St. Kim Taegon Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

St. Kim Taegon


The Sanctuary


The "Tantum Ergo" in Korean!!


And yes, the entire Mass was in Korean! But since it was still the Mass, I could follow along fairly well (yay! ^_^), and just said the prayers quietly in English. After all, the Eucharist is the Eucharist, and Jesus is Jesus, regardless of the language you use to pray ^_^
Two observations:
1) They are VERY into the "sacred silence" bits of the Mass, which are usually much shorter in English and Spanish Masses. It was hard for me to just sit quietly and be still; I kept catching myself fidgeting and whining inwardly that we ought to get on to the next part of the Mass already, sheesh. Patience is something I really need to work on! lol
2) Where we would raise our hands as we say "and also with you"/"Y con tu espiritu," they bow instead.

And there was a very nice nun, Sr. Lady-vina (at least that's how it sounded), who came over to welcome me. She's with the Little Sisters of the Holy Family and invited me to come to Sunday Mass, after which they have a big community dinner with tasty, tasty Korean food. Mmmm. I just wish I could get someone to go with me. Any takers?

I'd debated with myself about whether or not to go, but God gave me the distinct impression that I should go. And I'm glad I did; it was quite the experience!

Mass, Nature Walk, and Youth on a Mission -- a perfect Wednesday ^_^

Sanctuary of St Peter's Catholic Church, Richmond, VA


Last Supper, stained glass window in St Peter's


Flowers behind the Religious Ed building


St Anthony


Youth on a Mission kids


Mario giving tonight's talk

The Beatification of Pope John Paul II -- and Divine Mercy Sunday

I awoke very early this morning, even for me -- 4am! The TV helps me fall asleep, but Animal Planet (my favorite channel) had "Lost Tapes" on, so I turned to EWTN. To be honest, I was thinking "this channel is usually very boring" (except for Life on the Rock, of course! ^_~). But not so this morning! I had forgotten -- they were broadcasting the Beatification of Pope John Paul II live! :D

I was originally planning to watch it, but then decided I'd sleep instead and watch it online later.
Apparently God had other ideas! ^_~

It was a beautiful ceremony, with pilgrims from all over the world. Among them, Poland was very well-represented, being the late Pope's homeland. And I'll admit it, I cried a few times :')

Especially touching for me is that today is also Divine Mercy Sunday: "My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy" (Diary, 699) . We are reminded of God's infinite mercy for us and His love, which shined through Blessed Pope John Paul II, in his life and in his writings. On a personal note, the late pontiff's "Theology of the Body" and "Mulieris Dignitatem" helped to heal some very deep wounds in my past that kept me from experiencing Christ's love, particularly His love expressed through His Church. I can now sincerely sing "¡Confíar en Ti! ¡Confíar en Ti! ¡Ahí está mi fuerza!¡Y confíar en, confíar en Ti!"
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is one of my favorite devotions, and if you've never prayed it before, please check it out! It's such a beautiful chaplet, and instills such a sense of peace and reassurance of God's mercy.

Saint Faustina, pray for us!