Category: good for the soul

Posted on

Our Lady of Loreto Jubilee Celebrated in Military Chapels

Redstone Arsenal Bicentennial Chapel

This week I went on a brief pilgrimage with my daughter to the Redstone Arsenal Bicentennial Chapel in Huntsville, Alabama. The Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Military Community worships in this lovely chapel that serves the faithful of Redstone Arsenal.

Pope Francis has declared this year a special Jubilee for Our Lady of Loreto. This Jubilee celebration carries with it an indulgence for those who visit the Shrine of Loreto in Italy.

The story of this miraculous shrine, the House of Mary in Nazareth where the Angel Gabriel appeared to her has a fascinating story. The house was transported from Nazareth to Loreto, Italy by Angels to protect it from destruction in the 13th century.

This “flight” to save the pilgrimage site was a natural connection for Our Lady of Loreto’s patronage of aviators. Pilots in World War I turned to the Blessed Mother to protect them, and on March 24, 1920, Pope Benedict XV made the declaration official. This has now carried over beyond airmen, to include all air travellers. I appreciate this special patronage, as I travel frequently.

Pope Francis grants Our Lady of Loreto indulgence to all military chapels for this Jubilee year! Share on X

To honor this centennial of the patronage of Our Lady of Loreto, in conjunction with Pope Francis’ call for holiness in this anniversary year, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, has requested that the indulgence be extended to all military chapels in the world since all branches of the military fly. How cool is that?

And how cool that my beloved veteran and active duty family members have this protection; the pilgrimage to this lovely chapel in the NASA/Redstone community was particularly meaningful.

Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us!

Posted on

Day 2: Going Strong!

My success is probably due to actually not having a New Year’s resolution.

Nevertheless, I do make resolutions. I have goals. I make plans, some simple and some complicated. I also fail, sometimes spectacularly. And sometimes those goals and plans change with time.

Every day is an opportunity to begin. To make a plan. To set a goal. I like to keep mine simple — not necessarily easy — just simple.

Posted on

early morning fishing

this guy is standing on our crab trap watching the fishermen

One of the great benefits of moving away from a large city is discovering the ways people interact with the natural world. I’m used to nice grocery stores, neat packaging, and organized rows of buildings. A lovely cityscape at night with the bright neon colors and lights can be quite breathtaking.

But there’s also something calming and serene in a fishing community. This morning I woke up to these guys fishing right in front of us. They are quick, methodical, and fascinating to watch — it’s a strange ballet to see their coordinated efforts to lay and then collect the nets.

The fishermen keep only the legal size of what they’re fishing and throw everything back into the water, so the pelicans immediately show up to see what’s going on. The men collect the debris caught in their nets and repurpose or dispose of it. My favorite part is watching the birds follow the men long after they have finished and taken off with their catch. Greedy little birds want more.

Haha. Don’t we always want more? What a subtle lesson to pick up from them as they work. Take what you can use. Share what you don’t use. And leave things neater and better than when you got there.

Pin It on Pinterest