.

Some Places for Prayer and Meditation St. Anne in Spring Our Lady of Fatima Shrine The Pieta Way of the Cross

(c) 2008 St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish 16 Church Street, Fiskdale, MA 01518 Call St Anne/St Patrick at 508-347-7338

I had a simple, but very uplifting religious retreat recently. I spent four days in Sturbridge, MA visiting the St. Anne Shrine

Since the shrine does not have a retreat center, I structured my own, literally, from building to agenda. I found a low cost, clean and quite country motor lodge on the grounds of the Publick House Historic Inn I used the many places for prayer and meditation (some shown above) as the foundation for my schedule. I prayed, and prayed, and walked, and prayed, and ate, and prayed. I prayed for individuals, for families, for causes, for priests, for the unborn, for the dead, etc.

9am - Begin Daily Pilgrimage, i.e. Begin 2.5 mile walk to the shrine. Pray the Rosary on the way.

10am - Daily Mass & Personal Prayer in St. Anne Chapel (Lots of crutches can be seen hanging in the votive chapel.)

11am - Peruse Catholic Gift Shop offerings, buy as appropriate, and visit the Icon Museum (I learned something new every day.)

12noon - Outdoor Stations of the Cross (beautiful statues along an uphill walkway through the woods) and La Pieta

12:30pm to 1:15pm - Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Stairs to Jesus Christ Crucified (The top 28 steps are said to mimic the 28 steps Jesus climbed in His Passion to get to Pilate.), Statue of St. Anne & Mary, Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, The Holy Family, St. Therese, 2D Labyrinth, Jesus Christ Crucified and St. Augustine.

1:15pm to 2pm - Lunch

2pm - End Daily Pilgrimage, i.e. Walk 2.5 miles back to Country Motor Inn. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on the way.

3pm - Quiet Time, Spiritual Reading

6pm - Dinner

7pm - Quiet Time, Spiritual Reading

.

After maintaining this schedule for three days, I left. As I integrated my experience at home, I found that my retreat was surprisingly missionary in nature. Even though it was passive, its impact was very similar to the active 1995 mission trip I took to the Appalachians. In both instances, I came away feeling like a better person. I came away feeling like I made a difference in our world. I came away feeling like I loved the people around me like I have never loved them before.....and for the first time, I came away feeling desperate.

For the first time, I understood in my flesh and bones why cloistered religious communities are needed more than ever.

Peace in Christ,

Kathleen

.

images - http://www.stannestpat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=9&t1=1

.

.

.

.

You may not like her TV personna, but you have to give her credit for all she has accomplished for our Faith. Read all about her incredible display of faith in Mother Angelica, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles by Raymond Arroyo.

.

Peace in Christ,

Kathleen

.

.

image - www.ewtn.com

.

I attended Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence, RI today. What a beautiful house of worship, as you can see. After Mass, Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations began. They included Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Private Confessions, the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Adoration, Veneration of a First Class Relic of St. Faustina, Benediction and Holy Mass again at the end.

I love being in such a crowd. I feel incredibly blessed to have the Faith, and these days, I feel incredibly blessed to have the freedom to worship in our country. In these times of spiritual, political and economic upheaval, freedom to worship has become more important. I literally sit among everyone and watch in awe, while a tremendous wave of gratitude comes over me for the access we all have to celebrate Mass and hear the Word. May we always have it.

.

Yours in Christ,

Kathleen

.

P.S. Look what's happening...

- http://ewtn.com

.

.

image - http://www.cathedralprovidence.org

.

"INSTALLATION OF THE MOST REVEREND TIMOTHY M. DOLAN AS THE TENTH ARCHBISHOP OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK (3 hrs)

Live [with EWTN] from the Cathedral of St. Patrick. The Installation Mass of the Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan as the Tenth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York.
Sat 4/18/09 2:00 PM ET & 11 AM PT" - http://www.ewtn.com/tv/index2.htm

.

Yours in Christ,

Kathleen

.

image - http://www.ewtn.com/tv/index2.htm

.