My Dedication

At this very moment, I am reclining on a couch, covered in a blanket. It is not cold here. Rather, I have the chills. It turns out the one of the perils of travel is a greater propensity to falling ill. For this this is especially strange since I do not usually “get sick”. I feel bad that my daughter also caught this nasty bug that seems to be like a stomach flu. For her, she couldn’t hold anything down. For me, I just feel like my entire body – muscle, bone, joints – is under attack. I do not like this but I am attempting to offer it up. I take from this the valuable lesson that I should not travel without a stock of “Vitamin I”. A dose of that at the onset and I would be where I am supposed to be now, instead of lying on a coach.

As you may have been able to guess from the picture yesterday (and my blatant, naked words) that I am in Northern Virginia. If you have followed anything carefully over the past few years, you will note that there is a Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, VA, and that this college is dedicating a magnificent new chapel as we speak. I was supposed to be there. Along with many other souls, my wife and I gave toward the building of the chapel – not for personal glory, but for God’s glory and so that these young men and women students be inspired to right worship.

And then, last fall, the bishop began “moving things around”. I could have said “quashing the Latin Mass”. I am going to take him at his word. I am not worried. It is still beautiful. There is still incredible potential to inspire. And one day, I do believe that the Tradition Latin Mass will be offered on the high altar and I will hopefully be there.

But my real purpose in writing this post is to show you all something.

Those two window arches will soon hold two windows of saints that are very dear to me and to our family. Primarily, one window will depict the Saint of the Impossible. I have always wanted to provide an image of my favorite Cascian saint to a church that maybe someone will see her and be inspired to read about her and pray for her intercession. Also, I do not mention any of this to brag. I really am humbled that we were able to be a part of the building of this structure and I am thrilled to have finally been able to adorn a church with a Rita!

So, God be praised! Prayers all around for the diocese!

St. Rita of Cascia, ora pro nobis!