In Matters of Faith

Last year I went under the needle for the largest tattoo I have to-date.  I wanted a cover piece for a tattoo that had not aged well. Yes, tattoos like people, age at different rates.  A well done tattoo will continue to look good for years, but a poorly done tattoo will develop feathering and thickening of lines, fading of color and start to look bad after time passes.  I had one of these tattoos, a cherub that I got spur of the moment at Laconia Bike week over 10 years ago.  I planned the cover piece for months and I knew the image that I chose would be a visual depiction of my faith.   The statue “A Quiet Moment” by Timothy Schmalz was an image that I have loved for a couple of years now.  After 5 hrs under the needle (two separate sessions) the resulting tattoo is breathtaking.  I’m proud to sport this work of art on my back.

My faith is as big and bold as this tattoo, but also like my tattoo it isn’t always readily visible to the people around me.  I really didn’t intend to post items of faith on this blog- it’s for knitting, cooking, exploring Seattle, and getting along without a car right?  Maybe, but it is an expression of me, and well, my faith is me.  So, while I know not everyone who reads my blog is on the same journey that I am, I’d like to share some snippets with you and pass along some good web links.

You might ask why this came up  today, after all my tattoo was completed over a year ago.  I just returned to Seattle from spending the weekend in Moses Lake WA at a retreat.  My heart was stirred, I made amazing connections with not only other Catholics, but also with myself and with God.  You might say my spirit was fed and my faith was energized.  The retreat was put on my a group from Boise ID, and I attended with three other members of my Parish.  We are going to work to bring the Retreat to St. Brendan’s in the next year.  The retreat has a misleading title “Evangelization Retreat” I am not sure what I would call it if I could rename it, but I fear that “Evangelization Retreat” might scare some folk away.  I promised myself that I wouldn’t’ spoil the experience for anyone that might attend by recounting my experiences, but if you are curious and want to learn more. Sacred Heart Boise ID website has more details.

Music: Popple!
When I was at Purdue I didn’t attend Catholic Mass, hardly ever.  It’s really a shame, as Purdue has an active Catholic Campus group. If I had attended and been involved, I am sure I would have been Exposed to Dan and Kyle of the Band Popple.  I was so excited to find out that these guys were from Purdue.  Their quirky and off the wall style appeals to me- plus they feature the ukulele in some of their songs- I am a sucker for the Ukulele! (who isn’t?) I have high hopes that we can organize some local Parishes to get them out to the Pacific NW for a show.  You can enjoy the video at the end of this post for a taste of Popple.

Podcasts/Radio: SQPN/Catholics Next Door
A couple of years ago, I started listening to the Rosary Army Catholic Podcast.  I love listening Greg and Jennifer- a great Catholic couple raising 5 children in GA.  This past year they got their own radio show on Sirus “The Catholics Next Door“.  I am not a Sirus subscriber (yet) but I read their blog and they post short podcasts from time to time.  Rosary Army was part of SQPN (Star Quest Podcasting Network) and there are a bunch of other  Podcasts that I enjoy:

• Rosary Army (not podcasting anymore, but the old ones are great and the apostlate continues)
• Grace Before Meals with Father Leo Patalinghug (video podcast and book)
• The Hands and Feet Show (technically this is a podcast for Catholic Teens, but hey- I’m young at heart and I think the podcast is transforming into more of a 20-something type of show)
• Catholic Under the Hood (a Franciscan Priest teaching in Europe)
• The Saintcast (interesting and enlightening reflections on the lives of the saints)
• That Catholic Show (from the makers or The Catholics Next Door and Rosary Army- very short video clips focused on the basics of the Catholic Church)

Websites/Blogs

• Fr Jim’s World (my parish Priest is a talented singer and blogger- I enjoy his daily thoughts via e-mail)
• The Curt Jester (makes me smile!)
• EWTN: (Eternal Word Television Network)

If anyone finds any of these resources helpful I will be eternally happy.