Thanks Where Thanks is Due

In July, I posted a prayer request for my newborn nephew, Raphael, who suffered a grave and unexplained hemorrhage of the brain 6 weeks after birth. Thanks be to God, he survived and recovered remarkably well. Recent scans revealed permanent damage to a small part of his brain but, at this point, everything indicates that the damage is insignificant. This week we celebrated the feastday(Oct 24) of his glorious and holy patron, St. Raphael, whose name means "God has healed." I want to post again the Litany of St. Raphael, which my family received great comfort from praying throughout the crisis, and also a picture of the little fellow who caused all the fuss. Unfortunately, I don't have any recent photos uploaded, so this is a nice one from his baptism in July. Please offer a prayer for his continued health, as the cause of the bleeding remains undetermined. Certain viruses and bacteria cause internal bleeding, so he received medicines at the hospital which will eliminate any further danger on that account. However, he is still being tested for a rare blood disease which also causes hemorrhaging. We prayerfully entrust his future to the Lord and to His servant, St. Raphael.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King of Angels, have mercy on us.

Mary, Queen of the Angels, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, the Archangel, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed", pray for us.
Saint Raphael, preserved with the good Angels in God's kingdom, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, one of the seven spirits that stand before the Most High, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, ministering to God in heaven, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, noble and mighty Messenger of God, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, devoted to the Holy Will of God, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, who offered to God the prayers of the father Tobit, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, traveling-companion of the young Tobias, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, who guarded your friends from danger, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, who found a worthy wife for Tobias, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, who delivered Sarah from the evil spirits, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, who healed the father Tobit of his blindness, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, guide and protector on our journey through life, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, strong helper in time of need, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, conqueror of evil, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, guide and counselor of your people. pray for us.
Saint Raphael, protector of pure souls, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, patron Angel of youth, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of joy, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of happy meetings, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of chaste courtship, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of those seeking a marriage partner, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of a happy marriage, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Angel of home life, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, Guardian of the Christian family, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, protector of travelers, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, patron of health, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, heavenly physician, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, helper of the blind, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, healer of the sick, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, patron of physicians, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, consoler of the afflicted, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, support of the dying, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, herald of blessings, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, defender of the church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O glorious Saint Raphael the Archangel,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
God, you graciously gave the Archangel Raphael as a companion to Your servant Tobias on his journey. Grant us, Your servants, that we may ever enjoy his protection and be strengthened by his help. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Home again, home again Jiggity jig!

I've been out of town for ten days on a refreshing, inspiring retreat. My ears still ring with the ancient melodies of the Church and my mind lingers yet upon Her psalms and hymns. Maybe when I collect my thoughts and accustom myself to NOISE again, I'll post something serious for a change. My holiday included many blessed hours of quiet reading.

Keep the Doctor Away...

...with a rustic apple tart.

I went apple picking a couple of weeks ago and since that fateful day pies of every shape and kind abound in Domus Laxtonorum. A few new recipes emerged and took a place in the catalog of family favorites. The English Apple Pie - rather like a crisp except that the topping resembled cookie dough more than the traditional crumb - received high praise. The following Apple Galette recipe from William-Sonoma inspired another fortuitous baking enterprise:

Apple Galette

A galette is a rustic, free-form tart that is cooked on a baking sheet rather than in a tart pan. It can be prepared with a variety of seasonal fruits.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 lb. apples, such as Granny Smith or Jonagold,
peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 egg, lightly beaten
Sugar for sprinkling
1/4 cup apricot jam
Lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving

Directions

To make the dough, put the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Put the butter in another bowl and place both bowls in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the flour mixture to a food processor and pulse about 5 times to blend. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/3 cup of the water and pulse twice. Squeeze the dough with your fingers; it should hold together but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 Tbs. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of an oven. Position another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a second baking sheet with a Silpat nonstick liner and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into a 12-inch round. Brush off the excess flour. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Arrange the apple filling in the center of the dough, mounding the fruit slightly and leaving a 2-inch border. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the apples, pleating loosely. Brush the dough with the beaten egg. Lightly sprinkle sugar over the apples.

Bake until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the galette cool completely, about 1 hour.

Just before serving, in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the jam. Brush the apples with the jam and let cool. Cut the galette into 8 slices and accompany each slice with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 8.

I used a baking stone with greased wax paper, rather than a baking sheet with Silpat liner.

Next on my list: Swiss Apple Pie and Apple Claufoutis

A Good Match

Oh.My.Goodness. I just completed an INTENSE chess match.

For those unaware of my (minor) obsession, take note. I never tire of playing chess. It began with a family friend in junior high. Then, someone bought me a board for my birthday. After watching the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, my younger sister and I played once a day for a period of several months. The college chess club sealed my fate. I bought books with chess exercises, strategy and trivia. At one point, my college roommates feared for my health, when I took up end game puzzles as a regular evening pastime.

For nerds(I played black):

1. e4 e5
2. Qd1h5 Nb8c6
3. Bf1c4 Qd8e7
4. Nb1c3 Ng8f6
5. Qh5f3 d6
6. h3 Bc8e6
7. Bc4xe6 Qe7xe6
8. Nc3b5 O-O-O
9. Qf3e3 a6
10. Nb5a7 Nc6xa7
11. Qe3xa7 Qe6c4
12. Qa7a8 Kc8d7
13. Qa8xb7 Qc4xc2
14. f3 Qc2c4
15. Ng1e2 Qc4b5
16. Qb7a7 Bf8e7
17. Qa7e3 d5
18. a4 Qb5c6
19. d3 d4
20. Qe3g5 Rh8g8
21. O-O Nf6xe4
22. Qg5xe5 Ne4f6
23. Qe5xd4 Kd7c8
24. Qd4c3 Qc6xc3
25. Ne2xc3 Rd8xd3
26. Rf1e1 Be7b4
27. Re1e3 Rg8d8
28. Kg1h2 Rd3xe3
29. Bc1xe3 Bb4xc3
30. bxc3 Rd8d3
31. Be3d4 Kc8d7
32. Ra1b1 Kd7c6
33. Rb1b3 Kc6d5
34. Rb3b7 Kd5c6
35. Rb7b8 Nf6d5
36. Bd4xg7 Nd5xc3
37. a5 Nc3d5
38. Rb8h8 Rd3a3
39. Rh8xh7 Ra3xa5
40. Bg7f8 Ra5a2
41. Rh7xf7 a5
42. h4 a4
43. h5 Nd5e3
44. h6 Ra2xg2
45. Kh2h1 Rg2g5
46. Rf7f6 Kc6b5
47. Rf6f4 Rg5h5
48. Kh1g1 Ne3c4
49. Rf4f7 c5
50. h7 a3
51. Bf8e7 Rh5h6
52. Be7f6 Nc4d6
53. Rf7d7 Nd6e8
54. h8=Q Rh6xh8
55. Bf6xh8 Kb5b4
56. f4 c4 57. f5 c3
58. Rd7d8 Ne8c7
59. Rd8b8 Nc7b5
60. f6 c2
61. Rb8c8 Nb5c3
62. Rc8b8 Kb4c4
63. Rb8c8 Kc4b3
64. Rc8b8 Kb3a2
65. f7 c1=Q
66. Kg1g2 Qc1g5
67. Kg2h3 Qg5f5
68. Kh3h2 Qf5xf7
69. Bh8xc3 Qf7f4 0-1

Great Catholic Men of History

Christendom College, my alma mater, now provides a website where you can download recordings of notable speeches made on campus, or made elsewhere by faculty of the College. Two of the topics particularly excite me - these were lectures given by the beloved founder of Christendom and well-known Catholic historian, Dr. Warren Carroll:
Blessed Charles of Austria: A Man of Peace in a World at War

Charles V: The Man Who Saved Christendom