers watching her brothers play, this movie was a perfect inspiration to get her fired up to play. Today's trip to the Mall for both the shopping and the movie was definitely mother/daughter bonding time well spent and Mary and I will treasure the memory of this day for years to come.

Two thumbs up (both Mary's and mine) for The Mighty Macs! And, although I titled this post "Chick Flick" I know that my husband and sons would enjoy it just as well as my daughter and I did. Click here to view the trailer.

The Holy and Healing Water of Lourdes

"I want to be purified. I want to be cleansed. I go to the baths. There, two men instruct me to undress. They wrap a blue apron around my waist, ask me to concentrate on what intercessions I want to ask of Mary, then lead me into the bath and immerse me in the ice-cold water. When I stand again, they pray the Hail Mary with me and give me a cup of water from the spring to drink."

~Henri Nouwen, Jesus and Mary: Finding Our Sacred Center

I'd been spiritually sick and in need of healing for some time and was struggling to cope with the darkness in my soul. My friend, Bishop Hying went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes and while there he visited the baths of holy water. As he was immersed in the water he brought me with him in prayer. What spiritual power a few words of prayer carry with them! Upon his return he told me about his prayer for me at the baths of Lourdes.

I took a few days to ponder and consider his words, his story of prayer for me. I let the thought of it sink deep within me and returned to the visual image in my mind of Bishop Hying being helped down into the water and giving my name to God through the love of the Blessed Mother, and it felt as if I could actually feel the holy, healing water within my soul, as if I were really physically and spiritually there, and I am changed. The ever-present fear, anxiety, tears and depression that had become a part of me are gone. For the first time in years I feel a real joy and peace like I have never known. I don't know if I would have felt that change in me had he not told me what he had done; I am left to wonder if I would have felt the effects of his prayer without the knowledge of it. That will always remain a sacred mystery, I suppose. I also don't know if this peaceful feeling will last. But I do know that I am deeply grateful that God has chosen to use the Blessed Mother as a source of comfort and love in my life and in the lives of so many others who turn to her in faith. What a treasure we have in Blessed Mary and in the gift of healing waters and the intercessory prayer of our friends in the communion of saints!

Please enjoy Bishop Hying's story about his experience in Lourdes from the October 27th Milwaukee Catholic Herald:

Several weeks ago, I was blessed to be part of a spiritual pilgrimage to France with 32 other people. We visited many places associated with great saints, like St. Margaret Mary at Paray-le-Monial, St. John Vianney at Ars, SS. Francis de Sales and Jane Frances de Chantal at Annecy, St. Therese at Lisieux and St. Joan of Arc at Rouen.

We also went to Lourdes, the beautiful shrine of healing, nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains. Highlights there included celebrating a Mass in the grotto at 6 a.m. with a full moon shining, participating in the rosary candlelight procession, going into the baths and climbing up to the fortress which overlooks the town.

The most compelling and moving part of Lourdes is the vast number of people who are suffering a wide variety of illness, maladies and disabilities. They come to this remote French town in the tens of thousands, triumphing over obstacles and enduring discomforts just to get there. As pilgrims, they have come to pray and to bathe in the waters of the spring which the Virgin Mary had instructed St. Bernadette to discover in 1858.

Most will not find a physical healing, although thousands have over the years, but they will come away with a deeper experience of God’s love for them, a stronger resolve to bear the cross of their suffering, a deeper peace that comes from acceptance and surrender.

One of the things that strikes me about Lourdes is that the sick and disabled receive preferential treatment, in the baths, processions, Masses and walkways of the shrine. They are the most important people there. Such a practice is a startling inverse of how the “world” often is, where the powerful, beautiful and elite often receive the pride of place.

Lourdes is a profound incarnation of the Catholic conviction that Christ comes to us in the disguise of the poor, the sick and the weak and awaits our merciful response through them. An attendant at the baths drove this point home to me, as I awaited my turn to go in, saying, with tears in his eyes, that his work at Lourdes was a privilege, as it allowed him to bathe and care for the Body of Christ on a daily basis. This holy shrine is a divinely chosen site where the fullness of human weakness and suffering converge in a startling fashion with the fullness of God’s merciful and healing power.

It may be tempting at times to wish we lived in a world completely free of suffering, poverty, weakness and illness, yet would that be a good thing? Obviously, in the name of the merciful Christ, we seek to eradicate disease, malnutrition, unemployment and homelessness, but we can never fully escape the cross. As maddening as that may be on a human level, could it be that we all need some level of suffering to humanize us?

If I was completely self-sufficient, living with no neediness, weakness or dependency, I would be tempted to shut myself off from other people and maybe even God himself. Suffering in those we love opens up deep reservoirs of compassion in us, as our own inadequacies compel us to reach out to others. How often in our lives, has a harsh encounter with the cross led us to a deeper faith, prayer and awareness of our radical need for God?

Societies that do not tolerate human weakness and imperfection often end up eliminating those who do not measure up to some mythical standard of sufficiency. The Third Reich comes to mind. Our rich Catholic spirituality and theology of suffering can deeply inform and shape our national debate on end-of-life issues, euthanasia and health care. Pope John Paul’s letter on the meaning of human suffering, “Salvifici Doloris,” serves as a foundational document to deepen our understanding of how God and our human weakness intersect in Jesus Christ.

Lourdes reminds us that we do not have to be perfect, strong, healthy and beautiful to be loveable, that God actually finds our disabilities to be attractive, that he is drawn to our weakness, that our sin arouses his compassion.

Ted Turner famously said that Christianity is for losers. I could not agree more. Only those who know they need a Savior can find the crucified and risen One who can heal, forgive and love us into eternal life.

Candidate

"O Lord, we beseech Thee to cleanse the intent of our hearts with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee. Amen." ~Introductory prayer of the ceremony of enrollment as a candidate for the Oblates of the Precious Blood

















On the morning of my candidacy enrollment for the Oblates of the Precious Blood, I awoke with great joy in my heart and was determined to spiritually prepare myself for the sacred undertaking I was about to embark upon. With a heart warmed by kind messages from friends who encouraged me with their own offerings of prayer, my oldest son and I paid a visit to the local Schoenstatt Shrine to spend some time with the Lord. We were alone in the tiny chapel and together we prayed a rosary for priests in the presence of the tabernacle.

Later, when I arrived at work, the clinic was swamped with clients and I was left with no time to ponder the upcoming ceremony. On my lunch break I slipped away to the nearby Church of the Gesu for confession. An event like this requires a clean soul. As I stepped out of the confessional, I recognized one of the men standing in line as a Conventual Franciscan seminarian from St. Francis de Sales Seminary. I had never met him before so I introduced myself to him and told him that my family and I spend a great deal of time at the seminary and that I had recognized him as one of the seminarians. He introduced himself as Paul Schneider and told me that he anticipated being ordained to the transitional diaconate this coming April. Then he looked at me intently and said, "Pray for me." I confidently told him that I would, but on the inside, I was utterly amazed. This man had never met me before and had no idea that on this very day I would be committing myself to life-long prayer for all priests, seminarians and those discerning the priesthood. I felt as is if his words, "Pray for me" were spoken on behalf of all priests and seminarians and were inspired by Christ himself telling me that my calling to the Oblates of the Precious Blood was indeed a heavenly inspired vocation which was much needed today. I returned to work and all during the busy afternoon I kept recalling those three simple words-pray for me- as I anticipated what was to come.

That evening our living room was arranged into an informal church setting with flowers and candles and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Finally, the moment I had been waiting for since last June arrived. My friend Kurt Keidl, who had kindly written a letter of recommendation to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood on my behalf and Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, who also had taken the time to write a letter, both arrived and the Mass began. My family joined in the celebration as my son John read the first reading, my daughter Mary read the psalm and my son Jack served as acolyte. Fr. Jim, who had just returned that very afternoon from a two week visit in New Jersey where he led a retreat for a convent of cloistered Carmelite nuns, spoke about his gratitude to cloistered nuns such as the Handmaids of the Precious Blood who pray for priests, and also of his gratitude for lay people who pray for priests. He said that no priest can handle his responsibilities toward the Church alone, that they all need the gift of prayer from others.

Following Holy Communion, Fr. Jim officiated at the short enrollment ceremony which included a reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 1:3-10, a questioning of the candidate, a presentation of a medal of Mary, Queen of the Clergy, a prayer of the candidate and a final prayer and blessing.

The Mass and enrollment ceremony were followed by a dinner celebration with a special treat, Holy Spirits Wine, and all too soon the evening came to an end. In the morning, Fr. Jim would be off on another retreat trip for the Apostleship of Prayer, this time to Minnesota. How wonderful it was that he was able to spend his short time at home helping me to dedicate my life to prayer for all priests. It was a gloriously blessed evening and I am filled with joy to prayerfully begin my formation period and to devote my life to prayer for all priests.

This is Halloween, halloween, halloween!

Hey everyone, i've been such a procrastinator. 

My desktop is filled with nail designs that i've been meaning to post! 

Haven't had time and feel very tired but for now ill post the Halloween nails i've been doing hope you like!

The Nightmare before Christmas (Jack in 3D all hand drawn or sculpted)

 

Inspiration

 Free-hand design (A haunting night)

Inspiration

 My very first Acrylic nails with 3D pumpkins and leaves

 Coraline!

 Trick r Treat (movie)

Inspiration

Gratitude For My Many Fathers

"Why should we not be holy, we who are inebriated with the Life Blood of God's Holy One?" ~Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP





















It has been five years since my natural father died. My dad was a good and holy man and while he physically lived on earth, his influence upon me was quiet. I called him "Silent Man." He always rose early and silently began his days in prayer, and then he quietly returned to prayer throughout the day for all of his nine children. He wasn't a perfect man, to be sure, but he was a good man and it was from him that I learned to pray, to give my all to God.

Today I have many fathers. My life is touched by so many good and holy men, all of them priests of God. These men are like my natural father because they also rise early to silently embrace the beginning of the day in prayer and they quietly return to prayer throughout the day for all of their many children, unlimited in number. They might not be perfect men, to be sure, but they are good men and from them I continue to learn how to pray, to give my all to God.

How I love my fathers! I love them for their sacrifices, for their words of wisdom, for their prayerful example, and for their steady presence in my life. I love them because they care about my soul and they show their love for me by holding me in prayer. I love them because they give Christ to me in the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Precious Blood of the Lord. I love them because they are the Body and Precious Blood of the Lord. My many fathers give me all that I need in this life so as to lead me safely to my heavenly home with God, my true and eternal Father.

I long to return the favor. I want to sacrifice for them, to share some words of wisdom like they do, to set an example of prayer for others and to be a steady presence in the lives of my own children. And so I begin with prayer. Each day in the early morning hours I silently embrace the beginning of the day in prayer just like my many fathers. I collect myself before the Sacred Heart of Jesus and I offer Him my day for the sanctity and well-being of these men that I love, these men that have personally touched my life. My fathers need prayer and love! They need to know that they are loved. So I place their names within the greatest love of all-the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He loves them best for they are His sons. They are His other self. They give so much-they give their precious time spent without cost until they reach exhaustion, they give their love and they give their prayers. They work side by side with all of their children for the sole purpose of building up the Kingdom of God. I have only to look to my fathers and I see Him. So, with a grateful heart I pray for my fathers by name. I pray for...

...Pope Benedict, Archbishop Dolan, Archbishop Listecki, Bishop Hying, Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, Fr. Carl Last, Fr. Dave Cooper, Fr. Dan Felton, Fr. Joe Lubrano, SDS, Fr. Dan Murphy, Fr. Dennis Witz, Fr. Paul Stanosz, Fr. Peter Berger, Fr. Phil Hurley, SJ, Fr. Jim Lobacz, Fr. John Endejan, Fr. Edward Radey, Fr. Matthew Widder , Fr. Luke Strand, Fr. Christopher Klusman, Fr. Kevin McManaman...and the list grows...each year at ordination I gain more fathers to love...there are so many on the way! I pray for the seminarians at St. Francis de Sales Seminary by name as well, and I pray for those in discernment, and for the mothers of my fathers-those lovely women who nurtured these men from conception... And I pray for my spiritual son, John Howard, who is studying to be a father in far away England....And I pray for all of the priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and encourage others to do so as well through the Monthly Prayer Request for Priests...and I pray for an increase in good and holy vocations to the priesthood with Roses for Our Lady at our monthly holy hour for vocations...but it is never enough. I want to give them so much more; I want to give them something radical and beautiful. I want to give them my entire life and all of my prayer.

And so on October 27th, in the intimacy of my home and in the presence of my husband and children, one of my many fathers, Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ will offer Mass and will officiate at a ceremony in which I will be accepted as a candidate for the Oblates of the Precious Blood. This will be the beginning of a year-long period of formation before I make a Solemn Resolution of Love. As an Oblate of the Precious Blood I will be under the heavenly and spiritual guidance of another father, Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP, the founder of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, with whom I will be received into union and affiliation, and I hope to become "leaven in the world, suffering and offering all aspects of my life for the glory of God and the sanctification of priests." Please pray for me as I deepen my prayers of love for all priests, my many fathers, and join me in praying for all priests, everywhere.

Prayer of the Candidate

O God, I desire to make a perfect return of love to You by dedicating my life to the Precious Blood of Jesus and to the sanctification of Priests who offer the Precious Blood to You each day in countless Masses. Because the Eucharist is "the greatest Gift of the Sacred Heart," I wish for You, Jesus, to be the center of my spiritual life, my complete joy, a joy which no one can take from me. I pray, too, for the grace to render earnestly and well my preparation for making a Solemn Resolution of Love as an Oblate of the Precious Blood, if this be according to Your will. I ask these graces through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary; of St. Joseph, Patron of Your Church; of the holy Apostles who were the first Priests; and of my Guardian Angel. Amen.

O Mary, Protectress of the hierarchy of holy Church obtain for us holy priests who will glorify God and save souls. Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us. Amen.

(above quotes are by Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP and the Prayer of the Candidate is from the Ceremony of Enrollment as a Candidate for the Oblates of the Precious Blood)

Death Shall Be No More

"It is from the blood of Christ that all draw the strength to commit themselves to promoting life. It is precisely this blood that is the most powerful source of hope, indeed, it is the foundation of the absolute certitude that in God's plan life will be victorious. 'And death shall be no more', exclaims the powerful voice which comes from the throne of God in the Heavenly Jerusalem." ~Evangelium Vitae 1

The newly formed Respect Life Committee at St. Matthias Parish (of which my husband and oldest son and I are members) has been very busy during this month of October which is dedicated to Respect for Life in an effort to draw attention to and pray for the sanctity of life. We gathered with 35 members of our parish on October 2nd to prayerfully hold signs and witness to the sanctity of life along a busy highway as part of the Life Chain and then, later in the month, seven of us took a trip to the local abortion mill to pray on an unusually blustery and cold Saturday morning. The cold made our prayerful time there feel extra sacrificial. My daughter, ever so sweet, wrapped her arms around me in an effort to keep me from shivering and someone took our picture.





















But for me, the highlight came this past Sunday when our committee sponsored a Holy Hour for Life at our parish. Including my family of seven, there were 25 people in attendance. Yes, some of my teens complained about going and I was ready to let them off the hook but my husband held fast and insisted that they participate. It was joyfully surprising to see how quickly their complaints turned to prayer as they actively participated in the Holy Hour. We listened to scripture and a reading of a portion of Pope John Paul II's Evangelium Vitae. Fr. Paul spoke powerfully about how the lack of trust in God is the source of humanity's failure to respect life and he said that if we would only draw our strength from the Eucharist we would find the power to combat the evils of abortion, the death penalty, disrespect for the disabled and euthanasia.

After a period of silence, I was honored to lead the rosary. While preparing for the Holy Hour, I had looked online for some nice pro-life meditations for the Glorious Mysteries but was unable to find any that I liked, so I wrote my own. They are at the end of this post-feel free to copy and use them if they move your heart.

Our Holy Hour ended, like all Holy Hours do, with benediction. The monstrance that belongs to St. Matthias Parish is the most ornate monstrance that I have ever seen. It's such a pity that it's rarely used, in fact, in the 19 years that my husband and I have been parishioners there, this was only the third time that I've seen the monstrance. I think that if that gorgeous monstrance could think and feel emotions, it would be beside itself with joy to realize that it contains the Body of our Precious Lord. So too, should we all be, for although we may not all be as ornate as a monstrance of gold, we all contain the Body of Christ within us. We are all monstrances, including the sweet little babies growing within their mother's wombs, the criminals serving time in prison, the disabled who depend upon others for their daily care and the elderly living out their last days on earth. What precious life! How glorious to see Christ in others! How tragic that we can't realize and accept the glory of God that resides within all human life.

So, I pray that our Holy Hour for life was only the first of many occasions where we honor our Eucharistic Lord in adoration at my home parish and that more and more people will feel drawn to attend and honor Jesus in the Eucharist and beg Him to bring about an end to the inhumane destruction of human life that is so ingrained in society today until that final day when death shall be no more.

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The Rosary for Life-Glorious Mysteries

The First Glorious Mystery-The Resurrection

Christ, having lain in the dark, cold tomb for three days, rose again to eternal life and with that rising gave us the hope that we too, will rise again in eternal joy and happiness with our Creator. But that hope of the resurrection only comes after a full life lived in his service. How can we attain that eternal reward if our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ are prematurely diminished before our natural end, the end which God alone can determine?

The Second Glorious Mystery-The Ascension

Christ ascends to Glory. Our souls also long for glory. We know that in God’s plan our souls were meant to ascend, to rise, not to fall into the decay of sin. By protecting God’s precious gift of life from the first instant of conception until natural death, we hope to see all life ascend to our heavenly Father.

The Third Glorious Mystery-The Descent of the Holy Spirit

That breath of life that filled the twelve apostles with the love and wisdom of God fills each of us as well. Each human life has received the breath of the Holy Spirit making all life holy. Who are we to snuff that Spirit out through the sins of abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia?

The Fourth Glorious Mystery-The Assumption

The Blessed Mother first carried our Savior within her womb and now, in this mystery, He carries her within His arms on that sacred trip to heaven. Mary fulfilled God’s desire on earth spoken so beautifully in her fiat-“Let it be done unto me according to Thy word.” Like His mother in the Assumption, He longs to carry us as well, to bring us to glory with all of the angels and saints and his beautiful mother after we have fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives here on earth. May all human life be blessed with the gift of respect as we strive to serve Him well as He desires.

The Fifth Glorious Mystery-The Coronation

Mary, our Mother, always humbly took her place in this world whether that place was in a stable, at the foot of the cross or now, as Queen of Heaven. We are also called to humbly take our place in His service, and whichever place we are called to be, however we are called to serve Him, it begins with the gift of life at conception and ends with our natural deaths.

Wild neon flowers

Ever since i finished doing this design, ive been dying to post it. I'm extremely happy and very proud of what i consider a masterpiece lol! In class we just learned to sculpt acrylic nails, I went crazy and did my first stiletto acrylic sculpted nails. Did 3D flowers on them hope you like, as much as I do.

 Used: OPI 'DS Mystery and Nicole by OPI 'Give me the first dance'

slipping into silence

silent tears
in the silent rain
silent sorrow
and silent pain

silent shame
from a silent past
silent suffering
now the silence is cast

silence remains
in a silent heart
can you feel the silence
rip your soul apart?

silent day
and silent night
silence continues
its silent plight

silence holds
and silence ties
looking down
with silent eyes

yet here in the silence
He speaks to me
my soul is listening
I can clearly see

the deep love He has
in His heart so dear
His silent presence
is love ever near

beautiful silence
I will embrace
this quiet time
this silent space

and into forever
silence will remain
a sign of His love
and His kingly reign

silently His heart
melts into mine
and our hearts become one
in a silent shrine

Dear Father

I recently had the opportunity to hear a priest give a talk called "The Priest-Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask." As one who loves priests you can imagine that I eagerly anticipated this talk. It was really more of a question and answer session than a talk, so his words were geared to the specific questions that were asked. While his talk gave me much to think about, I couldn't help but feel disappointed by what he said. What was I expecting, some great mysterious insight into the holiness of the priesthood, perhaps? What I found was some holiness, to be sure, but mostly I heard the words of a very ordinary man who loves his priesthood but also struggles with the stresses in life, both from the high expectations placed upon him by others as well as the high expectations that he places upon himself and his brother priests which seems to have ultimately resulted in his lowered expectations of everyone in the Church.

I asked him how the laity, the ordinary people in the pews, can help him and help all priests. I especially wanted to know what we can we do to help all men be successful in their priesthood and to remain faithful to their calling. He answered that there is nothing that we can do to prevent a man from leaving the priesthood if he is unhappy. He offered the usual things that strengthen a priest such as socialization and participation in church activities. He seemed to say that the largest burden on the happiness and success of the priesthood falls upon the places of formation, the seminaries, and I'm sad to say that his words about seminary life were not very pleasant. The negativity of his words weighed heavy on my heart and I realized that something important was missing in his response to my question. What was lacking in his answer was the one thing I feel most called to do and that is to pray, because although he was right in that there isn't anything that we can do, our God can do anything if only we would humbly ask Him in prayer. Not a moment of my day goes by without my whispering a prayer for one priest or another as well as for those discerning a call to the priesthood and for those studying in the seminaries.

I just finished reading a most fabulous book, Dear Father: A Message of Love to Priests, by Catherine de Hueck Doherty which I highly recommend. The book is fashioned in the style of personal letters and her beautiful words raised my spirits with hope and joy in a way that the talk I heard did not. Let me share some excerpts:

"We call you "Father" because you begot us in the mystery of a tremendous love affair between you and God. Because you participate in the one priesthood of Christ. You are wedded to the Church, his bride. Even should the law of celibacy be rescinded, you will still be wedded to the Church, and it still will have to take precedence over everything in your life.

We call you "Father" and we are your "family." We need you desperately. We need you where God has placed you, at the head of our family, just as he has placed human fathers in the midst of their families to nurture and love them."

"Christ loves his priests. It is incomprehensible to us how much he loves his priests. He loves them like brothers. But what is more, he loves them as himself. Because, you see, a priest is Christ, and the Father loves them because he loves the Son, and the Icon of the Son is in the heart of every priest. And so the Father bends over each heart with a love that surpasses all understanding, and the Holy Spirit sends his fire and flame constantly upon you. You have a Pentecost every day...

It's a stupendous thing, dear Father. I am just an ordinary lay person, but when you come into our house or I go into yours, I feel a sort of complete joy. It's as close as I come to the living Christ. You think I exaggerate? Oh no, not at all. You are the living Christ, in a manner of speaking. He ascended, but he loved us so much-us, his Mystical Body of which he is the head, us, his people of God-that he couldn't possibly leave us. So he left himself in you. Do you understand that, Father? Do you?

Yes, he left himself if you, in the Bread and Wine, in the Eucharist. He left himself in Icons and in the Saints and in a lot of ways, but above all, in the Eucharist and you."

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And so for the priests who feel that there is nothing the laity can do for them, I ask you to please accept our prayers, for our words to God on your behalf are filled with our love, the love of your children. We need you to be successful and to be happy because we are a selfish lot and we know that our prayers for you will ultimately result in happiness and holiness for each one of us. Keep giving us God through your faithful and loving witness to his goodness and to his love. Keep pouring yourself out for our benefit. Keep being the living face of Christ.

I am now one week away from my enrollment ceremony after which I will begin my formation period as a candidate for the Oblates of the Precious Blood, and will commit my entire life to a deeper way of praying for priests in unity with the Handmaids of the Precious Blood. Please keep me in your prayers in this regard and consider joining me in praying for the sanctity of all priests everywhere. Our Fathers are depending upon us and upon our prayers!

Aeroscraft: The Flying Luxury Hotel of Tomorrow

The Aeroscraft is a gigantic 400-ton blimp designed to carry passengers in its spacious luxury liner-type facility. The flying hotel is equal in size to two football fields and is airlifted by 14 million cubic feet of helium, huge electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered propellers and six turbofan jet engines. The hotel will be able to accommodate 250 passengers while soaring 8,000 feet above the ground, and will provide tourists with hi-tech amenities in its guestrooms, casino, restaurants and staterooms.

The Inflatable Space Hotel

Commercial Space Station Skywalker, designed by Bigelow Aerospace, Las Vegas is an inflatable space hotel. In a preliminary phase launched in 2007 by Russia and an end date of 2015, the hotel is located 515-kms above the Earth. Not only is the boat from the hotel, so is the cost of a room. While the expected price of the project is only a meager $ 500 million, the room rates are expected to grow to $ 1 million per night. Entrepreneurs try to say that the cost of your next expense report!

The Lunatic Hotel

For those of us who have always wanted to honeymoon in the Moon, her desire to be necessary will be given to their children or maybe your children's children. A satellite hotel under the name of modesty Lunatic Hotel will be built by Hans-Jurgen Rombaut designers Rotterdam Academy of Architecture in the Netherlands and Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo. However, the tentative completion date is scheduled for 2050. The cost of launching tons of steel and water on the moon is always a challenge, but according to Rombaut, much of the building materials can be made right in the Moon itself, using existing minerals and the minerals. However, with the cost of inflation, one can only imagine the kind of deep pockets will be needed for check-in Lunatic. Rombaut provides a two week stay in the entertainment center of gravity low, is likely to cost as much as a mortgage on a house (in a luxury, of course)!

The Poseidon Undersea Resort

Bruce Jones, who has spent most of his career pioneering the design of submarines for the rich and famous, is now directing his experience in the hotel on a private island in Fiji. Surrounded by 5000 acres of the lagoon, the hotel is a luxurious accommodation in a suite of 550 square meters large. Who wants to stay at Poseidon (which is characteristic for all guests to use the submarine) is the Ante Up $ 15,000 a diving experience, or a pair of $ 30,000 in the same room. The package includes private plane transport Fiji Airport station. Here tourists can also indulge in submarine piloting para-sailing, deep reef excursions, scuba diving, sea-tracking on the bottom of the sea, water sports and caving.

Death Star Lunar Hotel Complex

Why wonder if we are still in a hotel on the moon, while if Heerim Architects get away with it, lunar hotels can be built here on Earth? Modern and chic capital of Azerbaijan Baku visit, with two "lunar inspired" projects, one of which resembles the Death Star from Star Wars and other sagas of the designed as a counterpoint. Facing the Caspian Sea, the buildings are named Hotel Full Moon - a disc with rounded edges and a hole in one of the top corners and Hotel Crescent, an arc similar to a crescent moon and a well-known mark full Moon Bay. Designed to appear drastically different from different angles of view angle of the death of a star and the other full moon of the Gherkin hotel is 150 meters high, 35-story luxury hotel with 382 spacious rooms.

The Hotel Pods

When the London-based Thomson Holidays, has published a report entitled "2024: Odyssey holiday," a leading tour operator in the United Kingdom provides that the hotels will be built on stilts built a shell folding, which can be installed anywhere in the world. The pods would be feasible, and customers can design their rooms, projecting your favorite pictures on the walls. If and when a target was no longer desirable, because the decline in tourism demand, terrorism, the pod could have just packed up and moved to a new location. A little 'how to fold the "space age tent!

Learning Soak- off gel in school

Hey Everyone, school is great i learned to do soak-off gels which are pretty cool. Check them out i love the peacock look! Also did a design using Tulle hope you like

Model Hands: My mommy

 Model Hands: Claudia Martignoni

Collaboration with Tini Zine Magazine cover

My friend Liat Nosrati has this really cool online magazine. I had the opportunity of working with her for the October cover. Did 2 designs a Leopard one with 3D roses and a butterfly design hope you like.

Hand model:

Taline Kazandjian

Photoshoot Nails!

Hey Everyone I've been slacking off, haven't added a lot of my new designs but here i go! A while ago i posted nails that i did for a photo shot well the pictures were finally released and i must say i love how they came out! It was so much fun working on this shot. My nails came out ahhhhhhmazinggggg (lol) Enjoy!

What Do You Expect From a Homily?

In the past I have written on this blog about my young friend, John H., who is in his first year of Seminary in England. John has been offered the opportunity to help set up a National Center for Homiletics in the United Kingdom and is looking for YOUR thoughts.

John wonders:

"What do you require from a homily at Mass? Are your expectations always met? What support could we offer to priests? Are there any suggestions to improve the standard of preaching?" Regarding younger members of the faith, John would like to know: "Are they bored; does the homily relate to their current faith issues?"

So, dear reader, what information can you offer to John? Is there a memorable homily that you will always treasure? Have you been completely turned off by a particular style? What would you like to glean from the words of the priest as he breaks down the Gospel each week? All shared thoughts will be most appreciated! Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email which I will forward to him.

WATERWORLD Hotel In China

Atkin Architecture Group recently won first prize in an international design competition with this entry impressive. Located in a spectacular career filled with water in Songjiang, China, the hotel is only 400 beds, which was built in components of the race. Underwater public areas and guest rooms add to the uniqueness, but the resort also offers cafes, restaurants and sports facilities.


The lowest level runs with the water theme for a pool, a luxury and an extreme sports center for activities like rock climbing and bungee jumping will be cantilevered over the quarry and accessed by special lifts from the water. With a stunning visual presentation, as shown here, is not surprising that this project won the first prize. This is a good example of an ultra modern facility co-exist in their natural environment.