{"id":19983,"date":"2012-07-30T09:45:07","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T14:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=19983"},"modified":"2012-07-29T23:52:57","modified_gmt":"2012-07-30T04:52:57","slug":"the-sisterand-brotherhood-of-the-traveling-saint-medals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/07\/the-sisterand-brotherhood-of-the-traveling-saint-medals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sister(and Brother)Hood of the Traveling Saint Medals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We didn’t expect to be friends. Eight of us. All Catholics at Baylor University. Two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Our friendship was solidified over a rebellious act – staffers sneaking away on the last night of a new freshman retreat to sleep in the chapel next to the main buidling. We all thought we were so sneaky, moving our sleeping bags, pillows and air mattresses when we thought the coordinator of the retreat wasn’t looking.<\/p>\n

We thought we were so smooth. In reality we we didn’t \u00a0fool anyone, eight people was just too big of a group to go missing and no one to notice. I can remember that night, how we laid our sleeping bags in the aisle of the chapel and by the altar area. How we prayed before we feel asleep offering up our own intentions. Over that next semester we became inseparable. We cooked meals together, went to Daily Mass together, prayed together and much more.<\/p>\n

Then, it came time for summer. What were we going to do? You may think that our decision was based upon the novel, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, but I like to think we came up with the idea ourselves. For the four girls in the novel, summer is quickly approaching and their lives take them in four different directions. In a fateful shopping trip they find a pair of ordinary jeans that perfectly fit each and every one of them despite their physical differences. It is this pair of pants that travel between them through their different summer plans and tie them together.<\/p>\n

For us, our pair of pants became a saint medal – the Holy Family – for we felt we had become a sort of family. The medals have been passed among us for the better part of the past three years. It’s now accompanied by a St. Michael the Archangel medal that was later added.<\/p>\n

Over the past three years the medals have been a part of very joyous and very sorrowful times in our lives. It’s been to Vietnam and helped one of us when she had Dengue fever. It’s been to Spain and experienced the Camino de Santiago, it’s been to the Domican Republic, Kansas, Chicago, Oklahoma and more.<\/p>\n

It’s been with us in Waco, through an all night homecoming float construction extravaganza, grad school applications, GRE tests, birthdays, Awakening retreats, struggles, sadness and celebrations.<\/p>\n

We’ve also been there too as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, through our own trials and successes. As friends have graduated, struggled and celebrated things, the intercession of the Holy Family has been there too. Some of us aren’t as close as we were, some of us are closer than ever, but we always bound together by the prayers and intercessions those medals represents.<\/p>\n

We joke that when we get married, the metals will be intertwined in our bridal bouquets. For the boys, who knows, we’ll let them decide what they want to do, we don’t want to be too pushy.<\/p>\n

Last Wednesday my Grandfather passed away in England. The first people I texted were some of my closest friends, most of which I’m connected with through those medals, our own version of the traveling pants. I know that their prayers are lifting my family and I up as we continue to pray and come to peace with what has transpired in our lives.<\/p>\n

So, to the gang that slept in the chapel that Saturday night of the retreat – I love you more than you could ever know and you are forever in my prayers. I am indebted to each and every one of you for praying for me, supporting and helping me through the good times and the bad.<\/p>\n

Holy Family, Pray for us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We didn’t expect to be friends. Eight of us. All Catholics at Baylor University. Two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Our friendship was solidified over a rebellious act – staffers sneaking away on the last night of a new freshman retreat to sleep in the chapel next to the main buidling. We… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,90],"tags":[50,2890,487,897,74,896],"class_list":["post-19983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-faith-blog","tag-faith","tag-family","tag-holy-family","tag-holy-medals","tag-prayer","tag-st-michael-the-archangel","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2102310,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/consecration-to-st-joseph-ii-the-medal-of-st-joseph\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":0},"title":"Consecration to St. Joseph II: The Medal of St. Joseph","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"February 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As February 16, 2020 nears for the start of the Consecration to St. Joseph let us begin to prepare our hearts to encounter the man who most influenced Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Andr\u00e9 Bessette, and many others.\u00a0 Let us prepare for 33 days to enter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/image18-190x190.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":186756,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/sunrise-dark-faith-advent-brightness-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":1},"title":"Sunrise: through the dark faith of Advent to the brightness of Christmas","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"December 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Traveling through Advent with grief this year has led to me to soul search about what Christmas is, and, in the process, to notice similarities between the journey of Advent into Christmas and the stages of the soul's progression into the heart of God. \u00a0According to Carmelite spirituality, \u00a0the soul\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo by Renee Bork","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/12016594_10205918857824426_849206572_n-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/12016594_10205918857824426_849206572_n-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/12016594_10205918857824426_849206572_n-550x413.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":116516,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/holy-naps\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":2},"title":"Holy Naps","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"June 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When I go to sleep, I take time, after I get comfortable, to let myself be loved and to feel that God surrounds and fills me with His loving, protective presence. Early in my young widowhood, I used to make it a habit to say, as I sank into my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1053223_10201595464272892_2070595703_o","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1053223_10201595464272892_2070595703_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1053223_10201595464272892_2070595703_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1053223_10201595464272892_2070595703_o-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101409,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/finding-jesus-at-a-street-retreat\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":3},"title":"Finding Jesus at a Street Retreat","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"March 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In early December, thirty men in the diaconal formation program from the Diocese of Austin went on a three day street retreat based on the scripture \u201cHe commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Justice"","block_context":{"text":"Social Justice","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/social-justice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":993175,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/crowd-funding-hail-marys\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":4},"title":"Crowd Funding Hail Marys","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"July 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"After a week of losing sleep over the suffering of little children taken from their parents at the border, many days of speaking out and also of sending what money I could to organizations trying to help these separated families, I texted to one of my sisters in Carmel, still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/36470683_2019920664715679_3544778840310022144_n-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":139796,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/the-beauty-of-the-dark-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":19983,"position":5},"title":"The Beauty of The Dark Night","author":"Josue","date":"August 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint John of the Cross has a reputation for being a guy who does not care much for your feelings. His name sometimes sounds like a penance.\u00a0People hear \"dark night\" and think of an isolated exile with little or no hope. While I cannot correct that error in a short\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"St John of the Cross - Magdeleine Weerts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/st-john-of-the-cross-magdeleine-weerts-139x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}