#Madeleine St John

[pier-carlo-universe]

L'amica sfuggente – L’affascinante ritratto di Madeleine St John sull’amicizia e la vulnerabilità umana. Recensione di Alessandria today

Un romanzo che esplora le sfumature sottili dell’amicizia, della solitudine e delle connessioni umane sfuggenti.

Un romanzo che esplora le sfumature sottili dell’amicizia, della solitudine e delle connessioni umane sfuggenti. Recensione:“L’amica sfuggente” di Madeleine St John è un romanzo che affronta il tema dell’amicizia in tutte le sue complessità e fragilità. Ambientato nella vivace e luminosa Sydney degli anni ’90, il romanzo segue le vite di tre donne – Julia, Susan e Philippa – che si trovano a…

[jcsocialmarketing]

How to Keep More Donors Through Strategic Communications with Madeleine St. John

This episode is sponsored by RoundTable Technology – the Nonprofit IT Partner. On January 26, they are offering a free webinar on the exact steps required to secure and protect your nonprofit IT in the New Year. RoundTable Technology is a managed IT and cybersecurity services organization focusing on the nonprofit sector, with over 200 nonprofit clients. Head over to NonprofitIT.com/best-ever to…

[transistoradio]

John Everett Millais (1829-1896), “Madeleine Undressing – Eve of St. Agnes” (1863), oil on canvas, 154.3 x 117.8 cm.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Essence of the Thing | Author: Madeleine St. John | Publisher: Text Publishing (2009)

[scotianostra]

On 26th May 1819, the Honours went on public display in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle.

The ‘Honours’, our Crown Jewels, were first used together at the coronation of the nine-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543, the Crown almost certainly dates from before 1540 when it was remodelled by order of James V. It was last worn at the coronation of Charles II at Scone in 1651, the last time a monarch was crowned in Scotland.

Made of solid silver, the Sceptre is surmounted with three figures supporting a crystal globe, a cut and polished rock crystal, with a Scottish pearl on top. A gift from the Pope, possibly given by Innocent Vlll to James IV in 1494, again it was remodelled by James V who even added his initials to the sceptre, the Stewarts were a vain lot.

The Sword of State was presented to James IV in 1507 by Pope Julius II and has a blade a metre long.

Following the Treaty of Union in 1707, the ancient Honours were not seen for a century. Rumours circulated that the English had removed them to London. However Sir Walter Scott asked for permission to seek them out in in 1818. And as he suspected they were found in a chest hidden away.

They have remained on secure display ever since, except for the duration of World War II.

The Honours have since been joined by other royal regalia and jewels of a personal nature – the Wand (found in the Chest in 1818), the Stewart Jewels (presented by William IV in 1830) and the Lorne Jewels (bequeathed by Princess Louise in 1939) – and by the Stone of Destiny (see separate Statement), which was returned from Westminster Abbey in 1996 after it as stolen by Edward I (Longshanks) Scotland ove700 years before.

Below is a lengthy rundown of the Honours as marked down in history, please note though that the earliest dates are only noted in history some of the original Honours were lost by the English.

574: First reference to a royal sceptre, by Cumméne ‘the White’, seventh abbot of Iona, in connection with the inauguration by St Columba of Aédán mac Gabhráin as king of the Scots of Dál Riata.

1097: King Edgar is depicted on his seal wearing a crown, and holding a sceptre and sword.

1157: David I is depicted in a posthumous charter holding an orb in place of a sceptre.

1182: William I ‘the Lion’ is presented with a golden rose by Pope Lucius II.

1296: Edward I of England strips John I (Balliol) of his crown, sceptre and sword and takes them, together with the Stone of Destiny, to England, where they are subsequently lost or destroyed.

1306: Robert I (Bruce) is enthroned at Scone with a new circlet of gold.

1329: Pope John XXII formally recognises the right of kings of Scots to be formally crowned and anointed, hitherto denied them on account of English opposition.

1331: David II, Robert I’s heir, is formally crowned and anointed at Scone.

1484: Coin evidence (a silver groat) indicates that the crown, hitherto a simple open circlet, has by now become an ‘imperial’ crown (ie, closed with arches).

1486: James III is presented with a golden rose by Pope Innocent IV.

1491: James IV is presented with a golden rose by Pope Innocent VIII.

1494: Tradition has it that the Sceptre was presented to James IV by Pope Alexander VI. However, it is possible that the Sceptre was presented with the golden rose in 1491.

1503: James IV is depicted in the Book of Hours , made to commemorate his marriage, wearing an ‘imperial’ crown. Also, first mention of a crown bonnet.

1507: The Sword of State is presented to James IV by Pope Julius II. A consecrated, or blessed, hat is presented at the same time.

1532: The bonnet is renewed and the crown repaired by Thomas Wood, goldsmith.

1536: The Sceptre is lengthened and embellished for James V by Adam Leys, an Edinburgh goldsmith, perhaps in preparation for his first marriage, to Princess Madeleine de Valois. This enhancement is formally acknowledged when the Crest above the Royal Arms is amended, the Sceptre replacing the Saltire in the lion’s left paw.

1539, the crown is refashioned to its present form for James V by John Mosman, Edinburgh goldsmith. James wears it for the first time at the coronation of his second wife, Mary of Guise, in Holyrood Abbey. The purple velvet bonnet, made by Thomas Arthur, has not survived, but its four delicate ornaments have.

1543: Mary Queen of Scots is crowned in Stirling Castle, the first sovereign to be enthroned with all three Honours. 1

560: Queen Mary receives a golden rose from Pope Pius IV. 1567: James VI is crowned with the Honours in the Kirk of the Holy Rude, Stirling.

1571–73: Substitute Honours are used at sittings of Parliament, because Edinburgh Castle is in the hands of the supporters of the exiled Queen Mary.

1615–16: The Crown Room is created, part of the wholesale remodelling of the Palace in preparation for James VI’s ‘hamecoming’ in 1617. The present Crown Chest is very probably also made at this date.

1633: Charles I is crowned in Holyrood Abbey with the Honours

1638–39: The Honours are taken to Dalkeith Castle for safe-keeping during the conflict between Charles I and those supporting the National Covenant.

1650: The Honours are removed from the castle, possibly to Stirling Castle, for safe-keeping, prior to Oliver Cromwell besieging the castle.

1651: Charles II is crowned with the Honours at Scone. Following the ceremony, the Honours, unable to be brought back to Edinburgh Castle, are taken to mighty Dunnottar Castle, Kincardineshire, seat of the Earl Marischal.

1652–60: The Honours are smuggled out of Dunnottar and buried under the floor of nearby Kinneff Kirk. On Charles II’s return to the throne, the Honours are returned to Edinburgh Castle: all except the Sword belt and Crown cushion.

1687: James VII has the crown bonnet changed from purple to red.

1707: Following the adjourning of Parliament after the passing of the Act of nion.

1790: The Sword Belt is discovered hidden in a wall at Barras, near Dunnottar Castle, by Sir David Ogilvy.

1794: Lieutenant-Governor Major Drummond briefly opens the Crown Room in search of old Parliamentary records but, because he lacks the necessary royal warrant, does not break open the Crown Chest.

1818: Walter Scott and others, with a royal warrant from the Prince Regent, officially break into the Crown Room, break open the Crown Chest and there rediscover the Honours, together with a wand, or baton of office. A second royal warrant appoints the Commissioners for the Keeping of the Regalia (Keeper of the Great Seal, Keeper of the Privy Seal, His Majesty’s Advocate, the Lord Clerk Register and the Lord Justice Clerk). Scott’s friend Adam Ferguson is appointed Keeper of the Regalia, with a ‘grace and favour’ flat above the Crown Room.

1819: The public are invited to inspect the Honours in the Crown Room, on payment of an admission fee.

1822: George IV (the former Prince Regent) formally visits Scotland, and the Honours are taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the duration of his stay.

1830: The Stewart Jewels, bequeathed to George III in 1807 by Prince Henry, Cardinal York, the last Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain, are entrusted by William IV into the safe-keeping of the Keeper of the Regalia for display in the Crown Room.

1837: The Turkish Ambassador is denied entry to the Crown Room because he does not have an admission ticket!

1842: The Honours are temporarily removed to an adjacent room so that they may be better viewed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

1848: The present panelling is installed in the Crown Room by the Edinburgh firm of Charles Trotter, cabinetmakers and joiners.

1871: The Honours are redisplayed behind a cage of ornamental bars, for their better security.

1892: The Sword Belt is returned to the Crown Room from Barras Castle, Kincardineshire, by Rev. Samuel Ogilvy Baker, a descendant of Sir David Ogilvy.

1905: The old Crown Cushion is presented to the State by Sir Patrick Keith Murray, who states that it had been retained at Dunnottar by his ancestor, Sir William Keith, 9th Earl Marischal, after the Honours had been smuggled out in 1652

1911: The Sword is taken to St Giles’ Cathedral for the official opening of the Thistle Chapel. Gyp, the Crown Room dog, dies and is buried in the Dog Cemetery below St Margaret’s Chapel.

1939: Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, bequeaths the Lorne Jewels, presented to her by Clan Campbell on the occasion of her marriage to the Marquis of Lorne in 1871, to the Scottish nation, and they are added to the display in the Crown Room. Shortly thereafter (1 September), the Crown Jewels are taken down to the basement of the Palace to protect them from aerial bombardment by German planes.

1942: The Honours are secretly taken out of the basement and buried in David’s Tower, where they remain for the duration of WWII.

1953: The Honours are presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the National Service of Thanksgiving in St Giles’ Cathedral that follows the Coronation in Westminster Abbey.

1971: The Sword of State is used for the first time at the ceremonial installation of a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s premier Order of Chivalry, held in the Thistle Chapel, in St Giles’ Cathedral.

1980s: The post of Warden of Regalia is abolished. 1

987: The Sword of State is used alone for the final time, in St Giles’ Cathedral for the tercentenary anniversary celebrations of the Order of the Thistle. Thereafter, in view of its parlous condition, its ceremonial role is restricted to National Services of Thanksgiving

1993: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth formally opens the Honours of the Kingdom exhibition, including the extensively refurbished Crown Room and redisplayed Honours. The present Crown Cushion is made specially for the occasion. The Crown Chest is relocated from the Crown Room to an adjacent exhibition space and displayed alongside one of the original padlocks, broken in 1818.

1999: The Crown is formally taken to the State Opening of the Scottish Parliament, the first in the modern era.

2022; The Crown of Scotland was placed on Elizabeth II's coffin at a service in St Giles' Cathedral.

2023; The Honours of Scotland were presented to King Charles III in a ceremony held in St Giles' Cathedral. The ceremony was formally described as a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

[smallmediumproblems]

Propaganda under the cut

Why isn't John/David/Cecil/Obituary Writer/etc here?

I'm specifically excluding narrators who are also primary characters in the story. There are a lot of really good unreliable main character POVs, and some that are very, very popular. There are also a LOT of found footage / "documentary" shows, so the pool of "main character who is technically also the narrator" is monstrously large. This is for narrators who have things to say about the story but are moderately to severely removed from it. You'll notice I've also excluded the Documentarian from The White Vault, because by the time she's commenting on the story, she's also a main character.

Madeleine can stay because she's very polite.

Madeleine the mouse

Madeleine doesn't exactly serve a narrative so much as she plates and seasons it before bringing it out. Part plot device, part confidante, and all bohemian authoress. But please, consider the other candidates long and hard before you vote. She's not really too unreliable, she's just incredibly biased.

The Voice of HartLife

You have to be a special kind of unreliable for one of your characters to break down the fourth wall into your recording studio to kick the shit out of you.

The Historian

*Gesturing at a lithograph of Eisen and Telesphore making out sloppy style* "Truly, it is tragic that the men of our generation have lost such deep platonic bonds as are depicted here. So secure were they in their brotherhood that our contemporary idea of friendship fails to-"

The Narrator

No, not Leon. The other guy. I can't possibly describe what his Whole Deal is without spoiling a major plot twist of the show, but guys. He killed Matt Damon, guys. He killed Matt Damon while trying to murder dozens of other people at the same time. (Hundreds? I don't know how trains work.)

Dubrach

Yes, I know it's not really confirmed. That's what unreliable narration is all about. But what could be more reliable than the literal word of god on the puny machinations of his flock? :) :) :) Also he's voiced by Alisdair Stuart, our dad.

The Malevolent Patreon Hastur

...is specifically not included, because a) people are going to think I'm talking about John, and b) brand recognition is going to skew the whole thing, as if Madeleine isn't going to sweep for that very reason. But I'm mentioning him here because of the time he made people so angry that the actual real live writer had to come out and remind them that this is a fictional character. iykyk.

[thebirdandhersong]

Top 25 books of my heart, as tagged by @rowenabean! Thank you for tagging me! I had SUCH a hard time trying to narrow it down :')

Here they are, in no particular order:

Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

The Story of a Soul - St. Therese of Lisieux

Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett

Shakespeare's Complete Works (ESPECIALLY Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth)

Leave it to Psmith - P.G. Wodehouse

Walking on Water - Madeleine L'Engle

The Time Quartet (first three specifically) - Madeleine L'Engle

Night Watch - Terry Pratchett

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

The Man Born to be King - Dorothy Sayers

Middlemarch - George Eliot

Fahrenheit 341 - Ray Bradbury

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery

Moominland Midwinter - Tove Jansson

Moominvalley in November - Tove Jansson

Tagging @lovesodeepandwideandwell @swinging-stars-from-satellites @madamescarlette @stories-dearheart @permanentreverie @incomingalbatross and you, if you want to list YOUR top 20-25 books of your heart!!!

[forestgreenlesbian]

hellooo top ten reads of 2022 in no particular order (+ not including rereads of old favourites):

Our Wives Under The Sea, Julia Armfield

Luckenbooth, Jenni Fagan        

Cantoras, Carolina De Robertis

A Tiny Upward Shove, Melissa Chadburn

Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel

Time Is A Mother, Ocean Vuong

Light from Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki  

Marriage of a Thousand Lies, Sj Sindu

Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?, Lorrie Moore

Less Is Lost, Andrew Sean Greer    

special mentions:

Young Mungo, Douglas Stuart

In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado

A Certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers

Briefly, A Delicious Life, Nell Stevens

The Mercies, Kiran Millwood Hargrave

and some quotes from my top ten under the cut if you are looking for a little flavour. what did you guys read this year i am always looking for recommendations :~)

It’s not grief, [...] it’s more like a haunting. Our Wives Under The Sea

“Is it crazy to love someone you’ve only spent seven days with in person?” / “No, it’s crazy to love someone when you’ve known them for years.” Luckenbooth

It seemed, at times, that this was the only way the world would be remade as the heroes had dreamed: one woman holds another woman, and she in turn lifts the world. Cantoras

By then, Lola concluded that love was mostly wanting something you supposedly already had. A Tiny Upward Shove

She never dwelt on my lapses, and I couldn’t entirely parse why this made me feel so awful. There’s a low-level, specific pain in having to accept that putting up with you requires a certain generosity of spirit in your loved ones. Sea of Tranquility

Then it came to me, my life. I remembered my life / the way an ax handle, mid-swing, remembers the tree. / & I was free. Time Is A Mother

“That’s--” / “A violin from China,” she said without looking up. “Yes, I know.” / “No, I mean, it’s all in pieces.” / “Yes. So are we all.” Light from Uncommon Stars

There’s always a way out. You could be a ghost. I could be an empty chair. Marriage of a Thousand Lies

Everything would turn out fine. Or else--hell--it would burn. I only wanted my body to bloom and bleed and be loved. I was raw with want, but in part it was a simple want, one made for easy satisfaction, quick drama, deep life: I wanted to go places and do things with Sils. So what if the house burned down. Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?

“Thomas, why are you wearing a sweater when it’s so warm out?” / Thomas shrugs slightly and says, “As my grandma Cookie says, we’re all having different experiences.” Less Is Lost

also my bottom five if you care these are bad do not reccommend lol (not including dnfs):

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Under the Whispering Door, TJ Klune

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar

A Room Called Earth, Madeleine Ryan

[sporadiceagleheart]

Do any of you memorial pages or supporters have joy from Rachel Joy Scott she is in heaven spreading around joy and peace and her and more Angels rest in peace in heaven fly high and we all miss them all Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, Eliahna “Ellie or Elle” Torres, Makenna Lee “Kenna” Elrod Seiler, Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Layla Marie Salazar, Jacklyn Jaylen “Jackie” Cazares, Maranda Gail Mathis, Alexandria Aniyah "Lexi" Rubio, Tess Marie Mata, David Charles Kerr, Melissa Helen Currie, Ross William Irvine, Charlotte Louise Dunn, Kevin Allan Hasell, Brett McKinnon, Mhairi Isabel Macbeath, Sophie Jane “Soph” Lockwood-North, Megan Turner, Hannah Louise Scott, Joanna Caroline “JoJo” Ross, John Alexander Petrie, Emily Morten, Abigail Joanne “Abbie” McLennan, Josephine Grace “Joey” Gay, Olivia Rose “Liv or Livie” Engel, Daniel Gerard Barden, Charlotte Helen “Char” Bacon, James Radley Mattioli, Ana Grace Márquez-Greene, Jesse McCord Lewis, Chase Michael-Anthony Kowalski, Catherine Violet Hubbard, Madeleine Feng “Maddie” Hsu, Dylan Christopher Jack Hockley, Allison Noelle “Allie” Wyatt, Benjamin Andrew “Ben” Wheeler, Avielle Rose “Avie” Richman, Jessica Adrienne “Jess” Rekos, Caroline Phoebe “Boo” Previdi, Noah Samuel Pozner, Jack Armistead Pinto, Emilie Alice “Em” Parker, Grace Audrey “Gracie” McDonnell, Bojana Asović, Ana “Anci” Božović, Ema “Emica” Kobiljski, Angelina “Gina” Aćimović, Adriana “Adri” Dukić, Sofija “Sof” Negic, Alyssa Miriam Alhadeff, Hana St. Juliana, Evelyn Marie Dieckhaus, Hallie Ladelle Scruggs, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Nell Jones,

[aimee-b-loved]

I went into 2022 with the realization that I hadn’t read a single book all of last year. Now, I’ve never been a particularly voracious reader, but I’d like to think I’m capable of more than none book per annum. But the pandemic funk do be pandemic funkin’ like that.

Anyway, I set a goal to read 10 books this year, equating to just under a book a month. Well, it’s the last day of December and I just finished my 40th.

Here are some highlights:

Most Intimidating: The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon. At 800-some pages, this standalone fantasy was a beefy boy. That said, it was so good and comfortably one of my top 5 reads this year.

Stuck With Me: The Shadow of the Gods/Hunger of the Gods. It’s an unfinished planned trilogy, but it was nonstop action. It gave big Skyrim vibes without the commitment (and grind) that comes with Skyrim.

Made Me Feel Ways About Stuff: The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E Butler. This dystopian story felt like the events that could have happened before we got to The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s just scary how plausible that societal slip into chaos could seem.

BookTok Made Me Do It: A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Throne of Glass series and Crescent City series, by Sarah J Maas. Ah. My unwitting foray into the fantasy romance genre. With a few exceptions, they’re entertaining enough, but they’re extremely mid.

Did Not Finish: The Fifth Season, by NK Jemisin. I’d just wrapped up a series and wasn’t in the headspace to start a new one. That said, it’s definitely on my To Be Read pile for next year.

Good Vibes: Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. Was it predictable? Yes. But it was an incredibly satisfying story nonetheless. And now I want a Giant Pacific Octopus friend, too.

The Full List

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by VE Schwab ****

Circe, by Madeline Miller *****

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas ***

A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J Maas **

A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J Maas **

A Court of Silver Flames, Sarah J Maas ***

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig ****

The Song of Achilles, by Madeleine Miller *****

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett ****

Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead ****

A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J Maas *

The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E Butler ****

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reed ***

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon *****

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir *****

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune ****

House of Earth and Blood, by Sarah J Maas ***

House of Sky and Breath, by Sarah J Maas ***

Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke ****

Sea of Tranquillity, by Emily St John Mandel ****

Galatea, by Madeline Miller ****

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J Maas **

Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J Maas **

Heir of Fire, by Sarah J Maas ***

Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J Maas ***

Empire of Storms, by Sarah J Maas ***

Tower of Dawn, by Sarah J Maas **

Kingdom of Ash, by Sarah J Maas **

Ariadne, by Jennifer Saint ***

When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill ***

Kaikeyi, by Vaishnavi Patel ****

The Overstory, by Richard Powers ****

Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune ****

Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan ****

Heart of the Sun Warrior, by Sue Lynn Tan ****

Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green ***

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt ****

The Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne *****

The Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne *****

The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern ****

[fastesttortoiseintheworld]

Attacks against churches and anti-Christian violence reach record levels in Europe in 2019, yet continue to target magnificent Christian landmarks to this day

“France has been one of the great nations marked by the Christian faith since the dawn of history; and after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was the first nation of the West to declare itself the daughter of the Church, the “eldest daughter of the Church”. For centuries, France made a special contribution to the Catholic Church through the enlightened and heroic testimony of her saints, the doctrinal power of her masters, and the apostolic courage of missionaries …”John Paul II, Fiumicino, May 30, 1980 before the departure to Paris.

Sadly, France has recently experienced a wave of vandalism against Catholic churches, including burning and sacrilege.

Vandals have destroyed crosses, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist, and broken statues, raising concerns that anti-Catholic sentiment is on the rise in the nation. The french interior ministry  said , "there were 878 attacks on Christian buildings and cemeteries, including 252 in cemeteries, and 626 on places of worship in 2017."

Just than 1,000 incidents of vandalism against Christian structures and cemeteries were documented in France in 2018 alone.

"One religious building is disappearing in France every two weeks."

That is the conclusion of Edouard de Lamaze, president of the Observatoire du patrimoine religieux (Observatory of Religious Heritage) in Paris.

The historic Church of St. Sulpice in Paris was burned down on Sunday, March 17, 2019, shortly after noontime mass.The French Interior Ministry recorded 996 anti-Christian acts in 2019, an average of 2.7 per day. 

Just a smattering of recent church attacks in France include:

·         The fire which devastated St Paul in Corbeil-Essonnes in July 2020; 

·         The vandalism of Notre-Dame, Dijon, in February 2019;

·         The arson attack at Notre-Dame de Grâce in Eyguières, Provence, on Easter Sunday 2019; 

·         The desecrating of the tabernacle of Saint-Pierre in Montluçon, Auvergne, in April 2019;

·         The burning to the ground of Saint-Jacques in Grenoble, Rhone-Alpes, in January 2019;

·         The arson attack at Saint-Pierre du Matroi in Orléans, with ‘Allahu akbar’ scrawled on its surviving walls in July 2018;

·         The vandalism of the holy font and placing of the Koran beside the chopped-off arm of a broken statue by a Syrian woman with an axe at Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay, in April 2017. 

In a rare candid moment, German media reported at least 200 cases of damaged churches in the region of Bavaria alone every year.

Edouard de Lamaze, president of the Observatoire du patrimoine religieux (Observatory of Religious Heritage) in Paris, explained that only 15,000 Catholic sites are officially protected as historical monuments, while the other 30,000 buildings are practically left to decay.

A structural fire started in the cathedral's roof area on April 15, 2019, just before 18:20 CEST. Notre-Dame de Paris is a historic Catholic church located in Paris, France. The cathedral's spire had fallen, the majority of its roof had been destroyed, and its upper walls had been seriously damaged by the time the fire had been put out.

The blaze at Notre-Dame de Paris in 2019 was preceded by a fire at the Cathedral Saint-Alain of Lavaur in Tarn, southern France, and followed by fires at the cathedrals of Rennes and Nantes in 2020.

7th of July 2023 In Drosnay, in the North-Eastern area of France, as new violence has erupted in the nation, a 16th-century church was attacked and set ablaze. There is a video available that shows the church being completely destroyed by fire. Police believe this may have been a protest against the teen's death at the hands of a police officer in Paris.

Sources:

[whencallstheheart]

Just a thought about Madeleine St. John

What if the reason she needed land near a stream/lake/river is to pan for gold?

Maybe the person on the other end of those phone calls thinks/knows that there is gold in Hope Valley.

And, thought sending a woman with a child wouldn't look suspicious?

Those phone calls went from sounding like a business associate to possible blackmail.

She bought Bill's land. So maybe Bill and Nathan will find something when they go to fix the house?

I think her storyline is one of the best this season.

I think water definitely comes into play with whatever is happening because she was so adamant about it. Next episode we should be introduced to a new character given that this is the description for episode 8: Elizabeth encourages Gowen to seek forgiveness from Rosaleen to heal old wounds; Montague continues to raise suspicion.

This Montague person is presumably tied to Madeline. Maybe they also have something to do with the governor stuff that's coming up too. I'm thinking they're all the big bads of the season in some way but why and how remains to be seen. There's also this from episode 10: The town prepares for the governor's black-tie ball; while still reeling from the true intentions of Union City Holdings, Lucas decides to try to sway the governor to their side.

I think Madeline's a great character and she's finally giving me a storyline of Bill's I actually like which is a plus. I'm very intrigued to see what it all leads to.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Women in Black | Author: Madeleine St. John | Publisher: Text Publishing (2018)

[dzgrizzle]

From the article: ���L’Engle, who was a devout Episcopalian and served as the librarian and writer-in-residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, seems to share both [Martin Luther] King’s call to be “co-workers with God” and Tillich’s vision of kairos as a transcendent disruption of chronological time.”

[gsmattingly]

"The Creator" Review

Today I watched "The Creator" directed by Gareth Edwards It stars John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles and Gemma Chan. From IMDb, "Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child. " Basically it is a movie where the bad guys are, the humans from the United States. The good guys are the AI beings. I enjoyed this movie. I didn't think it was great but I liked the story. I liked the scenes and settings. I wouldn't say there was a lot of character development but I did like the main characters.

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS OF THE DAY FOR June 26

Bl. Teresa Fantou, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr of the Sisters of Charity in Arras, during the French Revolution, she was arrested by republican authorities and guillotined at Cambrai.Teresa and her three companions, Francoise Lanel, Madeleine Fontaine, and Joan Gerard. Feastday: June 26

St. Marie Magdalen Fontaine, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr. Martyred Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She was superior of the congregation’s house at Arras when the French Revolution erupted in the country With three members of her community, Mary Magdalen was guillotined at Cambrai, France. Feastday: June 26

Bl. Jane Gerald, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr of the Sisters of Charity in Arras, during the French Revolution, she was arrested by republican authorities and guillotined at Cambrai. Feastday: June 26

St. Hermogius. Benedictine bishop whose nephew, St. Pelagius, served as his hostage with the Moors. Born at Tuy, Spain, Hermogius founded Labrugia Monastery in Spanish Galicia, Spain, in 915. Taken prisoner by the Moors in Cordoba, he was released when St. Pelagius took his place. He retired to Ribas del Sil where he died. 942 A.D.

St. Pelagius. Martyr in Cordoba, Spain. Also called Pelayo, he was a young boy of Asturias who was left by his uncle as a hostage to the Moors of Cordoba. As he remained un-ransomed for three years, the Cordoban ruler Emir Abd al-Rahman III offered to free him if he would but renounce his Christianity and become a Muslim. He refused, and the emir ordered him tortured. Pelagius died after six hours of agony. Rhoswitha of Gandersheim, a Benedictine poetess, composed a poem in his honor. 912-925 A.D.

STS. JOHN AND PAUL, MARTYRS

ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVÁ DE BALAGUER, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE OPUS DEI

St. Corbican, 8th century. An Irish recluse in the Low Countries, now Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He gave his life to educating the local peasants.