Icons at KOCM

Today was a rainy and cold, more Fall-ish than Spring (Summer is just around the corner). Richard is battling a cold or something and just wanted to watch the Tribe on the tube.

So the conditions were ripe for me to go to the Knights of Columbus Museum to catch a lecture on "The Iconography of the Mother of God." It was part of the museum's latest exhibit, Windows into Heaven: Russian Icons and Treasures.  Richard and I visited it a couple of weeks ago, which is how I knew about the lecture.

St. Luke Writes the First Icon of the Mother of God

The lecture was given by Marek Czarnecki, a local iconographer from Meriden, CT. This lecture was an examination of the most popular subject in iconography: Mary, the Mother of God (Greek: Theotokos). The lecture began with a detailed description of the icon (above) "St. Luke Writes the First Icon of the Mother of God." Note the angel (at the left) "helping" St. Luke do the icon. Because there was no Russian verb for painting, they termed it "writing" an icon.

He talked about how the early church councils decided it was proper to call Mary, the Mother of God rather than the Mother of Christ or the Mother of Jesus.  He then went through various slides of icons and other artwork from the earliest legends about Mary, the non-canonical The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary through the Biblical events of her life (Immaculate Conception, Annunciation, Birth of Jesus, Presentation of Jesus, Finding Jesus in the Temple, the Wedding Feast at Cana, Jesus' Crucifixion, Pentecost, and the Assumption). He then showed various Mary icons associated with different themes and places.

Our Lady of the Signs.

Our Lady of Kazan.

The lecture lasted more than an hour. Afterwards, I went to the exhibit and read some of info boards that I skipped the first time.  Then I looked more carefully at the section of the exhibit dedicated to the iconography of Mary. There is so much to see, so many icons (225+).

The next lecture (3rd of 3) is scheduled to be held June 29th. Hope I can be there. Fortunately, the exhibit continues into 2014 (see poster above). And I like that it is free and has free parking.

Sr Pat's Hat-Trick

Well, not really Sr. Pat. Actually it was Richard who scored a hat-trick during his roller hockey game this morning. But Sr. Pat's attendance seems to bring out the best in Richard. The last time she attended, he scored two (2) goals and two (2) assists. Today it was three (3) goals.

This was the last game of the Spring Session. His team, the Blue Devils, came in first place out of four (4) teams. They had a record of 8-2-0 (W-L-T). Richard was credited with 11 goals and 4 assists (15 points) and 1 penalty during this 10 game session (by comparison, one of his teammates had the most points, 26).

Next up is the Championship. They will play the winner of the 2nd and 3rd place team in a best of three (3) games. Keep your fingers crossed and pray that Sr. Pat will be able to attend.

Pentecost

I got this prayer card for a Novena prayer to the Holy Spirit at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception during my trip this past week to Washington, DC. Today is the Feast of Pentecost.

 

The Home Town

Cleveland, Ohio

I saw an article at Cleveland.com about this new billboard that was erected in my home town of Cleveland, Ohio. Supposed to be 10 stories tall. I think it's pretty neat. Can you recognize all the locations? The 17 locations and icons are listed here.

Driver's Ed

Oh my! My son started Driver's Education classes at AAA this week. Today (Saturday 5/18) I attended with him a 2-hour session as part of the requirement for him to attempt to get his Learner's Permit. This is kind of scary.

"Angel of God, our guardian dear, 

to whom God's love entrust us here.

Ever this day be at our side (especially during Driver's Ed)

to light, to guard, to rule, and guide. Amen."

My Visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception
(Washington, DC)

As I mentioned in my related post, I was strongly motivated to visit the National Shrine during my business trip to Washington, DC this past week. I don't really recall when or how I became interested in this church but I have been supporting it and studying it for a while as readers of this blog may remember. Probably due to what I have seen at the Knights of Columbus Museum.

I stopped here on Friday (5/17) morning before returning home to CT.  I was able to go on a guided tour (given hourly). I tagged along with a group of 8th graders from St. Bridget's school in VA but 50 minutes is hardly adequate for a tour of this gorgeous place. {If you click on the link above, the web site has a virtual tour you can take}.

Our Lady of Siluva

The basilica contains more than 70 chapels and oratories.  I was especially interested in the Lithuanian  chapel for Our Our Lady of Siluva. Readers of this blog, may recall that Lynn's family has a Lithuanian connection. Her great aunt, Sr. Pat, has a keen interest in their Lithuanian heritage. So I made a point to say a prayer and light a candle at this chapel.

Hill of Crosses Altar

Another important stop for me was the Blessed Sacrament Chapel because my mom is active in the perpetual adoration at her church. Again, said a prayer and lit a candle.

There is so much to see here. I wish I had more time to explore and ponder. Before leaving, I walked around the outside of the church. There are statues and more mosaics and these aren't part of the tour or covered by the guidebook. Hopefully, next time I visit Washington I will have the opportunity to see more of this magnificent church.

My Dinner with Amy

Since I was in Washington, DC this week for work (hint: Shakespeare), I made arrangements to have dinner with my sister, Amy. Originally, I had envisioned being able to have one, combined dinner with Amy and my nephew, Phil. But it was not to be. However, it all worked out well.

I met Amy on Wednesday (5/15) evening for dinner at a local restaurant, G&M, to enjoy Baltimore's famous crab cakes. Like my dinner with Phil on Monday, it was too short. Good night, Good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow. (Amy is teaching "Romeo & Juliet" this grading period).

Miracle at the National Shrine

Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception
(Washington, DC)

This past week, I was in Washington, DC for business (hint: Shakespeare). Since I have wanted for a long time to visit the National Shrine, I resolved to visit it before driving home on Friday.

I also have family in the area that I wanted to visit. My sister, Amy, lives in nearby Baltimore. My nephew, Phil, lives and works in the DC area. I made tentative plans to meet at Phil's house on Thursday for dinner with him (and his fiance, Regina) and Amy. However, it was not to be.

After I finished work on Monday, I decided to try to find the Shrine since I had never been there. My objective was to determine a decent route and scout the site for parking, hours, and nearby area. If I was lucky, I figured I might be able to get inside and spend a little time to start checking out the place.

When I arrived at the Shrine (it was kind of easy to find because it is at the top of a hill and dominates the skyline), all the visitor's parking spaces were blocked and only metered spaces were available. So I drove around the church looking for more spaces. I saw a sign for visitors parking across the street and went there. But as I pulled into the lot, I noticed that it closed at 6:30 p.m. Since it was already 6:10 p.m., there would barely be enough time to park and walk across the street before they locked the gates. So I decided to accept my fate and feed the meter.

As I pulled into a parking spot near the front of the church, I noticed a young couple walking towards me. Obviously, the young man was being a gentleman and escorting the young lady to her car. But something looked familiar about this young man. Could this be my nephew, Phil? It seemed far fetched since he doesn't work in this area and he lives several miles away. Why would he be here at this time of day/evening? What are the chances?  What a miracle!

He and Gina attended the evening mass because she had just returned from a trip. I just happened to stop at the exact moment Phil was walking her to her car. If he had just waved goodbye and got into his car, I would've missed them by moments. If I had parked when I first pulled in, I probably would have gone in one door while they came out another.

Phil accompanied me back into the church to take a quick peek while Gina went home to freshen up. While we strolled through the church, Phil reminded me that today (Monday May 13th) is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Although that had crossed my mind a few days before, I had completely forgotten it until Phil mentioned it. Coincidence?  I don't think so.

Then we went to a nearby restaurant, Franklin's Restaurant, for a delightful supper. Although we have talked on the phone, it had been years since we had seen each other. This was a meeting I believe I will remember for a long time.

200K

I know this is a crummy picture but I wanted to show that my car, my Ford Escape, made it to 200,000 miles! Happened this week. I pulled over on the side of the highway to take a picture with my cell phone camera (obviously, it is an old cell phone). I was on my way to the office (83 miles each way). The car will be 5 years old this summer.

4.0

4.0

Richard achieved a 4.0 GPA for the 3rd Quarter of this school year (his senior year!).  That means all As. Maximum Honors.

• Conceptual Physics with Lab ("Participates positively")
• Discrete Math (a college level course) - A+
• Engineering/Architectural Design ("Work quality is excellent") 
• Journalism ("Consistent good performance") - A+
• Physical Education
• Stagecraft/Technical Theater - A+

I am very proud of his efforts. What a smart kid.

I don't remember every getting a 4.0 (especially in high school).

Written Saturday May 11, 2013