Special Saturday afternoon in Santa Fe

After presenting with my colleagues and advisor, some friends from back home, who live in Albuquerque, picked me up from the hotel.  Eric had been my neighbor from 2nd grade through 12th grade and my first memory of Marissa is from when her mom would meet up with mine to give her Marissa's old school uniforms for me to wear since I was a few years younger.  Being the only girl in my family, and on our street, I used to pretend Marissa was a big sister of sorts even though we didn't really interact as we got older.  Thanks to Facebook, we reconnected several  years ago and as luck would have it, my work had me in Santa Fe just blocks away from where she and my former childhood neighbor married a couple years ago!  Small world!!

So, to say I was excited to spend time with this sweet couple and their adorable two little boys, cute Barrett and newborn Anderson, after I finished with work on my last day in Santa Fe was an understatement!!  Upon picking me up, Harv (Eric's nickname) and Marissa had me hop in the front seat as they proceeded to give me the grand tour of Santa Fe and surrounding areas!  I snapped photo after photo as Marissa shared her expertise and knowledge about this beautiful city.  Marissa's background is in archaeology and historic preservation so she sure knew her stuff!  I wish I could remember all that she shared as I took photos to document what she told me so that I could tell you but unfortunately, I can't.  Hopefully you can enjoy the pictures at least!

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis

I think this was a Catholic elementary school that closed...

Neighborhood street...sure looks different from North Nice Street in Frackville!

I made a comment about the interesting fencing...and wasn't expecting the fact that this fencing is to keep coyotes away....jeepers!

Pretty day for a drive!

What animal do you see out of that rock formation??

About 40 minutes from Santa Fe, we pulled into the parking lot for the Santuario de Chimayo.  I could tell we were in a special place as soon as we arrived.  According to Wikipedia, El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico, USA. (Santuario is Spanish for "sanctuary".) This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site. It receives almost 300,000 visitors per year and has been called "no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States."

 

 

 

While I was exploring El Santuario de Chimayo with hometown friends, I ran into a new friend I had made at the conference!  Natalie, from Colorado is a Fellow with one of my colleagues and also goes to school with Sharon, a colleague I had met in Florida at last year's conference.  Natalie and Sharon had left the conference one day early to make the drive back to Colorado since a snowstorm was on its way to Santa Fe the next day.  They decided to make a quick stop and check out the grounds which is how we ran into each other!

Frackville reunited!  ;o)

Entrance to the Church

 

I can't imagine going to mass here...the pews were hard and it was drafty and chilly in this unique church but I think it would be a neat experience to have someday!

This small room that branches off from the church is called the "Pocito Room" which means well.  The dirt is considered holy because in this spot the crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas was found by Bernardo Abeyta in 1810.  Since then, thousands of pilgrims and visitors have come to El Santuario de Chimayo searching for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.

After leaving El Santurio de Chimayo, we went to a fabulous restaurant called Rancho de Chimayo. This restaurant is located in a restored century-old adobe home and surrounded by three mountain ranges, the restaurant serves the finest Native New Mexican cuisine! 

The refreshing sangria was plentiful and the guacomole was extra fresh and delish!!

Marissa explained to me that Christmas chile is when you get both red and green chili.  I liked both of them and was surprised to like the red one more than the green since I thought the green would be more like salsa and more what I would enjoy.  Both were delicious though!  I just thought it was funny to say, "I would like the Christmas chile please." 

Oh my, these sopapillas (spelling?) were sooooo good!!!

We lost track of time talking, laughing, and enjoying good company.  In fact, we realized that we needed to hurry up and get our check if I was going to make it to mass on time.  When the server returned to our table, Marissa asked for the check.  She said, "Not to rush you but we need to get Meg back to the Cathedral for mass" to which the server looked at his watch and said, "Hmm, you're going to be cutting it close.  Why not go to St. ________ at 6pm?  It's right down the road."  I love how truly Catholic the whole place was!!  The server knew, without our saying, what time mass was, how long it would take us to get back to the Cathedral, and what a practical alternative might be by suggesting we go to mass elsewhere.  It was so refreshing to be with other practicing Catholics...where they were the norm!

Harv & Marissa drove me to the doorstep of this beautiful church where I made it to mass only 2 minutes late...probably because I stopped to snap this photo of a statue of my patron saint in the setting sun!  You can see a statue of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha in the far right of the photo as well.  She is America's only Native American saint as she was canonized in October 2012.

I was thrilled to see a familiar name in the song book for that night's mass.  Our first Young Adult event back in April 2011 was a Tom Booth concert at a neighboring church in a Greensboro.  When we had our picture taken with Tom after the concert (see below), he joked that he was also a member of the Young Adults group with just a few years added.  As I sat in this beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis in downtown Santa Fe, NM, reading the words to Tom Booth's song on the page before me, I thought back to the awesome mass held at St. Paul's where Tom sang, spoke, and performed.  It was neat being able to make a connection between NC and NM!

Here we are at St. Paul's in Greensboro from April 2011 hanging out with fellow "young adult" Tom Booth after the mass he helped with and the concert he and his two other bandmates provided us!  ;)

 

Saint Relics!

 

 

 

Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks", and the "Genevieve of New France" an Indian virgin of the Mohawk tribe, born according to some authorities at the Turtle Castle of Ossernenon, according to others at the village of Gandaouge, in 1656; died at Caughnawaga, Canada, 17 April, 1680. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin who had been captured by the Iroquois and saved from a captive's fate by the father of Tekakwitha, to whom she also bore a son. When Tekakwitha was about four years old, her parents and brother died of small-pox, and the child was adopted by her aunts and a uncle who had become chief of the Turtle clan. Although small-pox had marked her face and seriously impaired her eyesight and her manner was reserved and shrinking, her aunts began when she was yet very young to form marriage projects for her, from which, as she grew older, she shrank with great aversion. In 1667 the Jesuit missionaries Fremin, Bruyas, and Pierron, accompanying the Mohawk deputies who had been to Quebec to conclude peace with the French, spent three days in the lodge of Tekakwitha's uncle. From them she received her first knowledge of Christianity, but although she forthwith eagerly accepted it in her heart she did not at that time ask to be baptized. Some time later the Turtle clan moved to the north bank of the Mohawk River, the "castle" being built above what is now the town of Fonda. Here in the midst of scenes of carnage, debauchery, and idolatrous frency Tekakwitha lived a life of remarkable virtue, at heart not only a Christian but a Christian virgin, for she firmly and often, with great risk to herself, resisted all efforts to induce her to marry. When she was eighteen, Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived to take charge of the mission which included the Turtle clan, and from him, at her earnest request, Tekakwitha received baptism. Thenceforth she practiced her religion unflinchingly in the face of almost unbearable opposition, till finally her uncle's lodge ceased to be a place of protection to her and she was assisted by some Christian Indians to escape to Caughnawaga on the St. Laurence. Here she lived in the cabin of Anastasia Tegonhatsihonga, a Christian Indian woman, her extraordinary sanctity impressing not only her own people but the French and the missionaries. Her mortifications were extreme, and Chauchtiere says that she had attained the most perfect union with God in prayer. Upon her death devotion to her began immediately to be manifested by her people. Many pilgrims visit her grave in Caughnawaga where a monument to her memory was erected by the Rev. Clarence Walworth in 1884; and Councils of Baltimore and Quebec have petitioned for her canonization.  Source:  Kelly, B.M. (1912). Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14471a.htm

A statue of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Catholic American Indian who became known as the Lily of the Mohawks, has been erected in front of Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Asissi in Santa Fe.
The new statue will join one of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, which is currently the only statue that stands outside the cathedral.

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan chose Estella Loretto, a Jemez Pueblo sculptor, to create the bronze statue. It was unveiled for the cathedral's 150th anniversary.

A painting of Tekakwitha joins a number of other saints on the church's altar screen.

"The Archbishop would like a statue (of Kateri Tekakwitha) to honor the Native American spirit," Father Jerome Martinez said.

Tekakwitha, born in 1656, was brought up in the Mohawk community of Ossernenon, now Auriesville, N.Y. A part of the turtle clan, she was orphaned at age 4 when both parents and a brother died in a small pox epidemic. The disease affected her eyesight and her health. Her name, Tekakwitha, means "putting things in order."

She was baptized in 1676, when she was 20 and died four years later. After her death, Tekakwitha became known as the "Lily of the Mohawks".

On Jan. 3, 1943, Pope Pius XII declared her venerable, and Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1980. Pope John Paul II also designated Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha as the patroness for World Youth Day 2002 in Canada.  Source:  http://www.estellaloretto.com/gallery/blessedkateri_history.html

After mass, I spent some time walking the grounds and taking in the beautiful statues and peaceful scenery.  I also talked to my Mom for quite some time reading some of the scripture and sayings that were inscribed on the plaques and statues so was able to share a little bit of Santa Fe with her via phone.

View across the street from the Cathedral

These were inscribed on one of the most unique statues of St. France I've seen called St. Francis of Assisi Dancing on Water.  I wish they sold tiny replicas of this statue as I would  have loved to have one for my office a

We need to hear this message....especially today when we're all dealing with the sadness in Boston as we await the news of the whereabouts of the second suspect after learning the first suspect has been killed during the night.

 

Such a serene night with the full moon and quiet benches that allowed for reflection and talking with my Mom on the phone.

 

Can you tell I LOVED this depiction of St. Francis?!

For those who might not be familiar with this story of St. Francis: 
A long time ago the town of Gubbio was being harassed a vicious wolf. It all started when a few sheep began to disappear late at night. Then the wolf grew bolder and started stealing sheep in broad daylight. The wolf grew fearless. Hounds and hunters were useless. The wolf grew so bold it began to creep into the village late at night. Some say it devoured a few small children who did not come home when their mothers called them, but maybe that is just something mothers told their unruly children.
This much I know to be true: People were afraid to leave the city walls at night, others were afraid to leave their children playing in the fields at dusk.Saint Francis was already well known; most folks knew about St. Francis and the doves, his sermon to the forest creatures, and his love for all things wild and free. Someone heard he was near Gubbio, so messengers were sent to see if he could help.“
I’ll make no promises,” he said, “but I will see what I can do.”
When Saint Francis arrived in the piazza, a crowd soon gathered. Francis asked, “Who has seen the wolf?” Several nodded. “Who knows where he lives?” At first, no one responded. One timid hand went up in the back of the crowd.
A young woman said, “While tending my sheep, I thought I saw a cave were the wolf took my lamb...” Her voice trailed off.“Please, take me to this cave,”  St .Francis asked.“
Y – Y- you w-want me to t-take you t-to the cave?” stammered the young woman.“
Yes, please,” he pleaded, “You seem to be the only one who knows.” Because St. Francis had faith in her, she took a deep breath and seemed to find the courage in herself. She led the way. Francis followed. The rest of the village followed the two of them… at a safe distance.

 She paused and said, “Over there, that larger cave,” pointing to the foot of the mountain.
Saint Francis led the way, she followed, and the rest of the village, well, they could see just fine from where they were. Suddenly, the wolf rushed out of the cave growling, howling and foaming at the mouth. Francis crossed himself, thinking he might die, but with the sign of the cross the wolf stopped short, growling and bearing his teeth.
Saint Francis plucked up his courage and began to scold the wolf, “How dare you scare me like that!” The wolf cowered, tucked his tail between his legs and whimpered.
Francis immediately had a change of heart. “OH, brother wolf,” he apologized, “Who am I to scold you, one of God’s creatures. You are only doing as you were made to do. When you are hungry you must eat. You live by the laws of God, the laws of nature.”
Divine inspiration intercede .Saint Francis’ face lit up. He said to the wolf, “I will make a deal with you! The people of Gubbio will feed you so you will never be hungry again, therefore you shall not harm the people of this village.” He added, “And in exchange, you shall protect these kind people, watching over their village at night.”
Though at first they were not sure of this bargain Francis was making for them, when they saw the wolf wag his tail like a puppy and place his paw into the hand of Saint Francis, as if he wanted to shake on it, everyone heartily agreed. From that day forward the people of Gubbio fed their scraps to the wolf and the wolf patrolled the village at night. Not only did Francis save the village and save the wolf, but still to this day, in the piazza of Gubbio is a statue of Saint Francis and the Wolf, there to remind us of this small miracle, proof of God’s promise that there is room for redemption in every heart!
*This traditional story is based on the medieval book, “The Little Flowers of Saint Francis” and is retold by Brian “Fox” Ellis, author and storyteller. © 2008 All rights reserved. www.foxtalesint.com

What talent the sculptors of these beautiful sculptures had/have...!

 

Parking garage art

I loved how the store windows showed fashion in one window then religious art in the other!

 

I appreciated this St. Anthony of Padua picture

This was where Sharon and I had lunch on the first day of the conference...yum!  If you go here, be sure to have cash on hand as they don't take cards.

I bought my souvenir from this jewelry shop thanks to my Aunt from Boston!

My Mom's beautiful gift came from this adorable shop. 

The Plaza across from the hotel at night

One can't go to New Mexico and not have a margarita with sugar on the rim!

The bar in the hotel had ceiling art!

 

Rachel, from California, has been fun to work with and taught me a lot about coding in helping her with her HUGE project!  I look forward to our time in San Francisco when we present at my last conference for this academic year!  I'm so thankful for the opportunities she has shared with me!!