Lillia Meadow

He was pastor of the Madalene church during planning and construction of the first parish building, in 1947. He said the first masses in the church 3 days before the dedication. He helped design the permanent church structure in an extremely modern architectural style and was honored with an award by the American Institute of Architects in 1954. The sanctuary featured a terracotta crucifix, the work of Father John Leo Walsh. The parish members helped make the cross and install it, along with the stations of the cross. Father McNamee performed 4 masses there every Sunday for years without the help of an assistant priest. A number of families asked to retain their membership at the Madalene after moving out of the parish boundaries, and other families who lived well outside the parish requested to transfer membership to the church under Fr. McNamee.

Rev. McNamee was also the inventor of the Kant Tangle rosary which was patented in 1942. It configured the standard Marian rosary as a circle, preventing the crucifix from becoming knotted in the decade beads. Attached is a photo of the patent drawing. He was granted a leave from pastorate of the Madalene church in 1968. He served as administrator of an experimental parish, the Community of the Living Christ, before retiring in 1972. On 30 August 1975, Father James McNamee died in Tusla at age 73.

Can you imagine washing the feet of a homeless person? St Oswald of Worchester did it, 12 times a day during Lent. In fact, he was in the act of washing a homeless man's feet when he died on 29 February 992. He founded a number of monasteries during his time as bishop and archbishop of York, England.  He is one of the few Medieval saints whose biography and hagiography were written shortly after his death by people who knew him, and a psalter (a book of psalms and devotional readings) that were used by Oswald still exist and are kept at Sidney Sussex College of Cambridge University.  He developed a system of calculating the date of Easter for each year, and it was also used for centuries to try to predict date of the Last Judgment. 28 February is his feast day.

St Therese rose rosary

The story goes something like this: During World War I, soldiers and other military personnel were issued official GI Catholic rosaries made from sturdy steel ball chain for use in the fox holes and ramparts, battlefields and bunkers at government expense, almost as part of the uniform.  Even Protestants, Jews and atheists, too, were seen charging the enemy with these special rosaries flapping around their necks for protection and comfort.  They were called "Combat rosaries."

The truth is, all those rosaries and holy medals weren't issued by the US military at all, they were paid for and shipped to the battlefields by the folks back home, the mothers, fathers, sisters, sweethearts, parish members and communities, who had rosary drives and collected money to buy "soldier kits" and "soldier rosaries" to send to the troops overseas.  Some sent the kits and beads directly to their sons on the front, others sent them to medics and chaplains to distribute to the troops as needed.  Although they were given to soldiers from the hands of military chaplains, they were not paid for with federal tax dollars or commissioned by the federal government or the US military.  They came from ordinary Americans who wanted to support the spiritual needs of the men in the trenches.

Solider kits contained a ball chain rosary, a field missal that had steps to take when a comrade was dying and prayers for safety and courage, etc., and a "dog tag" medal that had the Miraculous Medal/Sacred Heart/St Christopher/St Joseph on the front and "I am a Catholic" on the back.  The medal usually had a enameled red, white and blue military shield in the center of the cross.  The typical medal was steel, but mothers could pay a dollar extra to get sterling silver on a sterling chain.

In fact, though, many soldiers made do with rosaries they fashioned themselves by knotting string or drawstrings and cords from their own uniforms, or with bits of shrapnel or shot tied together in groups of tens.  These were called "trench rosaries," and were often more beloved than any other peyer because every bead reminded the soldier of a friend, a battle, a place encountered during the war.  The cords were worn and dirty, because they had passed through soldier's grubby hands many times, and sometimes one cord had to serve and entire unit, each man saying a Hail Mary on it, then passing it to his neighbor.  Some trench rosaries have as many as 100 knots, 50 for the standard Marian rosary, and 50 more for the Lorento litany, a prayer cycle with 50 names of the Virgin Mary.  These rosaries are very rare now.  Most have been tossed out because heirs didn't know what they were or understand their importance.

The term "service rosary" was invented during World War II to market the ball chain rosaries in newspaper and radio ads.  One radio spot said, "Don't send your son to war with a rosary that could break when he needs it most. Send him a rosary that will withstand everything Hitler can throw at it. The Service Rosary is strong as American steel because it is made from American steel."  

"Combat rosary" was first used in the 1980s to market reproductions of the ball chain rosaries.

Most of what is sold as WWI service rosaries are actually from WWII.  The First World War ball chain rosaries had a simple oval centerpiece and a plain Latin cross. Heart-shaped centers and fancy crosses came much later, during WWII and Korea.  Many "combat rosaries" being marketed now are reproductions and sometimes even fakes, newly made reproductions that are intentionally aged by burying them in the ground for months so they develop a rich patina, and even beaten with hammers and chains to make the dents and marks buyers expect to see on a rosary that went to war.  So be cautious when buying an “antique” combat rosary.

HOPE FOR SUICIDE VICTIMS

The Catholic faith was once so rich in prayer chaplets that don't get used much today.  One of them is this chaplet for the souls of victims of suicide, a chain of prayers said by the loved ones left behind that grant indulgence to their suffering in purgatory. 

A 19th century book on rosaries and chaplets says Pope Pius IX authorized the use of this chaplet, with each bead providing 100 days of indulgence on behalf of a person who died at his/her own hands.  The Catholic catechism states that prayer for persons who died by suicide is proper: "(2283) We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives."

The chaplet has 8 blue beads that present the hope of heaven, one separate blue bead, a Sacred Heart medal and there may have a tiny key that symbolizes Christ’s power to admit souls to heaven.

This chaplet is a circle that brings you back to the first bead so you can pray the cycle over as many times as you want without pause.

This is how to pray the chaplet: On the medal: O Gentlest Heart of Jesus ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in purgatory, have mercy on the soul of thy departed servant (name).  Be not severe in Thy judgment but let some drops of Thy precious blood fall upon the devouring flames, and do Thou O merciful Savior send Thy angels to conduct Thy departed servant to a place of refreshment, light and peace.  Amen.

On the first (large) bead: Our Father

On the corporal beads (x8): May the souls of the sorrowful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Jesus have mercy on the soul of (name).

All good fashionable Catholic women had pearl rosaries in the late 1920s and early 1930s.  Women had put away the black beads of mourning that they took up during and after WWI, as they were ready to feel joyful again.  The pearly white color and radiance all spoke to the purity and ethereal quality of heaven, where many beloved fallen soldiers waited for them.  Pearl rosaries were a sign of moving on from the past.

“A Peyre of Rosaries”

I recently heard an elderly woman refer to a rosary as a “pair of rosaries.”  I never heard this phrase before and was confused.  She was only holding a single rosary, not two.  She said she didn’t know why she called her prayer beads a pair,  just that her grandmother and mother always called a single rosary a pair of rosaries.  So, nerd that I am, I finally looked it up.

The word “pair” as it’s used here comes from “peyre,” a Chaucerian English word for “complete set,” with no relation to the number two.  It comes from the Latin word “par” which in this context means “enough.”

Back in the late 1300s, rosary beads usually came in chains of 10, all Our Father beads.  Ten Our Fathers were enough to fulfill your prayer obligations back then. You can see a set like this if you do a Google image search for “Henry VIII rosary.” 

In just weeks, many people in Australia and New Zealand will be planting their gardens! 

Now is the time to start garden plants from seeds.  But seed starting trays can be so expensive!  I went to my local home center and found that peat pots and starting trays for 3 dozen plants would cost me over $35.

So, being cheap about something I was going to throw away anyway, I decided to make my own.

We buy fresh local eggs that come in blue foam egg cartons.  Our local recycling takes almost everything, but they don't want foam cartons.  We save bunches of them to take to a big city recycling center, so I have a few around the house. The little cells are perfect for starting little plants!

Here is how to convert egg cartons to seed starters:

First, use scissors to cut off the tab that latches the top to the bottom.  That can be discarded.

Then, use scissors to cut the top away from the bottom.  Now you have two pieces, the part with the cells and the flat top. 

Use scissors to poke a drain hole in the bottom of each cell.

Put the cell half into the top to catch spills from watering the plants.

Buy a bag of seed starter medium, which you can probably find at almost any store this time of year.  I bought mine at Big Lots for $4.

Fill each cell with seed starter medium.  Press down lightly on the medium in each cell to make sure it is fully filled.  This will give the roots something to anchor into and it will hold moisture better than loose medium.

Use a pencil or a chop stick to make a small hole in the medium in each cell.  If you are planting seeds from a picture packet, look at the planting instructions on the back of the packet to see how deep to make the hole.  This will help support the sprout as it grows and keep the roots from drying out.

If you can't find seed starting medium, my grandfather used to start his seeds in peat moss.

Garden soil isn't the best medium for starting seeds because it can harbor funguses and other pathogens that may kill your young plants.  If you absolutely have to use soil, look online for instructions on how to sanitize it.

When it’s time to plant outdoors, it is easy to get the plants out of their egg carton pots, just push your thumb up through the little hole in the bottom of each cell.

REAL or FAKE?

I found this sampler offered at a local “very fine antiques auction” represented as being authentically 200 years old.

It sold for $12,550.00 to a dealer from another state.

Beautiful, isn't it?  But it's fake

How can we tell?

The linen background is machine made, very even, with machine-spun linen threads, not homespun and home weaved, which would have irregularities in the thickness of the thread and uneven weave grid.

Also, it is stitched with modern Mercerized embroidery floss, a finishing process that makes cotton look like silk which was invented in 1844, 27 years after this sampler was supposedly made.

It has the look of age, but the brown staining that is suppose to be migration of iron oxide from the black embroidery thread traveled upward as far as it did downward, when gravity would have made the stain go downward more than upward, and the discoloration barely migrated to either side.  Real 200-year-old stains would be shaped like fishtail, narrower at the top of the lettering, wider and longer at the bottom.  The stains look more like tea or dye applied to the fabric with a wide brush  by a person who has never seen antique samplers.

Also, after 200 years, the stains would be associated with deterioration of the fabric substrate around the stitching, but there is little if any.   In fact, the fabric substrate is in nearly-new condition. 

There should be traces of transfer of color from the floss to the linen fabric, but there is none. That’s more a sign of modern colorfast flosses than antique silk or thread.

Moreover, since it is mounted to a wood board and placed in a dark-stained frame, the fabric should show leaching of wood tannin and old wood stain.  This linen has none.  

The water stains at the top and left side lack the characteristic dark band along the leading edge that real water staining would have.

Checking genealogical records for a Mary Ann Broadhourst, born around 1806, none are recorded in the US, England or Canada in 1810 to 1830. Yes, only the head of household were listed by name in the census, but no one named Broadhourst had a daughter the right age.

Finally, an 11 year old of the early 1800s would be a more accomplished stitcher than this sample shows. The design is simplistic and the stitches are very irregular, more like the work of a 6 or 7 year old girl of the times.  Eleven year old girls in the early 1800s would have been embroidering for years and their work would be of excellent quality and fine design.  The proof of their value as future wives was in their needlework and their education centered on it.

This recipe is so cheap to make and yet so delicious!

Perfect for football season, tailgating, or any time you have leftover chicken.

It's a great way to use up rotisserie chicken.

Leftover Chicken Chili

1-1/2 to 2 cups leftover chicken chopped in bite-size pieces or 3/4 to 1 lb cooked ground chicken or turkey

1 cup diced sweet peppers

1/2 cup diced onion

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup ketchup

1 packet chili seasoning

3 to 10 dashes hot sauce, to your taste.

Mix everything in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 8 hours.  You can leave it in the slow cooker longer if you need more time til you can sit down to eat.

I like to saute the onions and peppers a little before adding them to the pot.  They impart a more mellow flavor and are more pleasant to eat than when they are added raw.

We love it topped with crushed corn chips and sharp cheddar and served with a side salad.

That's it.  15 minutes to make, a few hours in the crock pot.

Serves 2 adults and 1 to 2 children.

Everyone has an old clay birdbath base hanging around.  You know what happens, the bowl "bath" part gets broken and you are stuck with a useless base.  You can buy a new bowl, but they are expensive, and it can be very hard to find one that matches the base exactly.

Upcycle that old base into a new OOAK (one of a kind) birdbath for less than $5!

I found this big cute froggy bowl at a garage sale for $3.  Isn't it cute?

It's about 16 inches in diameter at the top and about 3 inches deep, perfect for a birdbath.  It's also glazed inside, so it will be easy to clean.

I painted the base to match the inside of the bowl.  If you are artistic, you could paint some matching frogs on the base, too. 

I happened to have one of those sample-size paints that you can get at the paint desk of any hardware store or paint center leftover from another project, so the paint was a freebee.  To protect it, I gave it a coat of clear gloss spray paint, also leftover from another project.

The bowl wouldn't sit well on the base, so I glued a small clay flower pot to the bottom of the bowl.  The pot fits snuggly in the opening at the top of the base.  It makes the bowl much more stable on the base.  The color of the pot matched well, and I had a box of small clay pots laying around the garage, so, it's another freebee. 

I used GE 100% silicone sealant as adhesive.  I bought it for another project months ago and had enough left over to put a thin bead around the rim of the pot.  I centered the pot on the bottom of the bowl, then placed a heavy rock on it to hold it in place while the adhesive cured.

Since I didn't glue the top directly to the base, the bowl is easy to take off for cleaning and if it gets broken, I can repeat the process with a new bowl!

24 hours later, I assembled the pieces.

A brand new, unique birdbath for less than $5!

It was so easy, it's a great project to do with your kids. 

You probably have a bowl laying around the house you could use.