Posts
Rachel’s Corner-For breakfast try a “Flaeskeaeggekage”
· Bucket List Trip: Dubrovnik, “the Pearl of the Adriatic,”
· Celebrate National Bloody Mary Day
Best Place to visit in January: Phoenix, Arizona
Average temperature: 45°F - 65°F
Phoenix is an ideal December destination for outdoor enthusiasts who love desert landscapes and warm weather. With daytime highs around 70°F, you can hike Camelback Mountain, enjoy a hot air balloon ride, or visit the Desert Botanical Garden's "Las Noches de las Luminarias" to experience stunning holiday lights. Phoenix also offers festive activities like ice skating at CityScape and the Holidays at the Heard event, celebrating Native American culture. For those seeking both adventure and festive charm, Phoenix ranks among the best places to visit in December in the USA.
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
Dinner Menu
o Drink
o Soup
o Salad
o Dessert
🇩🇪 Stuttgart – Swabian Resilience & Eucharistic Anchors
A week of civic resilience, Eucharistic clarity, military recreation, and cultural endurance
Day 1 – Fri, Jan 2 – Arrival & Base Orientation
Lodging: Army Lodging – Panzer Hotel ($65–$95/night)
Evening walk in Stuttgart city center (Königstraße)
Orientation at MWR Stuttgart Fitness Centers
Day 2 – Sat, Jan 3 – Civic Anchors & Recreation
Morning visit to Stiftskirche Stuttgart (Protestant anchor, civic witness)
Afternoon Outdoor Rec trip: Black Forest hike (~€40, transport + guide)
Evening bowling or intramural sports via MWR Stuttgart
Day 3 – Sun, Jan 4 – Sunday Mass & Civic Witness (Epiphany Vigil)
Sunday Catholic Mass at Patch Chapel: 9:00 AM (Stuttgart Religious Support Office)
Afternoon civic witness in Ludwigsburg
– Baroque palace and civic squares
Evening resilience: base community center family activities
Day 4 – Mon, Jan 5 – Civic Resilience & Fitness
Excursion to Tübingen – university town and civic witness
Afternoon workout at MWR Stuttgart Fitness Centers
Dinner: Swabian Maultaschen (stuffed pasta)
Day 5 – Tue, Jan 6 – Holy Day Mass & Fortress Witness (Epiphany)
Epiphany Mass at Patch Chapel: 9:00 AM (Stuttgart Religious Support Office)
Civic witness: visit Ulm Cathedral (tallest church spire in the world)
Outdoor Rec trip: Rhine Valley castles (~€50)
Evening bowling league
Day 6 – Wed, Jan 7 – Monastic Clarity & Outdoor Rec
Visit Maulbronn Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage, monastic clarity)
Outdoor Rec trip: Lake Constance excursion (~€60)
Evening resilience at base community center
Day 7 – Thu, Jan 8 – Firelight Finale
Rooftop vigil with candlelight at Panzer Hotel
Ritual Act: Pour wine into a chalice, light a candle, and name one fortress that became mercy
Final workout at MWR Stuttgart Fitness Centers before departure
🔑 Key Notes
Lodging: Panzer Hotel is the quarters hub; book early for Epiphany season.
Outdoor Rec: Black Forest, Rhine castles, and Lake Constance are highlights.
Fitness: Stuttgart Fitness Centers open daily; intramural sports and bowling leagues available.
Masses: Sunday and Holy Day Masses at Patch Chapel anchor the week (Jan 4, Jan 6).
Creeks, rivers, and other forms of moving water, including ice, manifest the flow of life itself. A gurgling stream or rushing river, even in midwinter's rest, is the sign that new life is coming forth, even when it is not yet perceptible in a snow-covered landscape. Our life in Christ begins through the saving water of Baptism; since this is so, we have an obligation to protect and save the water. Water pollution is widespread, denying safe drinking water to millions of people.
Overview of January
The first
eleven days of January fall during the liturgical season known as Christmas which is represented by the
liturgical color white (and gold) — the color of light, a symbol of joy, purity
and innocence (absolute or restored).
The remaining
days of January are the beginning of liturgical season known as Tempus per
Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Epiphany),
which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope,
as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope
of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious
resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during prayer of Offices and
Masses of Ordinary Time.
Feasts
for January 2025
1. MARY, MOTHER OF
GOD, OCTAVE DAY OF CHRISTMAS, Solemnity
2. Basil the Great;
Gregory Nazianzen, Memorial
3. Most Holy Name of
Jesus , Opt. Mem.
4. EPIPHANY OF THE
LORD, Solemnity
5. John Neumann,
Memorial
6. André Bessette
(USA) , Opt. Mem.
7. Raymond of
Penyafort, Opt. Mem.
11. Baptism of the
Lord, Feast
13. Hilary, Opt. Mem.
17. Anthony, Memorial
18. SECOND SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
20. Fabian;
Sebastian, Opt. Mem.
21. Agnes, Memorial
22. Day of Prayer for
Unborn (USA), Opt. Mem.
23. Vincent of
Saragossa (US), Marianne Cope (US), Opt. Mem.
24. Francis de Sales,
Memorial
25. THIRD SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME, (Sunday of the Word of God), Sunday
26. Timothy and
Titus, Memorial
27. Angela Merici,
Opt. Mem.
28. Thomas Aquinas,
Memorial
31. John Bosco, Memorial
The Winter Season
The opening days of January may be cold and nature bleak, but the domestic church still glows warm with the peace and joy of Christmas. We dedicate the New Year to Mary on the January 1st Solemnity honoring her as Mother of God; and on January 7, the Solemnity of Epiphany, we rejoice with her, as her Son is adored by the three Wise Men.
Herald John, who ushered in the Advent season, is present once again to close Christmastide on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (The First Luminous Mystery), and to open the Season of Ordinary Time. He points to Jesus, the Lamb of God who unites time and eternity in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and even January’s diminishing darkness seems to echo St. John’s prayer: “He must increase, and I must decrease.”
In this liturgical season the Church eagerly follows Our Lord as he gathers his apostles and announces his mission. At Cana’s wedding feast (The Second Luminous Mystery) he performs his first public miracle at the request of his Mother, and his disciples saw his glory and believed in him.
We, his present-day disciples, pray for a like faith as we contemplate the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb and the unique role of the Blessed Mother in the plan of salvation. May we wholeheartedly obey her words of counsel: “Do whatever he tells you.”
January Travel
January 1-Coney
Island Plunge NY
January 1-11 See
the Trains in the Garden NY
January 1-30 Jasper in January
CANADA
January 1-30 Stay at an Ice Hotel
Sweden
January 6-9 Consumer Electronics Show
NV
January 7-11-Elvis Birthday
Celebration TN
January 11-14 Winterskol Aspen
CO
Iceman’s
Calendar
·
January 1st Wed. Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God
·
January 2nd MASS First Friday
·
January 3rd First Saturday
·
January 4th Epiphany Sunday
MASS
·
January 5th Mon. Twelfth Night
·
January 6th Tue. Feast of the
Epiphany
·
January 7th Wed. Orthodox Christmas
o
Distaff Day
·
January 11th First Sunday after
Epiphany
·
January 12th Plough Monday
·
January 18th Second Sunday
after Epiphany
·
January 19th Mon. Martin Luther King
Day
·
January 25th Third Sunday after
Epiphany
·
January 28th Wed. St. Thomas
Aquinas
Thursday, JANUARY 1-Solemnity
of Mary, Mother of God
Feast
of the Circumcision of the Lord- New YearsDay-Nineveh 90
Genesis, Chapter 26, Verse 7
When the men of
the place asked questions about his wife, he answered, “She is my sister.” He
was AFRAID that, if he called her his
wife, the men of the place would kill him on account of Rebekah, since she was
beautiful.
So, Isaac (whom was bound as a sacrificial offering to
God) the only son of Abraham, now is grown, has a wife and is pulling the same
trick as his father Abraham with the men who desire his wife-stating she is my
sister.
According
to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the recurring story has a unified purpose:
"From the
point of view of the history of culture these episodes are very instructive.
But it is not very probable that Abraham would have run the risk twice.
Moreover, a similar incident is reported in regard to Isaac and Rebecca. This
recurrence indicates that none of the accounts is to be accepted as historical;
all three are variations of a theme common to the popular oral histories of the
Patriarchs. That women were married in the way here supposed is not to be
doubted. The purpose of the story is to extol the heroines as most beautiful
and show that the Patriarchs were under the special protection of the
Deity."[1]
Another lesson we can take from this is that Isaac here was dealing with men that had no fear of God. Men who take what they want and will kill to get it. Isaac here could not fight them because he was not strong enough. Isaac could not leave because there was a famine. So, he sought to deceive. Yet, even in his weakness God was with him and when Abimelech, the righteous king, discovered the truth put him under his royal protection; thus, saving him from danger. Righteous men & nations always seek to protect the weak.
Copilot’s Take
On this January
1st, still within the bright Octave of Christmas and standing at the threshold
of a new year, the Church sets before us the Circumcision of the Lord — the
hidden moment when the eternal Son submits to the covenant, sheds His first
blood, and receives the Name that will one day be confessed by every tongue.
The eighth day is never merely a date; it is the scriptural sign of new
creation, the quiet unveiling of a world being remade from within. Here, in a
small house far from power, the Law is fulfilled not by decree but by
obedience, and redemption begins not in spectacle but in the vulnerability of a
Child marked for sacrifice. As the civil year turns and history takes another
step toward its consummation, this mystery becomes our compass: the God who
enters time binds Himself to its unfolding, and the Name spoken over the Infant
is the same Name that will judge the nations, raise the dead, and gather all
things into Himself at the end of the age.
And yet the mystery of this day does not end with the Child’s obedience or the power of His Name. The eighth day opens a second door, one the Church has never separated from the first: the One who submits to the covenant does so in the flesh He received from a woman, the flesh through which God chose to enter history. If the Circumcision reveals the Son’s fidelity to the Law, the turning of the calendar invites us to contemplate the deeper truth that made this moment possible — that God took His humanity from a mother, and that the story of salvation advances through the yes of a woman who gave Him the very body now marked by the covenant. From the hidden blood of the eighth day, the Church now turns to the hidden glory of the one through whom the Word became flesh, allowing the new year to unfold not only under the sign of the Name but under the mystery of the one who bore Him into the world.
Solemnity of Mary
For Catholics, today is a holy day of obligation to honor Mary the Mother of God the second Eve: who is the first example of courage. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31)
On my 2006 visit to Israel my wife and I visited and had Mass on the
Mount of the Beatitudes. I remember our Priests were a little miffed with
the little sister who worked there. She was upset with us because it was
a warm day and some in our group had taken off their sweaters and their arms
were exposed. She was focused on the rules, as Christ pointed out to the
Pharisees who were focused on the outside of the cup being clean rather than
the inside being clean. Similarly, the beatitudes of our Lord seek to not
do away with the rules (10 commandments) but points at our inner
dispositions. I think Church of the Beatitudes which an octagon (eight
sided) is best represents how me should seek to best conform our hearts and our
dispositions to be more like that of Christ. On the floor of the Church
of the Beatitudes are eight mosaics with words in Latin. They reflect the
dispositions of our Lord which we are to emulate.
1. Charitas (a heart that burns with love of God and benevolence toward others)
2. Prvdentia (forethought or prudence. Those who are Prudent are far from
indecisive, for their bold decisions bear no streaks of doubt. Prudence
disposes us to have a true care and concern for the health and wellbeing of
others)
3. Lavs Tibi Christi (Praise God in all that we do)
4. Temperantia (Temperance is a spirit of moderation and personal restraint; to keep
ourselves in balance physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally)
5. Fides (Faith in God; to trust Him; to give yourself as He gave Himself)
6. Fortitvdo (fortitude and courage. We must have the courage to allow Christ
to increase in us)
7. Spes (Hope. We must hope in the good news of Christ and trust
ourselves in the church as we would a ship upon the waters)
8.
Ivstitia (Justice. Christ compels us to not ignore others, to
understand others, not to rationalize and/or justify our questionable acts, do
right even at risk of ourselves, and to pray for others.
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Day
Eight of Christmas[2]
Although
New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a
holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother
of God. Each family and country have different traditional foods to eat on New
Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those
who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year.
New
Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly
with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be
sanctified in Christ.
·
Day Eight activity (New
Year's Day Party)
· Day Eight recipe (New Year's Pretzel)
8th day of Christmas The Eight Maids a milking is a sign for the eight beatitudes.
Today would be a good day to reflect on them.
- Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are
the meek: for they shall possess the land.
- Blessed are
they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are
they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
- Blessed are
the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed are
the clean of heart: they shall see God.
- Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Blessed are
they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
The Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, traditionally kept on January 1, commemorated the moment when Jesus, eight days after His birth, submitted to the Law of Moses, shed His first blood, and received the Holy Name that reveals His mission. For centuries this feast marked the Octave Day of Christmas in the Roman Rite, highlighting Christ’s obedience, His true humanity, and the first foreshadowing of the Passion. In the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, the Church restored January 1 to its more ancient Roman identity as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, emphasizing the Incarnation’s doctrinal center and the role of Mary as Theotokos. While the Circumcision remains celebrated in the Byzantine Rite and the Traditional Latin Mass, the modern Roman calendar places the opening of the civil year under the sign of Christ’s birth and the dignity of His Mother, rather than the historical ritual act that once defined the day.
Feast of the Circumcision[3]
The Feast of the Circumcision combines and celebrates many things. On the one hand, the feast celebrates the Octave of the Nativity and the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary (partially because the pope celebrated Mass in St. Mary Major on this day). On the other hand, it commemorates the Circumcision of our Lord which, though a cause of joy, is the cause of a more subdued kind of joy because it involves the shedding of our Lord's blood. There is also a tradition in the Roman church of penitence as a counterpoint to the pagan reveling of the day (a counterpoint which is necessary as much today as it was then). The Church delicately balances all of these elements in a single feast to God.
· As mentioned above, it is traditional in France for adults to exchange gifts on this day. This custom is known as les étrennes.
· Today, on the day in which St. Joseph circumcised our Lord (thereby consecrating him for God's holy service), was the festival for subdeacons.
New Year’s Day and the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord.[4]
WHY do we call this New Year’s Day?
Because the civil year begins on this day, as the ecclesiastical does on the first Sunday in Advent.
What ought we to do on this day?
We must dedicate the New Year to the service of God, in order that, assisted by His grace, we may both begin and end it to His honor, and our own sanctification.
Why do we wish each other a happy New Year?
To renew love and harmony, and to fulfil an obligation of charity by wishes for each other’s happiness and prosperity.
What feast does the Church celebrate on this day?
The circumcision of Christ, at which He received the name of Jesus. “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them that were under the law (Gal. iv. 4, 5).
Aspiration.
O my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I thank Thee for having to-day shed Thy blood for the first time for me. Grant me, I beseech Thee, the grace of mortifying, circumcising for Thy love, my eyes, ears, lips, hands, feet, and all my sensual appetites, that I may not see, hear, speak, touch, wish, or do any evil. Amen.
Prayer.
O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of the blessed Mary hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have received the Author of life, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
GOSPEL. Luke ii. 21.
At that time: After eight days were accomplished that the child should be circumcised: His name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Why was Christ circumcised
the eighth day of His birth?
1.
So that by fulfilling the Jewish law, He might teach us patience and obedience
to the law of God, and to His holy Church.
2. To show His infinite love to us in the very first days of His life. Who gave Him the name of Jesus? God Himself gave it to Him, Who came to save the world and sanctify us, for Jesus means Savior. It is, therefore, that holy and powerful name, whereby alone we can be saved (Acts iv. 12).
What power has this name?
A divine power: for in this name the apostles cast out devils and cured the sick (Mark xvi. 17, 18), as, for instance, the lame man who lay at the gate of the temple (Acts iii. 2-6). Through this name we receive from God whatever is helpful towards our salvation (John xiv. 13). It is well, therefore, to call on this holy name in adversities, in doubts, and in great temptations, particularly such as are hostile to purity. Even when we are so unhappy as to fall into sin, the remembrance of this holy name may bring us back to virtue, for it is as oil which en lightens, nourishes, and heals (Canticles i. 2, 3).
How must we speak this holy name, that its virtue may be felt?
With the greatest devotion and veneration, and
with unbounded confidence; for, as St. Paul says, “in the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth”
(Phil. ii. 10). How sinful, therefore, is it in some to speak this name almost
at every word, frivolously and disrespectfully; a habit which, in this country
particularly, is so widely and fatally prevalent.
Bible in a Year Day 184 Hezekiah Reigns
Today we read about the critical moment when Assyria destroys the Northern Kingdom, and the ten northern tribes are exiled and assimilated among the nations. Fr. Mike explains how this moment and the foreign possession of Samaria is key in order to understand Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4. We also read about how the prophet Micah beautifully foreshadows the birth of Jesus. Today's
Whether it’s a Navy SEAL or a Saint, we admire those who put it all on the line — go “all in!” — Those who are totally dedicated to the mission … and God admires them too. Throughout salvation history, we have seen how God responds to this resolute and determined kind of prayer, just as Jesus taught His disciples. It was in Nineveh that the entire city turned back to God and did all that they could, through prayer and penance, to “demonstrate to” God that they were absolutely resolute in this “turning.” God saw how “serious” they were about this, and He was moved (Jonah 3:3-10). This is yet another story that demonstrates how God – a perfect Father – compels His children to be truly resolute and quite serious when calling out to Him.
St. Bernard of
Clairvaux wrote,
“Timid prayer does not pierce heaven, because immoderate fear binds the soul so that prayer, far from flying upward, cannot even come out. Being lukewarm, it grows weak in its flight and falls because it has no strength. Prayer that is faithful, humble, and fervent will undoubtedly pierce heaven and it will certainly not return fruitless.”
The time is now for us to marshal everything we’ve got to see this through. Prayer Warriors (those who join) will be challenged to enter into a period of prayer and mortification. “Mortification,” at its essence, means to “die to yourself.” This will be our time to let go of bad and sinful habits and to embrace better and healthier and Godly habits.
The research in the behavioral sciences says that 90 days is about the time needed to change bad habits. We will also be using some of the tried and true very powerful supernatural elements. Namely, the Brown Scapular, 54 Day Rosary Novena, and the 33 Day Preparation for Marian Consecration.
We believe supernatural strength increases to the degree we are detached from worldliness. “He must increase, but I must decrease” was the call of St. John the Baptist. This is our time to “make straight a path for the Lord.” To put aside everything that stands in the way of Christ to fill us up completely with His Divine Life. THIS is the way we become “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!” God will surely hear and answer this throng of tens of thousands detached from the world and resolute in our plea to end the culture of death. I am certain of it!
Nineveh 90 – Ten Elements
For these 90 days,
resolve to let go of repetitive sin you struggle with (e.g., acts of impurity,
over-eating, alcohol, etc.)
1.
Wear Brown Scapular (Scapular Medal allowed) –
Akin to Sackcloth
2. Daily Mass (If you are able)
3. Confession (at least once a
month … immediately following grave sin)
4. Support
System: Create or join a “Nineveh 90 Squad” of 3+ people. Maybe create a
Facebook group. Also, try to join together with an “Accountability Buddy.”
5.
Daily Prayer (Developing a quality Catholic Prayer Life)
7. Angelus (6, Noon,6)
8. Rosary
9. Holy Hour (or at least 20 minutes of quiet
prayerful reflection time. Does not need to be before the Blessed Sacrament.
This is normally done at home or your favorite prayer space … maybe create a
“God Cave” in your home)
10. Bedtime Prayers
For 90 Days,
Commit to …
·
Regular and
challenging exercise
·
Seven hours of
sleep is essential
·
No
alcohol
·
No
desserts & sweets
·
No
soda or sweetened drinks
·
Limit
television or movies (news allowed)
·
Only
music that lifts the soul to God
·
Limit
televised sports (maybe one per week)
·
Limit
recreational computer time (only use for personal needs and fulfillment. May be
needed for Nineveh 90 too)
·
54 Day Rosary
Novena
(Basic Training in
Holiness)
o Prayer Intentions for 54 Day Rosary Novena:
§ End
to abortion
§ Personal
holiness
§ For
the conversion of loved ones.
· 33 Day Preparation for Consecration to Mary
Sundays and Solemnities: May be a day of relaxed discipline, but not abandoned. (Sleep in an extra hour, cream in your coffee, a dessert, a beer, etc.)
New Year's Day[6]
New Year's Day marks the start of a new year on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was first introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and began to be used in Britain and its colonies in 1751. It is a solar calendar which maintains synchrony with the tropical year. This holiday is celebrated every year on January 1st.
New Year's Day Facts
·
Baby New Year is the most common symbol associated
with this holiday. He is a toddler dressed in a diaper, hat, and sash
bearing the numbers of the New Year. The myth states that he matures into
an old man during the course of the year. On December 31st, he hands his
hat and sash to the new Baby New Year.
·
In early Roman calendar New Year was celebrated on
March 1st. The new celebration of New Year on January 1st started in Rome in
153 BC. The New Year was moved to January because it was a month when two newly
elected Roman consuls began their tenure, which reflected the beginning of
civil year.
·
In medieval Europe celebrations of New Year on
January 1st were not always observed. Sometimes it was celebrated on Dec. 25th,
March 1st and March 25th (The Feast of the Annunciation).
· Gregorian calendar came into force in 1582, which replaced the Julian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. After adoption of Gregorian calendar, January 1st was restored as New Year’s Day.
New
Year's Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Visit Times Square and watch the ball drop in New
York City to celebrate the New Year.
·
Sing Auld Lang Sine and kiss a loved one at the stroke of midnight.
·
Make new resolutions for the upcoming year and let
go of what happened in the previous one.
·
Take advantage of New Year's Eve skiing at a local
ski hill near you. Usually, the hills are less crowded and offer discounts on
this holiday.
· New Year – means new trails to hike. Go hiking on a New Year’s Day to make a good start from day one and get motivated.
Polar Bear Swim Day[7]
Strip down to your bathing suit, take a
few steps over the snow and ice covering the ground, and hurl your body
into ice-cold water. Sound like fun? Well, there are plenty of people who
think it does, and these people get together to this every year! Sometimes it’s
for charity and sometimes it’s just for a challenge, but either way, thousands
of people worldwide take to the icy winter waters every year. These swims are
understandably called “Polar Bear Swims”, and they usually take place in the
sea.
Polar Bear Swims have been practiced for
well over a hundred years in different countries. The first recorded Polar Bear
Swim took place in Boston 1904. In many Canadian
communities, plunging into icy water for a swim is a New Year’s Day
tradition. Vancouver’s annual Polar Bear Swim Club has been active since 1920
and usually has 1,000 to 2,000 registered participants every New Year’s
Day, with a record 2,128 registrants taking part in the Polar Bear Swim in
English Bay in 2000.
It would seem that he Netherlands have
greatly outdone North America, as about 10,000 people have been
diving into the icy cold sea water at Scheveningen, The Netherlands’ main
beach resort town, every year since 1960. In fact, it is estimated that all
over the Netherlands, 30,000 people take part in what they call
“Nieuwjaarsduik” New Year’s dive) each and every year.
New Year’s Day is thought to be the best
day for this kind of swim, because as many participants have noted, after
you’ve done that, no challenge the New Year could bring could
possibly phase you. However, some swimming clubs organize regular winter
sessions. Plungapalooza is the largest polar bear plunge in the United
States, held annually at Sandy Point State Park in Maryland.
The event, that raises funds for the
Special Olympics, has managed to collect millions of dollars. The largest
Plungapalooza to date took place in 2008, with an estimated 12,000 people
participating.
How to Celebrate Polar Bear Swim Day
·
It’s
actually quite simple: take part! Find out where the nearest Polar Bear Swim
Day will be organized, and sign up. You can help raise money for those who need
it, meet new friends and make some incredible memories! However, you should
keep in mind that human beings don’t have the fat and fur that polar bears
have to protect them from the cold.
·
Enter
the water slowly so it’s not too much of a shock, and be sure to have a towel
and dry clothes ready for as soon as you come out of the water. You should also
warm your body up afterwards from the inside out with a hot drink or bowl of
soup. The Polar Bear Swim is also not right for everyone, as it triggers many
intense bodily reactions—you may start to hyperventilate because of the
inability to take a deep breath for the first 30 seconds or so, and your
heartbeat and blood pressure will probably increase drastically.
·
So,
if you have any heart condition or have the tendency to panic, you may be
better off standing on the shore in your nice warm coat, hat and scarf, taking
pictures and laughing at the people running right back out of the water as
quickly as they ran into it. Either way, you will be able to be part of the
fun!
Over time, we as humans have developed a different attitude towards nature and we've forgotten about our inner power. This is the ability of our body to adapt to extreme temperature and survive within our natural environment. The Wim Hof Method is based on this principle.
Because we wear clothes and artificially control the temperatures at home and at work, we've greatly reduced the natural stimulation of our bodies, atrophying the age-old mechanisms related to our survival and basic function. Because these deeper physiological layers are no longer triggered, our bodies are no longer in touch with this inner power. The inner power is a powerful force that can be reawakened by stimulating these physiological processes through the Wim Hof Method.
Start learning the Wim Hof Method today and start your journey to a happier, healthier and stronger you.
300 Club[9]
The 300 Club is a small number of individuals who have endured a
temperature difference of 300° Fahrenheit (166 °C) within a very short time.
The group originated at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, and
has since been established in North America. The Ceremonial South Pole, which
300 Club participants must run around. Participants in the Antarctic 300 Club
wait for a day when the temperature drops to −100 °F (-73 °C) for more than a
few minutes, generally in the winter. They first warm up in a sauna heated to
200 °F (93 °C) for as long as 10 minutes. Then they run naked to the Geographic
South Pole, circling it in the −100 °F weather. After this, they usually warm
up in the sauna again, often with the aid of alcoholic beverages. The first 300
Club outside of Antarctica was established on January 30, 2019 near
Minneapolis, Minnesota during a polar vortex. With an outside temperature of
−27 °F (−33 °C), three men heated their backyard sauna to 280 °F (138 °C) and
sat inside for 10 minutes. Upon exiting the sauna, they sprinted around a
flagpole planted in honor of the South Pole tradition and took a brief roll in
the snow before returning to the sauna. There are several patches made to
commemorate the occasion that are entitled to be worn by those who have joined
the 300 Club.
250 Club[10]
Brillo and I decided to use the day off to head on over to the South
Pole ourselves. It was about a half a
mile away, but it took us a lot longer than we thought. It was slow trekking the distance through the
loose snow. Along the way, we passed a
railroad sign that some humorous person put up out there. When we got there, our intent was
While we were in the sauna, we decided today was the day we were going
to join club 250. As soon as we got so
warm, we couldn’t stand it anymore; we jumped out of the sauna with nothing but
our boots running the distance from the sauna; up a 100-foot ramp to the
outside of the station where it was about 50 below zero. Thus, the name, club 250, we went from plus
200 to minus 50 and made a 250-degree temperature change.
We ran over to the international marker for the South Pole with signs
to all the different places and flags from many nations. It was interesting because even though Brillo
was right next to me all I saw was a cloud because his body was giving off so
much steam. When we got to the
international marker, we ran around the pole three times and then headed back
to the sauna. I mean think about it we
just ran around the world naked three times.
“Can you dig it” (70’s slang for Do you understand?)
Brillo and I quickly headed back to the sauna as we were just beginning
to lose our steam.
On
Sunday, it was my chance to make a phone patch to my parents everything worked
great but then I found out they changed their number. What! Here I was in
Antarctica working my ass off; freezing my ass off and my alcoholic Father
changed the phone number and to make matters worse I knew nothing of what was
going on with my parents because they hadn’t written me in the two years I had
been in the Navy. I thought, “That’s it, I am an orphan.” After my failed phone
patch, I went to Mass. The Catholic Priest from McMurdo took a flight up to
bring us Holy Communion. We had not been able to receive Communion since we
left. I felt good after receiving Our Lord. I thought that even though I had no
communication with my physical Father I did have communication with my eternal
Father. Afterwards I showed the Priest around the site, before he left, he said
that he had a letter from the Bishop which gave me permission (Back then only
Priests could give communion) to secure and give Holy Communion to the Catholic
Boys there at the South Pole. I didn’t feel worthy; come on this is Richard you
know; but the Priest convinced me that it was the only way, and I did want to
bring “Our Lord” to my fellow brothers in Christ. I thought about my
experiences in Barbados, West Indies where I had a friendly relationship with a
Jesuit Priest on the Island. I was stationed in Barbados after “A-School;” just
prior to my assignment with MCB 71. It was luck or maybe providence that I got
my first assignment to Barbados, West Indies. At the end of “A School”, I ended
up having the highest-grade average-probably due to I studied and drank less
than the others drank. The Chief had six orders for Vietnam and one set of
orders for Barbados. I was given the orders to Barbados. It was while I was in
Barbados that I was examining my Catholic Faith and was considering a faith
change because I was also involved with a non-Catholic Pentecostal religious
group and because my Father had not practiced the Catholic Faith. I was at a
point where I had to decide to be a Catholic or not. I was praying about it and
one night I had a horrid dream where a horribly disfigured face appeared in
white on a dark background. I woke up in a sweat. I was disturbed by the
thought of this vision. I got on my motorcycle and rode around the island. It
was a four-hour ride. At the end of the ride, I passed a church and turned
around to go in and pray. I knew I needed God in my life. After a short prayer,
I was walking out of the church and there right next the exit door in a pamphlet
rack, at eye level was the face in my dream. I was shocked, I pulled the
pamphlet out and trembling read that this was the image of the reported face of
Christ. It was on the burial cloth of Christ and was stored in a Catholic
Church in Italy. I decided God was calling me back to the Catholic Faith.
Why
me?
Why did he appear to me sinner that I was; I knew not. Yet, because of the memory of this call from Christ, I knew I had to consent to bring his precious body to my brother Seabees. The priest also left me a book to read. The book explained the Catholic faith. As I read it, I knew and understood my faith better. I was especially taken by an Old Catholic symbol, and I drew it on a small red flag and wore that symbol on my back declaring myself an ICEMAN for Christ. The symbol means “Jesus Christ Conqueror” Now instead of a blue ribbon of pain. I had a flag for victory. I still was the same old sinner, but the flag reminded me of God’s ever presence, even here at the bottom of the world.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: End to Abortion
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[4]Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896. In
the General Roman Calendar, the 1 January feast, which from 1568 to 1960
was called "The Circumcision of the Lord and the Octave of the
Nativity", is now named the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and
the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord.
[10]
Except from the “Ice is Nice and Chee Chee is Peachy”
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