Irene Manning
Robson Ranch Catholic Club met on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the home of Bret and Rita Paxton. The president, Irene Manning, called the meeting to order with a prayer. The members prayed for all those in need of prayer. There were no special announcements, so our guest speakers, Diane and Robert Schwind, were introduced. Diane and her husband co-direct Balanced Ministries, a marriage and family apostolate in the Diocese of Fort Worth. They have been working with marriage preparation and marriage enrichment through retreats and conferences. Their presentation was focused on Blessed Emperor Karl the First, of Austria and Empress Zita. On Oct. 21, 1911, five years before assuming the throne, Ven. Emperor Karl married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, who shared his religious beliefs. The couple would eventually have eight children, and even amid the trials of war, revolution, and exile, would build a solid Christian home for them. There were always daily family devotions (the Rosary, novenas, Scripture readings), family catechism lessons, and daily mass, and particular pious practices promoted by the Habsburgs over the centuries and known to Catholic history as the Pietas Austriaca (devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Cross, Immaculate Conception, and Corpus Christi) Everyone enjoyed the presentation of a wonderful model of Christian love, marriage, and family.
The evening ended with refreshments and fellowship.