If you look in the distance, in the middle of the photo, you'll see my friend, Angela, cantoring. You may remember that she is the awesome woman on the shrine committee who offered to send you all prayer cards and medals. And she has a truly beautiful voice, by the way!
Me and This Cross I Embrace, just after we had venerated St. Gianna's gloves. It was SO great to meet her in person! She was so sweet and also beautiful, I might add. So tall and skinny! It was awesome to spend time with her, I just wish we'd had more time to hang out. But I loved that I got to experience Mass with her. I have now gone to Mass with three fellow bloggers (well, five, if you count my two "in real life" friends who also blog!)
I learned something new after the Mass - St. Gianna saved her wedding dress because if she had a son who became a priest, she wanted him to make a vestment from it. Her son didn't become a priest, so her husband was kind enough to give pieces of it to make this vestment, which was worn that evening by the main celebrant.
Here you can see the pieces that were actually taken from her wedding gown - in the trim on Our Lady's dress (by her hands and then downward) and the collars on both St. Gianna's and her little girl's dresses as well.
The four roses here represent St. Gianna's four children, and the two rose buds represent her miscarriages.
I didn't take any pictures of the gloves, and I wish I had. There were three pairs that we could venerate, and I think TCIE and I got to two of them. No matter what your beliefs and whether you think relics hold any special value or not, it's just so amazing to think that we touched something that was hers. Something she wore, the holy and incredible woman that she was. She is a beautiful model for me during this struggle of infertility, to respect life at all times and to always put that ahead of my own wants and desires.
Can't wait til next year's feast day Mass!
thanks for sharing the photos! we definitely need to make a road trip down to the shrine!!!
ReplyDeletep.s. i love your dress! where did you get it??
JB - It's funny you should ask! We went shopping that afternoon and Ryan bought some clothes for work that he decided to change into for the Mass. I was dressed more casually, so I was like "I want to buy something nice to wear tonight!" He said I could, and I found that dress at Ban.ana Repu.blic for $30!!
ReplyDeleteI will definately be going every year from now on :)
ReplyDeleteI wish we had more time to hang out, too! And who r U calling skinny, miss skinny-minnie?? I think that's the first thing I said to Sew after I met you- how skinny you were! (Not like unhealthy skinny, but you know what I mean!)
It was really special for me to share in that Mass with you, too. Thanks for letting me sit with you guys!
JB, isn't her dress awesome? I asked her the same thing- it's Banana Republic.
I'm crying here...my best friend gave me roses after my last miscarriage and it had 4 roses(bloomed) and 4 rosebuds(the babies I have lost). What an awesome vestment and well, it's kinda of God's way of telling me things will be okay. I need to get closer to St. Gianna. You are so sweet for sharing these photos(truly). God bless and hope you start having some miracles enter your life :)
ReplyDeletei'm so jealous! banana is so much better in the US!!!! it's so overpriced here in the north country!!!!
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