Fossils in the Floor

Greetings, Fellow Earthlings! Here at the Mother House many of the floors are made from stone. In the hallway as you walk past the chapel to the dining room and several other places throughout the building you can see fossils in the floor! Below are two photos of them. The first photo is of one of the slabs of stone' the second is a little closer. At first, I thought the floor was just dirty until I took a closer look. Yep, those are fossils! The part of the building in which they’re located is about 200-225 years old. The stones are way older than that! I have noticed fossils like this in other places, too - like at the Pantheon and Notre Dame. I just think it is cool to see fossils all over the place.

Until next time --

Sr. B.

La Tour Eiffel - The Eiffel Tower

It has been a LONG time since I have posted anything, but I can’t even begin to tell you how much work there is to do every day! Whew! However, I wanted to share these pictures of the Eiffel Tower. From July through December of 2008, France was the country in charge of the European Union. The job is shared among all the leaders of the European Union for six months at a time. During the time when France was in charge, the Eiffel Tower was lit up during the night to look like the flag of the European Union – a field of blue with 12 stars in a circle. I tried several times – and even braved a wreck with the bicycle – to get photos. Finally, on December 30, the day before it all ended, Sr. Mary Jo and I went to take pictures. The first picture shows the Eiffel Tower lit up like the flag. The second picture shows a close-up of the stars. It is a little blurry because I had to take it without a flash and it was dark out! The third picture shows what the Eiffel Tower looks like now at night. It is very pretty to see.

The Eiffel Tower is about a mile from the Mother House. There is a beacon light on the top. When I am in my bedroom, I can see the light going around and around. But, there are several other sections of the building that block me from seeing the whole thing. Nevertheless, when I take a walk in one of our gardens, I can see it fairly well.

Enjoy the photos -- more stuff later!

Sr. B.

Christmas -- Baby Jesus

Christmas at the Mother House was an interesting sight. There seemed to be another Baby Jesus on every corner! Below are four of them.

The first one was in my group. He was only about 2 inches in size. I thought he was cute with his little rump in the air like a regular little baby!

The second one was in the sacristy -- the room where the priest gets dressed. I thought he was cute with the little curl in the middle of his forehead.

The third one almost looks like a girl! Those rosy cheeks and curly hair are pretty though. He was in the area called "the economat" or the accounting department.

The last one was in our dining room. He was a nice big baby boy - although he had some big hair going on, too. Behind him is a stained glass window made out of tissue paper and construction paper. Sr. Giulia (remember her from the blog about November?) and a couple of other sisters made it. THAT was a LOT of work! It was very pretty, though in the dining room next to the Christmas tree.

Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them.

Christmas -- The Crèche at Notre Dame, Part 3

I began to watch the scene change. The photos I took focused just on the Nativity. After the fire-like lighting, different parts of the scene began to light up individually. First, Baby Jesus. Then, Mary and Joseph. After that some of the scenery. Finally, the donkey and ox! It was interesting to watch each little thing unfold in the story. At the right in each photo, you can see the beginning of the twinkling of the stars on the clothes of the Wise Men. It was a great thing to have such an experience.

I do not know if it is the same every year or if it changes from year to year. Sr. Mary Jo told me that several churches put up very elaborate Nativity scenes, so I'm guessing it will be different next year. I'll keep you posted!

Next -- Baby Jesus at the Mother House!

Christmas -- The Crèche at Notre Dame, Part 2

I stood and watched the clouds on the screen above the crèche for a long time. For a moment, I wondered if they were the same clouds as outside, but then I remembered that the day I went the sky was totally covered by clouds. So, no, it was a collection of cloud pictures from some other day, I suppose.

The next thing I noticed was ABOVE the crèche. There are carvings in stone that tell the whole story of Jesus' birth from the Annunciation to the Flight into Egypt. They seemed to come to life. First they were lit from behind. Then the light seemed to change to fire! It was quite beautiful to watch. Below are three photos of the change of lighting. The stars on the people's clothing seemed to twinkle.

Christmas -- The Crèche at Notre Dame, Part 1

Christmas in Paris was a very interesting, indeed. Sr. Mary Jo told me to be sure to see the crèche (Nativity Scene) at Notre Dame because it was truly an experience. So, I went looking. I ddin't find Quasimodo or Esmerelda, but what I found is in this section and two others. Sr. Mary Jo was right. It was an experience! Hopefully, the photos will say it all!

First of all, the crèche itself consisted simply of Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus. There were some Wise Men, too, because I didn't get there until Epiphany. They seemed to be suspended in a sea of stars. Behind them was a screen. If you look at the photos, at first it seems I put in three of the same thing, but look closely at the screen -- the clouds change! I thought that was pretty cool.

You can also see one of the stained glass windows of Notre Dame reflected in the screen, and at the bottom right is a reflection of some candles that people have lit to continue their prayers.

The last picture shows two of the Wise Men in their sea of stars.

Enjoy the photos and then go to part two!

All Saints Day, Part 3

Chestnuts were a big part of the celebration. As I said in Part 2, they were soaking in liquor. Sr. Giulia lit them on fire -- the liquor burns (do NOT try this at home) -- and it is supposed to represent the Souls in Purgatory. We prayed for the people we know who have died. When the fire went out, we nibbled on the chestnuts. Like I said in Part 2, they had a sweet flavor but were very dry.

Below are photos of the pot with chestnuts on the hot plate. Then Sr. Rosa watching as Sr. Giulia dished up the chestnuts for us to enjoy after they cooked. After that is a picture of the flames -- notice, no one is sitting near them! They are a little hard to see, but believe me, they were there!

Lastly, there is a photo of the clean-up crew -- Sr. Anna from Poland, Sr. Stanisława from Poland, and Sr. Mercedes from Ecuador. There has to be a clean-up crew for every party!

Enjoy the photos -- A little bit of Christmas in the next blog.