Thursday, December 31, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 7

On the seventh day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Seven Ukrainian eggs...




Six handmade rosaries
Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 6






On the sixth day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Six handmade rosaries...




















Five Alderman originals
Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas
Loome Gifts gave to me
Five Alderman originals

(Courtesy of artist Matthew Alderman)




Four Trappist caramels
Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree


Monday, December 28, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 4

On the fourth day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Four Trappist caramels...











Three baptismal gowns
Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 3



On the third day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Three baptismal gowns...





















Two Marian statues
And an icon in a bare tree.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 2





On the second day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
Two Marian statues...









And an icon in a bare tree.


Friday, December 25, 2009

12 Days of Christmas from Loome Sacred Gifts: Day 1



On the first day of Christmas,
Loome Gifts gave to me
An icon in a bare tree.



Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas Gifts from North Central Publishing

Loome's latest e-Catalog is taking a festive turn this week. We are offering a selection of beautifully crafted Christmas books from the now defunct North Central Publishing Company.

Prior to its closure in the 1980s, North Central Publishing printed a limited run of Christmas books each year as gifts for its best customers. The books varied on theme from the Gospel of Mark to seasonal short stories set in Minnesota.


We've come across a few curious volumes that have a connection to James P. Shannon, former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis. Shannon resigned as auxiliary bishop in 1968, because he objected to the encyclical Humanae Vitae. He left the priesthood and wrote the book Reluctant Dissenter. Before he was bishop, he was president of the University of St. Thomas.



We were surprised to find that one copy of Worship for Christmas contains Shannon's bookplate. The plate bears the image of the UST's Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, designed by French architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray.








Another of the Christmas books, All Men Seek God, contains the text of one of Shannon's Christmas sermons. It bears a note from Shannon in the front:

This little book contains my sermon at the Midnight Mass at St. Helena's on Christmas 1966. I am sending it to a few of my friends in the hope that it might be of some interest to them.

Finally, one of the books published outside the Christmas season presents a collection of Shannon's writings as a college president. The book is titled Shannon: A College President Speaks His Mind.

We feel as though we are being haunted by the ghosts of bishops past.

Friday, December 18, 2009

In the News: Loome Sacred Gifts

From The Catholic Spirit, Official Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis:

New gift shop focuses on quality, local and monastery-made goods
by Maria Wiering

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

From the Dowry of Mary to the Stripping of the Altars

Five hardy souls met last Wednesday evening (temperature outside was -6 degrees and falling!) to discuss the final chapters of Part I of The Stripping of the Altars. In these chapters, Eamon Duffy portrays in great detail, the pervading faith of the English people. England at that time was referred to as "Mary's Dowry" which reflected the great devotion given to the Virgin throughout England in the middle ages.

Our discussion concentrated on the numerous prayers, rubrics, rituals, and charms used by everyone in their daily lives. Duffy portrays this as an all encompassing practice of a faith that permeated every facet of the everyday life of the people. Then, we asked ourselves with a faith so deeply held, so all pervading, how was it all lost in a matter of two generations? How was England transformed from a vibrant Catholic nation into a Protestant country in such a short period of time? Hopefully, we will find the answers to those questions when next we read Part II of The Stripping of the Altars.

Finishing Eamon Duffy's masterful work will be a wonderful way to end our year of reading and give us a good start for a new year of reading the great literary works of our faith. I look forward to sharing this next year of reading with you. We are truly blessed.

May all of you have a blessed Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year,
Misfit Buzz

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Happy 40th Birthday, Diocese of Phoenix

Lordy, lordy, look who's forty! A timely bibliosite fell out of one of our books recently. This newspaper clipping, circa 1969, announces the creation of the Diocese of Phoenix, which celebrates its 40th birthday today.

(Click on the article to enlarge.)


Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for the Diocese of Phoenix.