Communio

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 8

2010-03-19T16:34:25Z

The order of prayer

Those who offered him food for his body received from his lips the Word of God, the food of life. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 19: 1-7

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Lord God, it is Your will that the whole world look to You for salvation and deliverance from the slavery of sin. Grant us a sense of mission, such as Saint Benedict had, and fill us with an apostolic spirit that we may, by the example of our life, help to draw others to You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Catholic doctors oppose pending healthcare reform bill

2010-03-19T14:19:11Z

In contrast to the various dissenting sisters' statement in support of the 153 page HR 3590, the group representing American Catholic physicians spoke against the US Congress proposal to reform of healthcare in the United States. Read what is proposed in this bill.

The doctors who belong to the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) say that HR 3590 is "substantially flawed and [a] unacceptable piece of legislation" because it provides various ways to fund abortion, it introduces new ways to restrict the freedom of conscience clause as it is applied by healthcare workers and the bill is financially problematic, to say the least. Please don't confuse this organization with the Catholic Health Association which holds opinions contrary to the Church.

Furthermore, the CMA also contends that the Obama administration's healthcare reform bill will take away from healthcare providers the ability to make sound decisions on a patient's healthcare. And insult to the American taxpayer, the HR 3590 gives healthcare to illegal immigrants without weighing the cost that would be sustainable and reasonable for the average worker. Healthcare expenses will rise!!!!

What are Catholics for? The bishops have wanted healthcare reform for decades, especially healthcare that assists the common good, that is accessible, affordable, and that has respect for life at every stage of life. Catholics want conscience protection and no funding of abortions. Catholics want the Hyde Amendment to remain in place. In this case it's not about the legal status of abortion --because all reasonable people would say that abortion should be reduced-- but the point is to not have the taxpayer fund abortions; an abortion is not healthcare, it is killing a person.

Catholics ought to properly form their consciences with genuine information (from informed news sources) and make voices heard. Catholics make up 20% of voting America!!!

The US Bishops' analysis of the healthcare bill states:

1. there is an appropriation of $7 billion for community health services that can be used for elective abortions;

2. there are federal funds to subsidize health programs that cover abortions which can expand in time;

3. the bill has the power to over-ride taxpayers' desires not to fund abortions.

Read the CMA "Statement on Health-Care Reform and Authentic Catholic Witness."

Read Archbishop Charles Chaput's insight/leadership in the healthcare reform debate.

Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor

2010-03-19T11:13:14Z

Joseph, arising from sleep, did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him and took unto him his wife.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be helped by the merits of the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother, so that what we cannot obtain of ourselves may be given to us through his intercession.

Consider reading last year's post on Saint Joseph.

Blessing of Saint Joseph's Altar

2010-03-19T02:53:40Z

(The Blessing of the Altar frequently takes place the evening before the feast, March 18th. If there is a procession to the Altar, a hymn may be sung on the way.)

Celebrant

O, glorious Saint Joseph, we stand before this Altar with joyful and grateful hearts. We lovingly present to you the labor of our hands and the dedication of our hearts that have fashioned this Altar in your honor. We again place ourselves under your powerful protection. Help us follow your example of complete trust and faith in Divine Providence. Open our minds and hearts to love and serve the poor, the suffering and those rejected or ignored by society. As a family, teach us to love and honor each member of our families with the love and reverence you had for Jesus and Mary. As a nation, inspire in us the will and the way to live in peace with all nations of the world that in our day we can experience the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer--"Peace be to you." Grant this through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

V. O, Glorious Saint Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and the glory of His name,

R. Hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.

Celebrant

Lord Jesus, bless this Altar, all this food, the candles and all those who visit it. We ask this in the name of the Father, + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(As the Altar is being blessed and incensed, the Litany of St. Joseph is said or a hymn is sung.)

All

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my sweet protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or implored your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you and humbly supplicate you. O, despise not my petitions, foster father of our Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.

(Now that the Altar is blessed, guests are invited to visit the Altar and offer their own prayers to Saint Joseph.)

Some nuns are against bishops in support of Obama's healthcare bill

2010-03-18T17:57:01Z

Yesterday, Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, released a letter in support of Obama's bill (HR 3590) to overhaul US healthcare. Obama proposal and the bill put forward is morally flawed.

The signatories claim that they represent 59,000 --an overstated number-- religious sisters while they join the Catholic Health Association which has 1200 healthcare related organizations and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic teaching. The letter advocating the passing of the healthcare bill is being delivered to each member of Congress today. The text of the letter can be read here.

The Council of major Superiors of Women Religious rejects the position of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and all other groups who stand against the Church and her bishops.

This is not about mere differing views on a hot topic. It is about faith AND reason, doing justice in an effort to safeguard the dignity of each person, from conception to natural death. No healthcare bill can be supported with provisions for abortion or any other medical procedure that offends life. We have a right to good healthcare but not at the expense of the unborn and morally unsound principles. This is a matter concerning the well-being of those who are vulnerable, poor and everyone else because they have a right to life and a right healthcare. What the Church wants most of all is a healthcare bill that protects life, dignity and freedom of conscience of each person with an ethically sound judgment on healthcare.

The letter the sisters are giving today to Congress is an act of disobedience toward the leadership of the US Bishops and against solid, verifiable Catholic teaching. The sisters neither represent the Church nor are they charged with the salvation of souls as ordained bishops are and therefore are purposely misleading the faithful and any other person of good will. Do not be fooled into thinking that the congregations of sisters think with the Church for the good of salvation. These religious orders of sisters have set themselves against communion with the Catholic Church and against the US bishops position for a comprehensive, wholistic healthcare package that is affordable.

The US Catholic Conference statement on the healthcare bill under consideration

Family Life & Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of New York has a good plan of action.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 7

2010-03-18T16:28:16Z

The order of prayer

The holy monk Benedict could not have lived differently from what he taught. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 34: 11-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of wisdom and of counsel, raise up in Your Church the Spirit which guided the man of God, Benedict, so that, filled with that same Holy Spirit, we may seek to love what he, and to practice what he taught. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Patrick's Day 2010 NYC

2010-03-18T03:14:00Z

Who's that with the Very Rev'd Fr Michael Martine?

2010-03-18T03:06:17Z

Old St Patrick's Cathedral named a basilica by Benedict XVI

2010-03-17T22:09:17Z

Great news for the Archdiocese of New York: Old St Patrick's Cathedral (since 1809) has been a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.

Old St Patrick's is the first church in the Archdiocese of New York to have the honor of being so connected with the Holy Father.

Congrats to Archbishop Dolan, Monsignor Donald Sakano!

You may recall recently that I mentioned that the Bridgeport Diocese had one of their churches raised to a minor basilica.

Take a look at the document on what it takes to be a minor basilica, Domus Ecclesiae.

This is terrific news on the Solemnity of Saint Patrick!

Blessed be God in His angels and in saints!

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 6

2010-03-17T16:00:05Z

The order of prayer

By the light of contemplation his spirit was lift heavenward. (antiphon)

Pray Luke 1:68-75

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

All-seeing and all-knowing God, grant us the gift of holy contemplation, so that we may see and understand life on this earth as You see it, and as Saint Benedict describes it in his Rule for all who seek God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Patrick

2010-03-17T10:31:07Z

The servant of Christ is captured and sold as a slave; he feeds the king's swine; he, whom Christ has chosen, and foretold to be the pastor of his flock.

Hail, glorious Saint Patrick, dear Saintt of our isle!

On us, thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;

And now thou art high in the mansions above,

On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.

Hail, glorious Saintt Patrick, thy words were once strong

Against Satan's wiles and a heretic throng;

Not less in thy might now in heaven thou art,

Oh, come to our aid, in our battle take part.

In war against sin, in the fight for the faith,

Dear Saint, may thy children resist to the death;

May their strength be in meekness, in penance, and pray'r,

Their banner the cross which they glory to bear.

Thy people, now exiles on many a shore,

Shall love and revere thee till time be no more,

And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright,

Its warmth undiminished, undying its light.

Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth,

Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou wast on earth,

And our hearts shall yet burn, where-so-ever we roam,

For God and Saint Patrick and our native home.

(Sung for 1st Vespers of the Solemnity of Saint Patrick at St Joseph's Seminary.)

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 5

2010-03-16T17:00:50Z

The order of prayer

No one can work these signs, unless God be with him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 96:1-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, You have shown forth Your goodness by the many miracles which You wrought through Your holy servant Benedict. Grant us the final grace of eternal blessedness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

John Henry Newman to be beatified by Benedict XVI

2010-03-16T16:18:38Z

It was announced this morning by the Holy See that Pope Benedict XVI will beatify John Henry Newman on 19th September 2010, during his visit to the U.K., in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The Cause of Newman's Canonisation has released the following statement:

The Fathers and many friends of the English Oratories are delighted by the official announcement that our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will beatify our founder, the Venerable John Henry Newman, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during his visit to Britain in September. Newman made his home in the Archdiocese for all his adult life, first in Oxford, where he lived as an Anglican and was received into the Catholic Church, and later in Birmingham itself where he founded and worked in the Birmingham Oratory for over forty years.

The Holy Father's life-long devotion to Newman has made a profound contribution to understanding the depth and significance of our founder's legacy. His decision to beatify Newman in person confers a unique blessing upon the English Oratories and all who have drawn inspiration from Newman's life and work.

We joyfully look forward to welcoming the Holy Father, as well as the many pilgrims and visitors who will come to the Beatification ceremony and visit Newman's shrine at the Birmingham Oratory.

We also look forward to the challenging work of preparing for the Beatification in conjunction with Church and civil authorities. We pray that the Beatification will fittingly reflect both Newman's significance for the Universal Church and the honour paid to our Archdiocese and our country by the Holy Father's presence among us.

Very Rev. Richard Duffield

Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Actor of the Cause of John Henry Newman

Additionally, the Procurator of the Congregation of the Oratory, Very Reverend Father Edoardo Aldo Cerrato, CO, has written to the all the Oratories of the world on this great gesture of Pope Benedict XVI in personally beatifying the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Newman. The letter is here: Letter-of-the-Procurator-General-of-the-Oratory-Confederation-March-2010.pdf

Legion of Christ soon to change

2010-03-16T10:19:12Z

Sandro Magister, a favorite journalist of matters Catholic, published a startling story today, "The Legion Awaits a New General. And Trembles." In a few a words he reviews the moral and theological decay in the Legion of Christ. Magister gives an anatomy of the current situation and gives a likely cure to the illness the Legion is living with these days. Magister confirms my suspicions that some Legionary priests still refuse to accept that the founder, Father Maciel lived a second life, that the Congregation is flawed and it has dragged its feet in making the radical changes the Holy Father has asked for. From what I can gather there needs to be a total revolution in the Legion if it's going to survive.

I continue to pray for the men who found their call to serve the Lord and the Church in the Legion of Christ. I think it's possible to separate out the duplicity of the founder from the good the Legion has done but the possibility rests on the honesty of the Legion to face reality as it is and not what they think it should be. My advice: simply state that Father Maciel founded the Legion of Christ and move on and sever all ties with Maciel and his cronies. Or, disband the congregation and start anew. Many lives hang in the balance and we have to show our solidarity in this time of need.

Pedro Arrupe documentary

2010-03-16T02:40:50Z

The film, Pedro Arrupe: His Life and Legacy, was produced in 2008 by Georgetown University and features rare footage of Father Pedro Arrupe and interviews with his closest advisers.

Father Arrupe was the 28th superior general of the Society of Jesus, from 1965-1983. Born in Bilbao, Spain in 1907, he studied medicine prior to entering the Jesuit order. Before his service as superior general, he served as Japan's first Jesuit provincial; but a defining moment in Arrupe's life was his work caring for the victims of the Hiroshima's atomic bomb. He died in Rome on February 5, 1991, after suffering the effects of a debilitating effects of a stroke on August 7, 1981 just as his airplane landed from an exhausting trip to the Far East. He was succeeded as Father General of the Society by Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach.

Father Arrupe's writings are some of the best works on Ignatian Spirituality there is. One memorable piece is his reflection on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Before Father Kolvenbach was elected general, Father Arrupe's prayer was read to the elected delegates of the 33rd General Congregation, marking his true identity of being totally free to do God's will: "More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands."

This five-part documentary on Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, is now available online on the Jesuit Channel, which is sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.