REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Day 9 - 12 Days of Mary - Our Lady of Cobre and Haiku

Religion is gone

from Cuba, Mary isn’t

El Cobre proves it.

Several years ago I created this page in one of my art journals and named it Our Lady of Cobre. She is the patron saint of Cuba. I got the inspiration from one of the late Thomas Merton's poems "Song of Our Lady of Cobre," 1944. Merton's 1948 autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain  played a key role in my life when I first read it in the early 1970s.

Her statue is in the mining town of El Cobre outside Santiago. She is also known as the Virgin of Charity (La Virgen de la Caridad). 

She was designated as the patron saint of Cuba by the Pope in 1916. Pope Francis visited Cuba last year (2015) and said Mass at the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre. I found this article from the New Yorker very interesting. The Pope visited the late Fidel Castro and Raul Castro had visited the Pope at the Vatican earlier that year. The Pope apparently had a key role in healing U.S. and Cuba relations. I wonder what Thomas Merton would have thought about all this had he been alive to see it. 

You can visit Recuerda mi Corazon to see the offerings of other participants in 12 Days of Mother Love. 

Loving Lupita: Twelve Days of Mary Love (Day 4)

This is a painting of the annunciation that my friends Barbara and Jerry purchased when they visited Hungary two years ago. When they showed it to me, I was captivated. I am cross posting to Facebook so maybe my friends will comment more on the painting if they read there. 

So, this is day 4 of Rebecca Brooks Loving Lupita 12 days of Mary. If you have the time and are drawn to images of the divine feminine, please click on this link to oooh and aaah over other offerings. 

Loving Lupita: Twelve Days of Mary Love (Day 2)

This summer I spent 14 days in Alaska and in addition to all the tourist things we did, I was particularly interested in the churches we visited, most of them Russian Orthodox. In Sitka we had a wonderful experience on a rainy day at an authentic Russian tea in a local church hall followed by a visit to St. Michael’s Cathedral. This Wikipedia site explains Russia’s role in Alaska very well. Only the seminary was open at St. Michael’s when we visited and I was very taken with all the iconography on display. I was particularly intrigued by what the seminarian called the three-handed virgin (theotokos). I don’t recall ever seeing one before.

Legend has it that the third hand, fairly common in orthodox iconography, represents the severed and later healed hand of St. John of Damascus when he defended the holy icons against the Iconoclasts.  This icon (and reproductions of it) is a beloved devotional icon of the Mother of God and Christ but is also especially used in processions and services for the Sunday of Orthodoxy with the iconic reference to the triumph over the Iconoclasts in the third hand. The original is apparently at Mt. Athos at Hilander Monastery.  I LOVE learning new things. 

Be sure to visit Rebecca at Recuerda mi Corazon to daily follow Loving Lupita. 

 

Palm Sunday: A SoulCollage® Card

Weeks ago I bought a used program at the library book sale from Oberammergau 1990 and found this image that I meant to make a SoulCollage® card for, but then put it where it belonged so I couldn't find it until today. I had actually put it in the plastic folder of images I want to work with inside my black rolling SoulCollage® case I take to our group. 

While I was at Michael's today I bought some fern stickers to put on the card hoping they look a little like palms. By the way, the monthly used book sales at the Palos Verdes Library District provide me most of my collage materials. Great resource! So are my neighbors who save magazines for me. 

So, yesterday was Palm Sunday and at Christ Episcopal Church Redondo Beach, I was assigned the part of Judas to read during the Passion narrative. Fr. Bob kind of whispered to me, "He may have gotten a bum rap." Christ's part was played by Arnie, my Jewish neighbor, and I had to restrain myself from kissing him on the cheek when I betrayed him; Fr. Bob caught that. 

Four years ago, Mary Lou my dear friend and travel buddy, and I were privileged to take a pilgrimage tour of the Holy Land with Fr. Ray Mallett of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hermosa Beach. It was a life changing experience for me, as those of you who know me well already know. 

In SoulCollage®, we are encouraged to write what we call "I am the one who" statements. It makes the card personal. I've put this card in the Council suit and I am the one who was deeply moved walking the path Jesus would have taken on Palm Sunday. When I saw this image, I felt like I taking part myself in the original Palm Sunday procession--but I also snapped back to when our group processed ourselves. I am the one who knew that this image would ease me into Holy Week when we reenact Jesus's final week of life. See that little girl in front with blonde hair? I am the one who would have looked like her. I am the one who has constantly questioned everything my entire life, but each year during Holy Week I manage to suspend my judgments and pretend that I am in Jerusalem and that I'm so sure of my faith, I don't question hardly at all. 

 

A Virgin a Day: Advent 10: Mary at the Church of the Visitation

When I took part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land three years ago, an exceptionally beautiful day excursion was to the town of Ein Karem outside of Jerusalem, home to the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation. To read in depth about the homes of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist, and the visitation to Mary while visiting Elizabeth, go to this link. Ein Karem was so green and lush and so very different from everywhere else we visited in the Holy Land. 

This particular photo is from inside The Church of the Visitation.

The Virgin Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, depicted in mosaic on the façade of this two-tiered church, is commemorated on a slope of the hill south of Ein Karem. Completed in 1955 to a design by Antonio Barluzzi, the artistically decorated Church of the Visitation is considered one of the most beautiful of all the Gospel sites in the Holy Land.

This is believed to be the site of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s summer house, where Mary came to visit her cousin. On the wall opposite the church, ceramic plaques reproduce Mary’s canticle of praise, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) in some 50 languages.

In the lower chapel, a vaulted passage leads to an old well. An ancient tradition asserts that a spring joyfully burst out of the rock here when Mary greeted Elizabeth.

A huge stone set in a niche is known as the Stone of Hiding. According to an ancient tradition, the stone opened to provide a hiding place for the baby John during Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents, an event depicted in a painting on the wall.

In a valley on the south of the village is a fresh-water spring known as Mary’s Spring or the Fountain of the Virgin. Tradition has it that Mary quenched her thirst from this spring before ascending the hill to meet Elizabeth. The spring gives the village its name from the Arabic “ein” (spring) and kerem (vineyard or olive grove). Built over the spring is a small abandoned mosque, another reminder that this was once an Arab village. Southwest of Ein Karem, a Greek Melkit monastery and a Franciscan convent mark the Desert of St. John, a site where John the Baptist is believed to have lived in seclusion.

These sites were on hills and with my decreased lung capacity, it was a real struggle for me personally to reach these sites, but I’m so glad I did. I carry each of them in my heart.

To see more entries of other participants on this tenth day of the Twelve Days of Mary leading up to the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, go to Rebecca’s Recuerda mi Corazon.

 

Our Lady at St. John Fisher Church for Mondays With Mary

I feared Rebecca’s Monday Mornings With Mary had been discontinued, but was delighted to find that she has this feature up and running. So, here's my contribution for this week. 

Right in our own neighborhoods, art abounds of Mary and the divine feminine if we choose to seek them out. Though I have seen her in countless forms in my travels, I always seek and find her purposely or serendipitiously when I’m simply out in the ‘hood.

Below is a recent photo of the bronze sculpture of Mary and Jesus in the new St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Rancho Palos Verdes. I don’t attend this church, but went to a Christmas sale there recently and had not yet seen the newly dedicated church designed by female architect Shelly Hyndman.

There has been a lot of controversy over the building of this $18 million parish, but they had clearly outgrown their former church originally meant to be a parish center 50 years ago. I poked around in it taking photos for about a half hour and also soaking up the vibes it evoked in me. It’s a minimalist church and as an artist and appreciator of art, I would love to find out more about it all.

When Googling, I couldn’t find any links to this sculpture’s creator and very little about the actual architecture and the art within the magnificent structure. The Catholic newspaper, "The Tidings" did say, “The new 870-seat church, dedicated last weekend, is described by building committee chair Lisa Counts as ‘a cutting-edge 21st Century design.’ It features several fish-shaped elements, including the baptismal font, the tabernacle, and the giant windows behind the altar.” An article in the "Daily Breeze," the local paper,  mentioned the following, “The Eucharistic Christ and others depicted on the giant stained glass windows that grace the main entrance depicting the Seven Sacraments, is a creation of liturgical artist Isabel Piczek that previously adorned the old church.”

Regardless of the politics behind the building of this new parish, I found the bronze Mary to be very beautiful in her simplicity. She sits in a small side chapel. A more classic white Mary, from the old parish I believe, stands in front of the unusual structure. By the way, I was one of the people vehemently opposed to the building of the new Cathedral in Los Angeles, Our Lady Queen of the Angels, many years ago. I kvetched that the millions spent was irresponsible when it could be used to help other people and for social justice, but--the Cathedral is a work of art and has become a gathering place in downtown Los Angeles for everyone. I love this church. So, I'm off my soap box about building what seem to be ostentatious churches. It's not my business to ask why, but to accept that these churches and their interiors as works of art. 

Just because I think the baptistery in this new church is so beautiful, I’m including a photo of it below. If you have not yet visited St. John Fisher Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, it's right up there with making sure you see Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.'s Wayfarer's Chapel when you are in this area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mornings With Mary: Saint Anne de Beaupré

Though I’m a few days late, for Rebecca's Mornings With Mary, I wanted to post these two photos from The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a special place Mary Lou and I visited two weeks ago when we were in Quebec City, Canada. Mary Lou had a memory of visiting there as a child and walking on her knees with other worshipers up a staircase.

This photo is from the Basilica’s website as the day we toured, several people were in prayer nearby and our guide asked us not to use cameras of this particular statue. When I return to Quebec City one day, I would love to spend at least a half day here. They have several buildings, a museum, and a wonderful gift shop where I purchased a green rosary and a book about St. Anne. The energy here was breathtaking.

Wikipedia says the basilica is set along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Quebec City. It has been credited by the Catholic Church with many miracles of curing the sick and disabled. It is an important Catholic sanctuary which receives about a half-million pilgrims each year. The peak period of pilgrimage is around July 26, the feast of Saint Anne, the patron saint of Quebec.

According to a site called New Advent, devotion to Saint Anne, in Canada, goes back to the beginning of New France, and was brought forth by the first settlers and early missionaries. The hardy pioneers soon began to till the fertile soil of the Beaupré hillside; in the region which now forms the parish of Sainte Anne de Beaupré, the first houses date from the year 1650. Nor was it long before the settlers built themselves a chapel where they might meet for divine worship. One of their number, the Sieur Etienne Lessard, offered to give the land required at the spot which the church authorities should find suitable. On 13 March, 1658, therefore, the missionary, Father Vignal, came to choose the site and to bless the foundation of the proposed chapel which, by general consent, was to be dedicated to St. Anne. The very day the Saint showed how favourably she viewed the undertaking by healing Louis Guimont, an inhabitant of Beaupré, who suffered terribly from rheumatism of the loins. Full of confidence in St. Anne, he came forward and placed three stones in the foundations of the new building, whereupon he found himself suddenly and completely cured of his ailment.

This first authentic miracle was the precursor of countless other graces and favours of all kinds. For two centuries and a half the great wonder-worker has ceaselessly and lavishly shown her kindness to all the sufferers who from all parts of North America flock every year to Beaupré to implore her help. The old church was begun in 1676, and used for worship until 1876, when it was replaced by the present one, opened in October of that year. This last was built of cut stone, by means of contributions from all the Catholics of Canada. The offerings made by pilgrims have defrayed the cost of fittings and decoration. It is two hundred feet long, and one hundred wide, including the side chapels. Leo XIII raised it to the rank of a minor basilica 5 May, 1887; on 19 May, 1889, it was solemnly consecrated by Cardinal Taschereau,Archbishop of Quebec. It has been served by the Redemptorists since 1878.

Until our visit to St. Anne's basilica, I personally had never heard of her. Now I want to do more research. My beautiful green rosary has an image of her like the one I show above. 

 

Monks Making a Sand Mandala at Chadwick School

As part of Chadwick School's community service program, Tibetan monks from the Phukhang Khamtsen Drepung Loseling Monastic University have returned this fall to create a sand mandala over a 3 1/2 day span. If anything, I am even more moved this time than I was two-years ago. If you click the monks link above there is a list of places they will appear on the West Coast this fall and a fascinating 5 minute video showing the monks in their opening ceremony, the sand mandala process, and the closing ceremony. It is well worth watching. 

Here are four of the monks at work on the 2012 mandala which is far more complex, we're told, than the one they made two years ago. There are chairs set up in our dining hall for visitors to watch the process.  

The monks bring several containers of colored sand and have a variety of  implements they use to build the sand mandala. If you watch the video, some of the process includes blowing gently into a tool. 

This is the altar dedicated to the Dalai Lama. 

The name of this blog since its inception in 2004 is "Sacred Ordinary" and I'm so delighted when I see the blending of the secular and the sacred in every day settings. It's particularly meaningful to have this ceremony at a school where children from grades K-12 can experience the world's diversity first-hand. 

Happy Easter From Redondo Beach, California

What a lovely day it has been so far! It began with services at Christ Episcopal Church just down the street from my home. 

After church, the annual egg hunt was held on the church lawns--and what a delight it was to see all the kids scurrying to fill their baskets. 

This Easter was the first one without John Simpson, famous for his booming alleluias. When he passed away last year, we put up a small bronze plaque in church over where he always sat in his scooter. 

After church, my daughter Christy, my granddaughter Whitney, and Whit's dad Lorenzo came over and we went to breakfast at one of our local landmark restaurants, near my house--The Cozy Cafe. I was also celebrating my granddaughter's 25th birthday. This is my daughter, granddaughter and me. I'm wearing a top that my friend Lorna in Wonderland sent from Canada. If you click Lorna, you'll see a recount of when they recently visited California. 

Below is a photo of my daughter-in-law Laura with grandsons Zachary and Arlo on the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C. where they celebrated Zach's sixth birthday this weekend. 

My son Tony and his family were at Notre Dame de Paris on Palm Sunday a week ago and instead of palms, they brought me this sprig of green given to the tourists. 

Now I'm off to write in my journal on my sunny patio -- about Easter and spring's renewal. I like to use this day to refocus my own life each year and recount my gratitudes. 

 

Compiling a List of Spiritual Teachers and Images on Pinterest

I'll admit that I have become a fan of Pinterest, although I limit my time there to no more than 15 minutes per day. Now that I have my taxes ready for the accountant, I might just allow myself a little more time this weekend. Why, you ask? Just because, I answer. Though I have a wide circle of friends and family who stay in touch as best they can given their busy lives, I'm basically a solitary person. The escape into the Internet periodically is a form of reward--along with long escapes into reading books. The art has suffered greatly in the last few weeks. Somehow I've been able to rationalize that, since I don't play any kind of games on the Internet, time spent there is to enhance my knowledge base. Ha!

But, there are positives, too. On Pinterest I created a board I call Spirituality but so far I mostly have placed images of some of the writers, theologians, and spiritual teachers who have influenced me. Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson is one of those teachers. 

If you are not familiar with Gene Robinson, I read this interesting article about him at American Progress tonight. Since the late Thomas Merton is another of my influential teachers from earlier years, I often wonder if he would have become more liberal as he grew older. As with politics, I am also drawn to liberal religions and contemplative spirituality. 

I was also doing a little research on the former Catholic priest Matthew Fox of creation spirituality and was really taken back by a blog by a Catholic priest Fr. Z, or John Zuhlsdorf (slavishly accurate liturgical translations & frank commentary on Catholic issues ) where he criticizes Fox. Supposedly Fox is now an Episcopal priest, and I'll admit that he has gotten pretty extreme. But Fr. Z. obviously does NOT believe in the way Gene Robinson does.  

Ah, politics and religion, we should never discuss them, right? But spirituality and religion are among my personal top interests. I just rarely voice them here. I'm not sure anyone even really reads here anymore, but if anything will bring people out of the woodwork, this post might.