Dear Readers,
This is my blog’s 100th post!
To celebrate this special occasion, I want to honor someone very important to me; someone who guides me in every way and makes this blog possible.
I dedicate this post to: Our Lady.
Two Titles, Same Feast Day
I intentionally published the 100th post today, June 8th.
Today the Church honors Mary under two titles: Our Lady of Combermere and Our Lady Seat of Wisdom.
These two feasts happen to be connected and significant for me.
First, I’ll tell you about the feasts.
Then, I’ll share how they connect to my blog.
Our Lady of Combermere
Mary’s title as Our Lady of Combermere comes from Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario, Canada.
“Our Lady of Combermere” is a title given to Mary the mother of Jesus—initially by Catherine Doherty in the late 1940s at Madonna House, in prayers of intercession to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The title now is connected to the beautiful life-sized bronze statue of Mary, erected near Madonna House in Combermere in 1960, which depicts the Mother of God running with open arms to embrace us, her children, and lead us to her Son, Jesus Christ. At that time it was officially blessed by our bishop [on June 8, 1960] and became a shrine recognized by the Vatican as a place of pilgrimage.
Frequently we associate shrines with the miraculous or extraordinary. In Combermere, the miracle is that the events leading to the arrival of the statue and shrine were so simple, ordinary and unremarkable—no apparitions or spectacular occurrences of any kind. This is the very essence of Our Lady of Combermere: she reveals herself deeply present in our ordinary life (Madonna House website).
Madonna House was founded in 1947 by Catherine and Eddie Doherty. This Apostolate is a Catholic community of men, women and priests, dedicated to loving and serving Jesus Christ in all aspects of everyday life.
The feast of Our Lady of Combermere is June 8th.
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom
Mary’s title as Seat of Wisdom, Sedes Sapientiae in Latin, can be traced liturgically to the 12th century.
This ancient and venerable title has two explanations:
- Mary is the “Seat of Wisdom” because she bore Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, in her womb and on her lap.
- Mary is the human fulfillment of “Lady Wisdom” in the Book of Proverbs. She participates in Wisdom uniquely and completely because of her role as the Mother of God.
The feast of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom is June 8th.
(Note: There’s a connection between the two feasts. A Catholic school was being developed in the late 1990s in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. The founders considered naming the school after Our Lady of Combermere since Madonna House is close by and important to them. However, after prayer and discussion, they decided on a different name to avoid confusion between the two apostolates. They chose “Our Lady Seat of Wisdom” and later discovered that both titles, providentially, share the same feast day!)
Connections to My Blog
There are many connections between the feasts and my blog. I’ll share three with you today.
Vocation
When I started this blog, I thought it would be a hobby and a way to share my faith. I slowly realized it’s much more than that – it’s a vocation.
Each person has a Vocation, a call from God to a specific state of life.
Within the Catholic Church there are three Vocations: Priesthood, Marriage and Consecrated Life.
No matter what Vocation one is called to, each person is expected to discern and respond to the Lord’s will.
My Vocation is yet to be determined, but I believe God has called me to write this blog in my current state of life.
Those who go to Madonna House do so because they are called by God, through Mary.
The Madonna House Apostolate is a Vocation. Members of the Apostolate take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Those who make final vows become consecrated to God and promise to be faithful to a specific way of life.
During her earthly life, Mary always said “yes” to God and followed Him; and each of us is expected to do the same.
May Our Lady help us to recognize the Lord’s call and faithfully do His will.
Holiness
Every person is called to holiness within their Vocation and state in life.
“All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.” All are called to holiness: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor… (Catechism 2013)
One purpose of my blog is to help others grow in holiness in the ordinary moments of life.
This is the focus of my spirituality as well as the spirituality of the Madonna House Apostolate.
At Madonna House, great emphasis is placed on the duty of the moment – doing God’s will in the present moment.
By focusing on the duty of the moment and doing daily tasks, one can grow in holiness.
Mary’s earthly life appeared to be ordinary. She spent most of it hidden in Nazareth doing the work of a wife and mother.
Our Lady was always attentive to the duty of the moment and experienced God’s presence in all she did. She is the ultimate model and teaches us to seek holiness in every day life.
May Our Lady help us to recognize God’s presence in the ordinary moments of life and be sanctified by our work.
Wisdom
Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and considered to be the highest of the gifts.
It’s somewhat of a mystery and complex in its meaning, so I’ll focus on one aspect.
Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things Divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor… (Catholictradition.org)
The gift of Wisdom makes a person aware that everything has a supernatural value, and it allows them to find the meaning of all things in God.
One purpose of my blog is to direct my readers towards the things that are eternal.
By focusing more on our spiritual lives, we spend time on what’s most important: preparing our souls to receive the gift of heaven.
Because Mary is the Mother of Jesus, Wisdom Itself, she participates fully in Divine Wisdom.
Her entire earthly life was ordered towards God. She was completely immersed in the Lord and saw all things in relation to Him.
She was detached from all that was perishable and desired only what is eternal. She lived in the world but did not cling to it.
Mary is “Lady Wisdom” and shows us what the Spirit of Wisdom looks like.
May Our Lady help us to recognize the shortness of this life and desire only what is eternal.
Thank You
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my blog.
I appreciate all of your feedback, support and prayers.
Thank you to those who share it with others; it means a lot to me.
Thank you for trusting me and allowing me to be part of your life.
I pray the Lord speaks to you through my blog and allows us to continue to walk together in this way.
Our Lady of Combermere, pray for us!
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!
One Small Rose 
Congratulations Terese on your 100th blog. Your blogs give me peace and inspiration. I thank you for you.
God bless and Love you
Aunt Kathy ❤️🙏😇
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Thanks so much Aunt Kathy ❤️
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Congratulations on your 100th post. Terese` I always find such comfort as well as new information in your writings. Your dedication to your vocation is wonderful. God Bless
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Thank you ❤️
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