Public Profession Video

The Public Profession of Vows

(video of the ceremony)

The sermon of his Lordship is at 00:32:15
The public profession of vows begins at 00:58:15
Litany of Loreto at 00:48:38
 Tantum Ergo at  01:27:19
 Divine Praises sung in English at 01:30:54
 Adoremus at 01:32:45
Hymn Our Lady of Good Succour to Our Lady of Aberdeen at 01:34:34

Our Public Religious Professions.

The Public Profession of Vows

of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

The long awaited day arrived on the 

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

22 August, 2012,

the day of

our individual incorporation into the 

canonically erected

Clerical Institute of Diocesan Right

under the title of the

Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

We were canonically erected by the Right Reverend

Dom Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B.

Here he is photographed in

Our Lady's Chapel, Stronsay,

during last night's public profession ceremony.

For this solemn occasion of
our union with the diocese and the Church

the episcopal throne was erected in the sanctuary.

Above the bishop is the Coat of Arms of the 

Diocese of Aberdeen

which can be seen in more detail  in the first image above.

May the monastic and missionary saints of our diocese
intercede for us.

In all, three Lessons from the Holy Scripture were chanted

followed by Tracts, 

then the Alleluia and Gospel of the Mass for 

the feast of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Brother Jean Marie chants the Second Lesson.

Following the chant of the Gospel the Bishop preached. 

Following the sermon the Litany of Loreto

completed the preparation for the public religious professions.

First Fr Michael Mary made public profession

into the hands of the Bishop.

This act was one of Ecclesial Communion through the Bishop 

to the Universal Church.

The vows are made to God

but the superior makes them through the Bishop to God.

Fr. Anthony Mary, F.SS.R. 
makes his public perpetual profession

into the hands of the appointed superior. 

The superior of the new religious order

having made his public profession into the hands of the Bishop

is then empowered to receive the public religious professions

of the members of the Congregation.

Br. Yousef Marie, F.SS.R. 
makes his public perpetual profession

into the hands of the Rector Major.

Br. Jean Marie, F.SS.R. 
makes his public perpetual profession of the 

vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and Perseverance. 

Br. Magdala Maria, F.SS.R. 

makes public profession of the vows of religion.

The vow of Perseverance is attested with an oath.

Having made the oath of Perseverance

Br. Martin Mary, F.SS.R. 
kisses the Gospel.

 Having kissed the Gospel

Br. Nicodemus Mary, F.SS.R. 
is received into the Congregation

bound by his vows and oath

according to the 

Rules of St. Alphonsus

(which were approved by 

Pope Benedict XIV in 1749)

and the

Constitutions of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

(which were approved by 

the Holy See in 2011).

Br. Gerardo Maria, F.SS.R.

makes temporary public profession for three years.

 The public professions were followed by

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

 The opening prayer of St. Alphonsus
in his Visits to the Blessed Sacrament,

the antiphon to Our Lady
and the 

Prayer for the Pope
all followed.
Then...

 The Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
wass given by
Dom Hugh,
our Bishop of Aberdeen.

With full hearts and voices

the Divine Praises 

were chanted.

Blessed be God!

Blessed be His Holy Name!

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man!

The Best Laid Tile

Sometimes the best laid tile, like the best laid plan, goes astray. Our powder room is one of those places where things went horribly wrong and I'm not sure there's anyone to blame. The room is 33 square feet. For all intents and purposes, it's a very small room. We fell in love with marble basketweave tiles and then found out they were $31 a square foot. I nearly croaked. We decided to go with a 3 x 6 ceramic tile set in a herringbone pattern with a contrast grout so that we could have a high impact space for a small(er) cost.



Earlier this week we showed up to the house to find that our tile had been laid downstairs and the powder bath was laid incorrectly. Well, technically it's correct. The whole thing is a bit of an idiosyncrasy. Apparently there are two ways to lay herringbone and according to our tile vendor 9 times out of 10 it is laid the way we anticipated it would be. I guess we just got lucky. :::insert sarcasm here:::



What we wanted was for the tile to be laid at an angle creating a fish scale pattern.

What we got was tile laid on the square. In a sense this installation is easier because there are less cuts overall, and the cuts that are made are straight and not angled.

Since technically it was laid on a herringbone we don't have a leg to stand on with the replacement costs. Our vendor knew what we wanted and communicated it to our builder who communicated it to his subcontractor who laid the tile the way he lays herringbone, I suppose. No picture exchanged hands. Our vendor expected the same outcome that we did. There's not really an adequate place to post blame. Consequently, Joe and I are stuck eating the cost of the demo, replacement tile and labor to reinstall. I'm hoping that given the situation, our builder will cut us some slack and absorb the cost of the demo and new subfloor (if it's required, and why wouldn't it be?) but I'm not holding my breath.



Who knew we'd likely pay marble prices for ceramic tile when all was said and done. I could vomit. At this point in our build process I am over the headache. Just fix it, make it right and add it to our effing tab. These are the things -- the costs, the headaches, the battles -- when building that you just can't anticipate. I swear if I ever do this again I will GC the house myself. However, I'm never moving again so it shouldn't be an issue. Which I suppose is the adult equivalent to "I'm never drinking again".

Experience of a Working Mother

Hello Friends! This blog sure is a direct indication of my energy level these days. Five posts one week, no posts for two weeks. This pregnancy and the kids and the build are kicking my ass in a major way. I rounded the corner on 31 weeks and while I was happily jogging along I got smacked in the face with a brick. Seriously, it's like someone syphoned the energy right out of my body.



This little girl is set to arrive in 55 days, we are set to close in 67 days and I'm set to collapse sometime between now and then.



We're in the finishing stages of the house (i.e. the part where the that shit goes wrong is really obvious) which means I've been driving up to the house daily to check on work. So far floor outlets were drilled in the wrong spot (we got it fixed), outdoor wiring was wired in the wrong spot (we got that fixed), and now our powder bathroom tile was installed incorrectly (I get to deal with this tomorrow).



We sold our current home, but are having major issues with our buyer right now and the contract is on the cusp of becoming null and void. A fun fact that stresses me out to no end. I will have more concrete news on that front by the end of this week and even moreso once our buyers get their mortgage commitment letter in early September. Since we are still under attorney review, I've continued to show our house. Today involved me walking for an hour with the R's and the dog only to find out upon my return that the realtor who was supposed to be showing our house cancelled the appointment, but never let anyone know. Super.



In addition the twinados are crazy cakes. They are a mix of love and tantrums, huggy kissy and complete irrationality. I love them and want to drop kick them almost every day of my life.



Anyway, I have about 18 posts that I started but haven't finished -- everything from fourth of July and our fifth wedding anniversary to fun stuff happening at the house. I'll get there.



But for now I have a big-ish, small-ish favor to ask those of you who are working moms. My friend Lauren is going for her PhD (she's pretty awesome like that) and she's collecting data on working mothers for her dissertation. If you could take the following survey she, and I, would be forever grateful. Here's a link to the survey (direct link: https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=148908).



Here are the details from her directly:



I am seeking mothers, with at least one child under the age of 18 (who have full legal and physical custody), who are currently emloyed and are paid monetarily for their work (working at least one hour per a week). The survey, including the demographic questionnaire, takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.




Lastly, I've gotten a few emails in the last two weeks that I haven't responded to yet. I'm sorry. I suck. And I have many excuses. But I promise to write back soon!