Muñequitos Monasticos: Update

Since I made a Benedictine in a cuculla, I figured I'd give the Cistercian one too

Cistercian in Cuculla

What's In The Bag?

Lot's of Tootsie Rolls. That's one of my lasting Halloween memories, that, pink bubble gum, and granny candy.

And the Smarties, the real ones, not the Nestle Crunch twin of M&Ms. The candy bars were premium as were candies like Jolly Ranchers and Nerds. Then you had Sweet Tarts and their candy coated cousin. I don't remember the name of that candy. At a lower tier you had those cinnamon flavored red dot things and candy corns. The Tootsie Roll Pops and the Blow Pops were good, the generic smaller lolly pops fell into the same tier as the candy corns. I'm rambling.

At the end, all that was usually left was Tootsie Rolls.

Clip Art Update

I made an alternate version of the Pellican in Her Piety clip art. I like this one better than the other one.

Pie Pellicane: Updated version

Muñequitos Monasticos: The Black Monks

The Order of Saint Benedict. Back in the 500s a man name Benedict of Nursia created a rule for monastic life. He never found an order, but that didn't stop one from forming and growing. Today the direct followers of the rule is the Order of Saint Benedict, but you also have other orders such as the Cistercians, which I have previously illustrated, and the Calmaldolese who also follow St. Benedict's rule. The Benedictine's focus is on work, prayer and self reliance. Thus you get the mottoes That in all things God may be glorified and ora et labora (pray and work/labor),

Here I have an old monk of the OSB. He is in the black colored habit, thus the nick name "Black Monks"(not o be confused with the "Black Friars", the Dominicans). In the second pic he is wearing a cuculla, a robe worn by professed Monks.

Benedictine Nuns post here

There Really Is A Spoon

I created this in college, it was for a Metals/Jewelry class, the assignment was to make a spoon. It is made from copper, but it might be copper and brass. It's all tarnished so I won't be sure until I remove the oxidation. It is stylized in the form of a scorpion. I emphasize stylized because a scorpion has eight legs and pincers, but I got the most important part, the tail. The tail is what makes the scorpion, or else it could just be  lobster or some other pincer having invertebrate.

I think someone interpreted this piece as a statement on the dangers of drugs. A spoon being an implement used to heat up certain drugs and the stinger representing the poisonous aspect. I can see that, but actually I just intended to make a cool looking spoon. Funny how art works.

It's Friday

Yeah, I know. Give a try.

Saint Luke the Evangelist

One of the Evangelist. Was converted by Paul and accompanied him. He wrote the Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles. He was a practicing physician and legend has it that he was an artist, so me being an artist took that route in the illustration for this post.

He is a patron for Artist, brewers, physicians, gold smiths and notaries

Sancte Luca, ora pro nobis

Bishop Friar

Today we officially get a new bishop. Most Reverend Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv. will be ordained and installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah. I'm a fan of heraldry and figured I'd post his coat of arms.

Image from the Diocese of Savannah Website

The motto Pax Et Bonum was a greeting St. Francis of Assisi used. Other symbols of the Bishop's Franciscan roots is the Tau cross on his personal arms, which are on the right division of the shield, and the San Damiano style processional cross behind the shield. On the left division of the shield is the Diocese's arms.
The green hat with the tassels represents his rank as Bishop.

You can read more details here

Clip Art XIII

The Globus Cruciger. No doubt you have seen the globus cruciger before, in paintings of monarchs or in religious artwork. It is a symbol of authority and a symbol of Christ's dominion over the world.

Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada

St. Teresa of Ávila or St. Teresa of Jesus. This Spanish saint is one of the heavy weights. She received visions and was a mystical writer. Founded the Discalced Carmelite reform and was declared a Doctor of the Church. This great saint has many quotables, like the bookmark of St. Teresa:

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices.

She is a patron of Spain, loss of parents, those ridiculed for their piety, against sickness, and those in need of grace.


Sancta Teresia Abulensis, ora pro nobis.

Preaching Sisters

Dominican Sisters, part of the feminine branch of the Order of Preachers, the other part being the nuns.
Here is a sister in one the modern habits.

Dominican Friar here 

Dominican Friar animated gif here

Cooperator Brother post here

Our Lady of the Rosary

This day in 1571 Don Juan de Austria and the Holy League defeated Ali Pasha and his Ottoman fleet at Lepanto. This victory stopped the Ottoman Empire and stemmed the spread of Islam to the west.
Pope St. Pius V(the first patron of this blog - look to the right) called for Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. In thanksgiving for the victory he instituted the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Carthusian Elixer

If you are lucky enough to have a bottle of Chartreuse, today is the day to take a sip or two.

Sancti Brunonis, ora pro nobis

The Struggle

In an interview with PBS's Frontline, Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete said this: "As a priest, I deal with good and evil all the time. Well, first of all, as a human being, I live good and evil all the time, within me."

He was being interviewed about the attack of the WTC on Sept 11, 2001. What stuck out to me was his admittance that even as a person that acts in persona Christi he is still a broken human. Within us all is that struggle between good and evil. A cliché idea, try and use that as the idea for a work of Art and you get snickers and people rolling their eyes, but as cliché as it is, it's the truth.

I don't know, I guess I take some comfort in knowing that even a man like the Monsignor faces the same conflict we do.

Here's the interview.

Francis Bernadone

St. Francis of Assisi, gave up everything for God. He took the Gospel seriously, took humility and self sacrifice to a new level religiously, hence the Friars Minors, minor meaning they considered themselves the least. This minor friar made a huge impact in the Church.


Sanctus Franciscus, ora pro nobis.

et cum spiritu tuo

New translation of the Roman Missal. We started implementing some things. They placed laminated cards with the changes in the pews. I'm kind of disappointed that the cards don't have any of the gestures indicated on them like the striking of the chest at the Confiteor and the bow at the Creed.


55 days
7 more Sundays