NunEssential

Please continue to pray for our brothers injured in the car accident. Two of them have had extensive surgery and one still remains unconscious. We are praying to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha for a miraculous healing and recovery. Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha O God, who among the many marvels of your grace in the New World did cause to blossom on the banks of the Mohawk and the St. Lawrence the pure and tender lily, Kateri Tekakwitha grant, we beseech you, the favor we beg through her intercession, that this young lover of Jesus will soon be counted among her Saints by Holy Mother Church, and that our hearts may be enkindled with a stronger desire to imitate her innocence and faith. Through the same Christ Our Lord, Amen. Thank you very much for your concern and prayers-

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn. May she help us bring about the Culture of Life. We need it. Here is the latest video from Lila Rose, the young woman who does undercover work to expose the lies of Planned Parenthood. Wow, really shocking. Visit Lila's site at www.liveaction.org

On behalf of our SOLT Community in the United States, we would like to ask for your prayers for 4 of our members who were in a serious car accident yesterday. Please pray for Fr. Scott, Br. Duran, Br. Patrick and Br. Adee. 3 of the 4 young men were seriously injured and one of the brothers was life-flighted to Denver and remains unconscious and in critical condition. Our hearts are united with them at this time and for those doctors and community members who are caring for them.

A very Happy and Blessed Advent to you and your family. May this Advent season bring you closer to Jesus and Mary and may you come to know God as a Father who keeps His promises. We are praying for you!

Wow, here is really moving article about a Planned Parenthood worker who had a conversion after watching an ultrasound of what really happens during an abortion. God bless her. We also pray for all those who have died on this Feast of All Souls. We pray all the souls whom God has ever created. Most of humanity is deceased, we are the rare few who walk the face of the earth at this time in history. We also remember in a special way deceased priests. May they be brought into the fullness of Love and may they all rest in peace.

If you haven't checked out the new short film by Eduardo Verastegui entitled "The Butterfly Circus" you can see it here. It was the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the 2009 Doorpost Film Project. Very moving and a really true message of the power of healing and redemption- loved it! Check it out!

I was graced with the opportunity of seeing the concert pianist Lang Lang this afternoon. He was performing downtown and someone graciously offered a ticket to go and so off I went. As I sat there listening the music of Beethoven, words really can't described how beautiful it was. Simply amazing. The really cool part for me though was watching Lang Lang play. This young man seems to be transported somewhere else within himself as he plays. He sits there in his sharp, black tailored suit, and listens to the orchestra, not just with his ears, waiting for his cue to enter, but with his whole body, seemingly lost in the beauty of the banquet of sound. He plays so lightly with his hands, the music notes pour out from his fingertips as he closes his eyes and plays from his heart. That playing makes everyone else's world a little more beautiful. It sure made my afternoon more beautiful as I sat there absorbed in the talent that God gave him. You know, I think we are all like that. Whe...

Greetings from the rainy Northwest. It's days like this that make me want to sit on the couch and work endlessly on my computer to update our SOLT Sisters website....oh wait....I am already doing that. :) We have a new format now, simple and clean. More work to come! Check it out- www.soltsisters.org Happy Autumn :)

Okay, so I just don't get it. I am not an attorney or anything but it seems to me that legal decisions don't always make sense and have little to do with justice or truth. One NFL player drives drunk and hits and kills a pedestrian. He pays the family of the victim over 4 million dollars, is suspended from the NFL for 1 year and walks free from jail after serving only 24 days. Another NFL player is convicted of running a dog fighting business and pays over 1 million dollars in damages, is suspended from the NFL for TWO years and is released from prison AFTER SERVING TWO YEARS for harming dogs. Both of these are horrible crimes and we all make mistakes we regret but when is the loss of human life so reduced that killing a human being is seen as less of a crime than harming animals? I just don't get it. Do you?

We did something really cool the other day. We had a guest visiting us and so we went downtown to visit the Science Center. They had all sorts of interesting exhibits there but the one that struck me the most was the Tropical Butterfly Room. It was a room with two sets of doors that was kept at about 85 degrees and contained all sort of tropical plants and flowers. Among the flowers, tropical butterflies fluttered about all over the room from ceiling to floor. It was absolutely breathtaking. I watched as butterflies gracefully landed on the fragrant blossoms and delicately rested on the leaves. They were awash in colors of red, black, purple and more. So lovely, so peaceful. The thing that really touched me was the fact that the guide said that the butterflies only live about two weeks. It occurred to me that only God would do something this extravagant. Only God would create these beautiful creatures that live such a short time and bring joy and delight. I think if it was left up to u...

Here's a nice clip of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee Hymn sung by one of our SOLT Priests Fr. Vlad

Youth on Fire is a new webcast produced in part by young Catholics who are on fire for Christ. I met these young people last week as I was totally amazed at their level of faith, commitment and love. They totally rock and they inspired me so much. I love that they are bringing the Good News of Jesus to the youth over the internet. Here is a link to a show they broadcast when they asked me to come on and share the call of God in my life but you can find out all about it (and way more interesting stuff!) at www.mycatholicfaith.org God bless you!

Here's a little clip on the conversion story of actor Eduardo Verastegui, in his own words. God bless him!

Here is a beautiful clip of seven of our SOLT Sisters making their First Profession of Vows on July 13th in Corpus Christi, TX.

Hello out there, long time, no blog. Sorry! Hopefully this year I will be able to bring you some great articles and other links to enrich your faith and your life. Until then though, I will muse a bit ;) I went for a walk today and saw an interesting site. I live here in the Land O' Coffee and Microsoft, affectionately known as Seattle. I am sure you are familiar with the political situation on the West Coast and people in Seattle are quite proud of being known as "progressive" and "eco-conscious." I am all for saving the environment and feeding the poor but I saw something today that really captured the misguided attitude that many people, and not just here, seem to have. As I was passing a parked car, I noticed it was covered with bumper stickers that proclaimed the owner's opposition to war and violence. Some of them read, "I am already against the next war" and "Join the military, you get to visit foreign lands and kill people." etc. ...

Welcome to this blessed year devoted to and in thanksgiving of the priesthood. We thank God for all priests, living and deceased, and the way they serve the people of God. May God shower His tender compassion upon them and bring them closer to His Divine Heart and the Immaculate Heart of His Mother Mary. Reading Pope Benedict's Letter announcing the Year of the Priest here.

You may have seen that amazing photo that was taken almost 10 years ago of the little baby in the womb who reached out and grasped the doctor's hand while surgery was being performed. It transformed a lot of lives and helped to pass the partial-birth abortion ban. Here is an article about the little boy and what he is doing today . Very inspiring!

For all of you who have been wondering how Fr. John Corapi is doing, here is an excellent article that just came out. Enjoy!

Here's a great reflection by the Holy Father , encouraging the young people of the world to follow in Christ's footsteps. Our condolences and prayers go out to all the victims of today's earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy. May God bless you all during this difficult time. We are also praying for you during this sacred Holy Week. May the culmination of all the graces of Lent fill your heart and soul and bring you to Resurrection with Jesus. God bless you!

Thought you might find this article written by one of our SOLT priests, Fr. Samuel Medley very enlightening and inspiring.

I just had to post this article because it irked me so much . Conspiracy and oppression of speech is alive and well in the U.S.! NBC yanked a pro-life ad, the one I posted earlier celebrating the potential of all human life, from the Super Bowl lineup of commercials. CatholicVote.org raised enough money to run the ad but NBC WOULD NOT AIR IT. Those of you who watch the Super Bowl yesterday saw that NBC ran a number of inappropriate and suggestive ads from many companies, yet the pro-life ad was seen as too "political." YIKES! Absolutely ridiculous. Here is the ad in case you didn't catch it the first time it was posted.

Please remember to send in the postcards to your Senators and Representatives urging them to protect life and reject FOCA. If you can, please write a personal note with your postcard expressing your concerns and desire to defend and protect innocent human life. It only takes a few minutes, so please put a stamp on the cards and mail them! Don't have any postcards? Contact your diocese today!

I just had to write about our Dominican friend here in Seattle, Fr. Tom Kraft. Fr. Tom died last week of terminal cancer. He was 55. Fr. Tom was one of those people who radiated the love and zeal of Jesus. He always had a smile on his face and a humble and humorous manner about him. He welcomed you when he saw you and he was always going from one place to the next, spreading the love of Jesus wherever he went. He loved his priesthood and he loved God's people. The Dominicans and those at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Seattle did an astounding job today organizing one of the most resplendent and piercing funeral liturgies I have ever witnessed. The church was packed to standing room only with people of all races and ages. We had all come to pay tribute, grieve and celebrate the life of a man whose "yes" to God changed us all forever. Fr. Tom's brothers and sister and niece gave moving eulogies about their beloved brother and uncle, a man who brought authenticity, music, ...

Pope Benedict XVI has his own youtube channel! Rock on! Click the link to see all the latest updates, news, homilies etc. of our wonderful Holy Father.

Check out the Theology of the Body blo g by one of our fab priests, Fr. Samuel Medley, SOLT

Someone sent this to me this morning, thought you might like it: News Flash: WE WIN! by Fr. John Corapi As we prepare to enter a new era in politics and perhaps society in general, keep something in mind: WE WIN! No matter what political party is in power at a given point in time, in the end those that remain faithful to Jesus Christ win the war. We may have to fight many battles outnumbered and even despised and looked upon as criminals and outcasts by a society that is unraveling and degenerating into something no one could have imagined. What matters is that we run the race to the finish line and fight the good fight. Don’t “go with the flow,” for as the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen reminds us, “Dead bodies float downstream.” More than ever we shall have to be strong in the faith. Regular and worthy reception of the sacraments, constant prayer, and rigorous study of the faith is now essential, not merely a luxury. The front line and primary battle is going to be the fight ...

Check out this new ad on the Catholic Vote website, very thought provoking. Please pray for our country at this decisive moment in history.

Here's a neat video one Sister's vocation story (don't know which community)

lol! I liked this one- RECALL NOTICE... The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some other symptoms include: 1. Loss of direction 2. Foul vocal emissions 3. Amnesia of origin 4. Lack of peace and joy 5. Selfish or violent behavior 6. Depression or confusion in the mental component 7. Fearfulness 8. Idolatry 9. Rebellion The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factor...

Hello to you all on this First day of 2009 and on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. So much is going on the world today. It's interesting, listening to and reading the latest words of the Holy Father. He is calling on all of us to have a conversion in order to change the world. It's easy to sit back and point out all that is wrong with the world, but the hard part is looking within ourselves and seeing what needs to be changed in order to help that change along. The Holy Father recently said, "If people only look to their own interests, the world will certainly fall apart." This is certainly true. At this time in history, when it seems more than ever that people are sensing a dramatic change on the horizon, we need conversion, we need Christ. How often we relegate Christ to the farthest corners of our lives, and only call upon Him when we are in trouble or when we want something. How rude! I don't like that when people do that to me and yet how freely we d...