TRINITY ACRES: Children's Choir Field Trip

Our children's choir was greatly blessed with a fully funded field trip. Our first stop was at the Pabst Mansion. There were 5 floors, 37 rooms, 10 bathrooms, 14 fireplaces, 210 windows, 137 doors, 1 telephone, over 3000 bottles of wine an champagne in the cellar in 1904, 1 telephone, 12 servants, 14 hidden compartments in the Captain's study, 9 hops finials on the grand staircase, 76 servants steps from basement to attic plus 1 ladder to the roof.

The Pabst Mansion was completed in July of 1892 at a cost of just over $254,000. The estimated cost in 2011 would be $32.7 million. Pabst descendants sold the mansion in 1908 to the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and it became the residence of archbishops, and the center of the archdiocese for over 60 years. In 1975, it was sold, and has been restored as a house museum.

These girls have been a true joy to work with! For the locals, they are singing for the Feast of the Sacred Heart on June 27th at 6:30 pm (with potluck to follow!). They have such sweet voices.

When we first arrived some of us were sure this must have been their private chapel. I, for myself, had concocted a whole story about having a private priest and so on and on. However, sadly, this was just the Pabst Brewery's pavillion from the World's Fair in 1893. It had been converted to a chapel by the Archbishops when they occupied the mansion.

Despite the fact we had to wait for my husband to bring me my forgotten wallet to the park and ride where we all met up, we still managed to be 10 minutes early so we had to wait a while before our tour. Now there's a run-on-sen

The stone work was incredible.

The beautiful stained-glass window which had been added when the Archbishops resided at the Mansion.

This was a little sneak peek into the mansion prior to entering. Since pictures aren't allowed during the tour, a friend sent me some snitchables.

The Grand Staircase

The reception hall entry

Captain Pabst's writing desk. You can read about Captain Pabst here.

The fire place in the Captain's study

The musicians nook. It was made in such a way that the music would resound throughout the house.

Corner cabinet in the dining room.

Mrs. Pabst's silver in her parlor. There was both a men's meeting room and a women's parlor. But exquisite and different. The women's being very feminine and pretty and the men's being very dark and wood-y.

The tour was exceptional, very interesting and enjoyable.

Next we ventured to the Hoy Sacrifice of the Mass at St. Stanislaus.

There was an interesting interview with the Institute of Christ the King here.

Our Lady of Czestochowa mosaic on the outside of the church.

The High Altar. I can't resist sharing a few quotes sent by a dear friend about the Mass:

He who devoutly hears Holy Mass will receive a great vigor to enable him to resist mortal sin, and there shall be pardoned to him all venial sins which he may have committed up to that hour. St. Augustine
You say the Mass is long, and I respond: because your love is short. St. Josemaria Escriva
It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass. St. Padre Pio

Drat, this picture didn't turn out but the stations of the cross were absolutely gorgeous.

We proceeded to a park for a picnic lunch.

Next we went to the Basilica of St. Josaphat.

This church was absolutely amazing.

The stained glass windows were beautiful to behold.

A mural of Assisi.

A lovely statue of our homeschooling patron, St. John Vianney.

Here's a better snitched picture. Incredible or what?

I find domes exceptionally fascinating.

Another poor quality picture of the Stations of the Cross.

I have always had a fondness for these exquisite stands from which the priest would preach the Gospel. There is a name for them but it's failing me at the moment.

I couldn't resist a picture of the pipe organ.

There was beautiful artwork everywhere there wasn't a stained glass window.

St. Maximillian Kolbe being offered the red and the white crowns.

There were lots and lots of pictures of St. Francis and St. Claire.

A whole room was dedicated to relics of the Saints.

Since we had just performed the play about St. Bernadette it was lovely to see this picture in the crypt chapel.

Since we have a thing about the house with door knobs one fine lady on our trip thought herself funny to point out this door knob which was from the Chicago post office and used during the construction of the church (or something like that). I did think that I was sure that none of my children could break that one.

Love the cross on the back of the rectory.

Our next spot... and the climax of the whole trip was our visit to the Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University.

The door

A life-size paper mache statue of St. Joan of Arc.

The chapel was brought over from France. It is believed that St. Joan herself had even prayed in this chapel.

It was brought over to Long Island in 1927 after careful drawings and dismantling were completed.
In 1962 there was a fire which gutted most of the insides, however, sparing the chapel itself.

In 1964 the chapel was given to Marquette University including a crucifix, vestments and much more from the same time period as St. Joan of Arc.

The tomb of the famous French Knight "without fear and without reproach... had been buried in this chapel when it was in France but were not transferred to the USA. However, his tomb remained in the chapel.

Joan of Arc (1412-31) prayed before a statue of Our Lady standing on this stone and at the end of her petition kissed the stone which ever since has been colder than the stones surrounding it.