Reducing Prices, Increasing Prices & Adding Saint Medals with New Prices …. November Newsletter & Happy Thanksgiving!

      First, Happy Thanksgiving!!

     Let me share this nice note and testimonial we received from Eileen H. in  …. Wait for it….      Fairbanks, Alaska!

      Here is the verbatim note Eileen wrote:

“The following is just a thank you note. I lived in New Orleans for a couple of years (2008-2010) and bought my first of your medals (St. Agatha) from a boutique in Metairie. It is still the medal with which I have the strongest connection. I want to say thank you for keeping the saints present, vibrant, and approachable and that I so appreciate your medals and your newsletter. Although terribly saddened (and somewhat discouraged) by the newsletter that noted some people's disappointment (gentle term) in Pope Francis' comments regarding members of the LGBTQ+ community, I want to extend another thank you for your gracious response to their reactions. As an academic who studies saints (virgin martyrs) and as an often-distressed Catholic, I appreciate your art, your efforts, and your hopeful and positive tone. Thank you ever so much and all the best, Eileen H.”

      It was nice to hear from Eileen from Alaska. The part of note where she said she is particularly attached to our hand-painted saint medal she bought at a boutique in Metairie was very, very kind. It’s invigorating to hear that the medals give emotion and hope to the person wearing our designs. Here’s yet another example of that theme. 

    Here is a photograph of Melissa. We had the good fortune of meeting Melissa in Metairie at the latest fair where SaintsforSinners was one of the vendors. Melissa came running up to our booth and showed us the medal she bought that she wears constantly. Melissa wears Our Lady Undoer of Knots, the BVM medal that helps smooth the kinks and unties knots of discord or disruption in our lives.

      You can see above that Melissa’s medal is a bit worn but that’s because she never takes it off! She was at the Famers Arts Market with her son and her husband and we were so happy we could visit! It seems like our hand-painted saint medals have helped Eileen and Melissa.

MOTHER CABRINI'S MEMORIAL AND OUR MOTHER CABRINI STORY

     Although today is Friday the 13th, it’s also the Memorial Date for Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini (“Mother Cabrini”). We have an all girls Mother Cabrini school here on Esplanade Avenue, and a fun story to share.

     Many years ago, in 2005 or 2006, after our studio was destroyed because of Hurricane Katrina, we were "displaced nomads" for a year and living near Mother Cabrini High School. We were "back in business," painting the medals in a tiny apartment on Harding Drive.

     Some of the Cabrini girls wanted Mother Cabrini’s medal so we shared them, along with the story we wrote. One day, a girl let us know that the president of Mother Cabrini High School said our story was wrong because Mother Cabrini is the Patron of Orphans, not Immigrants. (I may have immigrants and orphans backwards here but that doesn’t really matter).

     So, we called the president and asked him about the comment. And indeed, he did let us know we were “wrong’ about stating Mother Cabrini’s patronage. So, we thanked him for letting us know.

      Something seemed not quite right about his facts so we researched and learned more about Mother Cabrini. It turned out she was the patron of Immigrants AND Orphans. We called the president to let him know Mother Cabrini had dual patronages. Then, to our surprise, in response, he mailed us the informational package from the school that clearly stated Mother Cabrini is the Patron of Orphans. A lesson learned.

      In a future newsletter we will write about the time we heard from the Religion Teacher at the local Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School. We had been painting the OLOMC Carmel medals with glitter. The girls at OLOMC liked wearing them because they were not allowed to wear jewelry bur could wear religious items. Our saint medals fall somewhere in the middle. The religion teacher had something to say about that! We’ll share that story with you next time!

      You will see that the moral of both stories is that whatever you think you know, you could be wrong. And being wrong is ok. We have to be open and stay away from being firm, steadfast, and unwilling to change.  Learning new things is always a good thing, even if you learn you were wrong about something. Hold on loosely to your beliefs. If you cling on to them too tightly you may lose control of the truth.

A PRAYER AND NOTE ABOUT OUR DEAR FRIEND HOLLY CARA PRICE

      We recently learned that our dear friend Holly passed away peacefully in New York City. We have known Holly very well and always enjoyed spending time together. Although she was Jewish, she felt a connection to our medals and eventually to us too. We were so fortunate to have known Holly. She introduced us to excellent new music, “Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Railroad,” and “Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.” And grateful for all the time she spent with us in New Orleans. God Bless You, Holly!

REDUCING/ADDING/INCREASING

REDUCING MISFIT MEDALS & HAND-PAINTED CROSS PRICES

      Effective NOW, we have reduced the prices of the hand-painted crosses with our hand-painted “misfit medals.” They are becoming easier to prepare and if there are colors or particular medals you prefer, please leave us a note and we will try to include those medals, if available. These are the medals we painted but for one reason or another, did not quite turn out as planned. They are now $ 19.95.

INCREASING PRICES ON REFURBISHED FLOOD MEDAL HAND-PAINTED CROSSES

      Effective Monday, November 16, 2020, our FLOOD MEDAL CROSSES will be $ 39.95. They are harder to make and getting the medals looking acceptable is harder than we realized. Did you know that when you use a Dremel to take rust off saint medals, tiny little metal splinters fly all around and often wind up in uncomfortable places? That happens a lot. Ouch. Be careful when you are dremeling the saint medals you dug up after Hurricane Katrina partially destroyed them and you nevertheless kept for 15 years now, because you “didn’t have the heart to throw them away,” ever.

FINALLY, ADDING NEW PRODUCT -  TINY HAND-PAINTED SAINT MEDALS ARE NOW FOR SALE

      We do have extra tiny little hand-painted saint medals. We will send them out “while supplies last.” They are $ 4.95 each and are limited in quantity, though we plan to paint and display more medals on the web site, eventually. For now, though, the medals are hand-painted and available. If we do not have the medal you request, we will send you a tiny hand-painted Miraculous Medal. We have a bunch of those!