Paul Zalonski: August 2009 Archives

Baptist 041.jpgOver the years New Haven area Catholics have nurtured the vocations of many men to the priesthood or religious life. In the coming days I am hoping to write more about those who have said "yes" to the Lord in His call to religious life and priesthood. But for the moment let me note here those from the New Haven area that are studying for a religious order or a diocese:

Ken Dagliere, Archdiocese of Hartford, Holy Apostles Seminary, Cromwell, CT

James Onofrio, Archdiocese of Hartford, Neumann House, St Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, NY

Gabriel Scasino, Conventual Franciscans, Forestville, MD

Paul Zalonski, Diocese of Bridgeport, St Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, NY

In the last few years Capuchin Father Charles Sammons and Fathers John Lavorgna and David Manna (priests for the Archdiocese of Hartford) were ordained priests and all from the greater New Haven area.

If there are others let me know.

Happy 69th birthday, Dad

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Happy 69th birthday, Dad!
Abundant Blessings
(photo from a celebratory dinner last Saturday)

Blessed Jeanne Jugan

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Today is the liturgical memorial of Blessed Jeanne Jugan (Sister Mary of the Cross), a relatively unknown sister here in the USA unless you you've met them begging for money to sustain their life and work. She is soon to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11th.

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The congregation of sisters founded by Blessed Jeanne, The Little Sisters of the Poor, are an exceptional group of women who dedicated themselves to doing small things for the poor for the sake of the Gospel: be humble, i.e., be little in order to be close to the humble and making the poor happy is everything. It was the spirituality of Saint John the Baptist: I must decrease and He must increase. Jugan was very much influenced by Saint John Eudes because in him she saw a path that corresponded to her heart: we must be other Christs on earth and to go to Jesus through Mary. Jugan called together women to serve poor elderly women, a work of charity that Jeanne had done for her own conversion since she was a young woman. Not only did Jeanne address the physical needs of the women she served, but she also attended to the spiritual ones too. The Little Sisters take a 4th vow of being hospitable: showing mercy to our poor brothers and sisters.

Here in Connecticut the Little Sisters of the Poor are located in Enfield but there was a time that they had a house in New Haven. Sadly, the New Haven community closed when the health care politics got to be too much for the sisters to handle.

When I am visiting the local Catholic cemetery I make it a point to visit the graves of the Little Sisters who died in New Haven. For me it is a way being grateful for the work and witness of the sisters in New Haven.

Watch the video clip of a recent first vows profession ceremony...

Among the recent books about Blessed Jeanne are:

We beseech Thee, O Lord our God, grant us to revere with unceasing devotion the glorious victories of Thy holy Martyrs Saints Margaret Clitherow, Anne Line and Margaret Ward; may we at least honor with our lowly homage those whose praises we cannot sing worthily.


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Saint Margaret Middleton was born in York in 1556, lived there all her life, and died there on 25 March 1586. At 15, she married a butcher, John Clitherow, and three years later became a Catholic. Imprisoned for her non-attendance at church, she taught herself to read and later ran a small school for her own and her neighbours' children. Her husband remained Protestant, but allowed her to hide priests in their house. In 1586, the secret hiding places were discovered, and Margaret was put on trial. She refused to plead, for which the punishment was being crushed to death.


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Saint Anne Heigham was born at Dunmow (Essex) around 1565, and was hanged at Tyburn on 27 February 1601. In her teens, she became a Catholic and was disinherited, and in 1585 married Roger Line, also a disinherited convert, who was subsequently imprisoned then exiled for his faith, leaving her destitute. She taught and embroidered, and also kept house for priests. After a large number of people had been seen gathering at her house for Mass, she was arrested, tried and condemned to death.


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Saintt Margaret Ward was born at Congleton (Cheshire), but entered into the service of a family in London. She was arrested after assisting a priest escape from prison, but refused under severe torture to reveal his hiding place or to renounce her faith. She was tried at the Old Bailey, and executed on this day in 1588. All three are remembered for their resourcefulness, for their loyalty, for their outstanding courage, and for the service they rendered the Church during dangerous times in aiding the ministry of priests.   (Liturgy Office, Bishops of England & Wales)


For more on these 3 English Martyrs see this entry.

In the Diocese of Bridgeport, those who prepare for the major seminary at Saint John Fisher Seminary, Stamford, call to mind the martyrdom of these women saints daily as their statues surround the altar.  May Saints Margaret, Anne and Margaret, pray for us!!!


Martyrdom St John Baptist ASpinello.jpgBlessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.


We beseech Thee, O Lord, may the holy festival of Saint John the Baptist, Thy Precursor and Martyr, obtain for us help unto salvation.
Evangelization for the 3rd Millennium.jpgCardinal Avery Dulles is still producing intellectual stimulation. Due to be released next week is Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Paulist Press), the final work that he had already in progress during what became the Cardinal's final months.

In her Preface to this anthology, Cardinal Dulles' longtime colleague, administrative & research assistant and former student, Sister Ann-Marie Kirmse, says that Dulles' work explores the theme of evangelization based on the seminal work of Pope Paul VI and later on the work Pope John Paul II on the same topic.

Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ, died on December 12, 2008. 
A recognitio from the Holy See following a vote from the US Bishops, was received allowing for a clarification that all the covenants God made with the Jewish people are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Don't think this is change is revisionist theology or fancy foot work on the part of the Holy See or the US Bishops. Rather, it is standard theology and it is what the Church has consistently taught for a very, very long time. The editors of the Adult Catechism slipped up by being a bit imprecise in their work, shall we say. Of course, the statement announcing the clarification notes that the Adult Catechism is a catechetical work and not a theological text. True enough, we know...but this rationalization is a bit much. Does that mean we have to check each and every fact in the second printing of the AC, too? The Bishops' Conference statement is here.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

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St Augustine PPRubens.jpgO blest teacher, light of holy Church, blessed Augustine thou lover of God's law, plead with the Son of God for us.


O almighty God, hearken to our supplications, and by the intercession of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, graciously grant the effect of Thy wonted mercy to those who hope in Thy loving-kindness.


St Augustine, whom we are commemorating today, has some marvellous thoughts about the invitation found in Psalm 105[104]: "Quaerite faciem eius semper - constantly seek his face" (v. 3). 

He points out that this invitation is not only valid for this life but also for eternity. The discovery of "God's Face" is never ending. The further we penetrate into the splendour of divine love, the more beautiful it is to pursue our search, so that "amore crescente inquisitio crescat inventi - the greater love grows, the further we will seek the One who has been found" (Enarr. in Ps 105[104]: 3; CCL 40, 1537).

This is the experience to which, deep down, we too aspire. May the intercession of the great Bishop of Hippo obtain it for us! May the motherly help of Mary, the Star of Evangelization whom we now invoke with the prayer of the Angelus, obtain it for us. (Pope Benedict XVI, 28 August 2005, Angelus)

Saint Monica

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St Monica BGozzoli.jpgGive unto her of the fruit of her own hands, and let her works praise her in the gates, alleluia.



O God, the comforter of the sorrowful and the salvation of them that hope in Thee, Who had merciful regard to the pious tears of blessed Monica in bringing about the conversion of her son Augustine: grant us by their united intercession to grieve over our sins and obtain Thy merciful pardon.


OL Czestochowska.jpgA Morning Prayer to
Our Lady of Czestochowa

Holy Mother of Czestochowa, thou art full of grace, goodness and mercy. I consecrate to thee all my thoughts, words and actions -my soul and body. I beseech thy blessings and especially prayers for my salvation. Today, I consecrate myself to thee, Good Mother, totally -with body and soul amid joy and sufferings to obtain for myself and others Thy blessings on this earth and eternal life in Heaven. Amen.
NY Ordination 2009.jpg... the character of the Good Shepherd is branded on your hearts.. at ordination. 


A powerful video of the 2009 priesthood ordination rites in the Archdiocese of New York is link here.

The video is bone-chillingly beautiful.

The video was produced by Grassroots Films.

Contact Father Luke Sweeney, the NY vocation director, fr. luke.sweeney @archny.org.
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The occasion for gathering for lunch was the brief visit of our friend, Father Vincent Nagel, FSCB. Cristina graciously opened her home and prepared a tasty lunch. Father Vincent is a California native and a member of the Missionary Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo (FSCB), a fraternity of priests of pontifical right founded on the work of Communion & Liberation; the priests serve in Denver, Washington, DC, Rome, Moscow and a host of other places. The fraternity is growing by God's grace! 

Father Vincent currently works in the Holy Land as the personal assistant to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal. The visit was a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and to hear a few brief stories on the situation in the Holy Land: this is particularly important for us to see how Christ works in our reality today. Many thanks to Cristina who labors hard for meetings of friends like this one!

Medjugorje & 2 popes

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OL Medjugorje.jpgOn the premise that the faithful require the truth, I am still wondering about the authenticity of the apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje, especially with how one pope dealt with the cult and how the current pope is dealing with it. At the end of July I posted a question about the possibility of the apparitions being a hoax with the reduction to the lay state of the Franciscan priest who promoted the apparitions. With 30 million+ pilgrims since the messages were revealed, there seems to be some continued interest among the Church, Mariologists, and the faithful. I think we all need the discernment of the Church.

The day before the octave day of the Assumption an interview regarding the Medjugoje appearances was posted. Matt Abbott makes some interesting known.

After reading what Abbott's article, I wonder if the lack of a more swift ecclesial judgment on Medjugoje's validity whether this is a good example of justice delayed is justice denied.

Saint Bartholomew

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Almighty and everlasting God, Who has given us this day a reverent and holy joy in the feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, we beseech Thee, grant unto Thy Church ever to love that which he believed and to preach that which he taught.

The historical facts regarding the Apostle Bartholomew are murky: his real name is unknown, he's not mentioned in the Fourth Gospel and only curiously listed in the Synoptics but is closely connected with Nathaniel and Philip, where he preached the Gospel after the Pentecost is speculated, the manner of his death is obscure and even his relics are "thought by some" to be in Rome in a church named for him. But some of the relics are in Frankfurt and others in Canterbury. Regardless of all this, the Church honors Bartholomew as an apostle of Jesus Christ who gave his life for the Good News.We honored him in a liturgical memorial for ages and we continue to do so today asking for his intercession before the Throne of Grace

Today let us offer a prayer for the Church in Armenia and for Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago whose titular church in Rome is Saint Bartholomew on the Island and for tanners.
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Hey!!! Follow the progress of the 30th Rimini Meeting working under the theme of Knowledge is always an event.

Particularly fascinating to me are the photos of the events which speak a 1000 words. Remember to keep the Meeting in your daily prayer to the Holy Spirt: It's an opportunity to meet Christ!

Given the hard and beautiful of work that has transpired over three decades in putting the Meeting together, a 2-part video presentation takes us through the highlights. See 30 years of the Rimini Meeting: A Review --part 1 and part 2.

If you care to watch some of the Meeting on TV if you can manage Italian and Spanish.

Take a look at what's on deck for the program and notice the variety of speakers... the program can be found here which I recommend your perusing.

Pope Benedict XVI said at the Angelus: "Today the 30th edition of the 'Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples'  has opened in Rimini, [Italy], taking as its title 'Knowledge Is Always an Event.' In addressing a cordial greeting to those who are taking part in this significant gathering, I hope that it will be a propitious occasion for understanding that '[k]nowing is not simply a material act, since ... [i]n all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul experiences something 'over and above,' which seems very much like a gift that we receive, or a height to which we are raised' (Caritas in Veritate, No. 77)."

Some of our brothers and sisters have found themselves in a downward spiral that could end in premature death if a fundamental change doesn't happen: getting & remaining clean. It's easy to pontificate about the necessity to get and stay clean "or else," perhaps even trying brow-beat someone into change hoping to trigger a desire to live more healthily. None this works. The simple thing is to allow God's grace to work and to have a clean environment to live and work, to provide competent professional help and to make opportunities available for substantive change to happen. One more ingredient in my book that's essential and a non-negotiable is the spiritual. Prayer, spiritual direction and fidelity to the witness of the Church goes to the root level of human desires and happiness given us by Divine Providence. But we have to admit that unless a drug addict wants to change her life no amount clever argument or cute programing is going to matter. If a person doesn't take his human heart (his desires) seriously, including his need of happiness, then there is little we who aren't captured by addiction can do.

The Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement have opened their friary, St Christopher's Inn, in Garrison, New York for drug habilitation for the homeless. The Franciscans have developed a culture of life for those who are vulnerable and weak and hoping to live differently.

Last Sunday (August 16) the NY Times ran an article about the work of a farm sponsored by the friars and sisters along with the laity who collaborate to make change possible. The setting is an organic farm where the slow yet determined life of plants provide the metaphor for conversion: ground prepared, seeds planted, soil and plants watered, hoed, weeded and hoping for a harvest.

Please read the article and watch the video clip provided therein.
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Canon law isn't the most scintillating subject for most Catholics, even for priests, but it's a necessary science in our ecclesial existence. I am happy to let you know that the fourth edition, revised and updated, of Dr. John Huels' The Pastoral Companion, has been published by Wilson & Lafleur of Montreal in the Gratianus Series.

A link to the Table of Contents at the above link will demonstrate the topics covered. It seems to me that all pastoral ministers need this book.

It's on the website, www.wilsonlafleur.com, on the link for "new releases" or just follow the link above which may be easier.

The author was a professor mine at the University of Notre Dame and is quite good in his scholarship and pastoral insight. 

Funny, my 1000th post is on a book on canon law. 

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On Saturday August 16th Bishop Lori blessed the grounds of the new Council 185 Meeting and Storage building which will be named Moritz Hall.

The Moritz Hall derives its name from PGK Len Moritz who has been a major force assuring completion of this four year project.

The hot day was part of a Saint Rose of Lima (Newtown, CT) hosted Fan the Fire Youth Rally. Over 600 teens from all over the diocese spent the day participating in renewal, witness and confession. The day ended with a sunset Mass celebrated by Bishop Lori, Monsignor Robert Weiss and a host of concelebrants. Vivat Jesus!

Queenship of Mary

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Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.


Father, you have given us the mother of your Son to be our queen and mother. With the support of her prayers may we come to share the glory of your children in the kingdom of heaven.


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From the encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam of Pope Pius XII in 1954:

"We [Pope Pius XII] are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace? "Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have displayed it. "Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth - and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul - let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us."

Pius XII wrote a stunning treatise on the Queenship of Mary showing how through the millennia Mary was honored with the title of "Mother of God" and therefore theologians and preachers have accorded her the title of Queen of Heaven and Earth

Read the entire encyclical of Pope Pius XII, Ad Caeli Reginam (1954)  and pray the prayer of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary as proposed by the pope.

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world.

Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.

O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully.

We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home. Amen.

Venerable Servant of God Pope Pius XII

American "nun" controversy?

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Not sure about you but I am getting a bit annoyed by some of the oxygen being sucked out of the "Catholic newsroom" by the multiplicity of stories of how unhappy the many sisters' congregations are that there is a Vatican sponsored visitation of active religious sisters which is focussed on the charism of the particular order and the living the charism today AND a second visitation being done to know what the sisters are teaching and practicing in their convents and schools when it comes to the Catholic faith. The apostolic visitation wants to see what needs to be done to help the active religious order (vs the monastic ones) so that they live their vocation and thrive. The second visitation is to see what Catholic character of the orders; that is, what content is being adhered to. Some religious orders of sisters don't teach the Catholic faith as it is proposed by the Church especially when it comes to sotieriology & Christology, and ecclesiology & sacraments. So, what do the sisters follow in terms of the path set out by Christ and the Church when it comes to unicity of Jesus Christ, the Church as a sacrament unto salvation and the ordination of men to Order? Do they hold so rigidly to their own opinions so as to reject any fidelity to the faith as it has passed down from the Apostles? Some will undoubtedly see doctrinal questions interference and dealing too much with money, power and fame and not to the "true nature of what Christ wanted" or what the Vatican 2 Fathers wanted.

As one of the sisters whose group is suspicious of the Vatican investigation says, "I can't believe where this doctrinal visitation is coming from."

Read the accounts of what these sisters think about Vatican II, the sacred Liturgy, social justice, the ordination of women, faith and reason, contraception & abortion, etc. Many of the advocate dissent from the Magisterium, feminist liturgies, questionable ethics in the fields of sexuality and medicine, ordained women, and a Protestant ecclesiology, etc. The doctrinal visitation has nothing to do with whether Sister Mary John is wearing the habit or living in community; it has little to do with the great work the sisters did for education, hospitals and parish life. There are plenty of good examples of sisters' groups who follow the Gospel, the Church and their Order's charism and who have a solid sentire cum ecclesiae but don't wear habits or live in large convents for very good reasons approved of by the Church. The categories of "liberal" vs "conservative" are neither accurate nor useful here. Likewise, it is not about a power struggle of right-thinking bishops over left-leaning sisters. It is about the fidelity to the teachings of Christ and the objectivity of the Church.

Like the Jesuits who often see themselves as the loyal opposition to the Church, and by holding this ideology even privately, the numbers of men entering the least Society are dwindling. So too, the women religious who want to remake the Catholic Church in their own image and likeness will sooner than later die a horrible death--their charism will be dead. But what I don't understand is why forfeit the charism over these matters. Why allow the charism of Mother McAuley and countless others die because of false thinking?

The NPR story "American Nuns Question Vatican Scrutiny" is the latest in a series articles that are in my opinion pure pablum about the perceived confusion over what the various groups of sisters believe and how they act. It's true that we live in a very secular society and post-Christian attitudes reign, but a new synthesis of our faith which dismisses some key elements of doctrine seems out of control. When key elements of the belief system are absent you start rejecting core Catholic belief and you have little to hold ship together. Vatican II didn't ask the people of God to re-think the Catholic faith to make it relevant to today's standards, it asked the people to allow the Catholic faith to re-think who they are and how to act as disciples of Christ in preaching His Good News. A vastly different stance.
RM masthead.jpgThe US Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship launched a new website today (on the liturgical memorial of St Pius X, no less!!!) that pulls together tons of info on the proposed new translation of the Novus Ordo Mass. The aim of the website is to educate us on the forthcoming Roman Missal. All I can say at the moment: THANKS BE TO GOD! What I've seen of the work on the this website looks pretty good and I look forward to more. Poke around...and familiarize yourself with what the Church is proposing in terms of praying the Mass. Notice that we are no longer calling the "big red book used at Mass by the priest" the "sacramentary" but the Roman Missal. The first step is a good one.

Saint Pius X, pope

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St Pius X 2.jpgYes, Lord; you know that I love You.


Father, to defend the Catholic faith and to make all things new in Christ, You filled Saint Pius X with heavenly wisdom and apostolic courage. May his example and teaching lead us to the reward of eternal life.

Today we pray for first communicants and pilgrims through the intercession of Saint Pius X.

The Wiki article on Saint Pius
The Holy See's page on Saint Pius

On the feast of Saint Lawrence (August 10), the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Claudio Cardinal Hummes, OFM, wrote to the world's permanent deacons that what the Year of the Priest is also oriented toward the Order of Deacon and what is said to the priests applies very much to the deacons. This is welcome news! 

I admire the vocation of deacons but I have had my fill of deacons who believe their vocation is undervalued, mis-understood or abused by priests. While there are tensions among some deacons and priests, the problem is often grossly reported. In recent weeks since the pope inaugurated the Year of the Priest I have heard deacons complaining that they feel "left out" by not having a spiritual/intellectual year dedicated to them as one is to the priesthood. The moaning distracts. Complaining is rather 

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tedious when you see the connections among the various hierarchies in our Church because none can exist without the other (even though the Church didn't have the permanent deaconate for long a period of time). Look at the witnesses of the sainted deacons through the millennia: Stephen, Ephrem, Francis among many. Quoting Pope "to work in favor of this pull of priests toward spiritual perfection, upon which, above all, depends the efficacy of their ministry," (discourse of March 16, 2009). Hence, I am happy to see something on the value of the permanent deacons in the Year of the Priest because the call and ministry of priests and deacons are intimately interrelated as is the call to the episcopacy in the service of the Gospel. Additionally, I am elated the Cardinal once again drew our attention to the need to know our Scripture and the practice of lectio divina. Proper and ongoing formation in the Lord and the Church requires careful attention to the place of Scripture and lectio. The letter said in part:

To know Revelation, to adhere unconditionally to Jesus Christ as a fascinated and enamored disciple, to base oneself always upon Jesus Christ and to be with Him in our Mission, this is then what awaits a permanent deacon, decisively and without any reservation. From a good disciple a good missionary is born.

The ministry of the Word which, in a special way for Deacons, has as its great model St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, requires of ordained ministers a constant struggle to study it and carry it out, at the same time as one proclaims it to others. Meditation, following the style of lectio divina, that is, prayerful reading, is one well traveled and much counseled way to understand and live the Word of God, and make it ones own. At the same time, intellectual, theological and pastoral formation is a challenge which endures throughout life. A qualified and up to date ministry of the Word very much depends upon this in depth formation.

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The second reflection regards the ministry of Charity, taking as a great model St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. The diaconate has its roots in the early Church's efforts to organize charitable works. At Rome, in the third century, during a period of great persecution of Christians, the extraordinary figure of St. Lawrence appears. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II, and his trustee for the administration of the goods of the community. Our well beloved Pope Benedict XVI says regarding St. Lawrence: "His solicitude for the poor, his generous service which he rendered to the Church of Rome in the area of relief and of charity, his fidelity to the Pope, from him he was thrust forward to the point of wanting to undergo the supreme test of martyrdom and the heroic witness of his blood, rendered only a few days later. These are universally recognized facts." (Homily Basilica of St. Lawrence, November 30, 2008). From St. Lawrence we also take note of the affirmation "the riches of the Church are the poor." He assisted the poor with great generosity. He is thus an ever more present example to permanent deacons. We must love the poor in a preferential way, as did Jesus Christ; to be united with them, to work towards constructing a just, fraternal and peaceful society. The recent encyclical letter of Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), should be our updated guide.  In this encyclical the Holy Father affirms as a fundamental principle "Charity is the royal road of the social doctrine of the Church" (n. 2). Deacons must identify themselves in a very special way with charity. The poor are part of your daily ambiance, and the object of your untiring concern. One could not understand a Deacon who did not personally involve himself in charity and solidarity toward the poor, who again today are multiplying in number.

Yesterday's general audience (August 19, 2009) Pope Benedict took the opportunity to draw our attention to the saint being memorialized in the Liturgy, Saint John Eudes, as a model for personal renewal which will lead to the renewal of the priesthood. The zeal, the desire for the face of God, the need for conversion will lead, I am convinced, not only the renewal of the priesthood (and seminarians) but also the entire Church. Christ is the one thing we are seeking, the one person we are seeking. As the Baptist said, "He must increase; I must decrease." AND focus on CHRIST!!!!!  Read a portion of the Pope's address.

While contempt was being spread for the Christian faith by some currents of thought that were prevalent then, the Holy Spirit inspired a fervent spiritual renewal, with prominent personalities such as that of Berulle, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort and St. John Eudes. This great "French school" of holiness also had St. John Mary Vianney among its fruits. By a mysterious design of Providence, my venerated predecessor, Pius XI, proclaimed John Eudes and the Curé d'Ars saints at the same time, on May 31, 1925, offering the Church and the whole world two extraordinary examples of priestly holiness.

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In the context of the Year for Priests, I wish to pause to underline the apostolic zeal of St. John Eudes, directed in particular to the formation of the diocesan clergy.

The saints have verified, in the experience of life, the truth of the Gospel; in this way, they introduce us into the knowledge and understanding of the Gospel. In 1563, the Council of Trent issued norms for the establishment of diocesan seminaries and for the formation of priests, as the council was aware that the whole crisis of the Reformation was also conditioned by the insufficient formation of priests, who were not adequately prepared intellectually and spiritually, in their heart and soul, for the priesthood.

This occurred in 1563 but, given that the application and implementation of the norms took time, both in Germany as well as in France, St. John Eudes saw the consequences of this problem. Moved by the lucid awareness of the great need of spiritual help that souls were feeling precisely because of the incapacity of a great part of the clergy, the saint, who was a parish priest, instituted a congregation dedicated specifically to the formation of priests. He founded the first seminary in the university city of Caen, a highly appreciated endeavor, which was soon extended to other dioceses.

The path of holiness he followed and proposed to his disciples had as its foundation a solid confidence in the love that God revealed to humanity in the priestly Heart of Christ and the maternal Heart of Mary. In that time of cruelty and loss of interior silence, he addressed himself to the heart so as to leave in the heart a word from the Psalms very well interpreted by St. Augustine. He wanted to remind people, men and above all future priests of the heart, showing the priestly Heart of Christ and the maternal Heart of Mary. A priest must be a witness and apostle of this love of the Heart of Christ and of Mary.

Today we also feel the need for priests to witness the infinite mercy of God with a life totally "conquered" by Christ, and for them to learn this in the years of their formation in the seminaries. After the synod of 1990, Pope John Paul II issued the apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, in which he took up and actualized the norms of the Council of Trent and above all underlined the need for continuity between the initial and permanent moments of formation. For him, for us, this is a real point of departure for a genuine reform of priestly life and apostolate, and it is also the central point so that the "new evangelization" is not simply an attractive slogan, but rather is translated into reality.

The foundations of formation in the seminary constitute that irreplaceable "humus spirituale" in which it is possible to "learn Christ," allowing oneself to be progressively configured to him, sole High Priest and Good Shepherd. The time in the seminary should be seen, therefore, as the actualization of the moment in which the Lord Jesus, after having called the Apostles and before sending them out to preach, asks that they stay with him (cf. Mark 3:14).

When St. Mark narrates the vocation of the Twelve Apostles, he tells us that Jesus had a double objective: The first was that they be with him, the second that they be sent to preach. But in going always with him, they truly proclaim Christ and take the reality of the Gospel to the world.

In this Year for Priests, I invite you to pray, dear brothers and sisters, for priests and for those preparing to receive the extraordinary gift of the priestly ministry. I conclude by addressing to all the exhortation of St. John Eudes, who said thus to priests: "Give yourselves to Jesus to enter into the immensity of his great Heart, which contains the Heart of his Holy Mother and of all the saints, and to lose yourselves in this abyss of love, of charity, of mercy, of humility, of purity, of patience, of submission and of holiness" (Coeur admirable, III, 2).

Dulles exhibit.jpgRecently, Fordham University's Walsh Library, in collaboration with one of Cardinal Avery Dulles' closest collaborators, Dominican Sister Ann-Marie Kirmse, displayed many of the cardinal's possessions. It brings together the many intimate things of Avery Dulles who died 12 December.

The exhibit gives us another testimony to the great American Jesuit priest, theologian, cardinal and friend. As Sister Ann-Marie observed: "At that [at the cardinal's burial] moment, I realized that the love Cardinal Dulles had for God, his family, his friends and colleagues, his Jesuit community, his students, and his country are an important part of his legacy as well."

The cardinal would've been 91 on the 24th and it's hard to believe that in year since his celebratory birthday party that he's gone to God and now we are viewing the various elements of grace. The Fordham exhibit is a tribute to genteelness and greatness. The exhibit closes December 23.
On 22 August, Orlando's National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe will be formally recognized as a minor basilica at a Mass with the accompanying rites.

Florida's basilica is the 63rd minor basilica in the USA.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

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Bernard, the mellifluous Doctor, a friend of the Spouse, wonderful herald of the Virgin Mary, shepherd in this bright vale, did shine brilliantly.


O God, Who did give Thy people blessed Bernard as a minister of eternal salvation, we beseech Thee; grant that we may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven, whom we had as a teacher of life on earth.


"Take away free will, and there is nothing left to be saved. Take away grace, and there is no way of saving. Salvation can only be accomplished when both cooperate."
It is about a growth in love, in your life and in the Church. A calling in the Church is never a call to a job or function, but a call to a person. A vocation is an appeal to grow into a relation, a relation with God's love. A call to the three evangelical counsels is a journey of growing in love. This journey begins of course with less of His love, so that more of His love can be given to me. The One, who is more than everything else in this world, must grow in me.

(Homily at the investiture of novices "The Work," Familia Spiritualis Opus, Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, Bishop of Eichstätt)
Eric Giunta, a law student in Florida takes a look at some reasons why Pope John Paul II ought not be beatified with subsequent canonization in mind. For the record, I think Eric Giunta is off his rocker in his assessment of John Paul's holiness and heroic virtue, human and papal. He lumps too many things together and he lacks certain theological nuance in doctrine and teaching and when considering matters of ecclesial governance. Additionally, I think he's trying to hammer a wedge between the papacies of John Paul and that of Benedict which is unfortunate and wrongheaded. Giunta politicizes the Church which is common enough in today's era, that is, he speaks of the Church more as an institution and does not consider that the Church is first and foremost a sacrament founded by Christ. Miss this point you miss the essential understanding of Christianity.

While I support the proposal of declaring John Paul a saint, I think the Church ought to wait and have further study on his person and work. Pope John Paul insisted on the five year waiting period before the introduction of a cause (except for Mother Teresa) to let among other things, the emotions to settle and give reason a chance to work; I think the rule is a good one even for high profile people like Teresa and John Paul. There is benefit in letting the process mature. So, dissenting opinions provoke a critical reassessment and perhaps new thinking so I recommend reading what Eric Giunta says...

Edwin O'Brien?

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EFO'Brien.jpegJohn Allen explores this question in a recent article. Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien is the 15th archbishop of Baltimore, a New York native, and an affable man with a prayer life and a sense of humor. A former spiritual father of mine worked with the archbishop at the North American College (Rome) and spoke very highly of O'Brien's character, ability to work and his capacity for friendship.

Aside from heading America's premier diocese, O'Brien is a good shepherd, asking the hard questions and quickly becoming a significant voice for Catholics in America.

Get a sense of Archbishop O'Brien's thinking through his homilies and talks. Here's a list.

Here's Allen's article.

Saint John Eudes

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St John Eudes.jpg...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Father, you chose the priest John Eudes to preach the infinite riches of Christ. By his teaching and example help us to know You better and live faithfully in the light of the gospel.


Some info on Saint John Eudes

Father Mark writes about Saint John Eudes' spousal union with Blessed Virgin Mary

A link to the spirituality of Saint John Eudes  
Abbey of Regina Laudis chapel int.jpgOne of the blessings in Connecticut is the presence of Abbey of Regina Laudis, a monastery of nearly 40 Benedictine nuns in the hills of Litchfield, County (in the Archdiocese of Hartford). Looking out in the choir there were 5 white veil novices and 1 postulant among the other professed nuns.

I went to the abbey with Father Ignacio today so that he could celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass for the nuns since they are without a resident chaplain. Father Ignacio is a newly ordained priest of the Bridgeport Diocese currently serving at Saint Rose of Lima Church (Newtown, CT). Mass at the abbey follows the Mass of Pope Paul VI, also called the Novus Ordo (the new Order [Mass]). Often Mass is celebrated using the Latin language except for the Scripture readings and homily. However, the Mass is often in English with the Latin chants.
Abp Gerety & PAZ Aug 16 2009.jpgYou never know who will bless a house. Today, a friend's house was blessed by his uncle, Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety, emeritus archbishop of Newark. The Gerety's nephew, Phil, was a most gracious host today.

The archbishop is the sometime bishop of Portland in Maine and the once a upon a time founding pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Church, New Haven, CT. His parish work in New Haven is legendary given that his ministry was among the African American Catholics for 24 years (his only pastorate until he was nominated bishop in 1966). Archbishop Peter is a well-known prelate of the Church for his many years of service to the same in an era of great upheaval. At the moment he's the oldest living bishop in the US (he turned 97 on July 19th) and the 12th oldest bishop in the world. His anniversary stats this year include being a priest for 70 years and a bishop for 43. In addition to his daily routine of prayer and living, Archbishop Peter reads about two books a week and periodically celebrates the sacrament of Confirmation but he does have to nurse a sore hip.

A delightful part of the afternoon was had over a delicious lunch talking about the archbishop's seminary training with the Sulpician Fathers in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.

Say a prayer for Archbishop Peter's continued health of mind and body. He's a very delightful person with a great heart and good humor.
CU.jpg
is coming back for a new season beginning
on September 5th

7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
230 East 90th Street

Eucharistic adoration with Evening Prayer, worship, confession and
free music follows in the church hall

For more info see the Underground

Saint Roch (Roque, Rocco)

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O blessed Saint Roch, patron of the sick, have pity on those who lie upon a bed of suffering. You power was so great when you were in this world, that by the sign of the cross, many were healed of their diseases. Now that you are in heaven, your power is not less. Offer, then to God our sighs and tears and obtain for us that health we seek through Christ our Lord.

A native of Montpellier (France) who after the death of his parents and giving his money to the poor, he went to Rome on pilgrimage. At the time of his stay in Italy (c. 1348) it was the time of the Black Plague. A mysterious mark on his chest in the formed of cross identified him and by the sign of the cross did Roch heal the sick. Having cared for the plague victims Roch caught the sickness himself. Thinking he'd retire alone to forest near Piacenza to prepare for his own death a dog became his companion, licking his wounds and providing food. The saint recovered his health. Returning to Montpellier he was not recognized and imprison as a spy. At his death in 1378, the mark of the cross on his chest alerted the people to Roch's identity. Members of the Council of Constance asked Saint Roch to spare them from the plague and indeed it was lifted.

Saint Roch is a famous patron of those living with the severe sickness as he was called upon in his lifetime and after during the plague. The iconography associated with Saint Roch includes a dog, a pilgrim's robe and staff.

Update (8/17): My friend Father Matthew Mauriello is the pastor of Saint Roch's Church, Greenwich, CT. The Greenwich Times ran a story on the procession he led on the saint's feast day. Read about it here and watch the slide show.
"Following Jesus from Bethlehem to exile in Egypt, in the hidden life and public life, even to the foot of the Cross, Mary lives her steady ascent to God in the spirit of the Magnificat, adhering in full, even through moments of  'darkness and suffering', to the project of the love of God and nourishing in her heart her total abandonment to the hands of the Lord, so as to be a paradigm for the faith of the Church (cf. Lumen Gentium, 64-65). All of life is an ascent, all of life is meditation, obedience, trust and hope even in darkness and all of life is this sacred haste that knows that God is always the priority and nothing else should create haste in our lives.

The Assumption reminds us that Mary's life, like that of every Christian is a journey to follow Jesus, a path that has a clearly defined goal, a future already mapped out: the final victory over sin and death and full communion with God."

(Pope Benedict XVI Assumption 2009)

See the beauty of the daughter of Jerusalem, who ascended to heaven like the rising sun at dawn.


The ark which God has sanctified,

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Which He has filled with grace,

Within the temple of the Lord

Has found a resting-place.

More glorious than the seraphim,

This ark of love divine,

Corruption could not blemish her

Whom death could not confine.

God-bearing Mother, Virgin chaste,

Who shines in heaven's sight;

She wears a royal crown of stars

Who is the door of Light.

To Father, Son and Spirit blest

may we give endless praise

With Mary, who is Queen of heaven,

Through everlasting days.

(from Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal)

In 1890 on today's date, Father Michael J. McGivney, a priest of the Hartford Diocese and founder of the Knights of Columbus, died at the age of 38.

The postulator and vice-postulator, with the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Congregation for Saints, have been studying the various claims of miracles attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Michael J. McGivney. The process for beatification and canonization continues on the temporal plane but it also requires divine intervention. The prayer for canonization follows.

Visit the McGivney Guild

Join the McGivney Guild

Prayer for the Canonization of

Father Michael J. McGivney

 

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God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor.

 

Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast.

 

We humbly ask that you glorify your servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will.

 

Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request).

 

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe

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St Maximilian Kolbe.jpgWe know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

Gracious God, you filled your priest and martyr, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, with zeal for souls and love for his neighbor. Through the prayer of this devoted servant of Mary Immaculate, grant that in our efforts to serve others for your glory we too may become like Christ your Son, who loved his own in the world even to the end, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.


Militia Immaculata Prayer of Marian Consecration
(Composed by St. Maximilian Kolbe)

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you. If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: "She will crush your head," and "You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world."

Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin 
R. Give me strength against your enemies.

Another version of a blessing of herbs or flowers on the Solemnity of the Assumption. In this case though, the blessing is taken from the Byzantine ritual and so we ought to say the "Dormition", this is the proper term in the East for what the Latins call the Assumption of Mary. 

O almighty, eternal God, by your word alone You created out of nothing the heavens, earth, sea, and all things visible and invisible. You commanded that the earth give forth plants and trees for the needs of man and animal, each according to its need. In your infinite goodness You ordained that these plants serve not only as food for the animals but also as medicine for the sick body. We beseech you, bless these different plants and fruits and bestow upon them your blessing, and endow them with your power, so that they may serve man and animal like as a defense against all sickness and all that is impure: for You are our God and we give glory to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

These flowers (or: plants) are blessed and sanctified by the sprinkling of this holy water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is customary in the Western Church, since at least the 10th century, for the priest to bless herbs on the Solemnity of the Assumption. The Eastern Church likely had a similar formulary much earlier.

As a point of liturgical fact, the Church asks God to bless herbs and flowers --and thus us-- to remind all of us of the gifts God has given us for our sustenance, healing and beauty. In many places the faithful had all their flowers blessed, especially those closely associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Herbs blessing, therefore, is another example of giving thanks, a key theological and liturgical point in our life of faith. While customary it is not likely to be used in many parishes. The collects for the herbs blessing rich and savory.

The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001) says of herbs blessing:

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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August) is deeply imbedded in popular piety. In many places the feast is synonymous with the person of Our Lady, and is simply referred to as "Our Lady's Day" or as the "Immacolada" in Spain and Latin America.

In the Germanic countries, the custom of blessing herbs is associated with 15 August. This custom, received into the Rituale Romanum (200), represents a clear example of the genuine evangelization of pre-Christian rites and beliefs: one must turn to God, through whose word "the earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seeds in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds" (Gen 1, 12) in order to obtain what was formerly obtained by magic rites; to stem the damages deriving from poisonous herbs, and benefit from the efficacy of curative herbs.

This ancient use came to be associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, in part because of the biblical images applied to her such as vine, lavender, cypress and lily, partly from seeing her in terms of a sweet smelling flower because of her virtue, and most of all because of Isaiah 11, 1, and his reference to the "shoot springing from the side of Jesse", which would bear the blessed fruit of Jesus.

The Order of Blessing of Herbs is found here.

St Jane Frances Chantal.jpgLord, You chose Saint Jane Frances to serve You both in marriage and in religious life. By her prayers help us to be faithful in our vocation and always to be light to the world.


Saint Jane Frances once said: "There is no danger if our prayer is without words or reflection because the good success of prayer dependsd neither on words nor on study. It depends upon the simple raising of our minds to God, and the more simple and stripped of feeling it is, the surer it is."

Let me recommend two monasteries of the Order of the Visitation of Mary, one of the first federation and the other of the second: Georgetown Visitation Monastery and the Visitation of Tyringham.


Note: In the US this memorial is moved from August 18 to today; in other parts of the world Saint Jane's feast is December 12.

Saint Philomena

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St Philomena.jpgAugust 11th is also Saint Philomena's liturgical feast day but today is also a day to honor the name of Philomena and her place in our Church. Recently, a news item appeared about her.

Growing up in New Haven, CT I knew many of Italian Catholic women named for Saint Philomena. Across the street from Portsmouth Abbey (Portsmouth, RI) there's a school that's under the patronage of this saint. The connections are many more. One has to say that some 'people' think Philomena didn't exist in the same way they think Saint Christopher didn't exist. What historical proof does one need to prove a person's existence? For someone who never existed in the scientific minds, Philomena has had some prominent people take an interest in her with a  sanctuary (Italy) and a shrine (USA).

A little known fact is that Saint John Vianney, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Saint Bartolo Longo and Saint Damian de Vuester had a special love for Philomena; Vianney even attributes the conversion of Ars to her intercession.  He built a shrine to Saint Philomena and composing a litany in honor of her. 

Pray the Litany to Saint Philomena and the Novena Prayer to the saint.
Can anyone think of Clare without Francis? Is it possible to conceive of the mendicant orders without the witness of Saint Clare? Saint Clare of Assisi is a pivotal figure in Catholic spirituality and religious life that I think she's been studied and followed by very few. James Thompson, a composer of sacred music, wrote the following piece on Clare which deserves our attention. I have posted Thompson's texts here before with the thought that they provide food for thought and prayer. He captures well the spirit and life of this companion of Francis. 

O Light from Light, all splendor's Source,
Whose clear beams shine with heaven's joy,
We give You thanks for Mother Clare
And ev'ry form of praise employ.

Enticed by Francis' preaching sweet,
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Christ Crucified became her Spouse;
She gathered sisters to her side
Where Poverty would grace the house.

She left behind all earthly gain
That riches true might be her all;
In poverty, obedience,
And chastity she heard Christ's call.

As mother to her flock, she lived
And modeled Christ to ev'ryone;
In loving service spent herself
In toil from dawn to setting sun.

As she has shown us, Lord,
Your way, So give us grace like her to be,
That we may turn from self to You
And in your Way be truly free.

Most high, omnipotent, good God,
O Father, Son and Spirit blest,
With Mother Clare and all your saints Bring us,
Your Church, to endless rest.

88 88 (LM) no suggested tune
James Michael Thompson (c) 2009 World Library Publication

The reason for prayer

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Prayer is an exercise of love and it would be incorrect to think that if there is no time for solitude, there is no prayer at all. For the very reason that prayer is based especially on love and springs from it, it is possible to prolong it beyond the time devoted exclusively to it.

Though it is not possible to be always thinking of God, partly because our mind gets tired, or because our many occupations demand full attention, still it is always possible for the heart to love and to desire God, and this can, and must, exist even in the performance of duties which absorb our intellect; in fact, such an orientation can be intensified by the desire to accomplish every action for the love of God, to please him, and give him glory.

"The reason for prayer" according to St. Thomas Aquinas, "is a desire moved by charity. . . And this desire with us must be continuous, either in act, or at least potentially. . . We can say that one prays continuously by reason of the continuity of his desire".

Divine Intimacy
Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, OCD

Saint Clare of Assisi

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The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking good pearls, who, when he had found one of great price, gave all that he had and bought it.

Hear us, O God our Savior, that as we rejoice in the feast of blessed Clare, Thy Virgin, so may we also be strengthened in the love of true piety.



Saint Clare once said, "They say we are too poor. Can a heart which possesses God be really called poor!"

The Poor Clares nuns never ate meat. They walked without socks and shoes. The sisters wore a hair shirt and ate only bread and water during Lent.

Explore the Poor Clare vocation; there's also this new monastery of Poor Clares.
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On August 3rd, I mentioned here in this blog that after 40 years the eucharistic of perpetual adoration is returning to the Archdiocese of Boston. Cardinal O'Malley is opening the endeavor with a Mass on August 15. Visit St Clement's Shrine.

Read Boston Globe's Michael Paulson's article on the renewed interest in perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It's picking up steam in Boston, why not in other dioceses?

There are a few places in the Bridgeport Diocese that have regular adoration: one is 24/7 (St Marguerite Bourgeois Church) and the rest have near perpetual adoration; it seems to me that we need more 24/7 adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Seems to be nowhere in the Diocese of Norwich, CT. In the Archdiocese of Hartford I can think of the Dominican nuns in North Guilford, CT, having perpetual adoration but their chapel is not open to the public for the full 24 hours.

While I know adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a awesome gesture of prayer, beauty, sacrifice and communion, is it wanted or needed by the people of God (& clergy)? I get the sense that it's not based on these three dioceses but I think I'd be wrong to make this conclusion. Paulson's article brings to light that people are truly changed after spending time with the Lord; and I dare say it's also vice versa --that the Lord wants to spend time with us. So why can't more dioceses restore a sensible practice of eucharistic adoration 24/7?

The Madeleine turns 100

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The Madeleine.jpgUtah's Catholics are celebrating a 100 years of the Catholic cathedral's presence in a state long known as a haven for Mormons. The mother church of the diocese, The Cathedral of the Madeleine, is 100 years old. While history shows us that Franciscan missionaries preached and celebrated Mass as early as 1776, this celebration concretizes a presence in a house of prayer that has celebrated the sacraments unto salvation.

Catholics on the East coast of the USA or perhaps anywhere else other than Utah will wonder why I am bringing this story more attention. Isn't the Madeleine's anniversary a local festivity? Yes and no. Certainly the Catholics of the Diocese of Salt Lake City are remembering the graces and challenges of living their Christian faith there which obviously includes a witness to Christ. Well, it is obvious to me that every claim to witnessing to Christ is not of equal importance if we don't point to Jesus as the origin of our happiness, the fact of being the Bread of Life and being THE way, the truth and the life. But all of us ought to be celebrating the fact that Christ has made Himself known to His people there. The theology and practice of the Catholic Church is know deeply that what affects Utah's Catholic community affects us; being Catholic means that we are part of a Church, therefore a companionship of people announcing the the Presence of Salvation today. The Church thinks this is so with the presence of the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith who unites all of us with the Holy Father. That is, the beauty of the Catholic faith is its true universality.

Saint Lawrence

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Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord. And hast set him over the works of Thy hands.

Lawrence the Deacon performed a pious  act by giving sight to the blind through the sign of the Cross, and bestowed upon the poor the riches of the Church. (Vigil Magnificat Antiphon)

We beseech Thee, almighty God, grant us to quench the flames of our vices, even as Thou gavest blessed Lawrence grace to overcome his fiery torments.

The saintly deacon was asked by the Roman Prefect to hand over the Church's wealth. needing three days to do so, he gathered  thousands of lepers, blind and sick people, the poor, the widows and orphans and the elderly and presented them to the Prefect. Angry, the Prefect killed Lawrence slowly by roasting him on a gridiron. Saying to his torturers, "I am done on that side, turn me over," died with a prayer for Rome's conversion to Christ on his lips. The has honored Lawrence with texts for Mass and the Divine Office thinking very highly of his witness to Christ and service to the Church.
In the opening collect for today's Mass, the priest asked God the Father: "Increase Your Spirit within us and bring us to our promised inheritance." Here the promised inheritance is none other than communion with the Trinity. It is heaven! Our promised inheritance is the pledge of future glory: Christ received in the Bread of Life. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!

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How much time in the past year have you given thought about your "promised inheritance"? When was the last time you considered your own worthiness to receive the divine gift of the promised inheritance? What criteria exists for someone to receive such a gift? With sin in the world and in our own lives, experience tells me that we want the gift but we don't really know what it is, why we are receiving a promised inheritance from God and too often we don't see how sin would prevent us from heaven. BUT do we have sin on our souls? If we didn't we'd be dead or merely presumptuous.

At last I knew, my conscience, my self-awareness, my religious sense, my own experience of who I am as a person says, I am a sinner. Sin is the falling away from God; it is a radical break in my relationship with God. More precisely, "Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. it has been defined as 'an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law'" (CCC 1849). I fall from grace by word and action, by thought and disordered affections. Don't you? The psalmist says that man and woman speak with a divided heart, a forked-tongue. Do you confess the truth of Jesus Christ all the time?

Does a divided heart make me a hypocrite? By definition, NO. But it doesn't if I don't pretend --at least I don't think I do-- to be anything more than what I am: a loved sinner. A man who sins, falls away from God and yet is loved unconditionally by God, redeemed by Christ. It is Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and his promise of salvation through Him as the Bread of Life that I am able to be justified. In a word, awareness of one's sin indicates that you can't fall off the floor. Were this the awareness of all Catholics who make the claim to know Jesus and receive Him in the Eucharist today!

So, why talk about sin on a Sunday in which we pray that God would bring us to our promised inheritance? For starters in our to accept this wonderful promise we have to be worthy of the gift. Stepping into heaven, being a part of God's inner, transcendent life we have to be as pure, as holy as we can possibly be give our freedom to say "yes" to God and to cooperate with grace. Accepting the promised gift means that we have to deal truthfully with reality as it is presented to us. And we know from experience, reality has never failed us but we may have failed reality. The Bread of Life offered by Jesus in today's gospel is not make believe, it is not what we want it to be, it is Himself: body and blood, soul and divinity. The Bread of Life is His real, authentic self. In order to have Christ present in our life and for our prayer to be as effective as possible, we have to consider the frequent prayer, may Your name be held holy.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage says so clearly:

We pray, 'Hallowed be Thy name,' not that we wish that God may be made holy by our prayers but that His name may be hallowed in us...It is because He commands us, 'Be holy, even as I am holy,' that we ask and entreat that we who were sanctified in baptism may continue in that which we have begun to be. And this we pray for daily, for we have need of daily sanctification, that we who daily fall away may wash our sins by continual sanctification."

We have work to do.
St Edith Stein.jpgGod our Father, You give us joy each year in honoring the memory of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. May her prayers be a source of help for us, and may her example of courage and chastity be our inspiration.



You can read any of the following for an understanding of this pivotal, 21st century saint:

from volume IV of the collected works

Brief biographies found here (from the Vatican) and here.

-books by the saint

Saint Dominic de Guzman

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O God, Who has vouchsafed to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teachings of blessed Dominic, Thy Confessor; grant that through his prayers she may not be left destitute of temporal help, and may continually advance in spiritual growth.


Preach we now the Word of life,
Not with show of worldly learning,
But with fervor of our faith
Open hearts to Spirit's yearning.
Christ alone be ever knowing,
And Him crucified be showing.

Dominic, called by the Lord,
Preaching, teaching, daily blessing,
Living poor and common life,
Contemplation's fruit expressing;
Thus he formed his Preachers boldly,
Showing graces manifoldly.

God the blessed Three in One,
Love beyond all human telling,
Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
Throned in heav'n and with us dwelling,
With the Word of Truth now feed us,
In Your holy ways now lead us.

78 78 88
suggested tune: Liebster Jesu
James Michael Thompson, (c) 2009, World Library Publications

Read Msgr. Ronald Knox on Saint Dominic and the Dominicans

In this context, the theme of integral human development takes on an even broader range of meanings: the correlation between its multiple elements requires a commitment to foster the interaction of the different levels of human knowledge in order to promote the authentic development of peoples. Often it is thought that development, or the socio-economic measures that go with it, merely require to be implemented through joint action. This joint action, however, needs to be given direction, because "all social action involves a doctrine". In view of the complexity of the issues, it is obvious that the various disciplines have to work together through an orderly interdisciplinary exchange. Charity does not exclude knowledge, but rather requires, promotes, and animates it from within. Knowledge is never purely the work of the intellect. It can certainly be reduced to calculation and experiment, but if it aspires to be wisdom capable of directing man in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends, it must be "seasoned" with the "salt" of charity. Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile. Indeed, "the individual who is animated by true charity labours skilfully to discover the causes of misery, to find the means to combat it, to overcome it resolutely." Faced with the phenomena that lie before us, charity in truth requires first of all that we know and understand, acknowledging and respecting the specific competence of every level of knowledge. Charity is not an added extra, like an appendix to work already concluded in each of the various disciplines: it engages them in dialogue from the very beginning. The demands of love do not contradict those of reason. Human knowledge is insufficient and the conclusions of science cannot indicate by themselves the path towards integral human development. There is always a need to push further ahead: this is what is required by charity in truth. Going beyond, however, never means prescinding from the conclusions of reason, nor contradicting its results. Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love.

This means that moral evaluation and scientific research must go hand in hand, and that charity must animate them in a harmonious interdisciplinary whole, marked by unity and distinction. The Church's social doctrine, which has "an important interdisciplinary dimension", can exercise, in this perspective, a function of extraordinary effectiveness. It allows faith, theology, metaphysics and science to come together in a collaborative effort in the service of humanity. It is here above all that the Church's social doctrine displays its dimension of wisdom. Paul VI had seen clearly that among the causes of underdevelopment there is a lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of thinking capable of formulating a guiding synthesis for which "a clear vision of all economic, social, cultural and spiritual aspects" is required. The excessive segmentation of knowledge, the rejection of metaphysics by the human sciences, the difficulties encountered by dialogue between science and theology are damaging not only to the development of knowledge, but also to the development of peoples, because these things make it harder to see the integral good of man in its various dimensions. The "broadening [of] our concept of reason and its application" is indispensable if we are to succeed in adequately weighing all the elements involved in the question of development and in the solution of socio-economic problems.

(Caritas in veritate, 30-31; emphasis mine)

Msgr Lorenzo Albacete points to a lack of understanding of the principle of subsidiarity that's going to challenge President Obama's healthcare reform work. AND what is the principle of subsidiarity? It's principle that nothing should be done at macro level that ought to be done at the micro level. So, the state should not impose its method on a municipality because the municipality ought to find a solution. If it can't then you move up to the next reasonable level. See a sketch of the principle.

Read Albacete's article.

Since 1908 the Church has called upon us to join in prayer with other Christians around the world during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We do this work of prayer as an education in hope for spiritual and actual Christian unity realizing that the Holy Spirit is the only one capable of bring unity among various groups of Christians. The proposal for a week of prayer was initiated in the USA by Franciscans of the Atonement Father Paul Wattson and it is held from January 18 - 25. Today the observance is international in scope.

It is generally held that the 1910 World Mission Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, marked the beginnings of the modern ecumenical movement.

2010 WPCU.jpg

In tribute, the promoters of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Commission on Faith and Order and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, invited the Scottish churches to prepare this year's theme.  They suggested: "You are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:48).

The 2010 theme is a reminder that as the community of faith those reconciled with God and in Christ, "You are witness of these things"--witness to the truth of the power of salvation in Jesus Christ who will also make real his prayer,  "That all may be one...so the world may believe." *Witness gives praise to the Presence who gives us the gift of life and resurrection; by knowing how to share the story of our faith with others; by recognizing that God is at work in our lives; by giving thanks for the faith we have received; by confessing Christ's victory over all suffering; by seeking to always be more faithful to the Word of God; by growing in faith, hope and love; and by offering hospitality and knowing how to receive it when it is offered to us.

Materials to observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available from the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement.

For more information visit www.geii.org

Transfiguration of the Lord

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Christ Jesus, the brightness of the Father and the image of His substance, upholding all things by the word of His power, effecting man's purgation from sin, has deigned to appear this day in glory on a high mountain.

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The Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is one of two times in the liturgical year that the gospel tells the narrative of the Lord's being transfigured. The other time we hear the narrative of the Transfiguration is in Lent. The Franciscans built a church to mark the sight of the Transfiguration and the oldest monastery in Sinai, Saint Catherine's (an Orthodox monastery), has an ancient mosaic dedicated to this feast. As point of ecclesial comparison, the Orthodox Church observes today also as a significant feast of the Lord. Hence, the commonality of liturgical observances gives witness to a Christian reality.

Today's feast is a twofold reminder of the Lord's victory over death and the promise of the resurrection. You will recall that the one of the witnesses to this vision is Peter, and this vision of the Lord's glory happens after Peter's confession of who Jesus is and his belief in Jesus' messiahship. A very bold claim to make, indeed. One might say that the vision portrayed in the gospel today is a reward for faith, hope and love in the Lord's proclamation of the Kingdom. It also foreshadows the Lord's passion and death on Calvary. This event is preparatory for that great event on what we now call Good Friday and Easter Sunday. All the synoptics record the Transfiguration.

Rafael's beautiful painting is an enduring testament of the apostolic vision on Mount Tabor. The upper part of the painting is that of Jesus with Peter, James and John. The lower section relates the Lord's curing of a possessed child. It is said that Rafael was commissioned to paint the Transfiguration to celebrate the Christian triumph over the Muslims and to state in no uncertain terms what Christians believe: Jesus as the divine physician overcomes death of the body and in doing so gives us glory in the resurrection. The addition of the child's cure demonstrates for us this fact: that the Lord restores to life a sick child, thus conquering sickness and death.

In this way the Lord's Transfiguration fulfills what was told by the prophet Elijah and Moses who spoke of future glory.

What Rafael does for us is to invite us into the Lord's promise of immortality. He shows us that the Lord is preparing us to enter into the destiny that God the Father offered to us: communion with Himself.

O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son did confirm the mysteries of the faith by the testimonies of the fathers, and Who by Thy voice from the shining cloud did in a wondrous manner foreshadow the perfect adoption of sons, make us in Thy loving-kindness, we beseech Thee, co-heirs with Him Who is the King of glory and in that very glory call us one day to share.
Archbishop Mauro Piacenza writes that holiness is our concern for today, not something we should put off until tomorrow. His letter to priests exerted below speaks of some elements that are important for those observing the Year of the Priest. Piacenza highlights the fidelity that Saint John Vianney had even when he wanted to abandon the ministry in Ars, that is, being faithful and not creating some ambiguous, heroic sensibility is not coherent to the ministry of Christ. This is what alerts us that Vianney is a model worth following: grace truly building on nature. A theological concept that I associate most with John Paul II in his theology of the body, that of "self-gift," is applied here in the context of the life of the priest and to the sacrament of the Church. In time we'll here more about the role of self-gift as it applies to priesthood because it is an essential fact in the "becoming" of a priest of Christ and the richness of giving and receiving of that particular grace. Plus, the theology of self-gift, if really lived, might eradicate some evident sacred cows that diminish the flowering of life of holiness. Finally, let me draw our attention to the archbishop's last sentence because it is worth the time reflecting on, not because he happens to be right but because he reminds us what we are made for--God.

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The Curé of Ars stands before us as an outstanding figure of priestly holiness, demonstrated not in the extraordinary nature of his works but in his daily fidelity to the exercise of the Ministry; he became a model and a beacon for the France of the early nineteenth century, and for the whole Church, of every time and place; he is a source and consolation for each one of us, even in the midst of various "exhaustions" which can touch our priesthood.

His total dedication is a spur to our joyful self-giving to Christ and to the brethren, so that the Ministry may always be a luminous echo of that consecration from which comes the one apostolic mandate and, in it, every pastoral fecundity.

May his love for Christ, which was the bearer of his humanity and sincere affection, be for us an encouragement to love every more deeply "our Jesus": may His be the sight we seek in the morning, the consolation which accompanies us in the evening, the memory and the companionship of every breath we take by day. To live according to the example of St. John Mary Vianney, as lovers of the Lord, means to always maintain at a high level of missionary tension, becoming progressively but concretely living images of the Good Shepherd and of him who proclaims to the world, "behold the Lamb of God".

May the real spiritual enrapture of the Curé of Ars during the celebration of Holy Mass be for each one of us an explicit invitation to always have a full consciousness of the great gift which has been entrusted to us: a gift which leads us to sing with St. Ambrose: "And we can all, raised to a dignity such as to consecrate the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, hope in Your Mercy!"

May his heroic dedication to the confessional, nourishes by a real expiatory spirit and sustained by the consciousness of being called to participate in a "vicarious substitution" of the one High Priest, spur us on to rediscover the beauty and the necessity, even for us priests, of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That sacrament is, as well we know, a place of real contemplation of the marvellous works of God in souls which He delicately captivates, guides and converts. To deprive ourselves of such a "marvellous manifestation" is an irreparable and unjustified privation for us, even more than for the Faithful, and for our ministry which is fed by the wonder which is born of every miracle of human liberty which says "yes!" to God!  
St John-Mary Vianney2.jpgSing the God of awesome wisdom
Who has chosen for his own
Those of ev'ry age and nation
To hold fast to God alone
Through all changing styles and customs,
Hearts that only Christ enthrone.

In a faithless time of torpor,
John Vianney loved the Lord,
Preached the truth with ceaseless fervor,
Led his flock by deed and word,
And by his example fearless
Caused our God to be adored.

Lovingly he coaxed the sinner
To submit to Jesus' way;
In humility and patience
To his Lord he knelt to pray
And, obedient to his calling,
Lived his teaching ev'ry day.

To the Trinity give glory,
Father, Son, and Paraclete:
Those on earth with those in heaven
Joining in one anthem sweet:
As the saints on earth gave witness,
Let us each our course complete!

87 87 87
PICARDY, ST. THOMAS
James Michael Thompson (c) 2009, World Library Publications
St John-Mary Vianney.jpg

"O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in you."


Father of mercy, you made Saint John Vianney outstanding in his priestly zeal and concern for your people. By his example and prayers, enable us to win our brothers and sisters to the love of Christ and come with them to eternal glory.


Pope Benedict's letter proclaiming the Year of the Priest for the 150th year of Saint John Vianney's death

A Litany in Honor of Saint John Vianney

A brief biography of Vianney

A Benedictine monk and priest for more than 50 years reflects on his vocation as a missionary in Africa. His call from the Lord may be spoken of as a call within a call found in a call. After all, he said he abandoned his will into the hands of the Divine Will. Father Damian Milliken is a monk of a missionary group of Benedictine monks who work around the world in local monasteries while doing proper missionary work of friendship, evangelization and projects of social concern. Read Father Milliken's story.
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After a 40-year absence, the practice of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has returned to the Archdiocese of Boston. This is another positive response to Pope Benedict's calling for a Year of the Priest and a desire to intimately know the Lord.

In Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul told us that:

It is pleasant to spend time with him [Christ], to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the infinite love present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished above all by the "art of prayer", how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How often, dear brother and sisters, have I experienced this, and drawn from it strength, consolation and support!  This practice, repeatedly praised and recommended by the Magisterium, is supported by the example of many saints. Particularly outstanding in this regard was Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who wrote: "Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us". The Eucharist is a priceless treasure: by not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace. A Christian community desirous of contemplating the face of Christ in the spirit which I proposed in the Apostolic Letters Novo Millennio Ineunte and Rosarium Virginis Mariae cannot fail also to develop this aspect of Eucharistic worship, which prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the body and blood of the Lord.

In Mane Nobiscum Domine we read: "Our faith in the God who took flesh in order to become our companion along the way needs to be everywhere proclaimed, especially in our streets and homes, as an expression of our grateful love and as an inexhaustible source of blessings." So the liturgical practice of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament deepens the heart's desire "to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ's real presence" (18).

Get the point? Adoration of the Eucharistic face of the Lord awakens in us something new, something beautiful.

Officially Boston's Eucharistic adoration begins with the Sacrifice of the Mass on August 15 celebrated by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap.

Visit website for the Saint Clement Shrine

"O taste and see the goodness of the Lord." (Psalm 34)

Pope Benedict XVI & nature.jpgHave you ever considered what a 21st century theology of creation would look like? What experts would you follow? Would you ever think of Pope Benedict as a green pope? Could the leader of the 1 billion plus Catholics lead the charge in standing on the side the culture of life AND the environment? As Benedict's ministry as the Supreme Pontiff unfolds so is his vision of what humanity is as gift of God and our responsibility to care for it. Pope Benedict is offering us a way of being environmentally conscious that is coherent with faith and reason. As he said in July 2007,  "Our earth speaks to us, and we must listen if we want to survive."  In his recent letter to the world, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict wrote: "When nature, including the human being, is viewed as the result of mere chance or evolutionary determinism, our sense of responsibility wanes. In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it." Read John Allen's analysis.

By the way, he's not the only head of a Church who is acting in a green way, so is Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople...he's known as the "green patriarch."
SPOM Virgin Islands.jpg25 years ago Capuchin Father Sean Patrick O'Malley was ordained a bishop. Currently he's the cardinal-archbishop of Boston but not before periods of episcopal ministry in the US Virgin Islands, Fall River, Palm Beach.

Read his blog about this anniversary and the brief narrative of his calling. Also, there is the Boston's Pilot interview

Cardinal O'Malley is an amazing man who's on fire being a Christian, Capuchin, priest and bishop.

Pray for Cardinal O'Malley especially on this feast of Our Lady of Angels of the Portiuncula. And may the saints--particularly Saints Francis, Clare and Pio, pray for him.

"The stone rejected has become the cornerstone."
Muslims burned alive 6 Christians based on false accusations. What a crime!

Read the story. And here.

Will the international Christian community raise their voice fraternal support of the Pakistani Christians and their plight? Boy, I hope so. This is a real tragedy for all concerned and human and religious failure.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord. And let perpetual light shed upon them.
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Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula, the Virgin under whose mantle Saint Francis of Assisi was wrapped; Mary's maternal protection made it possible for blessed Francis to experience an intentse Presence of the Lord and to receive his vocation to rebuild the Church. The Portiuncula is also the place where Francis knew first hand the experience of being sustained by the Angels. Likewise his intimate devotion to the Blessed Mother, under whose protection did he place himself to do the Lord's work did this place become holy for the members of the Franciscan family and for the Church universal. As a place of pilgrimage, the holy Portiuncula is a poignant reminder of how important the encounter with Christ was for Saint Francis and how much the encounter ought to be pivotal for us today. Without meeting Christ, little makes sense. Saint Bonaventure had this to say about this devotion:

The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned. Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ. This is also the place where St Clare took her vows and where Saint Francis died.

Consider the words of an early biographer of Saint Francis of Assisi:

From there he moved to another place, which is called the "Portiuncula," where there stood a church of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God built in ancient times.  At that time it was deserted and no one was taking care of it.  When the holy man of God saw it so ruined, he was moved by piety because he had a warm devotion to the Mother of all good and he began to stay there continually. The restoration of that church took place in the third year of his conversion. At this time he wore a sort of hermit's habit with a leather belt. He carried a staff in his hand and wore shoes. One day the gospel was being read in that church about how the Lord sent out his disciples to preach. The holy man of God, who was attending there, in order to understand better the words of the gospel, humbly begged the priest after celebrating the solemnities of the Mass to explain the gospel to him. The priest explained it all to him thoroughly line by line.  When he heard that Christ's disciples should not possess gold or silver or money, or carry on their journey a wallet or a sack, nor bread nor a staff, not to have shoes nor two tunics, but that they should preach the kingdom of God and penance, the holy man, Francis immediately exulted in the spirit of God. "This is what I want," he said, "this is what I seek, this is what I desire with all my heart." The holy father, overflowing with joy, hastened to implement the words of salvation, and did not delay before he devoutly began to put into effect what he heard. (From The Life of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano)

Read about and perhaps seek The Portiuncula Indulgence if you visit any Franciscan Church and observe the conditions for receiving the indulgence.

The Holy Father made reference to this in his Sunday Angelus address:

... today is the feast of the "Pardon of Assisi," which St. Francis obtained from Pope Honorious III in the year 1216, after having a vision while he was praying in the little church of the Portiuncula. Jesus appeared to him in his glory, with the Virgin Mary on his right and surrounded by many Angels. They asked him to express a wish and Francis implored a "full and generous pardon" for all those who would visit that church who "repented and confessed their sins". Having received papal approval, the Saint did not wait for any written document but hastened to Assisi and when he reached the Portiuncula announced the good news: "Friends, the Lord wants to have us all in Heaven!". Since then, from noon on 1 August to midnight on the second, it has been possible to obtain, on the usual conditions, a Plenary Indulgence, also for the dead, on visiting a parish church or a Franciscan one.

A note about indulgences, which are often misunderstood.  Indulgences are not forgiveness for sin but forgiveness for temporal punishment due to sin; that the residual effects of sin are forgiven.

Also, visit The Shrine website (read in 3 languages)

On this feast we pray

August Queen of Heaven, sovereign queen of Angels, you who at the beginning received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan, we beseech you humbly, send your holy legions so that, on your orders and by your power, they will track down demons, fight them everywhere, curb their audacity and plunge them into the hell.

Who can be compared to God? Oh good and tender Mother, you will always be our love and our hope. Oh divine Mother, send the Holy Angels and Archangels to defend me and to keep the cruel enemy far from me. Holy Angels and Archangels defend us, protect us. Amen.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard

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Lord God, You kept Saint Peter faithful to Christ's pattern of poverty and humility. May his prayers help us to live in fidelity to our calling and bring us to the perfection You have shown us in Your Son.

A short biography of Saint Peter Julian, the founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament


A list of resources on The Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament

The Holy Maccabees

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holy maccabees.jpgThe very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.


May this fraternal crown of Thy Martyrs gladden us, O Lord, that so our faith may be strengthened and we may be comforted by the prayers of many intercessors.


The Wisdom of God's own seven pillars are all, a seven-branched lamp that shine with the Light Divine, Great Martyrs that were before the Martyrs, O all-wise Maccabees, with them pray that the God of all to whom we who now sing your praises may be saved. (Kontakion, tone 2)


(Some will be surprised to see a group of Jewish martyrs inserted in the Roman Liturgy. But it ought not be too surprising. Today a commemoration in the Roman Missal (1962) is that of these holy martyrs. The honoring of the Holy Maccabees is not a liturgical memorial that is found in the current sacramentary because the beloved Liguori is now on August 1. One can hope that the Holy Maccabees will be observed on the Novus Ordo calendar again! On the former liturgical calendar August 1 observed the Holy Maccabees as St Alphonse was celebrated on August 2. As a point of ecclesial comparison, the Orthodox Church maintains today as dedicated to these 7 Jewish Martyrs.

The Christian churches, east and west, honor the witnesses to God because of the steadfastness these people demonstrated for the revealed faith. In the face of persecution they lived and hoped according to the Law and the Fathers. That is, these 7 brothers refused to worship pagan gods and to break the kosher dietary laws; once they accepted the reality of who God was there was no turning away from Him, even at the threat of death. Therefore, the presence of the Jewish Martyrs on the Christian liturgical calendar signify recognition of the righteousness of many before the birth of Christ who are justly recognized as saints for the incredible faith. As they are models for the Jews they also are models for Catholics and Orthodox to live the faith with vigor. It's rather significant that Saint Ambrose of Milan spoke of the Maccabean martyrs in his work, On Jacob and the blessed life.)

Saint Alphonsus Liguori

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You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.


Father, you constantly build up your Church by the lives of your saints. Give us the grace to follow Saint Alphonsus in his loving concern for the salvation of men, and so come to share his reward in heaven.

Pope Benedict July 24 09.jpgThe Holy Father's prayer intentions for the month of August:

The general intention
That public opinion may be more aware of the problems of millions of displaced persons and refugees, and that concrete solutions may be found for their often tragic situation.

The mission intention
That those Christians who are discriminated against and persecuted in many countries because of the name of Christ may have their human rights, equality and religious freedom recognized, in order to be able to live and profess their own faith freely.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page is a archive of recent entries written by Paul Zalonski in August 2009.

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