Calendar Class of September 25, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

One of the educational practices encouraged by Charlotte Mason I am always reminded of when I visit our friends and neighbors, the Howards, is that of seeking out local resources and experts to give the children a real-life, first hand experience of a subject. This happened spontaneously yesterday when we stopped by the Howards to pick up the pie dish I had left at the annual tea last month. We not only got the pie dish back but ended up leaving with a whole education in what it takes to raise a racehorse, and the exciting and demanding world of the racetrack. For years Dar Howard served as a chaplain to jockeys and others living in this high stakes world, and he showed us photos of all the horses that were like family to them over the years, including the ones they care for now. I left with a couple of good movie recommendations, such as Secretariat, which Dar knew all about firsthand. We also got to pop into his homing pigeon house, a lifelong passion of Dar's since he watched an inspiring movie as a boy called "The Pigeon that Worked a Miracle." Our own experience of homing pigeons is limited to the fun movie Valiant, still a favorite. The movies we watch as children can be deeply influential, which is why I'm always happy to hear real life stories of positive examples of life imitating art.

Liturgical: Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 9:7-9

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was being done by Jesus, and he was greatly perplexed, because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who, then, is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

Papal Audience today: video here, Papal text here

"There is no past so ruined, no history so compromised that it cannot be touched by mercy."

Extra: Autumn's Mini Holy Season-- Allhallowtide

Sanctoral: St. Cleophas (1st c.) was one of Jesus' seventy disciples, and one of the two disciples who were traveling along the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem, as recounted in Luke's Gospel. The resurrected Jesus appeared and walked along the road with St. Cleophas and his companion, explaining the events of his Passion and how they fulfilled the Holy Scriptures. According to one tradition, Cleophas (also known as Alphaeus), was a relative of Jesus; he was the brother of St. Joseph, and therefore was Jesus' uncle. Cleophas was the husband of St. Mary of Cleophas, and they had three sons we know by name St. Simon, St. James the Less, and St. Jude. St. Cleophas, through his daughter Mary Salome, was also grandfather to St. James the Greater and St. John. Therefore three of his sons and two of his grandsons were among the Twelve Apostles. According to tradition, St. Cleophas was martyred by the Jewish authorities in the same home in which he received Jesus as a guest.

Human: Today begins the one month countdown to my birthday, two months to Thanksgiving, and three months to Christmas! The "-ber" months are the best!

275 AD – Tacitus was proclaimed the emperor by the Senate. The election of a 75-year-old senator was probably presumed to be temporary in advance, as indicated by his old age. He considered himself to be a descendant of the Roman historian Tacitus, and therefore he ordered the copying of his works and placing them in public libraries. He was either murdered or died of fever. He ruled for less than a year.

1513 Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the first European to see the Pacific Ocean

1789 The First U.S. Congress proposes the ​Bill of Rights​, a set of amendments to the constitution guaranteeing essential liberties, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceful assembly

1906 Leonardo Torres Quevedo successfully demonstrates the Telekino in Bilbao before a large crowd, guiding a boat from the shore, considered the birth of remote control

1926 Henry Ford announces an 8-hour, 5-day workweek for workers at Ford Motor Company

1981 Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first female US Supreme Court Justice

Natural: What's so special about a racehorse?

To be a successful racehorse, a horse needs the right combination of high-quality breeding, athletic conformation, and a competitive temperament, which are then refined through expert training and a tailored diet. The entire process is a substantial financial and time commitment for owners and trainers. 

The story of Secretariat and a trailer for the movie.

Italian: Dentifricio (toothpaste)

The word for toothpaste in Italian is dentifricio. It comes from the Latin dentifricium, the compilation of dens dentis “tooth” and the verb fricare “to rub”.

Quote: "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life."

-- "The Decay of Lying – An Observation," an essay by Oscar Wilde