All Saints Day, Part 1

November 1, as you know is the feast of All Saints. If November 1 falls on a weekday in the United States, Catholic Schools might take the specific day as a holiday. But, here in France, there is no school for an entire week! That includes the public schools! So, it is a big deal here.

It was a rainy day, but a couple of other sisters and I went to the Montparnasse Cemetery to visit the graves of the Daughters of Charity who are buried there, in particular, the grave of Sr. Rosalie Rendu who helped Frederic Ozanam organize the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She has her own grave site because many people – 100 years after her death – come to pray and ask her help with difficulties. There are always, always, always flowers at her grave and little plaques that say “thank you” for prayers that have been answered. (See photo below.) I have been to visit her grave four times and the flowers have been different every time. The other sisters are buried in a different tomb (the same one – it’s a biggie) and all their names are written on the tombstone. That does not mean that the grave gets dug up over and over again every time someone dies. There are shelves underneath the tombstone and the coffins are placed there. At a later date I will have to go there and see what it is actually like. I don’t know if you need an appointment or what, but I will find a way to go there.

For now, let’s just stick with what I did on November 1. The Montparnasse Cemetery is also a place where many famous people are buried, and it is, believe it or not, a tourist attraction. Many of the graves are very decorative and give some idea of what the person did in his/her lifetime. Some of these famous people include Frédéric Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty), Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute player), Jean-Paul Sartre (author and philosopher), and Guy de Maupassant (author). One grave that we passed was that of Charles Pigeon who invented the first gas lamp that did not explode. His grave marker (see photo below) shows himself and his wife in bed – ready to rest for all eternity – with gas lamps at the top of the bedposts. Everything looks green because it is copper. He has a book in his hand and his wife is wearing a night cap. They must have living relatives because there are fresh flowers. I thought it was kind of a neat thing to see.

Another photo below is of the tomb of the Adams Family! Of course, the family in the TV show spelled the name “Addams,” but I still thought it was funny.

As we arrived back at the Mother House, there was a procession of people carrying banners of saints. They were headed to Notre Dame cathedral where there was going to be a special prayer service later in the day. And, don’t you know it, there was a banner for St. Vincent de Paul! If you look closely at the picture below, the banner right behind St. Vincent is of St. Augustine. I don’t know WHICH St. Augustine it is, but I certainly stopped to say a prayer for the parish in Belleville where I loved being with the people for three years!

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them. Part 2 coming soon

Mission Carnival

On the weekend of October 25-26, we had a Mission “Exposition” here at the Mother House. In my mind, I called it a Mission Carnival. But, there wasn’t any popcorn or drinks or anything like that to be had. Sisters from all over the world work here at the Mother House, and they bring things with them that are sold during this exposition. These items vary from religious goods to books to woodwork to just about anything you might imagine. Other things that were sold were items that sisters who live here made throughout the year like baby clothes and shirts. The proceeds go to help support the work the sisters do in the missionary places that are extremely poor like Africa and Haiti. There were several “booths” and sisters had different shifts to work at them. Below are photos of Fr. Javier Alvarez (a Vincentian priest) blessing the expo before it began and of a couple of sisters working in their booths. In the photo of the blessing, you can see the “wood” booth, which is where I worked a couple of shifts. On the first day, we made almost 2000€! That’s a LOT!

The second picture is of the “Fish on a Line” booth. Little packages were wrapped up in pretty paper and tied with a string. You had to snag one with a “fish hook” that was an open paper clip on the end of a string. It was not as easy as it sounds! The African sister in the photo is from Nigeria. She is in my group. Her name is “Toyin” which means, “God is worthy to be praised” in her native language. I don’t know all the names of the other sisters in the pictures yet.

After that is a photo of a sister from Brazil working in the booth that sold lacy things like tablecloths and curtains, followed by a photo of the Polish sisters who ran the religious goods booth. The Polish sisters are all very pious and they always get that booth!

Enjoy the photos – the next blog will be about what we did on All Saints Day!

Art Adventure, Part 4 -- The End

In Giverny, there is an American art museum as well. Apparently there were many American artists who came there to study, so their work is on display, too. But, as a part of the American museum, there is a restaurant. We realized it was lunch time, and we both wanted something good to eat. We decided that the American restaurant would probably have French Fries – not because we were in France, but because French Fries are an American thing. So, we went to read the menu. It is normal for all restaurants to post their menu outside so you can see in advance what kinds of food they serve and how much it costs. We were very happy to see that the menu was in both French and English. However, we laughed and laughed at the menu item posted below. Nutty pig salad – read the ingredients! Pig cheeks? When we got back to the Mother House, we said something to another sister who told us that, oh yes, pig cheeks are considered a delicacy, and she asked if it came with a pig’s ear, too. I told her we didn’t order the salad – we just laughed about it! We had a nice hot ham and cheese style sandwich instead.

Sr. Sharon and I considered taking the bus back to Vernon so we could catch the train. This is a photo of the bus stop! Can you see the little blue and white sign indicating a bus will stop? There is no place to sit while you wait! I love the beams, though. We decided to walk back because we had plenty of time.

OK, to close out the Art Adventure, here are a couple more beautiful flowers from the garden around the American museum. I love the bright red of the one that looks like a porcupine – the flower is very soft to the touch, though. And, notice the gigantic bee!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little Art Adventure! Next subject will be the Mission Carnival we had here.

Art Adventure, Part 3

I mentioned in Part 1 of the Art Adventure that Giverny was the home of Claude Monet. He was a famous painter. The style of his painting was called “impressionism” because he didn’t draw or paint with perfect, exact lines. He dabbed the paint on to give you the idea of what you were seeing. When you look at his paintings, you have to stand back to see the whole thing. He had a big house with a beautiful garden and a pond. If you go to the St. Louis Art Museum, you will see one of his most famous paintings called “Water Lilies.” It is enormous – it would take up one whole wall of a classroom. He painted the picture of the water lilies that grew in his pond. Below are two photos of the way the pond looks today (or at least how it looked on the day we went). I loved the way the water reflects the trees and grass like a mirror. I hope I will be able to go back to Giverny in the spring or summer to see this pond again when the water lilies are blooming.






























Monet’s garden had some exquisite flowers in it. I love the way this one seems to flow with the sunlight behind it. I love the vivid colors of the second one. We did take a tour of Monet’s house, but we were not allowed to take any photos, so flower photos will have to do.





























More flowers and a funny incident in Part 4

Art Adventure, Part 2

On the road to Giverny:
It was a foggy, misty walk at the beginning. We had to cross the Seine -- the same river that flows through Paris. Below is a picture of a small island in the river. I thought it looked nice and Halloween-ish -- mist and mystery! Who lives on the island? An ogre? A witch? A knight? My imagination was working overtime!

As we walked along, we noticed the way people constructed their fences. Look at the fence in this chicken yard! It is made of sticks woven together. I thought it was quite creative. Then look at the little fence that seems to be made of grass. See the lump? It is a snail! I do not know if it is the kind the French eat and call escargot, but I thought it was kind of cute just there on the fence. It wasn’t much bigger than a dime.

Part 3 of the Art Adventure coming soon!

Art Adventure, Part 1

The group of sisters studying Vincentian history finished their session last week and Sister Sharon who was here from my Province asked me if I wanted to go to Giverny -- the home of Claude Monet -- which is northwest of Paris. We went on a Saturday morning. We took the train to the town of Vernon. It is the closest you can get to Giverny. It was a foggy, hour-long train ride. When we got to Vernon, we knew we could take a bus to get there, but we also knew it wasn't all that far, so we decided to walk. I went up to the coffee and croissant stand in the train station and asked the lady behind the counter how to get there. She was shocked -- "You're walking?" she asked with eyes as big as saucers. I nodded and she said, "It's FAR!" I told her we wanted to walk. She shook her head and told me how to get there. The truth is, when I went online and checked the distance with Mapquest, it is only about 2.8 miles. It only took us an hour to walk there and we weren't going all that fast, but we kind of fiddled around in Vernon, too, so it wasn't really all that bad. Plus, after wandering all over Washington, D.C. last April with the 8th Grade when we went to see the Pope, 2.8 miles is nothing!

In Vernon, we saw the castle-like structure below. We went to check it out. Apparently, it contained a dungeon at one time, and was a part of the wall surrounding the ancient city. You can see part of the wall on the right. It is about 4 feet thick. At this time, it is part of a cultural center in the town of Vernon and stores the archives of the city. No one is allowed in. There is a modern building across from the tower that houses a library, theater, and media center. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge somewhat. Notice the gigantic chess set at the base of the tower. Later, after we walked back, we sat in the courtyard while we waited for our train and watched two teenagers play chess. I thought that if a game like that were left out in the open in the U.S., there would be nothing left!

As we walked along, we noticed a little street with some very old houses. Vernon is a city that is at least 500 years old. Notice the houses on this street. Do the beams that go across look like they are slanted? They are! I wondered if the floor inside the house was at an angle, too. Do you see the thing that looks like a face on one of the cross beams? This seems to be a French thing to do. I have noticed them all over Paris. Look at the picture after the photo of the street. It is a close-up of the face. I call them guardians because they watch people go in and out. I wonder what sorts of stories they could tell! This one looks like it was carved right into the beam. The ones I’ve seen in Paris are all stone or concrete.

There was also this sign above a door. It shows that the person who lives here is a beekeeper and sells honey. Five hundred years ago when very few people could not read, these kinds of signs were used to help people understand what each kind of shop was. OK, Part 2 of the Art Adventure coming soon!

Visit to the Irish College Church

Last week Sr. Loretto Kelly (an Irish sister) and I went to the Irish College here in Paris. It is located on Rue Irlandais -- Irish Street. It is quite a historic place! There is a plaque commemorating the fact that, during World War II, American citizens in Paris took refuge there.

There is another plaque indicating that Polish seminarians took refuge there to escape being sent to Dachau during World War II. And another plaque commemorating the most famous member of those Polish seminarians -- Karol Wojtyła -- who became Pope John Paul II. Photos of those plaques are below. I realize the writing is in French instead of English, but I know you can pick out some of the words like Dachau and John Paul II. Keep scrolling down for one more photo and comment after that.

The floor of the chapel at the Irish College has tiles that have both the Fleur de Lis for France and the Shamrock for Ireland. Look closely at this photo to see them both!

I hope you have a great day! Sr. B.

A Wonderful Visitor!

Today, October 6, Gabby Johnson's Grandmother - Mary Ann Schmidt - came to the chapel with her pilgrimage group. It was nice to see a face from home! To the left is a photo of the two of us standing in front of a statue of St. Vincent de Paul in the entryway to the chapel. The pilgrimage group had Mass in the chapel, and after Mass I was lucky enough to be able to take them up into a glassed-in area called the "Tribune" so I could talk out loud to them about the different things in the chapel. Otherwise, it would not be allowed because silence is expected, and given, by visitors. I was really happy to see Mary Ann and her brothers and sisters here! I was counting the days until she came. Now I have to pray for safe travel for the group back to the U.S.A.!

Late September Adventure

Dear All,
In late September there was a "Day of Patrimony" during which government buildings that are usually off limits to the public were open for viewing, free of charge. An Irish sister and I took the opportunity to visit the Palais de L'Elysee, which is the home of the President of France, the equvialent of the White House. Below are some photos of some of the things we saw.

The first photo is of a ceiling in a more modern dining room. It consists of crystal tubes coming down out of the ceiling. Essentially, the entire ceiling is being utilized as a chandelier. COOL!

The second photo is of the main dining room that is used for big events. The chandeliers were enormous! They looked to me to be about the size of one of those "Smart" cars that many people drive here and are making headway in the U.S. The room was about half a football field long, and the table extended the entire way. The black plates had gold edging. Stunning.

The third photo would make the Energy Club proud! It is of an energy efficient light bulb used in a light fixture used in one of the courtyards of the palace.

This was quite an adventure. We stood in line for about 2 hours. There were many other people who stood in line for 5 or 6 hours, so we considered ourselves lucky!

Off to my next adventure. . . . . Sr. B.

Welcome!

Greetings from Paris. I'm getting the blog started! Today is the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, so it is a good day to start the blog. I hope to post something once each week about events or things I've noticed in Paris that are interesting or different from what we would use/do in the United States. I hope you enjoy my posts. To the left, is a photo of a banner of St. Vincent that hangs in the passageway to the Mother House chapel. Right now I need to get to lunch and then go explore Paris a little with another American sister who is here for a Vincentian Study session. More info later!
Sr. B.