robclemenz@SaintsforSinners.com - Lifting Spirits, One Saint at a Time...

A nice essay from http://yaygod-sagas.blogspot.com/

2011-07-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

I really liked this essay from Cyndi @ http://YayGod-Sagas.Blogspot.com

I'm sure http://SaintsforSinners.com "forgiveness patrons" Saint Dismas and Saint Maria Goretti would too. Thanks, Cyndi! "YayGod!"

"Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, and what is soiled is made clean."

Dag Hammarskjold

"By your capacity for forgiveness shall I recognize your God."

Meister Eckhart

As the story goes, a frail elderly man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, making eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, his milk spilled on the tablecloth, he broke a dish or two, and his place at the table was always a mess, irritating his son and wife. So they set a small table in the corner where Grandfather ate alone from a wooden bowl while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food from when I grow up."

Whether we know it or not, we are forever modeling to the children, grandchildren and the more impressionable hearts of each other how to enhance or diminish the Light in the world, by our actions and attitudes, regardless of the words we speak. Earlier in the summer, Michael pressure-washed our patio, walkway and driveway, oblivious to the fact that he was thereby destroying and drowning the garden and plants I had laboriously spent two days putting in just after we arrived. We were both snarky with each other, feeling under-appreciated, neither of us able or willing in the moment to acknowledge the role of ego in our stand-off. Eknath Easwaran tells an amusing story about two people arguing, pretending to listen, when all they really needed were signs to hold up as the other spoke: "I'm right. You're wrong." The blessing of getting older is that these moments pass quickly, with grace and humor and, hopefully, lessons learned. (Note to self: do not plant garden until after the pressure-washing; also, plants are more easily replaced than husbands.)

   One blessing of getting older is that we find if we wait 24 hours or so before reacting and then tell a story about what happened, the feelings are usually universally shared, and more humorous than aggravating, one story begetting another as our life dramas unfold. My niece's mother, Donna, was caring for her mother with Alzheimer's. Donna went into the garage, and her mother locked her out of the house. The mother then kept telling Donna, who was banging on the door to get back in, that she had to go find Donna to unlock the door. After a few days, the story could be told with laughter instead of frustration, fear and irritation.

   A friend, unaware that the answer machine on her neighbor's phone had not disconnected after she left her message, proceeded to complain to her husband in rather disparaging terms about the neighbor - until she heard the heart-stopping 'beep,' indicating the machine had recorded it all. When the friend called me in horror for advise, I was not much help because I couldn't stop laughing, even as we both recoiled at the thought of her innocent neighbor's eventual pain. They have since reconciled though not without difficult lessons.

   The thought occurs to me now that we are sending and receiving constantly in life; with every thought and every word, we leave messages of our choosing:  joy or despair, lightness or gloom, hope or cynisicm, acceptance or rejection. How many of these would we want to be overheard or recorded? How much forgiveness and reconciliation are we open to in the relationships offered to us as gifts in our growing?

   "Engrave this upon my heart," Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, writes: "There isn't anyone you couldn't love once you've heard their story."  I have a friend who, a few years ago, told me sometimes she just throws her hands up in exasperation and says, "This is for EVERYONE who has EVER asked me to pray for ANYTHING." We could say the same prayer for forgiveness, in following Rumi's advise to be like the night in concealing the faults of others. For everyone who has ever harmed us, we offer forgiveness; for anyone who has suffered from our thoughts, words or actions, we ask forgiveness. We forgive ourselves and each other, because the tender grace that comes from being in such a place brings peace and well-being, until finally we remember who we are, and our place in the world.

That act of forgiving those who trespass against us doesn't come out of fear of a higher power out there, but because we are connected to that deeper place within that tells us we are not so different from those who hurt us, reminds us that we have hurt others, and accepts the Love that masks itself behind the forgiving heart.

We return in prayers of blessing and forgiveness, not once and for all, as the saying goes, but time and again. The Sufis say that reconciliation is simply remembering how far we've strayed from our original goodness, our feelings of remorse already a return to the Divine. I like to think that the grandfather in our story waited silently, knowing that his son would realize the goodness of his own heart and return his father to a proper place of respect, not out of guilt, but out of remembrance, in answer to the call to Love.

YAY GOD

Saint Mark Announces Cure for Mosquito Bites!

2011-07-12T08:18:00.000-05:00

Saint Mark, who works with http://www.SaintsforSinners.com and is often invoked and asked for help when flies and mosquitos are biting, has announced that he is helping to develop a pill that humans can take to ward off those pesky bites.

This will probably be very good news for athletes playing sports in the summer, like the "Geaux Cups," an accomplished team of softball players in New Orleans, Louisiana and pictured above. There are still a "few kinks in the line, however," Saint Mark said, adding "I'm trying to get the pill approved and used in Africa, because mosquito bites are sometimes lethal over there."

The medicine is called "ivermectin," or Mectizan, depending on who is talking about it. According to New York Times reporter Donald McNeil, Jr., scientists are "turning people into human time bombs for mosquitos." He writes that "when mosquitos bite people who have recently swallowed the drug, ... they die."

Unfortunately, though, some people are dubious as to whether the medicine can really work effectively. A worm guy ( also known as a "parasitologist" ) is somewhat dubious: Dr. Frank O. Richards, from the Carter Center in Georgia, commented that "it's very difficult to say 'Let's treat a million people' - and then have to test each one." Apparently, for the medicine to be effective, all the people in the mosquito-ridden area have to take the pill at the same time." Saint Mark acknowledged that fact is troublesome, but he has asked Saint Matthew, the patron Saint of Accountants, to figure out a way to get millions of people to do something all at the same time and in the same area. Saint Matthew acknowledged the difficulty presented, but said he may be able to work the numbers, adding, "I've got a stellar abacus!"

Saint Catherine of Siena Promotes Palliative Medical Trend

2011-07-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

There's a new trend taking place in America's Medical Schools and it aims to discourage superlatively high-achieving book smart students from getting into Medical School based solely on their excellent grades. Saint Catherine of Siena who was a highly communicative and expressive person, is working with Saints Luke and Cosmos and Damien, the 3 patron saints of Doctors, to make sure that future Medical School students learn the art of empathetic listening, before being allowed the privilege of entering Medical School.

Saint Catherine, the author of the classic, "The Dialog," has created the "Multiple Mini Interview," ("MMI") to be used in screening Medical School applicants. By using her Heavenly Powers, Catherine has been able to persuade 8 Medical Schools to have applicants go through several interviews before being accepted. Medical School applicants hoping to attend UCLA, Stanford, and Virginia Tech Carilon, along with other Medical Schools, will go through a procedure where they read a story about a fictional patient for 2 minutes. Then the applicant will walk through a door and be greeted by a team of people to discuss how to "treat" the patient. The interview lasts 8 minutes, and then is repeated approximately 10 times in a row.

The goal of the MMI, according to Saint Catherine and human beings, such as Dr. Stephen Workman, a Dean of Admissions at Virginia Tech, is to help usher in a new era of Health Care in America. The prospective Medical School students are not necessarily graded on whether they answer the questions correctly, which seems fair since these people have not even gone to Medical School yet! Instead, the interviews help weed out the arrogantly opinionated who, like most "know-it-alls," often fail to listen and also jump to conclusions, clinging to their notion of what is "right" and what is "wrong." Gardiner Harris, a writer at The New York Times recently noted there are a lot of Doctors who are "insufferable know-it-alls who bully nurses and do not listen."

If Saint Catherine of Siena is successful with implementing the Multiple Mini Interview at more Medical Schools, it is estimated that the number of needless deaths and injuries in Hospitals will decline considerably. And it will be because channels of communication will be widened, not narrowed.

SaintsforSinners Blog Gets a Facelift!

2011-07-10T12:02:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone! Here's a short note to let you know we just updated and revised the SaintsforSinners Blog and eliminated all the SPAM posts. Here are our two commercials. Please share them with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, StumbedUpon, Diggit, and any other social network. We hope to be making posts regularly and soon we will be going to Europe to find more saint medals. We also added new retail stores in the Carolinas and Santa Barbara, California! Let us know about great retail shops in your area (or let them know about us!) and if you are looking for a particular saint medal we will try our best to find it during our medal hunting trip. Cheers! rob clemenz@ SaintsforSinners

P.S. Special thanks to Dimitrina, who helped make the Blog look much nicer! Soon we will be adding more saint stories and updating the http://SaintsforSinners.com web site too! :o)

2010-12-29T15:34:00.004-06:00

Hand-Painted www.SaintsforSinners.com Imported Italian Saint Medallions of Saint Joan of Arc will be Given Away during the 3rd Annual Krewe of Saint Joan of Arc Birthday Celebration on January 6th, 2011 in the French Quarter of New Orleans. There will also be swords, medallions, magnets, and other surprises. According to Sir Richard Duplantier, Jr., "the Saint Joan of Arc Parade is the highlight of Twelfth Night and the most fitting event to attend for ushering in Carnival Season & Mardi Gras."

Joanie on the Pony Rides Again - Krewe of Joan of Arc Takes Over French Quarter January 6th, 2011

2010-12-29T15:23:00.010-06:00

Get Ready for the 3rd Annual Krewe of Joan of Arc Parade, set to roll on "Twelfth Night," January 6, 2011, in the French Quarter. Help us celebrate Saint Joan of Arc's Birthday by celebrating her extraordinary life and spirit!

Our New "WISH" Ad

2010-04-02T10:42:00.004-05:00

Our New Ad in WISH (The New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Please Repost!

Happy Easter!

2010-02-13T10:41:00.001-06:00

www.multipraying.blogspot.com

Joanie on the Pony - Joan of Arc Twelfth Night Parade, French Quarter, New Orleans

2010-01-13T08:03:00.005-06:00

January 6, 2010, Joan of Arc parades with the Krewe of Jeanne d'Arc, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, to celebrate Twelfth Night, or "King's Day," the preamble to the Mardi Gras Carnival Season!
Hmmmm.... Wonder where she got that hand-painted Joan of Arc medal she is happily wearing?

More photos by Victoria Pisarello to follow....

http://saintsforsinners.com/saint-stephen-medal-story.html

2009-12-26T09:18:00.012-06:00

Happy Saint Stephen's Day!

December 26, 2009 is Saint Stephen's Day, and celebrates the life of Saint Stephen the Martyr, who was stoned to death because he refused to disavow his own personal convictions.

His story can be found at www.SaintsforSinners.com, which is linked above.

The sterling silver toggle clasp bracelet, featured left, can also be purchased from SaintsforSinners, but for the time being, orders are best completed over the phone, because we are trying to coordinate and individually customize the bracelet and medals to suit your specific, individual requests.

Click on the image to enlarge the photo.

The bracelet pictured here is one of our "There's Something About Marys" designs, featuring, yes, you guessed it, a series of Blessed Virgin Mary imported Italian Saint Medallions, all hand-painted in New Orleans, Louisiana.

From left to right, the Virgins listed are: 1. Our Lady of Fatima, 2. The Immaculate Heart of Mary, 3. Our Lady of Guadalupe, 4. Our Lady of Perpetual Help and 5. The Miraculous Medal.

Contact us if you would like to help us create your very own specially made "There's Something About Marys" Sterling Silver Toggle Clasp Charm Bracelet, including all of your favorite imported Italian Saint Medallions, hand-painted in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Our sister web site www.TheresSomethingAboutMarys.com is "coming soon," to a computer near you, 1n 2010!

Our Fund Raiser for the Volunteers of America's Elderly Servives Program

2009-12-15T10:49:00.013-06:00

This nice article by the New Orleans Times-Picayune's Fashion Writer, Susan Langenhennig, appeared in the "LIVING" section yesterday, December, 14, 2009.

You can click the image to get an enlarged view.

SaintsforSinners is proud to be working with the Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans in an effort to raise funds for their Elderly Protective Services Departments.

Buy a hand-painted Saint Anthony or Saint Vincent de Paul medal package and all proceeds will go to the Volunteers of America, a Charity committed to "touching lives and building community."

Thanks to Susan Langenhennig, the Volunteers of America's Director of Marketing, Sheryl LeBlanc, and Egghead Designs Erica Normand for working with us on this project.

Saint Robert Meachem, A Modern Day Saint Dismas, the Good Thief

2009-12-06T14:27:00.009-06:00

New Orleans Saint Robert Meachem (# 17) is a Modern Day "Saint Dismas," the Saint who is known as the "Good Thief."

Saint Dismas' story can be found at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/

If he were alive today, he would be New Orleans Saint Robert Meachem, a saint who recovers fumbles for touchdowns, makes interceptions, and is fantastic thieving NFL athlete! His 53 yard touchdown catch with less than 2 minutes left to play in the game against the Washington Redskins had all of the New Orleans Saints fans in the world joyous!

The image of our Saint Dismas the Good Thief medallion is featured at left, (click the image to enlarge) and includes a fleur-de-lis tattoo on his chest, all available through SaintsforSinners.

We're trying to present an image of Saint Dismas as a token image of New Orleans Saint Robert Meachem.

Robert's play today, December 6, 2009, where he stole the ball from the Washington Redskins, and scored a touchdown was one of the most excellent plays in the history of the National Football League (NFL).

Congratulations, New Orleans Saint Robert Meachem; you are, like Saint Dismas, truly a "Good Thief!"

Make that "Great Thief!" And a great Saint!

WHODAT!?

Saint Nicholas of Myra's Feast Day, December 6th

2009-12-06T11:15:00.007-06:00

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron of merchants. Saint Nicholas' image is featured to the left, as is his story. Click the image to enlarge.

His medal depicts Saint

Nicholas holding 3 gold balls and there are also 3 boys, cooking in a barrel of oil.

Don't fret; Saint Nicholas saved the 3 boys and went on to become a beloved saint.

Happy Saint Nicholas of Myra (that's where he is from) Day from all of us at www.SaintsforSinners.com, the home of imported Italain Saint Medallions hand-painted in New Orleans!

"A Divine Gift!"

IN HONOR OF SAINT NICHOLAS: STORES SELLING HAND-PAINTED ITALIAN SAINTSFORSINNERS SAINT MEDALLIONS

2009-12-04T10:53:00.015-06:00

Saint Nicholas of Myra, Patron Saint of Merchants is our Guest Blogger today.... Today, December 6th, is Saint Nicholas' Feast Day. His story can be found at www.SaintsforSinners.com.

Hello, my name is saint Nicholas of Myra, not to be confused with the fat guy, "Jolly Saint Nick."

I asked the folks at www.SaintsforSinners.com to let me offer a big thank you to all of our retailers, past and present.

As the patron of Merchants, I am the saint who cajoles you into ordering the hand-painted medals from SaintsforSinners.

Our very first store that carried the Original SaintsforSinners cards and medals was located in the French Quarter on Royal Street and was called:

1. The Living Room

It later became known as Pamela's Living Room and we are sorry to report that the store went out of business a few months ago, due to the slow economy. Our medals sold briskly and they were the store's best seller, but the revenue gained from the sale of our medals was not enough to sustain their boutique. We were sorry to see the store close, and we were also very disappointed to learn that:

2. Shine Spa, another French Quarter shop on Conti Street that was carrying our medals, also closed down.

Fortunately other French Quarter shops are currently and actively selling our medals. They are:

3. Feet First, located on Royal Street;

4. Yesteryears, in the heart of Bourbon Street;

5. Ragin' Daisy's, located in the lower Quarter on a corner near the lively French Market;

6. Feet First has another location, located in Uptown New Orleans on Magazine Street, and it also offers our medals.

Another great store in the French Quarter, 7. "Plum," carried our medals for many years. Plum's owner, Dannal Perry, has a good eye for unique items and her store is fun to visit.

Other Uptown Boutiques actively selling our medals are:

8. Jean Therapy on Magazine Street, near the Jefferson Street intersection.

Jean Therapy also offers our medals at their store (9.) in One Canal Place and also 0n Canal Street, 10. Jean Therapy for Kids

Jean Therapy is also located in (11.) Lakeside Mall and (12.) Baton Rouge

Another Baton Rouge Boutique offering our medals is 13. Ted & Daisy's, located in the LSU area.

The 14. Cyprus Medetarian Prayer Center in Baton Rouge also sells our saint medals. In the University area near Tulane and Loyola, 15. Sweet Pea sells SaintsforSinners medals, as does

16. SaveNola, on the first floor of JAX Brewery on Decatur Street.

Crowley's 17. Louisiana Church Interiors also sells our designs, as does the

18. Immaculate Heart Book Store in Alexandria and

19. T Fig in Lake Charles.

20. Blink in the Riverwalk in New Orleans, sells our medals too.

In New York City, the trendy 21. 22. 23. Selima Optique Boutique sells our medals in all 3 of their locations.

In Croton on the Hudson, visit 24. Sherwood Forest Designs to find our medals and if you're out in the Hamptons on Long Island, try

25. The Pharmacy in East Hampton, to see some of our medals.

Over on another continent, if you are in Tokyo, Japan,

26. The Espresso Bar briskly sells our medallions.

Back in America, and on the other side of the country,

27. The Holy Family Book Store in Pasadena, California, is selling SaintsforSinners designs,

as does 28. Zimmer's in in the Valley near Tolouca Lake.

Back on the Bayou, 29. The Jefferson House

and 30. Blue Roof Denim are selling our medals on the Northshore near Covington and Mandeville.

If you go to the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey, check out our medals on 31. Pavillion One

Another beachy locale selling our medals is

32. Bella Beach in Destin Florida.

Up in Oklahoma, try 33. The Clover Leaf, and when in Little Rock, try

34. Liza's Skin Care and

35. Box Turtle

36. Duque & Duque Spa & Boutique offered our medals in their store in Seattle, Washington.

37. Light Years Jewelry in Memphis

38. Maggie's Pharm

39. Pursue Good STUFF, like our medals, in Kansas City sells our medals.

40. InBetweenz in Lafayette, Louisiana sold our medals but we are sorry to report that they have closed down their shop.

41. Art and Soul

42. Small Town Music

43. Little Miss Muffin in Lakeview and

44. Little Miss Muffin in Old Metairie sell lots of our medals!

We also sell on 45. The Internet at www.saintsforsinners.com

Once a month we sell our medallions at

46. The Harrison Avenue Market in Lakeview

47. The Gretna Festival invites us to sell our medals during their annual music extravaganza.

Athens Ohio's 48. Artifacts sells the medallions 49. Happy Hands in Baton Rouge 50. Eaton's Church Supply in Moussouri sells the medals and the

51. Paradise Cafe, in Metairie, near Barnes & Noble, sells our medals. The owner, Linda is a great cook and she feeds us when we visit!

Healing Saints on the SaintsforSinners Sterling Silver Bracelets

2009-12-04T07:22:00.011-06:00

We are excited to begin offering sterling silver toggle clasp bracelets with our hand-painted Italian Saint medallions.

One of the first bracelets we designed is featured, at left, and it included a collection of the "healing saints," Padre Pio, Gabriel the Arch Angel, Raphael the Arch Angel, Agatha, Peregrine and the Virgin Mary on the Miraculous Medal. Click on the medals to see a larger image.

The basic bracelet designs were conceived by SaintsforSinners but the final and overall creation is made by the person ordering the bracelet.

We enjoyed matching all the saints featured above and the lady who envisioned the color scheme had a great vision.

We were happy to help her learn more about the saints that would fit well on the healing bracelet and we added the Arch Angel Raphael, the saint known for creating "happy meetings" as a surprise gift.

For information about pricing and turnaround times, please call SaintsforSinners at 504.482.2467.

Writing for Mike Fratello

2009-12-04T04:26:00.011-06:00

A long, long, time ago, I can still remember how the tale began ....
It was after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when I was living in a tiny apartment on Bayou Saint John in New Orleans.

A lady named Paige and her Mom, Rosemary, had been ordering medals and we got to "know" each other through e mailing and our work at www.SaintsforSinners.com

Paige was involved in an Akron, Ohio Hospital fund raiser for kids with cancer called Denim and Diamonds.

She asked if we (SaintsforSinners) would be willing to contribute some items for the Silent Auction. Of course, we said yes, and somehow, through luck or just because my cousin Sue is a gem, we also got my dear cousin Sue to help us design beautiful one-of-a-kind SaintsforSinners necklaces.

Sue, being from eastern Long Island, is a lover of the water and the ocean and she collects beach glass. She offered to weave (Saint Anastasia, patron of weavers must have been lurking nearby) some of her beach glass into a SaintsforSinners medals and create a unique necklace.

So, that's what she did and the result was that we were able to raise a lot of money for the fund raiser, which was great!

Somewhere along the line, some people involved with the fund raiser also asked if we could do something special for the sports broadcaster and then Memphis Grizzlies coach, Mike Fratello, because Mike was helping with the fund raiser too.

Of course, being the celebrity hound he tends to be, the founder of SaintsforSinners said yes!

We decided to write a new story about Saint Sebastian, the patron of athletes, for Coach Fratello.

The Grizzlies were losing games and not doing very well in the official NBA standings.

So, we got to thinking and questioning whether winning or losing really mattered, and we concluded it did not.

What really, truly matters in athletics, and life, is how the "game" is played.
The Grizzlies were struggling but Coach Fratello was still working hard and also dedicating his free time to help raise money for a hospital dedicated to helping kids with cancer.

So, we wrote a new story about saint Sebastian, the patron of athletes, and we hid a story within the story that was a message to Mike Fratello, the man.

We reminded him that the things that were most important were playing the game with a sense of fair play and integrity, and working as team.

We managed to convey that what an athlete does off the field, like say, working to raise needed funds for hospitals, is also part of the "big equation."

And we sent our saint Sebastian medal package for Mike off to Akron, Ohio.

We did harbor a hope that we might hear from Mike Fratello and somehow get him on the SaintsforSinners "Hall of Fame-ous," and although we did hear back from Mike's friends, the Hall of Fame inclusion was not meant to be.
That was OK, though, because Sue and SaintsforSinners made a nice contribution to the Denim and Diamonds Fund Raiser and that was the most important thing.

Time passed (that's what it does, like it or not).

We moved out of our little apartment and back into a brand new home in the exact same spot where our old home had been bulldozed away after the flood.

2009 arrived and a phone call came in to SaintsforSinners. It was from a lady named Jessica and she wanted medals for a boys football team at Our Lady Mount Carmel in Indiana.

We offered a nice discount and went about preparing the medal packages for the boys.
Thanks to our work for Denim and Diamonds and Mike Fratello, our story was already written and with a few quick edits, and with some time spent carefully painting Saint Sebastian medals, we had the Saint Sebastian medal packages prepared and ready and off they went to Indiana.

Weeks went by and we did not hear from the folks in Indiana. We wrongly concluded that perhaps the medals were not up-to-par and were disappointed.

Time kept marching and December 3, 2009 arrived.
Late in the day, SaintsforSinners received an e mail from the coach of the boys football team in Indiana.
In it, he thanked us and also Jessica, for "finding" us. He said that the medals and the story were "perfect" and reinforced the integral themes about "good sportsmanship," which is the most important thing to learn when beginning to play sports of any kind.

The coach also included a nice picture of all the boys proudly wearing their saint Sebastian medals. It's included up above (click on it to see a larger image) and that photo of those boys wearing our medal designs will go up on our Hall of Fame-ous soon, right between Paula Deen and Bruce Springsteen. Bruce and Paula should be proud to be in their company.

SaintSational Bracelets from www.SaintsforSinners.com

2009-11-29T09:54:00.006-06:00

Saints for da Saints! WHODAT!?

We have sterling silver toggle clasp bracelets with familiar old age Saints ready to cheer on the New Orleans Saints on their journey to Super Bowl XLIV!

We will be posting pictures of the bracelets soon, but for now, we are trying to send out the medals and bracelet on the same day they are ordered, and we have been successful, thus far. We also deliver locally!

Some of the SaintSationals we are offering:

1. Saint Anthony, Finding the way the Super Bowl;

2. Saint Jude, Guiding Coach Payton with Difficult Plays in Impossible Siruations....

3. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, proving Quick Help when needed;

4. Saint Dismas, the "Good Thief," helping the Saints Recover Fumbles and Make Interceptions;

5. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Constantly Helping the New Orleans Saints;

6. Saint Joan of Arc, Crusading with the Saints on their Super Bowl run!

We have many other Imported Italian Saints Hand-Painted in New Orleans to help our team, and also welcome your Saintly instructions for clever ways to guide the New Orleans Saints to Super Bowl XLIV.

Call 504.239.3143 for Inspiration, yours, ours, or both!

WHODAT?!

The Saints are the Sinners who keep on trying. - Robert Louis Stevenson

CELESTIAL SAINTS AND ANGELS BEGIN FOLLOWING NFL FOOTBALL

2009-11-18T09:33:00.013-06:00

Arch Angel Gabriel, the "Saint" invoked when praying for "Good News," held an Omniscience ( Known on Earth as a "Press Conference" ) in Heaven today, confirming an ongoing rumor that several Saints and Angels have formed an Ad Hoc Club, "The Celestials," a group in Heaven that follows and celebrates the National Football League's New Orleans Saints and their Perfect 2009-2010 Season.

Asked whether the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit were involved, Gabriel replied, "The Holy Spirit and Our Lady were both deciding forces in establishing the new club and are very active members."

Other members of The Celestials are, in no particular order:

* Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, who is providing "Constant Help" to the New Orleans Saints, according to the Omniscience. She said "Our Lady of Prompt Succor is another dedicated member, which was not too surprising since she is the Patroness of New Orleans.

* Saint Dismas, also affectionately known as the "Good Thief," who has been aiding "Special Teams" as they recover fumbles and make interceptions. Saint Dismas said "It's wonderful to be stealing out in the open again, without having to worry about that dang cross! The appreciation for the Saintly football thievery has been unheralded." "I can't wait to rip off Tom Brady's helmet a few times."

* Saint Jude Thaddaeus, who signed up to assist New Orleans Saints Football Coach Sean Payton with "Difficult Situations" and "Impossible Plays." Jude said he has had light duty thus far, but expects things to get busy when "Some Patriots visit the Saints in the Superdome."

* Saint Joan of Arc, who is leading a crusade in Heaven much like her battles in her home town "back-in-the-day," the country now known as "France." Joan said, "It's thrilling to get people all riled up again. I'm not saying Heaven's not fun, because it definitely is, but it's kinda cool to be out and about with the people again, too."

* Saint Christopher, the saint "banished by the Vatican in 1969," who is guiding the New Orleans Saints as they travel near and far, and from goal post to goal post. When asked about whether he is even truly a Saint, Chris replied, "I'm a Saint alright and I do go down to Purgatory to visit with the bonehead Pope who tried to kick me out of Heaven." He quickly added, "But, I'm not bitter!"

Numerous other Saints and Angels are members of The Celestials, but did not reply in time to be included in this Omniscience.

To honor and wear your favorite member of The Celestials, visit http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ and collect them all, and remember that "the saints are the sinners who keep on trying."

( The Infant of Prague and Saint Expedite contributed to this Omniscience )

WHO DAT!

Tips for Managing the In-Laws, by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

2009-11-17T09:59:00.009-06:00

Having Trouble Managing or dreading dealing with the "In-Laws" during the upcoming Holidays? Saint Elizabeth of Hungary feels your pain and can help you grin and bear it!

Way before Zsa Zsa Gabor was disqualified in the Miss Hungary Beauty Contest in 1936, the people of Hungary had Elizabeth of Hungary as their role model.

Elizabeth was born in the 13th Century, and, according to the http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ story about her, (featured in its entirety, at left) her parents went about arranging her future marriage when she was a mere 4 years old!

Although that plan did not work out, Elizabeth still married early, became Queen, had 3 kids and lived a happy life. That is, until her husband died while he was on a crusade. It was then that things got difficult with the in-laws.

Elizabeth's brother-in-law, Henry, kicked Elizabeth out of her castle, along with her 3 kids, one of whom was the rightful heir to the throne!

She persevered, however, and soon becme part of a Franciscan Order where she worked hard to help the poor, teaching them how to fend for themselves in difficult times. She did, after all, have first-hand knowledge of that, "thanks" to her mean old brother-in-law, Henry.

Sadly, she wound up with another loser, Conrad of Marzburg, who was violent and cruel, and beat her mercilessly..

But Elizabeth of Hungary still managed to practice what is sometimes called "mindfulness" these days, (loosely defined here as a principle, Buddhist in origin, that is sort of like repeating a mantra that says "mind over matter") and again persevered through her hardships.

Elizabeth died at the young age of 24. She went on the fast track and became a saint only four years later.

Today, November 17th, is Saint Elizabeth of Hungary's "Feast Day," a day to celebrate her life, her virtue, and her example.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary asks all of us, who may be grousing about the Holidays and the in-laws, to just "suck it up and deal," adding, "If your in-laws may be annoying to you, you're probably annoying to them too. Call it a wash!" Saint Elizabeth reminds us to "rise above other peoples' differences that seem irksome, and celebrate differences instead!"

FAIRGROUNDS RACING ....

2009-11-02T08:17:00.010-06:00

In just a few days, (Friday, November 6, 2009, to be exact!) the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course http://www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com will begin its Annual Meet for 2009-2010.

We are excited to announce that Apprentice Jockey Dustin Dugas, whose racing helmet is featured at left, (with a Saint Joseph medal dangling on it) will be racing in New Orleans again this season.

In the very first race, Dustin will be riding "She Said What," a 2 year-old maiden bred and owned by Adele B. Dilschneider, a person who is most likely of German descent, just like the founder of SaintsforSinners, Rob Clemenz.

She Said What is trained by A. M. Stall, Jr., and this Maiden Claiming race will be a great contest to ring in the new racing season!

Because Dustin is our favorite Jockey we will be betting on She Said What in this inaugural race at the Fairgrounds.

http://www.SaintsforSinners.com has been designing special Saint George (Saint George is the patron saint of horses) medallions and hopes to have some of the other jockeys wearing them on their helmets for safety and good luck.

To be fair, we should acknowledge that it was good ole Dustin Dugas who started the habit of wearing a saint medallion on his helmet but we're going to see if we can turn it into a trend.... A jockey thing!

We can't wait to get to the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course this Friday, November 6, 2009, at 1:00 P.M. to get this party started. Good luck, Dustin. SaintsforSinners wishes you a safe, prosperous, spectacular season at the Fairgrounds.

Catholic Analysis: The Irony of Inertia

2009-10-24T08:29:00.000-05:00

Catholic Analysis: The Irony of Inertia

THIS ONE'S FOR RUSTY ... A LOOK AT SAINT CECILIA

2009-10-23T11:51:00.004-05:00

Rusty took the www.SaintsforSinners.com "Who's Your Saint Quiz" today and I thought Saint Cecilia, patron of Musicians and Music Lovers, was the perfect fit.

He asked for a photo so here she is, Rusty, featured at left. Thanks for taking the quiz and visiting www.SaintsforSinners.com

OUR MAGICAL NIGHT AT GIANTS STADIUM with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND

2009-10-15T09:25:00.010-05:00

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band ended an era with their final performance at Giants Stadium on Friday, October 9th.

We were honored to be invited backstage for food and drinks and "Meet and Greets" with the band and others.

I was with attorney http://www.gjtbs.com/ Rick Duplantier (featured, at left, far right), tru TV's http://www.trutv.com/ Senior Vice-President of Operations, Rob Pumo, and Vanessa Procopio, the Senior Film Editor for Showtime Television's http://www.sho.com/ outstanding Docu-Series, "Brick City."

It was, by far, the best display of talent, I have ever had the privilege to see and hear. I'm talking about Bruce and the E Street Band, not my accomplished pals!

How we found ourselves in the thick of it all was through the kindness and generosity of my friend, Soozie Tyrell, http://www.soozietyrell.com/ the violinist and vocalist for the E Street Band.

[ ASIDE: Soozie Tyrell's wonderful album "White Lines" is available on her web site and even has a song about a saint, called "Ste. Genevieve." It is a hauntingly beautiful song about a river that floods and how the people are affected who live nearby, choosing to endure the hardship of loss rather than just walk away from the land they call "home." In other words, in 2003, Soozie Tyrell prophetically wrote an anthem of inspiration for all the people who lost their homes and livelihood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flood of the great city of New Orleans, Louisiana in August, 2005.]

Now, back to our story.... Thanks to Huffington Post www.HuffingtonPost.com/holly-cara-price writer Holly Cara Price's marvellously meticulous maneuvering through the maze of Giants Stadium's procedures and precautions, we were able to get our tickets and passes to enter the Stadium. My briefcase of hand-painted red and black http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ Holy Spirit medallions, however, was not so lucky: "NO BAGS ALLOWED!" That was a huge disappointment because the 3 readers of this Blog (you know, me, myself, and I) are all pretty much very "into" hand-painted saint medallions from http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ .

I had decided to pass out Holy Spirit medals because the Holy Spirit seems to me, to represent rebirth and renewal. And, although Giants Stadium will be hit by the wrecking ball soon, its Spirit will always endure, very much like a "spirit in the night (all night)." We painted them all red and black because they looked great and it was not too difficult to get dozens of them ready to be given away.

Fortunately, Holly once again made things work out and like a twinkle of the nose of "Samantha" on "Bewitched," Holly fixed everything and Holly, Roy Bittan's wife Susie, and I walked back into the stadium with my briefcase filled with medallions. As we walked, we looked at the Holy Spirit medals and also at the Backstage Passes and we all sort of stopped dead in our tracks... Both the medals I brought from New Orleans and the Backstage Passes were designed almost identically in red and black with a bird in the middle! That was like a message from the Holy Spirit Himself! It was time to soar high and have some fun!

Since Rick and I are New Orleanians, the first place we dragged Rob and Vanessa to, was, yes..., the bar! My friend Rob and Rick noted that a guy named Pat Riley was a few feet away. (This "Riley" guy is apparently involved with the sport of basketball.) E Street Guitarist Nils Lofgren was getting mobbed and patiently endured having his picture taken approximately 3 million times, it seemed. After we got our drinks, it was time to investigate our surroundings.

Across the hall was the swanky dining area for the crew and we soon found out that our triangular red and black passes with the bird in the middle allowed us entry. It was there that I had the pleasure of officially meeting E Street Keyboarder Charlie Giordano. Charlie became a member of the E Street Band after the untimely passing of musician Danny Federeci. http://www.dannyfund.org/ When I introduced myself as Rob from SaintsforSinners in New Orleans, Charlie instinctively reached into his shirt to show me he was still wearing the Saint Joseph medal he bought many months ago. Of course, it was old and tired looking to me, but it obviously still had its power since it has stayed on Charlie for a very long time. [ MEMO TO SELF: Paint a new Saint Joseph medal for Charlie! ]

While we were having a snack, Rick got kind of wispy because three feet away from him was BravoTV's www.Bravotv.com/top-chef Top Chef Tom Colicchio. That's Rick's favorite show! A short while later, Rick found his courage (it may have been Jack Daniels who found it?) and had a friendly chat with him and their photos taken together. After meeting Tom Colicchio, I fully understand the meaning of the phrase "piercing blue eyes."

Later, we met with Soozie, Susie, and Holly for photos and I gave Soozie medals for the band. Unfortunately, I goofed with the packaging and a lot of them got stuck together. So, a lesson was learned and next time I'm doing a distribution (like I do every year on Mardi Gras Day, for instance), the medals and chains will be boxed, like back-in-day when I gave the medal packages to Patti Scialfa at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Reviewing Bruce's last performance at Giants Stadium seems like a task I am not eloquent enough to describe. It was pure magic from start to finish. The crowd was always involved and I hope to add some fantastic streaming video of the crowd, if I can just figure out how to do that! I'll also be adding lots of photos, either to the Blog, the http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ web site, or both (probably both). It was a fantastic night and I'm grateful to Soozie, Holly, Charlie, Susie and all the others who who made it such a special and memorable time for us. Oh, what a night!

Saint Hugh of Lincoln Recommends Dawn Dishwasher Liquid

2009-09-25T12:11:00.011-05:00

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ representative Saint Hugh of Lincoln, has put out a plea, "Please use Dawn Dishwasher Liquid and by doing so, you will Save Ducks and other Fowl, like Ugly Ducklings that turn into Swans."

Known as the patron of Swans, and sick children, Hugh also urged parents to make sure their kids wash their hands many times a day, to help curtail germs and also, a nasty little bug called the "Swine Flu."

Saint Hugh of Lincoln first got on board as a supporter of Dawn Dish Washing Liquid, in 1989, when he learned that Dawn was very effective in saving thousands of birds, ducks, and other creatures after they were coated with oil and debris from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, that also killed thousands of poor animals. When he learned that the makers of Dawn will donate $ 1.00 each time a person buys a bottle of Dawn and goes to http://www.dawnsaveswildlife.com/ and enters some numbers from the bottle at it, he felt that that was a good reason to support Dawn. According to Andrew Adam Newman, www.AndrewAdamNewman.com a guy who writes well and covers issues about Advertising at The New York Times, www.nytimes.com the fund raising effort has already brought in nearly $ 90,000.

Hugh says that Dawn's parent company, Proctor & Gamble, is, although "not exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are definitely very generous and steadfast in their work to help ducks survive after being stricken with oil." Hugh knew that Proctor & Gamble conducted tests on animals and this put him in a dilemma where he was asking himself, "Self, should I stay or should I go with Dawn?" His answers came from near and far.

Hugh's friend at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/, Saint Francis of Assisi, is a saint who is really into animals and ecology and "Mother Earth" and "Sister Moon" lingo, so he called on him and they had a chat. Afterward, Francis sent Hugh down to observe Kathy Guillermo, who is a VP at PETA www.peta.org and works in the animal laboratory investigations wing. Hugh heard Kathy say "Anything a company does to help animals, we applaud." She added that she "may have issues with their policies in their entirety," but "in any case they're helping." So Hugh decided to get behind the fund-raising efforts and encourage people to buy Dawn Dish Washing Liquid from this day forward. Plus, he said, it's kind of fun to sing "Dawn de dawn dawn!" and that seems to happen a lot when I wash dishes from my last supper.

There's a New Kid in Town and her name is Melanie Oudin from Marietta, Georgia

2009-09-07T15:41:00.008-05:00

The 17 year-old United States Tennis Pro Melanie Oudin has once again, proven, there's a new kid in town at the United States Open.

Melanie reached her first U S Open Quarterfinal by beating Russia's Nadia Petrova (1-6, 7-6, 6-3) today, September 7, 2009.

According to USTA tennis legend Mary Carullo, Oudin is the "most wanted" tennis player when it comes to media interviews at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

The www.SaintsforSinners.com Blog you are reading now was way ahead of the popularity swirl and first posted a post about Melanie Oudin on June 27, 2009, when it let the public know that Saintly Twins Cosmos & Damien were traveling by bus to London to watch Melanie play at Wimbledon. Cosmos & Damien also noted that Melanie is a twin and her twin sister's name is Katherine. We saw Katherine watch Melanie win her match today in New York and then shed tears of joy because she was so proud of her sister. Cosmos & Damien are very fond of Katherine, as it is has been reported that Katherine has plans to be a medical Doctor like them, only not as surgeons but as an Obstetrician.

Tennis Commentator Mary Jo Fernandez says Melanie's success is a "Cinderella story continued."

All the saints at www.SaintsforSinners.com are cheering for Melanie to win the U S Open, and while its founder, Rob Clemenz, also hopes she wins her first Grand Slam, he can't help but wonder, "Have Melanie Oudin and her boyfriend Austin Smith, been reading this blog, and is Austin wearing one of our medals?

robclemenz@SaintsforSinners.com - Lifting Spirits, One Saint at a Time...: Move It On Over, Boudin, Melanie Oudin Also Declared Thoroughly Good!

2009-09-04T07:14:00.000-05:00

robclemenz@SaintsforSinners.com - Lifting Spirits, One Saint at a Time...: Move It On Over, Boudin, Melanie Oudin Also Declared Thoroughly Good!

Very cool heavenly help for you and your pets: SaintsforSinners medallions

2009-07-17T08:38:00.001-05:00

Very cool heavenly help for you and your pets: SaintsforSinners medallions

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A Believe-It-To-See-It Person, New York Mets Pitcher Tug McGraw

2009-07-14T08:16:00.017-05:00

Today is "Baseball Day," The "All Star Game" plays tonight in Saint Louis. All of us at www.saintsforsinners.com predict that the American League, will win the game, again. A week from today, we will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the day America's Apollo 11, and its Lunar Lander arrived on the Moon with Neil Armstrong, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins on board.

40 years ago, in 1969, a young Lefty Relief Pitcher for the New York Mets, Tug McGraw, was walking through an airport and stopped to look at a http://www.nytimes.com/ newspaper headline that proclaimed, "Men Walk on Moon. Astronauts Land on Plain, Collect Rocks, Plant Flag." The Mets were having a pitiful year and seemed incapable of winning. But Tug McGraw saw the headline and was inspired and said "If we can get a man on the moon, we can win the World Series."

According to the former Mets Pitcher, Tom Seaver, Tug was "very emotional about it." Yet he believed it, and eventually saw the New York Mets come from behind and win the 1969 World Series. They became known as the "Miracle Mets." Tug McGraw went on to have an illustrious pitching career with the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. He even coined an optimistic mantra, "Ya Gotta Believe!" that later became the title of his autobiography. Obviously, Tug was a "believe-it-to-see it" person; he was a Maverick and did not kowtow to pessimism or hopelessness. After retiring as a player, Tug remained involved in baseball. In 2003, he was working with the Philadelphia Phillies spring-training program, near Tampa, Florida. He underwent surgery, paid for in large part, by his son the famous Country Singer and performer, Tim McGraw. Sadly, the cancer spread and Tug McGraw died in 2004. The Tug McGraw Foundation was created ( http://www.tugmcgraw.org/ ) with its Cancer Research Center established at Duke University and also with the dual goal of working to heighten the awareness of cancer and also help improve the quality of life of those afflicted. His son, Tim, ( http://www.timmcgraw.com/ ) serves as the Honorary Chair of the organization, and baseball analyst John Kruk, ( http://www.ballhype.com/ ) who will surely be watching the game tonight, serves on its Advisory Board. Sportswriter Alan Schwarz noted today that president Barack Obama, an admitted baseball nut, sometimes called the "Fanatic-in-Chief" will be in Saint Louis for the game and will meet with both teams. Schwarz asked some of the players selected to play in the All Star Game what sort of questions they might ask the president. Tampa Bay Rays First Baseman Carlos Pena said he would ask whether the president, "Are you a see-it-to-believe-it person or a believe-it-to-see-it person?" Ya gotta believe the president, like Tug McGraw, is a believe-it-to-see-it person, Carlos!

Extreme Changes in USA's Organ Donation Policies Urged by Saints Cosmos & Damien

2009-07-12T08:32:00.014-05:00

"America MUST re-mix, re-make, and re-model its antiquated organ donation protocols," according to http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ representatives, Saints Cosmos & Damien ( C & D ) ."

C & D were twin Doctors who were born in the 3rd Century. The Doctor Duo are typically represented by medical emblems, which is why the insightful drawings, at right, feature sutures, staples and a scalpel, all of which can be used in organ donation operations.

Cosmos wryly stated, "those tools can be used for organ donation work but the truth is, America is still back in the 2nd Century when it comes to the amount of progress made with organ donation promotion and awareness." Damien agreed, saying "The whole American organ donation procedure is so atrociously bollixed up, galley-west, higgledy-piggledy, and, not to mention, skimble-skamble, it is downright shameful."

We asked what they meant and C & D chimed, "The 'Opt-In' to Organ Donation Procedure should be an 'Opt-Out' Procedure. That way people will have to basically say they are against organ donation, which very few will, and you will have many more organs to use, and thus, less people, dying, while waiting, to get an organ they need transplanted. This is not Rocket Science, Gee Whiz!"

Cosmos said that "the good people of Belgium, Norway, and Spain, all have switched to Opt-Out, and this has saved countless live."

SaintsforSinners contacted a few of the patron saints of lawyers, Saint Thomas More, Saint Genesius, and Saint Ives, and all 3 agreed that the procedure could be changed in one day at Capital Hill and save thousands of lives with a simple stroke of a pen."

Saint Catherine of Siena, our patroness of "Girl Power," and a saint invoked against bodily ills stopped by and said, "It truly is shameful that simple steps could be taken to bring organ donation programs to the 21st Century, but they have not been taken, apparently because many American lawmakers are too busy philandering and moralizing, all in the same heated, horrendous, hypocritical breath. It's shameful that stories about Organ Donation in America are less likely to be in the news than stories about the two-timing trysts of Senators and Governors. "

Testimonials - Saint Raphael, a Patron of Healing, Invoked for Happy News!

2009-07-10T12:45:00.014-05:00

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's Saint Raphael, a Patron of Healing, a Saint Invoked for "Happy News!"

NOTE: Totally True Story!

SaintsforSinners Saint Raphael, featured twice, left, has "The Power."

The actual Testimonial has been scanned and also appears at left, along with some beautifully elaborate decoration.

A lady in New Jersey, Michele Logan, had been ordering medals and in one of her packages, I decided to include a "FLOOD MEDAL," one of the saint medals dug up out of the muck of my home office that got flooded from floor to ceiling. For some reason I could not let the bulldozer obliterate my Saints medals, so, I spent a day digging for them and "recovered" them. There are photos of my day in the muck on the site. I am happy I dug them up and have kept them.

I grabbed a medal from the bucket of flood medals, enclosed it in a bag, and noted it was Saint Raphael, who is known as the patron of healing and the saint invoked for happy news. I wrote on the bag and sent it off to New Jeresy

I did not know that Michele was a Registered Nurse. I did not know she had come down to New Orleans to volunteer after the flood. It turned out that the rusty, ruined, saint Raphael medal, a flood medal, meant more to her than the nicely painted one she received from SaintsforSinners. She wrote to say how much she appreciated getting the medal and that she found it to be very significant, since I had so many Saint medals to choose from (thousands). Michele took it as a "sign" and that was great. Receving heart-felt notes from strangers is probably the gas that has kept SaintsforSinners running, through the many obstacles, over the years. I don't go to our Testimonials pages very often, because, to be honest, I can't seem to prevent myself from getting too emotional, but itis clear that many, many people have been helped by our hand-painted saint medallions (and, it turns out, the "flood medals" too).

Yesterday, I sent out a bunch of e mails to people who have visited the web site and who I sort of "knew," even though we have never actually met, face-to-face. The responses were nice. I got an order from a guy who I went to school with but never had the chance to get to know, and that was fun for me somehow. I guess I took it as a sign he was saying "Hello" and "I wish we had gotten to know each other" or "How are you doing?" or some other pleasantry. It is quite possible I read too much into things these days!

This morning I went to check my e mails and was pleased to see another order had come in and that some folks had responded to my e mail. One lady was from New Orleans and she had a "Rush Order" of sorts. She was going out of town on Monday and really needed, coincidentally (?), a Saint Raphael medal to take to someone. So, we made special plans to meet up early tomorrow, Saturday morning, for her to get the Saint Raphael medal package. When you run your own business, which SaintsforSinners is, after all, you work pretty much every day. To quote the performer Bruce Hornsby, "That's Just the Way It Is. Somethings Never Change." ( I'm not complaining! )

After making the plans to get Saint Raphael to the lady, I then went back to check on my e mails and found the 2nd note from Michele Logan, part of the illustration above, a note about the power of her Saint Raphael medal, along with a lovely story of her friend who is living well with cancer, and whom she has given the medal to, who wears it "right next to her Tiffany bracelet." Michele wrote about how she started to understand the SaintsforSinners concept, which was, initially, that folks would "wear the medal and then share it with someone you love." The Basic Rule being this: If someone comments that they like your medal, you ought to pass it on. All of the Saint Raphael issues coming in one-after-the-other, the cynic in me says "coincidence." Thankfully the bigger part of me says, "Not!"

It's nice to be re-affirmed every now and then. Michele's notes let me know that it is not me, Rob, running this SaintsforSinners Show, it is, and I will quote Michele, "I have to believe a higher power with a plan." Funny how another friend, named Michele, has been saying the same thing to me for a very long time.

Thank you, Michele Logan. You made my day! rob clemenz @ SaintsforSinners

Guardian Angel Weighs In On Morbidity, Mortality, Obesity on Lifetime Television Show Drop Dead Diva

2009-07-10T08:49:00.013-05:00

The Guardian Angel, featured left, will have a starring role on the Lifetime Television Show, "Drop Dead Diva," it was reported today. The program will air at either at 8:00 or 9:00 on Sunday nights, depending on where you live.

The Guardian Angel will be in the body of a young boy named Fred, played by the actor Ben Feldman. He will be a pivotal character in the show, which will try to reinforce the age old theme about how at the end of the day, kindness, love, generosity, and virtue far outweigh good looks, lots of money, and/or a perfectly fit, gorgeous body.

Since the role of Fred is a bit of a stretch for the Guardian, two Saintly Coaches from SaintsforSinners will be guiding him in his performance, Saint Rosalie and Saint Lucy. Saint Rosalie, who is a saint invoked against vanity, was born with great grace and beauty that soon became a curse. She was able to see shallowness in horrible ways and her exquisite beauty only led her to become estranged from society (kind of like Michael Jackson was but in a different way). Rosalie opted to go and hide her pretty face from the world. She went to live in a dark cave, never to be tormented by people who only wanted to be around her because she was "da Bomb." Rosalie is able to give the Guardian keen insight.

Saint Lucy will help give the Guardian better vision. Lucy is a Saint invoked for better vision or eyesight. When she gouges her own eyes out and carries them around on a plate, the Guardian gets to learn that "beauty is only skin deep." Lucy said, "My eyes without my head are less than attractive."

At http://www.newyorktimes.com/ , the writer Alessandra Stanley, is plugging "Drop Dead Diva" as "a light-hearted romantic comedy" that is grounded in reality. Although this tale has been told before and in myriad ways, there always remain people who need a dose of "reality" every now and then.

Italian Immigrant Gisella Civale Goes Back to Roots with Family Recipe

2009-07-08T10:19:00.017-05:00

www.DolceNonnas.com 's

Delicious Marinated Vegetables Praised by

www.SaintsforSinners.com 's

Saint Rosa of Lima and Saint Phocas the Gardener.

There may not be an official patron saint of vegetables or even vegetarians, but those of us at SaintsforSinners think that Gisella Civale's mother, Maria DiGiorgio, may one day be fit for the job. Raising 7 children with humble grit and determination, she may be considered as a patron Saint of Traditions and Family as well.

We're holding off on contacting the Papacy though, because 97 year-old Maria DiGiorgio's is among the living in Beechurst, New York, and thus not yet quite qualified for Sainthood.

We spoke with Maria's daughter, Gisella Civale, today and she told us about the delicious, delectable vegetable dishes her mother and her family has made for decades, both in New York, and abroad, in the Region of Campagna, Italy.

The recipes were so good, Gisella said she decided, at age 59, to try and prepare them and offer the healthy foods to the world.

She has succeeded with her plan. Her jars of Dolce Nonna tangy eggplant, sweet-tart peppers and tender green beans are available on the Web and in numerous stores, with more placement to undoubtedly come. They're also very prominently featured today in the http://www.nytimes.com/ "FOOD STUFF" section, written by Florence Fabricant (ASIDE: How is that for an awesome name, "Florence Fabricant"?!)

In 1958, Gisella came to America with her parents from Italy, and she says she is "carrying a tradition" and offering "thanks to her Heritage and her family, including her Mom's side, the DiGiorgio's, and her husband's the Civale's." Her daughter, Wendy Civale, is also very active in the Dolce Nonna family enterprise.

In these difficult financial times, Gisella noted that "the tough get going' and find ways to "stretch the dollar." One jar of her marinated vegetables can offer a complete, healthy, inexpensive meal for a family in many ways, and by creating a delicious salad or adding pasta.

SaintsforSinners 's Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Phocas the Gardener are "down with her plan."

Phocas said that Gisella's simple, kind-hearted way reminded him of his childhood in the 3rd Century, when he would grow extra crops to feed the people.

Sadly, Phocas wound up digging his own grave, in the end, by feeding the very soldiers sent to behead him, which they did in 303. "It was not very nice, how those soldiers treated me," Phocas said, but "Dolce Nonna's pursuit of doing good work, providing healthy sustenance in times of need, by using vegetables grown from the ground, and nurturing crops of food like I did back-in-day, only serves to remind me that, with all its sham and drudgery, it is still a beautiful world."

Miniature Pinscher Cherry Ann Hershberger Declared Worthy of First Class Seats on Flights

2009-07-07T09:47:00.008-05:00

www.SaintsforSinners.com has learned that the Miniature Pinscher "Cherry Ann" Hershberger, will be approved for flying in First or Business Class when seats are available.

Cherry's image is, for security reasons, secreted in a shadow and located to the right.

Cherry's Human is known as Sally Hershberger, a famous Stylist, who travels throughout the world, working diligently to help folks look their best.

Her web site is found at http://www.sallyhershberger.com/ and it provides fascinating glimpses into the world of fashion. We will have to contact our friends, Jill Spitznass, and Miguel Sirgrado, the Style Editors for Portland Monthly and People EN ESPANOL, and the folks at OK!, three of the magazines who have placed our imported Italian hand-painted saint medallions on the Style Pages of their magazines, and let them know about Sally Hershberger's web site (and her wonderfully rascally dog, Cherry).

The Official Announcement came from Our Lady of Loreto, one of the well-known images of the Virgin Mary. Our Lady of Loreto is known as the patron saint of Aviators and is invoked for safe flights.

Our Lady said that she consulted with the patron saint of animals and "birders," Saint Francis of Assisi, (featured 3 times, far right) and the patron of dogs, Saint Rocco, (also featured) who is invoked against dog bites and rabies.

Both Francis and Rocco agreed that "having Cherry Ann sit in her own seat in Business or First Class, does not harm anyone."

Even Saint Gertrude of Nevilles, the patron of cats and cat lovers, approved of letting Cherry sit in her own seat, "it's purrfectly fine, as long as she pays for it," Gertrude hissed.

Some may think letting a dog like Cherry Ann have a Business Class seat upgrade is indulgent, but Joan Raymond, writing today in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/ and Cherry's Human noted today that "[a]pparently Cherry wanted an upgrade.

Perhaps it is time for the airlines to follow the lead of our bank, Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank, and begin offering "Milk Bones" to its patrons like Cherry Ann, and the dogs who will undoubtedly follow along in her footsteps.

Saint Martin de Porres, Our Patron of Barack, Planning Martha's Vineyard Vacation

2009-07-06T08:38:00.008-05:00

President Barack Obama & Saint Martin de Porres (featured, hand-painted on a http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medallion, at right) Plan Vacations in Martha's Vineyard.

http://www.nytimes.com/ and "White House Memo" writer Jeff Zeleny reported today that President Barack Obama and his family will be vacationing on Martha's Vineyard in August, 2009,

Coincidentally. or perhaps not, SaintsforSinners' Saint Martin de Porres will also be vacationing on the Vineyard this August.

Martin, the Vatican's Patron Saint of "Person's of Mixed Race," said "I hope to run into Barack to discuss the similarities in our backgrounds, and to offer my complete support, encouragement, and prayers for success during his years in the White House."

de Porres, whose one nickname is "Marty," is a famously well-known Miracle Worker, who often became radiant while praying, and who was "bilocational," (able to be in two different places at one time) and could fly, long before the Wright Brothers invented the airplane. SaintsforSinners, in obvious homage to the President, has been giving Marty another patronage, as the "Patron of Barack" and "Racial Harmony."

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ Saint Martin de Porres medallions are not yet sold on Martha's Vineyard, but the founder of the company believes they could make "quite a splash" and "sell well" in August, should a retailer offer the hand-painted medal packages in their store, while Marty and the President are in town. Wholesale orders can be made by calling Rob Clemenz @ 504.239.3143, or by contacting him through the SaintsforSinners web site.

Saint Bernardino of Siena Practices Crisis Management

2009-07-05T09:40:00.006-05:00

SaintsforSinners Display Boxes Face Giant Scandal on BravoTV's NYC Prep!

The www.SaintsforSinners.com Display Boxes, the trays that store the hand-painted Saint Medallions, (and featured in our careful drawing at left) are embroiled in a giant controversy, it has been reported.

The boxes are going to be appearing in a future episode of the BravoTV Show, "NYC Prep," a show that seems universally maligned by New York City Preparatory School Administrators and Prep School Kids' Parents!

Saint Bernardine of Siena, the saint who handles "damage control" and "crisis management" for SaintsforSinners, has come over from, you guessed it, Siena, Italy, to help squelch the bad publicity about the new show and the SaintsforSinners boxes.

"I'll handle the scandal," Bernie promised. "It's not the Display Boxes that are being criticized, it's the content of the show, and those are two entirely different matters."

The Patroness of Television, Saint Clare of Assisi, is also monitoring the show and said "the people who are against the airing of the show really need to chill."

Sandy Bass, an arguably ditzy editor with "The Private School Insider" was asked about the show and she quipped (like a San Fernando Valley teenager from yesteryear), "Horrified is totally the word." (Emphasis Added).

The show airs on Tuesday nights and SaintsforSinners publicist, Saint Bernardine of Siena, said "We will be standing behind the show, and our display boxes at the famous Selima Optiques in New York City, despite all the negativity presented in the recent article by Julie Bosman in the New York Times."

Saint Genesius, the patron of actors and comedians chimed in that "The Show Must Go On. Long Live BravoTV & NYC Prep. Bring it on!"

Celebrating Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton & Independence

2009-07-04T09:46:00.005-05:00

Free to Act as One Pleases!"

Today is Independence Day! Independence means being "free to act as one pleases," according to the Oxford English Dictionary. This means the president, if he so chooses, can "bow" and be polite to another country's leader. This means that the First Lady can go to England and cosy up to the Queen, put her arm around her, and have a friendly chat.

Independence means women can vote. Independence means there shall not be schools that are segregated. Independence means a person born as a female can change their gender. Independence means a minority of people can do what they want, regardless of the opinions of people with differing views.

At http://www.saintsforsinners.com/, our First Lady of Independence is a Doctor of the Church, the late, great, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Things hardly ever "went right" for Elizabeth but that never slowed her down. Her husband was murdered, her babies died, she was discarded by her family, but she kept on keeping on.

Elizabeth Ann Seton's story is free and available on our web site.

Celebrate our differences today. Do as you please! Live and let live. There's no reason "why we can't all just get along." And, in conclusion, as a First Generation American, with my father, Heinz Hellmut Clemenz, born and raised in the tiny province of Sylt, Germany and with my Grandfather, Robert Byrnes, a man who defied Prohibition and ran a "Speak Easy" in the Boroughs of New York City, I say "Thank you America, for letting these men live their lives, and later, letting me be me. God Bless America!"

P.S. - The Deviled Eggs were a huge hit. I never realized how hard it is to peel an egg ("ayyyg")! Thank you, Melisa Clark and the New York Times

"Devil in Details," Saint Brigid of Ireland, Declares!

2009-07-03T08:00:00.010-05:00

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's Saint Brigid of Ireland, the patron Saint of Chicken Farmers, has one thing to say at the start of this July 4th Weekend, ""Deviled Eggs Taste Good!"

Americans from throughout the world will be celebrating the Independence of the great "Melting Pot" known as America, on Saturday, July 4th. Picnics will be held in parks, backyards, and city stoops, among other places.

If you're looking for something yummy to bring to the party (pronounced "pawty" if you're a yat from Louisiana) consider making some deviled eggs, a low cost, delectable Comfort Food.

New York Times columnist Melissa Clark has a great recipe that SaintsforSinners is copying for a 4th of July Pawty in New Orleans today. Melissa recommends starting with 12 large eggs (done), placing them in a pot of water (done), bringing them to a full boil (in progress), and then after they are cooked, allowing the "eggs to stand for at least 15 minutes." (This will be the tricky part since the eggs have not been born and can't even crawl, let alone "stand.")

Saint Lawrence, the patron of chefs, advised us that "stand," in this instance means "let alone" so we will follow his instruction since it's very easy and we are even doing it right this second! Then we go back to Melissa's recipe (featured in "A Good Appetite" in the New York Times) and use a fat (not slender or skinny) garlic glove, kosher salt (is there really a distinction between salts, Geez Louise!), mayonnaise ("Helmann's REAL Mayonnaise" the only kind, thankyouverymuch and don't get me started on that jar of white glue called "Blue Plate"), tomato paste (things that make you go hmmmm), wine vinegar (now we're talking!), freshly ground black pepper (love doing the screw thing so that's going to be fun), and "hot smoked paprika, more to taste" and "for garnish" (you gotta love the duality).

You mix all this stuff together somehow and then voila, 12 ayyygs become 24 which will "yield," according to Melissa Clark, servings for 12. Her math seems a bit fuzzy, but we will report back tomorrow about whether this recipe works, and then also offer a "High Five" to Miss Venus Williams, the 2009 Wimbledon Champion, according to our sources from above and http://www.saintsforsinners.com/.

Saint Francis of Assisi Endorses Birchwood Cutlery from Mxyplyzyk.com

2009-07-02T12:03:00.005-05:00

BREAKING NEWS! Say "YES" to Wood!

Saint Francis Urges Use of Birchwood Cutlery for July 4th Weekend, thanks to Marianne Rohrlich from the New York Times.

www.SaintsforSinners.com received a telepathy from Saint Francis of Assisi (pictured and quoted, far left) earlier today and he asked us to "Say Yes to Wood!"Initially, we had no idea what he was talking about. He finally got his point across and said "Plastic is Spastic and not biodegradable!"

Frank then said that everyone should consider patronizing www.Mxyplyzyk.com, a company he heard about through Currents writer Marianne Rohlich, the columnist for the New York Times. Francis said that "it is just plain silly to use plastic forks and knives and spoons at picnics, especially since you can get nice birch wood utensils for a great price, while helping the environment. Mother Earth and Sister Sun would really appreciate it if you would help the environment."

The utensils from MXYPLYZYK are compostable and priced nice.

So, we are doing our due diligence and reminding everyone to say "YES" to wood and order some nice utensils from www.MXYPLYZYK.com, a company in New York City with a store at 125 Greenwich Avenue (13th Street), Telephone 1 800.243.9810

Each package includes a knife, fork, spoon, and napkin and six come in a pack!

"Billboard Charts a Sham," declare Saints Cecilia and Saint Matthew, Questioning Veracity in Minimizing Michael Jackson's Record Sales Tenacity

2009-07-02T09:15:00.015-05:00

"Billboard Charting Shameful," declare Saints Cecilia and Matthew

"Michael Jackson deserves the # 1 Spot over Vegetables, Black Eyed Peas

The Patron Saint of Accountants, Saint Matthew, has joined with the Patroness of Music Lovers, Saint Cecilia, from http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ decrying "Faulty Billboard Magazine Addition and Categorizing." Both Saint Cecilia and Saint Matthew are pictured above, as hand-painted saint medals enjoying a game of "Where's Waldo."

Today, The New York Times, in an article by Ben Sisaro reported that Michael Jackson's Records, "Number Ones," "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller," all sold over 100,00 records each, according to Nielson Soundscan. The total number of records sold was over 420,000.

Yet, in what Saint Matthew said is "pitifully ludicrous ridiculosity," some Black Eyed Peas are listed as having the number one record for the week, for their record, appropriately titled "The E.N.D." Matthew added "The Peas only sold 88,000 records and as the first Certified Public Accountant ever awarded the title, I can tell you with some certainty, that 100,000 is more than 88,000."

The Director of Charts for Billboard, Silvio Pietroluongo, even acknowledged that the "level of dominance by Michael Jackson on the top .... is unlike anything we've ever seen." Replied Saint Cecilia, "Sheesh, then give him the Number Ones he deserves," and all the other Saints pictured above agreed.

Reports of David Faustino's Suicide Grossly Exaggerated on www.Crackle.com "StarVing" Webisodes!

2009-06-28T09:37:00.008-05:00

Former "Married With Children" star David Faustino and Corin Nemec, the once forgotten star of "Parker Lewis Can't Lose," have been busy filming short episodic pieces, or "webisodes," of a little ditty called "StarVing" on www.Crackle.com the New York Times reported today in a great article by the writer Jon Caramanica.

Filled with sophomoric cliches, crude humor, and lots of nudity, the program is sure to be a hit, says www.SaintsforSinners.com representative, Saint Genesius, the patron of actors, comedians and of course, lawyers. Saint Genesius then lamented,"neither of those kids are wearing my hand-painted SaintsforSinners medallion and that's just wrong!"

Nemec, Faustino's sidekick on the StarVing episodes is yet another former child star who has successfuly invigorated his thespian career with this new acting gig on the world wide web. The same can be said for Faustino, with both also being credited as the Executive Producers of the show segments, available for free at http://www.crackle.com/. "It's silly but it's clever in a childish way," Saint Genesius added

We were only able to sit through a few of the shows, but we predict this StarVing program will be a hit with people like Hamptonians Brendon Henry and Paul Fallo, two jokesters-at-large in Hampton Bays, New York, the town they poetically nicknamed "Harlem Bays" and the home of the popular rock/punk/rap musical group "Haunted Hacienda." New Orleans actor, film-maker, and brand new University of New Orleans graduate Brooks "Heyena" Webb, is rumored to have a part in one of the future shows, according to a local source who goes by the moniker, "Dusty." Whether Webb will quit his part time job with SaintsforSinners to work full-time with Faustino and Nemec in Hollywood remains "a mystery," according to Dusty.

Move It On Over, Boudin, Melanie Oudin Also Declared Thoroughly Good!

2009-06-27T13:24:00.008-05:00

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ has announced that Saints Cosoms & Damien, the patron Saints of Twins, are taking a bus to London, England, to cheer on their fellow twin, Melanie Oudin, a Marietta, Georgia, teen who is in her first Wimbledon Tennis Quarter Finals.

Melanie's twin, Katherine Oudin, is reportedly also going to be watching her twin sister play in her next match against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska. The USA versus Poland Match will be played on Monday, June 29, 2009.

Oudin, whose name rhymes with the delicious Cajun food, "boudin," is also of French ancestry, and says her favorite tennis player is the Belgium born Justine Henin, a girl who is not tall but who has proven that you "don't have to be tall to win."

Saints Cosmos & Damien saw Melanie Oudin give an interview with USTA Tennis Legend Mary Jo Fernandez, and Oudin said her last match was unreal, with her opponent taking a very lengthy and controversial break. But Melanie Oudin said she was never "like, oh my gosh, maybe she might retire or whatever." Melanie simply stayed poised throughout the match and says she will stay focused and keep "loving it" and the TV announcers suggested she "keep winning and keep smiling."

SaintsforSinners predicts that Melanie Oudin will become known as the future of womens' tennis in the USA. Move it on over, Venus & Serena Williams.

Let's Give You Some Folks to Crow About: Tony Fitzpatirck & Kevin J. McGowan

2009-06-20T09:38:00.013-05:00

Birds of a Feather Flocking Together

Though they don't really flock together, or even know one another, but the renown Chicago artisan Tony Fitzpatrick and Cornell University Ornithologist Kevin J. McGowan have much in common. Both of these dudes are obviously Irishmen and they both make their living from their obsession with birds! And both have a particular (some might say peculiar) affinity for crows or starlings.

Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of birders, (featured at left with Saint Clare and chatting with some of his lovie-dovies) noted that Fitzpatrick has painted thousands of bird portraits throughout his career and likewise, McGowan has observed and studied thousands of birds, beginning at childhood.

McGowan, being a behavioral ecologist, tries to get into the bird brains of crows, better known to Saint Francis, (perhaps the original "birder") as Corvus brachyrhynchos.

McGowan says the American Crow is a very "cooperative breeder." They tend to stick around and help raise their siblings children and stuff like that. Of course, if a member of the bird family gets separated he or she will "make do with something else" and "hang out with another species" (of birds, of course, and certainly not felines). McGowan cooed and wooed his bird knowledge to C. Claiborne Ray, a writer who has published in the New York Times.

Whether these two gentlemen have seen Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," or Matthew Modine, in "Birdy," or listen to "A Flock of Seagulls" or "The Counting Crows" remain unanswered questions. But now that the inquiries are out and about on the world wide web, perhaps one of these gentlemen will someday make a comment and answer on this www.SaintsforSinners.com blog subsidiary. If anyone wants to encourage Kevin McGowan to post a reply, his e mail address is KJMZ@Cornell.edu.

Saints Elicit True Confession: Scientists Declared Gossipmongers

2009-06-17T08:00:00.012-05:00

Famous Scientist "OUTS" Himself & Others,

Declares Scientists "Gossips!"

The famous Pulitzer Prize winning Scientist, Bert Holldobler, made an astounding public confession to the patron saints of Confessors, Edward the Confessor & Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (widely known as the "Cure D'Ars" and pictured above in a hand-painted http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medal) and admitted that "Scientists Gossip A Lot!"

Holldobler offered his scandalous and scintillating bit of information about national and worldwide Scientists to www.SaintsforSinners.com after having fully outing himself, exclaiming "I gossip like a Scientist!" to the writer Claudia Dreifus. The New York Times first reported about Holldobler's confession in their June 16, 2009 issue of Science Times. Holldobler specifically identified the Scientist Edward O. Wilson as a Scientist he gossiped with while at Harvard University. (Note: SaintsforSinners' calls to Harvard have yet to be returned.)

Reactions about the gossip mongering of Scientists was mixed. Saint Matt Talbot, the Recovery saint, lauded Holldobler's admission, saying "The first step toward healing is acknowledging there's been a problem."

It should come as no surprise that Scientist Bert Holldobler, a professor at Arizona State University and professor emeritus at the University of Wurzburg, in Germany, is "one of the world's great ant experts." Edward O. Wilson also knows a lot about ants. Saint Teresa of Avila, our patroness of truthfulness and sincerity, blithely stated, "It should come as no surprise those two know a lot about ants, since ants, like Scientists, are very good at spreading the dirt around."

Saint Vincent de Paul, Abby & Eli Manning Help Saints Margaret & Philomena with Birthing Babies!

2009-06-16T10:19:00.014-05:00

Saint Vincent de Paul ( featured, bottom left ), Saint Margaret ( featured, center ) and Saint Philomena ( featured top-left hand corner ), together with Abby and Eli Manning, are teaming with the Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, among others, to help "connect Science and Compassion" when bringing new babies into the world, it was announced today, in the New York Times.

Abby and Eli Manning are probably most well-known as graduates of the prestigious "Old Miss," located in, you guessed it, the State of Mississippi.

We asked Saints Vincent de Paul, Margaret, and Philomena, how Abby and Eli Manning became involved with the hospital and charity and Vincent replied that the couple have "always been involved in philanthropic endeavors in efforts to help others." Margaret and Philomena chimed in that Eli Manning was "some guy who liked sports in New York City" and "Abby has always been maternalistic."

Saint Sebastian, patron of athletes, pulled us aside and noted that Eli Manning is a professional football player, Super Bowl Champion, and the winner of USA Today's Weekend Magazine's "Most Caring Athlete," to which Saint Margaret and Saint Philomena said "Whatever!"

The Baby Ball Fund Raiser will be held at The Ciprian, 55 Wall Street, New York, N.Y. (Telephone 212.699.4099) on June 18th, with NBC Televisions NFL Analyst Bob Costa serving as Master of Ceremonies.

The Eli & Abby Manning Birth Center at Saint Vincent's Hospital, will aid its longstanding reputation as a hallmark "Midwifery College," and help create a superior environment for Obstetrics and Natural Child Birthing.

Becoming further interested in the topic of Natural Child Birthing SaintsforSinners contacted a young woman in New Orleans, Katie Anderson, who said her child Samuel Lennon Anderson, was "born naturally, with no anesthesia, no pain medicine, no drugs at all." Katie said that giving birth to Sam naturally was "the most important, most life-affirming, womanhood affirming" event of her life. Anderson continued, adding "Natural Child Birth is important. Obstetrics can be invasive and pharmaceutically driven and tech-heavy." It is better for a pregnant woman to simply "listen to her body. Listen to her baby. I want to have another baby just so I can experience natural childbirth again," she added.

Katie Anderson praised Eli and Abby Manning for becoming involved in the field of Natural Child Birthing. 'We went about the birthing with the help of an experienced midwife or "Doula," Rebecca Hageman, who served as our birthing coach." Rebecca Hageman has been assisting women with Natural Child Birth for decades and in New Orleans and other places, including Guatemala.

We asked Katie Anderson if she had anything to add and she said she was happy that Abby & Eli Manning were part of the Natural Childbirth Movement. She said that people interested in the topic and other prospective parents can learn more about Natural Child Birth by watching the Documentary "The Business of Being Born." Katie, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Margaret and Saint Philomena, as well as Katie's infant son Samuel, all congratulate the Mannings for creating The Eli & Abby Manning Birthing Center" and helping pregnant woman realize the viable, rewarding, "life-affirming" experience known as Natural Child Birth.

Saint Rocco, Patron of Dogs, Recommends Dog Groomer Connie Heaphy

2009-06-11T07:57:00.006-05:00

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's Saint Rocco, (also known as Saint Roch or Rock) recently visited New Orleans to assess the dog grooming facilities and had one thing to say: Mid City Pet Grooming's Connie Heaphy is an excellent dog groomer and her phone number is 504.874.0404!

Saint Rocco was born in the 13th Century. He is known as the Patron Saint of Dogs, Dog Lovers, Cattle, and Doctors (and, presumably, Veterinarians too). He is invoked against contagious diseases, cholera, plagues, and skin rashes (and, presumably, the "Swine Flu" too).

His story (which can also be found,

along with his hand-painted medal, at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/), goes like this:

Rocco lost his parents at an early age and when he was 20 he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. While he was traveling, a host of contagious diseases were running rampant and Rocco took time to administer to the sick. He would often just simply pray and make the "sign of the cross" over the body of those afflicted and many were miraculously cured.

Before he reached Rome, Rocco himself became afflicted with contagious sores on his leg. He knew that his illness would soon spread to other healthy people so he went into the woods to die a quiet, noble death. A dog (pictured with Rocco, on the far left of this blog) named Dusty befriended Rocco and kept him nourished by bringing "human food" that his generous friend, Robbo of NewOrlow, would let him eat. The food was usually really nice, healthy stuff from Whole Foods Market on Veterans Boulevard, and Rocco soon had the strength to say the "sign of the cross" over his own body and become cured. He then ventured back to the town where he had been living.

Sadly, at this point, after all those months in the woods with Dusty, Rocco was bruised and battered and unrecognizable to the folks in the village. Robbo of NewOrlo saw him and did not recognize him as Rocco. He saw that Dusty was friends with the man and got extremely jealous, afraid the man was an evil Dog napper. Robbo arranged to have Rocco imprisoned. An Angel looked after Rocco but he died while in jail (but later came back to life).

While Rocco was still in his not living phase, the dog Dusty brought Robbo over to him and Robbo saw Rocco's unique birthmark on his chest. Crestfallen that he had made a mistaken assumption about Rocco's identity, (and thus an ass out out of himself) Robbo vowed not to come to any any future conclusions without getting commentary from others.

Later, in an effort to remember and revere Saint Rocco, Robbo and many others started to put the letters "VSR" above their doorways of their homes, meaning to say "Viva Saint Rocco," or "Long Live Saint Rocco." Rocco's medal features him bended at the knee, with a hat in his hand and Dusty at his side. It is one of the most popular imported Italian hand-painted saint medallions at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ and comes with a story card and an imported Italian Prayer Card (prayer in Italian) like the one at the top of this Blog.

NBA Championship Lakers v. Magic, Odom v. Turkoglu, Candy v. Pizza

2009-06-10T08:49:00.011-05:00

NBA CHAMPIONSHIP's 3 BATTLES:

Candy versus Pizza;
Odom versus Turkoglu;
L. A. Lakers versus Orlando Magic;

FULL DISCLOSURE: As patron saint of confectioners and candy, it must be disclosed that Saint Lawrence (pictured twice at right) is partial to candy, but he also noted that as patron of cooks and chefs, he likes his pizza too. Can you have your candy and pizza too?

Some foodies say the 2009 NBA Basketball Championship series has turned into a "Junk Food Spectacle" with Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu gobbling pizza before the Championship games and L. A. Lakers Lamar Odom "downing entire bags of chocolate and jelly beans on game day." As patron saint of cooks, chefs, and confectioners, the games caught the attention of http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's Saint Lawrence, who was invited to the games by Saint Sebastain, patron of athletes. The Orlando Magic and Turkoglu won the 3rd game but the L. A. Lakers and Odom still have a 2-1 lead in the series. Saint Lawrence has been calling the contest more than basketball games and more importantly a referendum on what is the most delicious food, ever. With candy leading by a 2-1 margin, Saint Lawrence ventured off with his skewer (his story is at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ but in sum, he was cooked to death years ago and now sleeps on a griddle) to see who ordinary folks favored in the Candy v. Pizza match-up.

Gloria Cosenza, a Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy graduate, and college student in Fort Collins, Colorado, told Saint Lawrence that she loves her some Skittles, saying "Ever since I was a kid I inhaled whole bags of Skittles. Was it glamorous, No. Was it delicious, Yes. Yes!" Saint Lawrence commented and said it "GLORIAous" and asked her how she felt about pizza and she replied that she will not pass up "a slice of pizza from Pizza Casbah," since it is "idealistically nourishing" but then added she would "rather fried chicken." Getting nowhere with Cosenza, Saint Lawrence took a walk.

Saint Lawrence ventured over to Pizza Casbah, in Fort Collins Colorado, where he met college student and pizza expert and chef Nick Cardinale, whom he asked about the Candy versus Pizza contest. "A man who knows his pizza knows a lot of other things, like how to win a Championship," he said, obviously indicating he favored Turkoglu and the Orlando Magic. He then twittered, you can't count out "Zen Master Phil Jackson" (L. A. Lakers Coach). Cementing his utter confusion and obvious fickleness with the contest he blurted, "to be honest, I thought it would be the Cleveland Cavaliers who would win it all."

Whether it's Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Dominos, Little Caesars or Pizza Casbah celebrating the final victory, or Skittles, Snickers, Peppermint Patty, Twix and Milky Way, remains to be seen. But the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and confectioners, Saint Lawrence, says "Either way, it will be a delicious convergence of ingredients that allows one team to land dominant."

Saint Martin of Tours, Patron of Winemakers, Praises European Commission Decision About Rose'

2009-06-09T08:14:00.010-05:00

Saint Martin of Tours, (featured left, and at www.SaintsforSinners.com/saint-martin-of-tours-medal-story.html the Patron of Winemeakers, Grape Growers, Wine Lovers, and New Orleans' "Tales of the Cocktail," has weighed in on the Rose' Wine debate that has rollicked Europe recently. Speaking in Bruges, a small town outside of Brussels, Belguim, Martin declared that "any effort to change the ingredients used in the making of Rose' wine will be rigorously opposed. Rose' is not red wine and Rose' is not white wine and never the three shall meet."

It appears the European Commission and Agricultural Commissioner, Mariann Fisher Boel, have heeded the warning from Saint Martin of Tours. Boel was quoted in the New York Times, on June 9, 2009, stating that the group has "abandoned the proposed changes" that would have signaled end of the traditional creation of Rose' and allow the blending of red and white wines to make Rose'. Before the end of the blending ban was proposed, Rose' had always been made by taking red grapes, crushing them, and then leaving them alone to ferment. Their colorness would disippate because the skin pigments would create a wonderful hue of pink, and voila, Rose'.

According to The New York Times, a spokesman for the European Commission was quoted as saying there had been lots of "ooh-la-la-ing" about the potential change in the recipe for Rose', especially by the French Winemakers. And across the pond, the American singer Billy Joel was no doubt pleased that there will remain 3 choices with regard to wine: "A bottle of white, a bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of Rose' instead" since those are the lyrics in "Italian Restaurant," one of the many hits from his classic masterpiece, "The Stranger." We tried to get a quote from Rock and Roller Bruce Springsteen to see what he thought, especially since he is in Europe on Tour, but he was not available. The line from his song "Spirits in the Night" should adequately explain his postion though, "I got a bottle of Rose' so let's try it."

Saint George Proclaims Jockey Calvin Borel Best Jockey of Modern Era

2009-06-06T07:59:00.007-05:00

THIS JUST IN:

Saint George, the patron saint of horses and horsemen, has announced that if Louisiana Jockey Calvin Borel wins the 141st Belmont Stakes later today, riding "Mine That Bird," Borel will be offically known as the "Best Jockey of the Modern Era." Saint George made the announcement after consulting with his horse "Whitey," (see photo) Calvin's Horse, ("Mine That Bird") and another horse named "Eleanor." The three horses spoke via conference call, initiated by the original talking horse, "Mr. Ed." Eleanor, the horse who is in a relationship with Neal Wanless, the 23 year-old from Todd County, South Dakota who recently won a $ 232 million Powerball Jackpot, said she hopes that Calvin Borel will come ride on her new ranch that her friend, Wanless, is buying for her. Eleanor said that when Wanless told her it would "be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own," she immediately started thinking of horses to invite over for hay. "Mine That Bird was on the top of my list," Eleanor said.

Whether Borel will win the race remains a mystery. We do know that Mine That Bird's Trainer, "Chip" Woolley, has tremendous confidence in Borel and that Borel wants to win the race, not for the limelight it will bring, but because he feels Woolley is the "best trainer" he has ever worked for in his life.

Woolley's Dad, Bennie Woolley, has said that he thinks his son, Chip, and his horse, Mine That Bird, have done all the right things to secure a victory. Bennie takes no credit however, and said the only thing he taught his son to do in life was to "work hard" and "love what you do." The advice was obviously heeded by his son, Chip Woolley.

All of us at www.SaintsforSinners.com are rooting for Jockey Calvin Borel to win the Belmont Stakes. Borel will then be the Best Jockey of our time, as Saint George has pronounced. But we wonder if Borel will retain his crown for long. Two young teenage jockeys, "Smokin'" Joe Talamo and Dustin Dugas, are extremely able forces to be reckoned with in the future. If Borel and Mine That Bird win today, they will enjoy at least a year at the top of the charts. Whether Talamo or Dugas will unseat Borel in 2010, remains another mystery....

Payless Shoe Stores, Guardian Angels for The Fresh Air Fund

2009-06-05T07:17:00.005-05:00

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has been taking New Yorks' inner-city children away from their stifling, noisy city streets and bringing them to places filled with grass, water, fresh air, and a simpler way of life, in the country or at the beach, or both. The kids get "a chance to truly expand their horizons" and get away from the hustle and bustle of their cities in the horrendously hot summer months.

Payless Shoe Stores has been a Guardian Angel of sorts, and a great contributor to The Fresh Air Fund, and in a very fun way. They are selling the "Friendship Shoe." They are white canvas sneakers that come with markers, like Sharpies, and the kids (or the adults who are kids-at-heart like me!) who get them have their friends and camp counselors decorate and sign them to create one-of-a-kind momentos of their Fresh Air Fund experience. The profits from the sales of the shoes go to The Fresh Air Fund and Payless Shoe Stores have donated over $120,000 over the last two years.

As many of you know, I have a tradition of wearing an Arch Bishop Rummel Thrift Store shirt to Jazz Fest every year, along with a cache os Sharpies. The shirt is worn and decorated year after year, adding special history and nostalgia with each passing Jazz Fest. It's my favorite shirt.

Today I am going to go to http://www.payless.com/ and buy a pair of Friendship Shoes and begin a new tradition of having friends and strangers alike, decorate my shoes. This will be better than my Rummel shirt because these special sneakers will raise awareness about The Fresh Air Fund and the great work they do for inner-city youth. If decorating sneakers is not your idea of a fun thing to do, consider donating to the Fresh Air Fund. A mere $24.00 donation pays the bus fare, round-trip, for a kid to get out of the city and participate in the Fresh Air Fund Porgram. You can donate online or you can mail a check to:

The Fresh Air Fund

633 Third Avenue, 14th Floor

New York, NY 10017

For more information about The Fresh Air Fund, visit http://www.freshair.org/ - This is a great charity, one that recognizes that "the only thing more fleeting than summer is childhood."

Rob Clemenz, Founder http://www.saintsforsinners.com/

Sally Field was "Gidget" and "Norma Rae" but NOT "The Flying Nun."

2009-06-04T12:31:00.005-05:00

Here is the UnOriginal "Flying Nun," with Sally Field in the starring role. She's a faker but we still "really, really like her." The real flying nun was Saint Mary Catherine Laboure.

Sally Field as Original "Flying Nun?" - The Truth Exposed....

2009-06-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

We recently uncovered the truth about the "Flying Nun" and Sally Field was not her! It seems the American public was duped. The original real deal "Flying Nun" was Saint Mary Catherine Laboure'. The proof is in the pudding, or in this case, the photographs.... We have the real Flying Nun medallion at SaintsforSinners.com.

Society of St. Barbara: Basilica of Dreams: St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville, Iowa

2009-04-16T07:34:00.000-05:00

Society of St. Barbara: Basilica of Dreams: St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville, Iowa

2009-02-03T09:59:00.009-06:00

Our Marcel Proust-Inspired

www.SaintsforSinners.com

Questions & Answers

Interview with Dr. Paul Camarata,

Host of www.SaintCast.org on the

StarQuest Production Network (www.SQRN.com)
BIO: Dr. Paul Camarata is the host of the SaintCast, which is an ongoing, informative podcast about the Saints. Paul’s Podcasts are free and available through ITunes, www.SaintCast.org, and www.SQPN.com, the StarQuest Production Network (offering the “Best in.... Podcasting”). His 100+ podcasts have been broadcast throughout the world and his legion of followers has never, and will never, stop growing. Paul is a medical doctor specializing Neurosurgery. He makes Kansas City his home, is married to Karen, and has three children, ages 15, 17, and 20. SaintsforSinners.com is proud to have Paul as their third Marcel Proust-inspired Interview.

Hello, Dr. Camarata, thanks for joining us at the www.SaintsforSinners.com Blog It's nice to be able to turn the tables and interview you for a change. We really enjoyed the interviews you did with us on your SaintCast.

Are you ready for our Interview? Sure am. . . and thanks so much, Rob, for what you do. I've heard from so many of our listeners (at SaintCast ) who have ordered medals that have helped remind them of the holy men and women that have gone before us, that help them through difficult times. Here we go: Q: First, do feel any connection to a particular Saint? A: Yes, a few of them. Q: Which ones and what is the connection? A: Well, the first was perhaps St. Thomas More. When in high school, I saw a movie called "A Man for All Seasons." It is a film version of a play written by Robert Bolt. It tells the story of Sir Thomas More, a high placed lawyer and good friend of King Henry the VIIIth, who was killed because he stuck up for his convictions and refused to accede to the king's wish to divorce his wife and declare himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. He is a great role model for laity, studying and praying intently. He taught his daughters to read and write Latin and Greek at a time when women weren't usually educated, loving God while trying to be the best lawyer he could be. Next would be St. Francis. I was taught by the Capuchin Franciscan friars in my high school days. Their humble example and willingness to live in poverty in today's society has always been an inspiration to me. This, of course, comes from their desire to follow the ways of St. Francis of Assisi, called the little poor one of Assisi, but truly a giant of a man in his time. By the time of his death, thousands of friars had decided to abandon their "other" lives and live with him, serving the poor, living in abject poverty. He was truly a great reformer of the Church which had fallen into "disrepair." The third would be Padre Pio. Of course, people are first intrigued by his story . . . a friar who bore the wounds of Christ, that bled daily for 50 years. We are intrigued by the photos of him shown saying Mass with bleeding hands extended. Then, when you read his story . . . Wow! Here was a humble poor friar from the south of Italy, who prayed fervently and often that he would always do God's will. After awhile, he is graced with being allowed to offer his suffering for the salvation of souls in the form of the stigmata. I often think, "Man, if I saw Jesus and spoke with my Guardian Angel like Padre Pio did, it would be easy to repent and be a saint." However, this man spent hours a day in devout contemplation - some say he prayed over 30 rosaries a day. He helped predispose his soul to be able to communicate with God in a way that few of us ever do. In addition, he was blessed with the ability to read souls - people would go to Confession to him and he would enumerate all of their sins for the past few years, things that no one else knew! So, I hold him up as an example of how to go about deepening your relationship with God. Q: We are especially fond of Padre Pio as well and were in Rome for his Canonization in August, 2002. Paul, please talk about the time when you first began to feel connected to the Saints. A: As a child my parents taught me about saints, and I remember praying to St. Anthony, Joseph, and Mary, as well as St. Christopher. I remember choosing St. Peter as my confirmation saint because of his connection with St. Paul. Their Feast day is celebrated together in the Catholic Church. When my father was dying of cancer we said a lot of prayers to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. I first really felt a true connection to the saints in general after Pope John Paul II died. I had a kind of 'mini-conversion' experience while watching all of the media coverage of the death of this great man, and began reading more and more about the saints. Perhaps his soul was inspiring me to change my life for the better. Q: So, they have inspired you? A: I do look to some of my favorite saints for inspiration. . . after all, that's why the Church canonizes people. The Church doesn't make them saints - it is simply saying that it is "officially" OK to now look to these holy people as examples of how to live our lives and pray for their intercession. I mean, there are saints out there who have conquered any vice that you can think of. Saints who were alcoholics, saints who were murderers, liars, even satanists. The difference is that they figured out, with the grace of God, how to straighten out their lives and get it right. Q: How many Saints do you think there are? A: Certainly there are millions and millions of people in heaven, and all of us here on earth are a part of the Communion of Saints. As far as officially recognized saints, there are, I believe, between 5 and 10,000. Q: Do you have a favorite? A: My three favorites would have to be Thomas More, Francis of Assisi, and Padre Pio. Q: Name the first 5 Saints that pop into your head: A: Thomas More, Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, St. Lucy, Maximilian Kolbe Q: Any idea why you picked those? The first three are my favorite patrons. I just exhibited a number of relics recently at our parish church, and St. Lucy was one of those. I thought of Maximilian Kolbe because he was a very contemporary saint, and who we would like to propose as the patron saint of New Media. He was a fabulous evangelizer. Q: Yes, I remember we talked about Maximilian Kolbe when you interviewed us in New Orleans. Proposing him as the Patron of New Media sounds great. We're in! One last question: Do you recall ever saying the prayer “Saint Anthony, Anthony, come on down; something’s lost that must be found!” A: Yes, all the time. Q: OK, one more question, then: please tell us, did it work? A: More often than not, yes, indeed.

Our Interview with Bassist Extraordinaire Ivan Bodley

2009-01-28T14:19:00.014-06:00

Our Marcel Proust Inspired SaintsforSinners.com Q & A

Questions and Answers Interview with

Renowned Bass Player Ivan Bodley

in New York City

January 25, 2009

Ivan Bodley hails from New York City and is an accomplished professional bass player. He recently shared the stage with Sting and Elvis Costello at the Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball on Monday, January 20, 2009, in Washington DC, in celebration of the Presidency of Barack Obama. Both the Huffington Post and Fox News covered the concert! Check it out on YouTube.

Ivan has strong New Orleans connections. He is a graduate of Tulane University and was one of the Champions of the greatest radio station on earth, WTUL, 91.1 FM on your dial. You can find out more about Ivan and hear his music by visiting his web site, www.funkboy.net or www.phunque.com or www.myspace.com/funkboy

We caught up with Ivan this past Sunday, January 25, 2009 and conducted this interview by phone. Here it is:

Rob Clemenz/SaintsforSinners.com:

Hello Ivan, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for the www.SaintsforSinners.com Marcel Proust inspired Q & A. We’re honored to have you as our second guest. Let’s start by learning how you became a professional bass player. When did you first pick up a guitar?

Ivan Bodley:

I actually started late, by most standards. I was a Senior in High School. I became interested in playing guitar and wanted one so I worked at a Dude Ranch as a dishwasher so I could save up enough money to buy my first Fender bass guitar.

RC: Where did you first begin performing?

Ivan Bodley:

Hmmmm... I guess that was at my High School Talent Show. I remember playing “Message in a Bottle” by The Police. The audience liked it and I wound up winning the Talent Show.

RC: When did you first become acquainted with the age old saints?

Ivan Bodley:

Growing up, there really was no connection to the saints whatsoever. I basically grew up in a non-practicing Jewish or Atheist household. It wasn’t until I came down to New Orleans that I began to take notice of its culture the vast religious connection it conveys.

RC: When did you first become part of the SaintsforSinners.com family?

Ivan Bodley:

When did you start? I’d have to say I was pretty much in it from the getgo, the beginning, Day # 1.

RC: Yes, you have been a loyal pal for a very long time. Which medals have you worn?

Ivan Bodley:

(Laughing) None, really. Well you have the picture of me wearing the Guardian Angel but I just wore it for a short time and then passed it on, like you recommend on the web site. I’ve sent the medals to friends.

RC:

So you don’t even wear the medals!?

Ivan Bodley:

Yes and No. A year or so ago a friend gave me a saint Christopher medal, for protection during travel. I’m touring and on the road so much I keep that medal in my wallet. But it’s not one of yours.

RC: Which saints are you familiar with?

Ivan Bodley:

Aaron Neville introduced me to saint Jude long ago. That’s the first saint I became acquainted with. Paul Sanchez is the cat who introduced me to the SaintsforSinners.com Web site.

RC: How many saints do you think there are?

Ivan Bodley:

I have no idea. Hundreds, I guess.

RC:

Name 5 saints off the top of your head.

Ivan Bodley:

Michael, Christopher, Jude, Mark, Luke - go with the “Heavy Hitters!"

RC:

Since you have said you like sending the medals as gifts, what has the reaction been?

Ivan Bodley:

They appreciate the thoughtfulness; the personal component goes beyond the gift.

RC:

Comment on the line “It’s so hard to be a saint in the city.”

Ivan Bodley:

(Laughing) New York City. It’s a tough place to live. There’s lots of temptations. I identify with it.

RC:

How about this one, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

Ivan Bodley:

I understand that. And that’s why I like what you’re doing. Some sinning is just having some fun. You’re allowing people some redemption without forcing people to feel 100% pious. It’s admirable.

RC:

Thanks, Ivan. You get it. Who do you think wrote “the saints are the sinners who keep on trying.”

Ivan Bodley:

Don’t know, it sounds Dylanesque.

RC:>
Last Question

Did you ever say the prayer that went something like this: “Anthony, Anthony, come on down, something’s lost that can’t be found!”

Ivan Bodley:

No, Rob, can’t say that I have.

Saint Joseph's Wild Rides with Fairgrounds RaceCourse Jockey Dustin Dugas

2009-01-18T12:08:00.016-06:00

Our “Marcel Proust Inspired” www.SaintsforSinners.com Q & A

Quick Questions & Answers Interview with

http://www.FairgroundsRaceCourse.com Apprentice Jockey Dustin Joseph Dugas

New Orleans, Lousiana

January 17, 2009

DUSTIN JOSEPH DUGAS

Dustin Dugas is a new Apprentice Jockey at the Churchill Downs Fairgrounds RaceCourse in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is 16 years old and hales from Waggaman, Louisana, where he lives with his family. Dustin was formerly racing at Louisiana Downs, where he was crowned September 2008’s Rider of the Month. As we waited to conduct this interview at the Fairgrounds, Dustin was riding “Brazen Walk” to a 2nd place finish in the 3rd race with a $2.00 “Place” ticket paying $15.40.

The Jockeys came back from the 3rd Race and we waited for Dustin to catch his breath. We noticed he watched the race on replay, shaking his head in thought as the race aired on the screen above him. The other jockeys had left the room while Dustin remained, watching the finish on his own. A few moments later, he went to get freshened up and ready to talk. We took some photos and sat down to chat. He had some extra time since he was not riding again until the 6th Race, where he would be attempting to achieve his 10th 1st Place Fairgrounds Finish aboard the Christopher McLaughlin’s Maltese Cross Stables horse, “Rhyme Royal.” After we met Dustin in the Jockey’s Chambers and sat down for a chat we explained that the reason we wanted to interview him was because we noted he wears a Saint medal on his helmet and were curious about it.

Here’s our interview:

Hello, Dustin, It’s great to meet you. SaintsforSinners.com has been a loyal fan of yours ever since we detected a Saint Medal dangling from your helmet.

Let’s get started:

1.

Q: First off, how did you get interested in horse racing:

A: We always had barrel quarter horses back when I was a kid.

2.

Q: Tell us about your first horse:

A: My first was really a pony, a paint horse. (Smiling) Her name was “Splash.” She was short and fat and I had her when I was 5, 6, 7 years old.

3.

Q: Then you got your first horse?

A: (Again Smiling Broadly) It was a big white horse named “Snowball.” After that I had my Dad’s horses.

4.

Q: When we see you in the paddock it seems there is always a saint medallion hanging from your helmet. Can you tell us about that? What Saint are you wearing on your cap while racing here at the Fairgrounds?

A: Saint Joseph.

5.

Q: What is your connection to Saint Joseph?

A: It’s my middle name. I wear it for safety.

6.

Q; Tell us when and why you first began to feel connected to Saint Joseph, ands started having him race with you.

A: I have always been wearing Saint Joseph or a Crucifix or Saint Christopher since I was kid.

7.

Q: Have they ever inspired you?

A: Yes, sir!

8.

Q: How many saints do you think there are?

A: (Laughing) I have no clue!

9.

Q: Do you have any favorites besides saint Joseph and saint Christopher?

A: Not really.

10.

Q: Let’s play a game where you name the first 5 Saints that pop into your head:

A: I only know saints Joseph and Christopher. Oh and Saint Michael.

11.

Q: Do you remember ever saying the prayer that goes something like this: “Saint Anthony, Anthony, come on down; something’s lost that must be found!”

A: No, sir.

When we finished we handed Dustin http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medal packages, one of
saint George,
the patron of horses. It was very interesting that when the package was opened the hand-painted medallion was of a
"big white horse,"
much like Dustin's childhood friend/horse, Sonwball. We also gave Dustin 3 version of our saint Joseph the Worker medals and one was just like the medal on his helmet.

We were getting ready to leave when veteran Fairgrounds Race Course Jockey Lonnie Meche appeared and we were introduced. Asked about Dustin Dugas here is what Lonnie had to say:

“It’s nice to work with one of the upcoming stars. Dustin is always very professional. He’s quiet, he pays attention, and he listens.”

Follow Up:

On his next mount after this interview, Dustin Dugas rode Trainer Harry L. Hahn, III’s and owner Christopher McLaughlin’s “Rhyme Royal” to victory in the 6th Race. He won his 10th First Place Finish at the Fairgrounds. We were, along with his Saint Joseph, with him all the way. A two dollar bet paid $ 12.60 and a two dollar 9,2,7,8 “Superfecta” paid
$23,894.20!
We were happy to cash in our winning tickets but missed on the big Superfecta payoff.

SaintsforSinners.com would like to thank Dustin Dugas,
the Fairgrounds Race Course personnel,
and jockey
Lonnie Meche,
all for being so generous with their time as we satisfied our curiousity concerning what saint medal Dustin Dugas wears.
We also thank Saint Joseph the Worker!

Our New Edition Addition

2008-12-22T10:06:00.003-06:00

Our Muses at ... http://www.lamuseinn.com/

& Our New Edition Addition!

We had the good fortune of getting the opportunity to talk with John and Kerry Fanning, the proprietors of La Muse Inn, a Retreat House for writers and other creative folks, located in the South of France. Kerry called www.SaintsforSinners.com because she was interested in getting a medal for her husband, John. They're spending the Christmas Holiday in the Northeast U.S. and will be sharing our hand-painted saint medal designs and serenity stories with friends and family for Christmas. Though we are technically "strangers" to each other, it seemed we "clicked" while talking and a phone call asking for some saint medal packages turned into something more, a truly serendipitious treat for us and our web site.

Kerry let me know she found our site by Googling and also that it did not come up onthe first pages and was rather "buried" in her search listings. While SaintsforSinners.com does very well on the serach result listings when a person searches for "Saints Medals," or "Hand-Painted Saint Medals" there are many areas where are web site winds up lost in the mix of hundreds or thousands of search result terms Googled. Kerry suggested that I speak to her husband about search terms and ways to improve rankings and get noticed. It was an offer not be declined and I had this fantastic chat with John, a Frenchmen speaking fluent English with a marvelous French accent (yet another added bonus!). John and I talked about the web sites, search term issues, key words, codes and file transfer protocols, among othe things. And then the conversation became more cordial in spirit and just as broad as broad can be.

John asked about the Blog, which I have been pretty "hit and miss" with about in the past. Sometimes I'm writing; othe times, it just doesn't get done. John presented great ideas and views and there was one that struck a chord. Why not try a "Proustian Questionnaire" type component and incorporate it into the Blog as a regular series? I fell in love with the idea immedaietly and today's Bolg serves as the announcement that we will be presenting our new edition additon, a "Getting to Know You" Marcel Proust Interview series, where I do an introduction and write about folks SaintsforSinners.com loves and admires, tell a bit about their life and relationship to SaintsforSinners.com, and then their answers to some basic questions about saints, saints medals, faith, hope, trust, religion, the Sacraments, just to name a few. We have such a wonderful cross section of folks in our SaintsforSinners.com family, that I think the interviews will alwasy be fresh and interesting. I've already asked two very different folks if they will be our first two interview subjects and I am so excited about the prospect of presenting life views from the people who wear and share our hand-painted saint medal designs, their reasons for doing do, their views on the topics mentioned earlier, and who know what else! This is a true work in progress.

I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to John and Kerry Fanning at www.Lamuseinn.com for offering this gem of an idea to us. For those of you who read the blog, please me know which people you'd liketo hear from and what questions you'd like asked. I'll be posting the first New Edition Addition very soon. Thnaks to all of you for helping me to create a vehicle that has certainly taken some wrong turns over the years, yet alwasy offered a scenic view that keeps me busy and learning every day. I am, indeed, blessed. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Fondly,

Rob Clemenz, Founder

www.SaintsforSinners.com

Let's Hear It For The Shelter Dogs!

2008-12-08T08:39:00.004-06:00

Over 700 newspapers from all over the world are premeiring comic strip creator Patrick McDonnel's "Mutts" adoption series today. McDonnel wrote six related comic strips that encourage folks to consider adopting shelter dogs from shelters rather than puppy mills or pet stores. McDonnel said he was inspired by president elect Barack Obama's statement that he wanted to find a dog for his daughters at a shelter. Obama said "a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me." Look for the "mutts" comic strip in your local paper or online at http://www.muttscomics.com/.

McDonnel's strip features two pets, "Mooch" the cat, and "Earl" the dog. It is often funny and poignant; this week it will surely be extraordinary and will heaighten awareness about the plight of shelter animals throughout the world. Visit your local shelter and bring home a four legged friend. You will be gald you did.

Two New Local Stores

2008-11-23T11:19:00.002-06:00

We added two new local stores and will hopegully adding a store in Savannah, Georgia later in the week.

When in the French Quarter, you can visit Pamela's Living Room, Shine, Feet First, and our newest store, "Yesteryears" in the 600 block of Bourbon Street. Visit Theresa and say hello to her boss, a beautiful four legged feline who runs the place!

Saint Martin of Porres & President-elect Barack Obama: Our Racial Harmonizers

2008-11-11T13:35:00.005-06:00

Saint Martin of Porres & President-elect Barack Obama

Our Racial Harmonizers

Saint Martin of Porres was born to parents of different races. His complexion favored his dark skinned mother, leading his father to abandon him. Martin found work as a hair stylist, but it was soon discovered he possessed great healing qualities. The rich and poor, and all those in-between flocked to him, and he quickly became a Dominican Lay Brother. He was a universal caregiver, ministering to all people, including African slaves who were brought into his homeland of Peru. Martin’s love was all-embracing; he had a great love for animals, even the rats who scurried around his home. Martin lamented that the vermin had too little to eat! Like Saint Francis of Assisi, he seemed to be able to converse with animals and he founded one of the first animal shelters. Martin is also said to have been “bi-coastal,” which meant he could be in two places at one time, quite an extraordinary feat. Equally extraordinary was his reported ability to fly. Martin was very humble; he referred to himself as “mulatto dog,” long before President-elect Barak Obama recently humbly referred to dogs as “mutts like me.” Like Barack Obama, he was respected by his peers and followers who affectionately referred to him as “Father of Charity.” He was canonized on May 6, 1962, when Barack Obabma was nearly 10 months old. Both med are revered as racial harmonizers. Pray to Saint Martin of Porres for the elimination of all forms of prejudice and ask him to gently guide our new president-elect, as he faces the momentous tasks ahead.

New Folks on Our Hall of Fame-Ous

2008-10-16T08:42:00.008-05:00

Tres Nuevo Amigos!

We added three folks to our "Hall of Fame-Ous" yesterday:

1. One of New Orleans' "favorite sons," the horse racing afficianado, Ronnie Virgets;

2. One of our New New Orleans Saints, Tight End Jeremy Shockey (and our friend Mark Faar); and,

3. One of the greatest violinists of our time, Soozie Tyrell. We even snagged an autograph from Soozie and put that up also.

In the coming weeks, we will add another series of photographs with a well-known actor and 2 beautiful girls from New Orleans, Renee & Gabby at the "Tales of the Cocktail," in the historic Hotel Montleon and also make a fun announcement of a new partnership we entered into recently. But first we need to "let the ink dry" on the deal we were so fortunate to have had offered. It's an exciting time, even thogh the faltering economy has us a bit nervous.... But Faith & Hope trump nervousness every time so we'll be fine.

That's all for now - stay tuned ...

:o) rob

Celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi

2008-10-08T12:05:00.003-05:00

Hello all - sorry the blog has been quiet for so long - we are making lots of progress so hopefully you will start to see more posts. The Gretna Heritage Festival was fantastic and we were happily surprised our idea ended up raising money for the Louisiana SPCA! www.SaintsforSinners.com Imported Italian Saints Medallions Hand-Painted in New Orleans, Louisiana 5866 General Diaz Street, New Orleans, LA 70124 504.482.2467 (Office) 504.239.3143 (Mobil) Rock504@aol.com Rob Clemenz, Founder Ms. Ana Zorrilla , Executive Director October 6, 2008 Louisiana SPCA 1700 Mardi Gras Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70114 Reference: Donation to the Louisiana SPCA via SaintsforSinners.com Dear Ana, Please find enclosed a check for $ 211.47, which is a donation from many of the animal lovers who attended the Gretna Heritage Festival this past weekend. We sold our hand-painted Saints medallions at the Festival and tried a fund raising idea to gather donations for the SPCA. Since Saint Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day was this past Saturday, we wanted to honor him by helping the SPCA. We put a plate on our table and filled it with the old, rusty Saints medals we lost in the flood of August, 2005. When we returned to New Orleans in September, ’05, we decided we simply could not let our Saints medals just be bulldozed away, along with the rest of our house. So, we dug through the muck of our flood ravaged home until we uncovered all of our bins of thousands of Saints medals. They were very messy and dirty and seemed completely useless. But you could still tell they were Saints medals. So we let them dry in the sun and then put them all in a big bucket. And then, this past weekend, we treated our Saints medals as the tiny pieces of history that they have become. We put up a sign by our plate of ruined “flood medals,” left out an empty jar, and put the Saints medals up for sale, asking for a donation. The response was fantastic! Many Gretna Festival goers dug through the medals until they found the Saint they wanted. Others just put money in the jar and handed us a medal. We placed each “flood medal” in a clear zip locked bag and made a notation with our Sharpie markers. We hope the money we collected helps the Louisiana SPCA and the animals. Respectfully yours, Rob Clemenz, SfS Jess LiRocchi, SfS Christina E. McCarson, SfS & all the Generous Gretna Festival Goers!

A Visit to the Saint Hedwig & Nicolas Basilica in Berlin

2008-08-30T07:29:00.001-05:00

An Outline

New Stores Carrying Hand-Painted SaintsforSinners.com Medals

2008-01-31T14:32:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!

We have added some new stores and they are listed below....

Happy Mardi Gras!

rob

SaintsforSinners.com’s Retail Stores January, 2008 : RECENTLY EXPANDED! We have been expanding our retail store outlets and our hand-painted Saint medal designs are now available throughout New Orleans and Louisiana and are also available in the select boutiques in the cities and states listed below. We are always interested in hearing about cool, unique shops that our customers think should offer our line. Ask your favorite retail shop to carry SaintsforSinners.com’s hand-painted saint medal designs. Our new display cases attract traffic, keep folks in their store, and have them coming back, asking for more! Retailers, contact SaintsforSinners.com founder Rob Clemenz @ 504.239.3143. In Louisiana: NEW ORLEANS: Our First Store: Pamela’s Living Room Boutique 927 Royal Street The French Quarter New Orleans LA 70116 Tel. 504.595.8860 Say “Hi” to Pamela & Frank for us!

Shine Spa 304 Chartres Street The French Quarter New Orleans, LA 70130 Tel. 504.581.4199 Let Cindy know we said “Hello”

Plum 5430 Magazine Street Uptown New Orleans, LA 70115 504.897.3388 Ask Dannal about the latest live local music in New Orleans!

FeetFirst, Inc. 4119 Magazine Street Uptown New Orleans, LA 70115 Tel. 504.899.6800 Say “Hi” to Evie!

Little Miss Muffin Stores: Little Miss Muffin # 1 766 Harrison Avenue Lakeview New Orleans, LA 70124 504.482.8200 Ask Becky if she’s wearing her Guardian Angel.

Little Miss Muffin # 2 244 Metairie Road Old Metairie, LA 504.833.6321 Say “Hello” to Eva & Gay for us! ALEXANDRIA: Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Books & Gifts 2018 C Gus Kaplan Drive Alexandria, LA 71301 Tel. 318.443.2135 Ask for Tinsley and say “Hello”

MANDEVILLE: Blue Roof Denim 1600 West Causeway The Northshore Mandeville, LA 985.624.4680 Say “Hi” to Britney & Eden for us!

LAFAYETTE: “INBETWEENZ” 115 Arnould Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506 Tel. 337 984 5101 Tell “J’Annine” “Hello!”

OTHER CITIES & STATES: NEW YORK ~ THE HAMPTONS: Frank Calvos Pharmacy & Boutique 106 North Main Street East Hampton, NY 631.324.3887 Ask Frank how my cousin Sue Hassleburger is doing!

NEW YORK ~ WESTCHESTER: Sherwood Forest Design 6 Oak Lane Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567 914.737.3480

LOS ANGELAS, CALIFORNIA: Holy Family Book Store 1527 Freemont Avenue Pasadena, California 91030 Tel. 626.403.6133 Let “Ann” know you’re looking for SaintsforSinners medals!

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Duque Salon & Spa Boutique 5348 Ballard Avenue, NW Seattle, WA 98107 Tel. 206.706.7177 Say “Hey” to Lauren & Giovanna!

CHESTERFIELD, MOUSSOURI: Catholic Gifts & Books Nancy & Steve Eaton 13397 Olive Blvd. Chesterfield, MO 63005 314.469.6700 Say Hello to Nancy & Steve!

COMING SOON: Destin, Florida: Blue Roof Denim

A Feast of Guardian Angels - The Protectors!

2007-10-02T05:40:00.000-05:00

The Feast of Our Guardian Angels!

Today, October 2, 2007, is the day designated to celebrate our Guardian Angels, Raphael (hand-painted Saint Raphael medal pictured), Gabriel & Michael. These saintly fellows, as well as those Angels not as well known, protect us and look after us day by day, and night after night.

Raphael is said to promote healing and to foster happy meetings. Gabriel is known as "the messenger" and is known for bringing happy news. Michael is the saintly protector of our police and aids in the preservation of our cemeteries. In the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" an Angel named Clarence is assigned to look after someone, who in a time of despair, wished he had never been born. So, Clarence, being an Angel who was working on getting his wings, decides to show the man what life might had been like if he had his wish granted and he had not been born. The world turned out to be a very dreary place since he was not around to make things better. And in the end the man saw his troubles were not so bad, that he enjoyed great love and camaraderie with his fellowship of men, and had an abundance of love in his life.

On the days when your meetings and interactions with others are not proceeding as you might like, or when the news of the day is less than bright, and for the times when you face serious danger, remember to rely of the comforts of the Guardian Angels, Raphael, Gabriel and Michael to see you through. Because even though people can be difficult and lilt your spirit, and meetings can become but onerous chores, and dangers often surround us, the Guardian Angels are with us always and watching over us. Try to elevate your thinking to reach a point where you can feel the Angels and they will bring a healthy perspective during troublesome times and trials and tribulations.

Bruce Springsteen's Magical October Tour Begins!

2007-09-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will offically begin their tour of the United States and Europe in just a few days! Bruce's new album, entitled, "Magic" has been reviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine and received 5 stars. * * * * * We can't wait to buy a copy.

We have not seen Bruce Sprngsteen perform live since he played at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April, 2006, in New Orleans. In the photo above he is wearing our hand-painted Saint Peter medal during his performance. Although the photo of the hand-painted saint Paul medal on the right is not Saint Peter, it still the same medal Bruce wore because if I could turn the picture, you would see that saint Peter is on other side.

There was a great article about Bruce Springsteen and the tour and the album, which comes out on October 2, 2007, in today's New York Times by A. O. Scott. Bruce made some comments about how the country needs to get back on track after 9/11 and the flood of the Deep South in August, '05. He said there is a long walk ahead for America and it seemed like he was talking about New Orleans, in a way, since we have been on a long road, or walk, toward recovery and one of our recovery programs is actually called "Road Home."

Bruce helped us heal when he performed at Jazz Fest and we hope he can offer some catharsis to the rest of the nation during his tour. The wars and the flood have been hard for all of us to endure. We wish Bruce Springsteen, his wife, Patti Scialfa, and all the members of The E Street band all the best throughout their tour and will be excited to see and hear them again, somewhere down the road. We know that Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, will be looking after Bruce and the band troughout their travels. With with every breath they take and every step they make, he'll be watching ....

Longboat Key Tennis Legend Jerry Schneider Dies

2007-08-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Andy Roddick's Predecessor, Jerry Schneider,

the Pioneer of Indoor Tennis,

Goes to Heaven

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ ' s Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, welcomed Jerry Schneider at the Pearly Gates recently. Tennis greats Arthur Ashe and Big Bill Tilden also awaited Mr. Schneider's arrival. They congratulated Jerry for creating the nation's very first Indoor Tennis facility in Illinois and for his exemplary work as the first president of the Indoor Tennis Association. Many other saints the dearly departed attended a big party carrying signs that said "Jerry Schneider Is and Was Ahead of His Time," "Age is Just a Number" and "Jerry Schneider, Two Time Senior Olympics Champion at age 80 - Something."

Saint Matthew, the tax collecting, banking Saint publicly apologized to Jerry for the way banks treated him "back-in-the-day" in the 1950's when he was first thinking up Indoor Tennis. Matt said "The bankers should have listened to Jerry earlier than they did but thankfully his Dad stepped in and embraced his indoor tennis idea." Saint Lucy the visionary praised Jerry and noted that the former editor of Tennis Magazine called Jerry "the father of modern Indoor Tennis." Saint George, the patron of soldiers, recalled Jerry Schneider's heroic efforts in World War II. The evangelist Saints, also known as "fishers of men," also commended Jerry for his success competing in tarpon fishing tournaments while in his 80's.

Jerry spoke briefly and said he will always love tennis, and he asked the Saints to help a great Indoor Tennis player, Andy Roddick, win the 2007 United States Open. His request was met with thunderous applause and his suggestion approved by acclamation. Look for Andy Roddick to play a saintsational U.S. Open this year!

The "Faith Based MySpace"

2007-08-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

Robbie Davidson's "Faith Based MySpace" at http://www.xianz.com/

Katie Zezima, a journalist, has written about a new website, http://www.xianz.com/, which describes itself as a "Faith Based MySpace." The site does not welcome content that is deemed inappropriate, such as explicit sexual content, posts filled with obscenities, or derogatory language in general. Though Xianz does not have nearly as many members as MySpace, it manages to maintain a fairly closed group who are simply not interested in interacting with folks whose ideals or lives are antithetically different than their own. A young member of Xianz, Caitlin, age 16, says " I use Xianz because it is a place that I can come to and have fellowship with friends ... [and enjoy ] helping others." It seems Mr. Davidson has followed the age old maxim for success, "it's quality, not quantity" and we congratulate him for his vision to create a web site with high ethical standards.

Celebrating Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney, the "Cure D'Ars"

2007-08-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

Celebrating our Relic of

Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney

on his Feast Day!

The way we came to possess an actual relic from Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney ( The "Cure D'Ars" or "Priest of the town of Ars") is a fun tale to tell today since August 4th is his Feast Day on the Catholic Calendar. We have a beautiful Saint JMBV medal that is actually more of a locket than a medal and inside the locket is a piece of Saint JMBV's robe under glass. It is a great treasure and we have kept quiet about how we discovered it, that is, until now. ...

Since 1987, when I first began hunting for Saint medals, I have been to many cities, states and countries looking for unique Saint medals. Naturally, Rome, Italy, is the best place to go to find Saint medals since the Vatican is located there. I love going to Rome and hunting for medals and am planning to go again this fall. But last year I came up with yet another brilliant idea, a "sure-fire" plan to unearth many different Saint medals to add to the http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ collection. The plan failed miserably, as many of my plans (some might call them "schemes" but let's not go there today...) often do in the end, but finding the relic from Saint JMBV was a fantastic consolation prize! So, like always, things worked out perfectly in the end.

After having been Saint medal hunting in Rome several times, I concluded there must be other great places to find Saint medals and that's what led me to France. The Vatican was located in Avignon, France, during the 13th Century so it seemed quite logical that a trip to Avignon would yield lots of great new Saints medals to paint and write stories about. So, a trip to Southern France was scheduled. I was very excited about collecting a cache of Saints to add to my collection and could not wait to get to Avignon.... We stayed in Provence, in a little town called Loumarin, which is south of Avignon. I wish I had paid more attention during the journey but because I was so obsessed with Avignon and finding Saint medals the towns we visited are vague in memory.

The drive to Avignon took us throughout Provence and when we finally arrived I could hardly wait to start collecting medals. Before we got to the former Vatican, I started going into small shops to sort of get an advanced peek at the medals I would be finding. It was funny that the first store I went into did not have any medals but I was undeterred. The second store did not have any Saint medals either but that was fine because there were many other quaint shops and we had not even gotten to the ruins from the 13th Century Vatican. Ruins.

Ruins. Hmmmm. Ruins. A smart person would have probably paid attention to the word ruins. Avignon is a city of ruins. The people of Avignon do not celebrate religion or religious icons like the people of Rome. If you're looking for feudal Lord figurines, swords, and masks, Avignon is the place to go. If you're looking for religious iconography, trust me on this: you'll be sorely disappointed. Throughout the city of Avignon and inside the ruins of the Papacy I did not find one single, solitary Saint medal. Zip. Nada. None. There were a few crosses here and there and one store had a handful of Rosaries for sale but I could not find one Saint medal. My "brilliant" plan to add different Saints from Avignon was a complete, utter, total failure. You live, and you learn.

The region of Provence is beautiful. The little towns are set apart in locations that make it possible to visit 2 or 3 or 4 little cities in a day and each has its own unique charm. But the town I loved best was Saint Remy and it's not because of its name. After our trip to Avignon we decided to do "day trips" and try and visit the towns on the days when they held their outdoor markets. Since looking for Saint medals had not worked out too well, looking for things to decorate our house that was being rebuilt after the flood seemed like a good plan and a welcome diversion. We found great fabric for curtains, and a beautiful lithograph of a street scene that reminded us of a small town we had biked through in Belgium. We found great gifts and we happened upon a street fair that was very much like a yard sale with lots of recycled treasures at bargain prices. Since I have never been able to kick my habit of going to yard sales, I was in a bit of heaven to be at a "yard sale" in St. Remy. It was my favorite part of our trip.

But when you travel with others you have to make some concessions. And since there were lots of places to go and things to see, I was prodded a bit to "hurry up" through the street sale. Left to my own devices I probably would stay at a yard sale or a thrift store all day long, or at least until I found something truly spectacular to my mind. But my friends wanted to move along so when I came across a vendor who was selling some Saint medals, I did not really take the time to sift through what was for sale and instead, bought every medal that was for sale, for a total of about 2 Euros, or 3 dollars.

On our way to the next town, while we were in the car, I took the Saint medals I bought out of my pocket and started looking at the Saints I found. I was very happy to see a round Saint Rocco (Rock, Roch) medal, the patron of dog lovers, as it/he is one of my favorites. I liked the others too and then noticed a medal that was thicker than the rest. It was a Saint Jean Marie Baptiste medal and I recognized him because my dear friend from college, Debbie "Rowdie" Woessner, a schoolteacher in Florida, had ordered his medal package recently and I recalled writing his story for her. As I looked at the medal it started to fall apart! It seemed to, anyway, but then I realized the medal was not a medal and was instead, a locket. Cast on the front of the medal is an image of Jean Vianney and the letters

" SAINT J.B. VIANNEY CURE D'ARS P.P.N."

On its back, the medal has inscribed:

" LINCE AYANT APPARTENU AU SAINT CURE D ARS ."

Inside the Saint medal/locket is a piece of glass and behind it is a small piece of Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney's robe.

It is fitting we tell our story of Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney and his relic today, on his Feast Day. Jean Vianney was a great priest of the town of Ars. He always wanted to be a priest but many felt he did not possess the intellect necessary. He failed in his studies and he failed again. But he never gave up and he eventually succeeded and became the priest he always wanted to be. He is perhaps best known as a most dedicated confessor. He would work tirelessly bringing people back to the Church through Reconciliation. Saint Jean would hear Confession for 12 hours a day in winter and up to 16 hours a day in summer. He brought many back to the Church. http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ will never, ever, come close to measuring up to the successes of Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney but we will keep following his lead, trying to bring people "lapsed" in their Faith, back through the doors of the Church. And "lifting spirits, one saint at a time."

EPILOGUE:

We still have the relic of Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney. It is a treasure. But we also realize that we cannot keep it and that it must be passed on to a group or entity closely associated with the life and vision of Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney so that many can enjoy its beauty. We welcome advice and suggestions about the appropriate placement of this Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney's relic as we know that some things are meant to be shared, not kept.

Thank You!

2007-08-03T13:26:00.000-05:00

Thank you's...

Thanks to:

* http://www.catholicanalysis.blogspot.com/ and its founder, Oswald Sobrino, for including and recommending http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ in the August 2, 2007 edition of the blog! We are honored to be included.

* http://www.sqpn.com/ , ( "The Best in Catholic Podcasting ") and "The SaintCast with Paul Camarata" for mentioning us in Podcast # 63, titled, "Saint Anne."

* http://www.CatholicBlogs.blogspot.com/ for adding us to their impressive roster of blogs.

* http://www.pewsitter.com/ for designing a great advertisement for us and putting our link on their front page.

* And most especially, y o u ... for visiting this blog and helping to spread the word about http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ , the home of hand-painted saint medals and serenity stories.

All the best,

rob clemenz, founder

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/

"The saints are the sinners who keep on trying." Robert Louis Stevenson

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees Makes Dog's Day!

2007-08-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Drew Brees Meets and Greets his Canine Fans!

The New Orleans Times-Picayune staff photographer Chris Granger took a great photograph of New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees as he was spending some quality time with a four legged fan/friend, "Ellie," a pomeranian. Ellie went to the Saints training camp recently and like, the dog pictured here, "Mookie," Ellie was dressed in a Saints jersey. Ellie's human, Jay Crosthwait, of Jackson, Mississippi, gave Ellie a boost and Brees gladly signed her Saints shirt. The photograph of Ellie, Drew, and Jay clearly shows that our New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is "dog's best friend."

Bereavement...

2007-08-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

On Death and Dying...

Yesterday afternoon we got another one of "those calls." It was from Jessica, a long-time member of the "saintsforsinners.com family." She asked for a saint Elizabeth Ann Seton http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_elizabeth_ann_seton_medal_story.htm medal package, so I suspected she was looking for comfort after the loss of a loved one, and sad to say, I was right. A 4 year old boy had died and Jessica wanted Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton because she thought Saint Elizabeth could help a Mom grieving the loss of her child. I agreed with her wholeheartedly. The Roman Catholic Church does not yet proclaim Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton as a Saint who can help with bereavement but at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ she is most definitely our "go to gal" for help with dealing with tragedy.

Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first American born saint. She enjoyed a life of wealth; her father was a doctor and professor at Kings College ( now known as Columbia University ) and her grandfather was an Episcopalian Minister. Elizabeth married and had 5 children but her daughters, Anna and Rebecca, died long before Elizabeth. She obviously knew what is was like to lose a child. Her mother died when Elizabeth was 3 years old so she knew what it was like to lose a Mom at a very young age. Her husband died when Elizabeth was only 29. Her father also died early in her life. Elizabeth Ann Seton experienced many tragedies early in her life. And she faced rejection and ostracism when she chose to become a Roman Catholic.

Through all of her tragedy and sadness, Elizabeth found the will to persevere. She carried on and did many remarkable things. Elizabeth founded the Daughters of Charity of Saint Joseph and was a brilliant educator, though not only through "book" learning. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton also teaches all of us by the example of her storied life. She always carried on and put her best foot forward in the many faces of adversity that were continually being presented.

If you go to our testimonial page you can read a lovely, heartbreakingly candid story from another saintsforsinners.com family member who has been able to "channel" some strength from the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton. And if you ever find yourself in the difficult position of needing to comfort someone as they endure the loss of a child, or if you experience this tragedy yourself, try to rely on saint Elizabeth Ann Seton for help, guidance, and perseverance. Should you wish to touch her image and grasp her strength with her medal, simply ask for one and it will be on its way to you without delay.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jessica and her family today and we know saint Elizabeth Ann Seton will soon be doing her important work, helping those who must endure painful tragedies in life.

Saint Agatha Visits Nora Roberts to Offer Comfort

2007-08-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

Saint Agatha visits Robin Roberts

Saint Agatha, the Saintly Patroness invoked for help with cancer issues, has gone to ABC News anchor Robin Roberts, in an effort to help her find peace and comfort during a difficult time. Saint Agatha, known specifically for her association with those recovering from breast cancer, said "Robin Roberts can prevail through her ordeal, and in doing so, help millions of others in similar situations." Ms. Roberts has a tie to the home base of http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ , since her sister, Sally Ann Roberts is a television anchor at WWL TV on Rampart Street in the historic French Quarter. Saint Agatha will be looking after both Roberts sisters as well as the rest of their family. Two other ladies are also going to join this battle to help Robin Roberts. They are two lovely ladies named Our Lady of Prompt Succor ( "Quick Help" and Our Lady of Perpetual Succor ( "Constant Help"). All of us at www.saintsforsinners.com , as well as our communion of saints will be praying for the Robin Roberts family, her friends, and her colleagues. Saint Agatha asks that you too, say a prayer for Robin and her family.

Saint Margaret's Mission

2007-08-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Saint Margaret takes on Challenging Mission

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's dear sweet saint Margaret of Antioch http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_margaret_medal_story.htm is packing her bags to begin several months of miracle work in California. At the most recent saint Monopoly Tournament, after 657 years, it turned out that the finalists were "saint" Clare, the patroness of television, "saint" Gabriel, the Arch Angel and saint Margaret, the fertility/safe pregnancy saint. It was a slow moving final game since Clare owned the green "Pennsylvania properties" along with the hostel-like Mediterranean and Baltic Avenue properties near "GO" and Gabe and Margaret pretty evenly split up the rest of the board except for Broadway & Park Place, which were split between Clare and Margaret and thus,not a factor.

At some point Clare was talking about the new TV shows coming out and said she was enjoying "John from Cincinnati." Margaret asked if God was on that show and Clare quickly changed the subject and began listing the recently canceled shows. When she said "The Simple Life" was ending its run, Gabriel said he was happy since "Nicole is in a family way." Margaret was quite surprised to hear Nicole Richie had gotten pregnant since there were no safe pregnancy prayers on her roster coming from the Richies. Gabriel explained that was because they were praying to a new saint for safe pregnancy, Philomena, and also to the Arch Angel Raphael, for happy news. Although Margaret was hurt and felt left out, she admitted that Nicole was in good hands with Philomena and Raphael. Until Philomena called the Monopoly Tournament asking to speak to Margaret! Moments later, Margaret started playing erratically; she traded all her properties to Clare to get Park Place and quickly built motels. But she kept landing in places where she could not afford to stay and was soon the 3rd place finisher, whereupon she announced, "I am going to California with Philomena and Raphael."

It turned out that Nicole had disregarded Philomena's instruction to lie low during the pregnancy and instead went on television with Daine Sawyer of "Good Morning America" to tell the world she and her baby's father, rocker Joel Madden, were going to be parents. This alarmed her appointed saints and they came running to the Mother of safe pregnancy help, Saint Margaret, for help. The three of them will be staying with Nicole and Joel until the baby is born and then the patrons of Moms, Gerard and Ann, will both stay with Nicole for as long as it is necessary for the family to thrive.

Saint Margaret said the baby boy would likely be named Lowell and he is tentatively scheduled to be born near the escalators at the Beverly Center on New Year's Eve Eve. She also acknowledged she heard Mr. Madden humming Paul Anka's "(You're) Having My Baby" during commercials at ABC. Mr. Anka, upon hearing the news said, "That song definitely has one more # 1 hit left in it."

Saint Martin of Tours Celebrates NHL Hockey Player Patrick Kane!

2007-07-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

Saints Martin of Tours and Saint Sebastian

Celebrate NHL Hockey Player Patrick Kane!

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ 's big time partying saint, Martin of Tours, patron of wine lovers and bartenders, has been holding a week long celebration inside the Pearly Gates of Heaven. The reason? One of his esteemed students from his Saint Martin of Tours school in South Buffalo, New York, Patrick Kane, has been named the # 1 selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Saint Sebastian, patron of athletes http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_sebastian_athletes_medal_story.htm is also co-ordinating the celebratory events. Saint Martin has raving about Patrick Kane and all the saints are excited to hear this handsome, sensitive fellow will be playing professional hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks as their rookie Right Wing. In a sport known for being rough, physical and painful, Patrick Kane appears to be worthy of breaking the stereotypes and bringing some welcome finesse to the game. This young man is not afraid to be himself, even if his kinder, gentler personality might be atypical. Patrick Kane is a humble and self-deprecating guy. He told a story to writer Michael Schmidt about playing in one of his first big hockey matches as a boy. He said he "I went out on the ice with my skates on." But he couldn't figure out why he "kept falling." He says he eventually realized, "I went out with my skate guards on." Asked about his weaknesses, he freely acknowledged, as a smaller player, his strength may be his biggest weakness. But he is not afraid to throw himself out there. He recently went to see the Chicago Cubs and sang his heart out while performing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the "7th Inning Stretch." He also talked about being "into '90's love songs, like Natalie Merchant's 'Kind and Generous.' " And he also later proclaimed "I like chicklite stuff. I like love songs, and when I saw 'The Pursuit of Happyness," I cried. http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ , our very own saint Martin of Tours, and the communion of all our saints wish the very best for Chicago Blackhawks right wing and promise to look after him throughout the season. Our only request: please continue to be the refreshing, wholesome, kind-hearted man you have become! If you do, we're sure there will be 10,000 Maniacs cheering for you in the stands at every game!

USA Today's Great New Way ...

2007-07-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

USA Today's Henry G. Brinton's Notso Manic Monday

Henry Brinton wrote a great article in today's "USA Today" on page 11A http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/07/faith-at-the-of.html and presented a thoughtful column about the "value of integrating religion and work in meaningful ways." Brinton was not preachy in his article; instead he offered that creating an inclusive workplace that taps into the resources of religious traditions could help to foster a better sense of community in the workplace. And he followed up with this crystal clear caveat that "such behavior doesn't mean proselytizing on the job." When I read the article I felt as though Mr. Brinton was speaking for and about http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ .

Although http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ is all about the Old Age Saints, in many ways it is less about Catholicism and religion than it is about history and the concept of trying to help others through sharing the lives of people in history who have stood for something. Folks who tried to do the right thing. It just so happened those folks in history have been declared saints by the Roman Catholic Church, or Holy See. So, naturally Catholics grasp the concept quite readily and revere the saints we have written about as well as their medals we paint so vividy. But, over the years, it seems we have also heard from a great number of people who like the concept of identifying with a saint, yet, are, for whatever reason, less entrenched in the teachings of strict religious principles. I think Mr. Brinton and SaintsforSinners.com share the same ethos, the idea that following "Golden Rule" principles can make us all better people. The hard part is doing it day after day and week after week - not just during an hour a week at Church but also on line at the slow moving toll booth, or while sifting through a voice mail maze at "Most Companys Today," or when encountering a person with a view point and personality entirely different than our own. To make it through those snapshots in time, we all can use a little help.

And that's where the idea of integrating religion and work (and life) seems beauteous! But that's not saying it's easy to do. A saintsforsinners.com case in point, for illustration: Long ago, a member of our saintsforsinners.com family suggested that I should try and get my hand painted saint medals and serenity stories in Cosmopolitan Magazine. It sounded good to me so I practiced due diligence and bought issues of the magazine, lugged them home ( if you carry a few copies of Cosmo around you'll soon develop a newfound respect for any postal worker who has to deliver it on their route every month. It's heavy! ) ane set about reading the articles and figuring out how saintsforsinners.com medals could fit into the pages of the magazine. Some of my friends in the media business offered great tips and soon I was ready to make the call to talk to a real live person at Cosmo. So, I rang her up and amazingly got through on my first try. I spoke to a lovely lady who was polite and cordial, listened to my ideas, and offered encouragement. I felt hand-painted saintsforsinners.com medals would soon be blessing the pages of Cosmo! So, I fine tuned my concept and suggested ways to offer free medal packages to readers as prizes, or in a give-a-way or some sort of contest. Saints Valentine and Agnes, our patrons of love were ready to be sent out of the factory and off to Cosmo. They felt "love" was perfect for Cosmo and I could not find a reason to dispute their notion.

To make this story short, it turned out that many at Cosmo embraced the medals and loved our "serenity for sharing" concept. Pretty soon I was directed to the Editorial Department to make my pitch. And that's where the whole house of cards came falling down for saintsforsinners.com's plan to unite in a project with Cosmopolitan. I was politely told, by a lady whose name was Gloria ( I think ), that Cosmo just did not "do religion." Because it would invariably offend someone so as a general policy rule, religion-type things are typically "passed" at Cosmo. This was where I quickly backpedaled, saying "the saints are not really about religion, they are about serenity for sharing." Gloria was not buying it and my cosmopolitan plan to unite saintsforsinners.com with the biggest magazine in the world fell apart. Butl like Chumbawamba I got up again and our hand-painted medal images were soon gracing the pages of OK! Magazine, Portland Monthly and a host of others. One door closes .... you know the rest.

I like the fact that today, July 30, 2007, Henry G. Brinton has written, in the world's largest newspaper, that "spirituality has begun to move into the workplace." He writes that many companies, like Coca-Cola and Microsoft, are becoming more faith-friendly. He says that people want to "bring their whole selves to work, - mind, body and spirit -instead of having to leave their soul" at the door of the lobby of their office. I think he's right and I fervently hope he's on to something. Because, if he is, you may just see our http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medals on the pages of a huge Hearst publication some day. One can only hope. And pray. If not, maybe things will go better with Coke!

THE SAINTS ARE COMING: A CALL FOR ENTRIES!

2007-07-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like New Orleans Saints Sign-Making Time...

A Call for Entries....

Real Life Wonder Animals!

2007-07-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

A Tribute to Quentin & Oscar: Real Life Wonder Animals!

The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that Oscar the Cat (How can I not capitalize "Cat" in this instance?) can determine when a person is going to die at the Steere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lives. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/328 And, as a hard working feline, Oscar makes sure he snuggles up close to the person who is getting ready to pass away, to provide purrfect comfort during their twilight hours.

In Saint Louis, Moussouri, http://www.strayrescue.org/ founder Randy Grim is the human for another exceptional animal, Quentin the Miracle Dog. Quentin is a Dog who survived the gas chamber and who, like Oscar, has taken on full time employment. He is working to help stray dogs throughout the country. Quentin is also the subject of a wonderful book, "Miracle Dog - How Quentin Survived the Gas Chamber to Speak for Animals on Death Row." With a wonderful foreward by Dr. Jane Goodall, this book is a true "Must Read."

The saints known to be closely linked with animals are the obvious, saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of animal lovers and birding enthusiasts, saint Roch, the patron of dog lovers, and saint Hubert, http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_hubert_medal_story.htm the patron saint invoked to protect folks from encountering rabies, among other things. We have pictured the hand-painted saint Hubert medal above, with a stag to his right and a loyal Dog on his left. It's nice to know that these saints are able to represent our four legged friends and offer their various protections to all of us.

And, on a comical note, it is fun to examine the saint Hubert medal very carefully.... If you look at the medal you will see that there is a cross in the antlers of the stag next to saint Hubert. Hubert saw that cross while hunting one Sunday and it drove him straight to the church, where he belonged on Sundays! Now keep that image of Hubert, the cross and the stag in mind the next time you go to a bar or a liquor store. Before you start drinikng, take a close look at a bottle of Jagermeiser. You will see the image of the cross and the stag in the center of the green and orange bottle. And if you drink the contents of the bottle you may turn into Dr. Doolittle and start conversing with saint Hubert, the stag and the dog. If you do and if they have anything interesting say, please let us know what you talked about. And if you want to wear an image of saint Hubert, you know where to find a nice one!

Saint Anthony, Come on Down ... I'm Searching for Answers About the War.

2007-07-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Searching for Answers about the War

Today I'm asking saint Anthony .... http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_anthony_medal_story.htm to "come on down to help me find" ... answers. Many believe that saint Anthony helps people find lost objects, like car keys and wallets, but the saint Anthony I have grown to know and love has left such findings to his apprentices and their assistants and interns in Heaven. My saint Anthony helps folks find peace, comfort, tranquility, and understanding, to name a few qualities. And that is why I am calling on him today.... because it is a very perplexing day. The newspapers have shown that there were a "few moments of joy in Baghdad" yesterday. The Iraqi national socccer team advanced to the Asian Cup Championship Match and the pictures in the papers have shown delighted Iraqi children waving their country's flags while smiling and cheering for their team. It seemed like a perfect day for the youngsters and for all of the law-abiding Iraqi citizens everywhere. Sadly, it was also reported by New York Times writers Richard Oppel, Jr. and Qais Miller that, on that same day, bombs "killed at least 50 Iraqi people and wounded 135 more." Another article about Iraq and the War, by writer Michael Cieply, told of Hollywood actors Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Ryan Phillippe and others playing roles in upcoming movies that will tell stories about the War and its aftermath. Paul Haggis, the writer and director who won lots of awards for his movie "Crash" last year, will be presenting a movie called "In the Valley of Elah." In the movie, there is a scene where it is shown that the American flag is being "flown upside down in the heartland, the signal of extreme distress." The notion of flying the flag upside down is what led me to try and find answers and thus, I have been calling upon saint Anthony to come on down and visit and help me learn "what is the ring thing to do?" A part of me wants to go fly a flag upside down and put an upside down flag bumper sticker on my car. If that is the signal of extreme distress, it seems appropriate. I am distressed about the War. But then, another part of me feels that by waving an upside down flag, an argument could be made that you were against our soldiers and did not care about them, when nothing could be further from the truth. My heart aches for the families who have suffered because of this War and all Wars. The residual impact of War has affected me many times. As a boy I was told that my father went to fight in World War II and I know he was a decorated hero of the War. But I was also told that when my father went to fight for our country he left America with a wonderful personality and came back, after 6 years, with a very different, not so wonderful personality. He never spoke of the War and there was some unspoken rule that let me know it was not appropriate to ask questions about those 6 years of my father's life. In retrospect, I wish I had broken the rule and asked some questions but I did not and can not since my father has gone to eternal rest. I only know that War changed my Dad and made him less of a person.

It seems likely there will be people flying flags upside down very soon. It seems appropriate if flying an upside down flag is indeed meant to show extreme distress about the War. I'm so distressed about the War and Wars in general that I find myself thinking of an upside down flag tattoo! But first I must wait it out for a while with dear saint Anthony, who will help me find out whether flying such a flag is the right thing to do. Maybe flying an upside down falg could successfully send the right message, elevate the level of debate about the War, and bring all of our soldiers home safely while leaving the Iraqis in a place where they can celebrate joyous occasions, like winning soccer games on behalf of their country. I hope saint Anthony will hear my call but I also realize he is very busy, because it seems like no one can find the answers about this horrible War. I'm sure his phone is ringing off the hook.

"Saint Anna" - Dr. Anna Pou, Louisiana's Living Saint

2007-07-25T07:32:00.000-05:00

HEAVENLY PRESS RELEASE

Saint Thomas More Celebrates Courage & Conviction of Dr. Anna Pou!

CONTACT: Saint Thomas More,

1. 800. PRAYERS

(772.9377)

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ ' s Saint Thomas More, http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_thomas_medal_story.htm a saint who was viciously and unfairly persecuted during his time on earth, has scheduled a Lecture Series in Heaven to review and study the courage and conviction of the formerly persecuted and now exonerated, Dr. Anna Pou. The event will occur Now. It was Dr. Pou who was unfathomly considered to be a criminal for selflessly, tirelessy, benevolently, and lovingly caring for the sick in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flood. The flood is known in Heaven as the worst natural and man-made disaster to ever occur on American soil. Numerous saints are clamoring to participate in what saint Valentine has said will be a "true and very much deserved Love Festival for Dr. Pou," whose name will also be presented to the Holy Family as a "Living Person Worthy of Sainthood" ( "LPWOS" ). Hundreds of Saints in Heaven have already signed a Petition In Favor of Future Sainthood for Pou, to be given to Jesus at the end of the Lecture Series.

The saints for those sick with cancer, Peregrine and Agatha, will be honoring Dr. Pou's commitment to providing help to the elderly and infirm during their bleakest hours. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the patron of the Holocaust, will moderate a panel discussion on Selflessness entitled "The Powers of Pou." Our Lady of Guadalupe will be providing her customary "Special Favors" to all who attend the series.

The cost for the event is the usual 3 prayers and 3 caring gestures to be poured on deserving and undeserving people on Earth by the saints in attendance. Seating is not limited as "All are Welcome in Heaven."

http://www.saintsforsinners.com/

11 Year Old Declared Genius at SaintsforSinners.com Convention

2007-07-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

11 Year Old Nick Barile, of River Vale, New Jersey, Identified as "Genius."

All of the http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ saints met at a conclave about Harry Potter. Saint Genesius, the patron of comedians, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_genesius_medal_story.htm ]

reported that many people reading a new Harry Potter book were upset because they read reviews of the book that actually discussed the book. "Hello, that's what a review does, it reviews, like duh" said saint Genesius.

When the laughter subsided about the silly people upset because the ending of the book is being written and talked about, saint Genesius pointed out that there was a lone voice of reason in America. His name is Nick Barile and he lives in River Vale, New Jersey. Saint Genesius reported that Mr. Barile pointed out to the silly people that you "read a book review at your own peril." He added, "If you don't want to know the ending, don't read the review!" The saints laughed out loud about Nick Barile's comment that "all this mishmash is truly unnecessary."

All of the saints have decided to declare Nick Barile a "Boy Genius." They vowed to watch over this astute young man and the human being at http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ has been instructed to send him a free hand-painted medal package of his choice if he ever contacts saintsforsinners.

Saints Luke, Cosmos & Damien Discuss Bush's Polyps

2007-07-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

Doctor Saints Comment on Disparity in Health

Care Availability, Noting W's Preferential Treatment

Three http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ saints for Doctors, Luke [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_luke_medal_story.htm ] and twins Cosmos & Damien, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_cosmos_and_damien_medal_story.htm ] met days ago in heaven to discuss the recent surgery of George Bush. They noted that President Bush had 5 small polyps removed from his colon by very capable doctors and recalled that he had this procedure performed in 1998 and 1999.

Saint Luke called in the patron saint of accountants, saint Matthew, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_matthew_medal_story.htm ]who added and then reported that Mr. Bush has thus had 3 preventive measure surgeries on his colon.

It was then noted that not everyone on earth is so fortunate to have such preventitive health measures and care so readily available, like the very fortunate and privileged president Bush. They then channeled some thoughts into Dr. Margot Kushel, M.D., in San Francisco, California, and helped her write a short yet brilliant letter to the newspapers to try and educate the public about the alarming disparity in health care. Her letter was published today, July 24, 2007, in the New York Times, and she articulately noted that you can't have polyp removal surgery in the Emergency Room. She must have said this because Mr. Bush recently commented that the "E.R." is a form universal health care.

All of the saints at the meeting were dubious of this claim and CBS Anchor Woman Katie Couric's former husband, Jay Monahan, [ http://www.monahancenter.org/ ] who died from colon cancer, implored all the saints to "wake up the American public about the urgent need for health care for all." The patron saint invoked during emergencies, saint Expedite, [ http://www.saintsforsinners.com/stories/saint_expedite_medal_story.htm ] also fretted, saying "some folks have dozens of polyps in their colon and can't get the care they need." He lamented that "many Americans do not even know they are in emergency situations." The saints for doctors will continue to monitor this issue and took time to offer special blessings to Doctor Kushel in San Francisco for heightening awareness about the very serious health care problem(s) facing many in America (and elsewhere).