A Deo et Rege

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (Reuters) - Conservative Christian groups have
called for mass vigils outside the hospice caring for brain-damaged
Terri Schiavo but many of the few dozen who have shown up said they
were drawn for personal reasons unrelated to organized religion…

Continue reading Schiavo Protesters Not All Christian Conservatives (Reuters)

I’m glad to see some in the media recognize that this movement is made up of more than just Christians and conservatives, but includes compassionate people across the spectrum.

The media, whether out of malice, ignorance, or just plain incompetence (or perhaps all three), seems to be out of the loop on the whole Terri Schiavo case. It’s interesting how often the many uncomfortable and suspicious details of her case are completely ignored or downplayed by the media. Without reading the alternative news or the blogs, one could easily assume that Terri was practically in a coma or on a ventilator. One could also think that Michael Schiavo was unselfishly looking out for the best interests of his wife. I found an excellent article that explains alot about the Terri Schiavo case that hasn’t been reported in the national media. The article is old (January 2004), but it tells an important story, the story that you won’t see on CNN or hear about in the mainstream media. Please read:

Killing Terri Schiavo by Rev. Robert Johansen (Godspy Magazine)

My life has been quite hectic and chaotic lately, as many readers of this blog will know. Some major plans I made for the future seem to have been complicated to put it mildly. It’s times like these that we have to learn to truly trust God. I’m learning more and more what St. Paul meant when he said: we walk not by sight, but by faith. It is in this context that I made my pilgrimage to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio yesterday. I needed a day to spend with God away from the stress of work and other things, a day to find clarity about my vocation.

March 21st may have been the second day of Spring, but I don’t think the news reached Northern Ohio. The day started and stayed cold, but we made the 2.5 hour drive to the  largely outdoor shrine anyway. When we arrived, I was amazed at how rural the grounds were. I had previously blogged on small town Catholicism. This was my first experience with rural Catholicism. As a small town/rural boy, I appreciated seeing it.

We first went to the gift shop where we were taken care of by a wonderful lady who almost got choked up explaining what a joy it was to work at the shrine. After my trip, I can see why she feels that way. I bought several interesting things, including some wonderful new devotional booklets. One was a Precious Blood prayer book, filled with devotions I haven’t discovered until now (the shrine is run by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood).

After the gift shop, we went into the shrine church. Recently restored, it was beautiful. I said some prayers and started a novena to the Sorrowful Mother. I also "lit a votive candle." I put that in quotes because the church did not have real candles, but electric ones. I had heard of this before, but it was my first experience with this type of thing. Call me a young fogey or even a purist, but I still prefer real candles.

Next, we went to the outside grounds. It was almost like going on a hike since the shrine encompasses 120 acres, much of it wooded. As we walked along the paths we encountered many of the small tree shrines as well as some of the bigger monuments, including an eerily lifelike statue of St. Peregrine. The first major grotto we came upon was one dedicated to St. Gaspar, the founder of the Society of the Precious Blood. I asked him to pray for me and then we moved back on the actual path.

More to Come…

Photo on left of the St. Gaspar grotto; photo on right of Sorrowful Mother Statue. All photos taken by Jonathan Bennett.