Leanne Shawler, Artist

Jennifer Fulwiler asks us to pick a saint for the year . I don't seem to rate a full on saint. Last year was a blessed (Bl. John of Parma), and so was this one. Before I clicked on the link, I prayed that God would lead me to a saint that would encourage me to spend more time with God, being prayerful, still, listening and all that. Pretty sure God has a sense of humor. Because I ended up with Blessed Margaret of Castello . Here's her bio : Born a blind, lame, deformed, hunchback midget {in 1247} When she was six years old, her noble parents walled her up beside a chapel; she could not get out, but could attend Mass and receive the Sacraments. After 14 years of imprisonment, her parents took her to a shrine to pray for a cure. When none occurred, they abandoned her. She became a lay Dominican, and spent her life in prayer and charity. When she died {13 April, 1320}, the townspeople thronged her funeral, and demanded she be buried in a tomb inside the church. The pr...

I first heard about the feast of St. Lucia from a Norwegian friend when we worked in the office together. So I made her these buns based on this King Arthur Flour recipe . They were okay, a bit dry and tough. Turns out it was the way I made them. Pretty sure I over-kneaded.  Or maybe the yeast wasn't fresh enough. Anyway. So I had a second crack at it last night, in honor of my friend and, of course, for St. Lucia. They're yummy. And St. Lucia? She's a virgin martyr saint from Roman persecution times who is very popular in Scandinavia for some reason. ( Wikipedia has an opinion .) The girls dress in white wearing a crown of candles in their hair at the church service. Her name means "light" and in this Advent time of waiting for the Great Light of Jesus to be born, it's an appropriate saint for the season. A little saint-light who had eyes only for Christ, no matter what her culture demanded of her. For me though, it's a day to remember my...