Our Lady's Protection: A Sacramental from our Church

Beth

This sweet young lady, named Beth wore a Miraculous Medal to Mass today. Her mother is reading my book, The Miraculous Medal: Stories, Prayers, and Devotions. Her grandmother sent me this precious photo.

Are you wearing a blessed Miraculous Medal? Our Blessed Mother Mary instructed Saint Catherine Laboure that those who wear the medal will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.

The prayer on the medal is: "O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

Autographed copies of my book, The Miraculous Medal are available here: www.donnacooperoboyle.com  Each order is sent with a blessed Miraculous Medal.


May God bless you and yours and may Mother Mary keep you close to her Immaculate Heart!



[photo posted with permission from Beth's family]

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Wonderful endorsement from Fr. Mitch Pacwa S. J.

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Wonderful endorsement from Fr. Mitch Pacwa S. J.: So many people are so busy. Moms find it difficult to structure a time for personal prayer, especially stay at home Moms. So many variabl...

Please pray for baby Adele

Little Adele needs prayers please. She's the baby girl with brain cancer. She is running a fever and is in the hospital. She had a recent blood transfusion. Her Mom has said:

We had a lovely week at home with a happy Adele and lots of fun, family time (minus Daddy throwing his back out). I have a hard time with change and I really like schedules so it was difficult for me to come to the hospital today.
Adele started running a fever this afternoon and by around 6 pm it was up to 101.5 which is the magic "go to hospital now, do not pass go" ticket. Because she is neutropenic (no white cells, can't fight infection) if she spikes a fever she has to get antibiotics on board right away. Any little bug can be devastating to her.

So, Adele and I headed to our local hospital. Thankfully CMH had called ahead and they sent us straight to a room. Then it was hurry up and wait. Things finally picked up and she got lots of blood drawn to check for infection and she got a chest xray just to rule anything out.

The resident has been great so far, she has already popped in to let me know her platelets and hemoglobin are low. She will be getting some red blood cells soon. We are still waiting to hear where her white count is sitting.

Adele is getting antibiotics right now to knock out whatever might be going on. She will have to be in the hospital at least two days. Her discharge requirements are no fever for 48 hrs, negative blood cultures (meaning no infection in her blood) and an ANC (infection fighting ability) of at least 500.

There is a possibility that we will be transported to CMH in the next day or so. Adele was due for a clinic appt and her last chemo med on Tues. Wed she is supposed to get a catheter and start stem cell harvest on Wed.

Please pray that this is something little and easily overcome. Please pray for Peter to recover quickly, he can barely move right now. Thank you. Jesus, I trust in you. Thank you for this past wonderful week our family had. Please grant Adele complete healing of whatever is causing this fever and of all at/rt present in her body.

Please pray for baby Adele and her family. Thank you in advance.

God bless you and yours,

View from the Domestic Church: The Miraculous Medal book - Number 1 and releasing soon!

View from the Domestic Church: The Miraculous Medal book - Number 1 and releasing soon!

View from the Domestic Church: Summer Reading: The Miraculous Medal!

View from the Domestic Church: Summer Reading: The Miraculous Medal!

Best Books for Catholic Women 2013

Best Books for Catholic Women 2013

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Today's Reflection

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Today's Reflection: From Catholic Mom's Cafe for June 25th: PONDER : True love causes pain. Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love, died o...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Immediately encouraged and hopeful

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Immediately encouraged and hopeful: Catholic Mom's Cafe, Five Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Div...

Reading Catholic: A Tale of Two Books About .... Pregnancy

Reading Catholic: A Tale of Two Books About .... Pregnancy: When I review certain books, I have often shared them informally with others--such as medical experts or even kids--to help me discern if t...

Prayers for Adele update

Adele suffers from brain cancer

Remember little Adele whom I spoke about recently? Her mom is desperate for prayers for her. She said:

And our plans have changed again.

We've been discussing with Adele's doctor her inability to stand up on her own and her leg weakness but he hadn't really gotten to see it himself until today. She is having a really hard time walking and is not able to stand up from being seated. A few weeks ago when she originally presented with legweakness she had an MRI that showed her tumor had grown. She started on steroids and regained her strength. She is now off steroids.

Originally her doctor wanted to get her started on her next round of chemo before doing a scan but today he changed his mind. If she has an MRI that shows her tumor has grown she can't stay on this clinical trial she is on. It makes sense, if her tumor grows then this isn't the right treatment for her. Her doctor decided it would be wise to see what we are dealing with instead of putting her through more chemo that might not be working.

There is a little confusion over her MRI time because they just scheduled it today. I believe it is set for 9 am tomorrow but we won't know for sure until tomorrow morning.

Peter is hanging tough in KC for now and I am in a holding pattern here in Wichita. We have no idea what we are doing at this point. No matter what the MRI shows she can't start chemo until this bacteria is gone.

I'm really scared that we will get bad news tomorrow. Of course, things are already bad. Maybe I should say worse news.

I am just begging God to let us keep our sweet girl. It's killing me being away from her this long, I will not let her go. We are in a very critical place right now. This is one of the worst possible tumors anyone could get. It has a very low survival rate and those that do survive undergo grueling surgery, chemo and radiation with many sometimes devastating long-term side effects.

I can't even think about side effects right now, I just want her to survive. I might just implode if I start thinking about things like long term effects. She already has no hearing in her right ear. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining and I welcome deafness if that's what it takes. It just sucks. It sucks to have to beat up our baby to try to maybe cure her.

Like I said, I'm begging Jesus to let us keep her. I told him today, now is the time. It's time to step up. We trust in You, we are ready to take Your hand and walk out on the water. Please Jesus, Mother Mary, all the Angels and Saints in Heaven, pray for Adele that she be completely healed of this at/rt cancer. Fr. Kapaun, we are really lobbing you a softball here, this is your chance to knock it out of the park. Please heal our Adele.

UPDATE: Adele's tumors have shrunk! Please keep praying!


Please pray for Adele and her family.
God bless!

Prayers for Adele

Recently while in Olathe, Kansas to give a key-note address at Prince of Peace, I met a woman named Tami who was wearing a blue wristband with the words, “Prayers for Adele.” She approached me at my book-signing table and told me immediately about baby Adele who is just 18 months old and has brain cancer. Little Adele is currently undergoing chemotherapy and needs a lot of prayers.

Tami is a friend of Melissa (married to Peter) who is baby Adele’s mother. They live in Wichita, Adele is the youngest of four children. She has a brother, Simon, and two sisters, Cabrini and Mattie. 

I asked about where I could get a bracelet and Tami took it off promptly and gave it to me. I immediately put it on and right then and there my prayers began for baby Adele.

I'm happy to wear this wristband to be reminded to pray for Adele

There’s a Face Book page set up for Adele: https://www.facebook.com/InGodsHandsPrayersForAdele?fref=ts

This is from the face book page: “Stormin' heaven with prayers for sweet, baby Adele! Adele and her family have been given a particularly heavy cross to carry with her being diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 16 months old. PRAYERS!!”

If you would like to help support baby Adele with prayers, please do. You can also get the wristband that I wear which are $1 each and come in adult and kid sizes. There’s a $5 charge for shipping.

Orders can be submitted to Michele at prayersforadele@yahoo.com Somehow this small donation helps the family and the wristband will be a constant reminder to pray for baby Adele.

 

Adele at the hospital being silly. :)

May God bless little Adele and her family. 

God bless you and keep you!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Wonderful prayer support!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Wonderful prayer support!: I'm sharing a part of a personal letter to me from my dear friend Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke (Prefect, Supreme Tribunal of the Aposto...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Coming up this week end on EWTN's Bookmark show!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Coming up this week end on EWTN's Bookmark show!: From the EWTN's "Wings" newsletter:                                 BOOKMARK CATHOLIC MOM'S CAFE AND ROOTED IN LO...

View from the Domestic Church: A recent LIVE radio conversation on EWTN

View from the Domestic Church: A recent LIVE radio conversation on EWTN

Beautiful celebration and lovely views!

This past week end was spent celebrating my daughter Mary-Catherine at her college graduation. I shared some photos over at "View From the Domestic Church" here: http://viewdomesticchurch.blogspot.com/2013/05/this-past-week-end-was-spent-in-grand.html

I will share some different kinds of photos here.

First of all, here is the happy graduate:

Notice the ocean in the background,
a lovely back drop for the past four college years .

After the graduation, we enjoyed a walk around town. A few things caught my eye and I'll share them here.

First of all, here's a photo of the front door of the inn where we stayed over the week end. A mother Robin was busy caring for her eggs in the nest above the wreath on the door.

Here are a few other sights that caught my eye:

By now, you might have figured out that I love pansies!
Well, I do love birds and bird houses too. :)

St. Francis just happened to be right behind me
when having lunch outdoors in a little garden we came upon.

The Blessed Mother was in the garden too!

We discovered this little chapel upstairs from a restaurant!
We went in for a moment of peace.

One of the frescos on the wall of the chapel.

Another fresco.

Pansies again and interesting storefront with window reflections!

Nearby to where my daughter is temporarily living.
I should have zoomed in.

Hopefully, you'll be able to view this very short video clip.

God bless you!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Exclusive offer for Catholic Mom's Cafe followers!...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Exclusive offer for Catholic Mom's Cafe followers!...: I have exciting news to share with you! If you leave a simple short comment on this blog post about what the beautiful vocation of mother...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Mother's Day contest!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Mother's Day contest!: Would you like to win a copy of my newest hot-off-the-press Catholic Mom's Cafe for yourself or a friend or loved one? It's ve...

Following Mary's steps in hope, faith and love

Following Mary's steps in hope, faith and love

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Catholic Mom's Cafe filled with Faith, Hope, and L...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Catholic Mom's Cafe filled with Faith, Hope, and L...: "I treasure my morning prayer time, which sets the tone for the rest of my busy day. And yet, we moms often have the best of intenti...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My recent adventures at the EWTN network to film C...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My recent adventures at the EWTN network to film C...: For some time now I have been creating and preparing a five part television series for EWTN called "Catholic Mom's...

Embrace your Motherhood with "Embracing Motherhood"!

Mother's day is coming! 

I am blessed to have Cardinal Dolan's beautiful endorsement: "In this small volume, Embracing Motherhood, Ms. Cooper O'Boyle offers a sensitive reflection on what it means to tune into faith, hope, and charity, living out the vocation of raising children, passing on our Catholic faith, and providing our kids with the necessary roots and wings to live virtuously. Mothers and fathers too can grow spiritually from this book, and draw inspiration from her tender perspective. This is a substantive and practical gem as well as an ode of joy for God's gift of motherhood!" ~Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York

This book as well as all of my others is available at my website: www.donnacooperoboyle.com Autographed copies are shipped along with a blessed Miraculous Medal.

God bless!

"Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious" by Pat Gohn

Pat Gohn

Pat Gohn has some special words for you which you can listen to here:
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1325282-embracing-motherhood-hosts-the-blessed-beautiful-bodacious-blog-tour

Check out the blogs and the blog tour schedule here:  http://www.patgohn.net/2013/04/11/ten-bodacious-basics-ten-minutes-at-time-join-me-for-the-blessed-beautiful-bodacious-blog-tour-podcast-style/

Published by Ave Maria Press

Check this out to see why Pat Gohn wrote this book:http://www.patgohn.net/2013/04/02/why-i-wrote-blessed-beautiful-and-bodacious-the-backstory/

Endorsements & description/summary of book: https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-370-7/Blessed-Beautiful-and-Bodacious/#praise_tab

Reflect and share on this quote from Bl. John Paul II:

“The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way. Of course, God entrusts every human being to each and every other human being. But this entrusting concerns women in a special way – precisely by reason of their femininity.

A woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting…”

- Bl. John Paul II, Mulieris Digatatem, par. 30 (emphasis added.)

God bless!

Book Review: Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year

Book Review: Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Third stop along my blog tour!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Third stop along my blog tour!: From Kathy Schiffer: The Catholic Mom’s Lament: “There’s  No Time to Pray!” My story is every mother’s story:  My children are grown...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Announcing my fifth guest on Catholic Mom's Cafe!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Announcing my fifth guest on Catholic Mom's Cafe!: I am so happy to tell you about my fifth guest on Catholic Mom's Cafe -- Karen Edmisten! Karen Edmisten is a former atheist who ...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Radio segment about Catholic Mom's Cafe!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Radio segment about Catholic Mom's Cafe!: Here's a radio segment all about Catholic Moms's Cafe. I'm chatting with my dear friend Teresa Tomeo on Catholic Connection:  h...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Radio segment about my work and ministry

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Radio segment about my work and ministry: Here's a recent segment on Dina Marie Hale's radio show in which we chatted about evangelization, our faith, using the media, also ...

Peace Garden Mama: faith & family fridays: confirmation in a little r...

Peace Garden Mama: faith & family fridays: confirmation in a little r...: Next spring, our youngest of five will be Confirmed in the Church! With First Eucharist happening the same day, we'll have nudged all ...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Blog tour for Catholic Mom's Cafe coming up!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: Blog tour for Catholic Mom's Cafe coming up!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My third guest on Catholic Mom's Cafe!

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My third guest on Catholic Mom's Cafe!: I am very happy to introduce my third guest Lisa Mladinich. Lisa will be my guest on the segment "The Skinny on Catholic Fashion.&quot...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My second guest on the upcoming Catholic Mom's Caf...

Catholic Mom's Cafe: My second guest on the upcoming Catholic Mom's Caf...: I'm so happy to introduce Woodeene Koenig-Bricker to you. Woodeene will be my guest on my segment "Going it Alone." Woodeen...

LIVE radio today at Noon EST

LIVE radio today at Noon EST

Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration: Interview with Author of "Under the Mantle: Marian...

Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration: Interview with Author of "Under the Mantle: Marian...:   I'm honored to interview Father Donald Calloway MIC about his newest book, Under the Mantle : Marian Thoughts from a 21 st  Cent...

OSV Daily Take Blog: EWTN anchors recall covering the conclave

OSV Daily Take Blog: EWTN anchors recall covering the conclave: By Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle I recently chatted with three EWTN news anchors who covered last month's papal conclave: Joan Lewis,...

The CHURCH: Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home

Just released! 

The Church Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home By Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina

I had the blessing of reading the galley of this great book before publication. A snippet of my endorsement appears on the back cover: "The Church is a stunning work of art reminding us that every Catholic church is built to tell a love story."

My full endorsement is here:

 The CHURCH is a stunning work of art reminding us that every Catholic church is built to tell a love story. Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina, gleaning from their combined perspectives of behind the altar and from within the pews, offer the reader an extraordinarily unique panoramic view of the Catholic Church. The authors have skillfully dusted off years of Church history and elements of tradition, and tapped into official documents of the Church. Unlocking the theology, mystery and beauty of holiness, they have provided a guided pilgrimage of the structures of churches, furnishings and their historical and biblical roots, inspiring us all to delve deeper into the silent language of holy love.

You will love this book! It is an awesome reminder of the fact that your parish or local church is not just four walls and concrete, it's a spiritual dwelling. The authors, Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina show us the theological aspects behind all of the structure and explain the significance of every part. It's a truly fascinating.

Below is a Q & A with the authors:

Why did you write a book about churches? A couple years ago, my co-author, Mike Aquilina, and I wrote a book titled The Mass, and it guided readers through the Catholic Church's principal act of worship, explaining the meaning of all the parts and prayers, vessels and vestments. Readers of that book asked if we could do the same for a church building. What about a church needs an explanation? Churches are very special places.  They are different from any other place.  Churches by their very definition are sacred space.  There you'll witness events you won't see any place else. You'll see people, especially clergy, dressed as they would not dress in other places. You'll hear a congregation speak and sing in distinctive ways. You'll notice furnishings you won't find in other buildings, and they have unusual names: the ambry, the ambo, the tabernacle. You'll find symbolic forms -- geometric shapes and sometimes Greek letters -- and you may wonder what these mean. Our book provides answers. While we are respectful of the divine mysteries, we do try to de-mystify the terminology and give clear simple explanations for the things people encounter in a Catholic church. How do you manage that? We look at each part of the church individually and examine the history, doctrine, and devotion associated with it. What does the altar mean? What is its purpose? What are its biblical roots? We examine all the parts of a church that way, from the front door to the bell tower, from the choir loft to the holy-water font. There are fascinating reasons why these elements are the way they are. Some of them, like pews and kneelers, are relatively recent developments in history. Others, like the altar and votive lamps, have been around since the very early years of Christianity. Are all churches alike inside? The architecture styles of churches reflect the history, cultural background, ethnic traditions and artistic creativity of people all over the world.  But they do have common elements, and there are deep doctrinal and theological reasons for the identical nature of the basics of every Catholic church.  When architects design a church, they are speaking a certain language with its own vocabulary. They are trying to communicate truths about God, about history, and about heaven. Our book focuses on what churches have in common, but we address the differences as well, because part of the beauty of the Catholic faith is its rich diversity. How does that diversity manifest itself in churches? Churches are homes. What we find in a home tells us much about a family. What we find in a Catholic church tells us much about the Catholic Church -- the family established by God in Jesus Christ. What we find in a particular church will tell us a lot about the love shared by that particular part of the family. It has been my privilege to visit churches all around the world, and certainly throughout three dioceses where I have been privileged to serve.  Even in places where people do not have great financial resources, they want to give their best to their church.  Over centuries some churches have become homes of artwork, of great beauty and, in some instances, of great simplicity.  These churches are the patrimony of God’s people and nurture the spirit – the soul – the same way that our daily bread nurtures our body.  Personally, I have always marveled at the fact that any person visiting Rome, for example, can walk in free of charge to Saint Peter’s Basilica and enjoy the masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini and others.  The Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington presents a magnificent array of marble and mosaic.  A young college student said to me just some months ago, “I come here not only to pray but to be enveloped in beauty that I don’t find anywhere else.”  In the book you say that churches speak with a language of love. What do you mean by that? The elements that make a Catholic church different from any other place are things of beauty. They're signs of God's abundant love and mercy: the confessional booth, the oils of anointing, the tabernacle of Jesus' abiding presence. For a non-Catholic, these things arouse curiosity. When Catholics welcome you into their churches, you have a chance to get to know their Church and know what they believe and love most dearly. For a Catholic -- even a non-practicing Catholic -- to enter a church is a homecoming. Going home, we remember who we are. We can be ourselves and become more perfectly the person God made us to be. But, again, it helps if we know what it all means. Yet it's not all theory. It's not even mostly theory. Your book conveys doctrine, but often by means of stories. The Catholic heritage is rich, and the insides of a church -- like almost everything else -- are best explained by the actions of the saints. Mike and I share a love of Scripture and early Christian history, so we often call forth our witnesses from the classic Christian documents and the ancient church buildings themselves. Though today we build with modern materials and technology, we are building on foundations laid by some fascinating figures from history: King Solomon, the Emperor Justinian, and Michelangelo. In our book we trace the developments that got us from there to here: the tabernacle and temple of ancient Israel, the house churches of early Christianity, the haunting cathedrals of the middle ages. We also let the builders speak for themselves. Readers of our book will meet some fascinating characters, like the fourth-century historian Eusebius of Caesarea and the medieval bishop William Durand. The architect who designed Big Ben, London's clock tower, was a convert to the Catholic faith who studied and wrote about the meaning of all the elements of a church. We call upon his witness, too. These Christians had something wonderful to say about the places where they worshipped, and we let them have their say for a new generation. About the authors DONALD CARDINAL WUERL is the Archbishop of Washington, DC and the bestselling author ofThe Catholic Way. He is known nationally for his catechetical and teaching ministry and for his efforts on behalf of Catholic education. MIKE AQUILINA is the author of over 20 books including The Mass of the Early Christians and Fire of God's Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist. He appears regularly on EWTN with Scott Hahn. Image Books • Religion/Catholicism • 3/4/13 ISBN: 978-0-7704-3551-6 • Hardcover with photos, $21.99/$25.99 eBook, 978-0-7704-3552-

God bless!