Just another writer
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Jane de Chantal
At one point in the Renew My Church process, Saint Jane de Chantal and Saint Camillus were united as a single parish taking the combined name of Saint Faustina Kowalska. Then Saint Camillus was closed. The archdiocesan directory still lists Saint Jane de Chantal as the name of the church, but none of the signage…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Clare of Assisi (St Colette)
Thanks to the Renew My Church initiative, we have parishes which have one or more churches by a different name than the parish itself as parishes are merged and the combined parishes choose to take on a new name even as the individual churches keep their original names. The parish of Saint Clare of Assisi…
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A visit with my younger self: 6 September 1988
The fact that I face it alone makes the pain that much more unbearable. The dream is almost always the same: the general premise is that I meet Beth in some unexpected place and find that something has happened that will permit us to be together. Sometimes we make love. Sometimes I find myself dragged…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint John Vianney
The parish of Saint John Vianney is located in the nearish suburb of Northlake, which is not so named because it’s near a lake but because it is located at the intersection of Lake Street and North Avenue. For some reason, I had it in my head that the Mass began at 8a even though…
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A visit with my younger self: 22 August 1988
A very short entry this time: The story of Marconi enters my mind. At this point in my trip to Montréal, I had relocated to the hotel where I would be staying for the conference. It was in a nicer neighborhood, but ironically, access to the McGill campus by public transit was less convenient. What…
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Writerly resolutions: July status
This was a moderately productive month writing-wise. I got fair work done on the novel, finishing the rewrite and revision work on the newly inserted chapter two, along with rewriting chapter six and now I’m doing post-workshop revisions on chapter five. Chapter two, a flashback chapter, felt like something that could stand on its own…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Martha
Today is the feast of Saints Martha and Mary, and their brother Saint Lazarus. For this feast, I traveled to St Martha church in Morton Grove. The church hosts the Shrine of All Saints, with relics from over 3200 saints, but apparently it requires an appointment for a docent-led tour. In any event, I forgot…
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Today’s saint picture: Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception
Today’s saint is Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, an Indian (Indian as in Gandhi, not Geronimo) nun who was the first Indian woman to be canonized by the Catholic church. Having taken a break of nearly a week since my last picture, I can see my skills weakening with this image.
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Celestine
Today is the feast of Saint Celestine, a fifth century pope. The church of that name is in Elmwood Park, thankfully only a short drive away. The parish is unapologetically suburban in its feel, a post–Vatican II building (although the parish itself is much older). The Sunday Mass was, well, suburban. I do note…