Recta Ratio

Mary, Mother of Grace,
Mother of mercy,
Shield me from the enemy
And receive me at the hour of my death.

Amen.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

Prayer of Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri:

O Jesus, my Redeemer, O love of my soul! how much has it cost Thee to remain with us in the sacrament? To be able to remain on our altars, Thou hadst first to suffer death; afterward, in order to aid us by Thy presence, Thou hadst to submit to so many grievous insults in this sacrament. And, after all this, we are so slothful and negligent in visiting Thee, though we know that Thou so ardently desirest our visits for the purpose of enriching us with Thy graces when Thou seest us in Thy presence. Lord, pardon me; for I too have been one of these ungrateful souls. From this day forward, O my Jesus! I wish to visit Thee often, and to remain as long as I can in Thy presence, to thank Thee, to love Thee, and to ask Thy graces; for it is for this purpose that Thou remainest on earth shut up in our tabernacles, and made our prisoner of love. I love Thee, O infinite Goodness! I love Thee, O God of love! I love Thee, O sovereign Good! amiable above every good. Grant that I may forget myself and all things, in order to remember only Thy love and to spend the remainder of my life wholly occupied in pleasing Thee. Grant that from this day forward I may relish no pleasure more than that of remaining at Thy feet. Inflame my whole soul with Thy holy love. Mary, my mother, obtain for me a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament; and whenever Thou seest that I am negligent, remind me of the promise I now make of going every day to visit the Holy Sacrament.

Labels: Friday At the Foot Of the Cross

February 11th is the anniversary of the first of 18 apparitions within the space of six months. The last was on July 16th, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and my birthday.

Read a chronology of the 18 apparitions here.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

I was just re-reading In the Heart Of the Sea a few months ago. So this morning's news that the wreck of the next (and last) ship commanded by Captain Pollard has been discovered off Hawaii was of great interest.

Pollard commanded the Essex, which famously was rammed and sunk by a whale her crew were trying to catch. Pollard and a crewman survived in an open boat by resorting to cannibalism in order to survive, eating his 18-year old first cousin.

Pollard was given command of The Two Brothers next. But she was wrecked on a reef off Hawaii near French Frigate Shoals. That was the end of his whaling career.

Labels: New England Things

Sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia

Saint Scholastica, please pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

When this visionary and stigmatist is officially canonized, today will be her feast day, as she died February 9th.

Blessed Anna Catherine Emmerich, please pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

D J Fozter, The Spotted Dog / Hardiman's Jig

Love the hat. Everyone here in Boston is wearing them this endless, merciless winter.

Matt Malloy & Donal Lunny, Crowley's Reel/Roscommon Reel


The High Kings, The Rocky Road To Dublin

The chunky one (I know, glass houses, throwing stones) is Finbar Clancy, Bobby's son, who I featured here with his father some months ago.

The Corrs, Toss the Feathers


Matt Molloy, Christy Moore, Donal Lunny & The Chieftains, Jenny's Chickens


The High Kings, The Black Velvet Band


The Corrs, Forgiven, Not Forgotten


The High Kings, The Parting Glass

Labels: Pleasing Tunes

It is snowing lightly right now. But there is hope. This is the day on which the Red Sox equipment truck is packed up at Fenway, and is paraded through the streets of this city loaded with snow and burdened with cold since before Thanksgiving.

Pitchers and catchers report Sunday.

Labels: Boston Red Sox