Maryfest and Grand Procession in Honour of Our Lady of Christchurch

 
Christchurch Knights of the Southern Cross act as 

Our Lady's Sediarii
- taking their place at the front of the bier
carrying our replica of the statue of
Our Lady of Christchurch.

This Sunday our confreres in Christchurch, New Zealand,
participated in the annual Procession,
Consecration of the City and Diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
and Pontifical Benediction
which they had been asked to organise by the local ordinary,
His Lordship the Most Reverend Barry Jones, D.D.,
Bishop of Christchurch.

For the last few weeks we have been planning and advertising
this wonderful event throughout the Diocese,
primarily using this poster -
translated for other local communities into
Polish, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic and Greek.

Thanks be to God and Our Lady,
St Mary's pro-Cathedral was filled to capacity
as Bishop Jones, accompanied by
Bishop Emeritus Basil Meeking
with the Administrator of the pro-Cathedral, Fr Friel,
as well as more than a dozen priests
led around 500 faithful from the Diocese
in an Act of Homage
to our
Heavenly Queen.

Many of the faithful had made banners in the last weeks
and these were evident in the lateral isle on the Gospel side.
Representatives of the Legion of Mary,
the Catholic Women's League,
the Knights of the Southern Cross,
as well the Keralite, Filipino, Korean,
Polish, Vietnamese,
Maori, Coptic, Ethiopian and Samoan communities,
members of the Marist, the Marist Brothers,
the Community of St John
the Marist Sisters
the Sisters of Nazareth and of the Beatitudes
many schools and parishes
joined in with the Bishop
the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer
and of course our own traditional Catholics who had come from
all over South Island to be there.

The City of Christchurch Highland Pipe Band accompanied us
as we processed around the pro-Cathedral
and along Manchester Street.

The beautiful replica of Our Lady of Christchurch
which we carried in the procession.
The Queen of this City
crushes the old serpent
and extends her benign reign
over New Zealand!

At the end of the procession as the trumpet rang out
Our Lady of Christchurch
was crowned before His Lordship the Bishop
by little Esther
who had received Our Lord for the
first time that morning
in Our Mother of Perpetual Succour Oratory.

What a great grace to be able to see
the City and Diocese Consecrated again to
the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Our very great thanks to all those who helped
in many and varied ways
to make the day most memorable
no less for its bright sunshine on a day
predicted to be overcast and awaiting snow!

To read more about the protecting image
of Our Lady of Christchurch
and to see more images please visit
Our Lady of Christchurch Facebook page.

The splendid photographs
for this blog were provided
by
Abi Wiseman Photography.

a little loaf of white crusty goodness...

last week a small miracle happened and that small miracle, was i made bread. now for some that may not count as a miracle but for me it does. i would go as far as to say, it goes alongside the miracle of learning to crochet. that's how marvelous last week's little miracle was to me

a little loaf of white crusty goodness

i think i lived in fear of making bread, i never really understood how you did it, just presumed it was a bit of a faff and took up time and lots of kneading and oh, so many other things i put in the way of attempting to make a little loaf of white crusty goodness.

however times are 'a changing' around this here mossy shed, and after years of bumbling through my kitchen seeing things as a bit of a chore, i now have to reassess how and what i spend my time on. finally, after what seems like yonks, i have knowledge as to what has caused me chronic health symptoms for quite the while. and in turn, (alongside of other things), what i stick into my aging bod is of the utmost importance. i think it always has been, i was just in denial. so label reading has become my new hobby at the grocery store and homemade 'i know what i put in it, so i know what i will get out of it' cooking is the order of the day. 

(and i confess, this actually takes up most of my day these days, i have high hopes this will become less so the more knowledgeable i become but for now, it is what it is)

fortunately a friend of mine told me of a recipe she had found for easy peasy bread making. "easy peasy breadmaking" were the key words to make me sit up and take note. after i had sat up, made a few notes, i finished it up with a rallying pep talk to myself...

and like so many things when we take the time, set it aside and use it wisely to learn something new, we are left with such an overwhelming sense of achievement that really cannot be equaled to anything else i know. was i fearful my little loaf would not play fair with me and end up like a brick? yes i was. however i cast Mr Doubter aside and instead, saw my little loaf of bread as something handmade and immediately my little cogs switched to a different gear, a gear that said "handmade! easy peasy! you're in your element, Tif. you can do it!"

and so i did...

not a brick insight...

2 miracles made for each other, homemade soup and homemade bread

and if indeed you would like to also try your crafty hand at a little loaf of white crusty goodness so easy peasy you will wish to make one each and every day, then here is where you will find all the info and brilliant step by step photos.

 simple so good crusty bread

and just a footynote, because a footynote does need to be added: 

my first attempt (yes, i have dared to make 2 just to test it was not a one off miracle) i added a tad more than the 1 1/2 cups of water in the recipe. to start with, a mild panic arose when i looked at the soggy wet contents in my bowl but i just covered it up with cling film and allowed it to rest on the side as per instructions and continued as if nothing had happened. well here's the thing, it came out just peachy perfect and in fact, having cooked the 2nd loaf as per instructions i've come to the conclusion i prefer it with a bit more water in the mix.

Church Attire

Hi friends, I need a huge favor. Lola's christening is in a week and a half and I am struggling to find something to wear. (This is clearly a major problem, no?) I ordered this dress from ASOS and it was very short and very tight. Not a good church combination.



Yesterday I attempted to go to the mall with the kiddos to find a dress and was chastised for having my children in Ann Taylor. The salesperson actually looked at Ryan and said, "Are you helping mommy shop or are you just running around like a wildman tearing apart the store?" I should add that he hadn't touched a single thing, though he was making funny noises and running as fast as he could into my legs and then laughing hysterically. Between her crap attitude and the fact that she kept handing me dresses in the wrong size, I walked out empty handed.



This is kind of what I had in mind. Not necessarily the colors (although I do love those too) but the shape. Modest, while not looking too mom jeans. And a mummy tummy flattering a-line, shift dress. You with me?

If you've seen anything like this anywhere lately, let me know. I am going to do my best to find something during nap time this weekend. I think I may have already missed my window to order online. Gah!



Also, congratulations to Crystal for winning the Jewel Kade Giveaway! Message me your mailing address and I'll get them out this week. Thank you to all that entered!

Hitched Studios Photography Workshop

Last weekend I had the awesome pleasure of taking a second workshop with the Hitched Studios crew. That's right, SECOND, workshop. I took their level one earlier this month. And I finally feel like I know how to use my camera. Now whether I am actually taking interesting pictures remains a topic for discussion, but the color and the focus are finally good. Hallelujah.



If you are in the greater Boston area, and are looking for a great set of photographers for family or celebrations, I highly recommend them. I mean, highly.



With all of my new photography skillz I have zero aspirations to go on to do anything great, like open my own biz-ness. A DSLR does not make one a photographer, this much I know. And I seriously lack the artful eye necessary to be a photographer for realsies. But I am pretty thrilled to be able to take better pictures of the kids and maybe save a little moolah when it comes time to take a family photo for our holiday cards. Especially since I sprung for a wireless shutter trigger earlier this year. Holler.



Here are some of my practice shots from the weekend.

{ practice engagement shoot }

{ practice baby shoot }

{ practice adult shoot }

The fab crew that held the workshop are amazing and will be offering their workshops more regularly if anyone is interested in attending one themselves. Follow Hitched Studios on Facebook for the most up-to-date information.



P.S. It is not too late to enter the Jewel Kade giveaway! Enter now for a chance to win these fabulous earrings.