Saying Good-bye to Our Dog Murphy

After a long bought of suffering for our family pet, we needed to say good-bye to our wonderful dog, Murphy. He will be greatly missed by all. And never forgotten.

WE LOVE YOU!

Auriesville 2016 Photo Log

After missing the last few years, the Hickman family participated in the 10.5 mile long Pilgrimage walk to the Shrine of the Jesuit Martyrs in Auriesville, NY.

It was a good day of faith, family and camaraderie.  The pilgrimage climaxed with a Solemn High Mass in the Shrine basilica on the very ground where several Jesuit priests were cruelly tortured and eventually killed by their Native captives.  In addition to the many converts these courageous missionary priests and faithful help make among the Indians of the region, a flower would also sprout from that very location, one nicknamed the "Lily of the Mohawks", Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

Gothic Architecture and the Cathedral

The windows of the Gothic cathedral and the emphasis on light as it flooded these enormous and majestic buildings are perhaps its most salient characteristic. It makes sense, then, that the architect would have appreciated the theological significance of light. Saint Augustine had conceived of human beings' acquisition of knowledge in terms of divine illumination: God enlightens the mind with knowledge. This idea of God pouring light into the minds of men proved a potent metaphor for architects in the Gothic tradition, in which physical light was meant to evoke thoughts of its divine source.

Quoted from How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas Woods, Jr., Ph.D.