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Have you ever gotten snagged by a headline like this on a video? "See what this former childhood star looks like today!" The other day, I saw a short video that had a picture of an emaciated, drug-addicted woman as its thumbnail and it said, "This 80s Beauty Now On the Streets!" Well, I bit and started watching. I quickly noticed was that the lady on the cover and the lady actually in the video were not the same people. They had put an AI generated homeless woman on the front to lure people in. The actual "80s beauty" was a different person. I stopped the video and thought to myself, "What an utter waste of time. I was so curious about something that's so insignificant, so pointless that's it's a bit embarrassing that I got suckered in." Then, about a week later, I started watching a long video on what dog breeds not to buy. This is utterly stupid for me to watch because a. I'm not a dog person and b. I'm not even remotely considering getting a dog. But..I was curious. Yesterday, while I was reading St. Augustine's book "Confessions" for my podcast, he was talking about the sin of curiosity. He was talking about how when our senses want something beautiful they know where to find it. Our eyes look at a beautiful work of art, our ears will listen to a harmonious tune, our nose seeks out fragrant perfume, and our sense of taste seeks something delicious. He goes on by saying that oftentimes to satisfy our curiosity, we seek out things that are in the reverse of the beautiful. People will look at a corpse, they will go to the theatre to see disfigured people put on display, they will read about something grotesque. None of these things add value to our lives or draw us closer to God. The information age can easily cause us to slip into the sin of curiosity. It's not bad to be curious, but what we are curious about is the problem. Or, if what we are investing all our time in leads us away from valuable time spent with family, friends, or God then it is a problem. The good, the true, and the beautiful are the things we should seek, Catholic Pilgrims. Nearly everything else is noise meant to distract us. Have a blessed Thursday.
Hey, Catholic Pilgrims, remember our small-town church series? Well, it's back! Well, before I started doing my ancestry research, I thought little of Kentucky. But, turns out, I had kin in Kentucky for, at least, over a century. Earliest that I can find for when they arrived in Kentucky was in 1803, though it might have been sooner. Our small-town church today hails from Falmouth, Kentucky up in the north of the state. This isn't where my family was located; they were more in the middle and the southern part of the state. There was an earlier church built in 1860, but the one you see here was dedicated on September 12th, 1880. If you look on a map, this church sits right next to Licking River and that's a problem when banks overflow. In 1937 and 1997, floodwaters caused a lot of damage to the church and its property. Those waters might have taken a "lick" out of things, but they couldn't swallow up things completely. I've only ever spent time at the very top of the state and on trips driving through. Now that I know my family resided in the state for a good bit, I'll have to give it more of my attention someday. But, if you are ever in Falmouth, Kentucky, stop by and visit St. Francis Xavier Church. Have a good day, Catholic Pilgrims.
Two weeks ago, my son and I were driving from California to Missouri to see my dad. My husband had to go TDY, so he couldn't come with us. I thought it would be fun to stay at KOAs in the cabins they have in order to make it a fun trip. Last summer, our son had a blast at the KOAs playing in the pool, getting ice cream, and playing the other outdoor games they provide. Our first night in a KOA was in Utah on a Sunday. After we got settled in our cabin, I decided to go look for dinner. I thought it would be fun to get some things at the Walmart deli section and have a picnic. Well, there wasn't much I could eat (gluten-free), so I decided to go hunt for a restaurant. For anyone who has driven through Utah on a Sunday, you know that most things are closed. That was the case for the small town we were in and as I drove around not finding any place open, I started to get frustrated. I'm happy that the Lord's Day is observed, but it was just something I hadn't accounted for. My son was growing increasingly upset. He was worried that we weren't going to be able to eat. Finally, we found a BBQ restaurant that was open. When we got back to the cabin, we called my husband. Our son started getting teary-eyed when he was telling his dad that he had been worried that we weren't going to be able to eat anything. It occurred to me that he saw my frustration and he didn't know if I would be able to pull through for us. After the phone call, I said to my son, "Jeremiah, even if I had to go without, I would have gotten you food. I was just trying to find something for the both of us. It may take some time, but I will always take care of you." It occurred to me that we can have this response to God when it seems He is delayed in answering our prayers. It's not that we see Him get frustrated like I did in my human weakness, but we wonder if He will pull through for us. Though He may not always answer in the way or the time frame we expect, God's heart is always "moved with pity for us." He hears our prayers, He knows what we need most. We just have to trust Him and the process, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a good Tuesday.
Day Twenty of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's location(s): ASSATEAUGE AND CHINCOTEAGUE, Virginia and Maryland Okay, as we all know, Maryland was established as a Catholic colony, giving Catholics, for a time, a place to worship. Virginia, not so much. Assateague island is divided between Virginia and Maryland and back in the days of the colonies, Jesuit missionaries would go to the Eastern shore to minister to the Catholics that were living there. It sounds like the few Catholics on the Virginia side would come to receive Sacraments from the missionaries. Assateague is an island that can really only be explored by foot or bike. My family loved weekend there seeing the wild ponies and exploring the island. This is where the lighthouse is and is mostly uninhabited. Chincoteauge is an island town butted up right next to Assateague and it has St. Andrew the Apostle Church there which originally served as a mission starting back in 1947. When my family visited in 2015, they were renovating the church, so we had Mass in a school gym, if my memory serves me right. Both as excellent places to visit and I would highly recommend. There is even a book for kids that is set there--"Misty of Chincoteague." It's about the wild ponies and my kids really enjoyed it when they were young. Have a great day, Catholic Pilgrims! Live the faith boldly and travel well.
Day Thirteen of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's landmark: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK Growing up in Kansas and reading from geography books at school gave me the impression that Yellowstone was small and basically centered around Old Faithful. I had no clue it was as big as it is. So, in 2017, when my husband's cousin asked us to go on a family vacation there with her family for a week, I thought, "How much is there to see? We're gonna spend a week looking at a geyser?" lol. Well, I got properly schooled and learned why you need a week. I absolutely loved our time in the park and, I will say, Old Faithful isn't even the coolest thing to see. The Catholic Connection is slim, but I'm doing my best. Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Belgian Jesuit missionary, traveled all through the Northwest area working with the native tribes. He traveled in the area where the park is. He was called, "Black Robe" by the natives and had a pretty good relationship with them. There is a small Catholic Church at the north entrance called St. William's Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Pines to the west of the park. If you have any other Catholic connections to Yellowstone National Park, do share! Have a great Friday, Catholic Pilgrims and live the faith boldly and travel well.
Day Twelve of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. We have an interesting landmark today that spans many States: THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER This river was explored and documented by French Catholics, most notably Fr. Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet. Fr. Marquette has a statue in Statuary Hall in the Capitol representing Wisconsin. Father Marquette named the river: La Rivière de l'Immaculée Conception after the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Algonquin tribe had named the river Messipi, which means "Father of Waters" and that name was eventually adopted into Mississippi. Cities along the river that have a strong Catholic heritage are: St. Paul, MN Dubuque, IA Davenport, IA St. Louis, MO Memphis< TN New Orleans, LA There is actually so many Catholic connections to this river that I could cover, but for brevity's sake, I can't go on and on. This picture was taken in 2023 while I was out on a river cruise in Memphis. I've crossed the Mississippi so many times I've lost count. Driving from the east to Kansas City on I-70, I've driven across it many, many times. Thankfully, I don't have to do it in a covered wagon anymore. When I was looking up information on the river, there's even a pilgrimage that you can take starting at the headwaters in Minnesota and finishing up in New Orleans. I don't know about you, but this pilgrim is highly interested in that. Have a great day, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
Over a month ago I made a short 9-second video on why Catholics have crucifixes. It literally took me all of two minutes to make it. For the video, I wrote, "Why do Catholics have crucifixes instead of bare crosses? Because we need to be reminded of what nailed Our Lord to the cross." It has been one of the most controversial videos I have ever made with thousands of views, shares, and hundreds of comments. Loads of comments were the typical nonsense, straw-man arguments. "Stop worshipping statues." "Jesus isn't on the cross anymore. He hasn't been on the cross for 2000 years." The most snarky of comments was this: "So, basically Catholics aren't as impacted as the rest of the world and for some reason they need to be reminded constantly because they have poor memory." Poor St. Paul, I guess he wasn't as impacted as modern day Christians seeing as he wrote that "we preach Christ crucified." First, we don't worship statues. Just because we have a depiction of someone doesn't mean we worship the representation. We don't think the statues are literally that person. Second, no Catholic believes that Jesus is still on the cross. Not a single one. We are an Easter people, as St. John Paul II proclaimed. But, you cannot talk about Easter without understanding the impact of Good Friday. To the snarky man, I wrote back, "Well, seeing as we humans continue to sin, even though we, as Christians, know what Our Lord did, yeah, I'd say we all have poor memories and need to be reminded. Unless, of course, you somehow are the one person here on earth that doesn't sin anymore because you have been so impacted. If so, congratulations." St. Paul says in our second reading today from Romans, "But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." It is gazing upon a crucifix that I see the totality of Jesus' love for me. The cross is where He atoned for the sins that I could never atone for, it is where He saved me. I have a few empty crosses in my house, but they don't impact me the way a crucifix does. Yes, my Lord is risen, indeed, but I will always need to remember why He had to rise in the first place. Have a blessed Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Day Nine of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's Location: US NAVAL ACADEMY I've realized that I'm a mid-sized town gal and Annapolis definitely appealed to me. Annapolis is home to the Naval Academy, which I got to visit in 2022. We have two Catholic connections. 1. This gate that you see here is named after Commodore John Barry who was a devout Irish Catholic. He died long before the Academy came around, but he was personally chosen by George Washington to be the very first commissioned officer and first flag officer of the permanent U.S. Navy. 2. If you visit the Naval Academy Chapel there is a basement where you will find a Blessed Sacrament room. It is in honor of Servant of God Father Capodonna, the "Grunt" padre that was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. Every September there is a Mass said in his honor in the chapel. Even though my hubby is an Airman, I am the granddaughter of a WWII Navy vet. While my grandfather did not attend here, it was still special for me to visit. I highly recommend Annapolis, Catholic Pilgrims, and if you are able to be cleared onto the Academy, I would encourage you visit. The grounds are beautiful. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
Day Seven of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Our feature for today: NIAGRA FALLS Anybody wanna hop back and forth between borders? The Falls are nearly almost divided in half between Canada and the US. Now, I've never been, so this isn't my photo, but I'm guessing this was taken from the Canadian side. Maybe? But what, Amy, is the Catholic connection, you ask? Well, these Falls were first documented in the 17th century by a Belgium monk named Father Louis Hennepin. He was a Franciscan missionary and his documentation really was his claim to fame. He explored lots of other territory in what would become the United States, but he often embellished his stories and this got him into some trouble. However, he did make an "engraving of the Falls of Niagara. It is out of proportion, but its general features give an accurate idea of the appearance of the Falls at his time." I do hope to go to the Falls someday and apparently in the surrounding area, both in Canada and Buffalo, NY, there are some excellent Catholic Churches to visit. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims!
Day Five of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's landmark: CENTRAL PARK Why does my picture from 2005 look ancient? In 2005 my family visited NY after attending a graduation for my husband's cousin in Connecticut. This is me with my oldest (now 24 years old) at the famous Bethesda Terrace with the Angel of the Waters Fountain. The Pool of Bethesda, if you'll recall from the Bible, was a famous healing site in Jerusalem. The Jews believed that an angel stirred up the water and when it was stirred up, whoever got in first would be healed. So, we have a Biblical connection here. Another one is that Pope John Paul II said Mass on the Great Lawn on October 7th, 1995 for a crowd of over 125,000. Also, one of our most visited Catholic Churches sits just south of Central Park and that is, you guessed it, St. Patrick's Cathedral. Archbishop John Hughes (1797–1864), was one of the most famous Catholics in NY history. He was around when Central Park was being created. He was the first archbishop of NY, when it became elevated to an archdiocese. So, there's your Monday morning Catholic history lesson! Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
Most days when my son and I go to daily Mass, we are the first ones there. After genuflecting to Jesus in the tabernacle, my son immediately does his little "chores." He lights the candles, checks that all the holy water fonts are filled, and waters any plants around the altar in the main church that need it. I noticed the other day after coming into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, that I let out a sigh and immediately close my eyes during the few moments of silence before others come in. The sigh isn't one of irritation or boredom. In thinking about it, it's one of relief. Being in the presence of Jesus is such a relief. It feels so good to just be there in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Anything that I was carrying, I can let it go and find some peace from all the noise of the world. Then, after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist--His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity--I'm even more revived as I'm filled with Sanctifying Grace. Who are we that Our Lord comes to us in the Holy Eucharist, Catholic Pilgrims? We can't even fathom how blessed we are that we are nourished on the Body and Blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. It gives us Life, just as Jesus said It would. May you have a blessed Feast of Corpus Christi. *Picture is from Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara, CA
Day Four of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. HOTEL DEL CORONADO on Coronado Island In the movie, "Some Like it Hot" staring Marilyn Monroe, this hotel is the main location for the story. What's interesting is that in the movie, it's depicted as being in Florida, not California. My sister and I loved the movie and knew we needed to see it in person. We got our chance in 2012. We got all dressed up fancy and both our families went there for dinner. The inside is like stepping back in time with thick, rich wood everywhere, yellow lighting, and furniture that looks like it came from a fancy antique store. This hotel was built in the 1880s and there was no Catholic Church on the island. Father Antonio Ubach used to row across San Diego Bay from Old Town to come say Mass for the staff and visitors. They didn't have a permanent structure, so they did have Mass in the Hotel Del at times. The other location was in a building near the ferry landing. But, they needed a church building. So, the hotel Catholic housekeepers and staff were active in helping to raise funds for a church to be built. That's how the island got Sacred Heart Church. Different church buildings have come and gone, as more room was needed. It ain't cheap to stay at the Hotel Del, but it is worth a visit. You can grab lunch or dinner there or just go inside to see this lovely building. Coronado Island is one of my favorite places in California and this hotel is a great piece of history. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims!
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