Nigeria and her human misery

These pictures are extremely hard to look at, they are extremely graphic!!!

Let’s pray for the miracle of peace between Muslims &
Christians in northern Nigeria. 

Unbelievable the depths to which human misery and animalistic passions can sink.

The pictures of the horrific murders of the Nigerians posted by the Anglican Diocese of Jos.

What are we doing about it?????

Dominicans and the Liturgy: recovering patrimony

The Order of Friars Preachers (the Dominicans) of the Province of Saint Joseph are now showing renewed interest in their own liturgical patrimony.
See this page for list of resources The Dominican Rite: A Guide to the Low Mass
St Dominic woodcut.jpg

One of many reasons this is good news to me is that finally the Dominicans are beginning to address their own liturgical tradition viz. their life and mission in the Church. The Liturgy has and ought to continue to be a central source of contemplation and worship of God that will influence all aspects of their life (the so-called 4 pillars) and their preaching. Time will tell on how this renewed interest in the Dominican Liturgy will impact life in the priory, the monasteries, the parishes and even Providence College. Some of the friars are not going to be all that pleased about the old Dominican Rite and will likely be obstructionists. But we need to pray for these poor souls.

One last reason this is a good thing, the good and excellent Liturgy is not only essential to the fraternal life, evangelization, personal conversion but it also inspires solid vocations. I have met a number of men who were turned-off by the Dominicans because of their refusal to entertain the possibility of a richer, more historic use of the Dominican liturgical tradition. The vocation director aborted the vocations of a number of men because of his dim understanding of the Liturgy; with renewed liturgical verve the Dominicans will likely flourish in great proportions. Sadly, the Dominicans’ loss is the gain of dioceses and other religious orders.
Blessed Humbert of Romans, pray for us!!!!

Annunciation of the Lord

Cestello Annunciation detail SBotticelli.jpgAs Christ came into the World, he said: Behold! I have come to do your will O God.


The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates ‘the fullness of time,’ the time of the fulfillment of God’s promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive him in whom the ‘whole fullness of deity’ would dwell ‘bodily.’ The divine response to her question, ‘How can this be, since I know not man?’ was given by the power of the Spirit: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you.'” (484)
God our Father, Your Word became man and was born of the Virgin Mary. May we become more like Jesus Christ, whom we acknowledge as our redeemer, God and man.


Cardinal Egan to preach at a Solemn Mass observing the 15th anniv of Evangelium Vitae, March 25

Edward M Egan.jpgNew York’s Agnus Dei
Council of the Knights of Columbus announced that Edward Cardinal Egan
would attend and preach the homily at a Solemn Mass for the Feast of the
Annunciation but that he would not celebrate a Pontifical Mass as planned and
announced. This Mass will mark the 15th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae
(The Gospel of Life), the pro-life encyclical by Pope John Paul II issued on
March 25, 1995.


In a brief statement received last week, the Cardinal asked
that his celebration of the Pontifical Mass “scheduled for March 25th at Holy
Innocents Parish be postponed to a later date.”  The statement to the
Knights explained the reason for postponing the Pontifical celebration:

“Because
of so many commitments over the last several weeks, the Cardinal has not had
time to prepare for the Mass properly.  He looks forward to arranging
another date with the Knights of Columbus . . . whose invitation he deeply
appreciates.”


His Eminence will nevertheless attend and preach the homily at a
Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation according to the 1962 Missal
celebrated by Fr. James Miara of the Archdiocese of New York.

The Solemn
Mass begins at 7:30 PM at the Church of the Holy Innocents, 128 W. 37th Street,
in Manhattan, home to New York City’s Shrine of the Unborn.  Before Mass,
there will be a Rosary for Life at 7:00 PM.


WHAT:    Solemn Mass
for Life, Edward Cardinal Egan, Homilist

WHERE:  The Church of the Holy
Innocents, 128 W. 37th Street, Manhattan
WHEN:  Thursday, March 25th;
Rosary for Life, 7 PM; Solemn Mass, 7:30 PM

For more information, call (212)
569-1252 or visit www.traditionalknight.com.

Oscar A. Romero: 30 years since his assassination

Óscar Arnulfo Romero.jpg

Today is the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, in El Salvador. He was murdered while celebrating Mass at a cancer hospital where he lived. Finishing the homily, a group of military death squad shot Romero.

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was the fourth archbishop of San Salvador, (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980). It is noted that during his time as the archbishop he had a conversion in which the Lord gave him the grace to be closer to his people and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ which sets people free from those things which shackle us: the disordered desires of money, power, and fame. Also, the murders of 12 Catholic priests during his three years as archbishop of San Salvador. Romero denounced injustice and violations of human rights in El Salvador and supported public demonstrations for of the people for freedom. He was the voice of the Salvadoran people when all other voices were killed off or otherwise silenced.

In 1997, Archbishops Arturo Rivera and then Fernando Sáenz Lacalle (a priest of Opus Dei) opened and fostered the cause for canonization for Romero, and Pope John Paul II gave him the title of Servant of God. The process continues, even surpassing certain hurdles.

Blessed Diego José of Cádiz

Bl Diego Joseph Cadiz.jpgO God, who did endow Thy blessed confessor, Diego,
with the science of the saints and didst work wonders through him for the
salvation of his people, grant us through his intercession to think those
things that are right and just, so that we may arrive safely at the kingdom of
Thy glory.


The wiki article on Blessed Diego

According to the OFM liturgical ordo Blessed Diego’s memorial is observed on January 6 but other liturgical sources note his feast is on March 24.

7 to be ordained for New York Archdiocese & 3 for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in May

This afternoon, the Rector of Saint Joseph’s Seminary (Yonkers, NY) The Most Reverend Gerald T. Walsh, MSW, told seven deacons (the 4th year class) that the Archbishop of New York, Timothy M. Dolan, has called them to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. So, we say that they have “received the call.”

Ordination2.jpg

The deacons are: James Ferreira, George LaGrutta, Steven Markantonis, Fredy Patino-Montoya, Thomas Roslak, Enrique Salvo and Daniel Tuite. All seven deacons will serve in the Archdiocese of New York.

Also to be ordained and part of the 4th year class are three Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Brothers Albert Osewski, Charles-Benoit Reche and Isaac Mary Spinharney. Our Franciscan friars have been assigned to Nicargua, Ireland and Honduras, respectively.
“The priest, who is called,” Pope John Paul II said in Pastores Dabo Vobis, “is to be a ‘living image’ of Jesus Christ, head and shepherd of the Church, should seek to reflect in himself, as far as possible, the human perfection which shines forth in the incarnate Son of God and which is reflected with particular liveliness in his attitudes towards others as we see narrated in the Gospels. The ministry of the priest is, certainly, to proclaim the word, to celebrate the sacraments, to guide the Christian community in charity ‘in the name and in the person of Christ,’ but all this he does dealing always and only with individual human beings …. In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mold his personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity.”
The ten deacons will be ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, PhD, on May 15, 2010, at The Cathedral of Saint Patrick at 9 a.m.

Lent is not completed on our own initiative

We know by experience that we have not sufficient strength
in ourselves to bring to a successful completion our chief Lenten duty, which
is to die fully to sin in order to live fully in the risen Christ. But Christ
himself, before leaving his own, prayed to his Father to preserve them from
evil and from the evil one, from the seductions of the world and the attacks of
Satan. He taught them to ask, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.

Obviously he did not intend that his disciples be spared every kind of
temptation and danger, for this would be impossible in this life; besides, God
himself permits it to test our virtue, but he wanted to assure them sufficient
strength to resist. The evil from which he desired to free them was sin, the
only real disaster, because it separates us from God.

Divine Intimacy

Father
Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD

Saint Turibius Alfonso de Mogrovejo

Santo Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo.jpgLord. through the apostolic work of Saint Turibius and his unwavering love of truth, You helped Your Church to grow. May Your chosen people continue to grow in faith and holiness.

A 1000 times a day I pass by a statue of a saint I really have no particular devotion to, nor do I know much about. At least not until I looked more closely at the place these holy men and women have in our daily living the other day.
At the main entrance of the seminary, there are four statues which act as sentinels of faith and Christian perseverance: Saint Rose of Lima, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Saint Isaac Jogues and Saint Turibius de Mogrovejo. The link among these saints and blessed is their work of evangelization in the new world. They all had an experience of Christ and then set out to share that experience to others. They all worked for the salvation of humanity, even to the point of death (Jogues). Two of these saints are natives of the new world, two are immigrants from Europe, two are women and two are men and priests (one’s also a bishop), BUT all responded to Christ’s call to discipleship, to sahre in the cross and to shared the faith with others. And two lived and worked in Lima, Peru. Saint Turibio was the first to establish a seminary in the new world, following the mandates of the Council of Trent. And so, Saint Turibio has a special place in the life of seminarians in the USA and in particular to the seminarians of Saint Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers.
Saint Turibio de Mogrovejo, pray for us!