Posts
Candace’s Corner
· Pray the Rosary AND Fast too today is “Occult Day”
o Start your day with a hearty breakfast of vichyssoise soup, celebrating National Vichyssoise Day in style.
o Head to a local school to volunteer during American Education Week.
o Embrace your inner child by watching classic Disney cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.
o Afterwards, indulge in some apple cider while watching a documentary about undersea sports like underwater hockey.
o Take a moment to honor Housing Day by decluttering and organizing your living space.
o Wear a tiara or a crown to celebrate National Princess Day, embracing your royal side.
o Educate yourself on issues of violence against men on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men.
Candace’s Worldwide Vineyard Tour🍇 Week 4: Sicily, Italy
Theme: “Volcanic Mercy, Marian Flame”
Dates: November 18–25, 2025
Base: Etna Region – Catania, Randazzo, and Castiglione di Sicilia
🗓️ Tuesday, November 18 – Arrival and Volcanic Orientation
· Travel from Montepulciano to Catania via Florence (~$68 USD flight).
· Lodging at Hotel Centrum Catania
(~$74 USD/night).
· Evening walk through Catania’s historic center. Toast with Etna Rosso.
Symbolic Act: “Flame and Dust”—bless the mountain, name the mercy.
🗓️ Wednesday, November 19 – Etna North & Vineyard Ascent
· Transfer to Randazzo (~$6 USD by train).
· Tasting at Tenuta delle Terre Nere (~$28 USD).
· Visit Chiesa di Santa Maria.
Symbolic Act: “Ascent and Mercy”—walk the slopes, pour the flame.
🗓️ Thursday, November 20 – Castiglione di Sicilia & Civic Pouring
· Bus to Castiglione (~$4 USD).
· Tasting at Gambino Winery (~$25 USD).
· Lunch at Ristorante President (~$22 USD).
Symbolic Act: “Civic Flame”—bless the stewards, name the saints.
🗓️ Friday, November 21 – Marian Vineyard Walk
· Morning walk through Vigna di Madonna delle Grazie (symbolic route).
· Journal and name each vine with a Marian title.
· Picnic from Mercato di Randazzo (~$10 USD).
Symbolic Act: “Naming the Vines”—plant mercy in Marian soil.
🗓️ Saturday, November 22 – Vineyard Eucharist & Volcanic Pause
· Morning reflection at Etna’s lava fields.
· Prepare a Eucharistic meal: bread, olives, and Etna Bianco.
· Evening journaling with psalms or poetry.
Symbolic Act: “I believe and I burn”—a Eucharist of flame and fruit.
🗓️ Sunday, November 23 – Taormina Day Trip: Beauty and Benediction
· Train to Taormina (~$9 USD).
· Visit Duomo di Taormina and Greek Theatre.
· Optional tasting at Barone di Villagrande (~$30 USD).
Symbolic Act: “Benediction and Beauty”—bless the ruins, pour the light.
🗓️ Monday, November 24 – Sending Forth
· Final toast with Etna Rosso Riserva.
· Write a vineyard blessing for the next traveler.
Symbolic Act: “Sicilian Benediction”—send forth the volcanic mercy.
🗓️ Tuesday, November 25 – Travel Day
· Depart Sicily for your next vineyard destination.
· Suggested next stop: Cyprus or Stellenbosch, depending on your seasonal arc.
💰 Estimated Total Cost: $512 USD
Includes 7 nights lodging, 3 vineyard tastings, 2 symbolic meals, and 1 day trip with transit and picnic.
🍽️ Seven-Course Sicilian Ritual Meal: Volcanic Mercy, Marian Flame
🥂 1. Aperitivo – “Flame and Dust”
Dish: Etna Rosso spritz with charred eggplant caponata on crostini
· Sicilian eggplant caponata recipe
🍜 2. Antipasto – “Ascent and Mercy”
Dish: Wild mushroom and black garlic arancini
· Wild mushroom arancini with black garlic aioli
🥗 3. Primo – “Civic Flame”
Dish: Pasta alla Norma with roasted tomatoes and ricotta salata
🍖 4. Secondo – “Marian Soil”
Dish: Grilled lamb chops with mint-pistachio pesto
· Grilled lamb chops with mint-pistachio pesto
🍞 5. Contorno – “Eucharistic Flame”
Dish: Olive focaccia with Etna Bianco pairing
🍧 6. Dolce – “Benediction and Beauty”
Dish: Blood orange granita with almond crumble
· Blood orange granita with almond cookie crumble
🍷 7. Digestivo – “Sicilian Sending”
Dish: Etna Rosso Riserva toast with fig-stuffed chocolate truffles
· Fig-stuffed chocolate truffles recipe
OR HAVE A “BIG NIGHT”
The centerpiece of the meal from The Big Night is the iconic Timpano—a dramatic, drum-shaped pasta dome layered with meats, cheeses, eggs, and sauce, baked in a golden crust.
Here’s a breakdown of the full menu inspired by the 1996 film The Big Night, which celebrates Italian-American culinary grandeur and emotional depth:
🍽️ The Big Night Feast Menu
🥖 Antipasti
· Bruschetta with Ricotta and Walnuts
Crusty bread topped with fresh ricotta, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, and toasted walnuts.
Recipe link
· Escarole and Fennel Salad
A crisp mix of escarole, shaved fennel, celery, red onion, and pecorino, dressed with lemon and olive oil.
Recipe link
🍝 Primo
· Pasta alla Ragu
A rich meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage, rosemary, garlic, and tomatoes, served over fusilli or cavatappi.
Recipe link
🍲 Secondo (Main Event)
· Timpano
A show-stopping pasta dome filled with layers of cooked pasta, meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, Genoa salami, mozzarella, provolone, and tomato sauce, all encased in a golden crust.
This dish is the emotional and culinary climax of the film.
How to make Timpano
Dedicated Timpano recipe site
🍷 Accompaniments
· Red Wine (Chianti or Barolo)
To match the richness and depth of the meal.
🍰 Dolce
· Simple Italian Dessert (Optional)
In the film, dessert is overshadowed by the grandeur of the Timpano, but a light panna cotta or biscotti would be fitting.
NOVEMBER 18 Tuesday
Psalm 3, Verse 7
I do not FEAR, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.
This is a psalm of David, when he fled from his son
Absalom who for all intents and purposes wanted him dead. David is surrounded.
God is (hopefully) ready to answer his prayers. David’s faith is tested because
so many say there is no God or that there is no salvation in God. Yet, David
cannot and will not doubt in God who helped him conquer the giant Goliath.
David is confident in the Lord yet his heart breaks because his own has turned
against him. Today remember our Lord who suffered death via His own. It is when
we are at our weakest and our most vulnerable that the Lord will give
protection. David boasts that the Lord will give protection to him even when he
is lying down to sleep. David prays that the Lord, like a warrior, will defeat
the evil that surrounds him. He knows salvation will come without fail as when
he faced Goliath. He builds his confidence in the Lord,
“I
do not fear, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.”[1]
Say this every morning for ten days and see what
happens! "Moreover, Christians are born for combat, whereof the greater
the vehemence, the more assured, God willing, the triumph: 'Have confidence; I
have overcome the world' (Jn 16:33)." -Pope Leo XIII
Like David we should approach God in humility and
reverence with childlike confidence and love. Thus, prepared for prayer we will
be pleasing to God. To give our mind this disposition is the purpose of the
preface: "Our Father, who art in heaven." Hence this preface should
be said with devotion and piety. The seven petitions of the "Our
Father" contain everything a Christian ought and may ask for. But what may
and should a Christian ask for? For all things necessary and serviceable for
the proper fulfilment of his life work. This prayer contains petitions for
everything necessary for the attainment of the last end for which we were
created, and that is, in the first place, the glorification of God, and, in the
second place, our eternal salvation. In the first four petitions Christ teaches
us and commands us to beseech for the things that pertain to this last end, and
in the last three petitions for protection against the things which hinder the
attainment of this end.[2]
Copilot’s Take
David’s declaration in Psalm 3:7— “I do not fear, then, thousands
of people arrayed against me on every side”—is more than poetic defiance; it is
a liturgical shield for the soul. Surrounded by betrayal, even from his own
son, David anchors himself in the memory of divine deliverance, from Goliath to
the quiet confidence of sleep under God’s protection. This reflection invites
us to echo David’s cry each morning for ten days, transforming fear into faith
through ritual repetition. Pope Leo XIII’s reminder that Christians are born
for combat deepens the call: our spiritual warfare is not waged with
bitterness, but with childlike confidence in the Father. The “Our Father”
becomes our battle hymn, its seven petitions guiding us toward glorification
and salvation, while shielding us from all that hinders our sacred end. In this
rhythm of prayer, fear dissolves, and the soul stands firm, surrounded yet
unshaken.
Bible in a Year Day 138 David mourns Absalom
In today's readings, Fr. Mike points out how the loss of David's son overshadows everything else for a time. The readings are 2 Samuel 19, 1 Chronicles 24, and Psalm 38.
Daily
Devotions/Practice
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Absent
Fathers (Physically & Spiritually)
