Category: Christian Life
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Lourdes & Macarena
Mr McLean and I returned from Lourdes yesterday, tired from the journey but grateful for the graces received. Some of these—like the heart-stopping beauty of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes set against the green foothills of the Pyrenees—were apparent. Others have not yet unfolded. We watch and pray. We were the guests of…
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A Village Dance
“I don’t have a problem with Catholic Match being an option,” said a fellow Easter Sunday lunch guest. “I have a problem with Catholic Match being the ONLY option.” I agreed with this enthusiastically, for I am utterly opposed to the tyranny of social media in social life. It bothers me that young women seem…
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Friends with anyone who is friendly
The other day I was in the loft of a converted garage reading Chapter One of the newest Polish translation of C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy. I have read the Narnia stories umpteen times in English, so it wasn’t hard to understand. And I looked forward to the hero’s first sight of Narnians,…
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Looking forward to Easter
Carnival is over, as is the Vienna ball season and, indeed, the activities of Mrs McLean’s Waltzing Party until Easter Sunday. I haven’t yet thought of a dancing event specific to Easter Sunday, but perhaps in the spirit of a friend who swigs spirits right after leaving Vigil Mass, I will cut a car park…
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Marriage, Merriment, Meaning
Our club is called Mrs McLean’s Waltzing Party instead of Saint Teresa’s Terpsichoreans or Saint Michael’s Merrymakers because of a chance remark made by a small boy years ago when he was even smaller. It is the custom of wise parents to instil Respect for Elders into their children, and thus one parish couple have…
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Things that are of edification
Back home in Canada my father has U.S. Civil War battlefield letters written or preserved by some American ancestor. One epistle is dated July 4, and the writer reminisces about their neighbour’s annual Fourth of July picnic. If I remember correctly, he goes into some detail about this good lady’s event, recalling the watermelons and…
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A Legacy of Dance
It is the birthday of my Scots-Canadian grandmother Gladys, the first person who tried teach me to dance, and it is my St Agnes’ Day tradition to write about her, the friendly if undemonstrative soul that she was. When I was a little girl, my grandmother volunteered at a local old folks’ home, as we…
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Winter Events 2025/6
There were 15 cheerful souls at our tea party on Saturday, and I thank the host very much for his hospitality. We feasted on sandwiches, banana bread, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. We supped tea and coffee. The fair assembly patiently listened to my paper (which turned out to be longer than 10 minutes) and…
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A Short(ish) Digression about Love
I love the traditional Catholic movement: the dedication to the beautiful Mass of Ages, the claiming of our glorious musical patrimony, the study of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, the parental responsibility of educating children, the pursuit of virtue and the rejection of vice, the dusting off of old treasures and the fashioning of…
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Dancing for Joy
The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen (Isaiah 9:2). Some Catholics first saw the “Great Light” of Christ on their journey to conversion; others saw His light flash brightly when we heard Him calling us to…