Posts
Dara’s Corner
· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.
· Plan winter fun:
· Soak in hot springs
· Hit the snow slopes
· Ride a snowmobile
· Go for a dog sled ride
· Ride a hot air balloon
🌍 Dara’s Corner: Aboard The World
Ordinary Time | February 4 – February 10, 2026
Theme: Orientation, Openness & the Grace of New Shores
Coordinates: Tasmania → Bass Strait → Melbourne → Sydney
🌫️ Day 1 — February 4 | At Sea Departing Tasmania
Title: The Quiet Re‑Orientation
• Ritual: Pilgrims sit for three minutes naming one inner direction they feel called to turn toward
• Scripture: Psalm 16:11 — “You show me the path of life…”
• Meal: Ginger carrot soup, seeded crackers, mint tea
• Reflection: “Re‑orientation begins in stillness, not motion.”
• Hospitality Arc: Ask someone what direction they sense emerging within them
· 🌤️ Day 2 — February 5 | Crossing the Bass Strait
Title: The Strait of Openness
• Ritual: Pilgrims stand at the rail and open their hands to the wind, naming one thing they’re willing to receive
• Scripture: John 1:16 — “From His fullness we have all received…”
• Meal: Warm oats, berries, black tea
• Reflection: “Openness is the soul’s first act of trust.”
• Hospitality Arc: Share with someone what you’re opening yourself to
· 🌆 Day 3 — February 6 | Approaching Melbourne
Title: The City That Invites Attention
• Ritual: Pilgrims walk a short deck loop, noticing one detail that feels like a gift
• Scripture: Matthew 6:22 — “The eye is the lamp of the body.”
• Meal: Tomato basil soup, sourdough, sparkling water
• Reflection: “Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
• Hospitality Arc: Tell someone the detail that caught your attention
· 🌇 Day 4 — February 7 | Docked in Melbourne
Title: The Harbor of Insight
• Ritual: Pilgrims walk a laneway or waterfront path, naming one insight that has surfaced this week
• Scripture: Proverbs 2:6 — “For the Lord gives wisdom…”
• Meal: Grilled prawns, avocado salad, chilled rosé
• Reflection: “Insight grows where curiosity meets grace.”
• Hospitality Arc: Share with someone the insight that surprised you
Local Inspiration:
Melbourne’s laneways, art, and café culture cultivate a spirituality of noticing and nuance.
· 🌬️ Day 5 — February 8 | At Sea Toward Sydney
Title: The Breath of Readiness
• Ritual: Pilgrims take three slow breaths—naming readiness, naming courage, naming peace
• Scripture: Isaiah 40:29 — “He gives power to the faint…”
• Meal: Lentil stew, flatbread, ginger tea
• Reflection: “Readiness grows in the quiet places.”
• Hospitality Arc: Offer someone a moment of unhurried listening
· 🌅 Day 6 — February 9 | Approaching Sydney Heads
Title: The Harbor of Welcome
• Ritual: Pilgrims face the bow and name one place in their life that needs welcoming—an idea, a person, a change
• Scripture: Romans 15:7 — “Welcome one another… as Christ has welcomed you.”
• Meal: Poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, herbal tea
• Reflection: “Welcome is the posture of a generous soul.”
• Hospitality Arc: Encourage someone in what they’re welcoming
· 🌇 Day 7 — February 10 | Docked in Sydney
Title: The Shore of Possibility
• Ritual: Pilgrims walk a short stretch near Circular Quay or Darling Harbour, naming one possibility they sense emerging
• Scripture: Isaiah 43:19 — “See, I am doing a new thing…”
• Meal: Fresh salmon, citrus greens, sparkling elderflower
• Reflection: “Possibility is the whisper of the Spirit.”
• Hospitality Arc: Ask someone what possibility they feel rising
Local Inspiration:
Sydney’s harbor, cliffs, and light invite a spirituality of openness and new beginnings.
February 4 First Wednesday
World Cancer
Day-Homemade Soup Day
“You will surely wear
yourself out, both you and these people with you. The task is too heavy for
you; you
cannot do it alone. Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, and may
God be with you. Act as the people’s representative before God, and bring their
disputes to God. Enlighten them in regard to the statutes and
instructions, showing them how they are to conduct themselves and what they are
to do. But you should also look
among all the people for able and GOD-FEARING men, trustworthy men who hate
dishonest gain, and set them over the people as commanders of thousands, of
hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Our Lord asks us to lead, follow or get the out of the way. Our Lord tells us,
If you are a leader start leading in the church with a group
of ten; follow where you can and do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit.
First Wednesday[1]
Bible in a Year Day 217 The Everlasting Covenant
Fr. Mike highlights the rich text in Isaiah 55 and 56 which reveals that the
house of the Lord will not only be for the chosen people, but for all people.
We also hear the story of how God mercifully restores Israel who is like an
unfaithful bride. Today’s readings are Isaiah 55-56, Ezekiel 16, and Proverbs
13:1-4.
World Cancer Day[2]
World Cancer Day aims to save lives by raising awareness and educating the population about cancer. The day also serves to pressure governments and individuals to take action in order to prevent, treat and control cancers. Cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases that result from abnormal cell growth and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was officially established by the Paris Charter at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. The Paris Charter sought to promote research for a cure, prevention, services for patients and support from the global community.
World Cancer Day Facts & Quotes
·
Breast, lung and prostate
cancer are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.
Approximately 70% of patients with lung cancer die, while only 16% and 14% of
patients with breast and prostate cancer suffer the same fate.
·
Childhood cancers are not
common. Less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in a given year will be for a
child under the age of 15.
·
Lifestyle changes such
as, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, keeping
active and eating right can prevent certain types of
cancer.
·
Since cancer knows no
boundaries, and individual countries cannot address the challenges of cancer in
isolation, a new cooperative approach to research, advocacy, prevention and
treatment must be established. - Paris Charter
· Watch a documentary about cancer
and cancer related topics. Some of our favorites are: Understanding Cancer: The Enemy Within, Cancer: The Forbidden Cures and The Quest for the Cures: Cancer.
·
Understand the risks of
smoking and urge those that you know to quit smoking. Smoking is the cause of
22% of the cancers every year.
·
Donate to cancer research
organizations. The American
Cancer Society accepts donations that
help with patient treatment and exhaustive research in the hopes of curing
cancer someday.
·
Join the fundraising
activities to support cancer victims, their families and the continued research
efforts to find a cure. Many communities offer Walks for the Cure and
other types of fundraising events that can support cancer survivors or those currently
in treatment.
·
Learn to recognize some
of the general signs and symptoms of cancer. Although the signs and symptoms
differ from cancer type, these are some of the American Cancer Society's
general signs and symptoms:
1) the presence of an obvious mass (a bump)
2) unexplained weight loss
3) loss of appetite
4) frequent fevers.
Homemade Soup Day[3]
It’s about time there was a day devoted to it! Not just any soup, mind you. Do not even think about opening a boring, bland can of soup on Homemade Soup Day. It’s all about the fresh, easy, homemade kind of soup! It’s a good thing that it falls in one of the coldest months of the year, near the end of winter (or so we hope the end is near!). Meals and snacks can get a little boring and repetitive when there isn’t an abundance of fresh offerings. Taking some time to put together a pot of soup is a great way to break up the monotony. What are your favorite flavors? There are many easy recipes out there. Make some chicken soup, or tomato, or maybe something more adventurous? That is what today is all about. Experiment and try something new.
How to
celebrate Homemade Soup Day
If you are new to creating culinary masterpieces you can use this day as a motivation to try something new. Already a kitchen wizard? Use today to gather up some friends and have a tasting of several different homemade soups. Or better yet have a cook off! Each friend shows up with their own homemade masterpiece and you and your friends have a lively night of fun to see whose soup is crowned the winner.
·
32 oz Chicken Broth
·
4 c water
·
3 cups bite-size chicken
·
2 t seasoning
·
1/2 of a 12 oz. bag
egg-white noodles
·
2c frozen vegetables
(corn, peas, etc)
· Salt and pepper
·
In large stock pot, add
broth, water, chicken, and seasonings. (Add more seasoning to taste, if
desired.) Bring to a boil.
·
Add egg noodles and
continue boiling to cook noodles as directed on package. Soup is ready to serve
when the noodles are done. Season with salt and pepper to taste or allow your
guests to season their own.
·
Set this on the table
with a loaf of dark bread and you have a meal worthy of being part of the
celebration for Homemade Soup Day!
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous, you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
·
Do the St. Joseph Universal Man Plan.
·
Devotion
to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
Daily Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day
to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t
forget the internet.
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting:
Today's Fast: An increase of the faithful
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
🎬 Always Goodbye (1938)
Drama / Melodrama
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall, Ian Hunter
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
⭐ Plot Summary
Barbara Stanwyck plays Anne Rogers, a woman marked by loss and forced into a heartbreaking choice early in life. After the death of her fiancé, Anne gives up her newborn son to a wealthy couple who can provide the stability she cannot. Years later, she becomes a capable, globe‑trotting secretary to a businessman (Herbert Marshall), burying her grief in work and distance.
Fate intervenes when Anne unexpectedly crosses paths with her now‑grown son and his adoptive family. The encounter awakens all the maternal longing she has tried to suppress. At the same time, she finds herself caught between two men: her steady employer (Marshall) and a charming suitor (Ian Hunter). The emotional tension builds toward a choice between personal happiness and the quiet, sacrificial love that has defined her life.
The film leans into the classic 1930s melodrama structure:
- a woman with a hidden wound
- a child she cannot claim
- a love triangle shaped by duty and desire
- a final act where self‑denial becomes the highest form of love
Stanwyck carries the film with her trademark blend of steel and vulnerability.
✝️ Catholic / Moral Reflection
This is a story about sacrificial love, the kind that chooses the good of another even when it costs everything. Anne’s life echoes the spiritual truth that love is often expressed not in possession but in relinquishment.
Three themes stand out:
1. The Hidden Cross
Anne’s suffering is quiet, unseen, and unacknowledged — the kind of cross many people carry without recognition. Her dignity comes from bearing it without bitterness.
2. Motherhood as Vocation, Even When Invisible
Though she cannot raise her son, Anne’s maternal heart shapes every decision she makes. The film honors the truth that motherhood is not erased by circumstance.
3. Love That Lets Go
The climax of the film is not romantic triumph but moral clarity. Anne chooses the path that allows her son to flourish, even if it means stepping back.
It’s a Marian kind of love — steadfast, self‑emptying, and oriented toward the child’s good rather than the mother’s consolation.
This is a film that invites viewers to reflect on the difference between sentiment and charity, between wanting someone and willing their good.
🍸 Hospitality Pairing
The “Quiet Goodbye” Cocktail
A gentle, bittersweet drink that matches the film’s emotional tone.
- 1½ oz gin
- ½ oz dry vermouth
- ½ oz crème de violette
- Lemon twist
Soft, floral, restrained — a drink that feels like a sigh.
Non‑Alcoholic Option: Lavender Lemon Tonic
- Sparkling water
- Lavender syrup
- Fresh lemon
- A sprig of mint
Light, fragrant, and reflective.
📝 One‑Sentence Takeaway
A tender melodrama where Barbara Stanwyck shows that the deepest love is often the love that steps back, blesses quietly, and says “goodbye” for the sake of another’s flourishing.
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