Cluny, and Beata’s Birthday

Yesterday we visited the remains of the Abbey of Cluny, and Beata turned 5!

Cluny was the head of a network of a hundred monasteries in its heyday. We’ve visited several medieval sites by now, including Mont St. Michel, which had been an Abby also, and is once again! Yay for the Communauté de Jérusalem taking up residence and praying there recently! Also, we’ve seen several cathedrals and castles, as well as the Musée du Moyen Âge in Paris, which is housed in a former medieval abby (confusingly also named Cluny, not sure why) built on the ruins of Roman baths. (That is us with my grad school mentor’s wife and daughters, whom we bumped into in the gift shop at the Musée du Moyen Âge, followed by Notre Dame de Paris and Mont St. Michel)

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Our Frugal Dream Trip to France! The Adventure Begins…

This summer we traveled to France with our four daughters, ages 2,  4 turning 5, 10, and 12. I am carrying the prayer intentions many of you have entrusted to me in an envelope in my purse, which I bring to the shrines and sanctuaries we visit. I kneel or stand, pull it out and set it before the altar, statue, or relics, or simply hold it up, offering up prayer for all of you.

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The New Feminism and the Feminine Genius

Here are some writings on the New Feminism, also related to Catholic Womanhood and Spiritual Motherhood:

St. John Paul II, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae), 1995

St. John Paul II, On the Dignity and Vocation of Woman (Mulieris Dignitatem), 1988

St. John Paul II, Letter to Women, 1995

St. John Paul II, on The Genius of Women, 1997, USCCB.

Dr. Pia di Solenni, blogging on Patheos. Nice video of her talk on Feminism and Beauty. Great interview about her dissertation.

Rebecca Ryskind Teti, “Woman, You are a Gift!” podcast

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