Meet Our New Columnist!



Rick Cannizzaro, OPA

The Good News

THE NATIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION

The Official Charity of America's National Parks



www.nationalparks.org

America's national parks are home to our country's grandest canyon, highest mountains, largest rivers, oldest forests and the historic and cultural treasures that tell the story of America. You can help strengthen our national parks by supporting the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks.
For more than 100 years, private philanthropy has been helping to improve, preserve and protect America's National Parks. For over forty years, and without federal appropriations, the National Park Foundation, chartered by Congress as the only national charitable partner of America's National Parks, has sustained this legacy of private philanthropy.
As we approach the national park centennial in 2016, the Foundation is working with the National Park Service to ensure that our parks are prepared for their next 100 years.

A Word from
Father Jeffrey Mickler

Father Jeffrey generously shares an inspirational video vignette from Yosemite National Park on the wonder of mountains and our desire to seek out the mountain tops. Father Jeffrey is a Catholic priest in the Society of St. Paul which is made up of priests and brothers in 30 countries. They utilize media to help people come to know, love and serve God better.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!

Artfully Speaking

Paintings as Prayer



It has been said that a picture can be worth a thousand words. And so can a beautiful piece of art! Here, in Florida, we are surrounded by oceanic and marine beauty. One of our favorite artists recently debuted a new Marine Life series in Palm Coast, Florida. Rick Cannizzaro, OPA is an authentic and sensitive soul who paints the beauty of creation and its creatures. He is a vessel of encouragement to aspiring artists adhering to a spiritual philosophy and I quote, "the Creator uses us all to communicate a blessing to others." Rick melds the spiritual qualities of his philosophy into the visual artistry of his paintings. We welcome Rick to our Web Page as a new columnist, Steward of Creation in his art of creation, sharing his passion for the beauty that God has created around us.

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Father Ron's Column

Little Portion

Father Ron has taken a retreat into the heart of Arkansas, a retreat into silence, nature and brotherhood. He writes us from the field.

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Inspiration Blooms by Sister Marie Rene, SSJ

Sister Marie Rene asks us: "to begin a day with a prayer to our Mother Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and fills our hearts with peace, love, and joy."

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Susi's Commentary

Animals in Heaven?

To love is to live! Let that always be the case and you will have a life WELL LIVED! Animals take us into a dimension of love that only they can awaken in us because they don't have to be taught to love....they just do! God made them that way. So, I address that question, Animals in Heaven?

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Steward Alerts

St. Pauls Tube
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Author Michael Brown Retreats in Wisconsin, September 11th and Connecticut, October 2nd
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ATTENTION CATHOLIC SCHOOLS:




BEST BETS FOR PETS Fundraising for Non Profit Groups
(We highly recommend the SAINTS PRESERVE US JELLY!)
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CatholicJobs.com

Steward Activities

The Brothers & Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage
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STUDENTS OF FAITH SURVEY be a participant

Wellness & Nutrition

Heirloom Seeds



If you want to evoke nostalgia in a baby boomer, just mention that you are growing an HEIRLOOM Beefsteak Tomato in your organic garden. Thoughts of a huge, meaty and really tasty tomato slice with a speckling of salt between two slices of bread will fill their head and take them back to Grandma's garden. HEIRLOOM vegetables are usually passed down in families and come with wonderful family stories attached to them that make them as prized as Granddad's gold watch.

Over the past 10 years, HEIRLOOM or HERITAGE seeds have seen an upsurge in popularity both in the United States and in Europe, and are the preferred seed of organic gardeners. The vegetables breed true to their name, they are open pollinated and valued for their purity of taste and the seeds for their "save-ability." Because these seeds are not from a hybridized source, you will not get disease-prone or sterile seeds.

A great place to find and share information on HEIRLOOM seeds is at the Seed Savers Exchange. The exchange which was begun in 1975, saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. They have distributed an estimated 1 million samples of rare garden seeds since their founding. Those seeds now are widely used by seed companies, small farmers supplying local and regional markets, chefs and home gardeners and cooks, alike.
We found a particularly unique collection of HEIRLOOM seeds being offered by the Cukierski Family Apostolate. Just scroll down and CLICK ON SEED STORE.

Start an HEIRLOOM vegetable garden in your backyard and give the promise of true, healthy vegetables to your family and perhaps the generations to come.

Stargazing

50 Years Later: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)




What is the status of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? What has the past 50 years taught us? What can be expected for the next 50 years?
 
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Share a Link

CLICK HERE to view the BBC documentary about the Yellowstone National Park in America, home to America's last great Bison herds, the grizzly bear and the grey wolf.