Gone for the week

I'm about to take off for a few days of R&R with my mother.  But it's bugging me that I'll be away from my parish, and daily Mass with people, for some great feast days this week.  So, since my mother would never stand for me giving a homily at a Mass in a hotel room, here's my little thoughts for the Saints this coming week:

Monday: St. Jane de Chantal.  The foundress of the Visitation sisters makes me think of the Visitation Convent that used to be, until only recently, in Frederick, Maryland.  Seminarians used to go down for First Friday devotions, which always attracted a large amount of local families (not to mention the sisters behind the cloister grille).

Tuesday: St. John Eudes.  Could the founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary have considered that, after his death, they'd be known as "Eudists"?  I love telling daily Mass attendees this fact; in their half awake, 8:10am consciousness they think I say he was the founder of the "nudists".

Wednesday: St. Bernard of Clairvaux.  My first summer parish assignment as a seminarian was at a parish named for St. Bernard.  This was a guy with a great love for the Blessed Mother.

Thursday: Pope St. Pius X.  Papa Sarto.  Restoring all things in Christ.  Great motto for today.  Known most of all for lowering the age of reception of Holy Communion to the age that is commonplace today.  But not so well known is his encyclical on liturgical music.

Friday: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The last day of an "octave" which began on the Assumption of Our Lady.  The principal patroness of my diocese (thanks to the fact that our founding bishop was ordained on this feast day back when it was celebrated on May 31, the end of the month dedicated to Mary.

Have a great week, everyone, and thanks for reading.