Calendar Class of September 12, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe Vehentem (seize the bicycle)! No childhood is complete without a little ride around the neighborhood on a bicycle. When I was little I lived on my bicycle (and nearly died, hence the presence of helmets on the kids' heads today!) and have recently rediscovered the joy of cycling in Rome. My girls have spent most of their childhood in Rome, without a bicycle, and so I called upon my friend and childhood neighbor Megan Doerr (who learned how to ride on Franklin Street in Mecosta just like me) to give the kids some cycling confidence and skills. Read about Megan's historic run-in with a deer and his impressive antlers here, and read about why biking is one of those can't-be-missed gross motor skills for kids here.

Liturgical: Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 6:39-42

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?

Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary: here's the story behind it. Buon Onomastico to the countless Marys out there and all the variations of the name, including my own first-born child, Maya!

And here is Schubert's Ave Maria!

Sanctoral: St. Guy (950–1012), also known as the "Poor Man of Anderlecht," was born to pious parents of humble means in the country village of Anderlecht near Brussels. Having no money for school, from his childhood he served the poor and fostered a great devotion to the Church while praying for the grace to love and accept his poverty. He was regarded as a young saint by those who knew him. One day a priest, who noticed his great reverence while praying in church, invited him to serve it for a small sum by sweeping the floors and keeping the altar and sacred vessels clean. During the day St. Guy would help the poor, and at night he would work and pray in the church; these were his two great loves. He served in this way joyfully and faithfully. One day a shipping merchant from Brussels, prompted by a devil who wanted to take St. Guy away from his holy work as a sacristan, presented him with a lucrative opportunity to invest his small savings into a business venture. Guy, not recognizing the temptation, accepted the job offer under the pretense of making more money to give to the poor, and he left his position as sacristan. When his first cargo ship sunk as it left the harbor, Guy realized his error and the deception he had succumbed to in giving up his happy and humble work serving Christ. He went back to the church and found that the sacristan position had been replaced. Left without a job and no money, Guy was so filled with remorse over his foolish decision that he went on a penitential pilgrimage. He visited Rome, the Holy Land, and other shrines over a period of seven years. He returned to Anderlecht in 1012 and died in the same year. Miracles were reported at his grave, after which a church was built in his honor.

Human: Henry Hudson began exploration of what is later to be named the Hudson River – 1609; Astronomer Charles Messier cataloged the Crab Nebula – 1758; A whale followed a boat to the Montreal harbor – 1823; Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browning – 1846; Art believed to date to the Upper Paleolithic era was discovered in Lascaux cave, near Montignac, France. – 1940

Natural: Household Uses for Vinegar: Cleaning, Gardening, and Stain Removal Tips

Italian: Sbucciare (to peel)

Sbucciare is composed of the s- prefix, which in this case denotes the absence or loss of some quality or attribute that is normally present, and buccia, which means peel, skin or rind.

Quote: Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers. 

—Robert Ingersoll (1833-99)