(previous) part of our Tales of the WLBOTT series (next)
It was a cool, crisp November afternoon, a Thursday, and Lochlan was heading back to Sueños after a long shift at the nursing home. It had been a good day – a 90th birthday party for Mr. McCorkendale. His two daughters, three grandkids, and his older sister came to sing to him and share cake. Mr. McCorkendale insisted on having all 90 candles. It was doable, but a bit tricky. Lochlan coordinated the lighting with three aides. They started out in the middle and worked their way out. Mr. McCorkendale only needed three breaths to extinguish all ninety candles.
Lochlan’s drive home took him past Our Lady of the Endless Horizon Catholic church. He drove past the Odessa parish church almost every day, but today he saw something unusual – there was an old Econoline van in the parking lot, with “WLBOTT – Peace Thru Twine” painted on the side. That rang a bell, like a medieval church tower 20 furlongs distant.
But we need to see what led up to Lochlan spying the WLBOTT-mobile. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back to Tuesday morning.
Sister Magdalena was on vacation – both from WLBOTT and her parish school duties. But Sister Magdalena’s vacation was not to Disney World or a trip on a Princess Cruise; she wanted to learn new things and grow in her faith, but she also wanted the youthful energy that Fred and Stephan provided.
She had wanted to visit the Diocese of San Angelo for some time. Texas’ largest diocese covered 37,433 square miles, bigger than Indiana (36,420 sq mi) or Portugal (35,608 sq mi). Sister Magdalena was fascinated by the story of The Lady in Blue. When Magdalena was a young novice, Sister Hildegard, her novice mistress, encouraged the young women in her care to approach their faith with curiosity and intellectual rigor. Sister Hildegard was especially fascinated by the spread of Catholicism in the new world. Sister Hildegard, now 84, was retired and living in the Dominican retirement villa just outside of Big Spring. Visiting Sister Hildegard was the real reason for the trip.
Sister Magdalena invited Perch Periwinkle, our artist-in-residence, along for the trip. She hadn’t had a chance to get to know her very well since Perch joined the team, and she could use her help wrangling to two troublemakers in the back seat.
Fred and Stephan eagerly agreed. Kennetta, Stephan’s older sister, was a little hesitant at first. It was going to be a five-day road trip, and Kennetta and Stephan had never been apart that long before. But Stephan was persistent: “Sis, you remember how well I did at the Farmers’ Market? And I’ll have my phone. We can talk all day!”
Grønk prepared the WLBOTT-mobile. He filled up the tank, checked the oil and tire pressure, threw out a hefty bag filled with a month’s worth of fast food wrappers and juice boxes, and told Sister Magdalena she was all set.
They left before dawn, and noticed something spectacular in the eastern sky. Venus was incredibly bright; they thought it was a plane (or UFO, according to Fred), but it didn’t move. Luckily Elder G was awake and glad to take their call.
Elder G can be quite the smarty-pants. S/he explained:
Two factors compete:
- Distance: As Venus approaches Earth, its apparent size increases, making it brighter.
- Phase: As Venus gets closer, we see less of its illuminated hemisphere. Like the Moon, it goes through phases, from nearly full to a thin crescent.
Maximum brilliance occurs when Venus is relatively close but still shows enough illuminated surface to reflect a tremendous amount of sunlight toward us.
At its brightest, Venus can reach approximately magnitude −4.9, bright enough to cast faint shadows under exceptionally dark skies.
Venus is not brightest when it’s closest to Earth, nor when we see its entire illuminated face. It’s brightest at a sweet spot between those two conditions.
And here’s what’s special about today!
There’s something rather wonderful about this: Venus is most spectacular not when she’s fully illuminated, but when she’s showing us only a fraction of herself. Perhaps there’s a philosophical lesson about humility hiding in that celestial geometry.
Fred and Stephan, I’d like you to write a 500-word essay on this topic. And no, I will not help you.
“Venus casts a shadow?” yelled Fred. “A shadow of what? A shadow of what!?!” Elder G remained silent. Either s/he was keeping her/his pledge not to help them, or, most likely, s/he was totally confused.
Sister Magdalena’s route would include San Angelo, to visit the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart, then a big loop through the dioceses. The entire third day of the trip would be spent in Big Spring. Sister Magdalena and Sister Hildegard still corresponded through postal mail, and Sister Hildegard was greatly looking forward to the visit.
So… early, early Tuesday, the first day of the vacation, full of excitement and promise. They planned to be in San Angelo before noon.
In the back seat, Fred and Stephan were discussing the grossest thing they’d ever eaten.
“Dog food?” asked Stephan.
“Who hasn’t? How about cat food, from a can?”
“On saltines,” replied Stephan.
Perch looked over at Sister Magdalena. “Does the WLBOTT-mobile have a switch that raises a soundproof barrier? Rear ejection seat?”
Sister Magdalena chuckled. “I’m going to talk to Elder JimZim about that. He knows engineering. The Wall of Silence.”
They quickly tuned the guys out and began to chat. They realized that they had more in common that they initially thought. They were the same age, born within a few weeks of each other. They both grew up in small Texas towns – Perch in Lamesa, Sister Magdalena in Poteet.
And they’d both turned 50 just a few months ago. Perch asked, “So turning 50, was that rough?”
“No,” said Sister Magdalena. “Turning 49 was rough. I’m enjoying the start of a new decade.”
From the back they heard Fred say, “I once brushed my teeth with Preparation H. I thought it was toothpaste.” “I’m calling Elder JimZim,” declared Sister Magdalena.
They were quiet for a bit, then Sister Magdalena asked Perch, “What’s the artist’s life like?”
“Well, it’s different for everyone, I guess. When I was little, it was just fun. I was always coloring or painting or gluing. I spent all of my free time either reading or doing art projects. When I got older, I realized that there was a lot to learn, a lot of ways to grow in my art, and that discipline is an equal partner with talent.
“Now it’s nice to have a community,” continued Perch. “At WLBOTT I felt at home from my first day. I try to continue learning, to let my inner voice guide me. But at times it would be profoundly lonely. There’d be no external signs that what I was doing wasn’t just folly.
“I’m still filled with doubt, but now, today, somehow I’m compelled to keep going. Even if no one ever even glances at my work, I’m satisfied.
“When I was younger, I created a website, PerchesPaintings.org. I thought I was going to take the art world by storm! I’d post my latest works, and after a few months I noticed that I had 47 loyal visitors. I was ecstatic – not a lot of folks, but dedicated! Forty-seven. Every day. Forty-seven. I told my friend who set up the site for me. My friend sighed and logged into the admin panel. ‘Yep, 47. 14 from Mainland China, 18 from Russia, 6 from Kazakhstan, 2 from Ft. Meade (USA), 4 from Yemen, and 3 from North Korea. Perch, you don’t have an audience. You have an international espionage problem. You’ve been botted.’ I was so depressed; no real visitors. That’s when I realized I had to do it for myself, even if it’s just myself.”
Then Perch asked, “What’s it like to be a nun?”
“Well, technically I’m not a nun,” said Sister Magdalena.
This surprised Perch. “You’re a nun impostor‽”
“Sometimes I feel that way. But no, no, ” Sister laughed. “Technically, nuns are cloistered. Sisters are out in the world. I’m a ‘Sister’. People seem to use ‘nun’ and ‘sister’ interchangeably, but I’m a Sister. Habit, vows, chastity, poverty, obedience. I’m the real deal.”
Sister Magdalena was thoughtful for a moment. “A lot of what you said about being an artist resonates with me. Sometimes I’ll take a step back and realize that it’s a very odd thing I’m doing, from society’s perspective. Even in my faith, I have no real way of knowing if what I’m doing is the right thing.
“And like you were saying, sometimes it is profoundly lonely. Sometimes we have to fall back on that inner voice, the one that springs from our very core, and keep moving forward.”
Hesitantly, Perch asked, “Sister, in your life, there is room for doubt?”
Sister Magdalena became very quiet, eyes fixed on the road ahead. Perch was worried that she had offended her and was about to apologize, when Sister Magdalena quietly said, “Yes. Being a sister is not really about what we do. It’s about who we are. And we are human.”
Perch looked out the passenger window for a moment. She hadn’t expected that answer. When she turned back toward Magdalena, there were tears in her eyes.
As they approached San Angelo, Perch pulled up some info on The Lady in Blue.
According to the earliest recorded happenings in this part of the West, the first Christian service in the area was a Mass celebrated near the confluence of the Concho River in 1629.
According to historical records, Franciscan Fathers Alonso de Benavides and Juan Salas spent six months among the Jumano natives of the area, teaching them about the faith until it was time for the tribe’s yearly migration south.
According to local history, the indigenous people of the area had traveled hundreds of miles to the Isleta Mission in New Mexico after a mysterious Lady in Blue appeared to them repeatedly, instructing them to seek out the Fathers, so they might gain Salvation — now known to have been Sor Maria de Jesus of Agreda, in Spain.
Go San Angelo
Then she began reading from the diocese web site.
From 1620 to approximately 1631, records show that the Lady in Blue made more than 500 apparitions to the native people, who were fascinated not just with her appearance but with her great compassion, love and understanding. She brought to these humble people the message about the one true God, who gave Jesus to be our Savior and who asked His followers to baptize people in His name.
Who was this fascinating Lady in Blue? After much reflection and profound investigation, all signs indicate that she is Sor Maria de Jesus de Agreda, a Franciscan nun who lived in Spain.
This humble nun, who had moments of great ecstasy, could describe how she was transported to another land and could describe the new world where the Jumano Indians in Texas and New Mexico lived. Maria apparently had the gift of “bilocation,” with God using her as the Lady in Blue to bring His message of good news filled with love, compassion and hope to the Jumanos. Reports through the centuries have indicated that the Lady in Blue was seen in what would later become West Texas, near San Angelo, and in the Diocese of San Angelo.
Diocese of San Angelo
From the backseat, Fred yelled out, “The Flying Nun!”
They ignored him. “This is interesting,” said Perch. “The diocese was created by Pope John XXIII in 1961. The rumor is that he picked San Angelo because his first name was Angelo!”
They arrived at the cathedral by mid-morning, passed through the vestibule and entered the empty church. It was spacious and welcoming, but had a very traditional layout. Fred was disappointed. “This just looks like a church.”
Sister Magdalena said, “You and Stephan sit in that pew and read the Bible. Perch and I are going to visit. I’m going to be quizzing you when I get back.” “What part should I read?” asked Fred.
“All of it.”
Perch and Sister Magdalena chatted with the office manager, a pleasant woman named Sandra Lee. They briefly met the bishop. He asked Sister Magdalena about her home parish, and she said that she was the Headmistress of St. Gangulf Academy, a Catholic middle school in Austin, but she was on temporary assignment to WLBOTT. The bishop remarked, “Oh yes, I’ve heard of both,” with an odd look in his eye.
As they were returning to Fred and Stephan, Perch turned to Sister Magdalena. “He’s heard of WLBOTT? The bishop of San Angelo? Should we be concerned?” Sister Magdalena was equally puzzled.
By now, everyone was hungry. Elder JimZim told them to check out a restaurant in San Angelo called “Zenter’s Sister-In-Law’s Cousin By Marriage.” He suggested they order the chicken fried steak. The restaurant was a local legend – the chicken fried steaks were huge, larger than the platters they were served on. Sister Magdalena and Perch decided to split one, while Fred and Stephan ate with gusto, then ordered peach pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. God bless their appetite.
After their late lunch, they got adjoining rooms at the Rest in Peace Motor Inn, then spent the rest of the day visiting the campus of Angelo State University and a walk along the Concho River. That evening they attended a show at the Angelo State University Planetarium – none of the travelers had ever been to a planetarium, and they were fascinated by the experience.