The Feast of John the Baptist. During morning prayer Fr suggested we think about each word and sentence in each prayer. Rather than rattling them off automatically. Most of us know the Divine Mercy chaplet so well that we can say it without thinking.
We were brought by coach into Vilnius to the Cathedral. I brought my knitting with me and knitted on the way in and the way back. I was knitting socks so I was able enjoy the sights as well.
Between 1956 and approx 1988 the Cathedral functioned as an Art Gallery, but it was returned to the church and consecrated on 5 February 1989. We were given a guided tour by a Lithuanian guide. One of the ladies said that he was very easy on the eyes as some of the priests seem to be and she hoped she would be able to concentrate on prayers. We agreed that we were just admiring the beauty of God’s creation!

St Casimir is the Patron saint of Lithuania and there is a chapel in his honour in the Cathedral – an Icon of him has three hands, apparently the artist didn’t like the hand and tried to replace it but the original hand kept coming back so in the end he left it.

We had a little time to wander around before we had lunch. I remembered that there was a wool shop from last year and went looking for it. Unfortunately it was closed. A good many of the shops were closed because it was the Feast day of John the Baptist

After lunch we had Holy Mass in the Divine Mercy shrine. It was concelebrated by the Cardinal Backis and the priests with our group. The Divine Mercy Shrine is where the original painting of Jesus of Mercy is. It was such a privilege to be there in front of a picture of Jesus just as Jesus had wanted it painted. There was a picture of our Lady – Mother of Divine engraved on one wall to the right of the Altar and on the left of the Altar was another engraving- Jesus I trust in you in a number of Languages. I thought it was beautiful. Nuns from the congregation of the Crucified Christ led the singing. There were about five or six and most were in their twenties! Brothers from the new order – Brothers of Divine Mercy were also at Mass. Also very young.

After that we headed to the house where it was painted. Fr. Sopocko was a neighbour of the artist. One of the houses is now the convent for the sisters of Merciful Jesus, (the order founded by Fr Sopocko as requested by Our Lord to St Faustina) and the other house is a ruin, but with the help of Divine Mercy in Action the sisters hope to renovate it to a hospice. The sisters provide palliative care for the dying in Vilnius and there is no hospice. The sister superior of the convent was so full of joy in her work when she spoke of the help they bring to the terminally ill to ease their time.

Pilgrimage to Lithuania

It’s Tuesday 23rd June 2009 and I’ve finally arrived in Vilnius on a Divine Mercy Pilgrimage Retreat. I was here last year with my Uncle who I accompany on many pilgrimages, and my Aunt. This year my parents have also joined us. We are staying in St. Joseph’s Seminary in Jeruzale, on the outskirts of Vilnius. Our group leader VC gave us an introductory talk on why Divine Mercy is so much part of Vilnius. Lithuania was the last country in Europe to turn to Christianity as a result of a marriage between a polish princess and a Lithuanian Grand duke. The Image of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy at The Gates of Dawn in Vilnius Old Town has been there for 500 years. This is where the “Message of Divine Mercy” was first proclaimed to the world by Fr. Michael Sopocko, St. Faustina’s Spiritual Director.

So many people associate St Faustina and Divine Mercy with Poland but at the time Lithuania was politically part of Poland, and although St. Faustina was born and entered religious life in Poland the important happenings for Divine Mercy occurred in Vilnius. It was here that she met her Spiritual Director Fr. Sopocko. He helped her get the Image of Divine Mercy painted as requested by Our Lord, but he still wasn’t sure if she was for real. He had the painting in St Michael’s church but was embarrassed by other priests telling him it was a peculiar painting of the Sacred Heart so he hid it in the Bernadine convent. When Faustina told him that Our Lord told him not to hide it he believed her. He asked the Carmelite nuns who looked after the Icon of Our Lady of Mercy to show it but they refused. Years later he was asked by a bishop to give a talk at the Shrine of Our Lady. He agreed if he was let show a picture of Jesus beside it. This was the Sunday after Easter; three requests of Our Lord were fulfilled. Proclaiming the message of Mercy, showing the Image and designating the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday.

Traveling tomorrow

I'm heading off first thing in the morning to Lithuania on a Divine Mercy Pilgrimage. I've decided to bring my knitting with me although it will be a fairly full itinery. I've knit four socks as far as the foot so it will be handy to continue without looking at the pattern. We will be on a coach for some of the time. I am also bringing the One skein stole. I am not going to bother knitting on the flight. It will be so early in the morning I will hopefully sleep.

C birthday.

My nephew C was one year old on Friday and my brother E and sister in law M had a party for him yesterday. I had to miss my knitting group to go. I met my mother, brother L, and M's aunt in Connolly train station to travel to Enfield. I brought my knitting. Although I have four socks and a jumper on needles I brought another project One Skein-A Stole. I had seen it on the Irish Knitters group on Ravelry - and it appealled to me, as being interesting to knit but easy enough to knit on public transport. Aunty C was very impressed. Coincidentally it was the same yarn as I had used to knit a scarf from Fiber Trends versatile scarves and I had given it to M to give to Aunty C for her birthday, to make up for the fact that she didn't mind little C while M was in Hospital.
I haven't as much yarn as the pattern calls for so it will be much shorter, so I hope it works out all right. I will probavly leave out two repeats.
The weather was beautiful and C and his two big sisters - three and a half year old M and two and a half year old A loved all the visitors and loved telling everyone to go into the house because it was a party house.
I was going to give C a clown that I had knit, but I forgot to bring it with me so I will give it to him some other time, or maybe I will knit another one!

WWKiP Day 2009

It was Worldwide knitting in Public day today. In Dublin we gathered on the balcony in Powerscourt Townhouse centre which is very close to Clarendon Street church so I went there first and went to confession and Mass. A great start to the day.

There was a great group on the balcony, it was right next to This is Knit so a lot of us took a little trip in there. If we spent more than €20 we were entered into a draw. I bought some plain sock yarn, encouraged by some of the others to try a pattern such as cable on my next pair. I also bought some lace weight yarn. I also want to try knit a nice lacy wrap or shawl. And hurray! I won a prize in the draw - a drop spindle set. I love draws.

The weather was beautiful so it was lovely when we headed to St Stephen's Green. We were right next to the Bandstand and enjoted the Brass band playing there. Great company, great weather and great music, what more could we ask for.

I've finally decided to start a blog. I haven't done so up to now because I felt my life wasn't interesting enough, or at least the interesting things I would only want to share with a chosen few, however there have been interesting things happening lately, so there might be more.
I will be going on pilgrimage to Lithuania at the end of the month and I thought it might be good to blog about my experiences there.
I went there last year and wrote an account in a copy book. I recently typed it up and printed a copy for my parents to read. They are coming this year and I thought it would be good if they had a fair idea of what would happen, although they are well used to pilgrimages. They really enjoyed reding what I had written.
There will be plenty of time travelling in the coach, so this time I am bringing my knitting - probably socks. I must buy more sock yarn, just in case. My sons love my knitted socks, so it's well worth my while. So far I have only knitted plain ordinary socks, with either variegated or self patterning yarn . It's only this year that I plucked up the courage to knit in the bus, but only if I am upstairs at a window seat.

At the present time I am also knitting a teddy bear for myself (about two years ago when my sons were on holiday they each separately bought me a little teddy so it has become sort of a tradition for them to bring me back a teddy. it takes the pressure off them wondering what they should get me and I like the teddies! At some stage I decided if I was to have a teddy collection one of them should be knitted by me). I am knitting a jumper for my brother no1 for his fiftieth birthday next December. and I am also planning to knit some dolls again.