In honor of St Joseph the Worker: The Litany of St Joseph

Litany of Saint Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Joseph, pray for us.Illustrious Son of David, pray for us.
Light of the Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Faithful Protector of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most courageous, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of working men, pray for us.
Ornament of the domestic life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of the family, pray for us.
Consoler of the miserable, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.V. He hath made him master of His house.
R. And ruler of all His possessions.
Let us pray.
O God, who in Thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may have him for our intercessor in Heaven, whom on earth we venerate as out most holy Protector. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

May 1st: Dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker

The Feast of St Joseph the Worker and a Catholic View of Human Work

• By Deacon Keith Fournier
• 5/1/2013
• Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The Catholic Church proclaimed a different way than the false materialist ideologies of collectivism, whether they came from the left, as with Marxism, or from the right, as with National Socialism. She proclaimed that the path to true freedom and flourishing is the Way of Jesus Christ.

 

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - I am old enough to remember what used to happen on  May 1st, when some Communist Regimes paraded their weapons of destruction through the streets of many major cities in the Capitols of Nations held captive under the boot of Marxist oppression.
They call it May Day and International Workers Day. The Marxists proclaimed that a worker paradise could be achieved through a counterfeit ideology which promised a new man and a new society without need for a Savior. They lied.
It was during that period of time that the Catholic Church emphasized this Feast of Joseph the Worker. It was intended to make a prophetic statement, expose the lies of that false ideology and proclaim that the only truth which can liberate men, women and nations, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The fullness of that truth subsists within the Catholic Church which He founded. (See, L.G. #8)
The Catholic Church proclaimed a different way than the false materialist ideologies of collectivism, whether they came from the left, as with Marxism, or from the right, as with National Socialism. She proclaimed that the path to true freedom and flourishing is the Way of Jesus Christ.
She also affirmed that there is a dignity to all human work precisely because of the dignity of every human worker engaged in it. That worker is created in the Image and Likeness of God. That dignity is elevated to an even greater height through the Incarnation of Jesus the Worker of Nazareth.
On this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker we should reflect once again upon the creative and redemptive value of all human work, especially when joined to Christ the Worker. Though the lies of Marxist totalitarianism hold less sway in this hour, other false ideologies have now entrapped cultures once infused with the Christian worldview. 
In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught concerning Jesus Christ: "He who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), is Himself the perfect man. To the sons of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled, by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too."
"For by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin." (Gaudium et Spes #22)
The Catholic Catechism adds these insights, "Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another. Hence work is a duty: "If anyone will not work, let him not eat." (2 Thess. 3:10) Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive."
"By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish."
"Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ. In work, the person exercises and fulfills in part the potential inscribed in his nature. The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and its beneficiary."
"Work is for man, not man for work. Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community. The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and beneficiary. By means of his labor man participates in the work of creation. Work united to Christ can be redemptive." (See, CCC # 2247 et.seq)
A Catholic understanding of human work views it through the lens of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. God Incarnate, Jesus the Christ, was a worker! The dignity of this God become Man elevates thereby elevates the basic goodness of all human work.
The early Church Father Gregory Nazianzus expressed the implications of the Incarnation best when he insisted that "Whatever was not assumed was not healed!" Because the entire human experience was assumed by Jesus, work has been transformed by Christ the worker!
As a child, Jesus learned from Joseph the Worker how to work with wood. He would later climb upon a wooden cross in order to re-create all humanity in the culmination of His great work of redemption. All of the work undertaken by Jesus was joined to His Heavenly Father's work. That is the same relationship we have with the Father now through Him, with Him and in ...

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Praying with the Pope during the month of May

Pope's prayer intentions for May

The Pope's general prayer intention for May is: "That administrators of justice may act always with integrity and right conscience."

His mission intention is: “That seminaries, especially those of mission Churches, may form pastors after the Heart of Christ, fully dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel.”

Mandeville LA Catholic Church gets new pastor while legal battle continues in court

Mandeville Catholic Church embroiled in legal battle gets new pastor

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By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune
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on April 30, 2013 

 

 

>>>This is our neighboring parish to our south and is located just across the lake from New Orleans.  OLL is also the largest Catholic parish in Louisiana!

 

                         

The Rev. Mark Lomax, who currently heads St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church in Slidell, will take over as pastor of Our Lady of the Lake parish in Mandeville on July 1, the Archdiocese of New Orleans confirmed. Lomax will succeed the Rev. Michael Schneller who in February decided to step down as pastor amid the controversial drive to build a new place of worship in Old Mandeville.

Lomax was assigned to St. Luke's in 2006 after serving for nine years as pastor of St. Mark's Catholic Church in Chalmette, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The St. Luke's website describes Lomax as an avid hunter and former Army chaplain who served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He is a New Orleans native who was ordained as a priest in 1980. From 1979 to 1980, before his ordination, Lomax was a deacon at OLL.
Schneller has been pastor of the Mandeville Catholic church parish since last July, taking over for the Rev. John Talamo, who began the push in 2010 to build a new, larger church on the OLL campus. The proposal touched off significant opposition in Old Mandeville, leading to legal action that is now pending before the state's 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.
In requesting a new assignment, Schneller said the church project distracted from his ministry and caused him "emotional turmoil and physical distress." After much thought and reflection, Schneller said he decided that another pastor more skilled at building and fundraising could better serve OLL.
Contacted Tuesday, Lomax said his focus will be to serve the spiritual needs of OLL parishioners.
"I'm not going with any agenda," he said, referring to the church construction issue. "I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends and making some new ones."

The Rev. Mark Lomax

OLL's long legal battle with the city of Mandeville over construction of the new church is now being fought before the 1st Circuit. The appeals court was asked by church attorneys to intervene following a lower court ruling that essentially upheld the Mandeville Zoning Commission's decision to disallow construction of a new church across Lafitte Street from the church's existing chapel.
The 1st Circuit has until May 22 to formally accept the case, according to court records. Once the case is accepted, the appeals court will set deadlines for briefs to be filed by both parties in a legal process that could stretch into 2014, officials said.
The rift between some residents of the lakefront community and the Catholic church has been years long. Controversy erupted shortly after Talamo announced in the spring of 2010 that the parish would build a new church. Supporters said the existing chapel has 456 seats, which is not enough to accommodate church-goers that attend some Masses. OLL uses its multi-purpose Chotin Center, which houses a gymnasium, for some Masses.
OLL seeks to remedy the situation by building a new church on Lafitte Street at a cost originally estimated to be $13 million. The initial plan called for a 16,715 square-foot place of worship with seating for 1,028. Opponents in Old Mandeville objected, saying the mammoth church would create traffic and parking problems and would not fit in with surrounding buildings.
The church's original plan was disallowed by the city's zoning commission, a decision that prompted the legal action now pending before the 1st Circuit.
Meanwhile, in December the church submitted new construction plans to the city
for a church with fewer seats than what was originally outlined in the proposal that is now under appeal. The latest plan keeps the same basic design, architectural style and amount of square footage as the original proposal. But the new plan has more than 100 fewer seats compared to the original plan.
Under the advice of legal counsel, the city opted not accept the new plan because of the pending appeal. OLL suffered another setback in February when the
Mandeville Planning and Zoning Commission denied the church's appeal that sought to have its revised plan accepted by the city.

Knights of Columbus given new life at a Catholic College that previously rejected them, in part, for being Catholic?

Gonzaga approves Knights of Columbus

The president of Gonzaga University has decided to approve the campus Knights of Columbus chapter as a sponsored organization. Tuesday's action reverses a decision made last month.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Published: April 30, 2013  

        

SPOKANE, Wash. — The president of Gonzaga University has decided to approve the campus Knights of Columbus chapter as a sponsored organization. Tuesday's action reverses a decision made last month.
The decision means the Catholic organization can use the university's name, raise money on campus, use campus facilities and recruit members.
Gonzaga President Thayne McCullough began a review of the policy earlier this month, after student activities officials decided the Knights of Columbus did not qualify for club status since it excluded women and non-Catholics.
That earlier decision was criticized by some alumni and parents of current students, who called it hypocritical.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com//2013/04/30/2579019/gonzaga-approves-knights-of-columbus.html?storylink=fb#storylink=cpy

The "How" of the Anointing of the Sick

Read the Catechism in a Year

Catechism in a Year: Day 198

Part Two: How We Celebrate the Christian Mysteries
- Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
-- Chapter Two: The Sacraments of Healing -- Anointing of the Sick

Question 244: How is the Anointing of the Sick administered?

The essential ritual by which the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered consists of an anointing of the forehead and hands with holy oil, accompanied by prayers.

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Question 245: How does the Anointing of the Sick work?

The Anointing of the Sick imparts consolation, peace, and strength and unites the sick person, in his precarious situation and his sufferings, with Christ in a profound way. For the Lord experienced our fears and bore our pains in his body. For many people the Anointing of the Sick brings about physical healing. But if God should decide to call someone home to himself, he gives him in the Anointing of the Sick the strength for all the physical and spiritual battles on his final journey. In any case, the Anointing of the Sick has the effect of forgiving sins.

Many sick people are afraid of this sacrament and put it off until the last minute because they think it is a sort of death sentence. But the opposite is true: the Anointing of the Sick is a sort of life insurance. A Christian who is caring for a sick person should relieve him of any false fear. Most people in serious danger sense intuitively that nothing is more important for them at the moment than to embrace immediately and unconditionally the One who overcame death and is life itself: Jesus, the Savior.

Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1516-1532) and other references here.

Recommended Listening: Why I am Catholic When I Can be Anything Else by Patrick Madrid

Pope who moved the reforms of Trent forward

St. Pius V, Pope

                                 

St. Pius V, Pope

 

Feastday: April 30
1504 - 1572

Pope from 1566-1572 and one of the foremost leaders of the Catholic Reformation. Born Antonio Ghislieri in Bosco, Italy, to a poor family, he labored as a shepherd until the age of fourteen and then joined the Dominicans, being ordained in 1528. Called Brother Michele, he studied at Bologna and Genoa, and then taught theology and philosophy for sixteen years before holding the posts of master of novices and prior for several Dominican houses. Named inquisitor for Como and Bergamo, he was so capable in the fulfillment of his office that by 1551, and at the urging of the powerful Cardinal Carafa, he was named by Pope Julius III commissary general of the Inquisition. In 1555, Carafa was elected Pope Paul IV and was responsible for Ghislieri’s swift rise as a bishop of Nepi and Sutri in 1556, cardinal in 1557, and grand inquisitor in 1558. While out of favor for a time under Pope Pius IV who disliked his reputation for excessive zeal, Ghislieri was unanimously elected a pope in succession to Pius on January 7, 1566. As pope, Pius saw his main objective as the continuation of the massive program of reform for the Church, in particular the full implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent. He published the Roman Catechism, the revised Roman Breviary, and the Roman Missal; he also declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church, commanded a new edition of the works of Thomas Aquinas, and created a commission to revise the Vulgate. The decrees of Trent were published throughout all Catholic lands, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the New World, and the pontiff insisted on their strict adherence. In 1571, Pius created the Congregation of the Index to give strength to the Church’s resistance to Protestant and heretical writings, and he used the Inquisition to prevent any Protestant ideas from gaining a foot hold in Italy. In dealing with the threat of the Ottoman Turks who were advancing steadily across the Mediterranean, Pius organized a formidable alliance between Venice and Spain, culminating in the Battle of Lepanto, which was a complete and shattering triumph over the Turks. The day of the victory was declared the Feast Day of Our Lady of Victory in recognition of Our Lady’s intercession in answer to the saying of the Rosary all over Catholic Europe. Pius also spurred the reforms of the Church by example. He insisted upon wearing his coarse Dominican robes, even beneath the magnificent vestments worn by the popes, and was wholeheartedly devoted to the religious life. His reign was blemished only by the continuing oppression of the Inquisition; the often brutal treatment of the Jews of Rome; and the ill advised decision to excommunicate Queen Elizabeth I of England  in February 1570, an act which also declared her deposed and which only worsened the plight of English Catholics. These were overshadowed in the view of later generations by his contributions to the Catholic Reformation. Pope Clement beatified him on May 1, 1672, and Pope Clement XI canonized him on May 22, 1712.

Deacon Greg reports on another call for women deacons. Oh my.

Head of German bishops’ conference says the idea of women deacons “no longer taboo”

April 29, 2013 By Deacon Greg Kandra

From a German news website:

Germany’s top Roman Catholic has called for women to be allowed to become deacons, which would enable them to perform baptisms and marriages outside of mass – a novelty for Catholic women.
Archbishop of Freiburg Robert Zollitsch, who chairs the German Bishops’ Conference, called for the change at the end of a four-day meeting to discuss possible reforms.
The conference, the first of its kind, invited 300 Roman Catholic experts to propose reforms. Zollitsch’s comments echo year-long calls from the Central Committee of German Catholics to permit women to become deacons. On Sunday, Zollitsch said that aim was no longer a ‘taboo.’
Zollitsch said the Catholic Church could only regain credibility and strength by committing to reform. He described an “atmosphere of openness and freedom” at the conference.
Deacons assist priests during church services and can perform baptisms and marriages outside of mass. Their primary role however is to serve the needy in their community and their duties are considered secular rather than pastoral.
Another proposal to emerge from the conference was to extend the rights of remarried divorcees to sit on church bodies such as parish councils. Conference members also discussed the possibility of granting them the right to receive Holy Communion and attend confession.
“It’s important to me that, without undermining the sanctity of marriage, these men and women are taken seriously within the church and feel respected and at home,” said Zollitsch. At present the reforms remain speculative and there is no proposed time-frame for their implementation. The position of divorcees remains highly controversial within the Church.

Read the rest.

The Church cares for the sick

Read the Catechism in a Year

Catechism in a Year: Day 197

Part Two: How We Celebrate the Christian Mysteries
- Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
-- Chapter Two: The Sacraments of Healing -- Anointing of the Sick

Question 242: Why should the Church take special care of the sick? 

Jesus shows us: Heaven suffers with us when we suffer. God even wants to be rediscovered in “the least of these my brethren” (Mt 25:40). That is why Jesus designated care of the sick as a central task for his disciples. He commands them, “Heal the sick” (Mt 10:8), and he promises them divine authority: “In my name they will cast out demons; … they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mk 16:17–18).

One of the distinctive characteristics of Christianity has always been that the elderly, the sick, and the needy are central to it. Mother Teresa, who cared for those who were dying in the gutters of Calcutta, is only one in a long series of Christian women and men who have discovered Christ precisely in those who were marginalized and avoided by others. When Christians are really Christian, a healing influence goes out from them. Some even have the gift of healing others physically in the power of the Holy Spirit (the charism of healing).

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Question 243: For whom is the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick intended? 

The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can be received by any Catholic whose health is in a critical state.

One can receive the Anointing of the Sick several times in one’s life. Therefore it makes sense for young people to ask for this sacrament also, if, for example, they are about to undergo a serious operation. On such occasions many Catholics combine the Anointing of the Sick with a (general) confession; in case the operation fails, they want to go to meet God with a clear conscience.

Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1506-1515) and other references here.

Recommended Reading: What Catholics Really Believe by Karl Keating

She helped heal the great Western Schism; Pope Paul VI made her a Doctor of the Church

St. Catherine of Siena - Doctor of the Church

   

St. Catherine of Siena - Doctor of the Church

 

Feastday: April 29
Patron Fire prevention
1347 - 1380

The 25th child of a wool dyer in northern Italy, St. Catherine started having mystical experiences when she was only 6, seeing guardian angels as clearly as the people they protected. She became a Dominican tertiary when she was 16, and continued to have visions of Christ, Mary, and the saints. St. Catherine was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day, although she never had any formal education. She persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon, in 1377, and when she died she was endeavoring to heal the Great Western Schism. In 1375 Our Lord give her the Stigmata, which was visible only after her death. Her spiritual director was Blessed Raymond of Capua. St, Catherine's letters, and a treatise called "a dialogue" are considered among the most brilliant writings in the history of the Catholic Church. She died when she was only 33, and her body was found incorrupt in 1430.

Terror at a Catholic Church in New Mexico

Four people hurt in Albuquerque church stabbing

By Matt PearceThis post has been updated, as indicated below.

April 28, 2013

At least four people were hurt at an Albuquerque church Sunday when a visitor jumped out of the pews and stabbed a choir member during a song, police and witnesses said.

The victims did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, police said.
Two parishioners told the Los Angeles Times that after communion at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church on Sunday morning, a man in his teens or early 20s leaped from the pews and stabbed the choir's lead singer while the choir was singing.

 

"While that was going on, people were just panicking. It was scary, you wouldn’t think something like that would happen in church," Reyes Stinson, 18, told The Times.
Another parishioner, Vanessa Lucero, 14, told The Times she was sitting right behind the man, who "was kind of twitchy, sketchy looking. He had a tattoo of an upside-down star on his wrist."
Lucero said the man climbed over the pews, punched and then repeatedly stabbed the choir's lead singer.
"He said, like, 'False preacher!' " Lucero said. "I don’t know why.”
The congregation subdued the attacker, at which point more parishioners could have been stabbed, Stinson said.
After the suspect was in handcuffs, Lucero said, "Old ladies were telling him, 'God bless you, forgive yourself,' and he was saying, 'You don’t know about the Masons.' "
Neither witness had seen the man before. After the attack, Stinson said that the choir's lead singer had stab wounds on his left arm and that his jacket was "torn to pieces."
“At this point, we’re just trying to deal with it," Father John C. Daniel said in a brief phone interview with The Times. "It sounds like everybody is going to be OK.”
In a statement, Albuquerque police confirmed that the suspect was in custody but did not release his identity.
[Update, 4:15 p.m. April 28: On Sunday afternoon, police identified the suspect as Lawrence Capener, 24. "He is currently being interviewed and will be facing numerous felony charges," Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said in a statement.]
"It has been determined that he is not a parishioner," police said. "As to the motive regarding the multiple stabbing, this has not yet been determined."

Three for one Saint day: Priest, Marist, Martyr and Saint

St. Peter Chanel

                                 

St. Peter Chanel

 

Feastday: April 28
Patron of Oceania
1803 - 1841

In St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr (Feast day - April 28) The protomartyr of the South Seas, St. Peter Chanel was born in 1803 at Clet in the diocese of Belley, France. His intelligence and simple piety brought him to the attention of the local priest, Father Trompier, who saw to his elementary education. Entering the diocesan Seminary, Peter won the affection and the esteem of both students and professors. After his ordination he found himself in a rundown country parish and completely revitalized it in the three year span that he remained there. However, his mind was set on missionary work; so, in 1831, he joined the newly formed Society of Mary (Marists) which concentrated on missionary work at home and abroad. To his dismay, he was appointed to teach at the seminary at Belley and remained there for the next five years, diligently performing his duties.

In 1836, the Society was given the New Hebrides in the Pacific as a field for evangelization, and the jubilant St. Peter was appointed Superior of a little band of missionaries sent to proclaim the Faith to its inhabitants. On reaching their destination after an arduous ten month journey, the band split up and St. Peter went to the Island of Futuna accompanied by a laybrother and an English layman, Thomas Boog. They were at first well received by the pagans and their king Niuliki who had only recently forbidden canabalism. However, the kings jealousy and fear were aroused when the missionaries learned the language and gained the people's confidence; he realized the adoption of the Christian Faith would lead to the abolition of some of the prerogatives he enjoyed as both highpriest and sovereign.

Finally, when his own son expressed a desire to be baptized, the king's hatred erupted and he dispatched a group of his warriors to set upon the saintly head of the missionaries. Thus, on April 28, 1841, three years after his arrival, St. Peter was seized and clubbed to death by those he had come to save. And his death brought his work to completion - within five months the entire island was converted to Christianity.

Praying for graduating high school seniors and batizing babies while reflecting on family. What a reflective day.

Sunday dawned with one heck of a rain storm and driving to church was problematic.  I usually hate rainy Sundays but I was ok with it this morning.  Arriving at MHT I dutifully prepared for my two Baptisms later in the day and was reminded that at the 11 AM mass we would have a ceremony for our graduating seniors.  I think that combination brought back into focus for me that on this very same weekend my daughter signed her contract to move north to Memphis this summer and both my children(not to mention #1 grandson) now live far away.  And I thought about them a lot today as first we honored our senior students.  At the end of Mass, our youth director called each of our seniors by name, announced where they were graduating from and what their post graduate plans would be.  All of them are going on to study, most in college and one in a junior college and another in a technical school.  All will be starting their new adventure to full fledged adulthood.  As our Pastor prayed over them I could hear a few sniffles of pride mixed with some sadness as moms & dads, proud of their children, must have wondered prayerfully, where did the time go.  Was it that long ago that my wife & I watched with great pride as our two graduated high school and went off to college?  College was easy; both Jimmy & Elizabeth went to LSU, just a little over an hour away.  Jimmy was 1996, Elizabeth 2007.  Both times when we dropped them off at college, I was full of great pride.  Jimmy hung around awhile, through vet school, 7 years in all.  But when 2003 came, he was off to his first job offer in North Carolina.  Remarkably, that will be 10 years ago on Memorial Day weekend.  He is there for life in my opinion, having found the love of his life and bringing #1 grandson into the world.  We just returned this week from our latest visit and really love the life he has built in the Tar Heel state.  But today, I had memories of him as a little boy, riding his horses, a graduating high school student and remembering him the 1st time I saw him in a doctor's lab coat at LSU Vet School.
Elizabeth was a little harder because she is the baby.  In 2007 my wife and I knew what to expect so we held our emotions in control.  When she graduated she expressed her desire to pursue a Master's Degree and was accepted at USM.  Now that was all good for proud dad because Hattiesburg, Ms. is only 90 minutes east and north.  But now that Master's Degree is almost in hand and she desires her doctorate.  And the University of Memphis said YES!  Yesterday she signed her lease to move north, all the way to Memphis, more than 5 and a half hours away.  Another proud day as a parent but sad too.  My goodness we just watched her as a little girl, dancing on this dance team then that one, and now she, like her brother, charts her own course.

At the Baptism, I briefly remembered holding first Jimmy then many years later Elizabeth as they were being baptized.  I gently shared this with the parents today and encouraged them to cherish "today".  These precious little gifts are so tiny and dependent now but one day, they grow up and go their way.  The Baptism, by the way was beautiful.  Little Cooper James and Stella Grace looked so peaceful in Baptismal white as they were freed from original sin and made one with the body of Christ, His Church.  I love baptizing babies and today was about the best day ever for me to be doing just that.  As I baptized little Cooper and Stella, a brief mental smile brought into focus Jimmy & Elizabeth, excelling at their lives and making this proud dad all the more prouder.  Today in prayer, I give thanks for the gift of being a dad; and the gift of my children and now my #1 grandson!

I'm glad we prayed for those high school seniors today and wish each of them much happiness.  But I pray too for moms & dads and brothers & sisters who will miss them as they grow up and move on.  I'm glad we prayed for our two new little Christians today, Cooper & Stella, who were reborn today fully in Christ Jesus!  But I pray too for moms & dads and the God-parents too as they are now charged with continuing to raise them in the faith and guide them in this life.

For the rest of the day I will probably be reflective and pray for my daughter as soon, she will leave for her new home in Memphis.  And I pray for my NC family and #1 grandson too.  I pray for my wife as she too prepares for this new reality in our lives and I would be oh so very happy if I could ask each of you to pray for me too!

A Saint known for his devotion to Mary and the Rosary

St. Louis de Montfort

   

St. Louis de Montfort

 

Feastday: April 28
1673 - 1716

Confessor, Marian devotee, and founder of the Sisters of Divine Wisdom He was born Louis Maie Grignon in Montfort, France, in 1673. Educated at Rennes, he was ordained there in 1700, becoming a chaplain in a hospital in Poitiers. His congregation, also called the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, started there. As his missions and sermons raised complaints, Louis went to Rome, where Pope Clement XI appointed him as a missionary apostolic. Louis is famous for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. In 1715, he also founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. His True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin remains popular. Louis died at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre. He was canonized in 1947.

At Mass Pope Francis confirms 44 and delivers a homily of profound beauty and depth

Pope confirms young people, calls them to be 'steadfast'

By Estefania Aguirre

 

Pope Francis celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at a Papal Mass on April 28, 2013. Credit: Stephen Driscoll/CNA.

 

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2013 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a Mass where he confirmed 44 young people, Pope Francis encouraged the youth of the world to persist in their faith even in the midst of obstacles.
“Remaining steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord, is the secret of our journey,” he told over 70,000 young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives,” he said during the 10:00 a.m. Mass on April 28.
The Mass marked the ending of a two-day celebration as part of the Year of Faith, which gathered thousands of youths from around the world.
The day before, the young people had met with teachers of faith, or catechists, at Saint Peter's Square for a pilgrimage to the tombs of Saint Peter and Blessed John Paul II.
The Eucharistic celebration was dedicated to the 44 young people from around the world to whom the Pope imparted the sacrament of Confirmation, and to those who had already received the sacrament earlier this year.
“To go against the current, this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide,” Pope Francis noted.
“Jesus gives us this courage,” he stressed.
Examining the day's Gospel reading, the Pontiff observed that the Holy Spirit “makes all things new” and “changes us.”
“The Holy Spirit is truly transforming us, and through us he also wants to transform the world in which we live,” explained the Pope.
“How beautiful it would be,” he said, “if each of you, every evening, could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person!”
He noted that when God makes all things “new,” they are not like “the novelties of this world, all of which are temporary,” but are “lasting, not only in the future but today as well.”
Pope Francis also explained that “we must undergo many trials if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.”
“To follow the Lord, to let his Spirit transform the shadowy parts of our lives, our ungodly ways of acting, and cleanse us of our sins, is to set out on a path with many obstacles, both in the world around us but also within us, in the heart,” he said.
He explained that trials are “part of the path that leads to God's glory” and told the pilgrims that they will always encounter difficulties in life.
“Do not be discouraged,” the Pope emphasized. “We have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these trials!”

Hate crime committed against New Orleans Northshore Catholic High School

St. Paul's School vandalism considered a hate crime, Covington police say

View the Slideshow >>

(Gallery by Naomi Martin, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

 

By NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune   

on April 27, 2013 

 

Covington police are searching for suspects wanted in a school vandalism incident they are calling a hate crime. Officials arrived at St. Paul's School at 8 a.m. Saturday to find swastikas and the words "Hitler" and "Hail Satan 666" spray-painted on the bell tower, chapel and religious statues, Covington Police Capt. Jack West said in a news release.
"We pray for those who are so filled with hate that they must senselessly destroy,'' the school's principal, Brother Ray Bulliard, said in a statement. "May God convert their hearts with his love.''
Police said about 40 different locations on the school campus at 917 S. Jahncke Ave. were vandalized. The vandals defaced other sites on the campus with Stars of David, obscene pictures and splashes of spray paint and latex house paint, police said. Preliminary estimates put the cost of the damage at $2,000.

Story by

Danielle Bell and Andrea Shaw
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Bulliard put out a call to the community for help shortly after he discovered the vandalism. Around 60 students, parents, alumni and neighbors responded, and by 2 p.m. all signs of the crime had been removed, according to officials.
"What is particularly disturbing is the nature of the graffiti: anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, pro-satanic and obscene,'' Bulliard said. "The police have said it qualifies as a 'hate crime.'"
Bulliard thanked the school community and the police for their work, and said the school will be open on Monday.
The Covington police are asking for assistance from the public in identifying the vandals. Anyone with information is asked to call the Covington Police Department at 985.892.8500. They can also call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 877.903.7867. Callers can receive a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment.

Introducing the Anointing of the Sick

Read the Catechism in a Year

Catechism in a Year: Day 196

Part Two: How We Celebrate the Christian Mysteries
- Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
-- Chapter Two: The Sacraments of Healing -- Anointing of the Sick

Question 240: How was “sickness” interpreted in the Old Testament?

In the Old Testament sickness was often experienced as a severe trial, against which one could protest but in which one could also see God’s hand. In the prophets the thought appears that sufferings are not just a curse and not always the consequence of personal sin, that by patiently bearing sufferings one can also be there for others. 

---

Question 241: Why did Jesus show so much interest in the sick?

Jesus came in order to show God’s love. He often did this in places where we feel especially threatened: in the weakening of our life through sickness. God wants us to become well in body and soul and, therefore, to believe and to acknowledge the coming of God’s kingdom.

Sometimes a person has to become sick in order to recognize what we all—healthy or sick—need more than anything else: God. We have no life except in him. That is why sick people and sinners can have a special instinct for the essential things. Already in the New Testament it was precisely the sick people who sought the presence of Jesus; they tried “to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all” (Lk 6:19). 

Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1499-1505) and other references here.

Recommended Listening: Making Sense Out of Suffering by Dr. Scott Hahn

Woman ordained a Priest? Absolutely not; this is nothing more than let's play dress up

This is a picture being highly touted by Yahoo News and other news services.  Besides all that is wrong with these women; including their total mockery of Jesus Christ, their unbridles ego and the fact that all they really do is incur excommunication, what about the media.  They write garbage about how these women are being ordained Roman Catholic Priests.  Oh they eventually get around to saying "outside the authority of Rome"; in fact this is not news; it is a bunch of folks playing dress up.  One article I read said up to 70% of Catholics approve of women priests.  Just like recent elections, when the media gets about the business of talking to Catholics who actually participate in their faith, the numbers just don't hold up.  Let's be clear: even though I'm going to show this ridiculous picture here, this is NOT ANYTHING BUT PLAYTIME for these disobedient children of God.  And yes, I will pray for their return to Holy Mother Church:

A modern day Saint who gave her life for her baby; beatified and canonized by Blessed Pope JP II

St. Gianna Beretta Molla

   

St. Gianna Beretta Molla

 

Feastday: April 28
Patron mothers, physicians, preborn children
Died: 1962
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II

Gianna Francesca Beretta was born in Magenta in Italy. She was the tenth of thirteen children in her family, only nine of whom survived to adulthood. When she was three, her family moved to Bergamo, and she grew up in the Lombardy region of Italy.

In 1942, Gianna began her study of medicine in Milan. Outside of her schooling, she was active in Azione Cattolica. She received a medical diploma in 1949, and opened an office in Mesero, near her hometown of Magenta, where she specialized in pediatrics.

Gianna hoped to join her brother, a missionary priest in Brazil, where she intended to offer her medical expertise in gynecology to poor women. However, her chronic ill health made this impractical, and she continued her practice in Italy.

In December 1954, Gianna met Pietro Molla, an engineer who worked in her office, ten years older than she. They were officially engaged the following April, and they married in September 1955.

The couple had Pierluigi, born in 1956, Maria Zita, in 1957 and Laura, was born in 1959. Gianna suffered two miscarriages after this.

In 1961, Gianna was once again expecting. During the second month, Gianna developed a fibroma on her uterus. After examination, the doctors gave her three choices: an abortion, which would save her life and allow her to continue to have children; a complete hysterectomy, which would preserve her life, but take the unborn child's life, and prevent further pregnancy; or removal of only the fibroma, with the potential of further complications. Roman Catholic teaching would have allowed her to obtain a hysterectomy, but would forbid an abortion. Wanting to preserve her child's life, she opted for the removal of the fibroma.

After the operation, complications continued throughout her pregnancy. Gianna was quite clear about her wishes, expressing to her family, "This time it will be a difficult delivery, and they may have to save one or the other -- I want them to save my baby."

On April 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, Gianna Emanuela, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section. However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis 7 days after the birth.

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, and officially canonized as a saint on May 16, 2004. Gianna's husband Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the canonization ceremony.

The miracle recognized by the Roman Catholic Church to canonize Gianna Molla involved a mother, Elizabeth Comparini, who was 16 weeks pregnant in 2003 and sustained a tear in her placenta that drained her womb of all amniotic fluid. Because a normal term of pregnancy is 40 weeks, Comparini was told by her doctors the baby's chance of survival was "nil."

Through praying to Gianna Molla and asking for her intercession, Comparini delivered by Caesarean a healthy baby despite the lack of amniotic fluid for the remainder of her pregnancy.

In his homily at her canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II called Gianna "a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love."

From Deacon Greg: Significant changes about receiving Communion

Two small but significant changes regarding Communion reception

April 27, 2013 By Deacon Greg Kandra

A website calls attention to this item in a USCCB newsletter on the new Roman Missal, from January:

What does the Missal say about the posture of the faithful when receiving Holy Communion? What about Communion in the hand?
Both of these questions are covered in no. 160 of the GIRM. It states clearly there that the “norm” established for  the United States for reception of Holy Communion is standing. In the 2003 GIRM, it stated that no one should be refused Communion if they kneel, but that afterward they should be properly catechized. In the current edition, the exhortation to catechesis is removed and the exception to the norm of standing is left to the discretion of the faithful: “unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.” [emphasis mine] The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 91, is then cited.
With regard to receiving Communion in the hand, there is a significant development from the 1985 GIRM to the 2003/2011 edition. Whereas in 1985, Communion in the hand was granted by virtue of an indult received in 1977, in the Roman Missal, Third Edition, Communion in the hand is now ordinary liturgical law for the United States, [emphasis mine] though every communicant retains the equal right of receiving on the tongue.

Homily repaste from 2010: Will they know we are Christians by our Love!

Back in 2010 I was lead by the Spirit to deliver the homily I share below on this very Gospel we will hear this weekend.  I was assigned then to St. Jane de Chantal Church in Abita Springs.  In all the things that have happened since then, and more specifically, in recent days and weeks, what a great Gospel to have; and what a still necessary message: will they know we are Christians by our love?  Will we prayerfully heed Jesus' command to love one another, and love each other as He loves us.  What will our love sound and look like when we consider our estranged family member?  What will our love sound and look like when we consider a rival, be it at school or at our jobs.  What will our love sound and look like if confronted by the homeless, the prisoner, the poor, the dying?  What will our love sound and look like when we speak of or even just think of the Boston Marathon bomber, the abortion doctor on trial for killing babies born alive or the person or group that persecutes our Church, our Faith?  Will they know we are Christians by our love?  Think about it, measure twice, cut once, by our love!!!

My homily from 2010:

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter May 2, 2010

On those rare times when I would help my father-in-law with another construction project, he always used to say: measure twice and cut once. That was his way of telling me that if we measured properly we would avoid mistakes. Measurements are an important part of our lives.

We use so many things to take measurements; high tech equipment to help us with weather forecasts, kitchen utensils that help us measure out the right ingredients for that favorite recipe, and many medical devices, like a simple thermometer to measure medical conditions from the very serious to something has simple as our temperture.

Today, Jesus tells us plainly how to measure our Christianity: by our love.

As people of faith, how do we measure up?

Today's Gospel, at first, may confuse some of us. After all, we are now 5 weeks deep into the Easter season. You may recognize the words of today's Gospel as those spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper. It's like a flashback but an important one. On this 5th Sunday of Easter, as we begin looking forward to the celebrations of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Church wants to remind us of the core message of Jesus: love. Jesus plainly tells us that He is giving us a new commandment: love one another. and He goes on to tell us how we are to do this: as I have loved you, so also should you love one another.

Jesus is being very clear here. He knows that we often mess up the word "love". The same word "love" that we use to describe our feelings for our spouse, or children, or dear friends is many times the same word we use for our car, or an oyster po-boy. Jesus is not talking about the love that only takes root in feelings or emotions. Jesus is talking about unconditional love; many times referred to as "agape" love. This is the love that is freely given and expects nothing in return. It is a love that Jesus taught, in words, many times over and in deeds, including the ultimate gift of love; His dying on the cross for us; to take on the burden of our guilt and to open the possibility of Heaven for each and everyone of us. It is the love Jesus asks us to give to our enemies and to those who hate us, even persecute us. It is the love that Jesus asks us to demonstrate with our acts of charity for those most in need. It is the love that Jesus asks us that leads to us avoiding condemnation and judgement.

What does that love look like for us today and in the days and weeks ahead. First, do people know that we are Christians by our love. We all have sung the words to that song but would people say of us, ah look at those Christians from St. Jane's; see how they love one another?

Can we love one another by being more active, engaged members of our parish family? Are there some among us who have perhaps missed an opportunity to be engaged in parish ministry or even involved in praying for the sick of our parish as they appear in our parish bulletin today? And as previously mentioned in prior homilies can we think about just one person in our own lives, someone that seems practically unlovable, and can we go them with the love that Jesus commands us in this Gospel? And perhaps in the week ahead, we can make a conscious effort to do a random act of kindness, a random act of love, that will benefit someone we do not even know.

Remember His command: love one another. And remember His "how": as I have loved you, so you also should love one another! Will they know we are Christians by our love?

Measure twice and cut once if we must; let's take our spiritual temperture; will we measure up; by our love, by our love?