Paid Forward!

By Christian (photos by Christine)

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I don’t know if you have ever been to San Luis, Colorado in the San Luis valley.
It’s the oldest town in Colorado, registered in 1851. Mainly Hispanic settlers used to live there.
Population today is about 600.

Stations of the Cross, San Luis

There are beautiful Stations of the Cross going up to a Chapel, rightly called the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross on top of a hill. There is another great Church ‘down town’ with a bed and breakfast attached, the Convent.

The convent

Then you have Main Street with two gas stations at both ends, and one cantina.
It was the very beginning of April when we went there, very few tourists, Main Street was kind of deserted.

We had an 18 years old French friend visiting us and we wanted to show her a bit of deep Colorado. Friends of ours had lent us their adobe house for the weekend and we had just arrived and wanted to eat.
We entered the cantina,  where only two tables were taken, one with four or six farm hands who stopped eating when we entered with our three teenage girls,  and another table with two Anglo couples sitting a bit in the back of the dining room.

It was kind of late in the afternoon; we ordered, blessed the table, made the Sign of the Cross as usual, and enjoyed our meal. The farm hands left their table, still staring at the girls, their lower jaws still hanging, and then the two Anglo couples also left the cantina. We realized that we were the only customers left and that it was maybe time for us to ask for the check and leave too.
So I asked the nice lady at the cash register for the check and she answered: “It’s been taken care of”. Her answer didn’t bother me since I am used to the fact that people don’t understand me when I speak. So I reiterated my question, I made an effort to articulate and polished my American accent. I got the same answer and I just couldn’t get it. It must have seemed obvious to the lady who got down from her high stool and came to our table to tell us: “Well I promised I wouldn’t tell you, but the two Anglo couples who were sitting there had a problem in their family, they prayed about it and the problem was solved. So they wanted to share their blessing and paid for your meal!”
What about that?
I promised I would never be shy blessing the table in public and so should you.

The San Luis Valley

Instructors Interview: How Did You Meet?

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Maria's Story: In my junior year of college, I spent the Spring semester in Fiesole - just outside of Florence, Italy. There was a small group of students on the program, many like me were studying Art History, and we all enjoyed our time together in this amazing place. We called ourselves the "Villans" - giving a humorous nod to the beautiful Tuscan villa where we studied and most of us lived. 
However, I lived with a host family nearby as did my friend Phil.
Toward the end of our semester, Phil's mom and brother and sister came to visit. Phil invited me and a few others to join them for dinner. 

That evening, we met at the Villa.

The Villa

As cliché as it may be, when I first saw Phil's brother Dan, it was love at first sight. We chatted away while walking through Florence and even managed to share our meals with each other at the restaurant. He was only visiting for a few more days, and we kept trying to run into one another. The evening before he left we all went out dancing and then to a cafe where we talked and talked until we missed the last bus and Dan had to walk me to my host family's home. I remember the intensity of Springtime in Italy as we made our way along the stone streets - the heady scent of wisteria blooms, the warmer evening, it was even the height of the Hale-Bopp comet! 

http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/comet.jp

I found Dan fantastically handsome with his longish curly hair, and his great sense of humor had me laughing till my sides hurt. He was a snowboard instructor in Colorado and seemed to reflect the relaxed freedom of the American West. I also remember thinking he was so intelligent because he remembered a court case that he studied in law school regarding my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.
But of course his visit was at an end and I still had to finish classes. Dan started making phone calls to his brother and then at the end of the conversation he would ask if I was around. We also kept in touch through some primitive e-mail and of course when I returned from Italy, I made my way out to Colorado to see him again! 

Dan's Story: I moved to Colorado in October of 1995, hoping to teach snowboarding at Beaver Creek. In my second season of teaching, my brother Phil was studying abroad in Italy as a junior in college. Before my dad passed away in 1990, my family had traveled to Italy a few times and it had always been fun. However, I never knew the language. This spring of 1997, my family planned to travel to Fiesole, near Florence, to visit my brother Phil. To prepare for this trip, I studied from a book at the library to learn Italian. My brother teased me that I wouldn't know anything, but I was pleased with my progress.

Fiesole, Italy

I was only in Italy for 6 days. Maria and I can't seem to remember which day we met, but it was special. We were at the Villa, which was beautiful. And my family was staying at the convent very close by. Maria taught me a small part of a piano duet. She was unbelievably beautiful, wonderful, and intelligent. Somehow we managed to share some time together, and even pizza and pasta, which we had to share diagonally across a table of eight or ten people, since we didn't get to sit together, although we really wanted to!
Following my return, I called my brother Phil at the Villa for the first time. Then I asked for Maria! Through God's grace we are here today together with our seven children. And it's still hard to share dinner together across the table of nine people!

2012: Maria and Dan's seven children

 

Insturctors Interview: How did You Meet?

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Swim Dork Meets Band Geek by Amber and Greg

It was the year of 1996. Greg Perzinski had finished his first year at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO and received a measly $600 scholarship to go to the University of South Dakota (USD) and swim. I, Amber Mason was fresh out of high school and planned to attend USD with a whopping $300 scholarship in music. Obviously we both could be bought with peanuts, but hey, a scholarship is a scholarship, right?

University of South Dakota

In August, we both arrived a week earlier than the rest of campus to start our reason (swimming and band) for choosing the school. Greg found swim buddies on his dorm floor and went to practices twice a day. I found band friends on the same dorm floor and neither of us really bumped into the other. We were on the same co-ed dorm floor, with very few people, since no one else needed to arrive yet, and didn’t notice each other…crazy!

One of the gems of the campus was the Newman Center just down the street, and that is where Greg first noticed me. During the part of mass where everyone takes a moment to shake hands and give peace to everyone around, is when he realized that a cute girl was sitting right behind him. Quickly, in his mind, he went through the check list. Fresh breath – check, combed hair- check, clean shirt – check. For the remainder of the mass I took note that Greg’s posture was suddenly straighter and no longer slouching! Well, Mass came to an end and much to Greg’s delight the cute girl sitting behind him was walking to the same dorm as him. Greg ran up and joined me and another lady.

So we found out that we lived across the hall and a few doors away from each other. We made similar friends on the dorm floor and life was good. We went to church with another couple every Sunday and actually attended other activities with the church at other days of the week (which was rather strange for Greg, whose family rarely stayed for the whole sending forth hymn).

About a month into school, I was taken aback by another guy on the floor who had taken interest in me, but I knew it wasn’t the type of guy I should be with. We dated for a few weeks and even though we were together, it never discouraged Greg from getting to know more about me. Greg usually stayed away from other girls who were already in a relationship, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to scare him away this time.

After a sad break up with the less-than-satisfactory guy, everything went back to normal. Greg and I both got new roommates to make the living conditions better. It just so happened that our new roommates were dating and Catholic. So Greg and I had more time together. One time, I walked by a room where Greg and his swim buddy, Dave, were talking. I overheard Dave say, ‘If you don’t ask her out, I’m going to do it for you!’ Later that evening, after hanging out and chatting, Greg got the courage to ask. ‘Will you go out with me?’ Having a ‘blonde’ moment, I thought… ‘out on a date’ so I said, ‘Sure!’

A week went by with little interaction. Greg and I were both busy with classes, swimming, and band. Then one day, I was with some of their friends and Dave asks, ‘So where is your boyfriend?’ I think… ‘Boyfriend, what boyfriend? … Oooooh!’

So the date was set and came up. Greg and I climbed into Greg’s Nissan pick-up with a vinyl bench seat and no A/C, and started out down the interstate. 

We were both from small towns. Greg from Rock Springs, WY which has a population of 20,000 and I am from Sleepy Eye, MN which has less than 4000! This restaurant was in Sioux City, IA. So needless to say, we got lost…at night! As we were driving around we saw a Perkins but that wasn't the restaurant we wanted for our first date. We drove and drove and saw nothing but closed buildings and bars so we went back to Perkins.

A year later, we were still together (despite having had our first date at Perkins) and for our first anniversary date we managed to find the restaurant this time! Garfield’s it was called. Inside, each table was covered with a large sheet of paper on the table for coloring while waiting for the food…classy, very classy. Well worth the wait.

 

Instructors Interview: How did you meet?

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Christian and Christine (from Christian's side)
As an International Business student, I had been working for the previous four years at the opera in Montpellier, France. It was a unionized place that allowed students to work there, for a meager pay.
In 1974 I still had two more years to go to complete my masters degree. The Fundamental Physic Group in Berkeley was reviving the Quantum entanglement theory, and Uri Geller was psycho/psychic binding forks and spoons. Peace and Love was still the motto in student circles.
That afternoon, after less than a couple of hours of work at the Opera, I was stuck in there with nothing to do, but as union dictates whether you have work to do or not you have to stay for four hours.
To my great surprise and for the only time in my six years there total, the boss came to me and asked me to keep for two hours the art gallery hosted in the Opera, for double pay.

“Sure,” I said, “no visitors and nothing to do? I can handle that.”
He was wrong; I had one visitor. I was diligently looking at the pictures in Time Magazine, and here came my one and only guest.

November 74 issue

She got all my attention: young, very young, and cute. I immediately noticed the American clothing, deep America I should say. Long brown hair, an out of place look, and an unfamiliar accent. I thought she was Canadian at first; I quickly learned that she was from Burgundy, France, just back from the States.
Small talk, invitation to join me at 6:00 pm to go to the student cafeteria across the Opera for dinner (I wasn’t paying for her dinner).
She was very nice, easy to talk to, happy to have somebody to talk to, fun, innocent. After dinner I showed her the old city. 

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I could feel that she wasn’t 100% at ease with a 22 year old wolf preying on a young demoiselle in the dark streets at night. 

Only when I left her at her bus did we exchange our names!

We didn’t exchange addresses, nor phone numbers, there was no next appointment. It was as if we knew we’d just meet again because it was meant to happen.
Just like it was meant to happen that we had met that afternoon….
What we didn’t know, though, is that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, have five daughters, experience a strong conversion and come back to the Church, have ten grandchildren and counting, and dedicate our lives to the Lord! Wow.
We traveled to many countries together, left everything behind to follow our calling, left our job, house, relatives, friends, and finally our country to work exclusively with engaged couples, funny, huh?
We didn’t see that coming but we are sure very happy it happened.

Living the Liturgical Year in September

September... Labor Day, harvest, back to school, corn stalks and scare crow, pumpkin patches, a new leaf (pun totally intended) is turned. But for us, Catholics, what does September bring? What is Mother Church trying to teach us in September?

The month of September is dedicated to our Lady of Sorrows, whom we celebrate on September 15th.

The devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary goes back to the Middle Ages but has its source in the Gospel: Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed—and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” Luke 2:34-35 (NAB)

Art by Marion Meert

During the month of September the Church invites us to reflect on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. I was personally introduced to this devotion through Immaculee Ilibagiza's book Our Lady of Kibeho. It moved me deeply and I started praying the Seven Sorrows Rosary. In our family it is now a tradition to pray this rosary daily during the month of September. 

Our Lady of Sorrows
XIXth century, Villefranche, France

According to St. Bridget of Sweden (1302-1373), the Blessed Virgin grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and dolor, at the same time praying seven Hail Marys for each sorrow.

The seven special graces are:

1) Our Blessed Mother will grant peace to their families.

2) They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.

3) Our Heavenly Mother will console them in their pains and she will accompany them in their work. 4) She will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the perfect will of her Divine Son or the sanctification of the soul.

5) Our Blessed Mother will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and she will protect them at every instant of their lives.

6) She will visibly help them at the moment of their death. They will see the face of their mother.

7) She has obtained this grace from her Son, that those who propagate this devotion to her tears and dolor, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven. She and her Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Source: http://www.catholic-church.org/grace/marian/7sorrows.htm

It is a beautiful devotion which brings many graces to us and I would encourage you to discover it for yourself.

But September also brings many feast days! Here are a few that we celebrate in our family (and one of the best way Catholic celebrate is with food! So I have attached a few recipes for each fest day that pertains to the saint being celebrated):

- September 5th: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Feast Day Plans
Mother Teresa Tea

Birth of the Virgin by Bellini, 15th century

- September 8th: Birth of Mary (our oldest daughter Alice shares this birthday with Mary)
Blueberry Cheesecake for Our Lady
A Birthday Cake for Our Lady

- September 12th: The Most Holy Name of Mary
Holy Name of Mary

Crucifix Pont Saint Esprit, Visitation

- September 14th: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mt. Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem, but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629. 
Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

St. Matthew

- September 21st : Saint Matthew, Apostle and Gospel Writer

Padre Pio

- September 23rd: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Italian Sausage and Pasta
Cappucino Mousse Trifle

St. Vincent de Paul

- September 27th: St. Vincent of Paul
Poor Man's Caviar

The Archangels

- September 29th: Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Apple Chicken
Angel Food Blackberry Trifle for Michaelmas

So many opportunities to rejoice in our Catholic faith! 

Instructors Interviews: How Did You Meet?

Christine and Christian (from Christine's side)

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It all started on November 27th, 1974.  We didn’t know it at that time, and it took us 37 years to realize it, but it was the anniversary of the Miraculous Medal (there must be something with the Miraculous Medal in our family! See Mattie's story). Mary was watching over us.

I was 18 ½.

My Senior Picture

I was just back to France from ten months in Indiana as an exchange student and my only thought was to go back. Sadly, my parents wanted me to be “reasonable” and to start some studies. I wasn’t in the least interested in studying, so I picked what seemed the least boring to me: art.  It was then decided that I would study art in Montpellier, France, where my aunt and uncle were willing to host me.

I moved in with them, in their basement, at the end of the Summer…
Time flew and it was already the end of November.

Wednesday morning November 27^th.
We had Wednesdays off, so I got up later that morning. For a reason I do not remember, I went upstairs and found myself face to face with my aunt. She started lecturing me about studying art without even visiting the city’s museums and art exhibitions. She knew there was a beautiful tapestry exhibition downtown and thought I should at least go and see it.

I understood she wanted me out, so I got on the bus and headed downtown.

I think I started by visiting a museum. I hate museums; I find them boring most of the time, and exhausting…  so I do not remember anything about it. I was just killing time. Then I decided to visit this tapestry exhibition my aunt had talked about. The tapestries were by Marc Saint Saëns (1903-1979). They were exhibited in the Opera’s gallery, Salle Molière, on the right side of the Opera (when you face it).

Montpellier's Opera

Entrance was free! There was no one but the keeper, a young man who was reading the Time Magazine! 

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All my thoughts being geared towards going back to the States, it struck me that he was reading the Time in English! He seemed nice, didn’t know anything about the tapestries, and was just keeping the gallery for the first –and only – time and from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. only. He had had no visitors at all. I was his first and only one! We talked a bit; I looked vaguely at the tapestries that I really didn’t care for!  

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I felt totally comfortable and safe with him, he didn’t look like a play boy at all with his huge thick glasses.

I was about to leave when he asked me if I wanted to come back at 6:00 to go to the university cafeteria with him... I said OK and went on to meet some of my school friends.

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It was dark already when I arrived back Salle Moliere. I felt a bit awkward, not being sure that he remembered inviting me, but there I was, and he seemed to remember! Together we went to the worst cafeteria in the whole town, but it really didn’t matter. Afterwards, he took me on a walking tour of Montpellier’s narrow medieval streets. I was a bit scared to be by myself in these dark streets with a total stranger, and excited at the same time that this older guy was actually paying attention to me! He walked the whole way holding his dark blue bike on the side. He was wearing a leather jacket that was kind of short for his long arms.  He had a charm about him, a casual and self-confident look that I found very attractive. Finally, he took me to the bus station for me to go back home and asked me what my name was! I told him my name was Christine and he told me he was Chrick, and that he was from Morocco! I remember being puzzled about this last statement, thinking that he didn’t look like a Moroccan! I was so ignorant, not even knowing that Morocco had been a French colony for a long time! 
As I got home, I was pretty excited inside and I remember telling my uncle I had met a really nice 22-year-old guy who would be a really cool big brother. We hadn’t even talked about seeing each other again, but my heart was happy and light! 

I've always wondered who in heaven was behind our meeting... Maybe Christian's mother who had died the previous year? It was so "improbable" that we ever met! Heaven opened up a short 2 hours window and it worked!
Since the first time I heard it when I was 15, this quote from François Mauriac, from the Académie Française, has always struck me, "We deserve all our meetings. They are granted to our destiny and have a meaning each of us must discover."
 

Instructor Interviews Part I: How did you meet?

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 Hello, Moses and Mattie here!

It is Spring of 1996, I am 18 and enjoying Easter Break at a youth retreat. It is a little bit of a rocky time in my life; high school graduation is looming on the horizon and I have no idea what direction I want to go in. One of the spiritual counselors at school recommends that I entrust my future to Jesus and that I really ask him what He has in mind for me, and to also entrust my future husband to Mary Immaculate. So I do, but only the entrusting my husband part! I am not ready to entrust my whole future to Jesus, but entrusting my husband to Mary sounds like a great idea.

  Let's fast forward to Summer 2000. I am hiking with almost the same youth group on the road between Assisi and Rome. Our destination: Pope John Paul II and World Youth Day! We are so excited! That is when it happens; when I finally surrender my whole life to Christ. It is on the eve of our entrance in Rome, during a beautiful outdoor Mass that Christ visits me and I become all His.

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Two weeks later, as a senior at Franciscan University, my roommate, Rachel, and I rent a house off campus. We are all grown up now!

Rachel is so excited about our beautiful “new” house that she has to invite everyone she knows to come and visit. Which I totally understand: who would not want to show off a living room with long, green shag carpet and orange couches?!

One morning she tells me that “Moses” will come over later in the evening. Moses? Seriously? What kind of person is named Moses? Needless to say that I make fun of it all day (Yes I have encountered Christ, but charity is still something I need to work on…) 

Moses does come over that night and I am not impressed. 

Fast forward again, this time to a few days later, when Rachel decides that we should have a movie night at our place on Saturday evenings. Moses becomes one of the regulars and we start hanging out quite a bit. And as we got to know each other better we also grew to appreciate each other more. And soon, it budded into a deep friendship that evolved into love.

One night at a party, he asks me to go to our Fall Formal dance with him, and I say yes (because of course, as you have guessed by now I am more than just charitable towards him.) He also invites me over to his parents' for Thanksgiving, the week following the dance.

The dance is a blast and we have a great time, even if he steps on my foot and brings his 1977 Ford Bronco as a ride (try getting in that thing in a lady like fashion with high heels and an evening gown! Quite the challenge!!!)

1977 Bronco
image: http://blog.hemmings.com

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On Thanksgiving morning he is set to come and pick me up for mass, after which we would drive over to his parents. While getting ready, I am rummaging through my drawer of unmentionables (I love this word!) when something shiny catches the corner of my eye. Of course, being a girl, I empty the whole drawer and pry out the shiny thing from the side of the drawer (hoping that it’s a quarter or something; you know how college students are so desperate for money!!)

What comes out is a beautiful miraculous medal, one like I had never seen before or since! (Truly, even after extended online searches, I have never seen one like it.) And I can hear in my heart: “Go ahead, I have watched over him for you and now he is all yours.” With the greatest love and gentleness imaginable.

Full of hope and thanksgiving (how appropriate, right?!)  I head with him to mass and then to his parents' house for a wonderful and fun-filled Thanksgiving dinner where I meet most of his family.

  --> That evening when he brings me home, we kiss for the very first time! As they say, the rest is history! (Except for that fine ’77 Bronco, which stills survives in our garage!) 
And the medal? I wear it every day as a reminder of God’s care for us.