My son has been Confirmed!

December 4,2007 - Feast of Saint Barbara

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, conferred the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation at Our Lady of Sorrows Church on the First Sunday of Advent, December 2, at 3:00 PM. A Solemn High Mass was celebrated following the Confirmation, and a reception was held in the Parish Hall afterwards.

My son was one of the 20 Confirmandi. It was a beautiful experience! King Peter's sponsor flew in from another state for this. Thank you Mr. G! I don't think we can ever properly express how much this meant to us!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves. By the way, my dear mother took the pictures, and she had some camera troubles.

More pictures can be found at Old Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Oratory. Wolftracker at Kansas City Catholic has some too. If you know of any more pictures, please let me know and I will link to them.

Just for Jamie - a.k.a. Queen of the World

Sunday, October 27, 2007 - Feast of Saint Frumentius of Ethiopia

Dearest Queen Jamie,

I beg your forgiveness for the disrespect I showed you by not keeping up with my blog. Please don't cut off my head.

Your humble subject,

BethAlice

Cream cheese crescent rolls

Cream cheese crescent rolls

One can of crescent rolls
A small portion of the Cream Cheese Feta Garlic Dill Dip

Place crescent rolls flat on a cookie tray, in the shape of a rectangle. Press the seams together, and flatten out the dough a bit. Spread the dip over the entire top. {You will not use much of the dip. You want the layer of dip to be about 1/8” thick, give or take. More if you really like cream cheese, but not so much it will not bake well.} Roll up the dough, starting on the longest side, and working towards the other long side {as if you were making cinnamon rolls}. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 12-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. {My oven temperature varies, so I could not be more accurate on the time}. Let it cool a bit. Slice & serve.

Another option is to slice it before baking. Set the spirals on their sides, then bake {this will shorten your baking time a bit.}

Cream Cheese Feta Garlic Dill Dip

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Feast of Saint Theodore Guerin


This recipe is from a dear friend.

Cream Cheese Feta Garlic Dill Dip

16 oz cream cheese—I used the light
16 oz sour cream—I used the light
5 oz container crumbled feta cheese
3-5 cloves garlic—pressed and chopped
2 t dried dill

Mix all together.

Goes well with Melba rounds, bagel chips, and other crackers.

Celebration of the Tridentine Mass in the Kansas City-Saint Joseph Diocese

Monday, September 17, 2007 - Feast of Saint Lambert of Maestricht

The above picture is titled "The Martyrdom of St. Lambert of Liège" - from a Wikipedia entry, which identifies the picture as "Le Martyr de St. Lambert" of the 15th century, but fails to list an artist or provenance.

What a blessed day September 15th became {besides the fact it was also my sister's birthday}! Our bishop, Bishop Finn of the Kansas City-Saint Joseph Diocese, celebrated the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. Kansas City Catholic and Musings of a Dominican Inquirer were there, and each has an excellent write-up and several pictures.

My dear friend, Jack, was also there. Jack collects relics, items for the altar, and other traditional Catholic items. In fact, he donated several items needed for the Mass.

Jack sent me the following pictures:

These first two show the altar. Notice the empty pews behind the altar. Prior to Bishop Finn coming to our diocese, the Cathedral was wreckovated, and designed to not accommodate the Tridentine Mass. Well, those responsible were wrong. From what I have heard, the Mass was standing room only, but no one sat behind the altar.

Beautiful! What a glorious way to honor Our Lord!


This shows His Excellency Bishop Robert Finn, with Jack, in thanks for lending him the necessary altar items from his collection. Jack said, “It was an honor to be able to help.”



This shows the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, who are in our diocese, with Jack and his sister. Jack explains the story behind the picture:

“Several people have correctly guessed that the nuns are all laughing as Jack
must have told a joke. (They know me) When {the photographer} was counting to
three as he took it, he stopped at "Say..." at which point I shouted out, "Moto
Proprio", much to the sisters' delight.”

And finally, another beautiful picture. This is a father hugging his daughter goodbye, after the Mass. Jack said the father is

“fighting back the tears as he hugs his daughter goodbye. As Mother Superior
whisked her away, he remarked, "Well, I'll get to see her at Christmas."”

Thank you Jack for allowing me to share your pictures!

J+M+J

Friday, September 14, 2007 - Feast of Saint Notburga

Floating around the blogs, for your enjoyment -

How to give a cat/dog a pill - Or..... When a joke is not a joke

Sunday, September 9, 2007 - Feast of Saint Peter Claver

I hope everyone had a blessed Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Happy Birthday Blessed Mother!

We have two cats. My friend sent the following "joke" - only, it is not really a joke, not if you have had to do it!

I remember one incident in particular. One of the cats had to go on some medicine. The vet warned us to avoid letting the cat taste the pill - for some reason dogs don't mind the taste, but cats HATE it, and remember forever that they hate it! He told us that normally, cats are boarded at the clinic while they are on the medicine, because of the extreme difficulty in administering the pills. I assured him that we could handle it. The first few times there were no issues. Then, the cat tasted it. I will save you from the gory details, but I will tell you that I was eating my words. I was determined to not let this 8 pound creature get the best of me! I came up with a technique involving wrapping the cat in a heavy towel - all of her except her head. It was not easy [mind you, her teeth were still exposed], and it took more than one person, but we did it. She quickly figured out that towels equaled torture & would fight tooth & nail [literally] to get away. One day we were having more difficulty than usual. Someone else happened to be at the house at that time, so I drafted him to help. I gave him the towel to wrap the cat in. The "manly man" he was, he refused it - after all, he was a man & his job entailed working with cats on almost a daily basis. Result? He mopped up his blood with the towel, while I went to get another towel to wrap the cat in. And yes, I enjoyed saying, "I told you so!"

Now, the joke:

How To Give A Cat A Pill

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little bastard's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How To Give A Dog A Pill

1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Monday, September 3, 2007 - Feast of Saint Gregory the Great

I apologise to my readership, which is sooooo vast [snicker], for my absence. Did you miss me? [pretending is ok] I was busy with moving.

We were unhappy with our former residence. It was not in the best neighborhood. My children were lucky I let them play outside in the yard, but they never could ride their bikes unless I took them to a park. We moved there only a year ago, and since I detest moving, I tried to grin & bear it. Then something wonderful happened. With the help of a friend, I found a lovely place to live in, only 2-3 blocks from the church we belong too! I call it our "cottage'. We get to walk to Mass, and now can attend weekly Mass more often! My children have a larger yard to safely play in, and can ride their bikes. The library is within walking distance too. We will be here for maaaannnnyyy years!

I am so blessed, and VERY thankful to our new landlady for having such a wonderful place for us to live in! I hope she realises what a dream it is for us to live in a place like this, and so near to Mass. She is truly a lovely person, and such a Godsend! I thank God too, as all of this was definitely because of Divine Intervention. I also thank my friend, for her part in all of this.

Mission Impossible?

Sunday, September 2, 2007 - Feast of Blessed Apollinaris of Posat

[Disclaimer- I am not referring to the movies Mr. Cruise is in, but the story itself. I never was one of his fans, but even less so now.]

In Mission Impossible, the missions, though deemed impossible, are all accomplished. [I am no expert on the story, but let’s pretend I am right]. Is that not the way it is with God?

Today I saw my priest in his cassock. He is a diocesan priest, and not from a traditional order. It is rare to see any priest in a cassock, even less so a diocesan priest. He does not wear his cassock all the time, though I wish he did. However, I have never seen him in anything but his blacks, with his collar [another sad rarity these days.]

My mother [Hi Mom!] is not Catholic. Even she, as a non-Catholic, sees the importance of priests & the religious dressing appropriately. [From here on out, I will use the word “priest”, but it will include priests, and all of those in the religious life such as monks & nuns.] When a priest walks into a place looking like a priest, you see the behavior and respect, of the other people there, go up a notch or more. Not only that, but he is “advertising” his vocation. One never knows when someone is in need of a priest.

I remember a story a former priest told me. He was traveling when he came upon an accident on the interstate. The emergency workers recognized him as a priest [because he was dressed like one] and asked him to come to one of the accident victims. I don’t know how the workers knew the victim was Catholic, but knew he/she needed a priest. Had this priest been wearing street clothes, the victim would have been without the help needed from a priest.

What has this got to do with Mission Impossible? I know this is rambling, but please bear with me.

I think of all the non-Catholics, and fallen away Catholics, that see a priest dressed in his blacks, going about his daily life. What a witness that is! It is much more effective than door-to-door evangelizing, in my opinion. Are we all not called to show our faith by living it? What a privilege it is for a priest to not only live the faith, but also have such an obvious outward sign of it, in the way he is dressed. It has been my observation that the more traditionally the priest is dressed, the greater the effect on others. Who knows when this effect later results in a conversion to the Faith?

I have heard the lame argument that some [far too many] priests dress in street clothes because they do not want attention, and/or want to be treated like everyone else. Oh, poppycock! That is just an excuse to have time off & get out of living their vocation! I am a mother; that is my vocation. I do not get to stop being a mom. I am a mom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I do not get a day off….never! Do I want some “me time”? Sure! And on rare occasions I get it. Are there times when being a mom seems so demanding? Yes. But the second one of my children needs me, I am there. How can a priest always be available when he does not look like a priest should?

Some say it seems an impossible mission to save many souls, to obtain many conversions, but as I said before, nothing is impossible with God! And He gave us the Church, and priests to help us do this. What better way for them to guide us, than by looking like a representative of Christ!

New Traditional Catholic Website, and Latin Mass Database

A friend of mine helped to develop this website. She is the woman who interviewed His Excellency Bishop Rifan of Campos, Brazil.

www.thelatinmassnetwork.org

This is what she wrote to me:

Well, this is the project I've been working on. It's a Latin Mass database- you
can search for a Mass near you. We're also going to do articles, links, blogging
and hopefully a social aggregate program-kind of like myspace for Trad
Catholics.

She announced it only a couple of days ago, and she knows there are some bugs to work out - bugs that don't show up until people start using the site.

Enjoy!

Brocade Ring Sling

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Feast of Saint Roch

I made another sling for this baby. This one is made out of a single layer of brocade.

Here is a close-up of the lovely fabric.

And the drawstring bag to hold it.

I apologize for the lousy pictures. I would have taken them outside, but it is blistering hot!

Gorgeous Green Tie-Dye Ring Sling

August 10, 2007 - Feast of Saint Lawrence

I had the pleasure of making another sling. This sling is made out of a green tie-dye cotton, with a slight stretch. The fabric has variegated thread running the length of it. It is a gorgeous fabric, and my pictures do not do it justice.

The sling is fully reversible, and has a zippered pocket in the tail.

Here is a close-up of the decorative stitching I did along one rail/side of the sling. This helps the wearer when adjusting the sling, by knowing which side of the tail to pull on.

And an added surprise, which my friend does not know about - unless she is reading my blog now - I made a drawstring bag to store the sling in.

The baby this sling was made for, is due any day now. Please pray for a safe delivery!

P.s. - I would love pictures of the sling in use!

Is there such a thing as a "charitable comeback"???

August 4, 2007 - Feast of Saint John Mary Vianney


Is there such a thing as a "charitable comeback"???

There is an older woman at my N.O. who has the tongue of a viper. She is an elderly woman who has a control issue. She used to be in charge of the sacristy - for years I believe. She "retired", but not really (one friend said she will be directing the workings of the sacristy from her grave.) Our new priest (well, not as new anymore) has (unintentionally) put her on the warpath (especially since the recent Motu Proprio - Summorum Pontificum). She criticizes him freely, to anyone who is in earshot, even if it is him. She saw one friend of mine signing the petition for the Latin Mass (supported by our priest, by the way), and chastised her for it, saying some hateful things about it. I have a feeling there would be a lot more signatures if not for her.

I recognize that she is elderly, and often the elderly don't accept change readily. I am also sure that she has done some good things for the parish. But when it comes to obedience to your priest, bishop, and pope, there is no excuse. I have a feeling if Jesus Christ showed up in the church wearing a robe and sandals, she would criticise him for wearing sandals in the church.

Anyway, I have conversations with her, in my head. Trouble is, I am not good at charitable comebacks - though I think of plenty of UNcharitable ones!

Help a girl out! Do you have any charitable comebacks? Those comebacks that refer to the Motu Proprio, and/or support for the Latin Mass, and/or respect for your priest, will be especially appreciated!

Help me out, so I can win these conversations in my head!


P.s. - Our priest is doing "dry runs" of the Latin Mass. I don't know when his first "real run" will be, but you can bet that I will be there!

Bawk! Bawk! Vaccine Chicken!

July 20, 2007 - Feast of Saint Margaret of Antioch

$75,000 Offered For MD to Publicly Drink Vaccine Additives

Jock Doubleday to Pharmaceutical CEO: "I dare you to drink this. In fact, I will pay you $75,000 to do it!"

Pharmaceutical CEO: "Bawk! Bawk!"

Rotten Apples Award – AT&T / Cingular

July 14, 2007 - Feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Rotten Apples Award – AT&T / Cingular

AT&T/Cingular has the distinction of winning the first Rotten Apple Award.

We have been loyal customers to Cingular since March of 2001. But now, it seems, they are not loyal to us.

We have a pretty good plan that was paid on time each month, just like loyal customers should. Perhaps not a lot of minutes for some, but perfect for us.

Then in July of 2006, they added a monthly network service charge of $4.99 per line for each TDMA or Analog line of service on the account (we have two lines). While we were not pleased, we remained loyal customers.

I got an upgraded phone, and then went to the AT&T store today to switch from TDMA to the current network. Imagine my disbelief when I found out I would have to sign up for a new plan! One that costs MORE, and with LESS minutes!

So much for loyalty!

I walked out of the store. I will gladly take my money elsewhere. The other companies have similar plans as to what AT&T is now offering (same price, minutes, etc.), but I would much rather give my money to them, than to a company that stabs its loyal customers in the back. There may only be 1% of us still on TDMA, but that amounts to SEVERAL hundred thousand customers!

We are being offered “options” to move to the new network (as if we have a choice), including a free phone. (Whoopee, I already have one, besides nearly all new plans come with a free phone anyway.) AT&T will “allow” us to carry over added features to the new network, but rate plans will not carry over. (If you are still on TDMA, then you probably have an old plan, which usually does not have much in the way of “added features” – at least we do not.)

And I suppose they will charge an activation fee too…..ugh……….

Zucchini Casserole

July 13, 2007 - Feast of Saint Margaret of Antioch

From my wonderful step-mother -
(My comments on making it meatless are in red)

Zucchini Casserole

2 pounds zucchini (chopped) (I do half zucchini & half yellow squash)
1 medium onion (diced)
Simmer in water until tender and then drain

Add
1 stick oleo (that would be butter or margarine - I prefer butter!)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 8oz carton sour cream
1 8oz pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom for meatless)
1 box chicken stove top dressing (I found some stuffing mix that was meatless - read the ingredients carefully)

(I also added 3 eggs for protein for a meatless dish that is to be a main dish.)

Combine well and place in greased casserole dish.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 min.

Hope you have good luck with it, it is one of the best I have ever tasted.

Summorum Pontificum, and Praying for the Jewish People

July 10, 2007 - Feast of Saint John of Tobolsk

I am sure you have all heard of the recent motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum , graciously given to us by the Holy Father, regarding the wider use of the Tridentine Mass. I have not posted on it until now, because I have been so busy reading other people’s blogs.

Well, not surprisingly, there are issues.

The American Jewish Committee released this statement yesterday –

July 9, 2007 - New York - The American Jewish Committee expresses its appreciation to Pope Benedict XVI for his confirmation that the positive changes of Vatican II will apply to his recent decision regarding the Latin Mass, which has been reinstated by the Church. "We acknowledge that the Church's liturgy is an internal Catholic matter and this motu proprio from Pope Benedict XVI is based on the permission given by John Paul II in 1988 and thus, on principle, is nothing new," said Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's international director of Interreligious Affairs. "However we are naturally concerned about how wider use of this Tridentine liturgy may impact upon how Jews are perceived and treated."

Pope Benedict XVI, in a decree issued on Saturday, authorized wider use of the traditional Latin Mass, which in some liturgy contains language offensive to Jews.
"We appreciate that the motu proprio actually limits the use of the Latin Mass in the days prior to Easter, which addresses the reference in the Good Friday liturgy concerning the Jews," Rosen added. "However, it is still not clear that this qualification applies to all situations and we have called on the Vatican to contradict the negative implications that some in the Jewish community and beyond have drawn concerning the motu proprio."

The above response is the most level-headed I have read. But. I wonder, does no one do his or her research? The media has been all over this too!

First, there are those who complain that the revival of the Tridentine Mass will revive an old Good Friday prayer that prays for the conversion of the Jewish people, and calls them “perfidious”, which they consider offensive.

Then, there are those, having done a little more research than the previous group, who also complain the Tridentine Mass will revive an old Good Friday prayer that prays for the conversion of the Jewish people, but they get the “perfidious” issue correct, saying the word was removed. They are still offended, just by the fact that there is a prayer for their conversion.

First, let us look at the prayers of the 1962 missal (the one approved to be used in the Tridentine Mass), and the current missal:

1962: For the conversion of Jews. Let us pray also for the Jews that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, you do not refuse your mercy even to the Jews; hear the prayers which we offer for the blindness of that people so that they may acknowledge the light of your truth, which is Christ, and be delivered from their darkness.

NEW: Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant. Almighty and eternal God, long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and his posterity. Listen to your church as we pray that the people you first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption.

No mention of the word perfidious. So that knocks out the first group. But, let us look at the definition of the word.

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Perfidious - of, relating to, or characterized by perfidy
Perfidy - the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal

The Jewish people do not believe in Jesus Christ. So to Christians (Catholic and Protestant), does that not mean they have no faith in Jesus Christ? They are “faithless” when it comes to Jesus Christ? This reminds me of when my brother and sister and I were children. I called my brother Sebastian, and he thought I was calling him a bad name, just because he thought it sounded bad.

Now, let’s look at the other “issue” of praying for the conversion of the Jewish people. The new prayer still has us praying for their conversion!

“that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant” – That they may grow in their love and faith and come to accept and believe in Jesus Christ.

“we pray that the people you first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption.” The redemption being believing in Jesus Christ.

It is no secret that Jewish people do not believe in Jesus Christ. Nor is it a secret that those of us who do believe in Him, pray for those who do not believe in Him. We would be hypocrites if we did not pray for them. This does not mean any disrespect to the Jewish people, but only shows our love for them, that they may come to see the truth. I do not agree with anti-semitic hate crimes, and that is not what this is.

I realise people may be upset with this issue, but all I ask is that they sit back and think about it, not letting their anger get in the way. Does anyone like hypocrites? If you do not agree with us, shouldn't we at least be respected for not being hypocrites?

I wonder, do the Jewish people pray for our conversion? While I do not agree with their viewpoint, I am not going to go around saying I am a victim of prejudice. I’d rather worry about the price increase in services I get at the auto shop just because I am a woman.

Pooh Sling

I finished another sling - this one for another dear friend. I had so use fabric scraps to lengthen it, as the initial piece was not long enough. (Oh, and please forgive me for the poor quality pictures.)

It is fully reversible

I put a zipper pocket in the tail of the sling. You can see it in the picture below.

I added a decorative stitch to one of the rails (edges) of the sling. This aids with adjusting the sling.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them

If you need a custom sling, please contact me.

Summorum Pontificum

July 4Th, Feast of Saint Ulric


From Rorate Caeli -

Motu Proprio
Summorum Pontificum
This is the name of the motu proprio which establishes the liberalization of the Traditional form of the Roman Rite and rules for its implementation, according to I.Media, which has confirmed that it will be published on July 7, 2007.

Nice coincidence for those of us living in the United States. that on the day we celebrate our country's independence, we also hear of the independence of the Latin Mass.

Roast Beef in Rich Wine Gravy and Roasted Mushrooms

Here is another recipe from my very dear friend, Rose in Malta -

Big roast beef
Fresh thyme
large, assorted mushrooms
red wine
beef/meat/chicken stock (i make my own from all the bones etc, but an organic cube will be fine)
3 red onions
3 cloves garlic
water (to add to gravy, if needed)
salt/pepper
basil or any herbs that compliment meat dishes

Take the beef joint and rub the 2 garlic cloves and salt and pepper all over it. Stuff thyme inside the string (if it is around the beef) and rub in too. Leave beef for a few hours.

In a large frying pan, saute the onions, garlic and more thyme for 5-7 mins until lightly cooked. Add 2 large glasses of wine which will cook off, leaving a beautiful smell. Then add the stock, ladle by ladle. To make the gravy thicker you can add a little cornflour. Add salt and pepper and a bouquet garni.

In a separate pan saute the mushroom (sliced but quite large) in some olive oil and butter. Add thyme, garlic and salt and pepper and leave.

Place beef in large dish and cover with the red wine gravy and the sauteed mushrooms. Cook in hot oven (170c) for one hour, but do check.

before serving add lots of fresh herbs on the meat.

Homemade Sangria

This recipe is from new and very dear friend who lives in Malta! Her stories of food, and the traditional Mass, make me want to move there!

This is her recipe for Sangria -

I have a few varied recipes, all tried and tested of course, but here's the usual one;

I bottle red wine
2 lemons
2 limes
2 oranges
chunks of pineapple
2 or 3 teaspoons of brown sugar
I glass of orange juice
small shot of brandy
mint or other fresh herb of your choice!


Place wine into pitcher. Squeeze juice of the fruits and then cut into neat wedges and add to wine. Stir is sugar, orange juice and brandy. Mix carefully and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. just before serving add fresh herbs, this is an added ingredient!

Thank you dear Rose!

Chocolicious Rice Krispie Treats

The classic treat with a twist. An easy favorite!

4-5 tablespoons butter

4 1/2 - 5 cups mini-marshmallows

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

5 1/2 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies

Melt butter in large, deep saucepan over low heat.

Add marshmallows, stirring constantly.

When marshmallows are 2/3 of the way melted, add chocolate chips.

Stir just until completely melted.

Remove from heat and add Rice Krispies.

Stirring until well coated with the chocolate marshmallow mixture.

With damp hands (get hands wet & shake off excess water), gently press mixture into 13x9 inch pan, lightly coated with butter. (The damp hands prevent the mixture from sticking to you, and allows better control than a spatula.)

Cut into 2 inch squares when cooled & set.

Makes approximately 24 squares.

***UPDATE - I tried this using a cup of WHITE chocolate chips, instead of the semi-sweet, and they were delicious. OK, I will admit that "white chocolate" is not REAL chocolate, and that I prefer a good dark chocolate, but this alternative was very good and a big hit with family!***

Last minute news on the Motu Proprio

June 28, 2007 - Feast of Saint John Southworth

Rorate Caeli dispels, or rather, explains a recent misconception on the Motu Proprio. You can read about it here.

The Universal Indult Blog had an interesting quote from Monsignor Schmitz of the Institute of Christ the King (originally published in a March ,2007, article in Envoy magazine.)

He also said that the long-awaited and expected motu proprio, at least to his understanding of its most recent contents, allows for every Latin-rite priest to offer the Traditional liturgy publicly. According to various news reports, the exception would be if a bishop who desired to forbid a particular priest from offering it, he would have to put the reasons in writing and gain approval through the PCED. Msgr. Schmitz added that priests who were forbidden from offering the Traditional rite by their diocesan Ordinary could appeal to the PCED for recourse.