Father Ben Bradshaw makes King Cakes as a fundraiser for St. Michael’s Church.
Read MoreGiant Pandas Leaving Memphis Zoo
It is hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the pandas came to Memphis from China.
Today, the Memphis Zoo announced that the aging pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le were both going to live out their days back home in China.
“After two decades, Memphis Zoo's current giant panda loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens will end and Ya Ya and Le Le will make the journey back to China within the next few months. Ya Ya and Le Le have been integral parts of the Memphis community for the past 20 years and we are grateful for the time we were able to spend with them. During their time at Memphis Zoo, Ya Ya and Le Le helped pioneer research and conservation projects to teach others about the importance of their species. It has been a privilege to host these incredible bears at Memphis Zoo for the past two decades and the impact their culture has had on the City of Memphis will forever be remembered” the zoo said in a statement on Facebook.
I was fortunate enough to go to China in 2003 on assignment for The Commercial Appeal, when the Memphis Zoo went to pick up the pandas. I feel very connected to them. I have photographed and filmed them very many times over the years.
“China requires foreign zoos that host pandas on loan to allow older animals to spend their final days on Chinese soil. At 24 and 22, respectively, Le Le and Ya Ya have exceeded the giant panda life expectancy in the wild by almost 10 years, according to the spokesperson.” (Reuters, link below)
I have put together some of the highlights from their stay, which included a Time Magazine cover celebrating their arrival.
All Images Subject to Copyright ©Karen Pulfer Focht
The Giant Pandas in China before coming to Memphis. Matt Thompson, who is now President and CEO of the Memphis Zoo was among zoo officials in 2003 and is seen here with the Pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le in China.
Zoo officials worked closely with China while doing their panda breeding research.
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My photo was featured in the China Daily story which speaks to how well the Memphis Zoo cared for these pandas-
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202301/05/WS63b5a51ea31057c47eba7b4e.html
One of the other places you can see Giant Pandas in the US is at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. Their new baby is shown here playing below.
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XIAO QI JI, born to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Aug. 21, 2020 plays in his habitat on June 23, 2021. The male panda cub was born to mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo reopened to the public for the first time since late November at the end of May, 2021.
Reuters used my photos and did a story today- The local papers also did a story. The Links are below.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202301/05/WS63b5a51ea31057c47eba7b4e.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/bye-bye-ya-ya-le-le-memphis-pandas-be-returned-china-2022-12-21/
This history of the Pandas-
Panda Conservation-
Memphis Ukulele Flash Mob at the St. Jude Marathon 2022
There is just something about a bunch of ukuleles playing together that makes people smile. Each year, our Memphis Ukulele Flash Mob entertains the runners in the St. Jude Marathon. Often they are exhausted, they laugh, cry, smile, dance and some even stop to take selfies with us. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.
Runners raise millions of dollars to fight against rare forms of childhood cancer. https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/fitness-fundraisers/memphis-marathon.html
I love the story behind St. Jude and the founding of the hospital by Danny Thomas. Praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny asked the saint to “help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.” It is so inspiring to live in Memphis and see the fulfillment of the promise that Thomas made to St. Jude. It is always a powerful reminder to me, of how each of us has the power to change the world and be a blessing to others. https://www.stjude.org/directory/t/danny-thomas-founder.html
It was his wish that children are treated here for catastrophic childhood cancer, while families never receive a bill so that they can focus on their sick child instead of medical bills.
This video below from 2021 shows what our experience is like. A runner sees us and starts weeping. The event is always bittersweet.
An Evening with Elizabeth King: The Sacred Soul Queen of Memphis
ON THE SEASONED SIDE OF LIFE: Performance Highlights of Gospel Singer Elizabeth King at Crosstown, Memphis
Surrounded by amazing Memphis musicians, 78-year-old gospel singer Elizabeth King pours out her heart and soul while performing at Crosstown Arts in Memphis, Tennessee Aug. 27, 2022. She was accompanied by her daughters. King is experiencing a career resurgence after taking time out to raise 15 children. She has recently recorded on Bible & Tire Recording Company.
King tells the story of how she was “Touched by God” and how he changed her life forever.
New Baz Luhrmann Elvis Movie Tops Box Office
“The King is No. 1 at the domestic box office.
After a heated box office battle, “Elvis” emerged victorious over “Top Gun: Maverick” to claim the top spot on North American box office charts.” Variety
https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/box-office-top-gun-maverick-elvis-winner-1235304037/
ENJOY SOME PHOTO AND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM GRACELAND IN MEMPHIS
What does Lisa Marie think about the new Elvis movie?
How does Austin Butler feel about playing Elvis?
In early June of 2022 sneak preview was held in the theater at Guest House at Graceland with producer Baz Luhrmann and the actors in the movie. The actors each spoke about being in the movie before the screening.
Graceland Through the Years
The Wedding Chapel at Graceland
I was fortunate enough to meet and photograph Sam Phillips, the man who discovered and recorded Elvis at Sun Studio. Phillips was a real visionary.
Christmas at Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tennessee.
A short video of Christmas at Graceland, In Memphis, Tennessee
Did you know you can sleep where Elvis slept? The Memphis apartment he lived in can be rented out for the night.
This was Elvis’s favorite horse on the carousel at Liberty Land in Memphis, Tennessee. It is now at the Children’s Museum in Memphis.
Get your Goat!
Mississippi farmer Peter Hellwig, age 90, has been drinking raw milk most of his life. He has been milking animals for over 72 years and considers himself an expert on raw milk. He recently shared his thoughts with me on the benefits of raw milk.
Peter maintained the health of his animals with the help of a local vet who frequently tested his animals for disease.
The health benefits of raw milk have become a bit of a controversial topic. Because raw goat milk is unpasteurized, be extremely careful of the source from which you obtain it and always, you should consult with your doctor before consuming it.
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PHOTO GALLERY BELOW:
Singing Nuns Record Again
After being separated due to growth in their order, enduring a series of shootings on their property, and a pandemic, The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, reunited to record their first album in over three years. VIDEO ABOVE
Breaking the silence, the sisters breathe deeply. Then with ever so much control, they start singing in perfect unison. Without a word being spoken, the sisters intuitively know what Mother Cecilia is calling forth from them.
Sweet harmonies fill the church as the sisters of the Benedictines of Mary record their latest album. The hand-painted arches of their church resonate the sound so beautiful that it falls gently on a listener’s ears.
These are not just any singing nuns. These nuns are recording artists. These are chart-topping nuns who have had four albums reach number one on the classical Billboard charts. They were also the first nuns to be given Billboards Classical Artist of the Year award.
It’s been more than three years since their last album.
Their latest album was released on Oct. 26, 2021.
Every sister at the Abbey of Ephesus learns to sing. It is an integral part of life for the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a cloistered order of nuns living by the ancient Rule of St. Benedict in rural Missouri.
The lifestyle here may date from medieval times, but young women are flocking to this monastery. Candidates seeking a life of union with God, in prayer, are between 17 and 30 and they come from all over America. They leave behind a world driven by pop culture and enter a world guided by the wisdom of St. Benedict.
It is also a humble life. These young girls spend time in a lovely orchard- filled with fruits and nuts. They milk cows by hand, gather eggs, make cheese and pull potatoes from the dirt. Self-sustainability is an ideal passed down from St. Benedict.
They believe farm work keeps you dependent on God and that such work is conducive to simple prayer. Sister Scholastica adds, that as the grounds they work become more cultivated and civilized, they are literally working out their salvation. “We hope the ground of our own soul also becomes more cultivated and something beautiful for God.”
The chanting and the musical life inside the monastery are a large draw. The monastery has grown so fast that they’ve had to split up and expand. “When the family grows large enough that we begin to lose the sense of the family, it is time for some "repotting," transferring portions to new soil” Sister Scholastica explains.
So, some of the sisters have moved and have established another community in Ava, Mo., where they have purchased 350 acres. Catholic families wanting to live near the monastery have already purchased property from the sisters. Next spring, the Benedictines of Mary plan to break ground on a new large monastery and a church.
The two groups of nuns have missed each other terribly, not just in day-to-day life but in song. Their separation prevented them from putting out another album. They tried to recreate their sound with some of the new sisters, but it just didn’t work.
Mother Cecilia asked the superior of the Ava house if she could spare three sisters for a short time so that they could reunite at the Abbey and record together again. When the sisters from Ava showed up, they arrived in time for night prayers and snuck into the choir stalls so that when the rest of the sisters processed into the church, it was a huge surprise.
It was a family reunion. “Once the Ava Sisters were here, we were back in our recording element. It was like old times” said Sister Scholastica.
In mid-September, the veterans of recording from both houses, along with a few new voices, came together to form something of a “Dream Team.”
It has been a tradition for Mother Cecilia to write at least one original song for each CD. In hopes to put out an album this fall, she quietly waited for an idea.
Just the day before the recording was to start, she was divinely inspired and composed original music, setting it to a poem written by Sr. Wilhelmina, their foundress, an African American who died at age 95 in 2019. The sisters very quickly learned their parts for the new song, “Hymn to Christ the King,” to record it live in the church.
For two days, with the afternoon sun streaming into the church, the sisters stood in a circle beneath a statue of Mary singing their hearts out until sunset.
Seeking perfection, each time a throat cleared, a shoe squeaked, or the walls cracked in the background, their brows would furrow. Every little sound was coming through to the recording engineer. They would have to start over.
At times they would take a break, walk the grounds and rest their voices. Then as they came together again and started fresh, they’d get a perfect take, they’d giggle, nod and smile because they knew-- yes, that was the best take!
“We draw our strength from being set apart from the world with God and the sisterly support of one another,” says Sister Scholastica, “the music seems to be a perfect means to reach out to the world that we are always holding up in prayer. There is no compromise of our life, but we can share what we have, and we are happy to do so.”
Written By Karen Pulfer Focht ©
Freelance Photojournalist in Memphis, Tennessee
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED CONTENT RELATED TO THESE NUNS:
https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/benedictinesofmarynewalbum?rq=Benedictines%20of%20Mary