Winter Escape! Day 25: The Lake Life

Sunday, February 23, 2014:  How sweet it is, once again, to eat a fine breakfast on Kathleen and Don's lanai while watching the ducks serenely paddling about the lake.  I could quickly get used to a daily dose of this!

The three of us participated in Mass at St. Bernadette's church.  As was my experience last year, the service was well-attended by the friendly parishioners, and very inspirational in both the priest and musicians.  (To see last year's visit to Port St. Lucie, go to Wednesday, June 12, 2013 through Saturday, June 15, 2013, this blog.)  While Kathleen returned the Eucharistic Minister badge, Don showed me around the facilities.  There are quite a lot of meeting rooms.  Then Don, Kathleen, and I visited the Lourdes shrine close to the church.

Entry to St. Bernadette's Church, Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA, 2/23/14.

St. Bernadette's Bell Tower.

The main altar of St. Bernadette's church.

Jesus' crucifix, high above the main altar at St. Bernadette's church.

Large stained-glass window depicting Jesus' mother, Mary, appearing to the French peasant girl, Bernadette, in 1858 in Lourdes, France.  Bernadette was gathering firewood for her family when she noticed a bright light in a nearby cave.  She saw a beautiful lady surrounded by the light.  The lady told her who she was, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

 The true story of Our Lady of Lourdes is quite amazing!  I encourage you, if you're not familiar with this, to google 'our lady of lourdes story.'  There have been quite a high number of miraculous cures in the still-flowing water of this grotto.   FYI:  The Catholic Church is quite skeptical and requires meticulous medical proof for each and every cure; yet there have been thousands.  Millions, yes, millions of pilgrims visit this shrine in France EVERY YEAR!  (Indeed, I myself hope to visit Lourdes some day!)

Bernadette herself was declared a Saint of the Church.  This also is a tedious process.  FYI: Catholics do not worship Saints or Mary, the Mother of God.  We honor them, and ask them, since they are in heaven close to God, to intervene for us in obtaining favors we desire.

Statues showing the Blessed Mother Mary appearing to the young Bernadette who is kneeling, St. Bernadette's Church, Port St. Lucie, Florida.

My dear sister-in-law, Kathleen with my dear brother, Don, in the Lourdes grotto.

We three hung around home in the afternoon.  When it cooled off (temperature high for my stay there was 82 degrees all three days!!), we went for a long brisk walk around the neighborhood to the shopping district.  Their neighborhood, called "Traditions," is a planned community, very well planned, I should add.  In addition to homes, there are several schools, land set aside for churches, large lakes, the community center and pool we saw yesterday, multiple park areas, and the large shopping area.  It is clean and beautifully landscaped in all places.

Part of the shopping area at Traditions, on the other side of the Town Square.

The Town Square and shopping area is next to the largest lake.  In the foreground are children running through the sprinklers on this HOT SUMMER DAY!!  In the background are three tall water spouts.

The city planners wanted Traditions to have everything a 'traditional' community would have, including a church.  Since there is none as of yet inside the town boundaries, they built one to look like a church. It is the Town Hall.  Trees and flowers were blooming everywhere!  It is a beautiful development!

Once home, we spent most of the evening watching the final Olympic coverage and several engaging BBC series including, "Mr. Selfridge."

The exterior of Kathleen and Don's home in Port St. Lucie.

The lanai, facing the lake in the back of their home.  It is quite pleasant and enjoyable!