My Patroness(es) - 2 of 3

This is a continuation of a series started in April highlighting three important patronesses in my life. Check out the first here.

My second:

(do note that these are in no particular order...)

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

(Mosaic at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception)

 

I've always had a special place in my heart for Our Lady of Guadalupe, whether I realized it or not. Early on in my childhood I didn't understand Marian devotion. Partly because I had seen so many concentrate so much on her, and rarely even speak of Christ. Yes, Mary is the Mother of God... but they rarely mentioned the Son whom she was the mother of. I didn't get it. And I didn't realize this influence in my life until I watched a series of videos my cousin posted. She traveled California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico, interviewing Latino women on the influence of Our Lady of Guadalupe in their lives. (Check it out here.) I came to realize Our Lady's impact on me and my view of Marian devotion when one woman said she loved Our Lady, would do anything for her, but didn't believe Christ was the savior. What? That simply didn't make sense. Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the Mother of God, and believing in her message should lead to a deep love and belief in Christ and the Church.

 

 One of my favorite paintings of the image, painted by a local artist and given to me by my own mother.

Last summer, I taught Totus Tuus. At our first team meeting, we sat trying to think of a patron saint for our team. Initially, I couldn't think of anyone. Then Our Lady of Guadalupe popped in my head. I hesitated though. I didn't say it. But someone else did. I don't remember who, but we picked Our Lady. And she followed us... all summer. Every single parish, and even some of our host homes, had a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She watched over us, leading us ever closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. She continues to watch over me today.

“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you .” -Our Lady of Guadalupe to San Juan Diego


Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Patroness of the Americas, pray for us.
Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us.



In Christ through Mary.

Women Deserve Better

Continuation of the March for Life.

On Monday morning, we headed to a local parish for the Kansas Catholic Rally with Archbishop Naumann. We had Mass and a number of different speakers, including the Sisters of Life. The pews were packed and it was beautiful!

We then loaded onto the buses and headed to the March for Life Rally. 52 members of the House of Representatives were there along with one Senator. Each gave a very short speech, encouraging us, commending us, and voicing their concern for the unborn. I pray that these politicians stand by what they said that day and follow through, protecting the unborn and their mothers.

It was an amazing experience, but I didn't fully grasp the number of people there until I arrived home and saw the below video of the estimated 400,000 people, young and old, male and female, who turned out for the March.

 

Here are a few photos from the March:

Whirlwind of Monuments and Memorials

Continuation of the March for Life Trip.

After arriving Saturday night, we headed to a nearby parish for dinner, praise and worship, performance painter, Eucharistic Adoration, and Confessions with others from the Archdiocese of Kansas City and even some others from Wichita and Tulsa. After the exhausting ride and a full night, we crashed in the hotel.

On Sunday morning, I started my touring day with taking the metro to the National Geographic Museum. They had a cool photo exhibit, including a series on the President and scenes you might not normally see published. It was very interesting and worth the extra ride on the metro in my opinion.

Then A and I hopped back on the metro and went to the Mall and saw a number of the monuments and memorials nearby.

Traveling to the March for Life

The next few posts will be centered around my photos from the March for Life trip to Washington D.C. this past weekend. First up: the bus ride out to D.C. Yes, 24+ hours on a bus...

Life Chain

 I just wanted to share some more shots from the Life Chain on Sunday. I really enjoyed this event, and have been thoroughly enjoying editing the shots for some publicity for the March for Life... still working on them, but expect to see them around campus sometime.

The Month of the Rosary - A Month for Life

October is a beautiful month, not only because the leaves are beginning to change, marking the start of my favorite season, and not only because it is the Month of the Rosary, but also a month dedicated to life--respecting life from conception to natural death.