1. You can catch me as a guest on EWTN TV. I will be appearing on the pre-recorded At Home with Jim and Joy program airing initially on December 21. Check here for other dates and times, which, I believe, are Eastern. I will be discussing my book, Fatima: The Apparition That Changed the World with them. 

2.  This past Sunday, our parish had our annual Christmas Choir concert. There were many beautiful presentations and I was so honored to participate. We had an amazing dinner and Christmas party after the concert.

3. On Thursday evening, Bill and I attended the annual Serra Christmas party, where we were blessed to share our table with our Bishop, who is a humble, gentle, and wise man.

4. I was both saddened and joyful at the same time to learn of the death of our dear Father Andrew Apostoli on December 13th. Along with others, I had been praying for him for some time. He had been suffering a great deal and I am happy that he has reached his eternal reward. Here are some well-written articles about him:

Father Andrew Apostoli Remembered as a ‘Bright Beacon of Light’

The Quotable Father Andrew Apostoli

5. Am I the only one who has not addressed and mailed out her Christmas cards yet? I even have out-of-state packages to send, which I hope to have sent out this weekend.

6. This past week, we celebrated some beautiful feast days: that of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Lucy’s Day.

7. December 16 is the memorial of St. Maria Crocifissa Di Rosa, who was born Paolina (Paula) Francesca Maria at Brescia, Italy on Nov. 6, 1813. She was the sixth of nine children of a wealthy noble landowner and industrialist, Clement de Rosa and his wife Countess Camilla Albani. At the age of eleven, Paula’s mother died and she was educated by the Visitandines. At the age of seventeen, she returned home to care for her father’s household.

As was common in noble families, her father found a proper husband for her. However, Paula had taken a vow of celibacy. With the help of her spiritual director, Msgr. Faustino Pinzoni, she persuaded her father to respect her wishes. She remained at home and spent all her free time performing good works in the community. She organized a women’s guild, for which she planned retreats and special missions. She also tended to the spiritual needs of young women employed at her father’s textile mill in Acquafredda. Continue reading. 

Have a joyful Gaudette Sunday! 

Jean

For more Quick Takes, please visit Kelly at This Ain’t the Lyceum.

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