OUR LADY OF SATURDAY

Saturday June 15^th, Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit  and priests, donned  hard hats to celebrate the first Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral since the fire two months ago.

DAUGHTER, MOTHER, SPOUSE

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE TRINITY

HAIL MARY, beloved Daughter of the eternal Father. Hail Mary, wonderful Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, my dear Mother, my loving Lady, my powerful Queen. You are all mine through your mercy, and I am all yours.

Take away from me all that may be displeasing to God. Cultivate in me everything that is pleas­ing to you. May the light of your faith dispel the dark­ness of my mind, your deep humility take the place of my pride; your continual sight of God fill my memory with his presence; the fire of the charity of your heart inflame the lukewarmness of my own heart; your virtues take the place of my sins; your merits be my enrichment and make up for all that is want­ing in me before God.

My beloved Mother, grant that I may have no other spirit but your spirit, to know Jesus Christ and His divine will and to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may love God with burning love like yours.

                                                                                     – St. Louis de Montfort

              

NEW PATRONESS FOR EYES

Tomorrow I will have my second cataract surgery, so was thrilled to find this saint to intercede for me.  The first surgery, while a success, has not been a piece of cake- so I need all the help I can get- for courage! 

BL. MARIA DOLORES RODRIGUEZ SOPENA, born in 1848 in Velez Rubio, Almería, Spain, was the fourth of seven children. Eye surgery at age eight left her with limited sight the rest of her life. A debutante at age 17, Maria did not care for the wordly life, and fearing that her parents would stop her, she secretly began working with the sick and poor. This was a time when a woman of her standing in society would never be found in the  neighborhoods of the poor.  But Maria’s faith gave her endless confidence, and she was motivated by a desire to have “one family in Christ Jesus”.

In 1868 when she was 20, Maria’s father was transferred to Puerto Rico where he eventually became a state attorney; the rest of the family moved to Madrid, Spain. There Maria found a spiritual adviser and began catechizing women in prisons, hospitals and Sunday schools. The entire family moved to Puerto Rico in 1872 during a time of schism and religious disruption.  There she was able to find a Jesuit priest to be her spiritual director. Maria’s poor sight ended an attempt to join the Sisters of Charity, and when she tried to work on her own, the religious upheaval limited her to visiting only the sick in the safety of a military hospital.

When the situation settled she founded the Centers of Instruction and the Association of the Sodality of the Virgin Mary who staffed the Centers. The taught reading, writing and religion, and provided medical help where needed.

Maria’s mother died, her father retired, and the family returned to Madrid in 1877. Maria became the matriarch of the family, found a new spiritual adviser, and resumed her work with the poor and sick. Following the death of her father in 1883, she joined a Salesian convent. That lasted ten days; she realized that the cloistered, contemplative life was not for her.

In 1885 Maria opened a center where the poor could bring social problems to be resolved, and which was similar to a modern half-way house, helping prisoners return to society. The terrible conditions of the poor that she witnessed led to the formation of Works of the Doctrines. Due to anti–clerical attitudes in the 20th century, these became known as the Center for the Workers. In 1892 she founded the Association of the Apostolic Laymen (Sopeña Lay Movement), and in 1893 she received government approval to expand her work into eight poor and crowded Madrid neighborhoods.

She made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1900, and received approval to form a religious institute to continue the work of the Works and Association. With eight companions and co-workers, she founded the Ladies of Catechistical Institute on 24 September 1901 in Toledo, Spain. She founded the Social and Cultural Work Sopeña  which received government approval in 1902, papal approval in 1907, and is today known as the Sopeña Catechetical Institute.  

Maria was chosen Superior General of community in 1910, and they expanded into the Americas in 1917. Her legacy continues today with her groups working in Spain, Italy, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Those in the community continue to do her work today, wearing street clothes identifying with the poor.

Bl. Maria died in Madrid in 1918.  She was beatified in 2003 and her feast is celebrated January 10.

PENTECOST= A NEW SPIRIT

COME HOLY SPIRIT FILL THE HEARTS OF THE FAITHFUL...

D. Werburg Welch- Stanbrook Abbey, England

 Today we start the prayers at Vespers for Pentecost, which marks the end of the Easter season.

Pentecost is the celebration of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, coming upon Mary,  the Apostles, and the first followers of Jesus who were gathered together in the Upper Room to celebrate the ‘Feast of Weeks’ which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  .

A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other.

The Holy Spirit  gave those gathered the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill their mission to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. We are given those  same gifts to fulfill our mission here on this earth.

Pentecost is the “birthday of the Church” as it commemorates the establishment of the Church through the Apostles’ teachings of the gospel and the baptism of thousands of followers.

Typically, priests will wear red vestments on Pentecost, symbolic of the burning fire of God’s love and the tongues of fire that descended on the apostles.

Jyoti Sahi- India  1983

 

However, in some parts of the world, Pentecost is also referred to as “WhitSunday”, or White Sunday, referring to the white vestments that are worn in Britain and Ireland. The white is symbolic of the dove of the Holy Spirit, and typical of the vestments that catechumens desiring baptism wear on that day.

In Italy Pentecostal tradition is to scatter rose leaves from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues, and so in some places in Italy, Pentecost is sometimes called Pascha Rosatum (Easter roses).

In France, there is the tradition to blow trumpets during Mass to recall the sound of the driving wind of the Holy Spirit.

No matter the country or the custom, on this great feast we all need to ask, "What shall we do?"  and as Peter replies, "Each one of you must turn away from his sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) This is still the message - repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We, too, are called to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words… Romans  8:26

MRS. CHESTERTON - SILENT WIFE

Most of us of my generation who grew up Catholic, read the works of Gilbert Keith (known as G.K.) Chesterton.  Today many know his work only through the Father Brown mystery series on PBS. He is at present being considered for canonization and I personally feel it should be alongside his wife.

The Chestertons were happily married for 35 years.  Frances brought G.K. to Christianity, and  twenty years later, he brought Frances to Catholicism. Theirs was a happy marriage of ideas, debate, friendly banter, faith, and love.

A friend recently sent me the interesting biography of his wife Frances by Nancy Carpenter Brown (The Woman Who Was Chesterton). Due to a lack of material on Mrs Chesteton, Ms Brown had to do a lot of digging and much of what she found was in G.K.’s own writing.

Frances Blogg never intended to live a life that would bring her any attention; the promise that she exacted from G.K. that he not speak of her in his autobiography, made clear that she had no desire to be known, hence so little information on her.

But she had such a great influence on G.K.  that one could not fully appreciate his  life and career without knowing his wife.

 Like her husband, Frances was a writer, a poet and playwright. Her works long lay in obscurity, except for a few Christmas lyrics. Her plays for children were in demand when she wrote them and  there is a demand for them again today. Her poems and plays reveal a woman of deep thought, a spiritual woman, a woman longing for Christ, and especially drawn to Him at the Nativity, when He was a small baby. 

To read these works is to understand better G.K. Chesterton’s wife and spiritual companion.  A recent publication with her works is How Far Is It To Bethlehem: The Plays and Poetry of Frances Chesterton, compiled and edited by Nancy C. Brown.

The saying behind every great man is a woman, certainly holds true for the Chestertons! I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know GK better and the woman behind him.

CHILDREN IN ADORATION

As I have said in past Blogs, I think the only hope for the future of the Church is a return to a deep love for the Eucharist. I was encouraged to read recently of a grammar school in South Bend, Indiana that started an after school club dedicated to adoration of the BLESSED SACRAMENT..

 “Our main purpose for starting the adoration club is for students in Kindergarten all the way up to eighth grade to have time to spend time in Eucharistic adoration, to teach them how to use their time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and [to] really deepen their relationship with Christ,” Katherine Soper, a second grade teacher  at St. Joseph Grade School.

Ms Sober said she is excited to offer students an opportunity to pray weekly in the presence of the exposed Eucharistic host. There are now 22 students enrolled in the club, Soper said, but more are expected to join.

The first few lessons will discuss reverence, proper manners in adoration, and expectations. The next series of lessons will review adoration history and miracles.

Afterward, the students will head to the chapel for an hour of adoration. During adoration,  students will be led in a rosary, the Gospel, and reflections on scripture. Music will also be incorporated into club, using contemporary and Latin hymns.

“The goal for the Eucharistic adoration time is to give the students a time to reflect and silence. We see a need for students to have a time for silence [and] prayer… These students have a burning desire to deepen their relationship with Christ.”

Young children are hungry  for a relationship with God and what better way to start them on a path to holiness.

St. Pope John Paul II wrote from the Vatican on May 28, 1996, “I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of His presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord, who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth.”

The saint's favorite place to pray was before the Blessed Sacrament. In fact, his great love for Jesus Christ would cause him to delay his schedule, which upset his assistants.

St. John Paul knew that the Eucharist was the greatest treasure the Catholic Church possesses.

STATS FOR NEW PRIESTS

The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2019 is a 33-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a recently released survey of 379 of the 481 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. 

St. Louis Basilica

The typical ordinand regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration and prayed the Rosary before entering seminary, according to the survey.

75% of the men were preparing for the diocesan priesthood, with the largest number of responses coming from seminarians in the Archdioceses of Cincinnati and Washington (eight each), the Dioceses of Cleveland and Paterson (seven each), and the Archdioceses of St. Louis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark, and Milwaukee (six each). Among members of religious communities, the largest number of respondents came from the Jesuits (16), Dominicans (11), and Legionaries of Christ (10).

25% of the ordinands are foreign born, with the most typical foreign countries of birth being Mexico (5%), Nigeria (3%), Colombia (2%), and Vietnam (2%). On average, these foreign-born seminarians have lived in the United States for 14 years and arrived in the US at age 22.

A disproportionately high percentage of ordinands attended a Catholic elementary school (47%), Catholic high school (39%), or Catholic college (38%).

In addition, a disproportionately high percentage were home schooled: 11% were home schooled, typically for eight years, at a time when less than 2% of US children were educated at home. If one assumes that all of the home schooled seminarians came from the United States, then nearly 15% of US-born ordinands were home schooled.

We have 200 priests serving the Archdiocese of Seattle, 115  are Diocesan, 90 religious, and 25 extern/international. There will be 3 young men ordained June 22.