4th week of Easter - Rose Again is 11 on May 1st/"...the disciples were first called Christians." - Go forth and proclaim the Gospel - +JMJ+

A memory from 33 years ago - a family picture from church directory.  Yes, I sewed all their matching dresses for Easter!  "And then you had that boy!"  The day we walked into Church with that blue bundle there was an audible gasp in the people gathered, and probably even some tears of JOY!  

Our 4th daughter, Susan, is now Little Sister Hallel and a nun living in Kansas City, KS this year.  My husband, farmer Pat, has a funny habit of calling our 4th from the oldest granddaughter, Rose, Susan.  Yesterday was Rose's 11th birthday, and not only is she Ruth and Paul's 4th child, but she resembles her Aunts and mom quite a bit.  I call her one of my "Verly girls." 

Rose the birthday girl last evening - she asked for watermelon for her birthday, and it looks like mom made it extra special for her.  She also in true farm girl fashion asked for steak, too!  

The May Day girl with her wonderful May Day Basket of watermelon!  

11 candles - looks like someone had to leave early - Simon to play practice and David to behind the wheel.  A big crazy family with 7 kids from 18 to 1 1/2 makes for busy lives on the farm!  

We love you, Rose Again!  

I am so happy that Maria has gotten a better phone with camera that works!  She just sent me this sweet picture of these two curly tops!  Both Pat and I had curly hair and Maria really inherited it and is passing it on to her #7 Magdalene Rose! 

Maggie is a year out of her very scary skull surgery that placed a font for her skull to grow as the one she had already closed before birth and it needed to stay open until age 24 to allow her skull to grow for her brain.  It was scary, but she got through it fine and is now perfectly normal!  Pretty miraculous what they can do these days and so close to the brain.  Thank you, Lord! 

Curls in her eyes like her mom.  

Her oldest sister, wonderful Therese.  Oldest of the 7 military kids who are now living in Charlottesville, VA while dad is going to school to be a major in the army.  We are so thrilled that they will be moving to Leavenworth, KS for next years training.  They will be just 40 minutes from our nun, Little Sister Hallel, in the heart of KCK!  This grandma has fake plans to visit two of my girls often.  

Therese and sister, Evangeline, 3 years ago.  These two are so alike and are true Verly girls!  They look like my girls with their dark hair and eyes and round faces.  

Therese and Evangeline 3 years ago.  

Therese and Magdalene a few days ago.  Therese is now 15 and attending Catholic High School on line.  

4 year old Hector - did I mention that they are military?  Joe's 4 boys love to play with guns and light sabers.  

Random memory just because.  3 of my 5 sisters at "the farm"  in Miltown, WI.  This was 50 years ago, and my sister, Mary, with the dark long hair has been gone from cancer for 37 years.  My parents bought a run down building site to get their 11 kids out of the city - Minneapolis - for the summers.  We got the house livable but never had running water.  Farmer hubby was not very impressed when I took him there, and now being a farmwife for 44 years - I know a lot more about farming with still a lot to learn!

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The amazing story of the 13 becoming Catholic! 

A year ago Hallel was home and met the 3 babies from that year.  We now have added Lucy, whom she has yet to meet.

Josephine getting them to smile!  

A dear member of our family of the Lamb - Little Sister Benedict came along with Hallel, and was such a good sport playing with the kids!  With 22 grandkids and rainy cold weather we were inside a lot.  They got back to their prayer after being here and had a hard time hearing their priest at mass - they realized it was not him, but them as they were so used to all the noise!  Kind of craziness, right?

Then there is the amazing peace of the Adoration chapel!  John and I pray together as our hours overlap - his is the last hour of Sunday and mine is the first hour of Monday.  We did not plan it, but the Lord made it happen for us - we are spoiled and LOVED by our Lord! 

John wept for JOY when I shared with him that a couple we know that have had 10 years of infertility are expecting twins!  How precious they will be after so much heartache.  Just as my 5 are so preious to me and we to each other after going through losses of 7 in my childbearing years.  We shared those losses as a family!

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Our marriage stories - "The world needs LIGHTS!"  

The birthday girl, Rose, 8 years ago when she was 3 with a cute calf.  She does the bottle feeding of our bottle calves, so has a job morning and night.

3 years ago when my dad was living with me on the farm.  Rose feeding one of her bottle calves.

I had some fun yesterday with my MOW people and my daughter, daughter-in-law with some makeshift May Day showers.  

Happy May Day- Happy Birthday #11 to Rose Again.  The story here is that when she was about 3 years old after the Easter Vigil we were out to eat at Applebees.  She was so excited - "I heard my name!  I heard my name!"  "Rose Again!"  She heard that when we said the creed, and only wanted to be called Rose again from then on.  Now when we say the Creed, I will see dad look her way when we say, "Rose Again."  LOVE it when kids are involved in the mass even when they are 3 years old!  

4th Week of Easter now, and Feast of St Joseph the worker last evening with Fr Denny.  

Today the reading from Acts was powerfully showing how the Church has spread out to the Gentiles and Antioch was where the followers were first called Christians.  And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.  Acts 11

How exciting to see the Holy Spirit at work going forth into the world!   May we also be a source of that growth in Spirit and in Truth!  

Grand March - Mary went with friends!

6 years ago we had the JOY of a double Sacrament!  David received his First Holy Communion with a group of 50 and Joy Jean was baptized in the middle of it.  Father's question;  "I baptized you at birth, where have you been?"  Bring your family to church - it is the greatest of gifts, and glue to hold them together.  

Joy on Ruth's beautiful porch with a snuggly kitty the spring of her 1st birthday.  She is our red head and is now 6 and in Kindergarten at Holy Redeemer!  Ruth and Paul will have kids at the Catholic School for 22 years - now with Tom at 1 1/2 years old still coming up!

The farm family 6 years ago on the double Sacrament of David's First Communion and Joy's baptism.  May 2017

Mary as Tammy the middle schooler that is part TRex.  She took 4th in the State of Minnesota with her hard work!  Way to go Mary! 

Another great picture to remember this great year for a long time to come! 

A cute memory of Nancy's George and Bernadette with Nancy's head phones from her podcast Catholic Sprouts every day!  

The Catholic Sprouts Podcast - Catholic Sprouts  

We are reading about the Good Shepherd in the Gospel this week!   Father Tony convicted us to go forth and share the Good News!  This is my attempt to share my love for Jesus, Mary and The Church!  Jesus comes to us every day in Word, Body and Blood!  We are so blessed!

"...My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."  John 10

Speaking about how important it is to spend that time with our Lord in the Eucharistic Adoration.  Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!  

Pope Benedict shares his LOVE and Truth about Our Lady - May is her month!  She deflects the praise from herself to God!  

Simon and Lidia at the grand March.

Dad really loved this from St Gregory the Great in the Office of Readings today in his well worn prayer book! I am so blessed to have this to cherish and continue to sit at the feet of my father, Deacon Robert Cross for 44 years after bringing us into The Catholic Church 51 years ago - all 13 of our family!  Each day since has been the greatest of Gifts to me and my Domestic Church/family!

Praying with my dad in his Lent - Easter prayer book 3 years ago while he lived with me in our "Farm Monastery."  My porch was where we prayed each day at 3p - the Rosary and chaplet each day and watched an entire growing season on the farm!  

Dad and my brother Jim 3 years ago as the digger pulls into my yard.  Dad was alert and interested in all that happens on the farm, and he saw the crop planted, grow and harvested - arrived in mid April and died October 23rd.  Look at that flourecent green grass!  But still no leaves on the Cottonwood to speak of yet.  

Granddaughter, Mary, 3 years ago helping me make rhubarb pies for her great-grandpa.  There are not any ready yet this year!  

Dad's pie 3 years ago as we loved to spoil him on the farm.  "Good pie."

Lunch on the porch 3 years ago - too windy and cool today.  Looks like a farm dinner.  

Jesus, how blessed am I to have my wonderful parents and now my own children taking me ever deeper in my Faith journey!  May I die to self so that I may serve you without counting the cost.  Jesus, we trust  in you.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 34 including many Little Brothers and Little Sisters!  

Pope Benedict is deep today.

Brother Victor talking about lilacs... we are still waiting here.  

St Athanasius today - the Doctor of the Incarnation.  We are so blessed to have the many spirit led Saints that have given us the Truth to live by.  

No one can lay a foundation other than the one

that is there, namely, Jesus Christ, alleluia.

 I Cor 3:11 (Today’s Communion Antiphon)

 

"You shall see the Levites bringing loaves 
and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. 
So long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties 
have not been made, there is only bread and wine. 
But after the great and wonderful prayers

have been completed, then

the bread is become the Body, and

the wine the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

'And again:'  Let us approach

the celebration of the mysteries.

This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers

and supplications have not taken place,

remain simply what they are.

But after the great prayers and holy 
supplications have been sent forth, 
the Word comes down into the bread and wine 
- and thus His Body is confected."

-"Sermon to the Newly Baptized" - ante 373 A.D.

 

St Athanasius

Alexandria ~ c. 297-373

Bishop and Doctor of the Church

 "The Father of Orthodoxy"

Battled against Arianism* 

(*heresy that denies divinity of Christ)

Feast Day - May 2

 

 

“You will not see anyone who is really striving after 
his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading.  
And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon 
be observed by his progress."  - St Athanasius

Danielle Rose

Danny Gokey