Spiritual Motherhood for Priests

Conference on Spiritual Maternity

2012-01-07T16:36:00.000+11:00

Oh how I would love to visit Kentucky USA for this day but alas I live in Australia, however I do know that many people who view this blog do live in the U.S. If you do then you are very blessed to have an opportunity to attend this one day Conference on Spiritual Motherhood for priests presented by Fr. Joseph Aytona, CPM

When: January 21, 2012 9:30am -3:00pm.
Where: At the Fathers of Mercy, 806 Shaker Museum Road, Auburn, KY 42206

For more information click on the links below:
Conference PDF file and the registration page.

For more information on Spiritual Motherhood For Priests click on this resources link.

God Bless
Z

“O God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest!

I myself want to live as a good Christian and want to guide my children always to do what is right, so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed to give you a holy priest!

Amen.”

Please Pray for this Young Priest

2011-09-23T20:19:00.001+10:00

I just received this from a friend:

In your Charity please pray for my local priest from Burma Fr Martin Aye Ngwe of Wahroonga Holy Name Parish, Diocese of Broken Bay, to pass his English Exam this Saturday 24th September, 2012 in Sydney. He is worried he will not pass the comprehension part of the exam.

Since he has been in our parish the Blessed Sacrament has been returned to the centre of the sanctuary where it belongs.

He is one of 12 children raised in Burma, 3 were adopted. Another brother is a priest and one has been in coma for 9 years cared at home by her family.

We need this man in our parish who has a great Marian devotion.

Mother of Sorrows pray for us!

The blessing of a good and faithful priest

2011-07-01T14:06:00.013+10:00

The beautiful stained glass window above the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart Church, Sandgate. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, surrounded by the seven archangels.

Today, on the feast of the Sacred Heart, I attended the last Mass offered by my parish priest, who has been my parish priest for the last 25 years of my life. Fr Pat Stratford has been parish priest to the Sacred Heart Church, Sandgate for 35 years and he recently celebrated his 53rd anniversary as a priest.

Sacred Heart Church

Father is a blessed priest ~ his personal attributes of deep humility and faithful, holy service stand out in particular. My mother who was a nurse at a local nursing home for 16 years, tells me that he was always a very special priest ~ so many times she witnessed Father coming so quickly to anoint dying residents, among many other wonderful memories.

The Sacred Heart Church sanctuary.

Father was devoted to encouraging the parish to always pray for vocations, and from those many, many years of community prayer for vocations, a humble young man from our parish, Fr Bryan Roe, was ordained last year. As we said our last goodbyes with promises of prayers for each other, he was looking especially at my young boys..I know that he will be praying for vocations for them!

The Sacred Heart Church choir loft.

Please remember Father Pat Stratford in your prayers. I am sharing below the published article on Father from our diocesan paper. For me, it is a revealing read, as Father never talked of himself ~ unassuming humility was Father's special virtue in my opinion. So it was a real blessing for me to read this interview.

A LIFE DEVOTED TO JESUS

Published 19th June 2011 Catholic Leader ~ written by Selina Venier

Fr Pat Stratford

"JUST as locals are accustomed to the tide's comings and goings in picturesque Brighton and Sandgate, so too is parish priest Fr Pat Stratford a well-known part of the scenery.Fr Pat's "coming" was an extraordinary 35 years ago, when he was appointed Sandgate parish priest following ministry in Ipswich and Murgon. "There was very little unoccupied land when I came," he said from his home of more than three decades, beside Sacred Heart Church at Sandgate."There were many senior citizens."

While the landscape hasn't changed and the area certainly still welcomes senior members, more families have taken up residence in the parish and enrolments in the local primary schools of Sacred Heart, Sandgate, and St Kieran's, Brighton, as well as St Patrick's College, Shorncliffe, have increased. "When I arrived there were 12 boys in Year 12 at St Patrick's," Fr Pat said. "Now there are 150." Also on his arrival, Sacred Heart school included senior classes. In 1981, St John Fisher (Girls' Secondary) College, opened at nearby Bracken Ridge.

Injecting dates easily into the conversation, Fr Pat said the first church was opened in Sandgate in 1881 "but it was too small by 1892". He said the striking Sacred Heart Church had an additional transept in 1935. Within his 35 years, Fr Pat has celebrated the majority of "approximately 1500 baptisms and at least 800 weddings" in that church. Some of those ceremonies also took place in The Church of the Real Presence at Brighton, beside St Kieran's primary school. Fr Pat was administrator of Brighton from 2000 and officially appointed parish priest in December 2003. Saying he now pastors 4800 local Catholics,

Fr Pat was quick to share of an obvious question posed at this "retirement stage" of his ministry.

"I'm asked if there's a particular thing that stands out ... a highlight (of the 35 years)," he said."Obviously that is Sunday Mass." When we gather together, that's when Christ becomes sacramentally present to us." We reflect on the Word ... and we are sent forth to live out our faith." From age seven, Fr Pat, who has five sisters and three brothers, knew he would "live out" the vocation of priest. "I remember the day of my First Holy Communion ... (and) a nun was saying something about being a priest," he said. "I've never changed my mind about that decision."

While finding "great satisfaction" in his ministry since his ordination in 1958, Fr Pat is also quick to recall how society has changed. "In the early '70s there was a change in the emphasis across Christian society," he said. "People started saying, 'I must recognise my own individuality and I must have self-fulfilment'."(And) 'If I don't get self-fulfilment, I won't be satisfied'."Whereas the emphasis before that was that there are certain things that are right and certain things that are wrong and it's not just about what you feel."Basically there has been a revolt against authority." Fr Pat said people can maintain individuality and "use that in accordance with Christ's teaching".

He also has a viewpoint on those who stray from "Church". "I think the more people live away from Christ's teaching then they are going to be looking for a change," Fr Pat said. "If people find ignoring Christ's teaching brings unhappiness in their lives and the lives of others they say, 'That was a mistake and I don't want that for my children'." He said "very obvious injustices from ignoring Christ's teaching" include "abortion, marital breakdown and children losing their relationship with one of their parents".

"A greater emphasis on living the faith rather than learning about it", Fr Pat said should be better developed in the Catholic school setting, leading to greater adherence to Christ's teaching rather than moves away from it. "I think there should be more emphasis on how to live the faith (in Catholic schools)," Fr Pat said. "There is, of course, the Study of Religion, learning about other religions, but I have my doubts about whether that's the best option." While there's no lack of good will (in the Catholic school setting) you can teach people from reading books how to be a good swimmer but they've got to get out and practise it.

"The "outgoing tide" of Fr Pat's ministry in Sandgate-Brighton parish is set for June 30. Next Sunday, following the 9am Mass in Sandgate, a morning tea will be enjoyed to allow parishioners and visitors to farewell him. Fr Pat said he would "continue to serve" during retirement and would often think of "the nice view out over the bay" he's enjoyed for 35 years.

Asked how he'd like the community to remember him, there was continued lack of hesitation."As a Catholic priest who was happy in his ministry as a priest," Fr Pat said. "... Who was very happy to work with the people - recognising the Church is the people and not just him."The priest has a leadership role but everybody has a role in the life of the parish community."(And) I've had very good support from parishioners ever since I came here and I'm deeply grateful for that."

Priests in Focus

2011-06-30T07:27:00.000+10:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus.

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Friar John Derrick Yap OFM, Friar William Lee OFM, Friar Just Lim OFM

The first anniversary for these Francisan Friars has just recently passed on the 28th of May. May God bless them!

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

Priests in Focus

2011-06-23T23:21:00.000+10:00

Fr Michael Cassabon, Fr James Middeldorp, Fr John Corapi

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

Priests in Focus for this week

2011-03-03T21:20:00.000+11:00

Fr Hector, Fr Anthony DeCandia, Fr Chris Feeney (from the Diocese of Norwich)

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

Priests in Focus for this week

2011-02-24T06:17:00.000+11:00

Fr Michael McCarthy, Fr Peter McCarthy, Fr Peter McCartin

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

Blessed Alessandrina Da Costa (1904-1955)

2011-02-19T08:11:00.000+11:00

This story is from the booklet, Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood for Priests. An inspiring story of spiritual motherhood in the vocation of the single life:

A story from the life of Alexandrina da Costa, beatified on 25 April 2004, reveals the transforming power and visible effects of the sacrifice made by a sick and forgotten girl.

In 1941, Alexandrina wrote to her spiritual director, Fr. Mariano Pinho, telling him that Jesus told her,

"My daughter, a priest living in Lisbon is close to being lost forever; he offends me terribly. Call your spiritual director and ask his permission that I may have you suffer in a special way for this soul."

Blessed Alessandrina's spiritual director, Fr Mariano Pinho SJ

Once Alexandrina had received permission from her spiritual director, she suffered greatly. She felt the severity of the priest's errors, how he wanted to know nothing about God and was close to self-damnation. She even heard the priest's full name. Poor Alexandrina experienced the hellish state of this priest's soul and prayed urgently,

"Not to hell, no! I offer myself as a sacrifice for him, as long as you want."

Alexandrina in her sick bed

Fr Pinho inquired of the Cardinal of Lisbon whether one of the priests of his diocese was of particular concern. The Cardinal openly confirmed that he was, in fact, very worried about one of his priests, and when he mentioned the name of the priest, it was the same one that Jesus had spoken to Alexandrina.

Some months later, a friend of Fr. Pinho, Fr. David Novais, recounted to him an unusual incident. Fr. David had just held a retreat in Fatima where attended a modest gentleman whose exemplary behaviour made him pleasantly attractive to all the participants.

On the last night of the retreat, this man suddenly had a heart attack. He asked to see a priest, to whom he confessed and received Holy Communion. Shortly thereafter he died, fully reconciled with God. It turned out that this man was actually a priest - the very priest for whom Alexandrina had suffered so greatly.

To read more about the life of Blessed Alexandrina, there is a Tan publication written by Francis Johnston:

Alexandrina: The Agony and the Glory

Priests in Focus for this week

2011-02-17T06:50:00.001+11:00

I would like to apologise for the general quietness at Spiritual Motherhood for Priests.

Zeliemum has placed a few important posts up, asking for prayers for particular bishops and priests during a very busy period for her personally with her big family.

Unfortunately I had let go the Priests in Focus due to a long period of ill health, among many other things.

Things are finally settling for the two of us and we will be resuming our weekly Thursday posting, "Priests in Focus" where we share the name of three priests and ask for prayers for them to strengthen them in their holy vocation.

We also hope to resume a weekly or fortnightly posting of one or two seminarians, asking for prayers for Gods Will in regard to their vocation and that they always be faithful to God's Will. This we hope do this on Tuesdays.

We will resume our first Sunday of the month posting, sharing the Mother's of Lu prayer, praying for priests within our family, or for those who have no children, praying for vocations within their diocese.

If there is any lady who would like to have their name added to our adoration list (an hour's adoration for priests a month) please email us.

We have many wonderful stories, prayers and ideas to share in this new year, I hope you enjoy them and join with us in praying for the holy priesthood.

~oOo~

Fr Steve Hartley, Fr Tom Euteneuer, Fr N Maurice

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

Australians mourn Bishop Joseph Grech's sudden death.

2010-12-29T10:16:00.013+11:00

I found out late yesterday that Bishop Joseph Grech had died. He was admitted to hospital on the 23rd of December from a recurrence of a blood-related disorder which he suffered from about 5 years ago. He died at the hour of Mercy 3pm yesterday 28th December with eight family, close friends and other members of the Church (which he served so faithfully); Melbourne’s Archbishop Denis Hart, Archbishop Mark Coleridge & Fr Maurizio Pettena CS.

It is fitting that this well loved Man of God, Champion of the King of the Universe died at this hour "for at that moment mercy is opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it is the hour of grace for the whole world".

At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.

(Diary 1320).

Many people will mourn the loss of Bishop Joe Grech, he was only in Rome for the Canonization of St Mother Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop) in October "larger than life". We hope and pray that he is now seeing what is really larger than life; the heavenly kingdom and the Lord and King who reigns above all!

Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace!

Urgent Prayer Request for Bishop Joe's Grech.

2010-12-27T07:57:00.004+11:00

I received this urgent prayer request late last night:

Dear friends,

An update about Bishop Joe's health:

Bishop Joe’s condition has deteriorated. Late on Christmas night he was moved to

Intensive Care where he still is. The latest report (1.00pm 26th December) he is in a serious but stable condition.

Let us keep on praying for him!...

In JMJ+

Fr.Doroteo

Please keep Bishop Joseph Grech from the diocese of Sandhurst Australia fervently in your prayers this week.

I'll keep updating as I find out more information regarding his condition. Thank you

A Christmas Gift for that Special Priest in your Life

2010-12-14T19:36:00.012+11:00

Encourage Priest.org has a lovely gift idea for anyone looking to give something meaningful to that special priest in your life, any young man you know discerning a vocation, even your local Bishop or any priest that you feel called to pray for. Any member of the clergy would feel very comforted by receiving a card with one of these personal spiritual bouquets in it for Christmas.

It's so simple, choose from the three sample templates, send it and pray for these courageous virtuous men that guide our way to heaven and need our prayers.

God Bless
Z

PIF - For the First Week of Advent 2010 - Philip Johnson

2010-12-02T18:23:00.009+11:00

I'm sure all our American readers have become aware of the plight of Philip Johnson a young seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh who in October 2008 discovered he had a mass growing on his brain. In January the following year he was diagnosed with cancer.

"Bishop Burbidge stated that,
Philip is a powerful example of the faith and the trust we need to share in the sufferings of Christ"

Here is a link to Philips original story, please read it and share it with many others so we can unite our prayers for him and storm heaven for a miracle .

We are a little late bringing to your attention the beginning of the novena being said in honour of the Immaculate Conception, whom is the patroness of the Raleigh diocese. It is being offered for Philips illness, treatment and full recovery if the is the Holy Will of God. However any spiritual efforts offered for Philip through Our Lady's intercession will bless this heroic young seminarian, who has already touched the hearts of many through his example & courage.

Please keep Philip Johnson in your prayers all through this Advent season.

St Peregrine is the Patron Saint of Cancer sufferers, may he intercede for Philip and all those afflicted by the disease of cancer.

St. Peregrine Story

He was born in Forli, Italy around 1265. At the time, Forli was governed by the Pope as part of the Papal States. Peregrine grew up in a family which was actively involved in the opposition or anti-papal party. Forli was a stronghold of anti-papal party activism. Because of this anti-papal political activity, the city was under the church penalty of interdict. This meant that Mass and the Sacraments could not be celebrated in the city. St. Philip Benizi, the Prior General of the Servants of Mary was sent to Forli to preach the reconciliation of the city and the removal of the penalty. Young Peregrine was so intense in his political fervor that he heckled Philip during the preaching and at one point Peregrine struck St. Philip.

The moment of striking St. Philip seemed to drastically change Peregrine. He began to channel his energies into good works and eventually he joined the Servants of Mary and pronounced his vows in the Servite Priory in Siena, Italy. He was about 30 years old. Peregrine then returned to Forli, where he spent the rest of his life. The best information indicates that he was not a priest, but a choir brother, who undertook an apostolate among the people of Forli. He especially dedicated himself to the sick, the poor and the fringe people of society. He also imposed a special penance on himself-to stand whenever it was not necessary to sit. This led to varicose veins. The varicose veins deteriorated into an open, running sore on his leg. The open, running sore was diagnosed as cancer. The wound became so obvious, odorous and painful that the local surgeon scheduled surgery to amputate the leg.

Suddenly Peregrine was confronted with the ugliness and suffering of his own life. He had given himself to people in similar situations and then found he must lean on his own faith in the goodness of God. The night before the operation he prayed before the image of the crucified Christ in the priory chapter room. At the age of 60 he was challenged to carry a new and more difficult cross. His prayer led him into a deep trance-like sleep during which he envisioned the crucified Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awakened from the trance of prayer, he discovered the wound healed and the leg saved.

St. Peregrine lived 20 more years. He died on May 1, 1345 at the age of 80. He was canonized on December 27, 1726. He has been named the Patron Saint for those who suffer from cancer. The people of Forli chose him to be the Patron Saint of their city.
His feast day is celebrated on May 4.

St. Peregrine Prayer

GLORIOUS WONDER-WORKER, St. Peregrine,
You answered the divine call
With a ready spirit,
And forsook all the comforts of the world
To dedicate yourself to God
In the Order of His Most Holy Mother.

You laboured manfully
For the salvation of souls;
And in union with Jesus Crucified
You endured the most painful sufferings

With such patience
As to deserve to be
Healed miraculously
Of an incurable cancer
In your leg by a touch
Of his divine hand.

Obtain for me
The grace to answer

Every call of God
And to fulfill His Will
In all the events of life.

Enkindle in my heart
A consuming zeal
For the salvation of souls;
Deliver me from the infirmities
that afflict my body

(name your petition)

To cure Philip Johnson

from brain cancer, if that be God's Divine will.

Obtain for me

Perfect resignation to the sufferings
It may please God to send me,
So that, imitating our Crucified Savior
And His Sorrowful Mother,
I may merit eternal glory in heaven.

Amen.

St. Peregrine, pray for me
And for all who invoke your aid.
(3 times)
Amen

God Bless.

Would-be Pro Golfer on Path to Priesthood.

2010-11-08T11:45:00.004+11:00

Anchorage, Alaska, Nov 6, 2010 / 01:16 pm (CNA).- It’s easy to imagine a six-foot, tanned, 32-year-old Peter Hannah on the golf greens of Monterey, California, in textbook form, languidly driving balls 300 yards.
But instead of an Izod shirt and khaki pants, he’s wearing the long, white habit of a medieval Dominican friar — and he’s heading into winter in Alaska. He arrived in August from St. Albert’s Priory in Oakland for a year’s work at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska, as part of seminary training.
“My first reaction to being assigned to Anchorage was, ‘Wow, that’s a long ways away from California,” Brother Peter Junipero Hannah told the Catholic Anchor.
But the would-be professional golfer, former college fraternity brother and convert to Catholicism already has traveled a long distance — through even the spiritual “desert” of the so-called “good life” — on the surprising path to freedom.
The American Dream
By most accounts, Brother Hannah was living the American Dream.
Born in Temple, Texas at 10 pounds, 13 ounces, he looked like a nascent Texas Cowboys linebacker. But a family move to the West Coast and a “generally slender frame,” he said, turned hopes of football stardom into a chance at PGA fame. Like his up-and-coming school-mate Tiger Woods, as a teen, Brother Hannah was perfecting his strokes on California’s sunny golf courses.
Still, life was well-rounded.
Brother Hannah’s parents weren’t “PhDs or anything,” he said, but they instilled in him and his sister a “love for learning.”
And they owned a set of World Book of Encyclopedias, whose volumes six-year-old Brother Hannah would pick up on his own and “just start reading.” That intellectual curiosity continues to this day. “I’m interested in everything!” exclaimed the religious brother.
Growing up, his Presbyterian family attended church every Sunday. But by high school – and though he never “explicitly” disbelieved or rebelled against God – Brother Hannah was “so interested in golf, I didn’t really want to do anything else.”
In 1995, the “naturally ambitious” and determined Brother Hannah entered the University of California at San Diego, where he majored in American history and played on the golf team – aiming for a lucrative, professional sports career.
“I wanted to have a good life, I wanted to be successful,” Brother Hannah said.
A gnawing angst
At college, he joined a fraternity – which meant camaraderie, leadership and philanthropy projects.
But frat life had a dark side. There were drugs, alcohol and denigrating attitudes toward women.
By junior year, the “pagan pastimes” were gnawing on his conscience — as was the impermanence of his academic, social and athletic accomplishments.
His goals were “not bad things in themselves,” Brother Hannah said. “But when perfect performance did not emerge, and was made less and less perfect by the increasing mental haze attending fraternity life, a deep sense of anxiety developed within me.”
“I knew deep within my soul that things were not quite right,” he observed.
In quiet moments, he acknowledged, “‘There’s something really wrong about the messages I’m getting. There’s an emptiness in my soul that needs to be answered, filled somehow.’”
Then, the summer before senior year, his father encouraged him to become an official member of their hometown Presbyterian church — a step he had not yet taken.
“Like a lot of young people today,” he told his father that he wanted to “study other religions first.” For Christianity, his dad recommended the book, “Mere Christianity.”
So after a round of golf, Brother Hannah went to Barnes & Noble and walked out with a copy of C. S. Lewis’s classic and the autobiography of Jack Nicklaus.
'Water in the desert'
Lewis’s book turned out “like water in the desert for me,” Brother Hannah recalled.
“It was like, ‘Wow, Christianity does have some things to say!’” and those things, he observed, “protect order in society, protect human dignity” in “wonderful ways.”
Although he had “never tried to live intentionally in a non-Christian way,” Brother Hannah said he hadn’t thought much about what living in a Christian way looked like.
He began to realize that, however unwittingly, he had been acquiring “a lot of the habits that many people in the world acquire.”
He listed a few: the portrayal of women as sexual objects, the pursuit of wealth “to the neglect of the poorest of the poor or as kind of an end unto itself” and the pursuit of power and ambition apart from other concerns.
Finally, Brother Hannah acknowledged that he shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed by a conscience that was bothered by such attitudes and behaviors.
Soon, he began to question all his sacrifice just for a lower score on the links. By graduation, he had left his “religion” of golf.
Freedom in Christ
In graduate school in Maryland, Brother Hannah discovered Jesus in the Eucharist at a nearby Catholic parish. “I was overcome,” he recalled when considering that Christ himself would manifest himself in “his very flesh and blood.”
In a short time, he formally joined the Catholic Church and soon discerned a religious vocation.
He then entered the Order of Preachers or Dominicans as a brother and began the road to the priesthood.
In 2007, Brother Hannah made his first religious vow – obedience. As one who was accustomed to making his own way, he considers it the hardest.
“The vow of obedience goes straight to our free will and our desire to have certain situations the way we want them,” he said.
Obedience is the answer to the “mistake of pride of taking my own desires, will, wants, needs and not being willing to see them in a wider context of other peoples’ needs and of the needs of the world and the needs of my neighbor,” he explained.
Paradoxically, “the thing I’ve gained is freedom of heart,” he observed. “There is an almost indescribable freedom in giving yourself to Christ alone, in a single-minded way.”
As a religious, “all of my energy is going into helping people discover the life of Christ, helping people discover the grace and the freedom that is in Christ.”
For instance, in Anchorage, Brother Hannah is running the catechetical programs at Holy Family Cathedral, assisting with the youth and young adult groups there and teaching a church history class at Holy Rosary Academy.
Having been through the “desert,” Brother Hannah wants to show young people, in particular, “that there are other ways to live and to give them hope,” he explained.
Referencing Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, the now casual golfer and motivated religious brother observed: “We Christians are called to run the race to obtain a crown that doesn’t perish which is eternal life.”

Bishop Monroe from British Columbia Badly Beaten

2010-10-25T23:19:00.012+11:00

Most Rev Bishop David Monroe 2nd from the left

Please keep him in your prayers.

"Bishop Monroe, 69, was rushed to hospital, along with another priest who dislocated a shoulder trying to fend off the attacker".Read more:

Update: "Kamloops Bishop David Monroe, 69, has been removed from the Intensive Care Unit of Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital, where he continues to recover after being viciously beaten at Sacred Heart Cathedral Friday night" - The Busy Catholic blog

Bishop David John James Monroe

Bishop of Kamloops, British Columbia

Date	Age	Event
14 Apr 1941	69.53	Born
20 May 1967	26.1	Ordained Priest
5 Jan 2002	60.7	Appointed
12 Mar 2002	60.9	Ordained Bishop
18 Mar 2002	60.9	Installed

Fr Thomas Dubay Dies: World-Renowned Retreat Master, Author & Popular Spiritual Director to Priests

2010-09-28T13:43:00.008+10:00

Fr Thomas Dubay has died. Many would say a saint has entered heaven!
He was one of the well loved priests from EWTN a spiritual master on Contemplative prayer, the spirituality of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross. He was a Marist Priest; the Marist charism is…

to think as Mary, judge as Mary, and feel and act as Mary in all things…

He instructed many Catholics through his 20 spiritual masterpieces on the spiritual life and prayer, his forte was Spiritual Direction for priests and religious. He practiced what he preached in his example of holiness and a Christ-like life.

Rev Thomas Dubay, SM - RIP September 26, 2010

"From the Little Sisters of the Poor who cared for him - From Washington, DC:
This morning at 4:45, the Lord welcomed into His Kingdom Rev Thomas Dubay, SM, after suffering kidney failure and massive bleeding in the brain. Father’s frail health had been declining ever since his admission to the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Washington more than a year ago, but his suffering was even more noticeable in recent months. Despite this fact, Fr Dubay was just as witty as ever.

When Father’s superior, Fr. Bruce Lery, SM, called the Little Sisters on Sunday morning to tell them, he said, "We have a saint in heaven" –how true! Fr. Dubay was hospitalized about a month ago and then transferred to a rehabilitation facility for specialized treatments but his health was steadily declining. Yesterday he was re-admitted to the hospital with bleeding in the brain, and he was put in coronary intensive care. Although the ventilator was removed, he continued to breathe on his own.

Although he suffered from his loss of independence, he was happy to concelebrate Mass almost every day in the chapel of the Little Sisters Home in the shadow of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in our nation’s capital.

The Marist priests and brothers visited him almost daily, and Father depended very much on his superior, Fr. Bruce, who was always there for him. In a few words, Fr. Dubay literally practiced what he preached! Father was happy to give weekly classes to the Little Sister postulants –classes which he enjoyed as much as they! From his room, Father continued his spiritual direction with many persons who called on him and this also was extended to letter writing.

We can render prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful support Father gave to religious communities spending a good part of his life giving conferences and retreats. Although his preaching and spiritual direction was delivered to contemplative communities, his teaching was not for them alone. Religious the world over benefitted of his spiritual wisdom and guidance for years. He will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace after leading so many souls to true spiritual peace during his lifetime! The opening prayer of today’s liturgy says it all: “Help us hurry toward the Eternal Life you promise and come to share in the joys of your kingdom”.

In this video below Fr Dubay offers insights into his Call to the Priesthod and how to recognize a personal Call from God to the Religous Life or the Priesthood. His wisdom will be surely missed.

Here is a good article written by Catholic journalist Tim Drake who over the years spoke to and interviewed Fr Dubay a number of times.

I can imagine Father Dubay saying this prayer as he greets Our Lady as she escorts him to his mansion in a special place in heaven.

I greet thee, Mary,

Daughter of God the Father.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother of the Son of God.

I greet thee, Mary,

Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

I greet thee, Mary,

Temple of the Blessed Trinity.

I greet thee, Mary,

White Lily of the resplendent Trinity.

I greet thee, Mary,

Fragrant Rose of the heavenly court.

I greet thee, Mary,

Virgin full of meekness and humility,

of whom the King of Heaven willed to be born

and nourished by thy milk.

I greet thee, Mary,

Virgin of virgins.

I greet thee, Mary,

Queen of martyrs,

whose soul was pierced by the sword of sorrows.

I greet thee, Mary,

Lady and Mistress,

to whom all power has been given

in Heaven and on earth.

I greet thee, Mary,

Queen of my heart, my sweetness,

my life and all my hope.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother most amiable.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother most admirable.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother of beautiful love.

I greet thee, Mary,

Conceived without sin.

I greet thee, Mary,

Full of grace, the Lord is with thee,

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed be the Fruit of thy womb.

Blessed be thy spouse, Saint Joseph.

Blessed be thy father, Saint Joachim.

Blessed be thy mother, Saint Anne.

Blessed be thy angel, Saint Gabriel.

Blessed be the Eternal Father,

Who has chosen thee.

Blessed be thy Son,

Who has loved thee.

Blessed be the Holy Ghost,

Who has espoused thee.

May all those who love thee bless thee.

O Blessed Virgin,

bless us all in the name of thy dear Son.

Amen

O Virgin most kind,

Mary, Mother of God,

most loving consoler of those in distress,

commend to your Son the souls of the Faithful Departed,

so that, because of your motherly intervention,

they may joyfully arrive in your company

as their longed-for home in heaven.

Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Prayers for Fr Laurence Gresser FSSP

2010-09-20T07:30:00.002+10:00

I am writing to ask for many prayers for a good and holy FSSP priest in Sydney, Australia. (The Maternal Heart Chapel, Lewisham) Fr Laurence Gresser.

I'll share what his brother John wrote:

Fr Laurence Gresser is a FSSP priest from Sydney who suffered extensive burning on Saturday:

The first 24 hours have been difficult for Fr Laurence, but things are looking positive.

On Saturday afternoon, while on a visit to the poor, Fr Laurence felt cold and tried to light a faulty heater, which exploded. His cassock caught on fire and he sustained burns to 35% of his body. An ambulance was called straight away and he received immediate care in hospital. His situation on Saturday night was considered critical but has since stabilised.

Fr Laurence is currently in Intensive Care, and is sedated. The burns are mainly to his face, chest, left arm/hand and right shoulder. The doctors have so far classified them as “superficial” although the full extent of his injuries will not be known for 7 – 10 days. It is not yet known if there is any damage to his eyesight. Doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery (although they will not estimate how long that may take). Please pray that there will not be any permanent damage or scarring.

Fr Laurence has been Anointed twice and has also been blessed with every Sacramental Fr Wong has in his extensive collection!

Priests in Focus

2010-09-09T22:17:00.005+10:00

Starting a new approach to the Priests in Focus from now on. We have decided to post 6 priests names each fortnight (every second week) still on the Thursday.

There are two main reasons. It enables us to actually post it here, as well as the sidebar, by posting it allows the ladies who only follow our site via google reader to receive the new list without having to click over to check out our sidebar.

Secondly it enables ladies to make a novena if they wish for these priests, giving us 14days to accomplish a nine day novena (maybe the extra days will be handy as well in case a day is missed here or there) ~ it also gives more time to reflect upon and pray for these priests a bit longer than previously.

We hope you also like this new idea and please continue to email us with the names of any priests you would love to have added to this fortnightly list.

I hope to design a special image to head this fortnightly post, but I'm adjusting to a new Mac at present and haven't learnt yet how to put together a new image. So hopefully soon, that will come.

So here are the names of the six priests:

Fr Andrew James.

Fr Simon Kitimbo

Fr John Ssemaganda

Fr Charles DiMascola,

Fr Ross (recently deceased)

Fr. Louis Madey

A list of the priests we have previously prayed for, are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

Our Holy Mother Mary's Birthday

2010-09-08T17:21:00.011+10:00

Birth of Mary

"On Our Lady's birthday the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too.

Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany".

If you are devoted to The Blessed Virgin Mary here is a very special website that offers beautiful contemplations and meditations on Our Holy Mother - MaryVitamin

O Immaculate Virgin,

Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church,

from this spot you have manifested your clemency and compassion

for all who have recourse to your protection.

Hear the prayer we address to you

with filial confidence,

and present it to your Son Jesus,

our only Redeemer.

Mother of Mercy,

Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice,

on this day we sinners consecrate to you,

who come to meet us,

all our being and all our love.

We also consecrate to you

our life,

our work,

our joys,

our infirmities,

and our sorrows.

Grant to our peoples peace, justice, and prosperity

so that we may entrust to your care,

our Lady and our Mother,

all that we have and all that we are.

We wish to be completely yours

and to follow together with you the path of total fidelity

to Jesus Christ in His Church:

hold us ever lovingly by the hand.

See how great is the harvest,

and intercede with the Lord

that He will imbue the whole people of God

with a hunger for holiness

and bestow abundant vocations of priests and religious,

who are strong in their faith

and zealous dispensers of the mysteries of God.

Grant to our homes the grace

of loving and respecting life in its beginnings,

with the same love

with which you conceived in your womb

the life of the Son of God.

Blessed Virgin Mary,

Mother of Fair Love,

protect our families

so that they may always be united

and bless the upbringing of our children.

Our hope, look upon us with pity,

teach us to go continually to Jesus,

and if we fall help us to rise again and return to Him

through the confession of our faults and our sins

in the Sacrament of Penance,

which gives peace to the soul.

We beg you to grant us a great love

for all the Holy Sacraments,

which are, as it were, the signs

that your beloved Son left us here on earth.

Thus, Most Holy Mother,

with the peace of God in our consciences,

with our hearts free from evil and hatred,

we will be able to bring to all others

true joy and true peace,

which come to us from your Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ,

Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

Heavenly Mother stay close to us all, we pray on this special day when we celebrate your birthday that you may shower many blessings and graces upon us all and the suffering souls in purgatory.

Reviving First Sunday Devotions - The Difference One Mother Can Make

2010-09-05T13:58:00.004+10:00

This picture is indeed unique in the annals of the Catholic Church. From 1 to 4 September 1946, the majority of the 323 priests and religious met in their village of Lu for a reunion which attracted world-wide attention

The Difference One Mother Can Make

by Fr. Roger J. Landry - January 11, 2008

"The vast majority of priests and religious say that the nourishment of their divine vocations began at home. It was in the domestic Church that they first learned about God — who he is, how he loves us, and what he expects of us. It was from their parents that they saw the centrality of God in human life and learned how to pray, how to love, how to forgive and ask forgiveness. It was from example of their faith that they grasped the importance of the Church, the Eucharist and confession, the commandments, virtues and works of mercy. It was also from them that they learned a loving reverence and fascination for the priests, brothers and women religious whom God had mysteriously called to his service and theirs.

While not discounting the contributions of fathers and siblings, in most homes most of the credit for this Christian upbringing goes to mothers. They are the principal masons laying the foundation for their children's future growth in faith. They are the "spiritual breast-feeders," who allow their children to be nourished by their own faith. There's an expression among priests that "behind every vocation stands a woman," and in most cases that woman has their mother's face".

The Mother's of Lu

We have shared this amazing story before from the booklet Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood For Priests but thought it was worth sharing again. It was this story that really moved us last year to start the SM blog for the YOTP. There were many other deeply inspirational stories from the booklet that touched us but this one was the one that really prompted us into action.

The mother's of Lu were not just physical mothers to there children, they were spiritual mothers to there children, taking their stewardship one step further by offering their children back to God not once but over and over, with confidence that He would do something beautiful with them for Himself.

The most generous act we can offer Our Lord is to offer our children back to Him, to be His and His alone, they are the most precious things to us and also the most precious things to Him.

We would like to revive the First Sunday devotion in responce to what these peasant mothers of Lu did, and encourage & remind all women who are praying for priests through the Spiritual Motherhood for Priests devotion to offer their Holy Communion and Mass on the First Sunday’s of the Month in honour of vocations to the priesthood, specifically from our own families by reciting the simple prayer below during their thanksgiving prayers after Mass. It is not a prerequisite of the devotion but another aspect of it, it is up to you if you would like to.

LU MONFERRATO

The little village of Lu, in northern Italy, is located in a rural area 90 kilometres east of Turin. It would still be unknown to this day if some of the mothers of Lu had not made a decision that had important consequences in 1881.
The deepest desire of many of these mothers was for one of their sons to become a priest or for a daughter to place her life completely in God’s service. Under the direction of their parish priest, Msgr. Alessandro Canora, they gathered every Tuesday for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, asking the Lord for vocations. They received Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month with the same intention. After Mass, all the mothers prayed a particular prayer together imploring for vocations to the priesthood.
Through the trusting prayer of these mothers and the openness of the other parents, an atmosphere of deep joy and Christian piety developed in the families, making it much easier for the children to recognize their vocations.
When the Lord said, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14), we can understand that many are called, but only a few respond to that call. No one expected that God would hear the prayers of these mothers in such a dramatic way.

From the tiny village of Lu came 323 vocations: 152 priests (diocesan and religious), and 171 nuns belonging to 41 different congregations. As many as three or four vocations came from some of the families. The most famous example is the Rinaldi family, from whom God called seven children. Two daughters became Salesian sisters, both of whom were sent to San Domingo as missionaries. Five sons became priests, all joining the Salesians. The most well-known of the Rinaldi brothers is Blessed Philip Rinaldi, who became the third successor of St. John Bosco as Superior General of the Salesians. Pope John Paul II beatified him on 29 April 1990. In fact, many of the vocations from this small town became Salesians. It is certainly not a coincidence, since St. John Bosco visited Lu four times during his life. The saint attended the first Mass of his spiritual son, Fr. Philip Rinaldi in this village where he was born. Philip always fondly recalled the faith of the families of Lu:

“A faith that made our fathers and mothers say,

‘The Lord gave us our children, and so if He calls them, we can’t say no.’”

Fr. Luigi Borghina and Fr. Pietro Rota lived the spirituality of Don Bosco so faithfully that the former was called the “Brazilian Don Bosco” and the latter the “Don Bosco of Valtellina.” Pope John XXIII once said the following about another vocation from Lu, His Excellency, Evasion Colli, Archbishop of Parma:

“He should have become pope, not me. He had everything it takes to become a great pope.”

Every ten years, the priests and sisters born in Lu used to come together from all around the world. Fr. Mario Meda, the long-serving parish priest of Lu, explained that this reunion is a true celebration, a feast of thanksgiving to God who has done such great things for Lu.

The prayer that the mothers of Lu prayed was short, simple, and deep:

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree ~ A priest back from the dead

2010-08-25T04:50:00.017+10:00

Lk 13:6-9 Jesus spoke this parable. "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’"

I would like to add a few comments myself before sharing this amazing testimony. Fr Scheier said that when the accident was first reported, all his parishioners came to the church to pray, the local Baptists and many other christian denomination church's gathered and prayed all night for Father. He believes that his second chance was given to him because of the prayers of those interceeding for him.

I think that is a powerful statement. The prayers of the people, praying for the life and soul of this priest. It is a reminder to all the great need to pray for our priests! To pray for their sanctification.

Below is Fr Tommy Lane's homily with the retelling of Fr Stephan Scheier's life after death experience.

"Fr Steven Scheier was ordained in 1973. Unfortunately he was more concerned about what other priests thought of him than about being a good priest for Jesus. His priesthood was not in the service of Jesus but to win people’s admiration. Deep down he knew he was not doing what he should be, that he was not the priest he should be. He hid that to the point that people thought he was a good priest.

Fr Stephan Scheier

On October 18, 1985, Fr Steven was traveling from Wichita to his parish (Parish of the Sacred Heart) in Fredonia, Kansas, 86 miles away. The highway does not have any shoulders, it is heavily traveled by semis, pickups and vans. That morning he had gone to Wichita to meet a priest and was returning that afternoon. He was involved in a terrible accident: a head-on collision with a pickup truck and with God. Three people were in the pickup. No one was killed. Fr Scheier was thrown from his vehicle. His entire scalp was taken off on the right side. The doctors told him afterwards the right side of his brain was partially sheered off and many cells were crushed. He was unconscious at the scene. Behind him in the ambulance on the way to the hospital was a nurse, who later mentioned she tried to help him with the Hail Mary but didn’t know it but he was saying the Hail Mary over and over by himself.

He was taken to a small hospital in Eureka Kansas. He had suffered a broken neck, a C2, the second cervical vertebra was broken, the hangman’s break. Had his head been turned either way at the scene of the accident he would have asphyxiated. The doctor said there wasn’t much he could do and sewed his scalp back on and called for the lifewatch helicopter in Wichita from Lesley Hospital and they brought him to Wichita. He did not know he was being transported because he was unconscious. One of his parishioners who happened to be in the hospital was told he was being given a 15% chance to live. Many people of different Christian faiths prayed for him. He said God hears everyone’s prayer and that’s why he’s still here today. He had no surgery. The accident happened in October and on 2nd Dec he was released from hospital and still had the halo, as he called it, a support around his head. He recuperated at home until they could take the halo off, in April. He returned to his parish in May.

The Barren Fig Tree

One day when saying Mass, the Gospel was today’s Gospel about the fig tree. When reading it in the Church, the page became illuminated, enlarged and came off the lectionary towards him. He finished Mass as best he could and back at the rectory/presbytery remembered a conversation that had taken place shortly after the accident.

In that conversation Fr Scheier found himself standing before the judgment of Jesus. He doesn’t know how long it lasted. He says the Lord took him through his entire life, and showed him how he had failed in his priestly service. Fr Scheier said “yes” to everything Jesus said about his life. Before the accident Fr Scheier had planned that when he would go before the judgment seat of Jesus he would say he was pushed on any day he sinned and couldn’t do anything else. He had a number of excuses all ready. He used to confession regularly before the accident but not appropriately i.e. he was not allowing the sacrament to change his life. He did not have a purpose of amendment.

After the accident he wondered how many of his confessions were valid because he had no purpose of amendment. Before the accident he was thinking there would be time to convert but during this judgment scene Jesus taught him there is no time. Now before Jesus he was talking to Truth and when you are talking to Truth you can’t give excuses. At the end of his judgment his sentence from Jesus was hell. Fr Scheier said “yes” as that was the only logical thing he deserved.

At that moment, however, he heard a woman say, “Son, will you please spare his life and his eternal soul?” The Lord replied, “Mother, he’s been a priest for twelve years for himself and not for me, let him reap the punishment he deserves.” “But Son,” she said, “if we give him special graces and strengths then let’s see if he bears fruit; if not, your will be done.”

There was very short pause, after which Jesus said,

“Mother, he’s yours.”

Fr Scheier sharing his testimonal with Mother Angelica

Ever since then he has been hers. He didn’t have a special relationship with her before the accident but since then she has become everything to him. At the foot of the cross Jesus looked on her and made her mother of the whole Church. Fr Scheier says she takes that very literally and seriously. Fr Scheier experienced Jesus’ mercy but Mary was the one who interceded for him. He has learned this beautiful truth, no one of the Blessed Trinity can say “no” to Our Lady. It is impossible. They will not say “no” to her. He says “Isn’t she someone you want on your side?”

We believe in Jesus, Our Lady and the saints in two ways, with the head or the heart. Fr Scheier believed with his head and knew nothing with his heart. He believed the angels and saints but they were make-believe friends and were not real. After the accident he became aware that they are very real, that we have only one home and its not here. Fr Scheier says a lot of our priorities are mixed up. His priorities were mixed up, his priority should have been to save his soul and save other souls. If he had died his parishioners would not have thought that he would have gone to hell. Jesus doesn’t take a popularity poll, Jesus is the only one that matters when it comes to what others think about us because we are alone before Jesus in judgment. We cannot say somebody made me sin. Jesus knows the truth.

Mother Angelica

Fr Scheier says during his first twelve years after ordination he was not being a priest for Jesus. Instead of suffering for Jesus he was a priest for himself. He always ran from the cross. If we run from the cross there is a bigger one awaiting us. He says he was a coward during those twelve years. His mission now is to let people know that Jesus’ love outweighs justice, that hell exists and that we are liable to hell and also that Jesus’ Divine Mercy exists. I conclude with some of the words of the parable in our Gospel today which has become so meaningful to Fr Scheier,

“Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”

~ Fr Tommy Lane Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent Year C

Please pray for Australia - VIP Priest in Focus

2010-08-20T02:07:00.004+10:00

Dear ladies, Sorry for the stillness of the blog these days. Life has been so busy for both Anne and I. She has just had months of rehearsals in a stage play and has had major computer difficulties over the last six months. I have been very busy with my husband who is fighting on the forefront of the pro-life movement here in Australia, who always needs my support and with our 7 children, six of whom have just started a new study programme; time has become very scarce.

God has called us to be wives and mothers, to focus on our duties in our own domestic churches where we are working toward heaven being the hearts of the home. Here, where our prayers for our own families and being spiritual mothers' of priests unite. As I go through my day I am always offering little things for all those who have asked for or need prayer. Consequently even though this blog may have slowed I know as I am doing, so are many other women who go throughout their day in a mode of contemplation suitable to their circumstances, are doing too; praying for others but especially for our priests.

This week-end here in Australia we are about to under go one of the most crucial elections ever. Christian values, life issues, morality issues, freedom of religion and many of our vital values will be under threat if the current government returns to power. There will be a big possibility that we could be living under a gradual regime of socialism that will be unprecedented in this country and could alter our way of life forever. This party currently has momentum and is ahead in all the polls however these are secular media polls who have a strong bias toward this Labor government. We hope and pray they do not get back into government.

Please pray for our country! Australian Catholics have been sharing around a request to pray the Nine Hour Novena to The Infant of Prague; a very efficacious prayer, the one prayer that we are trying to encourage everyone to say. In the hope of uniting our hands, hearts, souls and minds toward heaven to save our country from a Fabian form of Obama style government which Ms. Julia Gillard would decisively implement. Join us here on the blog or here on the Facebook page.

For any Australians looking to educate themselves on the candidates for your electorate and how to help you cast your vote consistent with your Christian values, Family Life International has put together a very helpful comprehenive Pro-Life voting guide.

Ladies I hope you don't mind if I deviate a little from the spirit of this blog to ask you all to please pray for our country this week. This week I have intervened on the PIF list to add these two principal men of the Church here in Australia;

His Eminence George Cardinal Pell - Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and
Most Reverend Bishop Geoffery Jarrett - Bishop of the Diocese of Lismore

who have both spoken about this coming federal election. It's times like these that we pray for the hierarchy of the Church to be courageous over the pulpit and over the media.

Priest in Focus for this week is:

His Eminence George Cardinal Pell

Bishop Geoffery Jarrett

Please Pray this NOVENA TO THE INFANT OF PRAGUE for Australia:

(This Novena is to be said at the same time every hour

for nine consecutive hours in just one day).

O Jesus, Who hast said,

ask and you shall receive,

seek and you shall find,

knock and it shall be opened to you,

through the intercession of Mary,

Thy Most Holy Mother,

I knock, I seek,

I ask that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

O Jesus, Who hast said,

all that you ask of the Father in My Name,

He will grant you.

Through the intercession of Mary,

Thy most Holy Mother,

I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father

in Thy Name that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

O Jesus, Who hast said,

"Heaven and earth shall pass away

but My word shall not pass",

through the intercession of Mary,

Thy Most Holy Mother,

I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

HAPPY FEAST DAY TO ALL PRIESTS - St John Vianney's feast day

2010-08-04T01:06:00.011+10:00

Today is the feast day of the "Priests priest"; Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (and my mother's birthday ;)
Saint John Vianney is known to have said,

"Virtue passes from the heart of a mother to the hearts of her children, who do willingly what they see her do."

This great saint learned this truth first hand from his own childhood experience. His own mother was truly a good woman of great piety, and she led him into the way of religion at an early age, and taught her six children to love God and to never offend Him" - The Life of the Curé d'Ars

Here is a simple and concise article written on the life and holiness of St John Vianney and also some leisurely viewing for you to enjoy on this special feast day!

Dear Saint John Vianney,
your childhood dream was to be a Priest,
to win souls for God.
You endured years of toil and humiliation
to attain the Priesthood.
You became a priest truly after God's own heart,
outstanding in humility and poverty;
prayer and mortification.
Totally devoted to the service of God's people.
The Church has exalted you as model
and patron saint of all Parish priests,
trusting that your example and prayers
will help them to live up
to the high dignity of their vocation
to be faithful servants of God's people,
to be perfect imitators of Christ the Saviour
Who came not to be served but to serve,
to give His Life in ransom for many.
Pray that God may give to His Church today
many more priests after His own Heart.
Pray for all the priests under your patronage,
that they may be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother
be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.
Amen.

Simple St. John Vianney Prayer

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

Happy Feast Day!!

July: Precious Blood of Jesus - PIF & SS...

2010-07-22T18:38:00.010+10:00

As July is the month dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus it may be a lovely offering to offer all our Masses for our clergy who bring us His precious blood when ever we go to recieve Him at Mass.

The Devotion of the Precious Blood

“The Devotion of the Precious Blood exists from the beginning of ages, since it was the first imparted to fallen man. We must thence infer that it ought to be a devotion widespread as the world. Is not everybody redeemed by the Precious Blood? Is it not to this Precious Blood that each of us owe our salvation? And if, hereafter, an everlasting crown rests upon our brow, will it not be the purchase of this Divine Blood?....The Sacred Heart has indeed loved us with a love of surpassing tenderness; and to that love we owe Its long suffering with us; and yet, neither the Sacred Heart nor the gaping wounds of Jesus have been our Redemption; that which has redeemed us – freed us from hell – is the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, therefore, our salvation is the fruit of that Blood, since to It we are indebted for Heaven, with its unfading joys, is it not just that we should, each and all, embrace Devotion to the Precious Blood, render It special worship, even daily homage? Because of the needs of the ‘people of God,’ there has been a surge of devotion to the Most Precious Blood. This devotion has become universal, and is often spoken of as the “Devotion of the Elect,” so fitting a title that seldom is a dissenting voice raised against it.”

+++

Priest In Focus

Here are the new names for our Priest in Focus & Seminarian Spotlight for this week. Please hold these men close to your heart in prayer.

We encourage ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned in the PIF spot when visiting this site. You may wish to offer an Ave for these priests at any time in the week or if you are able to offer up a small sacrifice for them, this would be a wonderful blessing also; what ever you can do would be a appreciated.

We many never see the fruits of our prayers here in this world but we hope and pray that in the next God will reward any good that we have done.

You can also find the names of the priests during the week in the top right-hand side bar.

This weeks priests are:

Fr. S Casey

Fr B Winnett OFM

Fr L Foote OP

Fr B Healy MSC

Fr H Nikel SVD

+++

Seminarian Spotlight

Also we have new names for the Seminarian Spotlight spot this week they all come from 2nd year at St John Vianney Seminary in Wagga-Wagga NSW Australia:

Peter Haack

Almarvin Badival

Sean Byrnes

Bob Francis Ejekwu

Michael Esteban

Generally we ask for each seminarian an offering of a Glory be... but as above please offer what you can, as any prayers or offerings would be a generous gift for them.

Some Changes in the PIF: Please pray this week for...

2010-07-11T14:25:00.003+10:00

I must apologize for our lack of punctuality posting our usual Thursday Priest in Focus spot. We have both been experiencing computer difficulties in one form or another which has hindered our accessibility to the internet.

Thank you for your patience with us. For now I will post the PIF priest names randomly once a week or once a fortnight; when I can so please keep popping in to catch up on which priests they will be.

We do the best we can as mothers of big families, trying to home school our children, take care of our families and maintain this blog; please keep us in your prayers as well as the priests we offer for you to pray for, as these names come from you.

We are pleased to offer this special place where we can all come to contemplate spiritual matters, pray for the needs of our priests, to share encouragement in this beautiful spiritual motherhood devotion and to pray and do penance for the clergy. Please feel free to contact us at spiritualmotherhoodforpriests@gmail.com if you have any ideas or great stories to share relating to SM.

I will endevour to add a couple more stories from the booklet soon. Aussie Annie will be back on deck around August and we will move forward in the direction that Our Lord and King may takes us.

This week we offer these priests names:

Fr A Robbie

Fr Fabian, OSB

Fr H Nikel SVD

Fr J Berg, FSSP

Fr. Antoine Thomas

Please offer a Hail Mary for them or any other offering you may like to do.

Also I am adding on the other side of the blog new names for our Seminarian Spotlight:

Please offer a Glory Be.. for each of these young men who are on the path to the priesthood, giving their life to God in a pure and selfless way.

Br. Paul Marie .

Gerard Philip Johnson

Marshall Kinsey

Priest In Focus - Please pray for these priests.

2010-06-24T19:50:00.005+10:00

Every Thursday we change the priest’s names for the weekly
Priests In Focus.

We encourage ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned in the PIF spot when visiting this site. You may wish to offer an Ave for these priests at any time in the week that you may remember. You can find the names of the priests for the week in the top right-hand side bar.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests; whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Fr S Ledinich

Fr P Crotty

Fr G Murray

Fr R Bona

Fr T Stock

Fr D Toups

A list of the individual priests we have prayed for here on the blog, are at the bottom of the right-hand side bar.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus, please email us and we would be more than happy to add that priest to our list.

"May priests commit themselves, with prayer and good works, to obtaining from Christ the Eternal High Priest, the grace to shine with Faith, Hope, Charity and the other virtues, and show by their way of life, but also with their external conduct, that they are dedicated without reserve to the spiritual good of the people something that the Church has always had at heart".

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

A Hopeful Message from the Pope.

2010-06-20T09:25:00.001+10:00

Booklet for Spiritual Mothers for Priests

2010-06-16T06:18:00.002+10:00

MAGNIFICAT ~ YEAR FOR PRIESTS COMPANION

Insight. Inspiration. Instruction.

This little publication from Magnificat has only come to my attention today though obviously it has been out since the beginning of the Year for Priests ~ I received an advertising flyer for it, so it must be a booket that can be used for the Year of the Priests and beyond.

It is not expensive ~ $3.95 and they are offering bulk rates as well which may be handy for any Spiritual Motherhood groups wishing to acquire copies for all their members. A great little apostolate to continue on the greater awareness of praying for priests could be to buy a few at bulk rates and distributing at your local parish or to friends you know would be interested.

Here is some information about this booklet:

A unique opportunity to join our Holy Father's invitation to priests and laity alike to deepen and strengthen our awareness of the gift
of the priesthood, and to grow in intimacy with Christ the great High Priest.

The Magnificat Year for Priests Companion is a one-of-a-kind spiritual guide designed to accompany you through this special Year with:

* ~Prayers, devotions, meditations, and essays celebrating the priesthood

* ~A special Novena in honor of the Priesthood, each day highlighting a different
dimension of the priestly vocation (Father, Man of Prayer, Preacher, Forgiver of Sins...)

* ~Meditation texts on significant facets of the priesthood by Saint John Vianney,
Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Catherine de Hueck Doherty,
Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J., Sister Briege McKenna, O.S.C., Alec Guinness, and many others

* ~11 beautifully reproduced pages of sacred art masterpieces

Soft-cover, 112-page booklet - Size: 4.5 x 6.7 inches

Here is an exerpt from the booklet:

The Grace of the Presence of Christ

Father Walter Ciszek, S.J.

The moment a priest appeared on the camp grounds by himself or with a fellow priest, he would be joined by passing prisoners. The moment it became known in a new brigade or new barracks or a new camp that a man was a priest, he would be sought out. He didn't have to make friends; they came to him instead. It was a very humbling experience, because you quickly came to appreciate that it was God's grace at work and had little to do with your own efforts. People came to you because you were a priest, not because of what you were personally. They didn't always come, either, expecting wise counsel or spiritual wisdom or an answer to their every difficulty; they came expecting absolution from their sins, the power of the sacrament.

To realize this was a matter of joy and of humility. You realized that they came to you as a man of God, a representative of God, a man chosen from among men and ordained for men in the things that are of God; you realized, too, that this imposed upon you an obligation of service, of ministry, with no thought of personal inconvenience, no matter how tired you might be physically or what risks you might be running in the face of official threats.

For my part, I could not help but see in every encounter with every prisoner the will of God for me, now, at this time and in this place, and the hand of providence that had brought me there by strange and torturous paths...

The things that are of God are all the joys and works and sufferings of each day, however burdensome and boring, routine and insignificant they may seem. It is the priest's function to offer these things back to God for his fellow men and to serve as an example, a witness, a martyr, a testimony before the men around him of God's providence and purpose.

The Holy Father's Conclusion on the YOTP & The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

2010-06-14T12:36:00.007+10:00

AND THEY CAME!!!

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & the Conclusion of the Year of the Priest - St Peter's Square Friday, 11 June 2010

Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my Trust In YOU!

The Wife, Mother and Mystic of Mexico: Venerable Conchita Cabrera de Armida

2010-06-09T23:15:00.018+10:00

The wife, mother and mystic of Mexico.

To celebrate the end of this awesome Year of the Priest, I wanted to share with you the amazing life story of Venerable Conchita Cabrera de Armida. She was one of the most amazing mystics of our time; seeming simple and tangible because of her normal life as a daughter, wife, mother, widow, grandmother, friend and companion. Yet in the spiritual reality of her life she lived in a juxtaposition of earthly normality and in an enigmatic union with God. Her children were to say of their mother that they were unaware of anything supernatural in thier her life except that she was the "best mother in the world".
What Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi was for Italy in the 18th/19th century Venerable Conchita was for Mexico in the 19th/20th century both as wives, mothers, and mystic. She wrote more than any other mystics of the Church. In all she did for Christ Crucified, she did in hiddenness during her period of being a wife, homemaker, serving her husband and family. I will try to paint, and all, but incomplete picture of her here; please discover this remarkable inspiration spiritual mother for yourself, she is a model to us all.
Concepcion Cabrera was born in San Luis Potosi the seventh of twelve children. Her mother was very ill after her birth, so Conchita was taken from her mother to a farm a distance away to be feed by a wet nurse. (Notice this compares to another great spiritual mother patron, St Therese, at the beginning of her life).
She was brought up in a family where her father, the head of the home, led the family spiritually with the rosary being said daily. She loved piano and horse riding and was given many responsibilities in the home from a young age. She was attracted to prayer from an early age and after reading about the lives of the saints commenced doing mortifications and sacrifices imagining how she could imitate the holy people who inspired her.

A young lovely Conchita

She grew up quickly and was often mistaken as being older than she was. This brought many young men visiting in the hope of courtship. She met her future husband Pancho at a dance, which she attended under obedience, she was very young, only thirteen. Her parents recognized she was much too young for any marital commitment so after a year they agreed to become engaged. It was a long and very pure engagement lasting nine years. During this period Pancho was a sheer gentleman, they shared prayers and religious poems together. She continued to socialize but only to be close to Pancho - she never forgot about God, for she belonged to Him first.

Panco and Conchita's wedding day.

Conchita said to Our Lord, "Lord, I feel so unable to love You, so I want to get married. Give me many children so they will love You better than I." They married on November 8th 1884. She only asked Pancho for two things: to allow her to go to Holy Communion everyday and to never be jealous. Pancho kept both these promises and support his wife in all her religious devotions and commitments.

I quote now from: CONCHITA - A Mother's Spiritual Diary:

For understanding Conchita.... A brief statement in her Diary reveals to us her state of soul as a young married woman: "Upon seeing, despite my husband's great goodness, marriage did not correspond to what I regarded as life's fullness, instinctively my heart drew closer and closer to God, seeking in Him what was wanting in it. The inner life of my soul had grown in spite of all the joys of the earth". In the very bosom of the greatest joys of love, she feels the limitations and the ephemeral nature of all human love.

Their first child was Francisco born on September 28, 1885.

Francisco (1885-1982)

Then came Carlos who was born on March 28, 1887. He died of typhoid fever at the age of six. Conchita tells us, “His death was heartbreaking for me, and I felt such pain as I had never felt before.”

Manuel her third child, was born in January 23, 1889. He became a Jesuit priest, while living in Spain he wrote to his mother about his decision to become a priest. She wrote back to him, she gave him this advice

“Give yourself to the Lord with all your heart, and do not hold anything back! Forget about creatures and forget especially about yourself! I cannot imagine someone consecrated to God who is not a saint. One cannot give only half of oneself to God. Be generous with him!”

Manuel (1889-1955) -
Ordained a Priest in the Society of Jesus on July 31, 1922 in

Barcelona.

Maria de la Concepción, (Concha) born on September 29, 1890, was their first daughter. At six months she got seriously ill and they young couple prepared for the worst, she recovered. She got terrible ill once again in the year of her first Holy Communion contracting typhoid fever. For 40 days and nights she clung to life but God had other plans as he wanted this beautiful pure flower for Himself . He dictated to Conchita;
"Concha was an angel, extremely pure, filled with hidden qualities and virtues. Modesty was her dominant note. How many virtues I saw her practice in the bosom of the family and in the intimacy of the home! She was a jewel, a pearl, a precious 'shell' a lily... At fifteen she made a vow of virginity, and at seventeen and a half she entered religion... A pure jewel not made for this world... The Lord chose her for Himself “She entered the convent of the Sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on October 23, 1916.

Maria de la Concepción (1890-1925)

Conchita and Pancho had five other children: Ignacio, Pablo, Salvador, Pedro, and Guadalupe.
While she was sewing one day she suddenly heard a voice that said to her, “Pedrito is in the pool in the garden.” She ran to him but it was too late. Had drowned in the garden pool; he was only six.

Ignacio1893 - 1979

Pablo 1895 - 1913

Salvador 1896 - 1975

Guadalupe (Lupe) 1898 - 1980

Conchita loved her husband and family but she had a burning desire of love toward Our Lord. She asked permission to mark herself with a monogram of Christ and had the initials J.H.S cut into her chest (Jesus Salvator Hominun – Jesus, Saviour of Men). After this she had a supernatural force which threw her to the ground and from within she burned with the flames of love for Christ. Vehemently and zealously I asked the Lord for the salvation of souls! Jesus Saviour of souls, save them, save them!
She was transformed and the Spirituality of the Cross was born. Subsequently she began to understand more deeply the imitation of Christ and the joy of suffering. In a vision she saw the Holy Spirit as a cross with a dove, a flaming heart encircled by thorns with tiny crosses fastened to it. This image became the symbol of her spiritual works which she founded, the “Works of the Cross” . She now had a mission outside of her family life yet never neglecting her duties to the state of her life as wife and mother. She considered these duties sacred and carried them out perfectly.

The image Jesus revealed to her for the “Works of the Cross”

The Apostolate of the Cross is an organization whose members unite their sufferings with the sufferings of Christ in order to save souls. The Lord revealed to her an order of contemplative nuns dedicated to this life and a congregation of men that would share this message of the cross for the salvation of souls, to the whole world. This is also shared with the lay man and woman in the Love Crucified Communities who seek to live the spirituality of Venerable Conchita as victim souls to do Gods will for the glory of the Father.

The Lord revealed Himself to her as Victim, Priest and Host. Her entire spiritual doctrine was marked be a priestly character. Our Lord sorrowfully revealed to her the lack of fervour of some priests. He told her," You are destined for the salvation of souls, most especially souls of priests. I want you to be My Host and have the intention of offering yourself with Me on all the patens on earth. I want you transformed in me by suffering, and by the practice of all the virtues, to raise heavenward this cry of your soul in union with me; ‘This is My Body, This is my blood." This was the essence of her Works of the Cross.

"This Cross will chase away the devil, spread warmth and life, cure souls and bodies, and make many miracles" - The Promise of Jesus to Ven. Concepción Cabrera de Armida.

Panco with some of the children

She knew on the night of her husband death that the Lord was asking her to sacrifice her husband, she accepted this within her soul but her present earthly being rejected and refused it. It was like a sword piercing her soul without consolation. Her beloved Pancho died a holy death on September 1901, she was by his side with her four older children, at the time her eldest was only 16. Our Lady was her source of strength, asking her to help in the upbringing of her young family. She suffered terribly the loss of her husband. She meet a priest soon afterward Pancho's death who gave her spiritual consolation and would help her develop and found the "Works of the Cross" – Fr Felix Rougier de Jesus. They would give counsel and advice to one another until the end of their lives.

Fr Felix de Jesus Rougier.

At 44 Conchita was inspired by God to rise up a group of spiritual elite to be consecrated to God in the service of the Church, called the “Chain of Love". This was the central grace of her life.

The Mexican Bishops learned of the Apostolate of the Cross and the desire for a foundation of priests; “The Priest of the Cross.” In 1913 Conchita was requested by the Congregation for Religious to send her writings to Rome which contained the secrets of her soul and her spiritual life. She had a private interview with Pope St Pius X and he gave his blessing and approval to the new congregation of priests with the new name of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.

Pope St Pius X

In the 1920’s Mexico was undergoing a political crisis and the Church was being heavily persecuted. Conchita prayed fervently for her country’s Church. She prayed without ceasing for priests and bishops and bravely hid them in her home. On March 3rd 1937 she died a quiet and holy death from bronchial pneumonia and other illnesses.

References:

Modern Saints Their Lives and Faces, Book Two by Ann Ball.
Conchita A Mother’s Spiritual Diary. Edited by Marie-Michel Philipon

***

“MOTHER, TEACH ME HOW TO BE A PRIEST!”

This is a beautiful article adapted from the booklet - Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood for Priests. It has a different perspective from the top posting; it illustrates Conchita as a mother, a spiritual mother to her son Manuel:

Father Manuel

Jesus prepared her to live a life of spiritual motherhood for priests. In the future, she will be of great importance for the universal Church.

Jesus once explained to Conchita,

“There are souls, who through ordination receive a priestly anointing. However, there are ... also priestly souls who do not have the dignity or the ordination of a priest, yet have a priestly mission. They offer themselves united to me… these souls help the Church in a very powerful spiritual way. … You will be the mother of a great number of spiritual children, yet they will cost your heart the death of a thousand martyrs.

“Bring yourself as an offering for the priests. Unite your offering with my offering, to obtain graces for them.” … “I want to come again into this world. … in my priests. I want to renew the world by revealing myself through the priests. I want to give my Church a powerful impulse in which I will pour out the Holy Spirit over my priests like a new Pentecost.

“The Church and the world need a new Pentecost, a priestly Pentecost, an interior Pentecost.”

As a young girl, Conchita once prayed before the Blessed Sacrament, “Lord, I feel so incapable of loving you; therefore, I want to marry. Give me many children so that they can love you more than I.”

Conchita as a very beautiful young lady.

She had a very happy marriage, and gave birth to nine children—two girls and seven boys, each of whom she consecrated to Our Lady, “I give them entirely to you as your children. You know that I am not capable of raising them. I understand too little of what it means to be a mother. But you...you know it.” She endured the death of four of her children, each dying a holy death.

Naturally, Conchita’s spiritual motherhood was very apparent in one of her sons who became a priest. She wrote about him, “Manuel was born in the same hour that Fr. José Camacho died. Upon hearing the news, I prayed to God that my son could replace him at the altar. … When little Manuel began to talk, we prayed together for the great grace of a vocation to the priesthood. … On the day of his First Holy Communion and on all the major solemnities, he renewed this prayer. … At the age of 17, he joined the Society of Jesus.”

In 1914, she met Manuel in Spain for the last time, because he never returned to Mexico. He wrote in a letter to her, “My dear little mother, you have shown me the way. Fortunately, I have heard from your lips since my earliest years the challenging and saving teaching of the Cross. Now I want to put it into practice.” His mother felt the pain of separation, “I took your letter to the tabernacle and told the Lord that I accept this sacrifice with my whole soul. The next day I was carrying your letter close to my heart when I received Holy Communion and, in this way, renewed my total offering to the Lord.”

“MOTHER, TEACH ME HOW TO BE A PRIEST!”

On 23 July 1922, one week before his ordination to the priesthood, the 33-year-old Manuel asked Conchita in a letter,
“Mother, teach me how to be a priest! Tell me about the immeasurable joy of being able to celebrate Holy Mass. I put everything back into your hands, just as when you held me to your chest as a very small child, teaching me the beautiful names of Jesus and Mary and introducing me to this mystery. I really feel like an infant asking for your light, your prayer and your sacrifice. ... As soon as I am a priest, I will send you my blessing, and then I will receive yours on my knees.”

On 31 July 1922, as Manuel was being ordained to the priesthood in Barcelona, Conchita woke up in the middle of the night so that she could participate spiritually in his ordination. She was overcome by the awareness, “I am the mother of a priest! … I can only cry and give thanks! I invite all of heaven to give thanks in my place because I am incapable of doing it, I who am so wretched.” Ten years later, she wrote to her son, “I cannot imagine a priest who is not Jesus, even less so in the Society of Jesus. I pray that your transformation into Christ, through celebrating Holy Mass, may help you to become Jesus day and night.” (17 May 1932) “What would we do without the Cross? Life would be unbearable without pain; it unites, sanctifies, purifies and attains grace.” (10 June 1932)Fr. Manuel died a holy death in 1955 at the age of 66.

The Lord enlightened Conchita regarding her apostolate, “I will entrust to you a different martyrdom: you will suffer what the priests undertake against me. You will experience and offer up their infidelity and wretchedness.” This spiritual motherhood for the sanctification of priests and the Church consumed her completely at the age of 74.

Prayer That a Child May Be a Priest or Religious

Blessed mother, Mary, the greatest joy and honour of a parent is to train their child, by word and example, to dedicate their entire life to loving your Son, Jesus. All of us are called to this love by whatever vocation we have. In the providence of God, I have been called to love God as a parent, and with your help and intercession, my child has grown to know and love God. I now pray that my child might have a vocation to serve God in a special way by entering into His holy service.

Freely do I give my child (mention name here) to God, for God freely gave my child to me. And in His all-pervading love for us both, we will be reunited in heaven. Let my child see the true values of living in holy and constant communion with your Divine Son. Encourage in the heart of my child a willingness to bear with any burden in order to love God more faithfully, and to love everyone in the world for God's sake.

Please make my child worthy of a call from God to a special and total dedication to God's family here on earth. I ask this of you, holy mother, only because of my deep love for your Son. Help me always to be a good example in my home, so that my child can learn how God's love has been ever with us.

Amen

LITANY FOR PRIESTS:

written by Venerable Concepción Cabrera de Armida, (spiritual mother of priests), September 18, 1921.

For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, R. Lord, give him your Heart of the Good Shepherd.

For the successors of the Apostles, R. Lord, give them fatherly concern for their priests.

For your Bishops chosen by the Holy Spirit, R. Lord, keep them close to your sheep.

For your Pastors, R. Lord, teach them to serve rather than to seek to be served.

For confessors and spiritual directors, R. Lord, make them docile instruments of your Spirit.

For those who announce Your Word, R. Lord, let them communicate your Spirit and Life.

For those who help the lay apostolate, R. Lord, encourage them to give witness.

For those who work with the youth, R. Lord, may they commit the youth to you.

For those who work among the poor, R. Lord, make them see and serve you in them.

For those who care for the sick, R. May they teach them the value of suffering, Lord.

For poor priests, R. Help them, Lord.

For sick priests, R. Heal them, Lord.

For elderly priests, R. Give them joyful hope, Lord.

For the sad and afflicted, R. Console them, Lord.

For anxious and troubled priests, R. Give them your peace, Lord.

For the ridiculed and persecuted, R. Defend their cause, Lord.

For lukewarm priests, R. Inflame them, Lord.

For the discouraged, R. Give them courage, Lord.

For those who aspire to the priesthood, R. Give them perseverance, Lord.

To all priests, R. Give them fidelity to you and your Church, Lord.

To all priests, R. Give them obedience and love for the Holy Father, Lord.

To all priests, R. Let them live in communion with their Bishop, Lord.

That all priests, R. Be one as you, Lord, and the Father are One.

That all priests, R. May promote the justice with which you, Lord, are just.

That all priests, R. Collaborate in the unity of the Presbyterate, Lord.

That all priests, filled with your presence, R. Live joyfully in celibacy, Lord.

To all priests, R. Grant them the fullness of your Spirit, Lord, and transform them into yourself.

In a special way, I pray for those priests through whom I have received your graces. I pray for the priest who baptized me and for those who have absolved me of my sins, reconciling me with you and with your Church. I pray for those priests in whose Masses I have participated and who have given me your Body as nourishment. I pray for those priests who have shared your Word with me, and for those who have helped me and led me to you.

Amen.

Letter from Cardinal Hummes - End of the Year of the Priest

2010-06-07T13:09:00.005+10:00

This coming Friday, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the final day of the Year of the Priest. During this last week we will be working hard to offer some final articles, stories and prayers to share.

Here written so eloquently is Cardinal Hummes's letter on the end of the YOTP, sourced from the Zenit website.

Letter on End of Priestly Year

"The Church Loves You, Admires You and Respects You"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 15, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is the letter sent to all priests by Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, in anticipation of the closing of the priestly year.

"Dear Priests,

The Year for Priests brings great joy to the Church and she thanks the Lord for having inspired the Holy Father to announce it. All the information which is presented here in Rome concerning the numerous initiatives taken by the local Churches throughout the world, in order to put this special year into effect, are proof of how this Year has been so well received and -- we can add -- how it has responded to a true and deep longing of priests and the entire People of God. It was time to give special attention, acknowledgement and commitment to the great, hardworking and irreplaceable presbyterium, and to each individual priest of the Church.

It is true that, albeit proportionately small in number, some priests have committed horrible and most serious crimes of sexual abuse upon minors, deeds that we must condemn and rebuke in an absolute and uncompromising manner. Those individuals must answer for their actions before God and before tribunals, including the civil courts. Nevertheless, we also pray that they might achieve spiritual conversion and receive pardon from God. The Church, for her part, is determined neither to hide nor to minimize such crimes. Above all we are on the side of the victims and want to support their recovery and their offended rights.

On the other hand, it is absolutely unacceptable to use the crimes of the few in order to sully the entire ecclesial body of priests. Those who do so commit a profound injustice. In the course the Year for Priests, the Church seeks to say this to human society. Anyone possessed of common sense and good will knows it to be the truth.

That being necessarily said, we turn now to you, dear priests.

We want to repeat to you, yet again, that we recognize that which you are and that which you do in the Church and in society. The Church loves you, admires you and respects you. You are, moreover, a joy for our Catholic people throughout the world and it welcomes you and supports you, especially in theses times of suffering.

Within two months we will have reached the conclusion of the Year for Priests. The Pope, dear priests, invites you from the heart to come to Rome from every part of the world for this conclusion, on the 9th, 10th and 11th June next. From every country in the world! Shouldn’t we expect many thousands of them from the countries nearest Rome? Do not, then, hesitate to respond to the heartfelt and cordial invitation of the Holy Father. Come to Rome and God will bless you. The Pope wants to confirm the priests of the Church. Their presence in large numbers in St. Peter’s Square will be a proactive and responsible way for priests to show themselves ready and unintimidated for the service of the humanity entrusted to them by Jesus Christ. Their visibility in the Square, before the modern world, will be a proclamation of their being sent not to condemn the world, but to save it (cf. Jn. 3: 17 and 12: 47). In such a context even a large number will have a special significance.

There is yet another particular motivation for the presence in Rome of numerous priests for the conclusion of the Year for Priests, which is found at the heart of the Church today. One speaks of offering to our beloved Pope Benedict XVI our solidarity, our support, our confidence, and our unconditional communion, in the face of the frequent attacks direct towards Him, at this moment of time, in the field of his decisions with regard to clerics involved in crimes of the sexual abuse of minors. The accusations directed towards Him are obviously unjust, and it has been shown that no one has done as much as Benedict XVI to condemn and to combat properly such crimes. Therefore, the large presence of priests in the Square with Him will be a determined rejection of the unjust attacks of which he is a victim. So then, come as well to publicly support the Holy Father.

The conclusion of the Year for Priests will not be, properly speaking, a conclusion, but a new beginning.
We, the People of God and its shepherds, want to thank the Lord for this privileged period of prayer and reflection on the priesthood.
At the same time we want to be alert to what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us. Meanwhile we will return to the exercise of our mission in the Church and in the world with renewed joy and with the conviction that God, the Lord of history, remains with us, both in crises and in new times.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Priests, intercede for us and inspire us in the following of her Son Jesus Christ, our Lord."

Rome, 12th April 2010

Cardinal Cláudio Hummes

Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Our First and Last Thursday as The Year of the Priest Comes to a Close.

2010-06-01T19:01:00.053+10:00

Year of the Priest Icon Image

As the Year of the Priest draws to a close we encourage all to continue and deepen their dedication to the Spiritual Mothers for Priests devotion. Although the year is closing our hearts and prayers are not. This blog will continue as it has done throughout this year; as long as we can keep going, it will keep going!

What an awesome blessing this past year has been. The Church in her infinite wisdom and love offered us, the faithful, this imperative cause; to pray for the priesthood. She asked us to make a stronger and more committed devotion to them. To become more willing to serve them in special ways , through prayer, sacrifice and an awareness of the difficulties they face in the vocation God has mysteriously bestowed upon them.

In praying for the sacred priesthood; their physical, emotional, spiritual and earthly needs she has hopefully initiated and inspired each and every Catholic to a renewed devotion to every priest, especially in this difficult hour and era of her history and theirs. The Church is truly a mother that knows her children.

This is also the last First Thursday for the Year of the Priest and will be the final opportunity to receive the plenary indulgence offered by Pope Benedict XVI for this year dedicated to the priesthood. Going to Mass and offering up your Mass in honour of Christ the Eternal High priest and covering the usual conditions of Confession and prayers for the Pope will guarantee you receiving this divine gift.

My co-blogger "A" has been having computer difficulties recently so we apologies that our regular Thursday Priest in Focus hasn't been moving forward lately. I will include three new priests names here in this post. Please pray a Hail Mary or any other offering that you may like to do, specifically for these three priests this week. Their names are also shown up in the top right-hand side bar:

Fr G Byers, CPM
Fr Pius Mary, OSB
Fr Jean de Britto, OSB

A wonderful finale to the Year of the Priest might be to make it a new beginning. A wonderful idea that came to mind was to offer each day in some way for our priests.
I found this list of daily dedications a long time ago and have had it placed on my schoolroom wall. It's a beautiful dedication for each day of the week. I thought it would be a lovely extension of our devotion to offer each day from a beautiful part of our faith, with this list as the guide:

Sunday - Dedicated to The Resurrection & The Holy and Undivided Trinity.

This prayer is a timely example of the current graces needed by our priests:

“Most Holy Trinity,
please grant our Holy Father, our Bishop and all clergy
the perseverance, fortitude, strength, wisdom and compassion
necessary to fight the forces of evil
which assail them from within and without the Church.
Help them to lead their flocks to full conversion,
final perseverance and eternal salvation.
We ask this through, Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns in heaven
together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.”

Monday - Dedicated to The Holy Spirit & the Souls in Purgatory. This day could be offered up for departed Priests through this powerful prayer:

O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, N..., to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchizedek, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own Holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy Holy Presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labours. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Please pray for...name of priest/priests.

Tuesday - Dedicated to The Holy Angles, St Anne & St Martha. Through these holy women we could look to our own path to holiness and pray to Holy Mother Mary, St Anne & St Martha to help us strive to be better Mothers to our families and to implore their intercession in the pursuit of a stronger prayer life in our Spiritual Mother devotion to the holy priesthood.

In this prayer we ask St Anne to intercede for us. We ask her to
imbue woman with her priceless virtues and graces; to strengthen and enlighten us in our roles as mothers, wives, Catholic women & spiritual mothers to the priesthood:

Prayer to Saint Anne

With my heart full of the most sincere veneration's, I prostrate myself before thee, O glorious Saint Anne. Thou art that creature of privilege and predilection, who by thy extraordinary virtues and holiness didst merit from God the high favour of giving life to her who is the Treasury of all graces, blessed among women, the Mother of the Word Incarnate, the most holy Virgin Mary. By virtue of so lofty a privilege, do thou deign, O most compassionate saint, to receive me into the number of thy true clients, for so I profess myself and so I desire to remain throughout my entire life.
Shield me with thine effectual patronage and obtain for me from God the power to imitate those virtues wherewith thou wast so plentifully adorned. Grant that I may know and weep over my sins in bitterness of heart. Obtain for me the grace of most active love for Jesus and Mary, and resolution to fulfil the duties of my state of life with faithfulness and constancy. Save me from every danger that confronts me in life, and help me at the hour of death, that so I may come in safety to paradise, there to sing with thee, O most happy mother, the praises of the Word of God made Man in the mother of thy most pure daughter, the Virgin Mary.

Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be... (Three times)

I quote now from the little St Anne booklet "Good St Anne", a treasury of instruction and inspiration.

"St Anne obtains many graves, priceless graces for all who venerate her, but she grants her maternal assistance in particular to Christian mothers who choose her for their patroness and model".

Wednesday - Dedicated to St Joseph. He was the foster father of Jesus Christ whilst here on earth, and Jesus still obeys his requests in heaven. He is the universal patron of the Church, so whatever our petition may be, we can pray to St. Joseph with confidence.

Prayer for the Church and Priests & Pope:
Most powerful Patriarch St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, which has always invoked thee in anxiety and trouble, from the exalted seat of thy glory cast a loving glance upon the whole Catholic world. let thy fatherly heart be touched at the sight of the Mystical Spouse and the Vicar of Christ overwhelmed with sorrow and persecuted by powerful enemies. Oh, by the bitter anguish thou didst experience upon earth, dry the tears of the venerable Pontiff, defend him, comfort him, intercede for him with the Giver of peace and charity, that, all adversity being removed and all error dissipated, the entire Church Priests may serve God in perfect liberty. Amen.

Prayer for Priests:
O illustrious patriarch St. Joseph, who carried the Infant Jesus in thy blessed arms and who, during the space of thirty years, lived in the most intimate familiarity with Him, take under thy powerful protection those whom He has clothed with His authority and honoured with the dignity of His priesthood, whom He has charged to continue His mission, to preach His Gospel, and to dispense everywhere His graces and blessings. Sustain them in their fatigues and labours; console them in their pains; fortify them in their combats; but above all, keep far from them all the evils of sin.
Obtain for them the humility of St. John the Baptist, the faith of St. Peter, the zeal and charity of St. Paul, the purity of St. John and the spirit of prayer and recollection of which thou, my dear Saint, art the model, so that, after having been on earth, the faithful dispensers of the Mysteries of thy foster Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, they may in Heaven receive the recompense promised to pastors according to the Heart of God.

Amen.

Thursdays - Dedicated to The Blessed Sacrament. The Church has asked us to offer each first Thursday for the priesthood during this closing YOTP. As a sacrifice we could continue to make this day an offering, consecrating each Thursday for priests and seminarians (and if possible a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in honour of the sanctification of the priesthood). We pray for the momentum of grace to strengthen them in holiness and priestly virtues so they may attain great glory for God:

THURSDAY CONSECRATION PRAYER

O my Beloved Jesus,
I give and consecrate to Thee this Thursday and all the Thursdays of my life, in praise of the adorable Mystery of Thy Body and Blood, and in thanksgiving for that of the Priesthood.

Moved by Thy Holy Spirit, and full of confidence in the help of Thy Most Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, I resolve to live each Thursday for the rest of my days here below in adoration and in reparation for priests and, especially, for those who do not adore Thee, for those who are most wounded in their souls, and for those who are exposed to the attacks of the powers of darkness. I want to remain before Thy Eucharistic Face for them and in their place; I want to draw near, in their name, to Thy open Heart, ever-flowing with the Blood and the Water that purify, heal, and sanctify all souls, but, first of all, those of Thy priests.

Let each Thursday find me close to the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, in adoration and reparation for the sake of all Thy priests. Make me an entirely Eucharistic soul, according to the desires of Thy Sacred Heart and the designs of Thy merciful goodness upon my life. I desire nothing else. I want to love Thee more each day; I want to be the faithful adorer of Thy Eucharistic Face and the consoling friend of Thy Sacred Heart hidden in the tabernacles of the world, where it beats, wounded by love, forgotten, forsaken, and waiting for the adoration and for the love of even one priest.
Amen.

Friday - Dedicated to Christ's Passion and His Sacred Heart. Here is a link to an inspirational post by Father Mark from Vultus Christi on "Sharing in the Passion of Christ" and on Blessed Dom Marmion, formed by the contemplation of Love Crucified.

Christ revealed to St Margaret Mary 12 promises to those who show devotion to His Sacred Heart. Each Friday these promises could be renewed to keep us pure on our path to holiness:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.

5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.

6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and Infinite Ocean of Mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.

9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honoured and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements.

10. I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence: they will not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

(The Nine Fridays must be made in honour of His Sacred Heart, meaning, practicing the devotion and having a great love of His Sacred Heart. They must be on the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months, and Communion must be received.)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place My Trust in Thee

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee, Whatever may befall me, Lord, though dark the hour may be; In all my woes, in all my joys, though nought but grief I see, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.
When those I loved have passed away, and I am sore distressed,0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly to Thee for rest. In all my trials, great or small, my confidence shall be Unshaken as I cry, dear Lord, I place my trust in Thee.
This is my one sweet prayer, dear Lord, my faith, my trust, my love, But most of all in that last hour, when death points up above, O sweet Saviour, may Thy face smile on my soul all free. Oh may I cry with rapturous love, I've placed my trust in Thee.

Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests
Remember, 0 most loving Heart of Jesus, that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the servant is not greater than his Lord. Remember, O Heart of Jesus, that they are the objects of the world's hatred and Satan's deadliest snares. Keep them then, 0 Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth. May they be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may be brought through their word to believe in You and love You.

Amen

Saturday - Dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Heart. Our Lady knows her priests' hearts better than anyone else other than her divine Son Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is a beautiful prayer to use on a Saturday - her day, Our Blessed Mother Mary.

Marian Prayer For The Year Of The Priest

O Virgin Mary, we commend to you those who seek to follow your Son as priests.
You know the difficulties, struggles and obstacles they will face. Assist them to utter their "yes" to the Divine Call as you did at the invitation of the Angel.
Draw them near to your heart so they may understand. With you the joy and beauty that awaits when the Lord calls them into His intimacy.

Make them witnesses of His Love. Enable them to inspire the Church with their consecration. May your all powerful intercession touch the hearts of many that they respond to the Lord’s call. Repeat to them in the depth of their hearts what you said to the waiters at Cana: "Do whatever Jesus asks."
We ask this in your Son’s name.
Amen.

posted by Zeliemum.

Ordination Anniversaries

2010-05-19T04:12:00.016+10:00

We have received some gracious emails asking for special prayers for specific priests and deacons who are celebrating anniversaries during the Marian Month of May. I have listed their names in the side bar under our Wife and Mother Patroness - Blessed Anna Maria Taigi.

If you would be so kind as to go over and view their names and offer a special prayer to Our Heavenly Mother Mary for them I'm sure they would be very grateful.

Priests Anniversaries:

19th May, 2010.

Fr. John Rizzo, FSSP: 25th Anniversary.

22nd May, 2010.

Fr. Ken Webb, FSSP 6th Anniversary.

Ordinations to the Sacred Priesthood:

28th May 2010.

Friar John Derrick Yap, OFM
Friar William Lee, OFM
Friar Just Lim, OFM

22nd May

Rev. Peter Bauknecht, FSSP

Rev. Simon Harkins, FSSP

Rev. Garrick Huang, FSSP

Rev. Rhone Lillard, FSSP

Rev. John Rickert, FSSP

Rev. John Shannon, FSSP

Please pray for these priests and deacons at the foot of the Altar of Our Lord.

O Jesus, Eternal Priest;

keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your

Sacred Heart, where none may harm them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands

which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the

sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and shield them

from the world's contagion.

Bless their labours with abundant fruit,

and may the souls to whom they have ministered to

be their joy and consolation

and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us;

obtain for us many holy priests.

Amen.

Merry, Mary, Month of May!

“May the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, always smile on your spirit, obtaining for it, from her Most Holy Son, every heavenly blessing.”

-Saint Padre Pio-

Connection between Saints and their Mothers.

2010-05-14T16:22:00.004+10:00

This is a very inspiring article that is exciting news for any mother praying for a vocation to the priesthood within from her family.

Rome, Italy, Mar 5, 2010 (CNA/EWTN News).- Italian historians are taking interest in the role mothers in transmitting faith to their sons. Referring to the examples of St. Jean Vianney, Popes Pius X and Paul VI, the Vatican newspaper suggests that this relationship is fundamental to religious vocations.

According to an article published in the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR), historians at a recent conference in Modena, Italy commented on the need to study the relationship that ties the man of faith to his mother. In studying biographies, they asserted that faith is almost always transmitted to a man by his mother.

LOR indicates that while research into this relationship can be useful in "reconstructing biographical events of public personalities, it assumes a deeper and almost essential significance" if one looks at the emergence and maturation of a religious vocation.

St. Jean Vianney, the Cure of Ars and patron of priests, spoke of this relationship often, telling his parishioners "virtue passes from the heart of the mother to the heart of the children," the Vatican newspaper noted.

In the book Mothers of Saints, by Albina Henrion, the prayerfulness of the Cure of Ars is attributed to the influence of St. Jean's mother who created an atmosphere of prayer that "he almost breathed in his family life."

The saint said about his gift of prayer, "After God, it is the work of my mother," and added that children "voluntarily do what they see done."

In the book, the story of his mother's great charity throughout her life is told as well as her encouragement of young Jean's vocation and how she convinced the boy's father to allow him receive religious instruction. Although she did not live to see him ordained, he carried her example on through the "inexhaustible and charitable exercise of his ministry," reported LOR.

Another example offered by the Vatican newspaper was Saint Pius X, whose mother, Margherita Sanson, raised him and numerous brothers and sisters. She taught them to pray first thing in the morning, communicate with God throughout the day in Mass and Scripture reading, and to end each day with prayer, bringing the family together for an open examination of conscience. After describing this tradition, a friend of the family said, "is it any wonder that a holy soul came out of there?"

Following her son's episcopal ordination and placement in Mantova, the future Pope Pius X visited his mother to thank her. After kissing his episcopal ring, she showed him her wedding ring and said, "Your ring is very beautiful, Giuseppe, but you wouldn't have it if I didn't have this."

Margherita lived to see her son become the Patriarch (Archbishop) of Venice.

The final example presented by LOR was that of Pope Paul VI, who talked of an "unpayable debt of gratitude to his mother." To her, he said, "I owe my sense of concentration, of interior life, of the meditation which is prayer, the prayer that is meditation. Her entire life was a gift."

After the deaths of his parents, he said, "To the love of my father and of my mother, to their union I owe my love of God and love of man."

Paul VI, indicates LOR, offered a further insight, saying, "We, they tell us, all live more or less from that which a woman has taught us in the sublime dimension. And boys feel it more than girls, because of nature... priest-sons even more strongly, because they are consecrated to solitude."

God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest!

I myself want to live as a good Christian
and want to guide my children always to do what is right,
so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed to give you a holy priest!
Amen

Priests in Focus on the Fatima Day 13th May

2010-05-13T22:15:00.003+10:00

Today's Priests in Focus is a little different, due mainly to the fact that my computer has completely crashed and at this stage we cannot access any files at all. So I am working off my mother's laptop with no Priests in Focus widget or Paint shop pro program to add the priests for the week.

I had in fact, received a special request for prayers for a dedicated and devote young priest whose ordination anniversary falls on the first of the Our Lady of Fatima days for the year ~ the 13th of May. This priest, Fr Dan Doctor is celebrating his 4th anniversary and so I ask for prayers for this fine young priest in this week to come.

So due to the unusual circumstances that I find myself in, I have decided to dedicate this week's Priest in Focus to Fr Doctor alone. May God bless him with many fruitful years of priestly ministry.

Make Mary's Month of May Meaningful - Say Thanks

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Double click image to enlarge.

May 4th: Feast day of Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis - A Life of Dedication to the Priesthood.

2010-05-04T00:16:00.001+10:00

My son (7) and I were looking up who's feast day it was today in the Saints for Young Readers for Every Day Vol 1 book and I discovered that it was Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis's feast day. She was a nun who founded a religious order devoted to the priesthood particularly within their household care and supporting priests in their educational work.
Here are some details I discovered about this humble saintly nun:

Elodie Paradis was a very young entrant into the world of a religious sister, entering as a novice at 13/14 years of age and taking her final vows at the young age of 17 in the order of The Sisters of the Holy Cross.
Her father after leaving the family in the small village of L'Acadie in Quebec Canada to try and find wealth in the Gold Fields in California was not happy on his return to find his Elodie had joined the convent. He went to the convent and begged her to return home with him but she decided to stay. He eventually accepted her decision and was resigned for God take his daughter as His bride.
She eventually started a new religious order inspired by Martha in the Gospel, The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, a community dedicated to serving the clergy.

Martha and Mary with Jesus

(Father, your Son honoured St. Martha by coming to her home as a guest. By her prayers may we serve Christ in our brothers and sisters and be welcomed by you into heaven, our true home. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.)

I came across this blog today by Father Anthony Ho while searching for information on Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis, here is an excerpt from his article:

"In this Year for Priests it is very appropriate to recall Blessed Marie Leonie’s special love for priests.

Little Sisters of the Holy Family

Blessed Marie Leonie was born in 1840. At the age of 13 she joined the Holy Cross Sisters. After serving as a teacher for 20 years she was entrusted with domestic work at St. Joseph’s College in New Brunswick.

Believing in the dignity and greatness of the priesthood, Blessed Marie Leonie decided to dedicate her life to the service of priests through humble domestic work. Many young women were willing to join her, so in 1880 Blessed Marie Leonie decided to form a new religious community to serve priests: The Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
The sisters were involved mainly in domestic work. They worked in kitchens, laundries, and sacristies of colleges, seminaries, rectories, and bishops’ residences. Later on the Sisters also started to serve priests as secretaries, receptionists, and accountants. They imitated the example of the holy women in the Gospel who ministered to Jesus and the apostles as they travelled throughout Galilee and Judea.

The Holy Women from the Gospel

One of the sisters summed up their spirituality and evangelical mission as follows:

“Our God is the Eucharistic God, our principle work is charity, our mission is service to the priesthood exclusively, our spirit is the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth, our motto is ‘piety and dedication,’ and our duty is to accomplish more than others.”

By their service, the Little Sisters bear witness to the dignity and greatness of the holy priesthood. It is the hope of the sisters that, by their fidelity and faith in the priesthood, priests themselves will be inspired and encouraged to remain faithful to their promises and their mission.

Blessed Marie Leonie died on May 3, 1912. Hers was the first beatification ceremony on Canadian soil."

Pope John Paul II beatification Sister Marie-Léonie Paradis, here is an excerpt from his homily at Jarry Park, Montreal on 11 September 1984:

"Today, to this living record of the saints and the blessed which has been in this land for centuries, a new name is being added, that of Sister Marie-Léonie Paradis.

This woman is one of you, humble among the humble, and today she takes her place among those whom God has lifted up to glory. I am happy that for the first time, this beatification is taking place in Canada, her homeland.

Born of simple, poor and virtuous parents, she soon grasped the beauty of religious life and committed herself to it through her vows with the Marist Order of the Holy Cross. She never once questioned that gift to God, not even during the difficult periods of community life in New York and in Indiana. When she was appointed to serve in a college in Memramcook in Acadia, the richness of her religious life drew young women to her who also wanted to dedicate their life, to God. With them and thanks to the understanding of Bishop Larocque of Sherbrooke, she founded the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family which is still thriving and is still very much appreciated.

Never doubting her call, she often asked: "Lord, show me your ways", so that she would know the concrete form of her service in the Church. She found and proposed to her spiritual daughters a special kind of commitment: the service of educational institutions, seminaries and priests' homes. She never shied away from the various forms of manual work which is the lot of so many people today and which held a special place in the Holy Family and in the life of Jesus of Nazareth himself. It is there that she saw the will of God for her life. It was in carrying out these tasks that she found God. In the sacrifices which were required and which she offered in love, she experienced a profound joy and peace. She knew that she was one with Christ's fundamental attitude: he had "come not to be served, but to serve". She was filled with the greatness of the eucharist and with the greatness of the priesthood at the service of the eucharist. That is one of the secrets of her spiritual motivation.

Yes, God looked upon the holiness of his humble servant, Marie-Leonie, who had been inspired by Mary's openness and receptivity. And henceforth, from age to age, her Congregation and the Church will call her blessed (cf. Lk 1, 4-8)".

Prayer for Priests and Religious

O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your servants. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of redemption.

O Loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests and religious, take to your heart your children who are close to you because of the power which they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.

Amen

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-04-29T22:18:00.002+10:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus. Though this week, we have done it a little differently, praying for all the monks from Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine, Le Barroux.

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Rev Dom Louis-Marie de Geyer d'Orth OSB Abbot

and the monks of Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine, Le Barroux

Something to look forward to.

2010-04-26T02:04:00.003+10:00

Sorry ladies for our dormancy for the last couple of months. We truly appreciate the concerns and contact that some of you have made wondering how we are. We are both very well but have had to sideline our passion and devotion to this blog to spend time in our first and primary vocations as wives and mothers.

I wanted to share with you a recent initiative through Catholics Come Home for the Year of the Priest:

EncouragePriests.org:

"Our mission is to encourage priests, and promote priestly vocations through our love and prayers".

They launch on Father’s Day 20th June so please keep this on your calendars and take a look and support this new website.

Our priests now more than ever need our unfailing love and support; with all the secular media persecution, and scandal we can only hope that this purification will have some beautiful fruit in many saints to come.

All our priest need prayers but none at present more than our Beloved pope, Pope Benedict XVI. May God and His Holy mother give him strength, peace and heroic perseverance. We are so blessed as Catholics to have such a generous father in our Pope, he radiates love and compassion in every expression may he be held up in the loving arms of St Joseph patron of the Universal Church during this difficult time.

Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI

Lord, source of eternal life and truth,

give to Your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit

of courage and right judgment, a spirit

of knowledge and love. By governing

with fidelity those entrusted to his care,

may he, as successor to the Apostle

Peter and Vicar of Christ, build Your

Church into a sacrament of unity, love

and peace for all the world.

Amen.

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

R/ May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the power of his enemies.

May Your hand be upon your holy servant.

R/ And upon Your Son, Whom You have anointed.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be …

Hedwig Kronsteiner, bringing forth 8 religious vocations

2010-04-25T19:55:00.006+10:00

Photo from: Married Saints and Blesseds: Throughout the Centuries.

You may remember our posting a while back on the life of Eliza Vaughan - her story is in the compilation of stories from the Adoration, Reparation and Spiritual Motherhood booklet. She was an inspiring example of a mother of a large family who prayed daily for vocations and God rewarded her with six of her eight boys becoming priests and four of her five girls taking the veil.

I wanted to share a similar story of a family that was being raised with great sanctity a hundred years ago - the Kronsteiner family. Once again it is a story of a mother of a very large family and yet like Eliza Vaughan, Mother Kronsteiner made the time for an hour's prayer and Mass every day. From this Austrian family there were eight religious vocations from eleven children. To me, I see the direct fruits of daily Mass/adoration/mental prayer of a mother, planting within their own children the grace of a vocation to the religious life.

The Kronsteiner story comes from the book, Married Saints and Blesseds: Through the Centuries. (I highly recommend this book.) Hedwig and Ernst Kronsteiner were both holy parents but I want to focus on Hedwig and her spiritual life. One of their priest sons went on to write a book “Eine Metture und elf Kinder” (A Mother and her 11 children) it is in it’s fifth edition but unfortunately it is not in English.

Both Hedwig and Ernst came from anti-clerical, liberal families but despite this they both came to a deep realization of God and His goodness before they entered marriage. Hedwig impresses me deeply, she lived for God and her family, it never altered, she lived this until her last day on earth. Mental prayer was a fundamental part of her life and the fruits born from this all through her life are very evident. I will quote from the book:

“During the years of marriage that they spent together, the mother took the lead in religious matters, deliberately bringing her husband and children along with her into her world of faith and prayer. She led a life of prayer that was extraordinarily deep. Her prayer life followed a fixed order of an almost monastic sort; she not only said her daily prayers, as was her duty, but, despite her many chores, she recited her Rosary, spent an hour in meditation, and attended Holy Mass each and every day. Moreover, Mother Kronstiner knew very well how to turn the entire day, with its toils and worries, its work and its cares on behalf of a large family, into a prayer through a “good intention”, which she formulated as follows: “You have to do everything for the love of God; anything else is worth nothing!”

I think her words above reflect her generous time in mental prayer each day, understanding mental prayer to be conversing with God in love. The grace from her "conversation with God" flowed over to the rest of her 23hours in the day – “everything for the love of God, anything else is worth nothing!” The lifetime fruit of this mental prayer was eleven children, eight who were called to the religious life. Isn’t that astounding?

I’ll continue to quote again: “This mother raised her children with astonishing wisdom and generous freedom, in keeping, nonetheless, with the twofold principle: “The children don’t belong to me, they belong to God!”, and “Anything rather than a moral sin!”

Here are her eleven children:

Anna – Sister Cecilia of the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, organist & choir director
Agnes – Sister Theresita of the Carmelite Monastery in Linz, cantor & organist
Hedwig – Sister Lucillia in the Missionary Congregation of the Holy Ghost Sisters.
Ernst – master clockmaker and director of a church choir.
Franz – Lay Brother in the Congregation of the Steyler Missionaries (working in Chile & Argentina)
Berthold – married, first a clockmaker then a policeman
Joseph – A priest in the diocese of Linz, a choirmaster and highly esteemed composer
Otto – married, a clockmaster as well as mayor for 15years of Losenstein.
Aloisia – Sister Elfriede of the Holy Ghost Sisters in Stockerau, organist
Hermann – priest of the diocese of Linz, professor of a music academy and composer.
Rudolf – he had entered the Benedictine Abbey in Seckau to become a monk but WW2 prevented him pursuing this vocation, missing in war.

And how did this faithful mother die? Her last words once again are a testimony to her faithfulness to mental prayer, as I quote for the last time:

“Hedwig Knonsteiner, got up early, at 4:00am, on April 19, 1940, as usual, and had her “conversation with God” in her customary one-hour morning meditation. At 7:00 am she took her missal to attend Mass, as usual, in the parish church in Losenstein and received Holy Communion, unaware that it was her Viaticum. (food for the journey) She spent the day as “Grandmother” in the company of her son Otto and his wife, Justina, and watching her little grandson Otto.

Around 8:00 pm she went with her husband – as she did every evening – into her bedroom to the family photo to bless her children and to pray for each of them. Then the husband and wife, as was their custom, each made the sign of the cross on the other’s forehead and prayed the prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After this, Frau Kronsteiner went again to the kitchen to make some final preparations. While there she had a fainting spell. After a time, her husband found her unconscious. They brought her to bed, called the doctor and the priest; the latter administered the Anointing of the Sick. At midnight, the courageous woman died in the peace of Christ, after managing to write down a sentence as a sort of testament: “Grant (O God) that I may love Thee always, and do with me what Thou wilt!”

Hedwig Kronsteiner, please pray for spiritual mothers, pray for vocations!

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-04-22T22:07:00.003+10:00

Rev Dom Herve Courau OSB

Abbot and Monks from the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Triors

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-04-15T07:07:00.001+10:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus.

Fr C Gardiner OFM, Fr L Hynes , Fr B McGrath

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-03-18T08:15:00.002+11:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus.

Fr Jordi Rivero, Fr Paul Pecchie , Fr Claudius Mpuya

Fishers of Men & Mamma Margaret - Praying for Priests

2010-03-05T20:51:00.008+11:00

You may have seen this Awesome series on the Priesthood called "Fishers Of Men" by Grassroots Films.

It really brings home the need for serious prayers for our Priesthood and to inspired one another to pray for these, Fisher's Of Men.

Every Catholic man should be encouraged to inquire, ask, pray, that he may have a vocation to the beautiful profound vocation of self - sacrificing Love. It has been preached over the pulpit that each Catholic man should discern this first even before marriage.

Yet not every enquiry or discernment time will end up in a vocation to the priesthood. I was very inspired by a friend of mine who had the clarity of mind and the bravery to investigate his prospects and after 6 months it was decided by him with the seminary that the priesthood wasn’t the vocation for him. He was at peace about it and was happy to move on to the next door that the good Lord would open for him.

His openness has left a big impression on me. We all prayed for him here at SM, as he was in our Seminarian Spotlight for about one month; so know that your prayers helped this young man clearly discern what the Lord wanted for him

"Who Is Going to Give the Sacraments to the next Generation?"- quote from Fishers of Men.

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest",Lk 10:2. Let us pray that the labourers come forward to answer the call.

"Throughout the history of the Church, women, taking Our Lady as their model, have always been the ones to accompany and support, through prayer and sacrifice, the apostles and priests in their missionary activities".
(pg 35 Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood For Priests)

Fishers of Men - Part 1

Fishers of Men - Part 2

The Pearl Of Great Price

God in the Streets!

Our Priests bringing Jesus to his people, pray for Priests...

But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you"Lk 10:10

Is God Calling You!

Prayer for Priests

Lord Jesus, You have chosen Your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim Your word and to act in Your name. For so great a gift to Your Church, we give You praise and thanksgiving. We ask You to fill them with the fire of Your love, that their ministry may reveal Your presence in the Church. Since they are earthen vessels, we pray that Your power shine out through their weakness. In their afflictions let them never be crushed; in their doubts never despair; in temptation never be destroyed; in persecution never abandoned.

Inspire them through prayer to live each day the mystery of Your dying and rising. In time of weakness send them Your Spirit, and help them to praise Your heavenly Father and pray for poor sinners. By the same Holy Spirit, put Your word on their lips and Your love in their hearts, to bring good news to the poor and healing to the brokenhearted. And may the gift of Mary, Your mother, to the disciple whom You loved, be Your gift to every priest. Grant that she who formed You in her human image, may form them in Your divine image, by the power of Your Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

O Mary conceived without sin pray for use who have recourse to you.

O Mary conceived without sin pray for use who have recourse to you

Here is a snippet from the wonderful essay 'MAMMA MARGARET

DON BOSCO'S FIRST COOPERATOR'
which offers great examples for imitatation on how a Mother can guide her Son (or Spiritual Mother can pray for priests & vocations),

Venerable Mamma Margaret the mother of St John Bosco, .

MAMMA MARGARET

DON BOSCO'S FIRST COOPERATOR

(by Joseph Aubry)

At twenty years of age, he donned the clerical habit at Castelnuovo in the parish church according to the custom of those days. This change in his life was accompanied by strict resolves. We read, `At that time my mother kept an eye on me and it was plain that something was on her mind. She spoke to me on the night before I was to leave and I shall never forget her words:

"Dear John, you have taken the priestly habit and I am as happy as any mother could be. But never forget that it is not the habit that matters, but the effort to progress in virtue. If you ever come to have doubts about your vocation, be sure you never dishonour that priestly garb. Put it aside immediately. I would rather a poor peasant son than a priest who neglected his sacred calling".' 8

Then she added a thought that was probably much closer to his heart:

`When you came into the world I consecrated you to the Blessed Virgin Mary. When you began your studies, I inculcated this devotion in you. Now I want you to belong totally to her. Make your companions those who are devoted to Mary; and if you reach ordination, never cease to inculcate and spread this devotion.'

Don Bosco adds that when she finished speaking she was greatly moved and he himself had a lump in his throat. His words to his mother were,

`Mother, I thank you for everything you have done for me. Your advice will not be forgotten. I shall treasure it always as long as I live'. 9

Assuredly Margaret's words were sublime and inspired by the Holy Spirit. This uneducated peasant mother, now getting on in years, entrusted her son to the most perfect of mothers. Margaret was to accompany her son in prayer for the next six years, and with her assiduous work, noting with joy, whenever he came to spend a holiday with her, how John had progressed in the piety and seriousness that was expected of one who was preparing for the priesthood."

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-03-04T06:06:00.000+11:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus.

Fr Brian Walsh, Fr Peter Nicosia OFM Cap, Fr Brian Morgan

New Priests in Focus for the Week

2010-02-25T06:06:00.000+11:00

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus.

Fr Marian Szablewski CR, Fr D Thoroughgood, Fr Minton

iphones and Praying for Priests

2010-02-21T07:04:00.013+11:00

Since changing over my mobile to an iphone, I have discovered many wonderful Catholic apps that have been a very solid support to me in my daily prayer life.

As a very busy Catholic homeschooling mother of six who has alot of difficulty remembering many things, the Calendar app (using alarms) has been my support in reminding me to stop for the angelus, divine mercy hour, things that I constantly forgot previously.

In my notebook app, I now keep records of all my current novenas and who I am praying for. Also, the intentions offered at Mass are now listed. My memory had gotten so bad that I would have to say in Mass, "Lord, remember all those I ought to be praying for and who I have promised to pray for, you know who they are." Though I felt God would understand, I really would have liked to have remembered ALL I promised to pray for.

I even have a note which I change weekly, called, "Priests in Focus" ~ there I write the names of the three priests I remember that week in particular in my different prayers for priests. I need this, otherwise I forget!

So I say again, it has been a real support for this weak head of mine and highly recommend this modern piece of technology for these good purposes.

ipieta iphone symbol

So what is my favourite Catholic app?

ipieta ~ the best by far. It is not expensive, $2.99 US and for that you receive the following:

Sacred Scripture ~ the whole Bible, old and new testament.

Calendar ~ Novus Ordo and when you click on an individual day, it gives you the Gospel reading.

Prayers ~ The most comprensive list of orthodox, traditional prayers ~ they are placed under subheadings (21) and you can click on a subheading, for eg: IHS Mass ~ this will take you to the prayers for the Mass, ones like St Ambrose's prayer before Mass. Each subheading has a lovely list of prayers, so many of my old favourites and so I am able to use this section alone for my morning and evening prayers.

Doctrine/Spirituality ~ This section is set out with subheadings:

~Saints: This has a list of the saints and a biography of their lives using many orthodox sources such as Butler's Lives of the Saints.

~Q&A Catechisms: The Baltimore Catechisms.

~Spirituality: This containts many of the great Catholic classics: Introduction to the Devote Life, Imitation of Christ, True Devotion, The Dialogue, Story of a Soul, Confession of St Patrick, Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and more.

~Doctrine: St Thomas' Catechism and the Roman Catechism.

~ Ecumenical Councils: Councils Before Trent, Trent, Vatican I & II

~Summa Thologica: This subheading dedicated to St Thomas' books.

~ Papal: The encyclicals from Gregory XVI up until our current Holy Father.

~ Bible Commentaries: Haydock Bible Commentary, Catena Aurea: Matthew, Catena Aurea: Mark.

Settings ~ Where you can bookmark and other great features supporting you in getting the most out of this application.

ipieta opening image

This morning when I went to my iphone I discovered I had some updates for a few apps, one of them was for the ipieta. To my great delight I discovered that they had put in a new subheading in the prayers section, "For the Pope, Priests & Vocations" ~ previously it had only a couple of prayers for priests.

So under this new subheading there are 18 prayers. Below I have added them here.

Prayer for the Pope by Pope Leo XIII

Prayers for the Holy Father ~ Especially to be said after the Holy Rosary

(having trouble linking this one, but it comes from the Roman Missal)

Prayer for the Pope (in this link the prayer is in bold)

The Way of The Cross for Priests

Litany of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim

Prayer for Priests by St Catherine of Siena

Prayer for Priests by St Therese of the Child Jesus

Prayer for Priests by St Therese of the Child Jesus 2

Prayer for Priests by St Therese of the Child Jesus 3

Prayer for Priests by St Charles Borromeo