Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 44
November 21, 2017
“I Must Stay at Your House”
Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
… Jesus … looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5, NRSVCE)
In late August or early September 2005, I went to the 7:30 a.m. Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Arlington, Va. It was my second Mass at St. Charles, and probably my fifth or sixth Mass, not counting wedd...
November 16, 2017
“Wilder Than Fire or Wind”–Peace Out, Gerry Creedon
Just like everyone else who knew him, I could tell you a lot of public stories about Gerry Creedon, the larger than life priest who died today. I could tell you he was charismatic. I could tell you he was a friend of the Kennedys, giving the invocation at Ted’s funeral. I could tell you he was giving the U.S. House’s invocation the morning of September 11, 2001.
Just like everyone else who knew him, I could tell you a lot of private stories about Gerry Creedon. I could tell you about how almo...
November 15, 2017
Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria Rafols Bruna
The Basics: Born November 5, 1781, in Spain; died August 30, 1853, in Spain; beatified October 16, 1994, by John Paul II; feast day, August 30. Woman religious and nurse.
The Story: Maria was one of ten children, five of whom died while they were still children. And perhaps
By Ajzh2074 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)], via Wikimedia Commons
that early experience helped form her passion for nursing. She was twenty-three when she became part of a group o...The Basics: Born June 3, 1817, in Germany; died April 30,...
The Basics: Born June 3, 1817, in Germany; died April 30, 1881, in Germany; beatified April 14, 1985, by John Paul II; feast day, April 30. Woman religious.
The Story: Pauline’s life was full of service–to her family, her community and those in need. The oldest child of a German politician and his devoutly Catholic wife, Pauline spent most of her formative years in a city near the French border, where her father was representing the government. Pauline entered society 
as befitted a girl in he...
November 14, 2017
Obligations
Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
“I need a pat on the back,” I said recently to my boss. After months of avoiding a colleague and a festering issue, I had listened to her side of the issue, explained gently a couple of
inside baseball things she hadn’t been aware of, and facilitated a new process that should make life easier for everyone.
I was relieved, joyful, happy… and in n...
November 10, 2017
Believe in Miracles
An occasional series based on stuff that hangs in my room… or my heart.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast,” the Queen tells Alice in Through the Looking-Glass. When I read the book as a child, I tried that. I tried believing in the very
tangible “impossible” things: that I would become shorter or thinner. That I wouldn’t have to wear glasses. That I would be prettier. None of it seemed to come.
Then when I was in college, Jefferson Starship’s Red...
November 8, 2017
Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Pauline Mallinckrodt
The Basics: Born June 3, 1817, in Germany; died April 30, 1881, in Germany; beatified April 14, 1985, by John Paul II; feast day, April 30. Woman religious.
The Story: Pauline’s life was full of service–to her family, her community and those in need. The oldest child of a German politician and his devoutly Catholic wife, Pauline spent most of her formative years in a city near the French border, where her father was representing the government. Pauline entered society as befitted a girl in he...
Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Marie Louise Trichet
The Basics: Born May 7, 1684, in France; died April 28, 1759, in France; beatified May 16, 1993, by John Paul II; feast day, May 7. Woman religious.
The Story: When saints collide, holiness results.
Marie Louise was the fourth of eight children, born in Poitiers, France. She was seventeen when Louis de
Montfort arrived in town just a year into his priesthood, and his responsibilities included for a time the chaplaincy of the local hospital. Marie Louise began helping out as a volunteer, and t...
November 7, 2017
“Please Accept My Regrets”
Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
...“Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’” (Luke 14:16-18, NRSVCE)
November 1, 2017
Friends in Faith: Carol Monaco
Carol Monaco is driven–driven to bring people closer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She’s the writer/editor of Journey to Our Lady, a periodic publication that seeks to do just that through lovely prayers and essays and is the author of a lovely little book, Heavenly Mother Help Me: Prayers, Poetry, and Prose for Daily 
Living.
In addition to her writing ministry (which also includes a column at Catholic Stand), Carol is a longtime volunteer with the Association Jeanne Jugan, which supports the L...
