San Ramón Nonato

It the feast day of St. Raymond Nonnatus a Cardinal and Master General of the Mercedarian Order. He was from Spanish nobility and despite the attempts of his father to keep him out the religious life he eventually became a  priest, receiving the habit from St. Peter Nolasco, the founder of the Mercedarians . He spent his entire estate ransoming Christian captives from Muslim captors. In one instance he gave himself  as a hostage to free a captive. He was sentenced to death, but was spared because of his ransom value. He was tortured while imprisoned, yet was able to convert some of his guards. To keep him from preaching a padlock was fixed to his lips. He returned to Barcelona after being ransomed.

He gets the last name Nonnatus (not born) from him being taken from his mother's womb by Caesarian section after his mother's death.

He is the patron of  babies, expectant mothers, and those who are falsely accused.

Sancti Raymúndi Nonnáti, ora pro nobis

Muñequitos Monasticos: The Order of Mercy

The Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives, or the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, known as the Mercedarians.
Founded in Barcelona by St. Peter Nolasco in 1218. Initially the order was comprised by ordained and lay monks and knights, by the 14th century the knights were suppressed. They would ransom captive Christians from the Muslims, often taking the place of the captives until the ransom was paid. Today they run parishes, schools, hospital chaplaincies and foreign missions. They take the fourth vow to give one’s life for someone in danger of losing their Christian faith.

Clip Art X

A representation of St. John the Baptist. A lamb on a book of the Seven Seals. I also added a long slender cross which is another representation. You can see this symbol on the Puerto Rican coat of arms.

CLIP ART BEING REVISED

This Blog Needs More Cowbell

La Jala Jala!

Note the cowbell mastery of Roberto Roena

St. Bernard de Clairvaux

It's the feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He was a Benedictine monk that reformed the Cistertercians, fought the Albigensian heresy,  preached in France, Germany and Itlay and helped organize the second Crusade. His brother is Saint Humberline. He is a Doctor of the Church and the first Cistercian on the Calender of Saints.

I just realized he has a lot in common with St. Dominic. Some of his representations include a beehive, bees, a Cistercian with beehive, a Cistercian with a chained demon and also like Saint Dominic, St. Bernard is represented by a dog, a white one.

One of my favorite quotes from St. Bernard that has helped me out;

If the winds of temptation arise; If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary; If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.

 Sanctus Bernardus Claraevallensis, ora pro nobis

Clip Art IX

Next week on the 22nd is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Here is my interpratation in vector form.

The Assumption

All-powerful and ever-living God,you raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goaland come to share her glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever.– Amen. - From the Liturgy of the Hours 

Bunnies!

One day, when  I was mowing the lawn in the "wild" section of my back yard I stumbled upon some furry toads. Okay I didn't stumble, I almost mulched them. It is common for me to have near and not so near misses with toads, so when I saw these hopping things, toads came to mind. They were not furry toads though, they were BUNNIES. Tiny little Cottontail rabbits. You'd think they would have run for dear life and zipped out of the yard, but I actually had to corral them out of the yard. I did this fighting every urge to pick them up, because those little guys were cute. Well, that's my rabbit story, hope you liked it.

I took this pic recently, I found this one in my neighbor's front yard. I don't know what the life expectancy is of a Cottontail, but maybe this fellow is one of the little guys I chased out out of the yard. This pic has a bad case of red eye, either that or this was a mutant rabbit about to zap me with laser beams from it's eyes.

Muñequitos Monasticos: Order of Friars Minor

The Franciscans, one of if not the most recognizable of all the male religious orders. When the idea of monks and friars comes to mind it's probably the brown habit of the Franciscans that comes to mind. Started by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, spread from Italy to the world. There are many different Franciscan observances and communities, this caricature is based on the actual Ordo Fratum Minorum, as opposed to Conventual or Capuchin Franciscans. (those cartoons will come later)

Order of Friars Minor Conventual  post here

Poor Clares post here

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo! No, not the capital of the Dominican Republic, but the man that the country and capital is named after, the highly regarded preacher Saint Dominic de Guzmán. It's his feast day!

St. Dominic was born in Caraluega, Burgos, Castile. Was a canon out of the Cathedral of Osma and had a life long apostolate combating heresies, especially the Albigensian. He worked with the Cistercian Blessed Peter of Castelnau and was a friend to the Poor Clare Saint Amata of Assisi. He founded the Order of Friars Preachers, who are most commonly referred to by their nickname, the Dominicans.  He had two brothers, Antonio and Blessed Manés de Guzmán. Antonio became a secular priest and Blessed Manés joined Dominic as a Friar Preacher, not bad for Blessed Mamá  Joan, her sons did well.  He died 1221 in Bologna, Italy.

It is said that Blessed Joan had a vision while she was pregnant with St. Dominic, that her unborn child was a dog that would set the world on fire with the torch it carried in his mouth.


Sanctus Dominicus de Guzmán, ora pro nobis

Clip Art VIII

August is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Muñequitos Monasticos: Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church

With these caricatures I planned on doing the ancient orders first, then working into the reforms then the newer orders and communities. I'm jumping ahead and doing a new community, the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church. They were formed in 2008 out of the Diocese of Spokane after 15 nuns from a schismatic convent rejoined the Catholic Church.