On Saturday, May 31, Sister Agnes Marie of the Eternal High Priest took her final vows as a Carmelite nun at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Buffalo, New York. She is an “extern sister,” which means that she deals with the public. I asked Sister Agnes how she knew that God had called her to […]

When I interviewed arborist Rochelle Smith for an article in the Island Dispatch about the November 10 tree planting, she told me that each person should plant fifteen trees in a lifetime, just to replace the oxygen used by breathing.A tree that is planted is also a visible reminder of something that a person has

When I was in Washington, D.C., I stayed at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker house. The folks who live in this house do a lot of stuff together, such as hold weekly vigils at the Pentagon and at the White House. Their regular presence at these places, regardless of weather conditions, is a reminder to

On the day that I went to visit the National Building Museum, I also had a few other adventures. One of them was a walk through Chinatown. I went to Chinatown to look for (what else?) lunch! I found that, at a restaurant called “Chinatown Express.” This restaurant is very interesting to look at from

The Franciscan Monastery Gardens provide a peaceful setting for quiet contemplation or for drawing and painting. Many reminders of spirituality can be found within this area. Inside the semi-enclosed corridors, plaques hang, with the Ave Maria written in numerous languages, some of which are not spoken anymore, such as Old English. On the grounds of

During my “tourist time” in Washington, D.C., I visited two gardens in the Smithsonian Institution. One was a butterfly garden and the other was a botanical garden. Both were full of vibrant flowers that were either at full bloom or almost there. The day that I chose for my “garden time” was very warm, about

On Tuesday, May 6th, I had an interesting adventure at the National Building Museum. The main focus of this museum is architecture, although there are also fascinating displays of how Washington’s infrastructure was designed. I had the chance to take a guided tour of the building. The guide, Lloyd, talked about the man who designed

Here I am with Pope Benedict XVI outside of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. The picture was taken on Sunday, May 4 when this absolutely realistic, yet wax, pope was visiting the church.I enjoyed attending St. Patrick’s. I had the opportunity to sing with the choir, directed by Ronald Stolk. That was very

The Grand Island Historical Society presented a Victorian Tea at River Lea on April 20, followed by a program and a tour of the house. The tea was quite delightful, featuring traditional afternoon foods and a cup of delicious tea. The tea was called “Maisie’s Tea,” and it was a blend of tea created by

Maggie Gushue presented “The History of Hats,” which was illustrated by a fashion show, in which models demonstrated changing hat styles from the 1700s until the present. Maggie talked about hats being functional, decorative, or flirtatious. While the earlier hats were big to shield women who worked outside for many hours from the detrimental effects