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O I have longed with an intolerable desire.

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The Study of Biblical Greek: A Tableau Vivant

[warriors-of-god]

Old picture taken of four young seminarians.

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#gpoy

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Hey friends, I’m back in the US and tired so I don’t want to add y’all individually.

If you want to hear about cool anglo-catholic seminary things and how much I love cats, find me at ancilla-dei. 

Anyone is welcome! Even if we just rage-read each other! But be nice, etc. That is literally in the bible. 

[sponsa-dei]

It was the very best day. The mass was two hours long (oops) and everyone - even our evangelical and non-religious friends - loved it and wept functionally the entire time. 

Leaving for the UK on Thursday. 

O Lord, what blessing, you ridiculous, perfect love. 

[sponsa-dei]

A fun fact is that Carpenter and I got married 

(!) 

Still not sure what to do about tumblr and my future re: church but here’s a pic of me exhausted but married to the dude I met at Compline <3

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Vital

I did the thing. I started a new tumblr for a new time of life (or whatever). A life of discernment, to be sure, but of a different sort. If you want the new tumblr, just let me know. Likely to feature religious art, seminary ramblings, and cat pics. This one will hang out for awhile and then be archived privately. xo

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The Great Honeymoon Sojourn is just a few weeks away. We managed to get some truly fabulous apartments and cottages for very reasonable prices. And also a castle for a night (!) We'll be driving and ferrying and perhaps taking a bus or two. For two weeks, we'll be traveling to: London Oxford Coventry The Lake District Edinburgh Aberdeen The Isle of Skye Glasgow Belfast Galway This castle outside Galway So send me your recommendations for churches/restaurants/distilleries/libraries!

[spiralingquestions]

Commemoration of St. Mary Magdalene raised to a Feast

It was announced on Friday Pope Francis has decided to raise the celebration of the memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to the dignity of a liturgical Feast.

“Therefore it is right that the liturgical celebration of this woman has the same grade of feast given to the celebration of the apostles in the General Roman Calendar, and shines a light on the special mission of this woman, who is an example and model for every woman in the Church.”

[sponsa-dei]

I used to write to my nuns with these long, philosophical musings on eschatology, faith, ethics, etc. etc. and I swear I just sent them a letter that was functionally three pages of "please pray for me!!!! I'm having an inordinately high ratio of anxiety dreams about parking tickets!!!!" And they're probably all like, "phew. Dodged a bullet with that one."

[ladyapostles]

Viktor Vasnetsov, Maria Magdalene (mural for St. Vladimir’s Cathedral, Kiev)

The red egg comes from an old Christian legend. Mary Magdalene was invited to a banquet held by the emperor Tiberius and, holding a plain egg in her hand, proclaimed “Christ is risen!” The emperor burst out laughing, saying that a man rising from the dead was as likely as the egg turning red in her hand. Before the words were out of his mouth, the egg was a brilliant blood red, and Mary continued preaching before the imperial court.

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I once read a poem that described God as "the only thing for our thought. The only thing worth thinking." And O God is that true. My chest tightens and my eyes sting in the truth of it. I'm looking out this little window and it's this golden cosmic lung drawing all the world's sweet light and breath into my heart and carrying out the magnitude of my love this night which no song or prayer or body could ever possibly contain.

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Things: Official Break From Rehearsal Edition

Hi tumblr. Lots of life has been happening these past few months. Good things, batshit things, prayerful things. I'm currently in my last week in residence as a Chant Scholar at an Anglican seminary. I'm staying in a tiny old cloister and spending five hours a day in church. Have been blessed to end up de facto big sister to some lovely 20-year-old organists. Have spent many hours productively brooding near a lake. Wrapped up my job a few weeks ago. Marrying the literal greatest person in the world in just over three weeks (kyrie eleison I am so excited I can barely contain myself). Then we'll be in Europe and then moving across the country (christie eleison) for seminary. I'm trying to figure out how to navigate tumblr in such a tiny church world. I miss writing about things and checking in here in a way where I feel a bit more free to post extensively about faith and assorted religious meditations than a place like facebook. I sort of have to operate assuming that anyone from my mom to my bishop could find this thing, which is cool, but also....(sigh).....tricky. I've also been thinking about starting another tumblr account that I can make a bit more openly public. A nice, unexpected thing is that this blue trash website has actually served as a really wonderful diary of sorts. Like I can look back on the last four years and have this tangible record of God's infinite (if consistently demented) mercy. So I'm holding that question, as the nuns say. Anyway, I hope you're all so so well these days. I am, all things considered. It's an exercise in eternal hilarity to begin to think of myself as a priest and as a wife, but you know, that is exactly, remarkably who I am.

[missalsfromiram-deactivated2020]

“Madonna of the Smokestacks”

Don’t know the source.

[webuiltthepyramids]

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Forever reblog. 

[servodemaria]

[thegetty]

Clocking in at a giant 400 square feet, this tapestry, Triumph of Bacchus, teems with tiny details and hidden narratives.

Here are just three:

At bottom center, Bacchus poses on the world’s largest wine fountain.

To the left, a sad, Eeyore-like donkey waits for satyrs and men to unload grapes from his back.

To the right, a rowdy monkey rides a camel that carries wooden barrels—presumably to be filled with wine.

The tapestry is one of the highlights of the exhibition Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV. (L.A. folks: final weekend!)

More on The Iris: A Tour of the Triumph of Bacchus

Triumph of Bacchus (overall view and details), about 1560, design by Giovanni da Udine under the supervision of Raphael; woven at the workshop of Frans Geubels, Brussels. Wool, silk, and gilt metal-wrapped thread. Courtesy of Le Mobilier National. Image © Le Mobilier National. Photo by Lawrence Perquis

[openmarginalis]

Book of Hours by “Circle of Willem Vrelant”, Bruges, Belgium ca. 1450-1455, via Walters Art Museum, Creative Commons