I LOVED this so much! I could only start writing novels once I let go of needing to know what impact (if any) they’d have on the world. Agnes was doing what she felt was right not knowing you’d be writing about her all these years later and strengthening my faith! 😊
So when I was researching my novel I met a cousin for the first time. He was in his late 80s and we shared a love for an ancestor we have. There was no way of knowing when I published the book that he would be starting to have trouble with his memory. I sent him a copy and he’s read through it twice. It’s about where he grew up and about this relative we love. And it’s helping him to remember himself. If that’s all the novel ever does for anyone it’s enough.
Love the way you write about farm life too. Oh and the tradition of the lambs visiting the Pope! 🩵🩵🩵
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful turn in your cousin's journey through memory troubles - to have your book, and that common ancestor, as a comforting balm. Your ancestor would be beaming with delight!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this...and I've felt just the same with my art as you've felt with writing! When I hold onto outcomes or expectations, I wind up anxious and disappointed, and inevitably lose inspiration. The process is where it's all at!
Diana and I prayed to St. Agnes during our engagement because of a prayer card I have since lost. Then, while exploring Rome during our honeymoon, we walked into a Church around Piazza Navona and behold, St. Agnes skull beneath the high altar of the Church. It was a nice wink from the saint.
Dear Kristin, this lovely essay was waiting in my Inbox for a few days before I could make a mug of tea and sit with your reflections. I for one like to read your thoughts all at once rather than in parts, if that's helpful :-)
Alack and alas, though our world is wont to ever remove itself from the God-given anchors of the life of the church around which to revolve our lives, I am ever grateful for your beautiful, quiet voice reminding us....."this is how to orient yourself, my friends. Towards Christ and those who loved Him."
Thank you.
PS I've read Keats' and Tennyson's St Agnes poems and couldn't quite place them, not being British and all. Clearly she is/was a part of Anglican culture and poems in her honor make perfect sense.
It's no surprise, of course, but my gosh - you always have SUCH a way with words, dear Jody! I'm just ever so grateful for you & your wisdom. Thank you for your generous words...I'm so touched!
The correlation of an increase in technology and the feeling of needing control and consistency is something I've been coming to terms with in my own life and consciously try to pull back from. Also, I love learning this much about a saint!
That correlation is something that really snuck up on me...like water slowly heating up to a boil, but I didn't realize it had happened until I'd already trained myself in these impatient/control-oriented habits via technology! Now that I'm more aware of the effect it has on me, I'm trying to manage it healthily without throwing it all out the window and just returning to a typewriter. 😂
This is why I like your posts. I know nothing about this Saint and her traditions and the whys and wherefores. Her approach to life and what that is to us who come after, the guidance of trying our best and pruning the branches we do have despite the unknown outcome, is completely relatable to me. And I’m in Australia where it was 30 degrees Celsius today. I have to do what I do in my little Domestic Monastery and trust God with the outcome. Thank you for the post and the sweet reminder. I greatly needed it and so I will celebrate this feast for the first time with joy in my heart.
Oh Catherine, that really fills my cup to hear - thanks for letting me explore these things and wrestle with them alongside you. I find that this call to rest in joy no matter the outcomes is something I perpetually need to practice. St. Agnes was new to me and has taught me so much already!
I was gulping this down faster and faster as I went. I will need to read at least three more times! Such wonderful poetry, drawings and thoughts collected. A feast! Thank you!!
Thank you so, so much for this, Denise - that really warms my heart to hear! Learning about St. Agnes was so inspiring for me, and I'm thrilled that you feel the same. :)
This is so beautiful, thank you Kristin! My second daughter's birthday is the Feast of St Agnes (and she was born at St Agnes hospital even!) so clearly she is meant to be an important saint in our lives, but I know so little about her. This was the perfect introduction.
Such an important lesson to only control the *very little* that we can and trust and hope for the best. Something I really need to learn! Also I love this tradition of the lambs!!
I grew up in a Christian tradition entirely devoid of the saints. I would go so far as to say that I was taught that if it wasn't contained within the pages of the protestant Bible, we ignored it. We never even talked about Luther or Calvin or Wesley. Those things being said, you might easily imagine the mingled grief and delight I regularly experience when I learn about a saint for the first time, like I did today, with St. Agnes. Not so long ago, I would've dismissed, not only the miracles in the story, but the telling of the tale altogether. Today I embraced both with my whole heart. I never would've imagined I could cry while reading the story of a venerated brother or sister in Christ from hundreds of years ago, but there were tears today.
I'm grateful for your ministry.
p.s. To answer your question, I also prefer the longer format, instead of the subject split into multiple posts.
Oh my - bless you, Jason! Your gracious words have really filled my heart up today...I'm so glad to know that these little journeys into the saints are fruitful for you.
And I know what you mean about the mingled grief and delight! Though I come from a mix of Lutheran & Catholic heritage, I didn't grow up going to church, and much of my perception of modern Christian worship came from traditions that didn't seem to embrace the calendar or the saints (at least from my vantage point - maybe I wasn't seeing clearly). When I started to read the lives of the saints, it was like a whole world of solidarity opened up to me - and I felt like I'd missed so much time with them, I needed to dig in full bore! (Interestingly, I've read that in the Middle Ages, homilies worked with passages from both the Bible and from Jacobus de Voragine's "The Golden Legend", a collection of hagiographies! I love that their lives and testimonies were woven into worship).
Thanks again...I'm so grateful to get to explore these beautiful things with friends like you. I was brand new to St. Agnes as well, and it's been such a joy getting to know her!
P.S. And I'm thrilled you like the longer format! I think that's more sustainable for me, and probably easier to keep track of for most readers. That's my hope, anyway!
I personally love it, since I really connect with the medieval perspective and the mix of traditional folklore with history...whenever I come across a mythic story about a saint's life or an event (the example that jumps to mind is all the lore surrounding Mary), it almost always comes from the Golden Legend.
I don't know if it's a fair comparison, but I tend to think of the Golden Legend in similar terms as Alexander Carmichael's compilation of the Carmina Gadelica - an attempt to compile regular folks' traditions surrounding their faith, including stories that are often spurious, but nonetheless reflect the devotion of the faithful. So, we don't *really* know if St. Thomas was literally asked to design a palace...but he's still been portrayed in portraiture and architecture with a T-square, reflecting that legend, and I find the stories to be so rich.
Butler's Lives of the Saints is probably one of the best starting points, though!
The last time I went out in an ice storm looking for suet for a recipe was actually not that long ago. I think I just ended up with the brandy. 😂
This one is new to me, but I love the lamb blessing! Our parish is doing a collection for the homeless, and I think it would be nice to throw in some wool socks in honor of Saint Agnes.
Thank you so much, Emma! I'm continually amazed by how I can count on the likes of Keats and Tennyson to deliver when it comes to gorgeous poetry for obscure holidays!
Tennyson regularly astonishes me, even when I'm reading something I've read a dozen times before.
When I was studying English Lit in my undergrad, the most tenured professor in our department at the time, the late Dr. Sabord Woods, stood up on the first day of British Lit II and recited from memory about 15 minutes worth of "In Memoriam." I was gobsmacked, not just because this is an amazing feat in and of itself, but because I had never taken the time to read all the way through that lyrical masterpiece. I spent the next several years absorbing as much of the Baron as I could. I never tire of his verse.
I LOVED this so much! I could only start writing novels once I let go of needing to know what impact (if any) they’d have on the world. Agnes was doing what she felt was right not knowing you’d be writing about her all these years later and strengthening my faith! 😊
So when I was researching my novel I met a cousin for the first time. He was in his late 80s and we shared a love for an ancestor we have. There was no way of knowing when I published the book that he would be starting to have trouble with his memory. I sent him a copy and he’s read through it twice. It’s about where he grew up and about this relative we love. And it’s helping him to remember himself. If that’s all the novel ever does for anyone it’s enough.
Love the way you write about farm life too. Oh and the tradition of the lambs visiting the Pope! 🩵🩵🩵
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful turn in your cousin's journey through memory troubles - to have your book, and that common ancestor, as a comforting balm. Your ancestor would be beaming with delight!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this...and I've felt just the same with my art as you've felt with writing! When I hold onto outcomes or expectations, I wind up anxious and disappointed, and inevitably lose inspiration. The process is where it's all at!
Diana and I prayed to St. Agnes during our engagement because of a prayer card I have since lost. Then, while exploring Rome during our honeymoon, we walked into a Church around Piazza Navona and behold, St. Agnes skull beneath the high altar of the Church. It was a nice wink from the saint.
Oooo that is STELLAR - what a beautiful moment!
Dear Kristin, this lovely essay was waiting in my Inbox for a few days before I could make a mug of tea and sit with your reflections. I for one like to read your thoughts all at once rather than in parts, if that's helpful :-)
Alack and alas, though our world is wont to ever remove itself from the God-given anchors of the life of the church around which to revolve our lives, I am ever grateful for your beautiful, quiet voice reminding us....."this is how to orient yourself, my friends. Towards Christ and those who loved Him."
Thank you.
PS I've read Keats' and Tennyson's St Agnes poems and couldn't quite place them, not being British and all. Clearly she is/was a part of Anglican culture and poems in her honor make perfect sense.
It's no surprise, of course, but my gosh - you always have SUCH a way with words, dear Jody! I'm just ever so grateful for you & your wisdom. Thank you for your generous words...I'm so touched!
The correlation of an increase in technology and the feeling of needing control and consistency is something I've been coming to terms with in my own life and consciously try to pull back from. Also, I love learning this much about a saint!
That correlation is something that really snuck up on me...like water slowly heating up to a boil, but I didn't realize it had happened until I'd already trained myself in these impatient/control-oriented habits via technology! Now that I'm more aware of the effect it has on me, I'm trying to manage it healthily without throwing it all out the window and just returning to a typewriter. 😂
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading!
Oh it's soooo tempting to just throw all the technology away, I understand!!
This is why I like your posts. I know nothing about this Saint and her traditions and the whys and wherefores. Her approach to life and what that is to us who come after, the guidance of trying our best and pruning the branches we do have despite the unknown outcome, is completely relatable to me. And I’m in Australia where it was 30 degrees Celsius today. I have to do what I do in my little Domestic Monastery and trust God with the outcome. Thank you for the post and the sweet reminder. I greatly needed it and so I will celebrate this feast for the first time with joy in my heart.
Oh Catherine, that really fills my cup to hear - thanks for letting me explore these things and wrestle with them alongside you. I find that this call to rest in joy no matter the outcomes is something I perpetually need to practice. St. Agnes was new to me and has taught me so much already!
I was gulping this down faster and faster as I went. I will need to read at least three more times! Such wonderful poetry, drawings and thoughts collected. A feast! Thank you!!
Thank you so, so much for this, Denise - that really warms my heart to hear! Learning about St. Agnes was so inspiring for me, and I'm thrilled that you feel the same. :)
I was exactly the same! Rushing in ahead to read it all at once. Tomorrow I will go back and slowly absorb it.
My favorite Saint Agnes tradition (also associated with other feasts) is the “dumb cake”! Definitely superstitious and not approved by the church but too funny - just reeks of teenage slumber party shenanigans. https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2016/10/the-dumb-cake.html#:~:text=The%20dumb%2Dcake%20was%20a,April)%2C%20and%20Midsummer%20Eve.
It SO feels like a slumber party, haha! I was honestly close to posting a dumb cake recipe - thanks for the great link!
This is so beautiful, thank you Kristin! My second daughter's birthday is the Feast of St Agnes (and she was born at St Agnes hospital even!) so clearly she is meant to be an important saint in our lives, but I know so little about her. This was the perfect introduction.
Such an important lesson to only control the *very little* that we can and trust and hope for the best. Something I really need to learn! Also I love this tradition of the lambs!!
Oh my goodness, what a sweet serendipity!! Happy (almost) birthday to your sweet girl. I'm so glad you enjoyed this little dive into St. Agnes. :)
And I'm right there with you, trying to learn to let my expectations for outcomes go...it's so hard!
Such beautiful poems, images and thoughts, Kristin! I enjoy learning about these holidays from you so much! ❤️
Aw thanks Sarah!! It's such a treat to get to learn about these days and chat about them with you. :)
Kristin,
I grew up in a Christian tradition entirely devoid of the saints. I would go so far as to say that I was taught that if it wasn't contained within the pages of the protestant Bible, we ignored it. We never even talked about Luther or Calvin or Wesley. Those things being said, you might easily imagine the mingled grief and delight I regularly experience when I learn about a saint for the first time, like I did today, with St. Agnes. Not so long ago, I would've dismissed, not only the miracles in the story, but the telling of the tale altogether. Today I embraced both with my whole heart. I never would've imagined I could cry while reading the story of a venerated brother or sister in Christ from hundreds of years ago, but there were tears today.
I'm grateful for your ministry.
p.s. To answer your question, I also prefer the longer format, instead of the subject split into multiple posts.
Oh my - bless you, Jason! Your gracious words have really filled my heart up today...I'm so glad to know that these little journeys into the saints are fruitful for you.
And I know what you mean about the mingled grief and delight! Though I come from a mix of Lutheran & Catholic heritage, I didn't grow up going to church, and much of my perception of modern Christian worship came from traditions that didn't seem to embrace the calendar or the saints (at least from my vantage point - maybe I wasn't seeing clearly). When I started to read the lives of the saints, it was like a whole world of solidarity opened up to me - and I felt like I'd missed so much time with them, I needed to dig in full bore! (Interestingly, I've read that in the Middle Ages, homilies worked with passages from both the Bible and from Jacobus de Voragine's "The Golden Legend", a collection of hagiographies! I love that their lives and testimonies were woven into worship).
Thanks again...I'm so grateful to get to explore these beautiful things with friends like you. I was brand new to St. Agnes as well, and it's been such a joy getting to know her!
P.S. And I'm thrilled you like the longer format! I think that's more sustainable for me, and probably easier to keep track of for most readers. That's my hope, anyway!
Would you recommend The Golden Legend as a good starting point for someone wanting to read about the lives of the saints?
I personally love it, since I really connect with the medieval perspective and the mix of traditional folklore with history...whenever I come across a mythic story about a saint's life or an event (the example that jumps to mind is all the lore surrounding Mary), it almost always comes from the Golden Legend.
I don't know if it's a fair comparison, but I tend to think of the Golden Legend in similar terms as Alexander Carmichael's compilation of the Carmina Gadelica - an attempt to compile regular folks' traditions surrounding their faith, including stories that are often spurious, but nonetheless reflect the devotion of the faithful. So, we don't *really* know if St. Thomas was literally asked to design a palace...but he's still been portrayed in portraiture and architecture with a T-square, reflecting that legend, and I find the stories to be so rich.
Butler's Lives of the Saints is probably one of the best starting points, though!
The last time I went out in an ice storm looking for suet for a recipe was actually not that long ago. I think I just ended up with the brandy. 😂
This one is new to me, but I love the lamb blessing! Our parish is doing a collection for the homeless, and I think it would be nice to throw in some wool socks in honor of Saint Agnes.
Wool socks for St Agnes - that's brilliant! What a beautiful idea.
The brandy during an ice storm does sound like a pretty good deal in the end, even without suet 😂
What a wonderful piece! Love the excerpts from Keats and Tennyson as well, I had no idea they wrote such beautiful St Agnes Day poems!
Thank you so much, Emma! I'm continually amazed by how I can count on the likes of Keats and Tennyson to deliver when it comes to gorgeous poetry for obscure holidays!
Tennyson regularly astonishes me, even when I'm reading something I've read a dozen times before.
When I was studying English Lit in my undergrad, the most tenured professor in our department at the time, the late Dr. Sabord Woods, stood up on the first day of British Lit II and recited from memory about 15 minutes worth of "In Memoriam." I was gobsmacked, not just because this is an amazing feat in and of itself, but because I had never taken the time to read all the way through that lyrical masterpiece. I spent the next several years absorbing as much of the Baron as I could. I never tire of his verse.
I love the new, longer format!! Easier to reference, too :)
Thank you for the work you do! I learn so much with every read.
I'm so glad you liked the format here!! I have a tendency to over-complicate, so I'm trying to simplify a bit in the new year. ;)
Thanks so much for your kind words...it's a joy to get to share in all this with you!
lovely and thoughtful..........
Thanks so much, Carol :)
Beautiful, Kristin. Without attachment to outcome ....
Thanks so much, Jolene. Letting go of that attachment is going to be the work of my lifetime!
Mine too! 😂