Jam Making

A blue ribbon jam maker from the Iris Society graciously guided our troop through the steps of making delicious strawberry jam. We made 57 jars to give to the St Vincent de Paul Society. This was a good way to practice the virtue of detachment. The virtue of detachment is recognizing God’s proper place in our lives. The opposite is the sin of greed. While we need things to live, we do not live to acquire things. All the goods of the world are meant to serve all of humanity and are not our specific possessions. All is a gift from God. St Ignatius taught about detachment as “holy indifference” not preferring health over illness, poverty over wealth, but knowing that all things as long as they are ordered toward God are for His glory alone. Learning about detachment is a good way to prepare for the upcoming season of Lent as we think about how to have a healthy balance with our belongings, hobbies, and relationships and make sure they don't distract us from loving God most of all. 

St Narcisa de Jesus Martello Moran (1832-1869) was one of 9 children born to a well off South American family in Ecuador. Her mother died when she was 6 and her father when she was 19. She happily did her chores, played guitar and sewed. St Narcisa turned a small room of the house into a chapel. She most loved being in the woods where she sought the presence of God and prayed. She supported herself and her siblings by sewing and also taught others about the Catholic faith. At 36 years old, she joined the Dominican convent in Lima, Peru as a lay tertiary praying, doing penance, and living on only bread, water and the Eucharist. She died one year later, a flowery scent filled the room as she breathed her last. Her body is incorrupt and was returned to her birthplace in Nobol, Ecuador where a shrine has been built. Her feast day is August 30.