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The Eucharistic Adoration Miracle

May 25, 2026 No Comments

Diann and the restored Mother Mary statue

Late August 2005

The largest and third-strongest hurricane in American history made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina arrived with 175-mile-per-hour winds, a 20-foot storm surge, and destruction spread across 90,000 square miles. By the time she made landfall, her winds had weakened to 125 miles per hour. The death toll reached 1,836. Louisiana bore the worst of it. Mississippi lost 238.

Diann, her daughter Tayler, and their dog Angel made it out. This is their story.

Diann

Diann’s home was completely destroyed — submerged under nine and a half feet of water. The water stayed in her house for over three weeks.

For those first three weeks, Diann, her daughter Tayler, and their dog Angel evacuated to Alabama to stay with family. From there they made their way to Santa Fe, New Mexico, moving in with her Nanaine — French for “godmother.” Santa Fe became home for the next nine months.

Diann made two trips back to New Orleans to handle personal business. She needed to apply for a federal grant to rebuild and fill out the paperwork for a FEMA trailer. Once she got clearance, they moved back. The trailer sat in her driveway while the house was restored.

The Holy Encounter

Diann, a single mother, was devastated — so devastated that all she had left was prayer. She visited the Eucharistic Adoration chapel at her local parish regularly. The chapel had sustained significant water damage from Hurricane Katrina, and as a result, the paint was scaling off the statue of Mary.

After Katrina, Diann returned to the chapel for private prayer. She had been sitting and praying for about fifteen minutes when she looked up at the statue of Mary and, with tears in her eyes, cried out, “I’m lost. I don’t know what to do. I need help!”

Suddenly, she heard a distinct, soft voice say, “Make me pretty again.”

Diann looked around the chapel to find where the voice was coming from, but she was completely alone. Just as she began to wonder whether she was losing her mind, the soft voice repeated, “Make me pretty again.”

“Mother Mary,” Diann whispered, “are you speaking to me?”

A third time, she heard it: “Make me pretty again.” (1 Samuel 3, John 20)

She prayed quietly, “Mother Mary, I truly don’t know what to do. What would you like me to do?”

Then she heard a single word — repeated three times: “Michael. Michael. Michael.”

She remained in the chapel a few more minutes, sitting with the mystery of what she had received. She knew this had been a holy encounter, something that had lifted her into a new spiritual awareness. Yet she left with a heavy heart, unable to understand what the name Michael meant.

She turned it over and over in her mind — Michael, Michael, Michael — until suddenly, a revelation broke through: Three Michaels. Oh! Michaels — the craft store!

Without wasting a moment, she drove straight there. She found an employee and asked where she could find supplies for painting religious statues. For eight dollars, Diann walked out with everything she needed.

Special Permission

Diann knew she needed special permission to carry out this commission from God. She contacted the president of the men’s group at the parish for guidance. His first question was direct: “Have you ever painted before?”

“No, sir,” she answered honestly.

He told her he would need to check with the pastor first. By the providence of God, permission was granted. Diann had no idea what she was up against — but she was obedient to the words spoken to her.

Doing Work Unto the Lord

The statue of Mary was moved to a back room, and Diann got to work — talking to Mary, as she always does. When she finished, she stepped back and considered the cloak. The original color was slate gray, and something about it felt too dark. Then she heard it: “Blue.”

“Oh, I can do blue highlights!” she responded.

She completed the work through much prayer. From there, she moved on to the crucifix — touching up and repainting Jesus’ legs, chest, and Crown of Thorns, then adding gold highlights to His hair.

The Blessing

Diann had already been taken advantage of by two unscrupulous out-of-town contractors, losing $14,000 by trusting strangers with her property. Then, within a week of completing the repainting of Mary and the crucifix, she was approved for a $150,000 grant through the Road Home program — established by President Bush to help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina rebuild their lives. The grant she received was the largest amount available. Not everyone was so fortunate.

Catholic Charities

Through Catholic Charities, volunteers from Kansas City and California came to her rescue. These generous souls removed all the mold and stripped the house down to its original studs — her beloved New Orleans Colonial Cottage reduced to bare bones. The work took three days. But Diann’s beautiful 100-year-old floors had warped severely, and it took her a full year to find an honest contractor. By then, the floors had dried out on their own — and the original one-and-a-half-inch antique heart pine floors were saved. One more blessing added to the rest.

Giving Back

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Diann wanted to give back. She began driving through her neighborhood, seeking out damaged religious statues in need of care. Working from the table in her FEMA trailer, she lovingly restored them one by one. To date, she has restored more than 100 statues — each one offered freely as a gift to the homeowner.

Eucharistic Adoration

At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the Eucharist as His body and blood.

¹⁹Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Catholics practice Eucharistic Adoration to draw closer to Jesus. And where Jesus is, Mary is never far — for it was from her that our Lord received His flesh. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus took His human nature entirely from Mary, and in His outward appearance, He bore her likeness.

Mary was immaculately conceived — preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her existence — because she was divinely chosen to be the Mother of God. She has been fittingly compared to the Ark of the Covenant: just as the Ark carried the presence of God, Mary carried God Himself within her womb.

Eucharistic Adoration draws us into that same mystery. In the silence before the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord reaches out to us — not through words, but through presence. The fruit of that encounter is peace, and something deeper still: we begin, slowly, to become more like Him.

A Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament

Dear Lord, may we all learn to adore You. Allow us to hear Your still, small voice. May we be obedient to the gentle promptings of Your most precious Mother, Mary. Amen.

The Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, the water level was inches from the feet of Jesus

My Heart of the Matter

The Lopez Gathering

May 18, 2026 No Comments

We meet again.

The Decision

To be perfectly honest, attending the reunion was never really on my radar. The reason? Unresolved tensions between me and my younger sister. Our hearts were still wounded, and we both needed more time to work through our differences.

The Funeral

When I heard my sister would be at Tia Maria’s funeral, I felt a little apprehensive. Not knowing what to expect, I prayed a rosary on the way to the service. But the moment our eyes met, we both just knew — everything was settled. We embraced, and just like that, the Enemy’s plans crumbled.

My beautiful nieces, Lee, Nadia, me, Maya and Reina

Bella, Eli, Maggie, me, Norma Jacob and Mario

Baby Gabriel, Maggie, Bella, Reina, Maya, Nadia, me, Mike, Norma, Mario and Gabriel

The Reunion

After speaking with several cousins, their case for the reunion started making a lot more sense. Mike and I talked it over and made the decision to go.

Cousin Nellie

Growing up, I was always the odd one out. My siblings each had cousins their age — but not me. The younger cousins thought I was too old, and the older ones thought I was too young. My cousin Ricky was my age, but he’s a boy. So for my entire life, Nellie has been my younger sister Norma’s best friend — and whenever we’re all together, I’m treated like chopped liver.

Nellie and I are cut from the same cloth. We’re both leaders, and we’re always not so quietly competing for Norma’s affection. Norma, for her part, absolutely relishes every bit of the attention. So when the three of us get together, it turns into a hilarious performance — the child in each of us rising right to the surface.

Organizing the Event

The Lord gave Nellie special graces to pull off this event. From the draped chairs tied with yellow bows to the dinner itself, every detail was arranged with genuine love. The planning even included a beautiful ancestry board and a display honoring the family members no longer with us.

The Opening Prayer

We are a God-fearing family, and inviting the Lord to bless our reunion was the only way to properly start the celebration. With God in our midst, we all know and feel His love. Thank you, cousin Eric, for the wonderful prayer. When we pray, the peace of God surrounds us.

There is nothing more festive than the sound of a Mariachi band playing “El Son de la Negra.” That tune never fails to remind me of our upbringing. Our mothers loved Mariachi music, and as much as I hate to admit it, they brought a special joy to every celebration. I still can’t believe Nellie pulled off hiring the Mariachis — how she managed to secure the extra funding for such a large group was truly impressive.

My Brothers

I thank the Lord for my brothers. What joy it was to see George, Mike, and their families. My brothers are always a source of great wisdom and advice for our family. But the best surprise of all was getting to visit with my sister-in-law Angie — it had been years since we last saw each other.

The Sorta Karaoke

Nellie had a not-so-brilliant idea: lip sync to The Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love.” I was immediately in, and so was Norma — though we had to do a little convincing to get the other Nellie on board. If it hasn’t been mentioned, there are five cousins named Nellie, all named after our grandmother Manuela — Nellie for short. There was just one big problem: we all thought we knew the song, but in reality, we only knew the chorus. It was a disaster before we even got started. We did our best and saved face by getting very animated whenever the chorus came around.

The Dance Contest

We had a dance contest to Chubby Checker’s “The Twist.” At one time in my life I could really shake a leg, and “The Twist” was a no-brainer. I carefully selected Nellie’s daughter Maggita as my partner for two reasons: she is a great dancer, and her mother happened to be the main judge. Something very unusual happened to me that night — my upper body was twisting, but my feet were cemented to the dance floor. We were quickly eliminated, but whether from disbelief or sheer confidence that we were the champions, we refused to leave the dance floor. We quickly declared ourselves the winners.

Mass

The following morning, Mike and I attended Mass at Saint Francis of Assisi in La Quinta. This beautiful church is designed to mirror the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy and is stunningly set against the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains.

Breakfast

A large group of us — as many as 40 — gathered for breakfast. Nellie instructed us to keep tabs on our own meals and pay our share when the check arrived. Our share, tip included, came to a little over $60 for just the two of us. As we finished our meals, the Lord placed it on my brother Eric’s heart to pick up the entire tab. What a blessing for us all. Eric is my half-brother — he and his family live in Washington State.

Gloria, my brother Eric, Little Roxie, Roxie and Maggita

President for Life

It has been official for years now — I am the President of the Lopez Family. So what if it is a self-appointed office; I have humbly accepted the role. At every gathering there is always a coup, my husband Mike included, attempting to take over my position — but in the end… I will always be the President for Life!

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for the legacy of the Lopez family. May You continue to guide us on the path You have chosen for us. May we always seek Your holy face. Amen.

My Heart of the Matter

A Mother’s Role

May 11, 2026 No Comments

Every one of us has a mother. And as mothers, our role in life is to pray for our children and pour ourselves into nurturing them.

Not The Same

There’s a phrase that has never quite sat right: “I love all my children the same.” The truth is, loving children the same is simply not possible — because each one is uniquely and irreplaceably different.

From the moment God gifted us with our children, it was clear just how different they truly were. Our son is easygoing, laid-back, and steady. Our daughter is more complex — deeper in ways that required more of us. Because of that, the rules we set for her were a little more strict, not out of favoritism, but out of protection. She needed that structure, and honestly, it served her well. She is the most organized person I know — and trust me, she did not get that from me. Without bragging, our daughter is just a beautiful example of what a nurturing mother is meant to be.

Our son, on the other hand, had a natural gift for finding the edge of every boundary we set. We had to constantly stay on our toes and adapt as he grew. He kept us on our knees — and that was probably exactly where God wanted us.

Through every bump along the way, God’s hand was molding our son into the wonderful man he has become.

The original family: Sonja, me, Mike and Mikos

Neither of them was perfect. But then again, neither were we. What we never did was give up on discipline.

Parenting Our Children

As parents, we fought. We disagreed. We went back and forth more times than we can count. But eventually, we always found our way to a consensus — and the most important thing we learned was this: we had to be a united front. That unity was not just strategy. It was the foundation our children needed to stand on.

My Example

I thought of all that my mother had to go through as a single parent. She had seven children, and what she accomplished with us was an amazing task. My father was rarely around for most of my childhood. In the first five years of my parents’ marriage, they had five children — one each year!

By the time I came around, there was a three-year span, and when the youngest was born, another three years. I marvel when I think of how our mother raised us — how she planned our meals and washed mounds and mounds of clothes. There were no clothes dryers back then; we had clotheslines instead. My mother’s life was not easy, but we never knew we were lacking, because she taught us to appreciate what we had.

The Sacrifices

I was born with amblyopia in my right eye, and I can still remember my mother taking me on a Greyhound bus to see a specialist in San Diego, CA. When I was five years old, my mother arranged for me to have surgery, and she stayed at the hospital the entire time. I was prescribed special sunglasses to wear, but my brother accidentally sat on them the following week. The broken glasses were never replaced because it was too much of a hardship for my mother to return to San Diego.

Single Mothers

I think of all single mothers and what they must sacrifice to do what our mother did — especially single working mothers. They are the heroes of the world! Our mother was in her late thirties when our father checked out. She never dated because she understood her role as an example to us, especially to her daughters. She was decent in every sense and wanted us to follow suit.

The Fifth Commandment in the Bible states to “honor your father and your mother.” Some moms are not the greatest of mothers and are difficult to honor, let alone love. This is the only commandment that comes with a promise.

Honoring Your Mother

Why and how do you honor a flawed mother?

Every mother is human. Some never had a good role model themselves. Some were ill-equipped to love the way a mother should. But here is the truth — it does not matter what kind of background your mother came from, or how deeply she may have hurt you. God is not making a suggestion. He is giving a command: honor your mother.

The word honor means high respect and great esteem. At the very least, she gave you life. And for that alone, gratitude is owed. Even when the relationship is painful or strained, never stop trying. When you choose to honor your mother, you are not just obeying a commandment — you are learning one of the greatest values life has to offer. Because if you cannot learn to honor her, something in love itself will always be missing.

We all need to understand what love truly represents. There is nothing greater than a mother’s love for her child — and even a mother who is broken, difficult, or dysfunctional still deserves to be honored. God made this a commandment precisely because He knew parents would fall short. He knew it would not always be easy. He commanded it anyway.

Mother’s Day

This Mother’s Day was truly wonderful.

Mike made the most incredible prime rib — perfectly complemented by baked potatoes and green beans. Jenny brought her famous salad, and Sonja baked the most delicious lemon cake. But the best part of all was simply having the entire family together under one roof. Nothing gladdens a mother’s heart quite like peace in the family.

And I have to say — all the help cleaning up the kitchen afterward was its own kind of gift.

Prayer

After Mass, between catnaps, prayer carried me through the entire day. There was something beautiful about lifting the whole celebration up to the Lord and trusting Him with it. We had planned to eat early since everyone had tickets to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 later that evening. The movie was surprisingly entertaining — but the best part, without question, was simply being together.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for all mothers today. Help us to follow the example of the greatest role model we have ever been given — Mother Mary. Please bless every mother, especially those who are estranged from their children. Jesus, bring unity to all hurting families. Amen.