Mass was splendid today, in numerous ways. The altar society had strung a garland of white roses around the statue of Mary off to the right, and when I got there, a crowd of folks were already up to the fourth set of Mysteries in the Rosary. I hope it wasn't inappropriate for me to join in at that point.

By the time we were done, the cathedral was packed, and ushers were asking folks to scoot in a little closer together so a few more people could sit in each pew. Then we were treated to "Ave Maria" sung by a tenor with a rather nice voice. At least, it sounded to me like he had had some professional training, which isn't all that common in my neck of the woods. In fact, everybody around me seemed to be members of the choir or something, because they all sang beautifully. And loudly.

The homily was on being clothed with righteousness, what that meant for Mary on earth and now in Heaven, and what that means for us. Very inspiring. Eucharist took so long, we repeated the five-verse "Sermon Song" hymn before everybody was served. Though Mass was running late, most folks stayed for the end, and when we closed with "Salve Regina," everybody seemed to be singing at the top of their lungs. I could actually feel the vibrations through the floor and my hymnal was quivering from the sound waves. I love that. It's so cool to be standing together with a whole bunch of like-minded people. Very comforting to me, I suppose, because for so long we felt like the proverbial fish out of water, looking for the place God wanted us to be.

I'm signing off for the weekend, mostly because the Internet is moving slow as molasses for me today (must be a lot of people who are finally back on in the East, all trying to catch up on things at once). We're helping my brother-in-law and his wife and daughter move to their new house in the country tomorrow. I just talked to the wife on the phone, and she sounds really happy and enthusiastic, which I take as a very good sign that they are getting things back on track in their marriage. Thanks to everybody who has been praying for them. I'm sure they aren't completely out of the woods just yet, but things look very favorable, and I'm so happy about that.

Also, please remember that two of St. Blog's parishoners, Jenny and Chris are being united in Holy Matrimony tomorrow! Congratulations to you two, and may God bless your marriage abundantly!

--Sparki