CSVF Blog

At last Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI resumed his regular catechetical series, in which he is currently reviewing the lives and writings of early medieval saints.  He chose as his subject St. Theodore the Studite, a ninth-century Eastern monk and theologian.  As is evident from the photo below, he also had time to kiss a few babies.      

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
May 27, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters:

The saint that we find today, St. Theodore the Studite, brings us to a period that from the religious and political point of view was rather turbulent. St. Theodore was born in the year 759 to a noble and pious family. His mother, Teoctista, and an uncle, Plato, abbot of the monastery of Sakkudion in Bithynia, are venerated as saints. It was precisely his uncle who guided him toward the monastic life, which he embraced at the age of 22. He was ordained a priest by the patriarch Tarasios, but afterward he broke communion with him because of the weakness he showed in the case of the adulterous marriage of Emperor Constantine VI. The consequence was Theodore’s exile to Thessalonica in the year 796. Reconciliation with the imperial authority came about the next year under Empress Irene, whose benevolence brought Theodore and Plato to be transferred to the urban monastery of Studios, together with the majority of the community of the monks of Sakkudion, to avoid the invasions of the Saracens. In this way began the important “studite reform.”

The personal life of Theodore, nevertheless, continued to be very hectic. With his characteristic energy, he became the leader of the resistance to the iconoclasm of Leo V the Armenian, who opposed once again the existence of images and icons in the Church. The procession of icons, organized by the monks of Studios, brought about the reaction of the police. Between 815 and 821, Theodore was flogged, jailed and exiled in various parts of Asia Minor. In the end, he was able to return to Constantinople, but not to his monastery. Thus he established himself with his monks on the other side of the Bosphorus.

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Founded by a group of St. Vincent Ferrer parishioners, Pregnancy Help, Inc., is celebrating its fiftheenth anniversary this Tuesday, June 2, at the 5:30 PM Mass. All are invited to attend.  A reception in the priory will follow the Mass.

Click here to learn more about Pregnancy Help and its important work.

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From the Sisters of Life:

Dear Coworkers of Life,

Join the Sisters of Life Saturday, June 6th for their First Saturday Witness for Life! This will be our final Witness until September.

Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral (263 Mulberry Street) will begin at 8am. Come to all or part of the morning.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass begins our day in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the Sisters of Life will provide a singing Schola), Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows, and people can either remain in the Church to adore our Lord or attend the rosary procession to the local abortion clinic run by Planned Parenthood.

Upon return from the clinic (approx 10:15am) we will repose the Blessed Sacrament and have a social (complete with coffee and bagels) with a short (15 mins) presentation by the Sisters of Life. You will hear of concrete ways to be of service, as Co-Workers, helping vulnerable pregnant women that are currently being served by the Sisters.

Promote this to your friends and keep the spiritual success of this effort for Life in your daily prayers.

God Bless You.

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From Sr. Lucy Marie, SV, the archdiocesan pro-life coordinator:

Dear Friends,

On May 22nd the New York State Assembly voted in favor of redefining marriage. The beautiful gift of marriage as the sacred union of man and woman, our religious freedoms, authentic family life and our children are once again under great attack. The Senate may vote on this issue in the next three weeks — so it is essential that we take action immediately to show them our support for the real definition of marriage.

Join us Tuesday, June 9th for the “Stand 4 Marriage Rally” in Albany. The Family Life/Respect Life Office is sponsoring a FREE bus (through the generosity of the Knights of Columbus). The bus departs at 7:15am from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. Donations will be welcome toward the driver cost.

The Rally is an ecumenical effort put on by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. Already tentatively scheduled to attend are Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr. of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long, and many pro-family legislators. The New York State Catholic Conference has encouraged our attendance on one of their recent Action Alerts against Same Sex “Marriage.” 

The rally begins at 10:30 AM and lasts until 12:30 PM.

After 12:30 PM, attendees are strongly encouraged to go in the State Capitol and let our legislators know that there is tremendous support for the traditional definition of marriage throughout the State of New York. Some attendees will be participating in prayer rallies at each of the four corners of Capitol as well.

Lunch can be purchased (or bring it) while in Albany, and we expect to depart at 2:30pm.

RSVP by email – seats are limited.

If you are in the upper counties and wish to drive please join us there as well!

And of course, let us continue to keep this in our prayers.

God bless you.

Sr. Lucy Marie
Respect Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022
646-794-3192
Mon-Thurs 9:45am-4:45pm

UPDATE (6/3/09):

From Sr. Lucy:

Our bus to Albany for the “Rally 4 Marriage” is almost filled, and the Knights of Columbus have generously provided a second bus.

Both buses will depart from Dunwoodie, Seminary in Yonkers (201 Seminary Ave) at 7:00am – new time adjustment and there are 2 separate second stop pickups.

* Sacred Heart Church, 301 Ann Street, Newburgh. Bishop Lagronegro will celebrate Mass upon arrival – approx 8:15am – and pick up new passengers.
* St. Patrick Church, 137 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights. Mass will be celebrated upon arrival at approx 8:00am and pick up new passengers.

RSVP if you wish to attend and please indicate location of pickup – either Yonkers (7am), Newburgh (8:15am), or Yorktown Heights (8am). Please reply by email – I am not able to take all the phone calls that are coming in.

FYI – Our New York State Bishops Conference is now headed up by Archbishop Dolan.  Just today it released a statement on Marriage.

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The servant proved himself faithful and wise;
the Lord entrusted the care of his household to him, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Born in Venice of the noble Salomonio family in 1231, James gave his patrimony to the poor and entered the Order of Preachers at the age of fourteen.  He lived most of his Dominican life at Forli where he was known for his austere and virtuous life.  Because of his charity to the poor he was called “Father of the Poor.”  He died on May 31, 1314.

Blessed James is a powerful patron for cancer patients.  Click here and here for more on his holy life.

God of endless ages,
in your providence you gave your people Blessed James
to attain the mystery of salvation.
By his life and prayers
may we come to know your Son
and so experience his presence
more fully in our lives.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Click below to hear today’s discussion of the readings for the Solemnity of Pentecost with Fr. John Farren, OP, the Director of Advancement for the Province of St. Joseph, and Fr. John Corbett, OP, a professor of moral theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - May 29, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The martyrs fixed their eyes on heaven, and cried out in their torments:
Come, Lord, be with us in this hour, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Among the eleven martyrs commemorated this day, three were Dominicans. They were part of a band of preachers whose success at Avignonet, to the southwest of Toulouse, induced a number of Albigensian heretics to ambush the group and treacherously murder them on May 29, 1242.  As they died they gave witness to the faith by singing the Te Deum.  The Dominicans in this group were: Blessed William Arnaud, one of the first Dominicans to be appointed an inquisitor in the diocese of Toulouse; Blessed Bernard of Rochefort, a Dominican priest; and Blessed Garcia d’Aure of Orense, a cooperator brother.

Click here for more on the life and death of Blessed William and his companions.

O God, strength of the faithful,
you led Blessed William and his companions
to offer their lives in the name of Christ
and in obedience to the Church.
By the help of their prayers
may we share with them in the chalice of Christ
and ever grow in your love.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Please join The Frassati Fellowship and Grassroots Films for a screening of “THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE”

This award winning documentary is about a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa. What the young men discover changes them forever. Through one on one interviews and real life encounters, the brothers are awakened to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit.

There will be a Q&A with the main characters at the end of the film, along with some light refreshments.

A music-inspired Holy Hour led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will be held in the church beforehand from 6:15 – 7:15 PM.

When: June 23, 2009 at 7:30 PM

Where: St. Vincent Ferrer Church Hall — Corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th St.

Tickets: $10 in advance at seethx.com, or $15 at the door.

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Come, spouse of Christ,
receive the crown the Lord has prepared for you from all eternity, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Mary Bartholomew Bagnesi was born in Florence on August 15, 1514, and there received the habit of a Sister of Penance in 1547.  For forty-five years she was confined to her bed and with great courage bore the pains she suffered.  By her spirit of faith and acceptance of God’s will, she was able to encourage and console many who came to her.  She died on May 28, 1577, and was buried at the Carmelite monastery in Florence.

Click here for more on the life of Blessed Mary Bartholomew.

O God,
in Blessed Mary Bartholomew
you brought together steadfastness in suffering
and innocence of life.
As we endure many trials
may we be helped by your grace.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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My life is at the service of the Gospel;
God has given me this gift of his grace, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Andrew, a member of the noble Franchi Boccagni family, was born in Pistoia, Italy, in 1335 and at the age of fourteen entered the Order in Florence. He worked to restore regular observance after the plague of the Black Death. As bishop of Pistoia he was an active promoter of peace among the people and was known for his personal austerity and his preaching.  He had a special devotion to the Infant Jesus and his Mother.  He resigned his office in 1400 and retired to the priory of Pistoia where he died on May 26, 1401.

O God,
you made Blessed Andrew excel
in holiness and teaching
and in preaching your word as a good pastor.
By the help of his prayers
may we persevere in your service
and so come to eternal life.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Please keep these five brothers in your prayers as they prepare for their ordination this Friday.

You may remember one of them.  Br. Anthony Giambrone, OP, was assigned to the parish last summer.

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O Christ, Good Shepherd,
I thank you for leading me to glory;
I pray that the flock you have entrusted to my care
will share with me in your glory forever, alleluia.

The saint honored by the Church today held together in himself two aspects of the Church’s life that at first appear disparate.  As a monk, St. Augustine observed diligently the rigors of the regular life.  He belonged to, and later was superior of, St. Andrew’s Monastery in Rome, which had been established by St. Gregory the Great on his family’s estate.  Gregory himself was called from this monastery when elected Bishop of Rome.  A few years after his election, pressed to return the Island of Britain to the practice of the faith, Gregory went to his friend, Augustine, and asked him to spearhead a missionary expedition to the Angles.  In so doing, Gregory drew on a truth he discovered in his own life, that the monastery can be an excellent training ground for pastoral activity.

Called therefore from the cloister, Augustine and his companions entered the Church’s mission fields in Britain, where maintaining their monastic disciplines while preaching they converted the Kingdom of Kent and restored southern England to the grace of Catholic faith.  For centuries afterwards, English Catholicism maintained the monastic traditions of its first apostles and thereby witnessed the complementarity of the cloister and the cathedra to the wider Church.

First tried by Gregory the Great, the papacy would employ this missionary strategy again in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by sending Cistercian monks to preach against the Albigensians in France.  As before, this move would prove providential.  In the course of their preaching, these evangelical Cistercians were joined by a traveling Spanish canon, Dominic de Guzman, who, drawing from their witness and experience, founded the Order of Preachers in part to provide the Church a more fruitful and permanent experience of the union of contemplation and action in preaching.

For more on the life of St. Augustine of Canterbury and the fruits of his labors in England, click here and here.

Father,
by the preaching of Saint Augustine of Canterbury,
you led the people of England to the gospel.
May the fruits of his work continue in your Church.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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HOLY THURSDAY

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Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father, alleluia.

As a child, St. Philip Neri received his religious formation from the Dominicans of San Marco in his native Florence.  After settling in Rome as a young man, Philip discerned a priestly call from the Lord, and he obediently pursued Holy Orders. Philip’s fervent care of souls led to his founding of the Congregation of the Oratory.  A kind friend to sinners and saints alike—he was in close contact with Charles Borromeo and Ignatius of Loyola, among others—St. Philip’s long, fruitful, and incredibly joyful priestly life earned him the title “Second Apostle of Rome.”

Perhaps the most famous member of the Oratorians was the nineteenth-century English convert, John Henry Cardinal Newman.  In The Idea of a University, Newman wrote admiringly of his spiritual father:

. . . he contemplated as the idea of his mission, not the propagation of the faith, nor the exposition of doctrine, nor the catechetical schools; whatever was exact and systematic pleased him not; he put from him monastic rule and authoritative speech, as David refused the armor of his king…. He came to the Eternal City and he sat himself down there, and his home and his family gradually grew up around him, by the spontaneous accession of materials from without. He did not so much seek his own as draw them to him. He sat in his small room, and they in their gay, worldly dresses, the rich and the wellborn, as well as the simple and the illiterate, crowded into it. In the mid-heats of summer, in the frosts of winter still was he in that low and narrow cell at San Girolamo, reading the hearts of those who came to him, and curing their souls’ maladies by the very touch of his hand…. And they who came remained gazing and listening till, at length, first one and then another threw off their bravery, and took his poor cassock and girdle instead; or, if they kept it, it was to put haircloth under it, or to take on them a rule of life, while to the world they looked as before. (Discourse IX, 9)

For more on the life and virtue of his holy priest, click here and here.

Father,
you continually raise up your faithful
to the glory of holiness.
In your love
kindle in us the fire of the Holy Spirit
who so filled the heart of Philip Neri.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord, alleluia.

One of many canonized Carmelite mystics, St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi stands out for her passionate love of the cross, which manifested itself even in her body in the form of the stigmata.

Two years ago, Pope Benedict XVI sent the following letter to the Archbishop of Florence in observance of the 400th anniversary of St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi’s death.  From it we can learn of her virtues and take many examples of holiness for our everyday lives.

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF FLORENCE
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FOURTH CENTENARY OF THE DEATH
OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE DE’ PAZZI

To His Eminence
Cardinal Ennio Antonelli
Archbishop of Florence

On the occasion of the Fourth Centenary of the death of St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, I am pleased to unite myself to the beloved Florentine Church who wishes to remember her illustrious daughter, particularly dear as a symbolic figure of a living love that recalls the essential mystical dimension of every Christian life.

While with affection I greet you, Your Eminence, and the entire diocesan community, I give thanks to God for the gift of this Saint, which every generation rediscovers as uniquely close by knowing how to communicate an ardent love for Christ and the Church.

Born in Florence on 2 April 1566 and baptized at the “beautiful St John” font with the name Caterina, St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi showed a particular sensitivity to the supernatural from childhood and was attracted by intimate colloquy with God.

As was the custom for children of noble families, her education was entrusted to the Dames of Malta, in whose monastery she received her First Holy Communion on 25 March 1576, and just some days later she consigned herself to the Lord for ever with a promise of virginity.

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Pope Benedict XVI offered the following prayer yesterday during a visit to the Polish military cemetery near Monte Cassino.  His sentiments can serve our solemn remembrance today of the men and women of our country who paid the ultimate price for our peace, freedom, and security.

O God, our Father,
endless source of life and peace,
welcome into Your merciful embrace
the fallen of the war that raged here,
the fallen of all wars that have bloodied the earth.
Grant that they may enjoy the light that does not fail,
which, in the reflection of Your splendor,
illumines the consciences of all men and women of good will.
You, Who in Your Son Jesus Christ gave suffering humanity
a glorious witness of Your love for us,
You, Who in our Lord Christ
gave us the sign of a suffering that is never in vain,
but fruitful in Your redeeming power,
grant those who yet suffer
for the blind violence of fratricidal wars
the strength of the hope that does not fade,
the dream of a definitive civilization of life,
the courage of a real and daily activity of peace.
Give us your Paraclete Spirit
so that the men of our time
may understand that the gift of peace
is much more precious than any corruptible treasure,
and that while awaiting the day that does not end
we are all called to be builders of peace for the future of Your children.
Make all Christians more convinced witnesses of life,
the inestimable gift of Your love,
You Who live and reign for ever and ever
Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.  Amen.

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Fr. Jones's Homily - May 24, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Matarazzo's Homily - May 24, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - May 24, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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At Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Benedict paused his ordinary catechetical series to share several reflections on his recent apostolic journey to the Holy Land.

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
MAY 20, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,

I pause today to speak about the apostolic journey that I made May 8-15 to the Holy Land, for which I do not cease to give thanks to the Lord, because it has shown itself to be a great gift for the Successor of Peter and for the whole Church. I wish to again express my heartfelt gratitude to His Beatitude, Patriarch Fouad Twal, to the bishops of the various rites, the priests and the Franciscans of the Holy Land Custody. I thank the king and queen of Jordan, the president of Israel and the president of the Palestinian National Authority, with their respective governments, all the authorities, and those who have collaborated in various ways in the preparation and success of the visit. It was, above all, a pilgrimage, even more, a pilgrimage par excellence to the fount of the faith. At the same time, it was a pastoral visit to the Church that lives in the Holy Land: a community of singular importance, since it represents a living presence there, where [the Church] finds its origin.

The first stage, from May 8 to 11, was Jordan, in whose territory there are two principal holy sites: Mount Nebo, from where Moses contemplated the Promised Land and died without being able to enter, and then Bethany “beyond the Jordan,” where, according to the Fourth Gospel, St. John baptized at the beginning. The memorial to Moses on Mount Nebo is a place of strong symbolic significance: It speaks of our condition as pilgrims between the “already” and the “not yet,” between a promise so great and beautiful that it supports us along the way and a fulfillment that goes beyond us and beyond this world. The Church lives in herself this “eschatological character” and state as “pilgrim”: She is already united to Christ, her spouse, but has only begun to savor the wedding party, in expectation of his glorious return at the end of time (cf. “Lumen Gentium,” 48-50).

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To the delight of many, construction crews are now dismantling large sections of the scaffolding that has covered much of the church’s exterior since February 2008.  We can finally see the fruit of their 16 months of work, and it is stunning. The church’s stonework looks like new.

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If the Pope does it, then it must be okay.

From Mashable.com:

If Barack Obama is the YouTube President, then Pope Benedict XVI might just be the social media pontiff. The Pope launched a YouTube channel last year, and now, he’s getting onto Facebook, with the launch of his own application, called Pope2You.

Pope2You actually encompasses more than just a Facebook app. There’s now a website that links followers to the existing YouTube Channel, the new Facebook application, and an iPhone app as well.

I’ve found the Facebook app a bit buggy in trying to test it out this morning, but the Vatican describes it like this:

“Pope2You for Facebook lets you receive the messages of Pope Benedict XVI through the most important social network of the world. So you can meet the Pope on Facebook, listen to his words, see his pictures, receive his messages of congratulations through “virtual postcards”. The postcards can be sent to your “friends” on Facebook and the application can be shared with anyone.”

Meanwhile, the iPhone application seems like an extension of the YouTube channel, used mostly as a broadcast medium for the Pope’s messages:

“The H2Onews application for the iPhone and iPod Touch brings you timely, insightful news about the life of the Church in the world. In collaboration with the Vatican Television Center and Vatican Radio,H2Onews connects you with video and audio news from the Vatican.”

As Pete wrote back when the Vatican joined YouTube, “launching a channel may be a positive first step, but new media is not a broadcast medium: it’s an interactive one.” The new applications seem like a lot more broadcasting, but the ability to share things with friends through the Facebook app is a move in the right direction, and could help expand the online community that the Church clearly sees as an opportunity to bring its members closer together.

Click here for Pope2You.

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Joining me on today’s program to discuss the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension were Fr. Brian Mulcahy, OP, the socius of the province, and Fr. Francis Belanger, OP, the assistant at both the Church of St. Denis and Aquinas House in Hanover, NH.  Aquinas House is the Catholic chaplaincy that serves Dartmouth College.  Click below and enjoy!

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - May 22, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Fr. Matarazzo's Homily - May 17, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Jones's Homily - May 17, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - May 17, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Uphold me, Lord, according to your promise, and I shall live;
let my hope in you not be in vain, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Columba was born in Rieti, Italy, in 1467.  She was clothed with the habit of the Sisters of Penance of Rieti.  Following in the footsteps of Saint Catherine of Siena, she showed an admirable charity towards the poor, the sick and the dying.  In Perugia she founded a convent of sisters where she made profession and became prioress in 1490.  There she was noted for her work of reconciliation for which she received the name “Dove of Peace.”  She died there on the feast of the Ascension, May 20, 1501.

For more on the life of Blessed Columba, click here and here.

God of all mercy,
you made Blessed Columba
shine forth by the innocence of her life
and by her zeal for peace.
By the help of her teaching may we live together in unity
and serve you with pure minds.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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O Victor King, Lord of power and might,
today you have ascended in glory above the heavens.
Do not leave us orphans, but send us the Father’s promised gift,
the Spirit of truth, alleluia.

Long ago, St. Augustine’s contemplative gaze pierced the very heart of the mystery we celebrate today .  From today’s Office of Readings:

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him.  Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.  For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.  (Sermo de Ascensione Domini, 1)

As St. Augustine observed, heaven begins when the Word returns to the Father in our human nature.  With the ascension, the created finds home in the uncreated. Furthermore, with our flesh seated at the Father’s right hand, we can say that we are already there, too, though we are still working out this mystery in our own flesh.

And thus begins tomorrow our novena to the Holy Spirit, under whose divine guidance we do work out and live this mystery.

God our Father,
make us joyful in the ascension of your Son Jesus Christ.
May we follow him into the new creation,
for his ascension is our glory and our hope.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Women’s retreat with the Sisters of Life!  Come bring your heart to Jesus!

What: “Make My Heart Like Unto Thine: Finding Love in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary” Retreat with the Sisters of Life (not discernment) for women 18-35

When: June 19-21, 2009 (weekend of the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!)

Where: Villa Maria Guadalupe, Stamford CT (train pick-up in Stamford; LaGuardia Airport pick-up)

Includes: daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, conferences, opportunities for confessions and to meet with a Sister, a mix of silence and fellowship

Retreat Director: Fr. Rob Ketcham

Cost: A donation to help the works of the Sisters of Life (suggested $100 – but don’t let cost keep you from coming)

Register on-line: www.sistersoflife.org/vmg.html

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God’s word is alive; it strikes to the heart.
It pierces more surely than a two-edged sword, alleluia.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Francis Coll was born at Gombreny in the Catalan Pyrenees in 1812 and, after studying at the diocesan seminary at Vich, entered the Order at the priory of Gerona in 1830.  In 1835 the anti-clerical government closed the house of studies at Gerona and dispersed the Dominican students.  From that day until his death he maintained a heroic fidelity to his Dominican vocation without the support offered by Dominican community life.  Eventually he was ordained at the diocesan seminary at Vich in 1836.  After several years of parish ministry he pursued itinerant preaching along with his friend Saint Anthony Claret.  He founded the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation to teach the children of the poor in the villages where he preached.  In December, 1869, Blessed Francis suffered a stroke which left him completely blind.  He died at Vich on April 2, 1875.

Blessed Francis will be canonized on October 11, 2009.

God of all truth,
you chose Blessed Francis
to make known the name of your Son
and to instruct Christian people in holiness.
By the help of his prayers
may true faith be continually sustained
and grow through the ministry of preaching.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

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Having concluded his 8-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI is receiving both criticism and praise for the diplomatic gestures he performed there.  These critiques can be instructive, but we must not forget that the Pope traveled to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories as more than just a head of state.  He visited those lands first and foremost as a pilgrim and the Church’s chief pastor.  From a Christian point of view, therefore, the spiritual substance of the Pope’s visit remains its most important element.

In this regard, the Holy Father’s presence among his beleaguered fellow Christians did not disappoint.  His reflections and homilies strengthened them as he called them back over and again to the very foundation of the faith—the empty tomb—which sits still empty in their midst.  Of course, while speaking to Middle Eastern Christians, the Pope was also speaking to the world.  In the very land where Jesus walked, the Successor of Peter proclaimed the Gospel anew to a world still in need of its peace and reconciliation.  

Collected below are links to the homilies and speeches Pope Benedict delivered at the various holy sites he visited.  Take time to read them.  Still in the Easter season, we can benefit from the Holy Father’s witness to the Resurrection.

Visit to the Regina Pacis Center in Amman, Jordan  (May 8 )

Visit to the Ancient Basilica of the Memorial of Moses, Mt. Nebo  (May 9)

Celebration of Vespers with Priests and Religious, St. George Cathedral, Amman, Jordan  (May 9)

Mass in Amman International Stadium  (May 10)

Recitation of the Regina Coeli at the Amman Airport  (May 10)

Visit to Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem  (May 11)

Prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem  (May 12)

Recitation of the Regina Coeli in the Upper Room in Jerusalem  (May 12)

Visit to the Cathedral of the Latins in Jerusalem  (May 12)

Mass in the Valley of Josafat in Jerusalem  (May 12)

Mass in Manger Square in Bethlehem  (May 13)

Mass on the Mount of Precipice in Nazareth  (May 14)

Vespers with Bishops, Priests, and Religious in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth  (May 14)

Visit to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem  (May 15)

(photo credit: Reuters)

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