Cottage Blessings

The Front Lawn Players present Romeo and Juliet (Part 1)

Last year, my mother passed away two weeks before The Front Lawn Players' production of As You Like It.  With daughters playing Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone, there should have been a huge, picture-laden blog post afterward, but you can imagine I did not much feel like blogging at that time.  This year, they performed Romeo and Juliet with Alice (aka Agnes) playing the role of a lifetime.  Here are a few pictures for posterity.  And maybe, just maybe, I will post those As You Like It photos one of these days.

 

Juliet

 

Lady Capulet and the nurse discuss marriage plans for Juliet.

 

Lady Capulet introduces Paris to Juliet.

 

Romeo waits on the sidelines.

 

Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, is not too thrilled to see a Montague at the party.

    

But Lord Capulet doesn't want any trouble.

 

  Poor Paris doesn't stand a chance now.

Please click on the video twice to see the right hand side of the screen.

 
Juliet learns, to her grave dismay, that her love is a Montague.

[More to come, including the famous balcony scene.] 

  

Here and Now: June Long Island Catholic column

Not long ago, I came across a framed picture of the Blessed Mother while cleaning out the basement of my mother’s house. How perfectly I knew every detail of it — the sweet and gentle face of Our Lady, the rays of light streaming from her fingertips, and the snake crushed beneath her feet. When I was growing up, the image hung in my bedroom, but standing there in the dim storage room, my mind raced back to the day I first received it.

Years ago, on one of our family’s trips to Ireland, we stayed in a cottage rented to us by a couple who seemed old to me at the time. The place had everything a child could want, with a gate to swing on, a newborn brood of black kittens, and a friendly dog who trailed me wherever I went.

One evening, my mother and father brought me to a street fair in nearby Killarney. There was a dunking booth and vendors hawking chips with peas and vinegar. Game booths stuffed with prizes stood side by side, and, on the top shelf of one was that beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother. I was smitten and resolved to win it. The couple who rented us the cottage happened by and saw me hard at work. The wife smiled and said, “If you win, you will get that lovely dolly on the top shelf,” but I told her that I was hoping for the Blessed Mother. Do not ask me what the game itself was. It might have been a ring toss or a shooting contest or a game of strength with fat mallets, but the bottom line is that I spent all my pocket money to no avail. 

The next morning, I went out to feed the chickens and pay a visit to my kittens when to my delight the image of Our Lady was waiting for me, propped on a bench outside my door. It turned out the couple stayed after our family left the fair, and the husband played the game until he won my prize. The wife told my mother, “We thought it was so nice that your little girl wanted the picture of Our Lady.” 

Please click here to read more.

 

Another Confirmation in the Latin Rite

It seems like yesterday we were celebrating Agnes and Theresa's confirmation at the beautiful St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, the center of our diocese here on Long Island.  Yesterday it was Clair's turn, and she had a perfect day.   Clair arrives at St. Agnes Cathedral.

 [Little sister Cecilia basks in the glow of her name saint while waiting for the ceremony to begin.]

Most of these girls were confirmed together last time around.  They were back yesterday to celebrate with younger brothers, sisters and friends.  Agnes (center, purple) had the honor of sponsoring her sister Clair.

 Interior view of St. Agnes Cathedral.

 Clair, center.

 

A beautiful group assembles with Bishop Murphy on the sun-drenched steps of the Cathedral.

Clair Margaret Grace Gunther poses for a picture with the bishop.

Our Lady of Grace, Clair's confirmation patron, pray for us!   
 
 
  

 

Haystack Full of Needles: Looking for Reviews

Quite some time ago, I collected reviews of "Haystack Full of Needles" on my book page.  (Please click here.)

Time and life being the way it is, I left off without completing the collection, but I had hoped to link to as many reviews as possible.  If you have ever reviewed the book on a blog or elsewhere, would you please send me the link so it can be added to the page?

Thank you so much!