buffalo journeys

      " 24 But the boat in the midst of the sea was tossed with the waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking upon the sea. 26 And they seeing him walk upon the sea, were troubled, saying: It is an apparition. And they cried out for fear. 27 And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not. 28 And Peter making answer, said: Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters. 29 And he said: Come. And Peter going down out of the boat, walked upon the water to come to Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?"  (Matthew 14: 24-31) from Douay-Rheims Version The world around us may seem scary at the moment, a bit like the storm with the howling wind. And the crisis in the...

image from Sophia Institute Press website The Liturgical Year of the Catholic Faith is rich with resources and encouragement to guide and help us practice the faith. When I was growing up, our lives structured around the seasons of the liturgical year, but later in life, the liturgical year seems like a distant memory. It helped when we used to live in a largely Catholic community, but over time, Catholic communities are far and few in between in our neck of the woods.  I miss the processions. I miss being a part of something greater. I miss the huge gathering of the faithful, with priests and religious in their habits. These days, many people barely realize that there are different religious orders, let alone tell the difference between them. I wish that my children could experience something like that. The Illustrated Liturgical Year Calendar from Sophia Institute Press has been such a wonderful tool for our family to guide us in living the liturgical year. My kids love staring a...

  cake from 85 degrees bakery This bakery has the most delicious breads, desserts, cakes, and more. We stopped by one many years ago while traveling and haven’t stopped talking about it ever since. They’re building more and more locations each year, so when one opened up within driving distance, we made a special trip to load up on pastries. In addition to the bakery, it’s also a coffee shop, hence the name. Supposedly 85 degrees is the perfect temperature for coffee in terms of aroma and taste. We haven’t tried the coffee yet because the place is always very crowded and understandably so, because the pastries are just that good. It’s soft, fluffy, fragrant, and most important of all, not too sweet.  I wish we have a bakery like this near us because I’d probably go there for coffee and pastry more than I can count. If you’ve never visited a 85 degrees bakery before, be sure to check it out.   Tip: The birthday cake comes with a little “Happy Birthday” placard made of choc...

tweet from the Catholic Traveler, Mountain Butorac   The little tidbits like what’s mentioned above is what makes the Catholic Traveler, aka Mountain Butorac, such an interesting person to follow. I’ve been reading Mountain’s travel/pilgrimage tips for a while now. All his pilgrimages sound amazing.  From his social media, he provides a close-up look of many Papal functions that he's attended. It doesn't beat attending in person, but it's still pretty cool. He provides tips on navigating through all the crowds and long lines at the different locales around the Vatican and around Rome. I'm definitely taking his tour if I'm ever in Rome (maybe someday).    If you’ve never heard of the Catholic Traveler and are interested in pilgrimages, go check out the Catholic Traveler. He’s on social media, and he has his own website as well.