Celebrating the Patroness of the Disabled, Saint Germaine Cousins

        

Celebrating Saint Germaine Cousins

          Today, June 15,  is the Memorial for Saint Germaine Cousin, from Pibrac, France, who was a peasant farm worker and shepherdess known for her kindness to children, devotion to her Faith, and as a performer of many miracles.

         Germaine was born with a disability, known as scrofula, which left her with a severely deformed left hand. She was often mistreated and blamed for anything unpleasant that might have occurred. One time, she was accused of stealing food from the pantry and trying to sneak it out of the house in her apron. It was demanded that she release the drawstrings of her clothes and when she did an array of beautiful flowers were all the appeared. Her Stepmother assigned her the role of looking out for the sheep and she was always happy to be with the welcoming animals, rather than her family who shunned her.

         According to one legend, when young Germaine would hear the Church Bells tolling while she was in the fields tending to the animals, she would always go to Church. Instead of leaving the animals alone, she entrusted her Guardian Angel to look after them and not one animal was lost during Germaine’s mini pilgrimages to attend Church.

         The children of Pibrac often befriended Germaine during her work on the farm. She was devoted to helping them in any way she could.

         Germaine is known as a Miracle Worker and even performed a Miracle for herself one day. The Courbert River separated Germaine from the Church she attended and one day the river was especially unruly and rapturous. Germaine just walked across the water in order to get to Mass! She was especially adept at curing the disabled from blindness, deafness, and the plagues that afflicted many of the people. She never cured her own hand, however, preferring to live with her disability and helping others despite her frailty.  Saint Germaine has many patronages, but is most revered as patroness of the disabled.

http://saintsforsinners.com/medals/index.php/saint-germaine

A Brief History of Dog Parks in the United States

A Brief History of Dog Parks in the United States

     My girlfriend Dusty, First Deputy at www.SaintsforSinners.com and I were talking about the local dog park in City Park and we began wondering how, when, and where the first dog parks originated. So, we channeled Saint Rocco,  patron saint of dogs and dog lovers who told us to surf the Internet to get the answer. We looked up some articles and a lady named Jessica Gross had a short piece that gave us all the information we sought.

     It didn't surprise us that dog parks basically began in Northern California, near Berkeley, according to Ms. Gross. We believe it since lots of trends seem to have begun in the west, like television, and the Gold Rush, to name two. Apparently, around 40 years ago, the city of Berkely, California was building a new transit system and tearing down lots of buildings that were in the way. That left a lot of  open land which has come to be known as "green space." Two other ladies, Doris Richards and Gail Green ( Gail GREEN, things that make you go Hmmmmmm. ) got things rolling along and pretty soon the first dog park had been established.

     The first park was a bit of a lark and basically just thrown together, thanks to the initiative of these two lovely women. But once it got organized, the dog park sort of became its own town and in the mid 1980's it was officially incorporated. And like "The Field of Dreams," once the park got built the dogs and humans came. Everything was pretty hunky dory at the park and then the inevitable happened.

      Word spread about how cool the park was and pretty soon like-minded individuals ( mostly women, Dusty surmises ) were calling and writing the people running the dog park and asking how they too could create a dog park. Their model has now been copied in numerous cities throughout the world. In our home town, a great dog park called "City Bark," was created in City Park on March 27, 2010. According to its president, Mary Ann Cardinale, the 10 people who envisioned creating the park were all, you guessed it, women!

        It should be noted that one of the ladies, Doris Richards, who helped create the dog park was honored by the City Parks Department. They erected a giant functioning fire hydrant in her honor.  Before she died Ms. Richards wrote that she felt the fire hydrant honor was "funny and fitting." We do too!