Author: Paul Zalonski

William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed

Blessings on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, who wed today, the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena


“Be who God
meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

So said St Catherine of
Siena whose festival day this is. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man
and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their
deepest and truest selves.

Many people are fearful for the future of today’s
world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its
shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every
continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every
wedding day should be, a day of hope.

In a sense every wedding is a royal
wedding with the bride and groom as king and queen of creation, making a new
life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

William, Catherine and Canterbury.jpg

William and
Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so
loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

In
the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to
each other.

The spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves.
Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual
life in which we discover this: the more we give of self, the richer we become
in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true
selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are
seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

Continue reading William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed

Saint Catherine of Siena

St Catherine receives new heart from Jesus diPaolo.jpgToday is a fitting day to pray for the Holy Father, Pope Benedict. Saint Catherine was a woman of great courage and vision who promoted unity with the Church. Her crusade was a crusade for souls, for the salvation of many to heart of Christ through the ministry of Christ’s vicar, the Pope. That today we are still in the Easter Octave, Siena’s feast is not being observed except in places of the Order of Preachers. We are doing so today the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena, NYC, with a Octave Mass of Easter with elements of Saint Catherine’s Mass parts intelligently placed; Holy Mass is being celebrated by the Most Rev’d Octavio Cisneros, an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn.

One my favorite images of Saint Catherine is the one of her heart being exchanged with Christ’s. It what’s supposed to happen with all of us: to be recreated by Christ. An image for foreseen by the Prophet Ezekiel.

Here are few thoughts of Saint Catherine of Siena to Pope Gregory XI:

Continue reading Saint Catherine of Siena

Crowd turns out for St Gianna Mass

PAZ with TMD April 27 2011.jpegThe second annual Saint Gianna Mass was celebrated earlier this evening at The Church of Saint Catherine of Siena (411 E. 68th St., NYC) by the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Michael Dolan. The Mass was co-sponsored with the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of NY. About 600 people turned up for the Mass to ask for Saint Gianna’s intercession in the fertility issues. We tend to think it is easy to get pregnant, but for many couples having a biological child is quite difficult that creates much suffering.

The picture is of the Archbishop meeting the young servers and their guide prior to the Liturgy.

Benedict: to awaken hope in place of despair, joy in place of sadness, & life in place of death

Holy Saturday Baptism.jpgIn these first days of Easter the Church rejoices in
Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which has brought new life to us and to
our world. Saint Paul exhorts us to make this new life evident by putting to
death the things of this earth and setting our hearts on the things that are on
high, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father (cf. Col 3:1-2).
Having put on Christ in Baptism, we are called to be renewed daily in the
virtues which he taught us, especially charity which binds all the rest together
in perfect harmony. By living this new life we are not only interiorly
transformed, but we also change the world around us. Charity in fact brings
that spiritual freedom which can break down any wall, and build a new world of
solidarity, goodness and respect for the dignity of all. Easter, then, is a
gift to be received ever anew in faith, so that we may become a constant leaven
of life, justice and reconciliation in our world. As believers in the risen
Lord, this is our mission: to awaken hope in place of despair, joy in place of
sadness, and life in place of death. With Christ, through him and in him, let
us strive to make all things new!


Pope Benedict XVI
Summary of Wednesday General Audience

A voice for the voiceless — women and children in China: Reggie Littlejohn speaks out

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Several weeks ago I focused my attention —our attention— on the rights of women and children, especially unborn children, in China, by highlighting the work of Reggie Littlejohn. How can one be unmoved by the plight for another human being; in case, women and unborn children??? What about the preference for the poor? What about human dignity?

When I met Reggie through my friend Suzanne Tanzi, the editor of Traces magazine, I was instantly drawn to her work for others. I recognized in her that Christ is working directly through the words and works for those who really have no voice in a country that forcibly holds a One Child Policy. China is among the most offensive countries when it comes to human rights abuses and our Chinese brothers and sisters need an advocate.

Here’s an amazing interview with Reggie: Open your Mouth –Littlejohn Interview.pdf 
A recently published essay by Reggie Littlejohn: “China: Family Planning Official Stabs Man to Death“
The link above will take you another blog post which has links to Reggie Littlejohn’s work.

Revelation: at Papal Conclave cardinals asked for John Paul to be beatified

JP II funeral 2005.jpgJust days ahead of Pope John Paul II’s beatification on May 1st –the first time in 11 centuries that a successor beatifies his predecessor– the former vicar for Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, speaks about the letter he received as the conclave was about to open that was to elect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedixt XVI, by which several cardinals asked for John Paul’s beatification. Read the La Stampa story…

John Paul’s blood to be presented as a relic at May 1st Mass

Blood drawn from Pope John Paul II prior to his death and saved in case there was need of a transfusion at a local hospital, will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI at the May 1st Mass at which John Paul will be declared a “blessed.” The blood relic will be kept with other relics at the Apostolic Household. Read the entire story here.

Easter Monday: why it matters

Thumbnail image for Easter Monday April 25 2011.jpgThe day following Easter Sunday, indeed, all of the Easter Octave, is just as important as the Easter mystery of the solemn celebration of the Resurrection: the concrete risen Lord fulfills his promise of new Life. Pope Benedict said today at Castle Gandolfo today, “With greater joy than ever, the Church celebrates
these eight days in a special way, as she recalls the Lord Jesus’s resurrection
from the dead. Let us pray fervently that the joy and peace of Our Lady, Mary
of Magdala and the Apostles will be our own as we welcome the risen Lord into
our hearts and lives. I invoke God’s abundant blessings upon you all!”


A slight shift in our daily prayer moves from praying the Angelus three times a day (at least) to the Regina Coeli, another radical call to live the Gospel is known in this prayer. With the Mother of the Savior we call the promise come true.

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, Alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
For the Lord has truly risen, Alleluia.

Let us pray.

O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Easter 470 years later

Ignatius Loyola detail2.jpg470 years ago on this date, another Easter Sunday, Ignatius of Loyola and his first companions elected Ignatius as the first superior of the new group, a year following the Church’s approval of the society. Just two days before his election, the companions went to the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls to profess their vows.

With these events, Loyola had more concrete points in following God’s will in forming a new society of priests aiming to reform Christian culture under the Roman Pontiff.