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Nuns have faith in goudaEditor's Note: CNN Photojournalist Bill Alberter brings us this report from Virginia. Tucked away in the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley just west of Charlottesville, Virginia, lies a convent of nuns who - along with their daily worship - create a homemade Gouda cheese that's just heavenly. Just about 23 years ago, a group of Catholic nuns from Massachusetts set out for Virginia to create a convent for worship that was totally self-sufficient. It became the Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels. "Part of our tradition is to support ourselves by some sort of manual labor," Sister Barbara Smickel explained.
The sisters of "Our Lady of the Angels" had some help along the way. Friendly neighbors Jim and Margaret Morse lent their expertise in cheese-making. "I think what they really needed to know was how much hands-on work there was," Jim Morse said. Nearly every Thursday, the sisters are up at 3:00 a.m. to start the cheese-making by hand. They make about 21,000 pounds of cheese each year, which they sell at the monastery, via mail order and at local grocery stores in Charlottesville. This fall marks 20 years that the sisters have been making their heavenly creation.
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There are some Friars on the other side of the valley that like to shoot skeet and make a mean batch of brandy too.
At least they are not packing fudge.
Haha! Agreed. Because, of course, that would be against the teachings of the church!
"What a friend we have in cheeses/Cheddar, Brie and Gruyere...".
@Audrey
Oh God....that was soooo bad, it made me laugh a bit... thanks...LOL.... Now that was truly a 'cheesy' one...
Peace....
Reality,
I have now idea what im talking about and have no common sense. I dont think for myself and wish i could live in the 1920's. This is definatley catholic mom...
I agree with you. I'm not Catholic nor do I agree with everything that Catholics do, but you have a strong point. I find it amusing that the people who bash religion don't even know what religion even is. It's like me protesting against veggies only to ask "what's a veggie?".
I had a really long post about religion and faith but it got deleted. Perhaps it hit too close to home and it was the truth? We will never know. It seems to me "Reality" doesn't seem to know "reality" very much. He says we're blind in our faith but to us, he's blind in his science. Science can not/will not explain everything.
Reality,
Not everything on the internet is true.
Leah, you have to be joking. I can't let what you said at the end of your last comment go unnoticed. You said "He says we're blind in our faith but to us, he's blind in his science. Science can not/will not explain everything." It hurts me every time I read this! Science is the EXACT was we do explain everything! I hate to inform you, but science is exactly what keeps us innovating and learning more about the world we live in, rather than drawing such a bold conclusion such as god, appointing a designer to the creation of everything. Religion is the force which actually is detrimental to the advancement of science and new discoveries. Why should we continue to learn more and disprove the bible even more, when we can just accept that god made it? Please...
I think these Sisters set a wonderful example of ‘doing the Father’s will.’
I wish the sister[s] who think they want to be priests would look to these women who are on the right path and stop their foolish scandal. Yes, it is a scandal when supposedly devout Catholics try to twist the Faith into something to suit their personal goals in life. Our goals should be to do the Father’s will; when our will goes against the Church that Jesus Christ founded, it shows we are off the right path.
Those women who spend their time pursuing ‘bad fruit’ as those who desire to be ordained which is to be configured as a man to Jesus Christ, must have heard about the possibility of being cut off from the vine……
The Sisters in this article bring peace and serenity to the world….living their Faith daily. I had read about these Sister’s years ago and am so happy to hear they are still going strong.
God bless you, Sisters!
CatholicMom,
It is actually you that twists the faith of common sense and truth Once again:
From study, common sense, rational thinking and the truth:
Once again, Jesus was a simple preacher man who was made into a god by Paul et al using the necessary accessories of Pontius Pilate et al and a fictional resurrection and an ascension. I recommend a few days of "Googling" or "Binging" the words "historic Jesus studies". Include in your search for the truth the names of the following NT historians/theologians : Schillebeeckx, Crossan, Armstrong, Borg, Funk, Vermes, Pagels, Meyer, Mack, Doherty, Ehrman, Eisenman, Fredriksen, Ludemann, Macoby, Meier, Sanders, Freke and Gandy, Horsley, Johnson, Wright, Strauss, Reimarus, Holtzmann, Bultmann, Kasemann, Robinson, Jefferson and Schweitzer.
CatholicMom,
It is actually you who twists the faith of common sense and truth-:
From study, common sense, rational thinking and the truth:
Once again, Jesus was a simple preacher man who was made into a god by Paul et al using the necessary accessories of Pontius Pilate et al and a fictional resurrection and an ascension. I recommend a few days of "Googling" or "Binging" the words "historic Jesus studies". Include in your search for the truth the names of the following NT historians/theologians : Schillebeeckx, Crossan, Armstrong, Borg, Funk, Vermes, Pagels, Meyer, Mack, Doherty, Ehrman, Eisenman, Fredriksen, Ludemann, Macoby, Meier, Sanders, Freke and Gandy, Horsley, Johnson, Wright, Strauss, Reimarus, Holtzmann, Bultmann, Kasemann, Robinson, Jefferson and Schweitzer.
Reality,
What has been for thousands of years with the Catholic Church is still the same today…Truth does not change except in the minds of those deceived by the evil one. Many read and pursue ‘off the straight and narrow path’ into the crooked, twisted, unconnected-to-Truth information, which really isn’t information but contrived silly thoughts which only the foolish would ever waste their time on it.
Do you ever read the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the Catholic Encyclopedia for starters….then look into the Church Fathers and Doctors, and the Bible fits perfectly with all of these; plus there is more……
I am not selling books like you, just trying to help you see which are worth reading.....
about the gouda in the moon-a in-a June-a
since the success of Dan Brown it would seem that the protestant world is upside down at some of the true comments in his first book..DaVinci
did anybody notice that the Roman catholic Church which makes up the largest percentage of Christians has been silent?
wonder why? there are many reasons but to the top of the list goes:
the Roman Church represents the majority of Christians and yet it too , at one time was centered in France. so that among other long stories tells you that the Roman catholics know very well that the major truths of the relationship of the Jewish prophet Jesus were totally altered in the very early years of the Roman church and often in total conflict with the French Jews for Jesus......
i think the minitory Christian should turn to the Roman Church and simply ask for the truth for all educated Christians have heard all this Dan Brown stuff since childhood. Ask me for example, i am a fourth degree Knigh of Columbus ...a master mason....i thought everybody knew the Dan Brown 'revelations' (yes of course Jesus was married..site the washing of the feet and the drying with the hair...that my friends is a marriage ceremony in Judaic law and custom of that period and yes they did have a daughter named Sarah) but...not it seems to be a shock to many who really did not dig into their own religious dogma...blind faith is great if you can achieve it....normally people today need to inspect ...inspect and you find the truths...then you will have faith based on the truth, not twists and turns and the human politics of history that changed historical truth.
@dr william zelinka
An interesting hypothesis, doctor. I assume you have experienced these episodes in the past?
Want to Know about Islam, check
http://www.911bible.com
Up yours islam
Ummm...... for anyone who knows anything about hermeneutics, this is the silliest video ever. Muhammed in the Bible? Um. No.
Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17) is surely done by these women.
Thank you, dear sisters.
@CatholicMom
Why don't you write them a letter or visit? I often wonder if you are unable to get around much. It-a might-a be-a good-a to-a get-a outside-a more-a.
Surely there are some sisters who could visit you and chat? And maybe bring you a laugh or two as well!
I confess I don't know much Catholic-type humor....but that's probably a good-a thing...
Critter,
Yes, I think that is a superb idea….while out there we could swing down and visit EWTN! Was going to EWTN anyway and so now we have two special things to do on our fall jaunt.
Your new on these blogs, aren’t you, sonny? you just keep comin’ ‘round and we’ll have plenty of laughs.
@CatholicMom
Being called "sonny" really creeps me out. Is David Johnson right? Are you a different CatholicMom than the original?
Just curious and creeped out...
@CatholicMom
Yeah.... I think we need some confirmation that you are the 'real' CM..... What is our secret Catholic Joke...?
Peace to you....
CatholicMom,
A bit of bible th-umping, I see!!
Continuing on:
Luke 18:1-8
/18:1/ Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. /18:2/ He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. /18:3/ In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' /18:4/ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, /18:5/ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" /18:6/ And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. /18:7/ And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? /18:8/ I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Some questions: Who are the chosen ones? There is a lot of crying out day and night but still the hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and disease continue, why? When exactly is the son of man arriving? Did not Paul promise his return sometime in the first century CE?
A problem: Said passage only appears in Luke's gospel making it a single attestation and therefore historically unreliable.
Peace2all,
You said you liked a little humor coming from me; this is a ight-hearted article, suited quite well to light-heartedness.
You can assure your new friend, Critter, that 'this is for real' and the little guy needs to be on his toes, all 16 or whatever he has, if he wants to dig in here with us!
Reality,
The chosen ones are the ones who do as Jesus commands and does the Father’s will.
We with our creature minds do not know the mind of God [it is a mystery…a mystery in that we know God has a mind but that we are unable to describe it or understand it because our brains are limited while His is Infinite].
We do not know the day or time when Jesus the Christ will return but woe to the one who is not ready. Paul said that some who were living in his day would see the Kingdom of God before they saw death…meaning that He was going to establish His Church which is God’s Kingdom on earth and that they would be alive to witness its beginnings. [Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." [Luke 9]
Just because you see something only once in the Bible does not negate it!
Has your mother ever said to you….how many times do I have to tell you….?!....
@CatholicMom
Allright.....Apparently it is the 'real' CM.... You have passed the test...
Your light-heartedness is showing through.
Although.... bit of friendly advice.. take it or leave it.. Yes, My friend @CRITTER..... is actually 'extremely' capable at taking on anyone on these blogs in a debate.... and has demonstrated that he can quite adroitly and powerfully 'dig in here with us' as you say.... So, I would be careful....
Peace....
@peace2all
Terribly sorry old chap, but I must tell you that I am not convinced that this is the "original" CM. You have no idea how easy it is to change names here, as CM herself could probably tell you....yes? There is still something missing from "her" posts...
Anyway, as a nasty-minded person at the worst of times, I have posted some pretty nasty stuff at those times. Yet you respect me because of a few good posts. Do not respect me quite that much, if you please...for I am absolutely sure of my..mmmm...lapses...on my own personal part.
When I'm on my game, I can sling it, sure, but when I'm off my game - good grief! I might as well be wearing one of those sporty jackets with the extra-long sleeves that tie in the back.
Why you gave one or two of my recent posts the old heave-ho, but I did not post them as Critter. That would have been silly under the circu-mstances. Yes, quite a waste of time that would have been....
peace2all, I thank you for your kind words, but I do not deserve them. (okay, the humble police will get me for that one....
...but the truth is a good defense. You wouldn't believe how many people are shocked to hear actual honesty in real life.)
You might hate me for changing my name so often, but I want my posts to stand on their own.
If they can, then I feel they might be worth reading.
Please do not be so gullible where identlties are concerned in, of all places, an anonymous blog!
"CM" might very well be a "fake". Would you bet your life upon it? I wouldn't. The archives are open. Anyone can go back to read of your "secret jokes" or whatever. I myself wouldn't do that because I get sick of that stuff. Jokes lose their humor, arguments lose their impact.
Only a "fundie" would assume CM is CM at any particular instant. Ya folla? I often wonder why people keep the same names, and, having done so from time to time, I can see the attraction of it. It is nice to have someone recognize you and to see the old familiar faces day after day.
But it has its awkward moments as well. Being a chameleon means that you must see my shape against the background, the essentials as opposed to a convenient "label".
I want the freedom to be wrong, for I often am. Anonymity gives me that freedom so I can say things I normally wouldn't dream of saying....to express them so I can grow as a person. I could not do that quite so easily before.
Thanks again.
@"CM"
I only have ten toes, unfortunately, but I only need one of them to type with.., so it could be worse I guess....LOL
Thanks for the laughs, though. I haven't laughed that long or hard in a long while. XD
Well, Critter, you are not really a critter [skunk, rat, etc.] after all! Maybe a bunny or chipmunk …no need to get out the .22!
I took Peace2all’s advice and tried a little humor but I realize now that sometimes when a person does not have the same mindset as the one reading the post it can be taken in the wrong way, even if the writer thought she thought it through first. I have to admit, it made me sick when I realized what you thought it meant.
Maybe I am too old for this and ought to take that Fall Jaunt now.
@CatholicMom
Now that sounds more like the CatholicMom I am used to reading.
I apologize for my mistake(s) in being so susp-icious. I have lived on the "street" so long that my cynicism is almost legendary. To call it paranoia would not be too far from the mark, either.
I must admit I am not used to your style of humor, and so could only wonder at it, as it seemed strange to be called "sonny" by someone who does not know me very well..
No, I am a nasty critter, but please use something bigger than a .22. I would prefer to be blown to smithereens at one go, if it's all the same to you. My claws are still sharp. I use them at my peril and I know it.
I do not like the idea of making some old woman sick, so please accept my apologies for that.
Yes, I laughed like a madman at that nasty bit of humor in the old days. It was shockingly funny at the time. Being in an anonymous blog makes knowing who is out there a very tenuous position. I had my own "identlty" hijacked some days or weeks previous to that. I respect you for your self-control in that difficult situation. When it happened to me, I nearly blew my top and said some really nasty things to the little tr0ll that had done that to me.
Whoever joined me in that nonsense is still around. Kate thought it was all done by "ybs", but I did some too. I don't often have "troll's remorse", but I think it is warranted in this case.
I really do wish it had never seemed necessary at the time, and the humor was like a madness of fun and games, so I apologize to you, CatholicMom.
My intentions were not expressed correctly and for that I do feel bad and rather silly (again).
I don't think you are too old for this, so please do not fly away if you do not really need to. I am old enough to enjoy familiar people even if I don't agree with them and think they are wrong, for that would be my description of my whole family.
That I try to avoid most of the people in my family has been a very healthy thing for me in the long run. I have been avoiding you for many of the same reasons, lately.
It is hard to keep from attacking your religion when it is so much of how you speak in your posts. You identify so much with your Church, that I can see how you might take some things personally that were not really aimed at you all that much.
Kate has said that you "know your shjt" as far as doctrine. I would agree, but I would add the qualifier "you think the Church's shjt don't stink." - and so the rampage began all those threads ago...
"Love the person, hate the insanity" is one of my new sayings. It is what I have been trying to do. "Sin" is religious in scope, insanity is human in scope and covers much the same things while being more comprehensive and detailed.
I want all of the insanity in the world to be addressed in an effective way, and, unfortunately for you, I include most religions under the banner of insanity.
Yet perhaps you might agree that insanity is a bad thing, and then we would agree on something that doesn't necessarily have to focus on your religion quite so much. I suppose we might already have covered that somewhere, I don't really recall.
If I could only heal everyone, I think I might have some hope for us all. As it is, I have very little. But there are always possibilities, eh? With or without our respective positions.
sorry again. My own efforts are clumsy. These claws of mine take some getting used to whenever I take them off and then put them on again.
Critter,
I am almost speechless! I feel like a have a new brother! [along with the other brethren on these blogs!] Don’t you other brethren go feeling slighted because I didn’t mention your name….you know who you are,… dear ones.
No need to apologize…Critter...we all need to be on our toes around here! You’re just blessed to have more toes than others! [just teasing….]
Back to serious issues…won’t you agree…insanity is forgiven of all of us? Lovelessness is unforgivable. If we could all have the hope that love will win out, the insanity will be worth it; seems to me insane people cannot sin. Seems the sane ones get into trouble and then try to blame it on their insanity if they are blessed with any!
To stay on topic…It is not insane to make cheese. These sisters know it is a good way to spread love! It is not insane to eat cheese either. This article is totally about making love!
@CatholicMom
Thank you for being so kind in the ways that you are known for...
To say that we are already forgiven of our insanity is assuming there is something to be forgiven for in the first place.
Insanity comes with the "lifetime warranty" that humans get in a "surprise" package deal of life in a human body.
There are no guarantees and no liabilities to the living for acting in accordance with their physical limitations. If one is insane, they are not culpable and therefore need no forgiving in the first place.
Lovelessness is part and parcel with our physical limitations and our development and neurologically determined responses.
So I do not say that it is "unforgivable" either.
(and I hate to quote scripture back at you when you should know better than to say something is "unforgivable" – really!)
and so on...
I have never tried gouda cheese, so I cannot have much of an opinion on whether it is insane, a sin, or just food...
And thanks for the straight line(s). I have to chuckle at your choices of words...but then you think the words have chosen you, perhaps??
See you later. I've got some errands to run with my toes...
Back to the bible thu-mping CatholicMom who continues to be trapped in the NT box of mostly myth:
(1) Mark 9:1 = Matt 16:28 = Luke 9:27
/9:1/ And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power."
= Matt 16:28
/16:28/ Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
= Luke 9:27
/9:27/ But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
http://wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?t-itle=Crossan_Inventory (delete the hyphen in t-itle before accessing)
John Dominic Crossan
Item: 243
Stratum: II (60-80 CE)
Attestation: Single
Historicity: negative – i.e. not from the historic Jesus
Common Sayings Tradition: No
Luke 9: 28 begins the myth of the transfiguration, details of which were obviously taken from analogous mythical accounts of radiant clothing, clouds and talking to/by god found in the OT/Torah:
Reality,
You said, ‘Back to the bible thu-mping CatholicMom who continues to be trapped in the NT box of mostly myth:’
I am interested in your opinion here….mostly myth…….how about showing us the parts that you believe are not myth…..
I am just happy to see another positive article dealing with Christianity. Even if it was planned prior to my rants or after I thank CNN for giving a bit of balance in this section of their web site.
Damn I miss the real CatholicMom.
Gouda is good. Gouda is real. I think it is good that the nuns have found something I can believe in!
What a beautiful way to serve the Lord but to make something wonderful with your hands while your mind is at prayer! Seems that even we can learn a lesson here…..praying and daily chores go hand in hand.
If thou breaketh wind due to the gouda, is that really a gooda thing?
please check
Islam Cracks The Code – Da Vinci
First it was the Da Vinci Code controversy – It was everywhere! Dan Brown's book said Jesus in not divine or God, and the gospels as we know them, ...
http://www.islamcode.com/ – Cached – Similar
Iqbal khan,
This is what I found on your site....it is not really related to the article at all.
'They actually consider him as the "Messiah" and they even say, "peace be upon him" when mentioning his name. But, they are quick to negate any connection between God and Jesus as a partnership or God-head, and they rule out the notion of God having any son (or daughter for that matter).'
O.K..... I'll start..... I have nothing 'gouda' or bad to say about this news article.... Wow...did that actually come out of my mouth.
Slow news day on the cnn blogs...... Glad for their self-sufficiency...
Peace.....
I guess they didn't want to get swamped with responses to that TeaParty woman admitting she tried Satanism or something like that. But those are too easy.
Cheese making is an old art, but those machines look brand new and spotless. Glad they have something to keep them out of trouble...
peaceful easy feelin's @ you. Haven't gotten to respond to much else yet today. Don't worry, I'll get there one way or the other...
@Critter
No worries.... I am sure you will find your way..... Looks like you are just *warming up*.....
Peace to you....