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Day Twelve of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. We have an interesting landmark today that spans many States: THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER This river was explored and documented by French Catholics, most notably Fr. Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet. Fr. Marquette has a statue in Statuary Hall in the Capitol representing Wisconsin. Father Marquette named the river: La Rivière de l'Immaculée Conception after the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Algonquin tribe had named the river Messipi, which means "Father of Waters" and that name was eventually adopted into Mississippi. Cities along the river that have a strong Catholic heritage are: St. Paul, MN Dubuque, IA Davenport, IA St. Louis, MO Memphis< TN New Orleans, LA There is actually so many Catholic connections to this river that I could cover, but for brevity's sake, I can't go on and on. This picture was taken in 2023 while I was out on a river cruise in Memphis. I've crossed the Mississippi so many times I've lost count. Driving from the east to Kansas City on I-70, I've driven across it many, many times. Thankfully, I don't have to do it in a covered wagon anymore. When I was looking up information on the river, there's even a pilgrimage that you can take starting at the headwaters in Minnesota and finishing up in New Orleans. I don't know about you, but this pilgrim is highly interested in that. Have a great day, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
Continue ReadingOver a month ago I made a short 9-second video on why Catholics have crucifixes. It literally took me all of two minutes to make it. For the video, I wrote, "Why do Catholics have crucifixes instead of bare crosses? Because we need to be reminded of what nailed Our Lord to the cross." It has been one of the most controversial videos I have ever made with thousands of views, shares, and hundreds of comments. Loads of comments were the typical nonsense, straw-man arguments. "Stop worshipping statues." "Jesus isn't on the cross anymore. He hasn't been on the cross for 2000 years." The most snarky of comments was this: "So, basically Catholics aren't as impacted as the rest of the world and for some reason they need to be reminded constantly because they have poor memory." Poor St. Paul, I guess he wasn't as impacted as modern day Christians seeing as he wrote that "we preach Christ crucified." First, we don't worship statues. Just because we have a depiction of someone doesn't mean we worship the representation. We don't think the statues are literally that person. Second, no Catholic believes that Jesus is still on the cross. Not a single one. We are an Easter people, as St. John Paul II proclaimed. But, you cannot talk about Easter without understanding the impact of Good Friday. To the snarky man, I wrote back, "Well, seeing as we humans continue to sin, even though we, as Christians, know what Our Lord did, yeah, I'd say we all have poor memories and need to be reminded. Unless, of course, you somehow are the one person here on earth that doesn't sin anymore because you have been so impacted. If so, congratulations." St. Paul says in our second reading today from Romans, "But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." It is gazing upon a crucifix that I see the totality of Jesus' love for me. The cross is where He atoned for the sins that I could never atone for, it is where He saved me. I have a few empty crosses in my house, but they don't impact me the way a crucifix does. Yes, my Lord is risen, indeed, but I will always need to remember why He had to rise in the first place. Have a blessed Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingDay Nine of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's Location: US NAVAL ACADEMY I've realized that I'm a mid-sized town gal and Annapolis definitely appealed to me. Annapolis is home to the Naval Academy, which I got to visit in 2022. We have two Catholic connections. 1. This gate that you see here is named after Commodore John Barry who was a devout Irish Catholic. He died long before the Academy came around, but he was personally chosen by George Washington to be the very first commissioned officer and first flag officer of the permanent U.S. Navy. 2. If you visit the Naval Academy Chapel there is a basement where you will find a Blessed Sacrament room. It is in honor of Servant of God Father Capodonna, the "Grunt" padre that was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. Every September there is a Mass said in his honor in the chapel. Even though my hubby is an Airman, I am the granddaughter of a WWII Navy vet. While my grandfather did not attend here, it was still special for me to visit. I highly recommend Annapolis, Catholic Pilgrims, and if you are able to be cleared onto the Academy, I would encourage you visit. The grounds are beautiful. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
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