On Miracles

"Pour celui qui sait regarder, tout est miracle."  That was one of the sentences I had to translate during my Reading French class last night ... For those who know how to look, everything is miracle.

I have an interesting relationship with miracles, ranging from unbelief to mystery.  On the one hand, anyone who has prayed for a very bad thing NOT to happen, only to have it happen, is devastated. Likewise, someone who prays FOR a very good thing likely finds themselves disappointed when it does not take place.  Feelings like devastation and disappointment can lead to nagging doubt in the very existence of miracles in the first place.

But then there are those wonderful moments, some unexpected, others against all odds, of life and love and the presence of God all around us.  That's where  mystery comes in.  I've experienced such moments, and my guess is you have too, even if you haven't called them miracles per se.

Of course, our Roman Catholic tradition has a specific type of thing in mind when it uses the term, "miracle."  I was just reading this morning in the NYT of the newly invigorated effort to canonize the certainly saintly Dorothy Day.  They noted that the effort faces a rather large hurdle, namely two miracles that must occur through prayers of intercession to her. In the print version of the story, the article said something to the effect that this would be harder for Dorothy Day than someone like Mother Teresa, since so many more people know who Mother Teresa is and presumably would be praying to her.  But I don't think it's a numbers game.

No, I don't think it's a game at all.  Rather, I think that saints are people who experience and respond to the love of God in a particularly profound way and that miracles are opportunities for us to catch a glimpse of God's love and powerful presence in our lives.

Today is apparently the feast of the Miraculous Medal (pictured to the right). My mother had a special if private devotion to Mary.  After her death, I found one of these medals in her jewelry box.  Now, I had returned to the active practice of my Catholic faith a few years earlier, but the idea of dedicating my life in service to God as a Sister was very far from my mind.  I simply missed my mother and knew that I would have to go through a lot in the weeks and months ahead without her, and so I decided to wear the medal underneath my clothes as a special way of remembering my Mom and having her be present to me.

Well, there certainly was a lot to deal with in the time ahead.  The funeral was hard of course, as was the sorting through of her things, but also learning how to be a family without her here with us (we're still figuring that out truth be told).  Then, around the first anniversary of my mom's death, my Dad had a brain injury and emergency surgery.  I flew to DC to be with him while he was in ICU.  It was a very scary time, and I found myself touching the medal around my neck from time to time.

I was there by myself for the first few days while my siblings rearranged schedules.  I needed some time away, so I took a break at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which was very near the hospital.  There I discovered a shrine to the Miraculous Medal.  I learned the story of the medal that I'd been wearing every day for more than a year.  I discovered St. Catherine Laboure whose vision of the Virgin Mary inspired the medal.  And I learned that in the tradition, wearing the medal with faith and devotion can bring special graces through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

I was admittedly floored.  Because, you see, during that very hard first year without my mom in my life, I had indeed also experienced many special graces.  I'd developed a prayer life that gave deep meaning to my life.  My relationship with God had matured.  I found a goal and purpose for my life and renewed life and energy.  And I had begun to explore that maybe just possibly I might have a vocation to religious life in general and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in particular.

Now, if someone had told me, "Wear this medal and you might receive special graces through Our Lady," I no doubt would have laughed and said no thank you.  But I had been drawn to the medal through my memory of my mother and her devotion to Mary.  I wore the medal faithfully and it was a great source of consolation to me.  And the rest, well, let's just say I can find no other word to describe my very unexpected vocation journey and the deep love and joy and life it brings me daily other than miracle.

I no longer wear the medal.  It's in storage in Seattle, I think. There's more to my vocation story than the medal of course.  Important people helped me discover that quiet voice deep inside and the outward expressions of a call.  Incredible experiences of the power of God's love for me opened my heart.  I experienced affirmation, confirmation, and peace in many ways. But if I'm honest, the medal is at the very least a part of my story, part of my experience, and proof to me that my mother is journeying with me along the way.  What, after all, is more miraculous than the power of a mother's love?

Foggy Headed Blog Quiz

Given the normal state of things, I think this silly blog quiz is actually fairly accurate:

Your Thoughts Are Creative

When it comes to thinking, you definitely like to "color outside the lines" a little. You're not totally wacky, but you do put your own interesting spin on the world. For you, every contrast is a little bit deeper and every idea is a little more profound. Amazing things can come from your thoughts. You've got a lot of original ideas in there.

The Thought Bubble Test

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

But, I've succombed to the cold weather crud and my thoughts are more foggy than anything else.  Alas, I still have 16 pages of a 20 page paper to write, and another 20 page paper to research and write in the next two weeks. Professors also keep assigning interesting readings (as if I have time!).  Sigh ... All will be well. I just wish I would be well soon! :)

Consumer Responsibility on Black Friday

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, traditionally a day to give thanks, as the name implies, and to spend time with family and loved ones away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.  Some folks throw watching the parade or football into the mix.  All of us eat too much of treasured family recipes and sleep inducing turkey.  All in all, it's a great holiday in my book.

Except that increasingly, bit by bit over the years, it has become a day not to give thanks for what we already have, but to plan how to get what we want.  Yes, I'm talking about the advent of "Black Friday," infamous for "door buster" sales which now not only begin at midnight, but in some cases begin on Thanksgiving Day itself.

We all have to make our own choices.  Some may find that the only way they can afford to give their children the new clothing and shoes they need, and the toys and electronics equipment they really want, is by shopping strategically during the Thanksgiving Holiday.  I get that.  But I also highly doubt that the hordes of folks who will be pounding the shopping mall pavement in the next 36 hours really need everything that will fill their shopping carts.  Granted, part of my cynicism may come from having worked as a cashier at K-Mart for five Christmases.  It's not pretty from the other side of that cashier counter, with the never ending loop of Christmas music blaring and folks fighting over the last box of this year's "it"  toy.

Yet my caution and concern also comes from what I know about the reality of child and forced labor in our supply chain, on the one hand, and the forces of supply and demand on the other.  The two, sadly, are connected.  We demand cheap products in quantities well beyond the scope of our needs or even our moderate wishes.  Manufacturers and retailers give us those products at relatively little costs to us, but we might pause and wonder whether the workers making the products received a living wage, or what conditions they worked under.  We might pause to think of the children of the cashier left at home while their mother or father works on Thanksgiving Day, earning minimum wage, so that you can get your door buster prices ahead of the pack.

For those who want to pause and ponder before they purchase, I'd like to point you to some wise words from a source that might surprise you ... Pope Benedict XVI.  His 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), has some thought provoking words for the consumers among us, which would of course be all of us.

It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral — and not simply economic — act. Hence the consumer has a specific social responsibility, which goes hand-in- hand with the social responsibility of the enterprise. Consumers should be continually educated regarding their daily role, which can be exercised with respect for moral principles without diminishing the intrinsic economic rationality of the act of purchasing. In the retail industry, particularly at times like the present when purchasing power has diminished and people must live more frugally, it is necessary to explore other paths: for example, forms of cooperative purchasing like the consumer cooperatives that have been in operation since the nineteenth century, partly through the initiative of Catholics. In addition, it can be helpful to promote new ways of marketing products from deprived areas of the world, so as to guarantee their producers a decent return. (Caritas in Veritate #66)

So, before you embark on your holiday shopping spree, stop and reflect on his words.  Do you think of your purchases as a moral act? Do you consider the hands that have touched that product, bringing it to the shelves of your local discount store?  How might you be creative in supporting fair trade and just wages?  Are there ways that you can be a more conscious consumer, buy less, reduce or recycle?  Have you considered alternative giving options, like a donation to a local charity or a micro-loan through kiva.org?

As you prepare to celebrate this holiday season, I invite you to spend some time reflecting on how your consumer choices can help contribute to the life and well-being of your global neighbors, even as you meet the needs and some of the wants of your loved ones.

Peace and a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Where I've Been

I know that my blog posts have been pretty few and far between.  You might wonder where it is I've been instead.  Well, for the most part I have been engaged in a nerd-festival, reading all about Reconciliation and Forgiveness, Moral Theology and the link between Spirituality/Liturgy and the Quest for Justice.  I've also been wrangling with a required philosophy course, but that's more muddling through than nerding out.

We're reaching the end of the semester.  Which leads me to where I'll be the next three weeks as I launch into my last two research papers (I'm happy to say I substantially finished one!):

"The Delicate Work of Time Management At the End of the Semester" via Mary is My Homegirl

This picture captures it.  I've borrowed it from one of my new favorite solidarity finding study break activities ... perusing the new-ish-to-me tumblr, "Mary is My Homegirl."  Or, as the anonymous author describes it on the tumbler: "Coping with the terrible life choice of studying catholic theology in graduate school."

Here's another favorite:

"When I Get Invited to Something Fun But I Have to Write:"
It's like

That was last weekend.  I skipped out on two fun invites so I could hunker down and finish my Reconciliation paper.  But it's done, and now I'm happy!  Also, my time management is so very important because this year I live in the same city as my sister and her family and get to have a local family Thankgsiving for the first time in 20+years!!!  And, the next day ..... I'm going to the circus with the family, including my little 2 1/2 year old nephew.  Happiness will ensue ... followed by a weekend chock full of research and paper writing!

On Bernardin and Common Ground

This morning I joined a small group to celebrate and remember the life of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin on this, the 16th Anniversary of his death.  Regular readers of the blog might remember that I was lucky enough to be selected as a Bernardin Scholar through the Bernardin Center here at CTU.  As scholars, we learn about the Cardinal and his legacy, in particular his "signature issues"--reconciliation and peacemaking, inter-religious dialogue, consistent ethic of life, and common ground.

We joined some of the Cardinal's friends for a lovely memorial mass at the Bishops' mausoleum.  It was a small group who have gathered every year on this day.  Everyone was very gracious in welcoming our group of Bernardin Scholars to the celebration.  After I selected my seat, I realized that I was seated right next to the crypt where the Cardinal's remains are awaiting the resurrection. Very powerful.

In the last weeks of his life, which ended far too early, the Cardinal launched his Catholic Common Ground initiative.  Looking around the Church these days, it seems to me as if we would do well to reflect upon his insights and visions.  So on this day, I give you a few excerpts from a talk he gave on October 24, 1996, less than one month before he died.

In the Cardinal's words:

Two and a half months ago, I announced an initiative called the Catholic Common Ground Project.  My aim was to help Catholics address, creatively and faithfully, questions that are vital if the Church in the United States is to flourish as we enter the next millennium   At every level, we needed, I felt, to move beyond the distrust, the polarization, and the entrenched positions that have hampered our responses. ... 

Common ground, in this sense, is not a new set of conclusions.  It is a way of exploring our differences. It is a common spirit and ethic of dialogue.  It is a space of trust set within boundaries.  It is a place of respect where we can explore our differences, assured in the understanding that neither is everything 'cut-and-dried' nor is everything 'up for grabs.' ... 

In the Church's history, differences have often been the seedbeds of our most profound understanding of God and salvation.  Differences and satisfaction have spurred extraordinary institutional creativity.  And differences too often have provoked unnecessary, wasteful, and sometimes terrible division. ... 

Are the differences among U.S. Catholics generating reflection, exchange, debate, ideas, initiative, decisiveness? Or are they producing distrust, polemics, weariness, withdrawal, inertia, deadlock? 

No one can answer these questions definitively.  But I and many others representing a range of theological outlooks feel that, in far too many cases, the brave new sparks and steady flame of vitality in the Church are being smothered by the camps and distractions of our quarrels. 

... [T]he Catholic Common Ground Project offers the promise of our rising above hardened party lines and finding renewal in the splendor of truth revealed in the person of Jesus who is our Lord and our savior. 

This evening, I assure you that, having entered the final phase of my life's journey, I am even more committed than before to this central conviction.  A dying person does not have time for the peripheral or the accidental.  He or she is drawn to the essential, the important--yes, the eternal.  And what is important  my friends, is that we find that unity with the Lord and within the community of faith for which Jesus prayed so fervently on the night before he died.  To say it quite boldly, it is wrong to waste the precious gift of the time given to us, as God's chosen servants, on acrimony and division. 

And so, in that spirit I hand on to you the gift that was given to me-- a vision of the Church that trusts in the power of the Spirit so much that it can risk authentic dialogue.  I hand that gift on to you without fear or trepidation.  I say this because I know that it is a gift you already prize and cherish.  I ask you, without waiting and on your own, to strengthen the common ground, to examine our situation with fresh eyes, open minds, and changed hearts, and to confront our challenges with honesty and imagination.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, together, we can more effectively respond to the challenges of our times as we carry forward the mission that the Lord Jesus gave to us, his disciples.  It is to promote that mission that the constructive dialogue we seek is so important.

Amen.  Pray for us Cardinal Bernardin.

You can read the entire text of "Faithful and Hopeful: The Catholic Common Ground Project" online via the Archdiocese of Chicago Archives.  You can also learn more about the project that is now housed at the Bernardin Center at CTU.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I professed my perpetual vows as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace!

On Prudence & Religious Life - Louise Dempsey, CSJP

I'm engrossed in some serious research for three research papers that are due in exactly one month.  One of the papers is on the virtue of prudence.  I'm looking at prudence as considered from Aquinas to today, with particular attention to its potential in the moral formation of 21st century consumers.  We shall see where that goes.  At the very least I will learn something in the process.

When I was in New Jersey last month, I discovered that I am by no means the first CSJP to explore the virtue of prudence.  One of my CSJP Sisters lent me a copy of a 1964 Masters Thesis written by one of the "giants" of our community, Sister Louise Dempsey. I knew Louise in her later years after a stroke when she had a gentle smile but was unable to communicate much otherwise.  She was elected our first "Sister President" in 1970.  I also had a chance to get to know her a bit in this capacity during a novitiate research assignment on our Congregation Leaders. Sister Louise passed away in 2008. She was an amazing woman by all accounts.

Now I am reading her 1964 Masters Thesis from her studies at the Providence College Summer School of Sacred Theology for Sisters.  Given that she was instrumental in my community's response and renewal following Vatican II, it is a true privilege to be reading her early thinking on the topic.  You see, her thesis was entited "The Function of Prudence in a Program of Renovation."

For the purposes of my own research paper, she is now teaching me, putting the theology of Thomas Aquinas into very understandable language and pointing me to the sections I need to read in the Summa!  She is also teaching me about religious life, the renewal, and what it means to be a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace.  Here are a few of the more key passages. Enjoy!

"Religious life, even by its very name, implies the necessity for growth, change, adaptation.  All living beings experience such transformation, otherwise death or extinction is inevitable.  In order, however, to insure the permanency of the essentials of this religious life in the process of this growth and development, prudence is indispensable so that wisdom and zeal will render adaptation and renovation efficacious.  The giving or restoring of life, even living itself, has always involved risks; religious life is not immune to this law.  The saints risked everything."

“The necessity for adaptation and renovation is forcing itself on religious institutes. The problems to be solved and the decisions to be made repeatedly call for the application of the virtue of prudence.”

"Changed times are to be met with new and appropriate means.  Responsibility to effect such changes devolves upon Major Superiors and General Chapters who must proceed conscientiously, prudently, and courageously always under the direction of ecclesiastical authorities.  Cardinal Suenens succinctly expresses the vital challenge: 'The whole matter,' he said, 'is summed up in the question: where and how are the cause of God and the visible extension of His kingdom best served?'"

"While the basic and fundamental elements of religious life should be maintained and nurtured, those which are no longer beneficial or efficacious, and which even hinder a greater good, should be discarded.  This is the key point that demands a sincere, prudent investigation. ... It is in these areas that the virtue of prudence will fulfill the role of a special guide since all programs of renovation and adaptation are nothing more than the applications of prudence within modern religious life.  The abilities to make proper decisions and to assume responsibility with competence are marks of a mature person."

"Applied to the attitudes of the founders of religious congregations, it appears evident to the contemporary nun that the founders were not satisfied with the service of the needs of the Church in their day; otherwise they would not have founded a new religious body. Experience also serves to prove the age-old truth that a living organism does not remain immobile for a long time, that respect for the past should not be a deterrent to the progress of today."

"The Church's needs today, however, demand the presence of Sisters in the direct apostolate.  Since they are the normal auxiliaries of the hierarchy in the apostolate, the Sisters must not fail in this great mission.  Responsibility in areas of religious instruction, parish organization, and social work for the greater good of souls presents a reasonable demand upon Sisters.  No one would maintain that a Sister's energies are unbounded or that she is expendable but the attainment of her capabilities is far from being realized.  The anti-feminist tradition, too often inspired by some canonists and spiritual writers, militates against nuns' freedom to participate in areas which could profit by their presence and in ways would hasten a desirable renewal.  Prudence is the virtue of human risks, and risks must be taken.  Superiors must assess these risks cautiously, seriously, conscientiously."

"The spirit of the community should be the spirit of the founder whose spirit was one of adapting herself, her works, her community to the needs of the age.  ... A real knowledge of one's religious congregation as well as of the needs of the present age is essential so that one can prudently discern which observances can be adapted."

"The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, presents compelling reasons for the necessity of adaptation, both through example and through the Gospel itself.  Since religious are canonically erected only participating in the living organism which is the Church, they are faced with the alternative: adaptation or death.  Renovation is the law of Divine Providence evident in the renewal within the Church of approved devotions and liturgical functions suited to time and place.  Renovation has been asked for by the express will of the Supreme Pontiff exercising his supreme authority over religious institutes.  Adaptation is the universal law of history from which religious exclude themselves at the risk of becoming extinct."


"The virtue of prudence is the perfection of the ability to do or to act. Its function in a renovation program is impossible to assess, but no one is ignorant of the fact that he [or she] is obliged to love the good and accomplish it. Similarly it is more than common knowledge that the good most characteristic of the nature of [the human person] is 'to be according to reason.'  Since, however, love of the good grows by doing good, the foundations of prudence are sunk deeper and firmer to the extent that prudence bears fruit in action. And of such a one who thus acts truth Holy Scriptures assures us that he [or she] 'comes to the light.'"

Post-Election Day Prayer

(Adapted from Prayers for a Privileged People by Water Brueggemann)

Post-Election Day
You Creator God
who has ordered us
in families and communities
in clans and tribes
in states and nations.

You creator God
who enact your governance
in ways overt and
in ways hidden.
You exercise your will for
peace and for justice and for freedom.

We give you thanks for the peaceable order of
our nation and for the chance of choosing--
all the manipulative money notwithstanding.

We pray now for new governance
that your will and purpose may prevail,
that our leaders may have sense
of justice and goodness,
that we as citizens may care about the
public face of your purpose.

(and I add to this prayer....)
We pray for our diverse nation,
united in our love of family and country.
Heal our divisions and
grant us whatever it is that we need
to truly become
that more perfect union 
we yearn for and work towards.

May peace prevail,
in our national discourse and debate,
in our homes and neighborhoods
in our global community.

God bless all your children,
in every nation
on every continent.
May neighbor watch over neighbor.
May your kindom come.
Amen.

On Election Day

For as long as I can remember, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even numbered years has been a significant day in my life, since long before I was ever able to vote myself.

As a very small girl, it was the day I got to take a nap so that I could stay up late and attend my local county's Democratic Party election night party with my family (my father was an elected member of the County Council).  Music, balloons, fancy snacks and lots of energy ... it all made a big impression on this little girl.

I have wonderful memories, involving hot chocolate and warm mittens on cold mornings, of standing outside our local polling place with my mother, handing out elections materials to voters while being sure to stay the required 250 feet from the entrance of the building.  You had to be there I guess but my Mom made it lots of fun.

I even remember going into the poll with my mom, standing inside the curtained voting booth and watching her carefully make all of her selections by pulling the appropriate levers.  In the end, she'd sometimes let me pull the big lever with her to record her vote.

1992 was my first Presidential election at the age of 20.  I was home from college and voted the same way, in one of the same old fashioned voting booths and got to pull my own lever.  That was the only time really, because I think every election since then I've filled in little scantron circles on a paper ballot that is eventually read by a computer.

In 1992 I was also a poll watcher for the Democratic Party! This meant that I hung out at the poll all day, making sure that the poll workers were doing what they were supposed to do.  It was funny really because my next door neighbor, Mrs. Boyd, was in charge.  At the end of the evening when they tallied all the votes, I ran down the hall to the phone booth--this was before cell phones after all--to call the results in to party headquarters.  I had to run down the hall so I could beat the Republican Party poll watcher to the phone.  Oh the drama.

That was probably my last truly partisan election day.  A few years later I started my job as City Elections Officer, which added a different flair to election days in my life.  Now of course, I don't have any official roles other than that of voter and concerned citizen, but it's still an important day in my life.

We can take voting for granted.  Yet we never should.  Women, after all, did not get the right to vote in the U.S. until 1920, after a long hard-fought campaign of nonviolent resistance. Think about that--and thank them--the next time you vote, whether you are a man or a woman.  We must also never forget the long struggle of people of color to vote in this country as well, from the 15th Amendment to Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights movement.

In this era of corporate money, incessant campaigning and the proverbial sound byte, we can lose sight of the amazing fact that we the people, come together to decide how we live together and who will make important decisions on our behalf for the next four years.  We can lose sight that what is at stake is not my interests or preferences, but the common good.  This is an incredible right that we should not take for granted, and one which comes with great responsibility.

So, on this Election Day, if you have not already done so, please vote.

And please join me in this Election Day Prayer.

God of all nations and peoples, be with us on this Election Day and always.  Guide our citizens as they exercise their right to vote.  Inspire them to use their power and responsibility for the common good.  Comfort those who feel that their voice is not heard, especially those on the margins of society.  Heal the divisions in our country and help us to remember that we are all your children, united in our common humanity.  May we live together respectfully and may those who are elected today govern in ways that protect all life, honor human dignity, and engender peace.

All Saints Week - Giuseppe Moscati

During All Saints Week, we are highlighting a new-to-me Saint each day here on Musings of a Discerning Woman.  Today's Saint ... Guiseppe Moscati, the first modern doctor to be canonized.

He was born in Italy in 1880. He became a physician, university professor, and pioneer in the field of biochemistry.  He was noted for his holistic care of the patient. Writing to one of his former students, he once said:  "Remember that you must treat not only bodies, but also souls, with counsel that appeals to their minds and hearts rather than with cold prescriptions to be sent into the pharmacist."

In another letter to a student, he wrote:  "Not science, but charity has transformed the world."  He treated poor patients free-of-charge, and reportedly often sent them home with a prescription and a 50-lire note. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, he helped evacuate patients from a nursing home barely escaping injury himself.

He died in 1927 at the age of 47 on an ordinary day.  He went to mass, received communion which was his habit, made his rounds at the hospital, at lunch and laid down.  He never woke up.

He was canonized in 1987 during the synod of the bishops on the layity.

Read more about him here and here.

All Saints Week - Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception

During All Saints Week, we are highlighting a different new-to-me Saint each day here on Musings of a Discerning Woman.  Today's Saint ... Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception.

Born Anna Muttahupadathu in Kudamaloor in 1910, she is the first person of Indian origin to be canonized.  Anna first received the Eucharist when she was 11.  She was noted to have said often to her friends: "Do you know why I am so particularly happy today? It is because I have Jesus in my heart!"

Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by her aunt.  When she was 13, a marriage was arranged for her, a marriage she did not want.  She is reported to have caused her foot to be burned in order to avoid the marriage. 

After her foster mother died, she entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Clarist Sisters where she had been attending school. As a professed Sister she taught high school but was often sick. She suffered typhoid fever, pneumonia, nervous shock and finally a stomach tumor. She died in 1946 at the age of 35. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.

Read more about her here and here.

All Saints Week - Virginia Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli

This week, All Saints Week, we will be learning about a different new-to-me Saint.  Today's Saint ... Virginia Centurione Bracelli.  She was born in 1587 to a noble family in Genoa.  Even though she felt a calling to religious life, she was forced to marry and had two children.  By age 20, she was a widow.

She refused a second marriage which her father tried to arrange, and instead dedicated herself to charitable works and assisting people who were poor and sick in her community.  She founded a center to assist the needy in her town and gave away more than half her wealth to charitable endeavors.

Later in life, she also acted as a peacemaker between noble houses. In 1647 she facilitated reconciliation between the Archbishop and the Government. She died in 1651 at the age of 64.  She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

Read more about her here and here.

All Saints Week - Narcisa de Jesús Martillo

One of my favorite aspects of Catholic Spirituality is the communion of Saints, holy men and women who have walked the Christian path before us. Models, spiritual friends, intercessors. Pretty groovy. So, this week in honor of the Feast of All Saints I thought I'd feature some new-to-me Saints here on Musings of a Discerning woman.

Today's Saint ... Narcisa de Jesús Martillo was born in 1832 in a small Ecuadorian village.  Her mother died when she was 6 and Narcisa was called to help with domestic chores.  She used to take her spare moments in the woods near her house, praying near a guyabo tree. Her father died when she was 19 and she moved to Guayaquil.  This is when she began her mission of helping people who were poor, the sick, and abandoned children.  She funded her mission by taking a job as a seamstress.  She also supported her eight brothers and sisters. Eventually, she moved to Lima and lived as a lay person in a Dominican convent. She died on December 8, 1869. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.

Read more about her here and here.