Author: Paul Zalonski

New Byzantine Catholic Priest offers the Divine Liturgy

Today was a glorious day for God and his church: a new Byzantine Catholic priest served his first Divine Liturgy. All done for God’s greater glory!

The newly ordained priest, Father Stephen Russo, was ordained priest by the Most Reverend Kurt Burnett last week at the Passaic Eparchy’s clergy conference in New Jersey. And today was the first Divine Liturgy served at St Nicholas Byzantine Church (Danbury, CT). As you can see from the photo the friends and family of Father Stephen.

The presence of a new priest gives great joy to God and to all the faithful.

May Father Stephen have many healthy and fruitful years.

Now is the time to re-build the Church as St Francis of Assisi set out to do!

Order of the Holy Sepulchre prays Vespers

Tonight the Connecticut Section of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem –Eastern Lieutenancy sung Vespers for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at St John’s Chapel of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, Meriden. With Vespers we also had Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of the relic of the Holy Cross About 20 members attended.

Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt, SEMV, presided and preached assisted by Deacon Confessol Rodriquez. Msgr John Bevins, Fr Peter J. Langevin, Fr John Mariano were present.

The Sisters were extraordinary in the preparation, their presence and friendship.
It was an extraordinary grace.

Photo credit: Luis Fuentes.

CT Lourdes in a Day

Today, the Connecticut North East Area of the Order of Malta gathered at St Peter Claver Church (West Hartford) to have the annual Lourdes in a Day of prayer.

The Lourdes in a Day is a gesture of prayer whereby we gather those who desire to receive the sacraments of healing. Many who are ill of body and mind or are living with the effects of being a senior and are in need of healing of body, mind and spirit. We offer the sacraments of confession, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Mass, the rosary, and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. A lunch bag is provided. An additional aspect is the washing of hands with Lourdes water and the writing of ones’ intentions.

The Lourdes in a Day is the child of Mark and Cherith Sullivan, both members of the Order of Malta.

This is my 3rd or 4th time at the Day and I am always very moved by the grace of God poured out upon the participants. From my vantage point I witness to the impact that sacraments and friendship have in the lives of those in need.

Thanks be to God for inspiration the Sullivans have had and the ongoing commitment of the Order of Malta to the spiritual wellbeing of the sick and elderly.

Frá Jean-Louis Mainguy falls asleep in the Lord

On August 14th, Frá Jean-Louis Mainguy died. He was 71. Jean-Louis was a solemnly professed member of the Order of Saint John (2014), a Knight of Justice. In the Order of Malta he was a member of the First Class.

What is noteworthy for me is that he was born in Beruit. An Eastern Catholic member of the Order of Malta being Maronite. He was only Professed Knight of Solemn Vows who lived and worked in the Middle East for nine centuries.

The religious superior of the Fraters, Frá John Dunlap said, “Fra’ Jean-Louis was a model of faith, dedication, and service, with the title of the first Professed Knight in Lebanon and a resident knight in Malta. His tireless commitment to the service of the Order and his noble spirit will remain etched in our hearts.”

The announcement of Frá Jean-Louis’ death is noted here by the Order of Malta. Here is an article on Jean-Louis here.

The Grand Priory of England noted two things about Jean-Louis that I want bring to our attention here:

1. “His distinguished work as an architect/interior designer and scenographer of spaces, stage and cinema, was recognised nationally and internationally.

2. “Profoundly spiritual … He was a leading light in the Order’s spiritual and humanitarian mission. A man of deep philosophical reflection, he lived a spirituality which was both inspiring and impressive. It was a privilege to have known him and worked with him.

May Our Lady of Sorrows assist Frá Jean-Louis, the Order of Malta, and his family and friends in this time of mourning. May St John the Baptist and Blessed Gerard attend to him. May the memory of Frá Jean-Louis Mainguy be eternal.

Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre

Today is a feast day for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It’s the dedication day.

As a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre I am grateful for the opportunity  to celebrate with those who claim the Basilica as their own, near and far. It is an example of our how the Catholic Faith is incarnational.

Blessed be God!

Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre

Today, July 15th is Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

A day of importance to those of us who belong to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The dedication of the original church happened in 1149.

We commemorate not merely the dedication burial place but a liturgical remembrance of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It deepens the our understanding of the Paschal Mystery (the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus). In his homily today, Franciscan Father Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, said, “Today we celebrate a feast that is much more than a historical commemoration. It is a living, current celebration that speaks to us today, here, in the heart of our Holy Land.” Further, Faltas said, “This tomb is empty today. And that empty tomb cries out to the world: Christ is risen!”

Thus, the Holy Sepulchre is not only a place of memory, it is the symbol (read: reality) of Christ’s resurrection. Hence, it is a sign of hope.

St Bonaventure

Saint Bonaventure: Friar, theologian, bishop, cardinal and doctor of the Church.

St. Bonaventure, a close friend of St. Thomas Aquinas, was deeply committed to both theology and philosophy and became a leading scholar in the Franciscan tradition.

What follows is an excerpt from his famous work The Journey of the Mind to God:

Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the “throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant,” and “the mystery hidden from the ages.” A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation.

Then such a man will make with Christ a “pasch,” that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulchre, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Let us die, then, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ “from this world to the Father,” so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: “It is enough.”

We may hear with Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you;” and we can rejoice with David, saying: “My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all the people say: Amen. Amen!”

St. Bonaventure, pray for us.

CT Order of Malta honors patron saint

Today, the Order of Malta – CT North East Area met to honor the memory of Saint John the Baptist with a meeting, Holy Mass and lunch.

We met at St. Thomas Seminary-Pastoral Center, Bloomfield, CT.

One the great joys of the day was to officially welcomed 4 as new Knights and Dames of the Order.

Besides the announcements of various ministries, Bishop Peter Rosazza and Bob O’Hara spoke of their recent pilgrimage to Lourdes.

St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

Archbishop visits for election of prioress

Today the Archbishop of Hartford, Christopher J. Coyne, was welcomed to the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace (North Guilford) to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit and then to preside over the election of a prioress for the community of contemplative Dominican Nuns. In this case, Sister Maria of the Angels was re-elected as a prioress for a term of three years.

May God grant Sr. Maria good and fruitful years as prioress.

Our Lady of Grace and St Dominic, pray for us.