Chelsea’s EWTN Appearance on YouTube
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Posted by Cindy – July 10th, 2010
Daughter Chelsea’s appearance on EWTN’s “Life on the Rock” is now available on YouTube. Check it out!
PathToHoliness
Sanctification in Daily Work
Grotto of Our Sorrowful Mother
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Posted by Cindy – August 8th, 2009
Something I never expected to find on my first visit to the Pacific Northwest was a beautiful grotto dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
My friend Pat Morrow promised me a “surprise” when I joined her at the agriculture-related event in Portland, Oregon. The surprise was an afternoon at “The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother” – better known as just “The Grotto.”
This beautiful 62 acre Catholic Shrine and botanical garden was established in 1924 and is administered by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary. The central attraction, Our Lady’s Grotto, was carved from solid basalt in the cliff wall in 1925. Above its natural rock altar is the white marble replica of Michelangelo’s famed masterpiece, the Pieta. High above the grotto’s cliff stands the bronze statue of Our Sorrowful Mother, designed especially for the Sanctuary and blessed in the Vatican by Pope Pius XI in 1934 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Servite Order.
There is much more to the Grotto and to see it all requires an elevator ride up to the top of the cliff (for a nominal fee) and we spent about four hours on a lovely day exploring the grounds. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Portland.
Post update: Here is a video on YouTube that I put together with photos from our visit.
Dominicans and Dalmatians
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Posted by Cindy – August 8th, 2009
Today is the feast day of St. Dominic and on a visit to Portland, Oregon this week I learned something about Dominicans that I never knew – they have a thing for Dalmatians.
The Holy Rosary Church in Portland features stained-glass window depictions of the mysteries of the Rosary, which is pretty common. What was different about these is that they each had a little Dalmatian worked into the scene. It made me go and look up the connection.
According to the Mythology of Dogs by Loretta Hausman, the association of the Dalmatian and the Dominicans originates from a dream that St. Dominic’s mother had in which she saw a dog holding a flaming torch in its mouth, guiding her son to set a fire of truth to the world.
The Dominicans became associated with Dalmatians specifically because the colors correspond to the order’s colors of black and white for habits and hoods. Pope Honorius is said to have proclaimed Dominicans Domini canes, or the “watchdogs of the Lord.”