saturdaysundayhome: February 2008

Thursday, February 28, 2008

#100 (!!) -- Time Machine

Happy hundredth scribble! Woo hoo! What I have in mind when I say "time machine" is this: things that transport you back to childhood or another particular time in your life. Songs, smells, foods, whatever. You know how certain things are triggers that create time machines in your memory and take you right straight back? What are some of your things, and to what times?

Or you can go all crazy "time machine" if you want, and write about what time in the past or future you would visit if you could. Have fun!

[Note -- Some people have commented below to let me know that Writer's Island used the Time Travel prompt very recently. Well, sorry about that -- I didn't know. I'm going to stick with this prompt anyway; I'm sure there's a new way you can approach the topic.]

Monday, February 25, 2008

Today is a very special day for us here on Papa Stronsay, for we celebrate the 259th anniversary of the approbation of our Rule by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV. It was a great Joy for St Alphonsus, our holy Father, after nearly 20 years to finally have the rule of his congregation approved by Rome.

"Anyone who keeps this rule will be a saint" - Pope Benedict XIV on approving the Redemptorist rule.

On a different note, today we also said goodbye to Br. Dominic Mary, C.SS.R. today, as he left Papa Stronsay for New Zealand, where he will join the community in the Monastery of Our
Mother of Perpetual Succour in Christchurch. We wish him the best of luck.

With the devil doing everything in his power to make things difficult, a storm had blown up, enabling Orkney to say goodbye to Brother in a traditional manner. Here, Brother's 'taxi' awaits him at Papa Stronsay pier.

Brother, in a howling wind, leaps for the boat one last time, while his confreres struggle to hold it at the pier.

Brother heads off for Stronsay. We wish him, and the whole Christchurch community all possible graces and blessings in their work to spread the faith and the love of the traditions of the Church.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Week 9: Markets for This Week

Wednesday 27th February
CERES Organic Market

Saturday 1st March
Bundoora Park Farmers' Market
CERES Organic Market
Central Murray Farmers' Market
Daylesford Farmers' Market
East Gippsland Farmers' Market
Growers Market on the Green
Healesville Organic Farmers' Market
Kingston Farmers' Market
Murrabit Markets
Myrtleford Community Produce Market
Murrabit Markets
South Gippsland Farmers' Market
Sunraysia Farmers' Market
Tatong Farmers' Market
Veg Out St Kilda Farmers' Market

Sunday 2nd March
Castlemaine Farmers' Market
Creswick Market at the Mill
Gisborne Olde Time Market
Heathmont Farmer's Market

Thursday, February 21, 2008

#99 - Passion

It's a cold, blustery February day and I am inspired to inject a little excitement. The prompt for this week is: Passion.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Week 8: Markets for This Week

Wednesday 20th February
CERES Organic Market

Friday 22nd February
Lake Boga Farmers Market

Saturday 23rd February
Ballarat Lakeside Farmers' Market
Berwick/Casey Farmers' Market
CERES Organic Market
Churchill Island Farmers' Market
Essendon Farmers' Market
Healesville Organic Famers' Market
Hume Murray Farmers' Market
Lancefield and District Farmers' Market
Myrtleford Community Produce Market
Slow Food Farmers' Market
Traralgon Farmers' Market
Yarraville Farmers' Market

Sunday 24th February
Tyabb Farmer's Market
Yarra Valley Fresh
Yarrunga Farmers' Market

Friday, February 15, 2008

Br Alban, F.M.S. is laid to rest on Papa Stronsay.

Today, the Br Alban was buried in the small cemetery on Papa Stronsay. Below is a short picture diary of the event. Please remember good Br Alban Michael in your prayers.

The Mass of Requiem was offered on Stronsay, where Brother spent the last years of his life.

The procession leaves the chapel...

...and slowly walk down the Stronsay pier to the awaiting boat.

Brother's coffin is carefully placed onto the "Saint Barbara"

The procession arrives at Papa Stronsay.

Brother's coffin was solemnly transported across Papa Stronsay to the cemetery.

The cemetery is about a mile from the pier

During the procession hymns were sung and the holy Rosary was recited

Once at the grave-side, the final prayers are said for Brother...

...Father blesses the coffin...

...and Br. Alban Michael is finally laid to rest.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon him,
May he rest in peace.

Amen.

#98 - Sleep (and/or Teeth)

In honor of Natalie Goldberg, who I am going to hear speak tonight about her new book, I have chosen a prompt from one of her old books, Wild Mind. Here, in her words: "An area not written about much -- but which once thought of becomes a rich vein -- is sleep. Try it. Write about sleep patterns, sleepless nights, sleeping in the day; how two brothers sleep together, two lovers; sleeping outside, beds you've slept in, sleeping on trips, in foreign countries; no sleep. What is sleep, anyway? It's like the old trick of saying your name over and over again until you don't know it anymore. Sleep is the other half of our life, the underbelly. We should explore it."

She goes on to say, "Another good topic, not written about much, is teeth. Go for twenty minutes. See how much you have to say about them. Don't forget your own buck teeth, your sister's braces, your dentist's bad breath, the crooked front tooth on the girl you fell in love with."

There you go! Have fun!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Br. Alban, F.M.S., R.I.P.

Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of

Br Alban Michael, F.M.S. (1917-2008)

who passed away aged 91 on the evening of the First Sunday of Lent, 10 February, fortified by the rites of our Holy Mother the Church, faithful to his vocation, and clothed in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

He was born Lawrence William McMullen at Peria, in the North Island of New Zealand, on 10 January, 1917. He made his first vows as a religious in the Little Brothers of Mary, or Marist Brothers, at Timaru in the South Island on 12 September, 1938, and devoted most of his religious life to Christian education in Fiji and New Zealand. From 1981 he was the faithful companion of the late Fr Augustine Cummins, C.SS.R., first in Australia, and, finally, accompanying him to Orkney, Scotland in 2003.

Requiescat in pace.

Week 7: Markets for This Week

Wednesday 13th February
CERES Organic Market

Saturday 16th February
Boroondara Farmers' Market
Buninyong Farmers' Market
Carlton Gardens Farmers' Market
Central Murray Farmers' Market
CERES Organic Market
Drouin Farmers' Market
Gasworks Farmers' Market
Healesville Organic Market
Kilmore Highland and Produce Market
Knox Farmers' Market
Moyhu Farmers' Market
Myrtleford Community Produce Market
Port Fairy Farmers' Market
Sunraysia Farmers' Market
Wellington Farmers' Market

Sunday 17th February
Bulla Hill Country Market
Girgarre Farmers' Market
Inverloch Farmers' Market
Sanctuary Lakes Farmers' Market
Seaford Farmers' Market
Talbot Farmers' Market (see here for latest information)
Werribee Farmers' Market
Yarra Valley Regional Farmers' Market

Talbot Farmers' Market - February

Lots of fresh fresh local and organic fruit and vegies, eggs, fine delicacies, gluten free nibbles, flaxseed oil, chooks, pigs and stock feed, quality compost coming in Feb for a bright new rainy year and plenty of seedlings and fruit trees.

Seasonal and organic fruit & vegies, stone fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice and blood oranges, fresh cut herbs, regional wines, liqueurs, fine cheese, wood-fired sourdough bread, hot scrumptious baby quiches, pestos, marinated olives and fresh olive oils, traditional Macedonian chilli products, local eggs, curries, fresh and filled pasta, honey, biscuits, kasundi, organic popcorn, mustards, relish, cup cakes, liqueur jams, home made marmalade, licorice, muesli, native plants, fruit trees, local emu soap, heirloom seeds, cut flowers, large black pigs, stock feed, chooks & live music.

DATES FOR 2008

Third Sunday every month (rain, hail, or shine) 9 am through to 1 pm.

17 feb, 16 mar, 20 apr, 18 may, 15 jun, 20 jul, 17 aug, 21 sep, 19 oct, 16 nov, 21 dec

Scandinavian Crescent & Camp St, Talbot (Mel Ref 620 J11) T: 03 5463 2001. Postal PO BOx 66 Talbot, Vic 3371.

Source:
www.talbottourism.org

Friday, February 8, 2008

The Solemn Prayers of Good Friday

Notice

In what concerns the Solemn Prayers of the Good Friday Liturgy, the Transalpine Redemptorists will obey with submission the newly promulgated Prayer for the Jews as ordered by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on February 4th 2008.

Fr. Michael Mary, C.SS.R.
Vicar General
8 February, 2007

The chanting of the Solemn Prayer for the Jews

The Text Ordered by the Pope

Oremus et pro Iudaeis.

Ut Deus et Dominus noster illuminet corda eorum,

ut agnoscant Iesum Christum salvatorem omnium hominum.

Oremus.

Flectamus genua.

Levate.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,

qui vis ut omnes homines salvi fiant et ad agnitionem veritatis veniant,

concede propitius,

ut plenitudine gentium in Ecclesiam Tuam intrante omnis Israel salvus fiat.

Per Christum Dominum nostrum.

Amen.

An unofficial translation of the prayer is:

Let us pray, and also for the Jews.

May our God and Lord enlighten their hearts,

so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, saviour of all men.

Let us pray.

Let us kneel.

Arise.

Almighty and everlasting God,

who desirest that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth,

mercifully grant that,

as the fullness of the Gentiles enters into Thy Church, all Israel may be saved.

Through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

#97 - "Fridge Space"

I know it sounds a little strange, but the prompt this week is: "Fridge Space."

Do what you will!

Storm walking

On a still day, you can look out from Papa Stronsay in wonder at just how calm and flat the sea is. It can compare to a lake, flat like glass...

...and then there are the other days.

We see a fair few of them during the winter, and they hold their own excitement as you watch the waves crashing onto the beach with such force and with such noise; and with the wind blowing full force in your face. It is nice on days like this to go storm walking, and Papa Stronsay offers an excellent opportunity to do just that. A few days ago during a patch of rough weather, some of the confreres dressed up warmly, and went to experience a walk around Papa Stronsay in a storm.