#Dominican prayer book

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

"Thoughts and Prayers" is available to read here (NOTE: Submitter has added TWs for school shootings and ableism. Read at your own risk.)

[mioritic]

Pastedown and owner's signature in Margret Zschampi’s Book of Devotion and Prayer, 2nd half of 15th century

"This late medieval book of devotion and prayer is named for its first owner, Margret Zschampi, Dominican at Klingental Convent in Basel. It is a typical manuscript for edification, in German, as they were customarily used and written at the end of the Middle Ages for private devotion, especially in women’s convents and in lay communities. Margret Zschampi donated the manuscript to the Carthusian monastery of Basel, where it became part of the library for lay brothers. As part of this Carthusian library, the devotional book reached the university library of Basel in 1590. This is the only completely preserved known manuscript from the Dominican Convent of Klingental."

Universitätsbibliothek Basel, A III 51, f. 1v

[muspeccoll]

Manuscript Monday comes to you with a nearly complete fifteenth-century Book of Hours from the Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. This manuscript has two sections, the second having been added to the first within a generation of the book's manufacture. The first section of the manuscript (fols. 1-270) contains a standard Italian Dominican Book of Hours with a kalendar, Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Office of the Dead, Penitential psalms, and Short Hours of the Cross. Exceptionally, unusual, however, are the contents of section two, which opens with a rare Office of the Glorious Virgin, followed by two Marian litanies. Such litanies multiplied in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and these follow the standard pattern of calling on the Virgin by her attributes, as a mother, brides, spouse, intercessor, etc. Learn more about this manuscript at the link below:

[heyteenbookshey]

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Goodreads summary:

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. [W]hen she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. [I]n the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

I first read this in 2023 and thought it was EXCELLENT and this time listened to it as an audiobook and it was EVEN BETTER. Read by the author, her cadence creates a hypnotic rhythm that makes you not want to stop reading. I like poetry more than the average person but a lot of spoken word sounds the exact same, treacly and demanding. This audiobook was three hours of fresh.

X lives in the zinging vibrant world of New York City, but under the control of her frightening mother you can almost feel the walls closing in on her where just getting to an after school club requires a high degree of secrecy. The writing makes this heavier as it goes on, so when things reach a crescendo we are almost as tired and desperate as X is.

Every character is drawn so specifically and clearly, even side characters like the priest and an associate of her brothers feel as real as X herself. Writers looking to lean into more sparse detail rich writing will do well to read this.

Having read the book book and listened to the audiobook I recommend the audiobook first, HOWEVER my only, only complaint is one choice they made in the production. Four minutes from the end of the book the author breaks character and interrupts the story to inform the reader as herself what the poem she's about to read looks like on the page and how someone reading the poem on the page might choose to read it. Then she gets back into character and reads the poem, then shortly after the story is over.

There is no reason to tell people who are only listening how someone READING the poem could read it, and because it came at the end I though oh is this the end? Is this the authors note? But no, the moment before the climax just got interrupted to no benefit of mine so all the tension that she worked so hard to build was ripped up right when it could be more rewarded.

But you know what? It's still a 5/5. I still recommend the audiobook--but just be ready for that and try to keep the tension with yourself even though production bizarrely decided to break it for us.

I also recommend this for young people (or any people) who want a non-intimidating introduction to poetry. As a story told by a young Dominican woman in Harlem it also centers a voice and setting not defaulted to in todays YA landscape that needs to be heard and is heard so beautifully.

Date Published: March 6, 2018

Date Read: May 6, 2024

Rating: 5/5 verses

[morepopcornplease]

listen, i know that The Ninth's religion =/= Catholicism

i even know that due to world-building, Muir doesn't even describe the knucklebone prayer cords as "rosaries" in the books (after all, there's no rose-related reasons for them to exist!)

all that said, it's weird for me to see most cosplayers mimicking the style of the Misbaha beads or the Anglican chaplet more than the Roman Catholic Dominican rosary...

(the key difference is the Dominican rosary has a few distinct beads, separated by either color or literal cord knots, demarcating where the decade begins / ends)

anyways, some headcanons on what the knucklebones of the ninth would look like!!

the books describe them as "knucklebones" of course, but in my head i always pictured the smaller carpal bones of the human wrist, not the longer phalanges.

it's the ninth house, so it would only be fitting i think for there to be nine beads, the recitation of which is called a "novenum," to replicate the rosary's "decade."

as a happy coincidence, there are 8 carpal bones to a human hand!

i'll break with Catholic tradition here: despite being called a "decade," there are technically 12 prayers said per decade.

the ninth has no reason to mimic this, so instead i think they should have 8 carpal bone beads, plus 1 larger finger bone as the ninth and final prayer per novenum.

this also plays right back into the idea of the Emperors "fists and gestures," "hands and fingers," if you're literally learning to pray on actual hand bones!

on the other hand: I think the knucklebone rosaries are a distinctly Ninth House tradition, not of the Emperor or shared with the other houses. which means the prayers have probably less to do with the Emperor Jod, and more to do with the Locked Tomb and Anastasia.

i feel like "I pray the tomb is shut forever" might be one of the prayers in the bone rosary, but i honestly think it'd take the place of the Salve Regina / Hail Holy Queen in the rosary's stead (ie, at the very end).

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (August 8)

On August 8, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Dominic Guzman, who helped the cause of orthodoxy in the medieval Church by founding the Order of Preachers, also known as Dominicans.

“This great saint reminds us that in the heart of the Church, a missionary fire must always burn,” Pope Benedict XVI said in a February 2010 General Audience talk on the life of St. Dominic.

In his life, the Pope said, “the search for God's glory and the salvation of souls went hand in hand.”

Born on 8 August 1170 in Caleruega, Spain, Dominic was the son of Felix Guzman and Joanna of Aza, members of the nobility.

His mother would eventually be beatified by the Church, as would his brother Manes who became a Dominican.

The family's oldest son Antonio also became a priest.

Dominic received his early education from his uncle, who was a priest, before entering the University of Palencia where he studied for ten years.

In one notable incident from this period, he sold his entire collection of rare books to provide for the relief of the poor in the city.

After his ordination to the priesthood, Dominic was asked by Bishop Diego of Osma to participate in local church reforms.

He spent nine years in Osma, pursuing a life of intense prayer, before being called to accompany the bishop on a piece of business for King Alfonso IX of Castile in 1203.

While traveling in France with the bishop, Dominic observed the bad effects of the Albigensian heresy, which had taken hold in southern France during the preceding century.

The sect revived an earlier heresy, Manicheanism, which condemned the material world as an evil realm not created by God.

Dreading the spread of heresy, Dominic began to think about founding a religious order to promote the truth.

In 1204, he and Bishop Diego were sent by Pope Innocent III to assist in the effort against the Albigensians, which eventually involved both military force and theological persuasion.

In France, Dominic engaged in doctrinal debates and set up a convent whose rule would eventually become a template for the life of female Dominicans.

He continued his preaching mission from 1208 to 1215, during the intensification of the military effort against the Albigensians.

In 1214, Dominic's extreme physical asceticism caused him to fall into a coma, during which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to him and instructed him to promote the prayer of the Rosary.

Its focus on the incarnation and life of Christ directly countered the Albigensian attitude towards matter as evil.

During that same year, Dominic returned to Tolouse and obtained the bishop's approval of his plan for an order dedicated to preaching.

He and a group of followers gained local recognition as a religious congregation, and Dominic accompanied Tolouse's bishop to Rome for an ecumenical council in 1215.

The council stressed the Church's need for better preaching but also set up a barrier to the institution of new religious orders.

Dominic, however, obtained papal approval for his plan in 1216 and was named as the Pope's chief theologian.

The Order of Preachers expanded in Europe with papal help in 1218.

The founder spent the last several years of his life building up the order and continuing his preaching missions, during which he is said to have converted some 100,000 people.

After several weeks of illness, Dominic died in Italy on 6 August 1221.

He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 13 July 1234.

He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists.

He and his order are traditionally credited with spreading and popularizing the rosary.

The country Dominican Republic and its capital Santo Domingo are named after Saint Dominic.

[catholicmemoirs]

Living a Contemplative life as Mother

I woke up early and went down the rabbit hole of my mess than ideal morning routine of grabbing my phone, checking emails and going wherever it may lead me on the internet.

I first found this Sunday sermon from Bishop Barron in my inbox:

Which then led me to find guidance from my Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco) and came upon an interesting article of a pharmacist turned Dominican nun. Her story was amazing but her words struck me deeply:

"Cling to the rosary instead of your phone."

This further led me to follow a link to the order she had joined and I watched a video of their order: 

Although cloistered life as a nun is lovely, my calling as a mother is where I am now. Maybe someday when the kids are older, my debts paid and my husband passes, I can consider joining a religious order, but more feasible would be finding a third order that suits me.

The video had comments of someone's recommendation on living a contemplative life as a mother: 

1. Lectio Divina

2. Holy Hour

3. Wake up early for prayer

4. Hidden penances for people: fasting, mortifications, etc.

I thought this was helpful! So I pulled my prayer book from my prayer desk and read morning prayers. All of them. And will work on following these steps to a contemplative life as a mom.

[plague-of-insomnia]

Vatican Miracle Examiner Vocab: Chapter 1

100+ vocab terms from Ch 1, Vol 1 of the 5-part manga series.

Mostly Catholic terms in Japanese and unique usage related to the series.

This list is not exhaustive. I focused on terms that would be unfamiliar (or unfamiliar as used in this series), and/or directly relate to Catholic terminology in Japanese.

I list part of speech, pronunciation, and simple definitions. I have not included additional of these if they are not relevant to this series.

Character names will have titles where applicable and those will be in brackets to minimize confusion; titles will be listed under general vocab as well.

At the end of the list I’ll have a few sources for some of the more obscure terms in case you want to read more or get better context.

As of now I have things listed in the order in which they appear, roughly, in the manga.

Note: This will be a long post since it’s the first chapter in the series and 31 pages long.

~#~

Character Names/Places

Note: I’ve chosen to spell names close to the katakana spellings; keep in mind some may be transcribed with slightly different spellings (like Joseph instead of Josef).

平賀•ヨゼフ•庚 [神父] - Hiraga, Josef Kou [Father], Franciscan order

ロベルト•ニコラス[神父] - Roberto, Nicholas [Father], Franciscan order

良太 - Ryota (Josef’s younger brother)

サウロ[大司教] - Saul [Archbishop] , Franciscan order

ニコラス[枢機卿] - Nicholas [Cardinal], secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints (also potentially the head of the miracle examiners), also known as “the prefect (of the Curia)” in English

ドンナ•ドロレス - Donna Dolores, a nun from St Rosario Church

[大天使]ミカエル - [Archangel] Michael

[聖]ペテ - [Saint] Peter

パウロ[大司教] - [Archbishop] Paul, Dominican order

アントニウス[神父] - [Father] Antonius

セントロザリオ教会 - St Rosario Church, a church in South America where Josef & Roberto are sent to investigate

バチカソ市国 - Vatican City, the City state of the Vatican

Other Vocab

奇跡、きせき (n; の adj) miracle

常識、じょうしき (n) common sense, common knowledge, common practice

科学、かがく (n) science

説明、せつめい (n, する v; trans v) explanation, account, caption, legend, description

不可思議、ふかしぎ (な adj; n; yojijukugo) mystery, miracle, something inexplicable, unfathomable

現象、げんしょう (n) phenomenon

神、かみ (n) God, divinity

御業、みわざ (n) the works (of the gods)

真偽、しんぎ (n) veracity, authenticity

確かめる、たしかめる (Ichidan v; trans v) to ascertain, to check, to make sure

神父、しんぷ (n) Catholic priest [Note: this is the term used when speaking to someone , like “Father” So-and-So, as opposed to a general word for priest, 司祭, which you don’t use when speaking TO someone but rather about them.]

害、がい (n) evil influence

礼服、れいふく (n) cassock, vestments, etc

暗号、あんごう (n; のadj) code, cipher, password

解読、かいどく (n; するv; trans v) deciphering, decoding

聖年、せいねん (n) holy year, jubilee [see additional notes below]

大聖年、だいせいねん (n) the Great Jubilee (of 2000)

聖堂、せいどう (n) church

バチカン (n) (the) Vatican

市国、しこく (n) city state (as in the Vatican)

宗教、しゅつきょう (n) religion, faith

ブラザー(n) brother (as in, a monk or priest)

天使、てんし (n;のadj) Angel

悪魔、あくま (n) devil, demon, the Devil (Satan)

骨肉腫、こつにくしゅ (n) osteosarcoma

治療費、ちりょうひ (n) cost of medical treatment

ルルドの泉、いすみ (n) Fountain of Lourdes, aka home of “Lourdes Water” in France

奇跡調査官、きせきちょうさかん (n) miracle examiner

調査、ちょうさ (n; するv; trans v) investigation, examination

聖痕現象、スティグマータ (n) stigmata (phenomenon)

未知、みち (のadj; n) the unknown

知れる、しれる (ichidan v; intrans v) to become known; to be discovered; to be known; to be understood

舞い込む、まいこむ (godan v む ending; intrans v) to happen unexpectedly

大司教、だいしきょう (n) archbishop

キリスト (n) (Jesus) Christ

聖書、せいしょ (n) Bible, scriptures, holy writ

黙示録、もくしろく (n) book of revelation; the apocalypse

悪魔が書いた魔法書 - literally, “magic writing written by the devil” [see additional notes below]

古文書、こもんじょ (n) historical document, ancient manuscripts

断片、だんぺん (n) fragment

読む、よむ (godan v, む ending; trans v) to decipher, to read, to recite (a sutra, prayer)

原文、げんぶん (n) original text

会、かい (n; n suffix) meeting, assembly, conference, clerical order

イエズス会 (n) society of Jesus, aka Jesuit order

ドミニコ会 (n) Dominican order

フランシスコ会 (n) Franciscan order (which Josef and Roberto belong to)

派閥 (n; のadj) faction; used in the manga as in orders of priests

破門、はもん (n; するv; のadj) excommunication

枢機卿、すうききょう (n) Cardinal (title)

執行部、しっこうぶ (n) leadership (for example, the Roman Curia, that is the administration of the Vatican)

列聖、れっせい (n; するv) canonization (of a Saint)

列聖省長官、れっせいしょうちょうかん (n) literally, “canonization ministry secretary”; I believe this is intended to refer to the Secretary/Director of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints; a position in the Vatican overseeing things related to canonization [see additional notes]

祈り、いのり (n) prayer

申請書、しんせいしょ(n) Written application

申請、 しんせい (n; する v; trans v) application, petition, request

教会、しょうかい (n) church, congregation

修道女、しゅうどうじょ (n) nun

大天使、だいてんし (n) archangel

神の子、かみのこ (n) son of God (Jesus Christ); child of God (Christian)

処女懐胎、しょじょかいたい (n) virgin birth, such as Mary with Jesus (immaculate conception)

受胎、じゅたい (n; するv; intrans v) conception

聖母、せいぼ (n) Virgin Mary; holy mother

カソリック (n) Catholic, Catholicism, Catholic Church [note there are a couple diff katakana spellings of this word, but this one is used in VME]

受肉、じゅにく(n) (Christ’s) incarnation (as Jesus of Nazareth)

降臨、こうりん (n; するv) descent to earth (of a god); advent; epiphany

罪、つみ (n; なadj; のadj) sin

永遠、えいえん (n; なadj) eternity; immortality

贖う、あがなう (godan v, う ending; trans v) to atone for

最後の審判、さいごのしんぱん (n) judgment day; final judgment (religious sense)

聖、せい (n) Saint (may also be written with katakana, as in 「セント」, like “St Rosario’s Church”

ローム (n) Rome

司教、しきょう (n) bishop (catholic)

代理人、だいりにん (n) proxy, representative

存在意義、ぞんざいいぎ (n) raison d'être, reason for existing

冒涜、ぼうとく (n; するv) blasphemy, sacrilege, desecration

主、しゅ (n) the Lord (God)

カルト (n) cult

教徒、しょうと (n) believer, adherent

法王、ほうおう (n) Pope; aka ローム法王

司祭、しさい (n; のadj) a priest [do not confuse with 神父, the title of “Father”]

大罪、たいざい、(n) mortal sin, grave sin

契約、けいやく (n; するv; trans v) covenant, contract, pact [as in a deal with the devil]

最高責任者、さいこうせきにんしゃ (n) chief executive [such as, of the Vatican Bank]

教皇庁、きょうこうちょう(n) the Curia, the administration of the Vatican

地位、ちい (n) position, such as within the Vatican hierarchy, or in line to be a papal candidate

潜り込む、 もぐりこみ (Godan v, む ending; intrans v) to go undercover, to infiltrate

マリア (n) (the Virgin) Mary [sometimes seen as 聖母マリア]

聖母子 (n) Virgin and Child, Mary & Baby Jesus

全知全能、ぜんちぜんのう (n; のadj; yojijukugo) omnipotence and omniscient, all powerful and all knowing

救世主、きゅうせいしゅ (n) savior, the messiah, Jesus Christ (the messiah, savior)

背徳、はいとく (n) immorality, corruption, lapse of virtue

堕落、だらく (n; するv) depravity, degradation, corruption

偶像、ぐうぞう (n) idol, image, statue

天罰、てんぼつ (n) divine punishment, wrath of God, judgment of heaven

主よ、しゅよ (なadj; n) Lord, head (of a group)

信仰、しんこう (n;するv; trans v) (religious) faith, belief

印、しるし (n) a sign

聖所、せいじゅ (n) sanctuary, inner sanctum

邪悪、じゃあく (なadj;n) wicked, evil

~#~

Additional Notes

Holy year, 聖年 ; Great Jubilee, 大聖年

“Devil’s book,” 悪魔が書いた魔法書

I did a lot of searching trying to figure out what book, specifically, was meant here, and came up with 2 possibilities:

the Gigas Codex, ギガス写本 or 悪魔の聖書, a book that is not held by the Vatican but was supposedly written with magical assistance from Satan himself;

the Grand Grimoire, 大奥義書 or 大いなる教書, not written by Satan but that is held by the Vatican.

It’s possibly intended to be vague, but the exact phrasing here is different than used for either of these actual books and I couldn’t find any other possible real option. Note the anime does call a book “the devil’s book” and describe it as a “Bible written by the devil” but it doesn’t seem to really be a reference to Gigas, so maybe it’s intended to be a fictional book inspired by these real texts for the purposes of the story.

Secretary of Dicastery of the Causes of Saints - 列聖省長官

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicastery_for_the_Causes_of_Saints

~#~

As always, I’m human and make mistakes. If you find anything feel free to let me know.

[intrinsicallydisordered]

Extraordinary Measures: It’s Time to Abolish the Latin Mass

Proponents of the Latin Mass are proponents of schism. The most recent ecumenical council—one of the highest forms of authority in the Catholic Church—decreed the Mass to be in the vernacular. To allow so many variations from the universal norm in the Latin-rite church can be damaging to the spirit of common prayer which we are called to by the Roman Ritual and the Roman Missal. Admittedly, the Dominican rite and the rite used by former Anglicans (among others) concern me, they’re only applicable in specific pastoral situations, and do not, for the most part, interfere with the unity of the Church at large.

A regressively conservative liturgical group in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, personally overseen and funded and led by Abp. Cordileone, is seeking signatures to a perition demanding more Latin Masses and rejecting a supposed rumored crackdown, additionally calling “to pray and fast for Pope Francis.” This sort of open disdain for the rule of the pope would be unheard of if attempted against P. Benedict XVI or P. John Paul II by these same people.

Out of boredom and concern, I have compiled frequent rationales calling for more Latin Masses and my responses to them below.

Is the Latin Mass more traditional than the Novus Ordo?

No. The word “traditional” has been heavily co-opted and re-appropriated by those supporting the Latin Mass, as opposed to those understanding the original meaning rooted more in the Church as a living tradition. Just because something has been done longer doesn’t necessarily make it more traditional in the Catholic sense. Jesus was not traditional in this way, nor were the early Christians. Even with this simplistic argument equating prolonged time with tradition, the original Last Supper wasn’t in Latin, nor was Latin the universal norm for quite some time at one point.

The Novus Ordo is traditional. Even the reformed rites in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, not yet mandatory in the US until Ash Wednesday of next year (2025), will be traditional despite some of the words and actions having never been said or done previously.

Since the pre-Vatican II ritual books are recent enough for some of the faithful to remember, would it be ok to allow its use for them?

No. We don’t allow other previous liturgies (e.g., use of the Sacramentary circa 2010 or other ancient ritual books) or translations for use, so why would we make an exception here? This seems to be a political ploy which I suspect is to inflame a popular movement in order to even further roll back the reforms of the Sacred Council. Also, take one look at the population of the Latin Mass attendees and you will see that the vast majority were not alive at the time of its customary use.

Is the Latin Mass more reverent and respectful than the Novus Ordo?

No. It’s almost like a reverse “sackcloth and ashes” situation where we have some people who wish to be seen being more opulent or more pious so as to virtue signal their self-perceived liturgical superiority.

Since young people are demanding the Latin Mass, should we listen to them and implement it?

No. Perhaps it’s helpful to ask: which young people are being listened to? Is it mostly conservative white men with money and lots of children who are doing the demanding? Are bishops listening to all the people of good will or instead narrowly searching for ones who already share their views? If young people do not find beauty and truth in the vernacular liturgy, then we have failed as catechists and liturgists. Although anecdotally, as someone who has worked with Catholic youth for many years, I can attest this is not what the majority want. It’s much more uncommon than Tumblr or other social media or even many bishops would have you think.

Is the Latin Mass more authentically Catholic?

No. Being under the authority of the Pope and following the binding ecumenical councils are important parts of what makes one Catholic. Not recognizing the authority of the Pope or Vatican II makes you literally a Protestant.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Today in Christian History

Today is Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. It is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; Because it is a leap year, 313 days remain until the end of the year.

1072: (or the 23rd) Death of Peter Damian, in Faenza, Italy. A reforming monk of the Benedictine order, he will be remembered chiefly for De divina omnipotentia which questioned the limits of the omnipotence of God (e.g.: can God change the past?) and will be declared a doctor of the church in the nineteenth century.

1225: Hugh of St. Cher dons the habit of the Dominican order. He will become a notable Bible scholar and head a team that will create the first really useful Bible concordance.

1297: Death in Cortona, Italy, of St. Margaret of Cortona, a Franciscan tertiary, who had established a hospital for the poor.

1632: Zuni Indians (tribe pictured above) kill Francisco de Letrado and dance with his scalp on a pole. He had been among Spanish missionaries attempting to impose a Christian regime on the Pueblo Indians.

1649: The Westminster Assembly adjourns, having held one thousand one hundred and sixty three sessions over a period of five years, six months, and twenty-two days. They were known for their solemn fasts and long hours of prayer.

1703: General Codrington bequeaths two plantations in Barbados for medical mission work to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, on condition that professors and scholars be maintained there to study and practice medicine, surgery, and divinity in order to “endear themselves to the people and have the better opportunities of doing good to men’s souls whilst they are taking care of their bodies.”

1822: Samuel and Catherine Clewes Leigh sail into a New Zealand Bay to begin work among the Maori. Samuel’s Ill health will force them to leave the following year, but the mission will continue under other workers.

1845: Death in London of Rev. Sydney Smith, wit and literary critic, author of The Letters of Peter Plymley. He had once tied some antlers to donkeys to pretend they were deer when an aristocratic lady was visiting. His daughter wrote, “My father died in peace with himself and with all the world; anxious to the last to promote the comfort and happiness of others. He sent messages of kindness and forgiveness to the few he thought had injured him. Almost his last act was bestowing a small living of £120 per annum on a poor, worthy, and friendless clergyman, who had lived a long life of struggle with poverty on £40 per annum.”

1870: Missionary James Gilmour sails from Liverpool to work in China and Mongolia. Made chaplain of the ship on which he is sailing, he shares the gospel with every member of the crew during the night watches.

1892: W. T. Satthianadhan, a leader of the Church Mission Society in Madras, relapses into a serious medical condition and will die within days. He had been a representative to Anglican councils in England, author of books in Tamil and English, an educator at Madras University, vice-president of the Tamil Central Church Council, and founder of benevolent associations.

1901: Charles and Lettie Cowman arrive in Japan where they will become co-founders of the Oriental Mission Society.

1911: Death in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Frances E. W. Harper, an African-American woman who had labored in the anti-slavery cause alongside workers such as Julia Ward Howe and Frederick Douglas. She had published a volume of poems when twenty-one years of age.

1930: Soviet agents arrest more than sixty Orthodox clergy and laity in Tomsk for “counter-revolutionary agitation” and “grouping of church people.” They will execute fifty of these individuals.

1954: The first “Voice of Tangier” program airs over a 2,500-watt transmitter. Programming is broadcast in Spanish and English. Within two years, the station will be broadcasting in more than twenty languages.

[girljeremystrong]

25 favorite books of mine for @kerrycastellabate ❤️ 

1.       WE RIDE UPON STICKS by quan barry

about a girl’s high school field hockey team from salem, massachussetts which in 1989 is on a mega winning streak. might it be because the team members have pledged themselves to the dark forces in order to get to state? it’s so fun and the characters are all incredible.

2.       WE BEGIN AT THE END by chris whitaker

the plot isn’t easy to summarize but this is a thriller and a very very good one at that. it’s goto ne of the best characters ever: duchess “the outlaw”. there’s a murder and a murderer on the loose and old friends and sweet siblings and it’s truly a great book.

3.       THE INDEX OF SELF DESTRUCTIVE ACTS by christopher beha

this as close to succession as a book can get. Sam is a sport statician, he gets involved with a rich new york city family. this book is amazing, so much happens and all the characters are great.

4.       THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE by abi daré

adunni is a fourteen-year-old nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. she’s determined to find her voice. incredible story and so sweet and uplifting and beautiful. i have gifted this book time and time again. i love it.

5.       THE ART OF FIELDING by chad harbach

about henry who gets recruited by mike to play baseball at college and they become very good pals while henry becomes better and better and mike understands his life less and less. great team antics great plot great characters not too much baseball.

6.       DOMINICANA by angie cruz

ana is a fifteen year old girl living in the dominican republic who dreams of moving to america. again this is a very sweet and powerful story. ana is an incredible character that i love so much.

7.       I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by maya angelou

a wonderful memoir about her childhood in a southern town. this is a classic and i love it. It’s joyful and sad and wonderful.

8.       NOTHING TO SEE HERE by kevin wilson

moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities (they spontaneously combust when they get agitated). great and fun and very sweet.

9.       CONJURE WOMEN by afia atakora

a sweeping story that brings the world of the south before and after the civil war vividly to life. spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women. “magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined.”

10.   A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by john irving

eleven-year-old owen meany, playing in a Little League baseball game in gravesend, new hampshire, hits a foul ball and kills his best friend's mother. owen doesn't believe in accidents. wonderful story about friendship and destiny. i love this book.

11.   HOMEGOING by yaa gyasi

this book follows generation after generation of descendants of two half sisters born in different villages in 18th century ghana. they go on to having very different fates and so do their children and their children's children. it’s a modern classic! it’s perfect.

12.   BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by evelyn waugh

tells the story of charles ryder's infatuation with the marchmains and the rapidly-disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. enchanted first by sebastian, then by his doomed catholic family. it’s wonderful and wistful and beautifully written.

13.   BELOVED by toni morrison

sethe was born a slave and escaped, but eighteen years later she is still not free. she has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of sweet home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. it’s perfect it won every big award because it’s incredible.

14.   ALL THE KING'S MEN by robert penn warren

tells the story of charismatic populist governor willie stark and his political machinations in the depression-era deep south. i don’t know but i love this book. it’s a classic and it’s written so well and the story is compelling and i keep recommending it.

15.   SALVAGE THE BONES by jesmyn ward

hurricane katrina is building over the gulf of mexico, threatening the coastal town of bois sauvage, mississippi, and esch's father is growing concerned. this all takes place across 12 days before, during and after hurricane katrina and it is a truly amazing book. a must read! a modern classic.

16.   EVERYWHERE YOU DON'T BELONG by gabriel bump

claude, a black boy from the south side of chicago whose parents both left when he was a child, so he was raised by his grandmother and her friend paul. love this book, its characters and the way it’s written, and especially its dialogues.

17.   THE PROPHETS by robert jones jr.

bout the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a deep south plantation. isaiah was samuel’s and samuel was isaiah’s. very sad and very maddening, but beautiful.

18.   THE FUNNY THING ABOUT NORMAN FOREMAN by julietta henderson

when 12-year-old norman’s best friend jax dies, he decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the edinburgh fringe festival as a comedian. his mum sadie will do anything to help him. ooh this is so sweet, it’s adorable and so fun and delightful!

19.   INFINITE COUNTRY by patricia engel

elena and mauro are teenagers when they meet, their blooming love an antidote to the mounting brutality of life in bogotá. once their first daughter is born, and facing grim economic prospects, they set their sights on the united states. beautiful story and very well written.

20.   THE SWEETNESS OF WATER by nathan harris

in the waning days of the civil war, brothers prentiss and landry—freed by the emancipation proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of george walker and his wife, isabelle. the walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers. so unexpectedy gorgeous.

21.   BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by quan julie wang

a beautiful memoir about an undocumented childhood. my favorite book of 2022. magnificent, perfect, sweet, sad, joyful. i love it with all myself.

22.   REAL LIFE by brandon taylor

almost everything about wallace is at odds with the midwestern university town. but over the course of a weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with a straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses. i love this. this author is so good at building up characters.

23.   MILK BLOOD HEAT by dantiel w. monitz

incredible collection of short stories. left me wanting more but at the same time they are perfectly crafted and beautiful.

24.   HOMELAND ELEGIES by ayad akhtar

truly incredible book, one of the best i’ve ever read. part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque adventure — at its heart, it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.

25.    THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DU BOIS  by honorée fanonne jeffers

this is the story of ailey and her ancestor’s journey in america through centuries, from the colonial slave trade to our days. we meet ailey when she is a child and watch her grow up, until the moment when, as a college graduate, she embarks on a journey to uncover her family’s past. a wonderful epic story spanning centuries. loved the character of ailey.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT Feast Day: April 28

"The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother."

The Promoter of Marian Devotion, was born on January 31, 1673 in Montfort-sur-Meu, France, and is the eldest surviving child of eighteen born to Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne Robert Grignion. His father was a notary.

At the age of 12, he entered the the Jesuit College of St. Thomas Becket in Rennes (where his uncle was a parish priest), where he listened to the stories of Julian Bellier, who inspired him to preach missions among the poor. At the same time, he developed a deep devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the angels. After his ordination in June 1700, he was assigned to Nantes, where he joined the Third Order of the Dominicans and began promoting the Holy Rosary.

Louis wrote: 'I am continually asking in my prayers for a poor and small company of good priests to preach missions and retreats under the standard and protection of the Blessed Virgin.'

This initial inspiration led to the formation of the Company of Mary. Having received from Pope Clement XI the title of 'Apostolic Missionary', he spent his life preaching missions and travelling on foot around France.

Despite his busy schedule, he found time to write spiritual books, such as 'The True Devotion to Mary' and 'The Secret of the Rosary'. Together with Marie Louise Trichet, he founded the Daughters of Wisdom, whose mission was the teaching of children and the care of the poor.

His spirituality can be synthesized as this: 'To God alone, by Christ's wisdom, in the Spirit, in communion with Mary, for the reign of God.'

Worn out by his hard work and sickness, Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort died on April 28, 1716 at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre at the age of 48. He is beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII.

[baileye]

Roses, I discover in my research, appear delicate but have adapted to most climates. They can be made to bloom all through the year until winter. The more they are cut back, the faster they grow, and the stronger they are. I understand, as I read this, that I have found my role models.

//

The more I think about the word “rosary,” the more I understand it must be related to “aviary,” “topiary,” and so on. When I check the definition, I see the first meaning is for the prayer, and then, in italics, that it meant “rose garden” in Middle English. How did the word for a rose garden come to connote a prayer? It begins, I learn, in the thirteenth century, when Albigensian dissidents claimed that the body belonged to the devil and the soul to God. There was no need, they said, to worry about carnal sins—they belonged, with the body, to the devil. The heresy spread, and France was soon in moral turmoil. As the story goes, Saint Dominic, concerned for the future of the Roman Catholic Church, prayed for guidance at Notre-Dame in Prouille. When the Virgin Mary appeared, she instructed him on the Angelic Psalter and told him he was to use this weapon against the heresy. It was Thomas of Cantimpré, a Dominican scholar in Flanders and a contemporary of Dominic’s, who, in a book he wrote on the lives of bees, described the Angelic Psalter as being like a circlet of roses to be offered up to the Virgin Mary. Shortly after the book’s publication, “rosary” earned and kept its current meaning.

Mary and roses have been linked since her death. On the third day after her burial, mourners at her tomb were said to have found her body gone and her shroud full of roses. The scent of a rose where none should be is now formally one of the signs of Mary’s presence. As a result, Catholics have tried to keep the number of rose varieties limited to a hundred and fifty, the number of beads on a rosary and the number of psalms in the prayer. The dead are often honored with roses, either left at their graves or planted there, and cemeteries are often home to some of the best heirloom varieties. It’s an old rose gardener’s trick to take cuttings from these roses, but I can’t allow myself to leave a cemetery with anything I didn’t bring in.

[brother-hermes]

Almost finished this book. Putting in a lot of coffee now and disconnecting again for the weekend. Just wanted to share a few revelations from the meditation and introspection that comes from writing about mysticism.

First point, Christianity was birthed in Jewish mysticism- second temple Hekhalot and Merkhavah specifically. All those writers of scriptures were Jewish and there is no separating the roots of the faith from that. Every western interpretation that puts God outside of us and in outer space takes you away from love. What happened at Nicaea was a tragedy.

Next, Kabbalah and hermeticsm are twin flames. Merkhavah is an Egyptian word. Moshe and Akhenaten teach the same lesson. The thrice greatest Trismegistus is a lesson- Enoch, Thoth, and Hermes all taught the same unitive consciousness.Middle Platonism influenced Philo. Plotinus created Neoplatonism explaining how everything emanated from the One via four worlds of creation. Al-Kindi, ibn Arabi, all of those Arabs that fleshed out Kalam- the Logos of Muslim philosophy. Jewish philosophers like Saadi Goeb, ibn Gabirol lived in Muslim countries discussing Neoplatonist forms and continued what Philo started and expressed Judaism in Greek philosophical terms. Gabirol wrote “the source of life” and changed the Greek concept of “thought” being the source of the all to ration- divine will. Kabbalists fleshed out this concept of divine will and ran that line throughput the middle ages. Maimonides battled this interpretation for his entire life.

Somewhere in the 12th century in France the Midrash gets blended with Solomon ign Gabirol’s Neoplatonism and Kabbalah as we know it today gets formed. Multiplicity and dualism begins to be seen as a sort illusion from the shattering of the vessels we see in the Zohar. Non dualism- God is One and Kabbalah and really gets started on awakening and meditations in the sephirot lead to some of those most beautiful metaphysics we’ve ever seen.

Meanwhile, the Syriac Christians who continued teaching the centering prayers of Christ in its original Aramaic were writing texts like the Odes of Solomon as their brand of interpreting Yeshua headed East. The philosophies we call Hinduism became intertwined with the bridal mysticism of the gospel of John and the Songs of Solomon. It grew and flourished and the mystical instruction found in The Gospel of Thomas gave them a common language.

Mysticism is mongrelized. Our best and brightest servants of the Infinite One have looked past all of these religions of the world and found commonality. All of this cultural bravado we have divides us. Kemet, Israel, India, Dominican Friars like Ekhart, German shoemakers like Boehme, Beduizzam Said Nursi, Jesus, The Shakyimuni Buddha, all of them teach the same thing:

We are expressions of the Divine reality. The more we divide and argue the further from the truth we go. Mystics have never opposed their notions of rightness or insisted that, let’s say, Taoism was any less important than St Francis or Abraham Abulafia.

You want to draw close to God and really love 💗 one another? Then forget everything you cling to and let go of the need to speak “truth.” Rightness is ego minded. It divides.

I say this understanding a very old mystical truth I’m going to say in relatively crude terms: “we don’t actually know shit!” We’re afforded glimpses of Union but we can’t comprehend existence and describe it. The collective unconscious of Jung is the same ocean Buddhists feel pulling them into when they’re close to death.

The universe expanded from a singular source that even most scientific had to come to grips with when they realized that spooky action at a distance is real. We’re all the result of quantum entanglement and literally expressions of whatever all of this actually is.

Don’t fight it. Just love one another. It’s what we’re here for.

[martinwilliammichael]

A Dominican friar explains the power of the Rosary

As his order’s “General Promoter of the Rosary,” Dominican Father Lawrence Lew dedicates himself to preaching and promoting the Rosary worldwide. In keeping with Dominican tradition, the Dominican priest combines his passion for theology and the sacred arts to inspire devotion through retreats, books and international missions.(...)

Reflecting on the origins of the Dominican Order, Father Lawrence explained: “There is a beautiful story that Our Lady begged from her Son the gift of an order that would teach, preach and correct error, and it was seen to be an act of divine mercy that such an order should exist. And for that reason, because Our Lord granted the prayers of Mary for this order to exist, the order came to be called the Order of Mary.” 

“There are many other beautiful Marian stories connected to the order,” the Dominican Father added. “For example, the white scapular worn by Dominicans was given to the order by Our Lady. She also gave us the Rosary, which is the most precious gift that she entrusted to the order.” (...) While the extent of St. Dominic’s contribution to the development of the Rosary remains disputed, it can be said with certainty that he prayed and preached the Rosary to convert unbelievers. In fact, at least a dozen popes have mentioned St. Dominic’s connection with the Rosary, and he is traditionally credited with spreading and popularizing the practice.

Reflecting upon Mary’s undeniable role in the history of salvation and emphasizing how it was through Mary’s “Yes” that God became man, and that creation was renewed, the Dominican priest explained how fitting it is to pray the Rosary to honor Our Lady and her Son through her prayer.

“In a nutshell,” Father Lawrence explained, “God has become man so that man can become God, as St. Athanasius said. And I think that sums up what the Rosary is about: It is a presentation of the mysteries of our salvation, as the great Dominican teacher Garrigou-Lagrange noted. It is not so much the chronology of Christ’s life that we are looking at, but the theological story of what he has done for us: Christ became man, died for our sins, and rose from the dead, that we might rise and be divinized with him.”

“When I preach the Rosary,” Father Lawrence added, “I basically preach about how we can participate in the life of Christ, how his life divinizes us and sanctifies us today.”

Recalling the worrying levels of social isolation, loneliness and emotional distress caused by the recent pandemic, Father Lawrence noted that he observed “a real proliferation of Rosary prayer groups who prayed through Zoom and other means.”

“The Rosary is the prayer that many of us will take with us throughout our Catholic life,” Father Lawrence observed. “It is so beautiful that we turn to the Rosary when we are sad, when we are anxious, when something happens in our lives that causes us distress, but also in happy times and to celebrate.” 

Reflecting on the fittingness of praying the Rosary during May, Father Lawrence explained that the English word “rosary” comes from the Latin rosarium, meaning a garden or garland of roses. Hence, in the most literal sense, the Rosary is “a beautiful garland of flowers that we offer to our Blessed Mother, as a spiritual bouquet of prayers.”

Since May is the month of spring, “when everything is in bloom” and coming alive after winter, it is thus natural that “we are moved to remember Our Lady, the Mother of all the living,” and pray to her for her intercession.

“We have a beautiful tradition in the Dominican Order,” Father Lawrence shared, “following the Latin word ros, which also means ‘dew.’” According to tradition, “St. Dominic was told that heresy would not be eradicated until prayers rose like dew from the ground. And so there is this beautiful idea that, as we pray, we are praying spiritual dewdrops that bring refreshment and new life to a parched world.”

The world becomes parched by sin, by violence, division and warfare. The Rosary, the Dominican Father continued, “is therefore all the more needed so that we can water the earth with the dewfall of God’s grace, the dewfall of the Holy Spirit.”

“That is what the Rosary is: It is placing ourselves, like Mary, at the disposal of God’s grace to be obedient to God, to say ‘Yes’ to God. It is striving to bring about a new creation, to bring about peace in the world.”

Bénédicte Cedergren, May 20, 2024

Adapted from www.ncregister.com

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[brookston]

Holidays 7.28

Holidays

Accountant's Day

Admiral George Somers Day (Bermuda)

Anniversary of the Fall of Fascism (San Marino)

Beatrix Potter Day

Buffalo Soldiers Day

Day of Cantabria Institutions (Spain)

Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval (Canada)

Drink 728 Day

Expulsion of the Acadians (Canada)

Fat Tony Day

Fiesta Patrias (Peru)

Foxtrot Day

Fingerprint Day

Global Plastic Overshoot Day

Gone-ta-Pott Day [every 28th]

Hariyali Amavasya (Chhattisgarh, India)

Indigenous Day (Chile)

International Clothing Day

Karkidaka Vavu Bali (Kerala, India)

Kingsmen Day (Portland, Oregon)

Kermesse (Brussels, Belgium)

Liberation Day (San Marino)

Mad Day Out (The Beatles)

Miami Day

National Fingerprint Day

National Soccer Day

National Tree Day (Australia)

National Waterpark Day

Ólavsøka Eve (a.k.a. Ólavsøkuaftan; Faroe Islands)

Retail Employees’ Day (Belarus, Kazakhstan; Ukraine)

SB19 Day (California)

Shampoo Outdoors Day

Singing Telegram Day (Western Union)

St. Olav’s Eve (Norway)

Watering Can Day (French Republic)

World Hepatitis Day (UN)

World Nature Conservation Day

World War One Anniversary Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Chili Dog Day

Longneck Day

National Hamburger Day

National Milk Chocolate Day

Independence & Related Days

Day of Cantabria Institutions Day (Spain)

Day of Ukrainian Statehood (Ukraine)

Peru (from Spain, 1821)

4th & Last Sunday in July

Auntie's Day [4th Sunday]

Domhnach Chrom Dubh (Grain Festival; Ireland) [Last Sunday]

Father’s Day (Dominican Republic) [Last Sunday]

National Parents' Day [4th Sunday]

National Stepfamilies Day (Australia) [Last Sunday]

National Tree Day (Australia) [Last Sunday]

Navy Day (Russia) [Last Sunday]

Pile of Bones (Canadian Picnic) [Last Sunday]

Open Farm Day (Maine) [4th Sunday]

Pisco Day (Peru) [4th Sunday]

Procession of Penitence/Pleasure Fair (Belgium) [Last Sunday]

Reek Sunday (Ireland) [Last Sunday]

Tsushima Tennoo Matsuri (津島天王祭り; Shōjō Festival, Japan) [4th Sunday]

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly [4th Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 28 (Last Week of July)

Samoan Heritage Week (thru 8.3)

Festivals Beginning July 28, 2024

Austerlitz Blueberry Festival (Austerlitz, New York)

Furano Belly Button Festival (Heso Matsuri; Furano, Japan) [thru 7.29]

Pear Fair (Courtland, California)

Playtime (New York, New York) [thru 7.30]

Simmer Down Festival (Birmingham, UK)

A Taste Of Camarillo (Camarillo, California)

Feast Days

Albert Namatjira (Artology)

Alphonsa Muttathupadathu (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)

Arduinus of Trepino (Christian; Saint)

Baptism of Kyivan Rus (Eastern Orthodox Church; Ukraine)

Beatrix Potter (Artology; Writerism)

Birthday of Horus (Ancient Egypt)

Botvid (Christian; Saint)

Day Noah Released a Dove and Raven (Christian)

Dick Sprang (Artology)

Festival of Fortuna Huiusque Diei (Fortune of the Present Day; Ancient Rome)

Festival of Hedjihotep (goddess of weaving; Ancient Egypt)

Festival of Neptune (Ancient Rome)

Flute-Snatcher (Muppetism)

Gerard Manley Hopkins (Writerism)

Imp-Handling Conference (Shamanism)

Innocent I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Jean Roba (Artology)

Jim Davis (Artology)

Joaquín Torres García (Artology)

Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, Henry Purcell (Episcopal Church commemoration)

Johann Sebastian Bach, Heinrich Schütz, George Frederick Handel (Lutheran commemoration)

John Ashbery (Writerism)

Jon J. Muth (Artology)

Judith Leyster (Artology)

Kronia (Festival to Kronos, god of the harvest; Ancient Greece)

Malcolm Lowry (Writerism)

Marcel Duchamp (Artology)

Marty Feldman Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Nazarius and Celsus (Christian; Martyrs)

Pantaleon (Christian; Martyr)

Pedro Poveda Castroverde (Christian; Saint)

Plant a Prayer Honoring the Dark Fertility God, From Dubh Day (Ireland; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Samson of Dol (Christian; Saint)

Shabbat Nachamu (Shabbat of Consolation; Judaism) [Date Varies]

Solstitium XIV (Pagan)

Stefan Filipkiewicz (Artology)

Teniers (Positivist; Saint)

Thor’s Day (Pagan Europe; Everyday Wicca)

Try a New Cheese Day (Pastafarian)

Victor I, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [28 of 53]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 35 of 60)

Premieres

Alice in Wonderland (Animated Disney Film; 1951)

Andy Panda’s Pop (Andy Panda Cartoon; 1941)

Animal House (Film; 1978)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Film: 2023)

Atomic Blonde (Film; 2017)

Call For the Saint, by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories 1948) [Saint #28]

Carmen’s Veranda (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1944)

The Cat’s Out (a.k.a. The Cat’s Nightmare; Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1931)

The Devils of Loudun, by Aldous Huxley (History Book; 1952)

Foxtrot (Dance; 1914)

Green Lantern: First Flight (WB Animated Film; 2009)

The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell (History Book; 1949)

Hooper (Film; 1978)

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (WB Animated Film; 2015)

Keep ‘em Growing (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1943)

Leghorn Swigged (WB MM Cartoon; 1951)

Los Bandoleers (Short Film; 2009) [F&F]

Love in a Cottage (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

The Miracle Worker (Film; 1962)

North by Northwest (Film; 1959)

The Old Fire Horse (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1939)

On the Waterfront (Film; 1954)

The Open Society and its Enemies Karl Popper (Political Theory; 1945)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Film; 1993)

Royal Garden Blues, recorded by John Kirby & His Sextette (Song; 1939)

Smoke on the Water, by Deep Purple (Song; 1973)

Waterworld (Film; 1995)

What’s the 411?, by Mary J. Blige (Album; 1992)

White Zombie (Film; 1932)

Today’s Name Days

Ada, Adele, Bantus, Beatus, Innozenz, Samuel, Viktor (Austria)

Celzo, Inocent, Nazarije, Nikanor, Prohor, Viktor (Croatia)

Viktor (Czech Republic)

Aurelius (Denmark)

Maasika, Vaarika (Estonia)

Atso (Finland)

Samson (France)

Ada, Adele, Benno, Innozenz (Germany)

Afxentios, Akakios, Hrysovalantou , Drosos, Drosoula, Irini, Timon (Greece)

Szabolcs (Hungary)

Nazario, Vittore (Italy)

Cecilija, Cilda (Latvia)

Ada, Augmina, Inocentas, Vytaras (Lithuania)

Reidar, Reidun (Norway)

Innocenta, Innocenty, Marcela, Pantaleon, Samson, Świętomir, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz (Poland)

Krištof (Slovakia)

Víctor (Spain)

Botvid, Seved (Sweden)

Lysander, Lysandra, Rhonda, Sampson, Samson (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 210 of 2024; 156 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 30 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 23 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 23 (Gui-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 22 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 21 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 30 Red; Lastday [30 of 30]

Julian: 15 July 2024

Moon: 45%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 13 Dante (8th Month) [Teniers]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 39 of 94)

Week: 4th Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 7 of 31)