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$$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
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Volume One, Issue 13 August 9, 2021
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We desire to see everyone living in a healthy relationship with the Lord.
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From Cossondra: She’s Got it Where it Counts |
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I'm a bit of a space nerd. (So is our Media Director, in case you haven't already noticed.) I grew up watching reruns of the original Star Trek television series. I saw the first Star Wars movie in the theater. Years later, my friends and I ganged up in a dorm room to watch the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I was always thinking about space. What is out there? What possibilities does it hold? I was home sick from school the day the Challenger exploded in January of 1986. The launches had become so "routine" that they had not been televised, but when something went wrong, CBS broke into The Price is Right and stayed on the rest of the day. Millions of us watched the same footage over and over, hoping for something good, but knowing there was nothing good about the explosion, fire, and spiraling contrails. I still get sick thinking about it. My Mama shared the love of space. She's the one who got me interested in the original Star Trek series, and she's the one who took me to see Star Wars. The last movie we saw in the theater was one of the newer Star Trek movies. It was in 3D. Mama had a blast, and everyone there knew it. She laughed and gasped and reacted like a kid. I'm so glad we went. Read the rest here
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to be connected with videos, blogs, and a special Members area!
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Joanna Snow Ministries is located in Downtown Mobile, Alabama, and we love it!
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So far, many of our historic posts have focused on the area around Bienville Square. Today, we are heading west a couple of blocks to Cathedral Square, an open area that extends the porch of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The Cathedral faces Claiborne Street between Conti and Dauphin.
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The marker reads: Portier House Circa 1833 Title to this land, part of a Spanish grant and formerly a burial ground, was clarified by the American State Papers in 1828. Michael Portier, Mobile's first Bishop, made this his home from 1834 until his death in 1859. Four subsequent bishops of Mobile resided here until 1906. Abram J. Ryan, poet priest of the South, occupied the northwest corner room of second floor from 1870 until 1877. Residence was restored by Catholic Diocese of Mobile in 1958. In 1970 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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When I read the marker, I was primarily intrigued by the mention of Abram J. Ryan, called the “poet priest of the South.” My interest only grew as I researched him. Father Ryan was born in Maryland in 1838 and grew up in Missouri. He took priestly vows as a young man, but left his position in New York in order to serve unofficially as a chaplain for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. |
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During Reconstruction, he served as a priest in several Southern cities such as Clarksville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Augusta, Georgia; and Mobile. He retired for a while in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he lived in a house on the beach. Perhaps the images in the following stanza from “Lines — 1875” had some seeds planted there in Biloxi.
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Go! stand on the beach of the blue boundless deep,
When the night stars are gleaming on high,
And hear how the billows are moaning in sleep,
On the low lying strand by the surge-beaten steep.
They're moaning forever wherever they sweep;
Ask them what ails them? they never reply;
They moan and so sadly, but will not tell why!
Why does your poetry sound like a sigh?
The waves will not answer you--neither shall I?
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The above stanza and those below are taken from his book Father Ryan's Poems, published in Mobile by Jno. L. Rapier & Co., Publishers in 1879, seven years prior to Father Ryan’s death. From the Preface: “THESE VERSES… --were written at random,--off and on,--here,--there,--anywhere,--just when the mood came, with little of study and less of art,--and always in a hurry.”
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This is a portrait of Father Abram J. Ryan published in the book already referenced. His brother David was killed in battle, and Father Ryan later wrote several poems mourning the lives and land destroyed by the War. Other subjects of his poetry mostly involve Christianity and nature. He died in Kentucky in 1886, but was buried in Mobile in the Old Catholic Cemetery. |
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I will leave you with these words of Father Ryan:
GO words of mine! and if you live
Only for one brief, little day;
If peace, or joy, or calm you give
To any soul;--or if you bring
A something higher to some heart,
I may come back again and sing
Songs free from all the arts of Art.
Isn’t that a wonderful hope? For our words to bring good things to people! May we all take our words as seriously as Father Ryan did! Whether we are in person, on the phone, or on social media, may we all strive to bring peace, calm, or joy to those around us.
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“A person’s words can bring life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”Proverbs 18:4
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Have you considered checking out the Membership Community at JoannaSnow.com? There is SO much good stuff over there.
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There are video courses, a special section for blogs, Joanna’s live teachings, resources, and more! And soon, we will be launching a JSM app for your smartphone and tablet! |
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