Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas....Happy Feast Day!

The school that I would like to study at is having it's patrons feast day today....in honor of that I wanted to share a little something that the Holy Father said

Who was St. Thomas Aquinas? Benedict XVI explains

I have loved learning all of my life, I love reading blah blah blah...nerd nerd nerd. Anyway....St. Thomas is one of the most brilliant people I have ever read, and I love his works especially because at times they challenge me quite a bit (no kidding whew!) but more than his explinations of the faith, I have loved his music, his Eucharistic hymns. They speak more to WHO St Thomas KNEW rather than just WHAT he knew; a love that compelled him more than any purely intellectual endeavor. One of my favorites, Adoro te Devote, speaks very eloquently of our Eucharistic Lord and our own human reality.

Feast of St Anthony of the Desert

St. Anthony of the Desert is one of my favorite saints, one of the Desert Fathers, and one of my own fathers. Today I have been pondering the great blessing of the dessert, a time and place devoid of all  else but God himself and only work - the attainment of God. Anthony, hearing the call of God to renounce the world, gave all he had and went to live a life not worrying about tommorow but relying only on the providence of God. Living in silence, both exterior and interior, listening only for the whisper of God to secret places in the depth of the heart. The father of monastacism, defender of the church against heresey, and lover of God, this man gave up all to have the ALL in ALL. I have today been pondering how to live in the interior desert as Anthony did in order to recieve this ALL in ALL. Even though we may not be called to the desert at this time (but I would go in a minute!) there is still the renunciation that is required to follow Jesus on the narrow way leading to eternal life. I am just praying for God's mercy so that I may also hear His whisper even in the midst of the world.

Read more about this great saint!

And...I love the Eastern Church.....so here are some words from thier liturgy...

Troparion of St Anthony the Great Tone 4
Thou didst follow the ways of zealous Elijah,/ and the straight path of the Baptist, O Father Anthony./ Thou didst become a desert dweller/ and support the world by thy prayers./ Intercede with Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion of St Anthony the Great Tone 2
Thou didst abandon the world’s tumult and live in silence,/ and emulate the Baptist, O Anthony./ Wherefore we acclaim thee with him,/ thou summit of the Fathers.

Oremus Pro Invicem

My Etsy Shop is here! I will put up all my work on it over the next day or so....

Theotokos: Mary Mother of God

Happy New Year! What I really mean by that is Happy Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God! This is a print I did of our mother, the Mother of God. I am praying to her that she may teach me how to serve God better. I am also giving this next year to her, all that will happen, and all that will come with it. I know that she looks after me with a tenderness that is unmerited and will help me to do God's will, whatever that is. I also have posted some more photos of my art work, in a very wide range of subjects and mediums. Please also check out my new  Etsy account where you can purchase these works and see how much each of them cost. It would be easier for me if you just buy them directly from me by emailing me at Tarynawatkins@gmail.com. Whatever you prefer though. I am excited to be endeavoring in this new venue, but I am praying that it is successful; I don't know what to expect!

Incarnation: Our Divinization

The Nativity at St. Peters in Rome

I thought that this would be a great opportunity to share how blessed I am. Contemplating the incarnation during this time of year always makes me very greatfull not just for the things I have been given (more than I need) or the people that God has placed in my life (better than I deserve), but also that God has come to our very selves in order to live with us. A person more powerful and larger than the entire universe has decided that he wants to come to us, come to me and gives himself to me in the Eucharist. He becomes human so we can become divine like him. Jesus has completely changed my life over the last couple of years, done things that I would NEVER have expected or dreamed, fathomed, thought of, or even conceived was possible (including this whole Rome thing, but much more wonderful things than that). I am thankful not just for what God has done for me, but for Himself. Just him, even without all of these things, in the goodness that IS Him. We have such a wonderful revelation of who Jesus is, he wants to be known, he wants to share himself, share his life, share the secret of who he is. He wants to whisper to our hearts how much he wants us for himself. Christmas is such a great reminder of His tenderness, and the vulnerability that I need to cultivate. The liturgy is so rich in Advent; we have seen the longing and waiting of those who sought to see the face of God. Now we see this child, kissed by his mother Mary. She kisses the face of God who had been so long awaited. I very much like the manger scenes during Christmas, and now they will receive Jesus after the long wait. I can't wait to see the Nativity scene and experience the liturgy in the Vatican next year (God willing), so rich in tradition and the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word Made Flesh.

Location, Location, Location

View Rome in a larger map

This is a map that I have been slowly putting together. It gives you a little idea of where the apartment is, where all the great things in Rome are....

No News is .... No News

I know it has been a long time since my last post....here's why. I have been waiting for exciting news about an apartment in Rome. Just to let you know, I am still waiting. It's one of those crazy Italian things I think (although it's kind of everywhere). I have been emailing Luigi (yes, a real Italian) about an apartment in Rome, not too far from the Angelicum. On the way there I would pass by St. John Lateran, the Holy Stairs, and Holy Cross which holds some of the most important relics in Rome, including a huge piece of the True Cross. (!!!) But this whole emailing back and forth, hearing different things from different people, and the 8 hour time difference, has made communication very difficult. Fortunately I believe that I will be able to get the apartment as soon as I write my declaration of sustenance which has been the hardest part of this whole thing. I am also in the process of setting up an online shop that would allow me to reach a broader audience for my paintings. It is on a website called Etsy. I had never heard of it before, but a lot of other people have. There is a lot of great artwork and craft-work there. And I have yet to put up pictures of all my work like I promised, so I should have that done in the next week. I hope with this new outlet there will be more people interested in purchasing my artwork.

What to do in Rome?....like I need to ask!

Okay, I don't want to get too ahead of myself. But its so hard not too!

I know that it will be difficult in Rome, and I want to be realistic about that reality. What with not knowing anyone, or the language, or anything really it will be hard for little melancholic like myself. Missing all the weddings and ordinations back home.....Being in a foreign far away land completely unfamiliar to myself. But then again, with all the Church surrounding me, nothing could be closer to home. While homesickness for the States is a strong probability, a homesickness for Heaven is only highlighted in that, so thank God for homesickness. And lets be real, I am so excited for all the things that come with Rome. ROME!

I will limit myself at this time to only a few.

The Holy Father. I am so excited to be in such close proximity to our shepherd. I mean, I could go to a Wednesday audience, because I can, because I will be in Rome. I really cannot express the thankfulness for this privilege; to see him so often, to be so connected with the heartbeat of the Church.

The Holy Stairs. I'm not going to lie, I would live in Rome if only for this. I can't wait to spend every Friday praying on the very stairs, on the very place that began Jesus's Way of the Cross. Because I can, because I will be in Rome. To see where the wood has been rubbed away by thousands of knees, thousands of prayers....and to offer something to Jesus in return for his generosity.

The intellectual challenge. Let's face it, I have loved my undergraduate experience, I wouldn't trade it, but it has not been the most intellectually challenging. I was looking at the fall schedule for this year and it is (almost) intimidating (SOO excited, plus I'm kind of a nerd) a couple of ethics courses, history of ancient philosophy, psychology, logic, (should I go on?) Latin about 4 more philosophy courses....a grand total of 29 credit hours....all in the first semester. But I am so excited, I have wanted to study all of these things for so long....

And if I start talking about liturgy......well, I just probably shouldn't, I did say I would stay brief........

The Letter From the BISHOP!

Okay, so although I do not have the slip of paper in my hands saying that I will be in Rome in the fall of '11, Bishop Jenky did write a letter of recommendation and sent it off to be signed by the Apostolic Nuncio (the ambassador to the US from the Vatican) and it is being sent off to the Angelicum!

Nothing is impossible for God Lk 1:37

Needless to say, I am very excited. This is a big step and now all I need is a visa to study there.

In order to get a visa, there's a ton of paper pushing and blah blah blah. First step though, finding a place to live in Rome. Right now I am working on finding a cheap place and it seems promising. Then I have to prove that I can pay for it all.....

I am still kind of in shock that I will be in another country, God willing, in the fall, for four years. This is just so unexpected, so unasked for, so past what my thoughts were. I know that if I go, my life will be radically changed in a way I didn't expect, it's impossible for it not to. There's too much that happens in four years even if you aren't in a completely foreign land. Who knows (but God himself) what will come of all this. Not that I knew before what would happen, but it seems that even the "probably"s are "not"s and the "possibilities" aren't even though of. I could end up teaching at a seminary or finding a religious order in Europe, or helping in some small way to unite the Orthodox...those Russians.....

Studying in Rome

My name is Taryn Watkins. There’s not too much else to say about me, but God has done so much for me, and there is a ton to say about that. I have been blessed with so many things, among them a deep desire to learn who God is. Another blessing God has given me is a talent and passion for art, hence I am about to graduate from Illinois State University in May with a degree in painting. This has lead me to pray about what God wants from me after I graduate.

I have a deep love for my Catholic faith and the Newman Center has been an integral part of the development of that faith. The more I learn, not just about but who God is, the more I want to know. And while I think that reading and prayer are essential, I also know the value of a formal education. I would very much like to continue my education in Theology and I feel that God is calling me to this. I would like to study at the St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University (Angelicum) to obtain my Licentiate in Theology. This is a four year program in Rome where I will study Philosophy for two years and Theology for the next two. What happens after that is all part of Gods plan (which he knows and I don’t yet) but while there I hope to further not only my education in a formal sense but also experience the liturgy of different rites and deepen my understanding of the profound mysteries of the Mass. I would love to experience the Universal Church in this way and also have an opportunity to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in Russia (another one of my loves). And there are so many other opportunities to enrich my passion for art and the liturgy!

But, I need help getting there! How can you help? I am asking for prayers most of all, and that’s not just a thing that I am saying. This is actually what I need more than anyone else (those who know me best will tell ya). But if you would also like to help with the physical realities of studying too, I am selling paintings and other works (some of which you can see on this blog, more to come!) and I would love to do custom commissions as well. A portrait of your family or icons of your patron saint, whatever you would like. I also have a handy donate button. You can help me in my mission to do God’s work! You are needed to make this possible! If you are at all interested in buying any work or in commissioning something specific, please contact me directly at
tarynawatkins@gmail.com. I will be updating this blog with updates as they come, thank you so much.