P.S. In Case You Didn't Notice

When I mentioned the Fall Play in my Thanksgiving post a few weeks ago, I put a link to Christendom's website where you could read more and see photos. But in case you didn't notice the link (it wasn't very obvious), here it is: http://www.christendom.edu/news/2009/12-01-fallplay.shtml

Enjoy!

Finals Complete, I'm Home and Christmas is on the Horizon!

So, I have officially completed my first semester of college. It was challenging and busy (as college should be) but also very blessed and rewarding. I'm now enjoying Christmas break at home with my family, which is also busy, blessed, and rewarding! ;) We're preparing music for Christmas midnight Mass, which will be complete with violins, cello, organ, voices, and 2 harps. Please say a prayer that it goes well for the glory of our newborn King! (And please offer a prayer that my voice returns swiftly and completely -- I lost it a few days ago and I need it to sing!)

As we rapidly approach this most holy day of Christmas, here is a brief reflection for your meditation:

“God’s sign is simplicity. God’s sign is the baby. God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby – defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child.”

(Pope Benedict XVI)

Please also join me in praying for the Healthcare bill, which liberal politicians are right now trying to push through sometime in the next couple days (over Christmas). May our Lord have mercy and intervene.

Prayer for our Nation’s Health Care Reform

(from Priestsforlife.org)

Lord Jesus, you are the Divine Physician,

And the source of all life and health.

Guide our nation at this critical moment,

As our government seeks health care reforms.

Give our elected officials the humility to know

That they are servants, not masters.

Give them the wisdom to realize

That every life has equal value.

Give them the strength to resist the idea

That some lives can be sacrificed to save others

Or that killing the unborn is a part of health care.

Give your people the courage to speak up

And to hold public officials accountable for their actions.

Save us, Lord Jesus, from a culture of death,

And let every reform in our public policy

Be based on the reform of our hearts and minds

In the light of your Gospel,

For you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.

I have so much to be thankful for...

(Even though Thanksgiving was a week ago, it's never too late to say it, is it?)

So here goes...

I am thankful for:

Christendom's Fall Play which went really well and for all the fun I had designing costumes!

The generosity and hospitality of my dear friend Amy's family who hosted me for Thanksgiving weekend. We had a marvelous, wonderful weekend!

My family (immediate and extended) who celebrated without me in Wisconsin but who shared the good times and sent their loving wishes over the phone :)

My friends near (here) and far

My classes which I truly enjoy and my professors who make each one fruitful and intriguing

My tests which came back with good scores ;)

This penitential, mystical Season of Advent, preparing for Christmas

And most of all, I am thankful for my Faith. Without my God, I would be nothing, so I thank Him most of all: For the Eucharist, for our beautiful chapel in the middle of campus, for the moments of peace and affirmation which You, Lord, constantly send, I thank You and praise You. You're the best!

So I close with a prayer for all of you and a note of gratitude for your prayers for me. Finals are just around the corner...

All for the glory of God!

Hello Everybody!!!

This is Veronica here! I am in the midst of a wonderful visit to Sarah at Christendom trying to fufill a promise I made to update Sarah's blog while I was here...


The long awaited pictures:







Hair-do's! (One of Sarah's many occupations)





Beautiful braid for Medieval Fest

Southern belle do for Halloween Dance

Many Maidens at Medival Fest!

Sarah dressed as Guess Who?? and Bridget dressed as Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) for the Halloween Dance!

Enjoy the update! =)

Many Blessings to you all. Sarah says hello!

~Veronica

What I found in my comments this morning...

sarah,
you need to post something there has to be something that is happening there.
--mary kate

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Ah yes, Mary Kate, and all the others who are wondering what I'm doing and why on earth I haven't posted in awhile: there is something happening here! A lot of somethings happening!

In a nutshell:
Last week I played with the Freshmen/Junior team for Powder Puff, so we had practices every day. Even though we didn't win the game (the Seniors were just too fast this year :), we had a lot of fun and I got to meet several juniors whom I didn't yet know.

Over the weekend I received personal invitations to join The Chestor-Belloc Debate Society and The Palestrina Choir (a special choir in addition to the college choir).

In addition, I have four tests coming up next week and I know they won't be easy. So as I study hard and try to balance everything, please keep me in your special prayers and wait patiently for me to post photos! (I promise I will, as soon as I have a chance to put them on my computer).

Please also offer a special prayer for a special intention I have this week.

Thanks and God bless!

"We can roll the dice, not decide where they fall." - anonymous

Halloween: Good or Bad?

Many Christians wonder whether or not we should be celebrating Halloween. Is it a "bad" holiday? While it's true that a lot of people use this day to carry out superstitious acts or vandalisms, Halloween actually originated as the eve of a Christian holiday (the Eve of All Saints Day). See: http://catholicism.about.com/od/thecatholicfamily/p/Halloween.htm

My thoughts: it's okay to have good, clean, wholesome fun today with harmless costumes and a celebration. Just avoid the gory stuff. Remember the Christian roots. Spend some time preparing for All Saints Day tomorrow. That's the real big holiday! And certainly don't miss out on the opportunity to have a Saints Party (even if it's small), complete with saints costumes!

Happy All Hallows Eve (Halloween)!
HAPPY ALL SAINTS DAY!

Busy, Blessed, Beautiful

I survive the busyness because it is blessed
I relish the blessedness because it is beautiful

The season of Autumn is all around us and it is so lovely! Leaves are falling in an assortment of classic colors -- yellow, orange, red, maroon...

One of our activities this week was Medieval Fest, complete with period food, a reenactment of the crusades, and an era-appropriate dance. Many of us ladies donned renaissance gowns with flowing sleeves while the gentlemen became knights and soldiers. So enjoyable!

Today's challenge: offer a smile to someone who looks lonely and try to spark a conversation to brighten their day.

May God bless you!

Fall Break Over...

So I'm back in the swing of things. Please say a prayer for me as I already have a paper due and a test and a quiz all on Wednesday. And it doesn't help that I miss my family more now than I did at the beginning of the year. Oh well, I'm still smiling. :) 'Cause it is nice to be back in classes with my friends again. :)

Blessings!

To Jesus
through Mary
in union with St. Joseph

Just three more days...

...until Fall break. Time is flying so fast!

I have my last midterm (Philosophy) on Thursday, so please say a prayer for me!

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. If you aren't yet familiar with her story (especially the miracle of the sun), I encourage you to look it up here. (Click on "Apparition of 13 October 1917" for Miracle of the sun details).

We've been having wishy-washy weather here this week with temperatures in the upper 80's on Sunday and down to the 40's yesterday, but today is mild and simply beautiful! So beautiful, in fact, that we had Philosophy class outdoors, in a beautiful clearing in the woods overlooking the river. The trees are already beginning to change colors...so it was simply breathtaking.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

We Won!

The West won, that is. Today was our big East vs. West football game, when the East states play the the West states. It was a really close game, with East leading at half-time 12-0, but the West had a major comeback and ended with a 2-point lead victory. Exciting!

On a more solemn note, please pray for a fellow freshmen and friend of mine (Rob) who got knocked out today during the game when he fell head-first to the ground. He was taken away in the ambulance but we're hoping and praying that he returns and recovers very soon. And also for the swift recovery of both of our soccer goalies (from the girls and guys teams) who are sustaining knee injuries. Thanks and God bless!

Spirit Week Photos!

Here you are friends, for your very own enjoyment...

SPIRIT WEEK 2009

from the camera view of Sarah H.

"Dress your class color day"

Guess what the freshmen assigned color was?


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Twin day!

Amy and Sarah look-alikes

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Senior-dress-up-a-freshmen Day
My character: Miss America!

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Homecoming 2009

Including a live, 16-piece orchestra/band

Good, fun, and blessed times.

Thanks for viewing!

It's SPIRIT WEEK!

And so much fun. :) Each day we get to dress according to a theme:
Monday: class-assigned colors
Tuesday: twin day
Wednesday (today): Senior dress a freshmen day
Thursday: Christendom apparel
Friday: East-West colors (in preparation for the East coast vs. West coast football game on Sunday)

I promise pictures sometime in the (hopefully near :) future.

I've had several big tests lately and so far all seems to be going well. All the prayers and hard work are paying off. Please keep the prayers coming!

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." -Psalm 23:6

Quotes for your meditation from my meditation

"In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, born of a woman."
-Galatians 4:4

This great scripture verse is the basis for our history course this semester. This morning we had our first big history test which included 20 identifications and four essays to write. I survived! ;)

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".
- Phil. 3:14

"Nothing great is easy."
- Plato's Republic book 2 (what we're reading in Philosophy)

Parents Weekend!

My dear parents drove the very long way from Illinois to Virginia just to visit me this weekend for Parents Weekend. Thank you Mom and Dad! We had a great time. They came to my classes on Friday and then on Saturday we spent the day recreating together and catching up on the past month. Our fun extended from hiking (up a cliff), to kayaking...

...to rope swinging into the river (just me - they were the onlookers)

...to dancing

I am so blessed to have the parents I do! Thank You Lord for Your many blessings.

AMEN.

At long last...

Photos! Hopefully they make up for my recent extended absence here at the blog. Suffice it to say that I've been more than a little busy. If in the future I am ever away for long periods of time, know that I am probably writing papers or studying for a test and you can say a little prayer for me. Thanks :)

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LUAU DANCE

Katie, Amy, Sarah (me), and Colleen

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ITALIAN NIGHT

Amy, Rachel, Bridget, Sarah (me), and Johanna

Friends on the bridge

Roommates

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UPPER UNDER FOOTBALL GAME

(Aka: beat up the freshmen. The freshmen guys play all the other guys.)
Even though our team lost, they definately had the best shirts (decorated by us freshmen girls) and the best cheerleading squad! ;)

"We are the freshmen, the mighty, mighty freshmen!"

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OPENING WEEKEND

(these photos should have been at the top of my photo sequence...sorry :)

Christendom, here we are

Exultation of the Holy Cross

"We have only the short moments of this life to work for God's glory. The devil knows this, and that is why he tries to make us waste time in useless things."

- St. Therese the Little Flower

Make everything you do count for God's glory!

What I did this weekend

Friday Night/Saturday:
Helped cook for Italian Night Dinner
Decorated t-shirts for our team in the Upper Under Game (freshmen guys against all the other guys)
Practiced with the Choir
Studied Theology for 2 hours with friends (study group!)
Prepared for Italian Night (I did several hairstyles which turned out quite nice, if I may say so myself)
Started my article for the Rambler
Attended Italian Night (quite lovely!)

Sunday:
Practiced with choir for Mass
Sang for Mass
Finished and sent my Rambler article
Attended the Upper Under Game (Our guys put up a tough fight but lost sorely. They definitely had the best t-shirts and best cheering crew, though. Hands down. :)
Sang for Vespers
Attended a talk on holiness/vocation by some visiting Sisters from Kansas
Practiced Waltz and Swing-dancing (so much fun!)
Talked with my family
Studied until ??? hour

I hope I didn't just bore you with this list of weekend activities, but I thought you might find it interesting to know what kinds of activities we're doing around here. Please say a prayer for me this week as I have several quizzes/tests and my first literature paper to write.

Thanks!
~ Sarah

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We adore Thee Oh Christ and we praise Thee
Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world

On Mary, the Mother of God

"Her soul was the space from which God was able to gain access into humanity"

-Pope Benedict XVI

Spend a few moments just pondering that quote. It certainly lends itself to some profound meditation.

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Requests for prayer please:

For the soul of Lois - wife of one of my dad's best childhood friends - who died yesterday morning after a long battle and years of suffering from cancer, and for her grieving family

For the article I'm writing for The Rambler - our school newspaper. I'm writing on the Legion of Mary and it's my first article here, so all prayers would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

Stella Maris,
Ora pro nobis!
(That's today's challenge for you: translate this Latin phrase)

I wish the computer would just cooperate...

...but since it won't, you get three posts from me today (instead of two) -- let's set a record! -- and I get to devote an entire post just to this lovely photo of Mother Mary, in honor of her birthday:

Mother dearest, Mother fairest, help of all who call on Thee...

(Now please say a prayer that I finish my homework for tomorrow as these blog posts took quite a bit longer than intended :)

Happy Birthday!

...to two very, very special young women!

One: to my dear sister Veronica who turned 17 yesterday (you were in my thoughts and prayers all day)!

I can hardly believe what a charming young lady she has already become and she is continuing to be while I'm away. The picture below features her wearing a darling dress she fashioned after the styles in "Belles on Their Toes" (movie sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen). Her cute hair style in the second photo was fashioned by my other talented sister Claire (who authored a creative and touching birthday post here with more photos).

I love you and thank God for you, Veronica!

I can't wait to see the sisters or the dress in person (hopefully soon :).

And secondly: Happy Birthday to my Dear Heavenly Mother Mary! There is an inspiring quote for this day in my prayer book which I do not currently have with me, so I will have to post it later. But I would like to suggest that you have some sort of celebration to honor this special day and this very special woman - the Mother of God! Here at Christendom we are going all out and having a Rosary Procession and a birthday party for her. I love you, Mary! Please bring my prayers to Jesus today.

Splash! and a Hint

The splash is for what happened on Sunday when I went canoeing in the Shenandoah and accidentally tipped my canoe. Don't worry...I'm living to tell about it! And it was still a lot of fun. Actually, even though I hadn't planned to swim, the water was lovely.

The hint is for the quote of last post. Since no one has attempted at guessing the author yet, I'm thinking a clue might be appreciated. Think: 3rd order Dominican from Italy, one of my patronesses. Now that should be a dead giveaway!

Praise the Lord!

There's a Deer...

...eating right outside my window. For the last ten minutes, I've been watching a young buck snack on leaves just outside the library window where I'm working. :)

This morning I travelled to D.C. with 35 other C.dom students to pray 20 decades of the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for an end to abortion and a respect for life. We stationed ourselves outside of a Planned Parenthood facility there and prayed fervently. A moving yet saddening experience.

On a lighter note, for those of you who thought I would be painstakingly making my way through Statistics, I'm actually enjoying it! ;)

It's dinner time so I better run. But for those of you who guessed Job on the "mystery quote" of last post, you guessed correctly. Now see if you can guess this mystery quote:

"By humble and faithful prayer, the soul acquires, with time and
perseverence, every virtue."

Love and prayers,

Sarah

What I'm Reading...

Just thought you'd like to know a little of what I'm up to...

In Literature: The Iliad
In Philosophy: Plato (we just finished Euthyphro and The Apology)
History: The Holy Bible (we just finished Ecclesiastes and Job)
Theology: The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Latin and Statistics: Textbooks (smile :)

A few notes on the book of Job (see if you can find passages in Job to back up answers to these questions):
Is Satan real?
Does he want to destroy good and blameless men?
Can we fight against him?
Is there purpose to suffering?
Is suffering strictly a result of serious personal sin or can the just suffer?

We discussed these and many more questions today in History class!

Mystery quote for the day (who can be the first to identify?):
"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

Please say a little prayer for a special intention I have today. Thanks!

~Sarah

"My God, How I Love Thee"

(quote of St. Therese the Little Flower)

I love our beautiful chapel in the center of campus, where I can go to visit Jesus any time! It is a real blessing. Our choir sang there this morning for Mass and it went very well.

Regarding Face the Truth tour yesterday...that went very well also! It was the first tour I had been on and it was a bit difficult at first (it is an important mission, but also a sad one). While holding my sign, I had a lot of time for prayer. It was rewarding. Many people even honked and waved in support.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Face the Truth, it is a tour where a group of people stand by the roadside and hold Pro-Life signs so that people driving by can understand the reality of abortion. Our goal is to change hearts, slowly but surely.

Thank you for all of your prayers for me! And thank you for your comments! Even though I do not have time to respond to you individually, I greatly enjoy hearing from you and I am remembering you in my prayers.

Blessings!
Sarah

P.S. I know you're probably all waiting for me to post some photos (which I will), but as of this point I've only taken a couple and they're still in my camera. :) Eventually I will get around to putting them in my computer and bringing my computer to the library (where the internet connection is) in order to post some for you. :)

Welcome, weekend!

The first week of classes is over and although it has been enlightening and inspiring, I'm ready for the weekend. We've been staying up late and getting up early in order to get everything done. :)

The good news is: I made the choir (Praise God)! First practice is tonight.

Please keep me in your prayers as I'm going on a Face the Truth Pro-life Tour tomorrow, helping spread the message of life. Please join me in praying that many souls are moved.

Quote for the day:

"Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for your clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God."

- St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

St. Monica (feast yesterday) and
St. Augustine (feast today), pray for us!

And I add: Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of mine, teach all women -- young and old -- to consecrate their hearts and lives to God, to do everything for His glory. AMEN.

~Sarah

First Day of Classes...

...and all is well. I need to go do homework :) but wanted to share a quote for today:

"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole
world in which we live. "
- Pope John Paul II

Be strong and keep the Faith!
~ Sarah

I have arrived at Christendom...

...and I'm having a great time!

Orientation is going very well and I've been meeting lots of great people. Classes start tomorrow and I have 18 credits (6 classes) so please keep me in your prayers. I'm trying not to be nervous. :)

I auditioned for choir today and I'll find out tomorrow if I made it.

You're in my prayers. God bless!

Quote for the day: "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - C.S. Lewis

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St. Bartholomew, pray for us!

Canada...

A peek at our family vacation:

All of us at Niagara Falls

Sisters

Welcome to my blog!

If you are family, bienvenido!
If you are friend, bienvenue!
Whomever you are, welcome!

This is my online journal, where I will post updates and photos so you can share in my college experience. Please feel free to comment on my blog. I hope to hear from you often. =)

Please keep me in your prayers. Be assured of mine!

Love,
Sarah

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"Mary, Star of the Sea, we ask you to guide the young people of the whole world to an encounter with your Divine Son Jesus. Be the celestial guardian of their fidelity to the Gospel and of their hope." Amen.

- Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day 2009