{    Cnytr   }

Not saying that Cnytr is being shut down (it never is ... I have had this blog since I was in high school), but you should definitely hie thee over to Itchy Nissan, where Sakura E is posting.

Dearest Bloggians,

I thank you for your patience amidst the scarcity of my blog updates. I hope to begin a new phase of the blog as a married woman, and as the wife of a Naval officer, soon (as of tomorrow) to be living in Sasebo, Japan. My dear commenter and brother in St. Dominic Anthony OPL has given me a heads-up about the state of Catholicism there ("interesting", shall we say). Well, we'll make the best of it.

Additionally, I may be posting a bunch of not-necessarily-Catholic-related items on the blog for a short time, all related to Japan. Bear with the boring details and I shall do what I can to find interesting, quirky factoids for y'all. Or just stuff I think about.

God bless, and please keep my new family (myself and my husband) in your prayers.

In SPND,

Lauren (E)

P.s. This was my bouquet.

St. Anthony of Padua
St. Anthony of Padua
Hot dam! What a saint.
~Anonymous


Bernini's Noli me tangere from the interior of the Angelicum's chapel, S. Domenico e Sisto

Hello again my bloggians whom I neglect far too much (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa),

I'm pleased to report that all is well with the Cnytr these days and, having had the good fortune to have returned to Rome recently, will hopefully be blogging on some of the interesting finds both in the Eternal City and in Bologna -- a city visited for the first time in the eight years I've been visiting bella Italia.

That being said, I'm still in theory planning a wedding to ENS Geoffrey (!), which is taking up, if not all my time, at least all my sanity. P.s. the "in theory" refers to the planning, not the wedding, which is happening whether it's planned or not/whether we elope or not. cough

However, if my head doesn't roll off my shoulders and hide itself under the piano bench where Bertie the Boston Terrier will eventually find it and play fetch with it, I hope to report a solemn high Nuptial mass in all its Liturgical Awesomeness to y'all. In fact, given the way word of high Trid events spreads around the blogosphere, I've half a mind to put out a general invite to the chapel. Marriage is, after all, a witness ... a visible image of Christ and the Church and is a sort of catechesis meant for all the faithful (which is why, theologically speaking, there are no secret weddings).

In the meantime, I've two things for your general amusement:

A) A while back I blogged about the Catholic Chapel at Naval Station, Norfolk. I have since found a more excellent photographic rendering of said chapel, the images of which are paired with the words to the Navy Hymn "Eternal Father Strong to Save".



2) Secondly, I have had the very good fortune to meet a fellow blogger studying in Rome, one miss Deirdre of Give Tongue, a name which references St. Anthony of Padua, and hence the reason for the eloquent and moving verses at the beginning of this post. A fascinating gal, she breaks all my stereotypes, and we share the same or simlar taste in dance, shoes and medieval humor, not to mention several other totally random things. She was kind enough to link my blog before ever I met her, and so I think it is high time to return the favor. Hopefully she'll blog more in the future. Lord knows the Italians provide her with enough blogging material. Or ... perhaps she provides the, ha, material to them. ;) In anythecase, checkitout.

That is all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to post a follow-up about the Mercedarians/the Trinitarians, an "Agnus Dei" (not the one you think!), more about St. Dominic, the Dominicans and Bologna, and some random lovely Triddie images seen in Piazza del Popolo.

God bless, all. ~~

Bloggians --

I know it has been a while since I last posted, and one of those posts made it seem as if I might have run away and join the convent. Au contraire, my little bloggerings. Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum ...

Miss Lauren's hand has been honorably requested to her father (and granted by the Cnytr herself) in marriage.

All I can say is, His Grace hath made the match; let all grace say "amen".

Please keep Miss Lauren and her fiance Geoffrey in your prayers.

Gratefully and humbly yours,

Lauren

Thank you for praying for Yevgen's dad, who seems to be doing fine after surgery. Yevgen is now back in the States and all seems fine.

This weekend, even though I do not think I have a vocation, I am going to visit the Byzantine Discalced Carmelites of Holy Annunciation Monastery in Sugarloaf, PA. I am doing this for a retreat, but also because I am totally intrigued by the combination of Byzantine and Carmelite (though the order was originally an Eastern one, brought to the West via persecution, and in this sort of charism is returning to its roots), so much so that I feel I simply must see it.

I hope it will be a fruitful and prayerful weekend, especially after the Orientale Lumen conference of this week, about which I hope to blog eventually (I took very detailed notes, especially of the talks dealing with iconography).

Holy Annunciation Monastery seems to be one of the fastest-growing Eastern Catholic monasteries in the States. I get the impression that they're the Nashville Dominicans of the East. If you're in the area, I would encourage visiting them. One of the things mentioned at the OL conference was the importance for monasticism in the church. Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky wanted a monastery in every diocese, not only to pray for the diocese, but also where the faithful can go and make retreats and refresh their souls. The monastics, it was mentioned, are the guardians of the church, standing on the ramparts of the heavenly city. Through their prayers, they keep out the forces that attack the church from without, and protect the light of the church from within.

Therefore, good readers, I once again apologize for my lack of activity, but promise, again, more in the future. Please keep me in your prayers this weekend, and I will keep you in mine.

Below, for your edification and delight, I am linking two videos of the Liturgy at the monastery. The tones are beautiful Ruthenian tones (I'm more familiar with the Ukrainian tones), which sound as beautiful, angelic and altogether heavenly as the videos of their chapel look. The sweet and holy voices of the sisters make it so. I believe the familiar Ukrainian tones to me require the voices of men, but the Ruthenian tones sound very well when women sing them.

God bless. ~~





(this latter video as I'm posting is not yet processed, but do come back and check it out when it's finished).

Please pray for my photographer Byzantine seminarian friend Yevgen (above). He is in Ukraine until this end of this week. Earlier I got an email from him asking for my prayers, as his father is unwell and needs heart surgery, which is scheduled for today. Yesterday he (and his family?) were at the hospital donating blood, presumably for said surgery.

I don't have details of what's going on, but would appreciate if you keep him, his father and his family in your prayers.

Thank you.


One of Yevgen's photos of a Byzantine diaconate ordination