Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Messiah Concert
This weekend was the Messiah concert. Thanks to all who came out to Annapolis for it. It was awesome to see everyone. We're singing it again next year too. So, if you didn't make it, there is still another chance.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
How to object to Indecency on TV and Radio
Here's a quick and easy way to get your complaints filed with the FCC regarding obscene, indecent or profane material on the airways. It converts objections into effective action.
For everyone's convenience we will keep a link to the FCC online form on this home page on the right side of the page with the other frequently used links.
For everyone's convenience we will keep a link to the FCC online form on this home page on the right side of the page with the other frequently used links.
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Grandaddy & James
Happy Birthday!
Jaime the Elder born in 1927 has been leading the pack, teaching us all how to live "como Dios manda" and how to love to the end.
James the Younger born in 1989 is learning how to lead and how to live and how to love til the end.
Jaime the Elder born in 1927 has been leading the pack, teaching us all how to live "como Dios manda" and how to love to the end.
James the Younger born in 1989 is learning how to lead and how to live and how to love til the end.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Thursday, November 3, 2005
Aunt Mechis and Uncle Nelson have landed!
Dunlop Hill, November 2 - They arrived yesterday in the afternoon and are staying with the Grandparents. In the evening the family gathered to greet them and share in the sorrow of the passing of Tio Guillermo.
Grandfather was tangibly moved as he requested a momment of prayer for his brother and equally moved to encourage the family to share in the joy of the arrival of Mechis and Nelson.
The couple is fully recovered from their bout with 'Dengue' and fiery as ever!
Mechis told us that Nelson won the prize for most innovative exporter in Honduras for this past year. He exported 'turkey callers'. Keep it up!
Nelson is now in the process of developing for export 'duck callers' in the higher end of the spectrum. We're not talking the plastic items put out by China. His would be natural Rosewood, a beautiful piece of woodwork that would become something passed down from father to son. In the same way that duck hunting is passed down.
Mechis is still the same sweetheart, working hard to make sure everybody is full of enthusiasm for whatever it is that is going on; even something as simple as getting a cup of coffee for grandfather. Last night, she had an entire committee of 5 selecting the mug, complete with expert Aunt Nancy who knew just the one. In the end the mug was not found and the committee returned to the living room to continue with the chatter and the humor of the evening.
This humor was precipitated mostly Grandfather's quick wit and the ample opportunity for double entendres caused by the mixture of English and Spanish and the Honduran twist. Lots of laughter & warmth.
All round a warm glow of affection for each other and echoes of happy times when we were all young and together. A throw back to the time when the young adults were Grandmother, Grandaddy and Tio Guillermo.
Grandfather was tangibly moved as he requested a momment of prayer for his brother and equally moved to encourage the family to share in the joy of the arrival of Mechis and Nelson.
The couple is fully recovered from their bout with 'Dengue' and fiery as ever!
Mechis told us that Nelson won the prize for most innovative exporter in Honduras for this past year. He exported 'turkey callers'. Keep it up!
Nelson is now in the process of developing for export 'duck callers' in the higher end of the spectrum. We're not talking the plastic items put out by China. His would be natural Rosewood, a beautiful piece of woodwork that would become something passed down from father to son. In the same way that duck hunting is passed down.
Mechis is still the same sweetheart, working hard to make sure everybody is full of enthusiasm for whatever it is that is going on; even something as simple as getting a cup of coffee for grandfather. Last night, she had an entire committee of 5 selecting the mug, complete with expert Aunt Nancy who knew just the one. In the end the mug was not found and the committee returned to the living room to continue with the chatter and the humor of the evening.
This humor was precipitated mostly Grandfather's quick wit and the ample opportunity for double entendres caused by the mixture of English and Spanish and the Honduran twist. Lots of laughter & warmth.
All round a warm glow of affection for each other and echoes of happy times when we were all young and together. A throw back to the time when the young adults were Grandmother, Grandaddy and Tio Guillermo.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Guillermo Acevedo R.I.P. November 1, 2005
Uncle Guillermo passed away about 12:30pm on the Feast of All Saints, November 1,2005 in Santa Elena, Colombia. He is the beloved brother of Grandaddy (Jaime Acevedo-Navas) and father of Sylvia, Magali, Leila and Luis Guillermo my 1st cousins. Let's offer many masses so that he may be brought swiftly to the mansion in heaven which Our Lord has prepared for him. Counting on your prayers!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
To Have and to Hold from This Day Forward
Mike and Ellen at the Grotto of Our Lady at the end of Mass. Just momments after they had pledged their love and fidelity!
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
Dad's Birthday
Happy birthday, Dad!!!! One year older... You are the sweetest and best Dad ever.
We love you tons
We love you tons
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Happy Birthday to The House of Royals
On this day in !984, that is, twenty-one years ago, The House of Royals moved from Sterling, Virginia to its present location on Nottingham Drive.
Happy 21, 4612 Nottingham!
Happy 21, 4612 Nottingham!
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Ann Marie on her 1st Communion
Uncle John [Acevedo-Scott], Ann Marie Acevedo-Navarro, Aunt Amparo [Navarro], Maria Jose Acevedo-Navarro
Thursday, June 2, 2005
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Marcos Gratacos and Beatriz
Nosotros por aqui fenomenal, Beatriz sigue creciendo y la verdad es que esta muy graciosa, creo que va a ser muy simpatica... Un abrazo muy grande a todos, Marcos
That is to say: We over here are doing phenomenally, Beatriz continues to grow and the truth is that she is very cute, and I think she is going to be very friendly... A very big hug to all, Marcos
That is to say: We over here are doing phenomenally, Beatriz continues to grow and the truth is that she is very cute, and I think she is going to be very friendly... A very big hug to all, Marcos
Friday, May 27, 2005
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
It's their anniversary to day and we're so proud of them.
It was twenty-seven years ago this very day that they went ahead and exchanged their full consent before everybody and look what happened...!
Viola...THE HOUSE OF ROYALS!!!
Mom and Dad, We Love You forever!
It was twenty-seven years ago this very day that they went ahead and exchanged their full consent before everybody and look what happened...!
Viola...THE HOUSE OF ROYALS!!!
Mom and Dad, We Love You forever!
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Deaconate Celebration 1st picture.
Brothers in song sing on!
More pictures will follow as the blog admin staff get's their
act together. Check as often as you like!
More pictures will follow as the blog admin staff get's their
act together. Check as often as you like!
She is 22 today!
Happy Birthday, Annie. It seems like only yesterday you were banana lady with a basket on your head... time flies. We love you so much.
xoxoxooxoxooxoxox
xoxoxooxoxooxoxox
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Congratulations on your graduation !
Ann we are so proud of you on your graduation from Providence College! We loved the commemcement ceremony and the farewell/thankyou party back at your house. Your friends and their families were very dear. We are so proud of you and thankful to have you back home in Maryland.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Our very own grandfather online !
Retired Col. Thomas F. Royals at the podium 09/15/04 — Former POWs gather for ceremony to remember missing and imprisoned.
Monday, May 9, 2005
On Mary Elizabeth's 1st Communion 7 May 2005
From left to right: Aunt Jaynee [Finch], Mary Elizabeth Acevedo-Finch, Uncle Jaime [Acevedo-Scott]
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Mothers Day
It's Mothers Day!
Today is the day reserved for mothers. Because of that we can show them how much we love them and thank them for everything they have done for us. So to our mom and every mom who sees this, Happy Mothers' Day.
Today is the day reserved for mothers. Because of that we can show them how much we love them and thank them for everything they have done for us. So to our mom and every mom who sees this, Happy Mothers' Day.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Uncle Paul is coming
Rumor has it that he's planning to visit G-Mom and G-Dad from the Morning of May 9th to the evening of May 10th. 
We'll Keep you posted. Post-Update: Dessert at G-Mom's and G-Dad's on Monday evening May 9. RSVP.
We'll Keep you posted. Post-Update: Dessert at G-Mom's and G-Dad's on Monday evening May 9. RSVP.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
"Saint Sara"
Mike outdid himself with his remarks about his beloved sister. Here's something to whet your appetite -
"God love her, but sometimes she was like living with the PATRIOT Act.
You laugh now, but I assure you, you have not lived a humble life until you have been cursed out in indecipherable profanity by a 70-pound disabled woman in a walker."
"God love her, but sometimes she was like living with the PATRIOT Act.
You laugh now, but I assure you, you have not lived a humble life until you have been cursed out in indecipherable profanity by a 70-pound disabled woman in a walker."
"Saint Sara"
“Saint Sara”
In Memory of Sara Buchanan Connolly
April 20, 2005
Her name meant princess, and — lest anyone’s condolence notes incur my sister’s immortal wrath — she spelled it S-A-R-A, with an emphatic, “No ‘H’!”
She was the most honest woman I ever knew, and the best judge of character.
She held those around her to high standards, but only because she knew they were the only standards worth meeting.
She had a servant’s heart, and, on occasion, a sailor’s vocabulary.
She lived the fullest life anyone ever lived, and lived it on her terms until there was no more living to do.
Sara Buchanan Connolly was born 32 years ago in Portland, Maine — the second child of a stubborn Irish savant and a beautiful, living saint.
In her every role — as loving sister, brilliant conversationalist, diligent worker, demanding housemate, or loyal friend — Sara Connolly was her parents’ daughter.
A daughter, they were told by the pediatricians assessing the underdeveloped musculature of Sara’s legs, who would never walk.
Well, that was all she needed to hear.
Those doctors were just the first such foils for Sara’s unbending will — the wise and well-intentioned grown-ups handicapped by their underestimation of the disabled.
Anyone who ever tried to tell Sara what she could and could not do can guess how this story turned out.
The leg braces came off after two years, and the walker was discarded a few years later, just in time for Sara to win 40-yard races in Fairfax County’s youth Special Olympics.
As it happened, that day Sara’s baby-brother Patrick also won the 40-yard race in his age group.
Patrick is not here today.
He is at work, emulating, as he has his entire life, his big sister Sara.
It was Sara who paved Patrick’s way through the Fairfax County special education system, so that he too could prepare himself for adulthood.
It was Sara’s speech that Patrick imitated so that he too might communicate with his family.
And it was Sara who taught Patrick how to unlock and open the doors to our home — not so that he, too, might see the world beyond the living room, no…
But so that he, too, might be a co-conspirator in the campaign of terror our beagle dog, Dixie, waged on the neighbors’ trash.
As she matured into adolescence, Sara, like many teenagers, grew frustrated.
She had mastered the relevant curricula of the local special education system, had negotiated for herself an agreeable lifestyle at home (principally revolving around conning Aminta into letting her eat junk food and analyzing the cinematic nuances of Mr. Mom and Adventures in Babysitting) — but — just like her little brother Mike — had little use for the classroom.
It was at this moment in Sara’s life that a thing happened that can only be described as a miracle.
It was then that Sara — thanks to the tireless advocacy of her mother — was selected as the first student in Fairfax County to participate in a new, community-based, special-ed instruction program.
It was then that Sara met a woman named Minna Vogel.
For those who do not know the name, you need only know this: that Sara was an angel, and Minna was her wings.
In the eight years Sara spent in Minna’s class — all the way up to her graduation from Marshall High School in 1995 — my sister blossomed from an insecure little girl to the confident, graceful, beautiful woman we all knew.
Minna gave Sara the skills she needed to negotiate the adult world of jobs and money, transportation and responsibility.
These were the lessons that came to define her.
Two of Sara’s job sites in Minna’s class were the Iliff Nursing Center in the late 1980s, and the Sheraton Hotel in the mid-1990s.
For different reasons over the years, both discontinued their involvement in the community-based instruction program.
When contacted in just the last two school years about re-establishing a relationship with the program — now almost 20 years old — Iliff laundry supervisor Sylvia Ababio and Sheraton housekeeping director Maria Perez both had the same answer:
They said, “If you can send us workers like Sara Connolly, then count us in.”
The debt Sara owed — and the Connolly family owes — to Minna Vogel is beyond estimation.
Minna was not just a teacher to Sara, or a mentor or friend — she was the making of her.
With cheerful determination, stubborn attention to detail, and a genuine interest in every soul around her, Sara graduated from Minna’s tutelage ready to conquer the unexplored frontier… of independence.
She took up residence at a house in Herndon, run by Gabriel Homes under its executive director, our friend Rebecca Hartner.
Seven years there she lived, shared life, did chores, socialized, and offered, shall we say, constructive criticism to those around her who needed, in Sara’s estimation, some tough love.
Those of you who never lived with Sara may not understand what I mean, but I assure you, her housemates Karen, Patrick, Gabe, Mike, and Shelby most certainly do.
They learned quickly — as Mom, Dad, Kate, Patrick, and I had years earlier, and Abby, Sam, Grace, and Ella have learned in their young lives — that their work ethic, personal habits, hygiene, reading material, entertainment preferences, time management, promptness, manner of dress, and general attitude were all subject to her imperious judgment.
God love her, but sometimes she was like living with the PATRIOT Act.
You laugh now, but I assure you, you have not lived a humble life until you have been cursed out in indecipherable profanity by a 70-pound disabled woman in a walker.
But nor could you have lived a full life until you shook her hand, looked into those dazzling blue eyes, sat down next to her, and subjected yourself to the famous in-Sara-gation.
Our older sister Kate ran through it just the other day.
You who met Sara will remember some of the questions, questions which we can all rest assured have all been asked by now of Saint Peter himself.
“Where do you live?”
“Do you have a puppy dog?”
“Where do you work?”
“Where do you park your car?”
And, of course, “Are there fire drills there?”
No matter how often you met her, the questions were the same… because, after all, the answers might change — and that mattered to her.
Because Sara’s unique conversational style was not her way of making small talk or fitting in; it was her way of taking care of us.
That’s why she woke up her oversleeping roommates, warned friends and family of inclement weather, and reminded us all about changing our clocks for Daylight Savings Time.
Because while Sara understood that there were certain things she could not do for her loved ones, she also understood there were certain things she could do for them better than anybody else.
And what more can you ask of anyone?
It is a commendable weakness of the human condition that we are so easily moved to pity in the presence of the disabled.
Our hearts stir in their midst but too often land on the wrong emotion — we feel sympathy when we ought to feel humility.
We squirm at their misfortune, regret their physical handicaps, and lament the injustice of their limitations.
Yet we are thus slaves to the visible world.
Because we see the pain of their falls, but not the grace of their crosses.
We take their afflictions to heart, but we take their shoulders for granted.
This church is not filled today because Sara needed us… it’s filled because we needed her.
Her strength taught us faith, her courage taught us hope, and her friendship taught us love.
Sara Connolly was not special because of the burdens she overcame, but because of the burdens she embraced.
From the day she was born, she took up her cross and held it high, in answer to Christ’s call in Mark, chapter five:
“He took the child by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum,’ which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise!’”
Though we who knew her best may remember her smile, and her laugh, and her wit, and her heart, we know she was never ours alone.
And though those who fill this church today may understand that a giant lies in that little box, they know, too, she was not theirs.
Even her grieving mother, our hero, who was more loved by Sara than anyone in the world, knows that her daughter was God’s, first and always.
Thus, Sara’s passing Friday was a shock, but not a surprise: earth could not long hold such a creature.
She was perfect, and now she’s home.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, in all the history of Christendom, there has never been a “Saint Sara.”
Well… there is now.
In Memory of Sara Buchanan Connolly
April 20, 2005
Her name meant princess, and — lest anyone’s condolence notes incur my sister’s immortal wrath — she spelled it S-A-R-A, with an emphatic, “No ‘H’!”
She was the most honest woman I ever knew, and the best judge of character.
She held those around her to high standards, but only because she knew they were the only standards worth meeting.
She had a servant’s heart, and, on occasion, a sailor’s vocabulary.
She lived the fullest life anyone ever lived, and lived it on her terms until there was no more living to do.
Sara Buchanan Connolly was born 32 years ago in Portland, Maine — the second child of a stubborn Irish savant and a beautiful, living saint.
In her every role — as loving sister, brilliant conversationalist, diligent worker, demanding housemate, or loyal friend — Sara Connolly was her parents’ daughter.
A daughter, they were told by the pediatricians assessing the underdeveloped musculature of Sara’s legs, who would never walk.
Well, that was all she needed to hear.
Those doctors were just the first such foils for Sara’s unbending will — the wise and well-intentioned grown-ups handicapped by their underestimation of the disabled.
Anyone who ever tried to tell Sara what she could and could not do can guess how this story turned out.
The leg braces came off after two years, and the walker was discarded a few years later, just in time for Sara to win 40-yard races in Fairfax County’s youth Special Olympics.
As it happened, that day Sara’s baby-brother Patrick also won the 40-yard race in his age group.
Patrick is not here today.
He is at work, emulating, as he has his entire life, his big sister Sara.
It was Sara who paved Patrick’s way through the Fairfax County special education system, so that he too could prepare himself for adulthood.
It was Sara’s speech that Patrick imitated so that he too might communicate with his family.
And it was Sara who taught Patrick how to unlock and open the doors to our home — not so that he, too, might see the world beyond the living room, no…
But so that he, too, might be a co-conspirator in the campaign of terror our beagle dog, Dixie, waged on the neighbors’ trash.
As she matured into adolescence, Sara, like many teenagers, grew frustrated.
She had mastered the relevant curricula of the local special education system, had negotiated for herself an agreeable lifestyle at home (principally revolving around conning Aminta into letting her eat junk food and analyzing the cinematic nuances of Mr. Mom and Adventures in Babysitting) — but — just like her little brother Mike — had little use for the classroom.
It was at this moment in Sara’s life that a thing happened that can only be described as a miracle.
It was then that Sara — thanks to the tireless advocacy of her mother — was selected as the first student in Fairfax County to participate in a new, community-based, special-ed instruction program.
It was then that Sara met a woman named Minna Vogel.
For those who do not know the name, you need only know this: that Sara was an angel, and Minna was her wings.
In the eight years Sara spent in Minna’s class — all the way up to her graduation from Marshall High School in 1995 — my sister blossomed from an insecure little girl to the confident, graceful, beautiful woman we all knew.
Minna gave Sara the skills she needed to negotiate the adult world of jobs and money, transportation and responsibility.
These were the lessons that came to define her.
Two of Sara’s job sites in Minna’s class were the Iliff Nursing Center in the late 1980s, and the Sheraton Hotel in the mid-1990s.
For different reasons over the years, both discontinued their involvement in the community-based instruction program.
When contacted in just the last two school years about re-establishing a relationship with the program — now almost 20 years old — Iliff laundry supervisor Sylvia Ababio and Sheraton housekeeping director Maria Perez both had the same answer:
They said, “If you can send us workers like Sara Connolly, then count us in.”
The debt Sara owed — and the Connolly family owes — to Minna Vogel is beyond estimation.
Minna was not just a teacher to Sara, or a mentor or friend — she was the making of her.
With cheerful determination, stubborn attention to detail, and a genuine interest in every soul around her, Sara graduated from Minna’s tutelage ready to conquer the unexplored frontier… of independence.
She took up residence at a house in Herndon, run by Gabriel Homes under its executive director, our friend Rebecca Hartner.
Seven years there she lived, shared life, did chores, socialized, and offered, shall we say, constructive criticism to those around her who needed, in Sara’s estimation, some tough love.
Those of you who never lived with Sara may not understand what I mean, but I assure you, her housemates Karen, Patrick, Gabe, Mike, and Shelby most certainly do.
They learned quickly — as Mom, Dad, Kate, Patrick, and I had years earlier, and Abby, Sam, Grace, and Ella have learned in their young lives — that their work ethic, personal habits, hygiene, reading material, entertainment preferences, time management, promptness, manner of dress, and general attitude were all subject to her imperious judgment.
God love her, but sometimes she was like living with the PATRIOT Act.
You laugh now, but I assure you, you have not lived a humble life until you have been cursed out in indecipherable profanity by a 70-pound disabled woman in a walker.
But nor could you have lived a full life until you shook her hand, looked into those dazzling blue eyes, sat down next to her, and subjected yourself to the famous in-Sara-gation.
Our older sister Kate ran through it just the other day.
You who met Sara will remember some of the questions, questions which we can all rest assured have all been asked by now of Saint Peter himself.
“Where do you live?”
“Do you have a puppy dog?”
“Where do you work?”
“Where do you park your car?”
And, of course, “Are there fire drills there?”
No matter how often you met her, the questions were the same… because, after all, the answers might change — and that mattered to her.
Because Sara’s unique conversational style was not her way of making small talk or fitting in; it was her way of taking care of us.
That’s why she woke up her oversleeping roommates, warned friends and family of inclement weather, and reminded us all about changing our clocks for Daylight Savings Time.
Because while Sara understood that there were certain things she could not do for her loved ones, she also understood there were certain things she could do for them better than anybody else.
And what more can you ask of anyone?
It is a commendable weakness of the human condition that we are so easily moved to pity in the presence of the disabled.
Our hearts stir in their midst but too often land on the wrong emotion — we feel sympathy when we ought to feel humility.
We squirm at their misfortune, regret their physical handicaps, and lament the injustice of their limitations.
Yet we are thus slaves to the visible world.
Because we see the pain of their falls, but not the grace of their crosses.
We take their afflictions to heart, but we take their shoulders for granted.
This church is not filled today because Sara needed us… it’s filled because we needed her.
Her strength taught us faith, her courage taught us hope, and her friendship taught us love.
Sara Connolly was not special because of the burdens she overcame, but because of the burdens she embraced.
From the day she was born, she took up her cross and held it high, in answer to Christ’s call in Mark, chapter five:
“He took the child by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum,’ which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise!’”
Though we who knew her best may remember her smile, and her laugh, and her wit, and her heart, we know she was never ours alone.
And though those who fill this church today may understand that a giant lies in that little box, they know, too, she was not theirs.
Even her grieving mother, our hero, who was more loved by Sara than anyone in the world, knows that her daughter was God’s, first and always.
Thus, Sara’s passing Friday was a shock, but not a surprise: earth could not long hold such a creature.
She was perfect, and now she’s home.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, in all the history of Christendom, there has never been a “Saint Sara.”
Well… there is now.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Happy Birthday, Thomas !
You've come a long way, birthday Boy!
A time it was when you would take your sister Mary by the hand and walk her to the school bus, when both of you could barely toddle down the front steps. We love you, Thomas
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Sara Connolly
Mike's dear sister Sara passed away shortly after breakfast this Friday, April 15, 2005. We look forward to when we will meet her again in the splendor that God intended for her from the beginning of time. Dear Sara, pray for us.
Wake -
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. April 19, 2005 at Murphy's Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA
Funeral Mass -
10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at St. Phillips Church in Annandale
Wake -
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. April 19, 2005 at Murphy's Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA
Funeral Mass -
10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at St. Phillips Church in Annandale
Friday, April 8, 2005
Farewell Karol
We will miss you! Thank you for being so generous with God. We are yours! Until we meet again we pray for you, with you, and through you. God, Our Father is great, to have given us you, our beloved hero, to intercede for us.
Saturday, April 2, 2005
The Blessing of the Engagement !
The day of blessing is upon us. Fr. Malaver will arrive around 7pm for a very brief ceremony followed by a buffet dinner.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Happy Birthday, Mom !
We love you, Mom!
Happy Birthday!
Sweet deal to be still celebrating Easter at the same time as your own birthday.
I'm jealous.
All hail the Queen of the House of Royals!
Hip Hip Huzzah!
Happy Birthday!
Sweet deal to be still celebrating Easter at the same time as your own birthday.
I'm jealous.
All hail the Queen of the House of Royals!
Hip Hip Huzzah!
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Cardinal Ratzinger on ... Himself
Vatican Radio has been conceding to a multitude of requests to rebroadcast an interview it did with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger after the publication of his 2001 book "God and the World."
Asked to paint himself in words, the then cardinal said:
"A self-portrait would be impossible. It's difficult to judge oneself. All I can say is that I come from a very simple and humble family and I don't really feel like a cardinal. I feel I'm just a man."
"In Germany I lived in a small town with people who work in agriculture and handicrafts and there I feel at home. At the same time, I try to be that way in the office too. If that's what I succeed in doing, I'm not the one to say."
The then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continued: "I always remember, with great affection, the goodness of my father and mother. And for me goodness also means the ability to say 'no,' because goodness that lets anything go can't be good for another. "Sometimes goodness can also mean saying 'no,' even with the risk of sounding contradictory. But this must be nourished not by a sense of power or vindication but by an ultimate goodness which is the desire to do good to others. These are my criteria, this is my background; other people can add to it what they wish." * * *
Asked to paint himself in words, the then cardinal said:
"A self-portrait would be impossible. It's difficult to judge oneself. All I can say is that I come from a very simple and humble family and I don't really feel like a cardinal. I feel I'm just a man."
"In Germany I lived in a small town with people who work in agriculture and handicrafts and there I feel at home. At the same time, I try to be that way in the office too. If that's what I succeed in doing, I'm not the one to say."
The then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continued: "I always remember, with great affection, the goodness of my father and mother. And for me goodness also means the ability to say 'no,' because goodness that lets anything go can't be good for another. "Sometimes goodness can also mean saying 'no,' even with the risk of sounding contradictory. But this must be nourished not by a sense of power or vindication but by an ultimate goodness which is the desire to do good to others. These are my criteria, this is my background; other people can add to it what they wish." * * *
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Easter !
We spent a quiet Easter at home.... missed all the folks who usually accompany us this day.... Here's hoping for a Blessed Easter to everyone and looking forward to seeing you at the many blessed events that this year has in store for us. Love, Mom
Monday, March 21, 2005
Called to orders !!!
The Cardinal called Andrew
to receive the sacrament of holy orders
on Monday March 21, 2005. Andrew accepted the call. We are all so happy!
The events have been set in motion for him to be ordained a deacon sometime in May 2005.
We will keep you posted. That means we, his loving and supporting community, must pray for him that he may be as holy as God wants him to be, no more, no less.
Love, Mom
On blogging photos...
We have a program called "Hello."
We can post pictures to our blog using this program.
1-You need a username and password to run this program.
Do not download this program onto our computer, because, again, we already have it.
***Click here to get a username.***
(If you're not on "our computer" and you want to download it, by all means...)
2-Run the program and sign-in your username and password.
3-upper-left click on "Send Pictures"
4-click on "Use explorer" on the right
5-click on the picture you want to post
6-click on "BloggerBot" and "send"
7-top-row click on "Blogger" and select "The House of Royals"
8-enter a caption for your photo
9-bottom-right click "publish."
You're done! You may remove the picture bottom-left. You may logout.
Questions...? Comments...?
We can post pictures to our blog using this program.
1-You need a username and password to run this program.
Do not download this program onto our computer, because, again, we already have it.
***Click here to get a username.***
(If you're not on "our computer" and you want to download it, by all means...)
2-Run the program and sign-in your username and password.
3-upper-left click on "Send Pictures"
4-click on "Use explorer" on the right
5-click on the picture you want to post
6-click on "BloggerBot" and "send"
7-top-row click on "Blogger" and select "The House of Royals"
8-enter a caption for your photo
9-bottom-right click "publish."
You're done! You may remove the picture bottom-left. You may logout.
Questions...? Comments...?
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Mike proposed to Ellen !
Ellen accepted Mike's proposal. We are so happy. It was just past mid-night at the Jefferson memorial at the very dawn of St. Joseph's Feast Day.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Hello, Uncle Andrew
We hope you visit often. To comment simply click on the comment button bellow and follow the prompt. Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom to submit, publish your comment. Come visit us often.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Update from upstate
Providence College plays Mt. St. Mary's in the men's lacrosse conference opener this Saturday (3/19) @ 1pm here in Emmitsburg. I'll come home after that game. That's Maryland Day at the Heights, no?
Two papers due before that, though.
1-The theme of Sacramentality in the Nicodemus discourse (due fri.)
2-Review articles on a particular theme related to the Canon Law of Marriage (due tues).
I'll likely receive the call from the Cardinal to Holy Orders next Monday (3/21) at which point I'll also learn when the ordination date will be. More prayers please.
And, no Terps in NCAAs...bummer.
Two papers due before that, though.
1-The theme of Sacramentality in the Nicodemus discourse (due fri.)
2-Review articles on a particular theme related to the Canon Law of Marriage (due tues).
I'll likely receive the call from the Cardinal to Holy Orders next Monday (3/21) at which point I'll also learn when the ordination date will be. More prayers please.
And, no Terps in NCAAs...bummer.
Saturday, March 5, 2005
Eleven ! ! John Paul is Eleven ! !
Happy Birthday! We are so proud of you, John Paul! You are becoming a fine young man. Congratulations on your great day! Love Mom
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Carpe diem
Today is a day that will go down in the annals/archives (whichever you prefer) as the day James blogged his first blog. It was also the day Mom went to New York. So thats how you can remember it. Mom went to New York the day James Blogged. In addition in the near future things will not be dated AD but AJB After James's Blog. Remember this day. Huzzah!
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
IT'S LEE'S BIRTHDAY
Two-hour delay.
Happy Birthday Leelee. We love you so much. We had Congressman Delay order you a 2 hour delay just for your birthday. He's got pull.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Bringing the House Down
It is going to be wild and crazy times on Nottingham Drive this weekend.
With Mom and Dad abroad in Spain it is going to be a house full of catastrophic chaos and ruthless rough housing. No, have no worries. While good times will be had, the house will stay standing.
Mom and Dad leave tonight.
Ann arrives Thursday night.
Drew arrives Friday afternoon.
Thom?
Who is ready???
With Mom and Dad abroad in Spain it is going to be a house full of catastrophic chaos and ruthless rough housing. No, have no worries. While good times will be had, the house will stay standing.
Mom and Dad leave tonight.
Ann arrives Thursday night.
Drew arrives Friday afternoon.
Thom?
Who is ready???
Friday, February 18, 2005
Peter proposed to Ann!
Ann accepted Peter's proposal on Friday the 18th! We are all so happy.
Pete flew up to Providence to surprise Ann.
Ann comes home this Thursday to tell us all the details in person. Ann- give us some part of the story here...
Can't wait to see you!!!! We are all soooooo happy.
wow
(posted by Lee)
re-
Thursday, February 17, 2005
No, I did not give up Blogging for lent.
It's just that things are moving right along at a pretty steady and routinized rate.
I saw Fr. Ron Gillis today. He's well.
I went to the pharmacy to pick up some refills. The good people at the pharmacy here in E-burg are well.
I did laundry today. Just in time.
I've had recent email correspondences with some college friends.
I participated in a small-group discussion on the Hispanic face of the new-evangelization in America. Hubo muy interesante.
Y, ya!
I saw Fr. Ron Gillis today. He's well.
I went to the pharmacy to pick up some refills. The good people at the pharmacy here in E-burg are well.
I did laundry today. Just in time.
I've had recent email correspondences with some college friends.
I participated in a small-group discussion on the Hispanic face of the new-evangelization in America. Hubo muy interesante.
Y, ya!
Monday, February 14, 2005
Remembering Saint Valentine !
At least two Saint Valentines are attributed to have been martyred on February 14 in the second half of the third century and buried on the Flaminian Way. "To die for Love! What could be more glorious?" To my Dearest husband Tom and my beloved children Andrew, Ellen, Ann, Thomas, Mary, James, Margaret and John Paul, may you grow in love with the author of Love.
Mom
Mom
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
... on the suffering of John Paul II
Zenit.org quotes Jean Vanier:
"The Pope is a man who suffers. He suffers physically, but I also think he suffers enormously in his heart. And, at the same time, there is in him something that is extraordinarily luminous and limpid. The Pope is the sign of what Christianity is.
"Today, humanity finds itself in a condition of particular poverty. Christians are often in conditions of poverty. Jesus asks each one of us, in the face of all the suffering that exists in the world, to believe that he is present and invites us to trust him, and to grow in that trust."
"Today the Pope, more than with any encyclical, or any other writing, is a sign of holiness with his presence,"
"Today the world does not need great 'athletes of God,' it needs men and women, like John Paul II, who accept the mystery of what they experience.
"St. Paul says: My strength is manifested in my weakness. This is precisely what the Pope is living today."
Oremus pro Beatisimo Papa nostro Ioanes Paulo!
"The Pope is a man who suffers. He suffers physically, but I also think he suffers enormously in his heart. And, at the same time, there is in him something that is extraordinarily luminous and limpid. The Pope is the sign of what Christianity is.
"Today, humanity finds itself in a condition of particular poverty. Christians are often in conditions of poverty. Jesus asks each one of us, in the face of all the suffering that exists in the world, to believe that he is present and invites us to trust him, and to grow in that trust."
"Today the Pope, more than with any encyclical, or any other writing, is a sign of holiness with his presence,"
"Today the world does not need great 'athletes of God,' it needs men and women, like John Paul II, who accept the mystery of what they experience.
"St. Paul says: My strength is manifested in my weakness. This is precisely what the Pope is living today."
Oremus pro Beatisimo Papa nostro Ioanes Paulo!
Monday, February 7, 2005
Step-up to the Plate! Someone? Anyone?
OK! So we have understood the concept of the "Sweet Siblings Sunday Socials". Good. And we have the will to do it. Good. And we have the love to do it. Best. Now, let's make the rubber meet the road! M & M have not yet been booked for Sunday, Feb 13; nor Sunday, Feb 20; nor Sunday Feb 27; nor Sunday Mar. 6 etc. etc.
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Sweet Siblings Sunday Socials
Dear Family, as you know M & M are at the mercy of those who love them to have a life. So, let’s do it! Let’s give them a life! First we get organized, then we execute.
Here’s the concept:
Sundays is the best day to take them out, individually, for about a 4 hour stretch, preferably between 1:30pm and 5:30pm. With a little planning we could have them booked for months to come. M & M will be happy and have something to look forward to each week. We will be happy because we will be taking care of business and doing something for them. If we all work at it and include extended family and friends we mg
Here’s the concrete:
Commit to book Mary or Margaret for an 'outing' on Sunday afternoons as your schedule permits. I will be their social secretary so blog a booking by commenting or email me or open their social calendar on the desktop of the home computer.
The time will generally be about 1:30 to 5:30, e.g. Long enough for a picnic on the Mall, or a visit to the Monuments, or a stroll on the Potomac, or a drive in the Mountains
Here’s the concept:
Sundays is the best day to take them out, individually, for about a 4 hour stretch, preferably between 1:30pm and 5:30pm. With a little planning we could have them booked for months to come. M & M will be happy and have something to look forward to each week. We will be happy because we will be taking care of business and doing something for them. If we all work at it and include extended family and friends we mg
Here’s the concrete:
Commit to book Mary or Margaret for an 'outing' on Sunday afternoons as your schedule permits. I will be their social secretary so blog a booking by commenting or email me or open their social calendar on the desktop of the home computer.
The time will generally be about 1:30 to 5:30, e.g. Long enough for a picnic on the Mall, or a visit to the Monuments, or a stroll on the Potomac, or a drive in the Mountains
Monday, January 31, 2005
For the record...
I've now gone "on the record." They've got me as saying the profession of faith and the oath of fidelity.
Father Parent preached an inspiring homily. He emphasized the counter-cultural character of this type exercise of our freedom. He congratulated us and expressed his great pride in us and our arriving at this level of priestly formation. He spoke of the privelege of making this profession and taking this oath. He encouraged us to commit ourselves to the patronage of the Virgin Mary, Immaculately Conceived.
Father Parent preached an inspiring homily. He emphasized the counter-cultural character of this type exercise of our freedom. He congratulated us and expressed his great pride in us and our arriving at this level of priestly formation. He spoke of the privelege of making this profession and taking this oath. He encouraged us to commit ourselves to the patronage of the Virgin Mary, Immaculately Conceived.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Happy Saint Agnes Day!
Friday is the memorial of Saint Agnes. Here's a good read. I'm thinking of Dad in particular. I bet he'd like it.
the night was perfect
I didnt go to black tie and boots. I went to dinner at Le Ferme and then a big cocktail party in dc with Mike. It was wonderful. We got all dressed up and went into the city. The city looked nice under the snow. It was the best to be his date.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Happy Birthday Grandfather!
Today is truly a Royals Holiday. Because on a cold January morning in Chicago, Illinois, the Grandsire of the Royals family was born seventy-eight years ago today. All hail Grandfather, the grandsire of the House of Royals! Hip-Hip-Huzzah!
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Friday, January 14, 2005
Retreat's done!
The retreat is over. The grand silence is lifted. Now it's back into the fracas. HAZARD YET FORWARD!
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Ordinary time is not so ordinary for those in love!
Annie is back in Providence, the last to go. She called to say she had arrived well. Mary and Margaret had their last sleep until noon slump, then started art.... so far so good. Both are very meticulous and highly motivated to do their best. I think it's going to work.
Thank you all for a beautiful Christmas Season. Love Mamacita
Thank you all for a beautiful Christmas Season. Love Mamacita
Monday, January 3, 2005
Happy New Year
I am still celebrating Christmas.
Y'all can be doing your New-Year-thing as long as you don't forget which is the more sovereign mystery.
Y'all can be doing your New-Year-thing as long as you don't forget which is the more sovereign mystery.
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