At Considerable Cost

Today is the feast day of St. John Southworth , one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales .   Tonight we will celebrate as we feast on a traditional English Sunday roast (on a Wednesday). Our mantle, ready for the feast day, with an image of St. John Southworth and a garland of the flag of St. George  Ten years ago, I had one of the greatest privileges of my life as I was able to attend the mass held in honour of his feast day.   His feast day is only officially celebrated in the diocese of Westminster. That morning, I attended mass in the St. George and the English Martyrs chapel in Westminster Cathedral .   It was the first time I was at a primarily Latin mass and it was the first and only time I attended mass on a feast day when the priest was able to say, "And there he is," as we were able to look over at the saint's very remains in the chapel. Pictured above are Southworth's remains, as they are displayed in the feretory in the St. ...

Two whole years have gone by since the New Year's Eve morning when I checked myself into the hospital to be induced.   My due date was January 2 and December 31 was my doctor's first day from vacation.   Plus, it gave us a few extra days for Joey to be home from work since we had no family coming to help us.  I had to check in at six in the morning and Joey stayed at home with the girls so they could wake up at their normal time and not have a hurried, hectic morning.   Clare.'s godparents, Ray and Leslie, offered to watch the girls.   Joey drove them to their house and got to the hospital after nine o'clock.   After ten o'clock, I told Joey to get the nurse and she immediately called the doctor, without checking on me.   Later, I found out that my doctor told her that when I said it was time to page her because I would know.   Our sweet Thomas Becket was born at 10:59.  We named him after the English mart...