Friday, June 27, 2014

From the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Ordinary Time: June 28th

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

In the midst of the second world war Pope Pius XII put the whole world under the special protection of our Savior's Mother by consecrating it to her Immaculate Heart, and in 1944 he decreed that in the future the whole Church should celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is not a new devotion. In the seventeenth century, St. John Eudes preached it together with that of the Sacred Heart; in the nineteenth century, Pius VII and Pius IX allowed several churches to celebrate a feast of the Pure Heart of Mary. Pius XII instituted today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the whole Church, so as to obtain by her intercession "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue" (Decree of May 4, 1944).

Immaculate Heart of Mary
The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The Gospel itself invited this attention with exquisite discretion and delicacy. What was first excited was compassion for the Virgin Mother. It was, so to speak, at the foot of the Cross that the Christian heart first made the acquaintance of the Heart of Mary. Simeon's prophecy paved the way and furnished the devotion with one of its favourite formulae and most popular representations: the heart pierced with a sword. But Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the Cross; "she cooperated through charity", as St. Augustine says, "in the work of our redemption". It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (De duodecim stellis). Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1302) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of St. Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's Book of Revelations.

St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the Second Nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his Theotimus. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to St. Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were first of all the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church. Excerpted from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 edition.

Pope not feeling well this Friday; had to cancel a visit to local hospital

Ill again, pope cancels visit to Rome's Gemelli Hospital, university

(CNS/Paul Haring)

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- At the exact moment Pope Francis was scheduled to leave the Vatican to travel to Rome's Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and its Gemelli Hospital, patients and staff were told the pope had to postpone his visit because he was not feeling well.

"Because of a sudden ailment, the Holy Father will not go to the Gemelli for the announced visit," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said a few minutes later. He declined to give more information about the pope's condition.

Staff members, patients and their families were already gathered in the hospital lobby waiting for the pope to arrive. Pediatric patients were seated in the lobby and a microphone for the 77-year-old pope was ready. Domenico Gianni, the head of Vatican security who often travels with the pope, and other officers, as well as photographers from the Vatican newspaper also were waiting.

"The pope stayed home," Father Lombardi said.

The spokesman said the visit would be rescheduled.

Several hours after announcing the pope would not go to Gemelli, Father Lombardi issued a brief note confirming Pope Francis' commitments for the next two days, including the June 29 Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Pau. At the Mass each year, popes give the pallium -- a woolen band worn around the shoulders -- to new archbishops.

"There is no reason to be worried about the pope's health," Father Lombardi said.

At least four times in the past seven months, Pope Francis has canceled appointments because he wasn't feeling well. In December, the pope postponed a meeting with Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan and organizers of the World Expo that will be held there. In February, at the last minute, the Vatican said he was ill, so he canceled a visit to Rome's major seminary. His scheduled May 18 visit to Rome's Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love was canceled so the pope could rest before going to the Holy Land May 24-26. Most of his appointments June 9 were canceled because he wasn't feeling well.

In addition, because of the difficulty he has been having in walking long distances, Pope Francis chose not to walk in the mile-long Corpus Christi procession June 19. Instead, he celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, then met the procession at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Cardinal Scola presided at the Mass Pope Francis had been scheduled to celebrate at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and read the homily the pope had prepared.

In the text, Pope Francis had written that a Christian should see his or her life as an opportunity to witness God's love by humbly serving and caring for others. The day's feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he said, was an occasion to reflect on how well one loves others. Is one consistent or "do I follow my moods and my fondness" for certain people?

The homily focused on Jesus' sacred heart as a sign and symbol of God's faithful, immeasurable love.

"God has set his heart on us, he has chosen us, and this bond is forever, not because we are faithful, but because the Lord is faithful and puts up with our infidelity, our slowness and our failures," the text said.

"We can experience and taste the tenderness of this love at every stage of our lives, in times of joy as well as sadness, in times of health as well as in sickness," Pope Francis had written.

- - -

Editors: Contributing to this story was Paul Haring at Gemelli Hospital.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

If not for Solemnity of Sacred Heart, tomorrow would be the feast day for St Cyril, Bishop & Doctor of the Church

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Facts

Feastday: June 27

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (June 27) Cyril was born at Alexandria, Egypt. He was nephew of the patriarch of that city, Theophilus. Cyril received a classical and theological education at Alexandria and was ordained by his uncle. He accompanied Theophilus to Constantinople in 403 and was present at the Synod of the Oak that deposed John Chrysostom, whom he believed guilty of the charges against him. He succeeded his uncle Theophilus as patriarch of Alexandria on Theophilus' death in 412, but only after a riot between Cyril's supporters and the followers of his rival Timotheus. Cyril at once began a series of attacks against the Novatians, whose churches he closed; the Jews, whom he drove from the city; and governor Orestes, with whom he disagreed about some of his actions. In 430 Cyril became embroiled with Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople, who was preaching that Mary was not the Mother of God since Christ was Divine and not human, and consequently she should not have the word theotokos (God-bearer) applied to her. He persuaded Pope Celestine I to convoke a synod at Rome, which condemned Nestorius, and then did the same at his own synod in Alexandria. Celestine directed Cyril to depose Nestorius, and in 431, Cyril presided over the third General Council at Ephesus, attended by some two hundred bishops, which condemned all the tenets of Nestorius and his followers before the arrival of Archbishop John of Antioch and forty-two followers who believed Nestorius was innocent. When they found what had been done, they held a council of their own and deposed Cyril. Emperor Theodosius II arrested both Cyril and Nestorius but released Cyril on the arrival of Papal Legates who confirmed the council's actions against Nestorius and declared Cyril innocent of all charges. Two years later, Archbishop John, representing the moderate Antiochene bishops, and Cyril reached an agreement and joined in the condemnation, and Nestorius was forced into exile. During the rest of his life, Cyril wrote treatises that clarified the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation and that helped prevent Nestorianism and Pelagianism from taking long-term deep root in the Christian community. He was the most brilliant theologian of the Alexandrian tradition. His writings are characterized by accurate thinking, precise exposition, and great reasoning skills. Among his writings are commentaries on John, Luke, and the Pentateuch, treatises on dogmatic theology, and Apologia against Julian the Apostate, and letters and sermons. He was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1882. His feast day is June 27th.

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

THE LITANY OF THE
SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus courtesy of Chant Art

The litany of the sacred heart of Jesus is a moving way to express devotion to Our Lord by making reparation through adoration for the offenses committed against His Sacred Heart. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century nun, made devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus best known after He revealed His desire to her in visions that we all acknowledge His tremendous love for us.
The symbolic image of Christ’s heart burning with love for us, even while pierced with the thorns of our indifference and ingratitude, as in the painting above, is also associated with this devotion.
Faithful Catholics around the world show Jesus their love in prayers such as the Litany of the Sacred Heart. Many also visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament in this devotion and receive Communion at Mass on the First Friday of each month in a spirit of reparation for the hostility and indifference he suffers from unrepentant sinners.
The Litany of the Sacred Heart is one of six litanies approved for public use by the Church and is often prayed during First Friday services. When prayed publicly, the congregation’s lines are in italics.

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.
(Repeat have mercy on us. after each line)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in
the Virgin Mother's womb,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the
Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty,
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven,
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead,
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy,
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon You,
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses,
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches,
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities,
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
Make our hearts like unto Thine.
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee forever and ever. Amen.

All about the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

By Scott P. Richert

Sacred Heart of Jesus statue next to right side altar in St. Mary's Oratory, Rockford, Illinois.

(Photo by Scott P. Richert)

When Is the Feast of the Sacred Heart?

Resources for the Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Popes on the Sacred Heart

Supreme Court Strikes Down Massachusetts’ Buffer Zone Law

The 35-foot invisible barrier that once separated protesters from people going into abortion clinics was deemed unconstitutional.

By Steve Annear | Boston Daily | June 26, 2014

Image via Associated press

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that allowing a “buffer zone” outside of the doors of abortion clinics, separating protesters from patients trying to make appointments or obtain health information, violates the First Amendment.
In a unanimous decision, the Justices overturned the state’s current law, which creates a bubble-like barrier etched in white paint around the front entrances to sexual and reproductive health care facilities.

In 2000, Massachusetts passed the original buffer zone law, which kept pro-life protesters 18 feet away from patients and employees coming in and out of the clinics. After claiming the space was ineffective, the state passed new legislation in 2007, with the backing of Attorney General Martha Coakley, to extend the zone to 35 feet. The law was meant to further diffuse the intense interactions between pro-life advocates and patients or employees, making it a punishable offense for people without business at a health center to “knowingly stand on a public way or sidewalk” any closer than the designated zone.
Protesters challenged the new law in U.S. District Court, and later, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals, but their attempts to block the expanded space were denied, and the law was upheld. On Thursday, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the protesters’ favor, calling the buffer zone a violation of free speech.
“Petitioners are individuals who approach and talk to women outside such facilities, attempting to dissuade them from having abortions. The statute prevents petitioners from doing so near the facilities’ entrances,” the court wrote. “By its very terms, the Massachusetts Act regulates access to ‘public ways’ and ‘sidewalks.’ Such areas occupy a ‘special position in terms of First Amendment protection’ because of their historic role as sites for discussion and debate.”
The justices said the buffer zones burden substantially more speech than necessary to achieve the Commonwealth’s asserted interests.
Pro-life activists called the decision a victory. “These buffer zones have not only denied pro-life activists their right to speak, but have also denied women the right to hear information about abortion that could be wanted and helpful to them in making a decision that will affect the rest of their lives,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, which has a branch in Boston. “We are very pleased with today’s ruling that upholds our precious First Amendment rights to speak out in the public forum without interference from the abortion cartel. We know that lives will be saved as a result of this decision.”
In a brief statement on Twitter, representatives from Planned Parenthood said despite the ruling they would continue to push for the protection of patients visiting their facilities. “This isn’t over: women deserve to be able to visit their doctor and make private decisions without being harassed,” they said.
In response to the decision, activists from the area started discussing plans to create a human blockade to counter the protesters that frequently congregate outside the offices of Planned Parenthood in Boston.
Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts stated immediately after the court’s decision that they were already working on legislation with state officials to create a new bill to protect women from protesters standing outside of the buildings. They said the court’s ruling “shows a shocking disregard for the safety of patients and staff entering reproductive health centers.”

Synod working document gives hint at Church approach to gays and their children

Gays and their children should not suffer Church bias: Vatican

By By Philip Pullella, Reuters
Jun. 26, 2014 6:46AM PDT

Pope Francis waves during his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican June 25, 2014. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church must be less judgmental of homosexuals and, while still opposing gay marriage, should welcome children of gay couples into the faith with equal dignity, a Vatican document said on Thursday.
A 75-page document, a working paper for the synod of Catholic bishops planned for the Vatican in October to discuss family issues, also said the 1.2 billion member Church should become less exclusive and more humble.
The document, known by its Latin term "Instrumentum Laboris", underscored the wide gap between official Church teachings on issues of sexual morality and their acceptance and understanding by the worldwide faithful.
It was based on responses to a 39-question survey to dioceses around the world ahead of the synod. For the first time in preparation for such a meeting, the Vatican asked bishops to share the survey widely with parish priests and for them to seek the views of their parishioners.
The Church's traditional position on homosexuality has led to some cases of the children of gay people being excluded from Church activities.
While the new document did not signal any immediate change in the Church's condemnation of homosexual acts and its opposition to gay marriage and to the adoption of children by gay people, it used language that was remarkably less judgmental and more compassionate than past Vatican statements.
It said that while bishops remained opposed to governments "redefining" marriage by permitting same-sex unions, the Church had to find a balance between its teachings on the traditional family "and a respectful, non-judgmental attitude towards people living in such unions."
That phrase echoed Pope Francis' now famous words about homosexuals made on the plane taking him back from Brazil last July: "If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?"
MORE COMPASSIONATE LANGUAGE
In the past, the Vatican has referred to homosexuality as "intrinsically disordered" and part of "an intrinsic moral evil".
The Church teaches that homosexual acts are sinful but homosexual tendencies are not.
The document noted that a number of Catholics who responded to the questionnaire felt "a certain unease at the challenge of accepting these people with a merciful spirit and, at the same time, holding to the moral teaching of the Church ..."
"However, when people living in such unions request a child's baptism, almost all the responses emphasize that the child must be received with the same care, tenderness and concern which is given to other children," it said.
While Vatican officials have stressed that Church teachings against homosexual activity would not change under pressure of public opinion, the document said "many responses" called for "theological study in dialogue with the human sciences to develop a multi-faceted look at the phenomenon of homosexuality".
The document acknowledged that many Catholics had a shallow understanding of the teachings of their Church on issues such as birth control, homosexuality, divorce, remarriage, cohabitation and other issues related to the family.
Many of the respondents saw their Church as too exclusive, distant and in need of more humility.
"A conspicuously lavish lifestyle by some of the clergy shows an inconsistency between their teaching and their conduct. Some lay faithful live and practise their faith in a 'showy manner,' failing to display the truth and humility required by the gospel spirit," the document said.
It said Catholics from around the world who responded to the questions expressed concern that the sexual abuse of children by priests had "significantly" weakened the Church's moral credibility, particularly in the United States and Europe.
The bishops will discuss the paper in October and could make recommendations on changes to Church teachings, on which the Pope would decide.
(Editing by Toby Chopra)

Vatican releases working document ahead of October's Synod of Bishops

Synod document cites cultural and economic threats to family
By Francis X. RoccaCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The working document for the October 2014 extraordinary Synod of Bishops offers a picture of the Catholic Church today struggling to preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings amid a "widespread cultural, social and spiritual crisis" of the family.
The 75-page "instrumentum laboris," published by the Vatican June 26, is supposed to "provide an initial reference point" for discussion at the synod, whose theme will be the "pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization."

Family members from Sri Lanka attend a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in February. The new working document for this October's extraordinary Synod of Bishops at the Vatican deals with some of the most contested and controversial areas of Catholic moral teaching on the family. (CNS/Paul Haring)

The document is based principally on comments solicited in a questionnaire last November from national bishops' conferences around the world. But it also reflects comments sent directly to the Vatican by individuals and groups responding to the questionnaire, which was widely published on the Internet.

Topics in the working document include some of the most contested and controversial areas of Catholic moral teaching on the family, including contraception, divorce and remarriage, same-sex marriage, premarital sex and in vitro fertilization.

Bishops' conferences responding to the questionnaire attributed an increasing disregard of such teachings to a variety influences, including "hedonistic culture; relativism; materialism; individualism; (and) the growing secularism."

Recognizing that most Catholic couples do not follow the church's teaching against the use of artificial birth control, the document says that "for many Catholics the concept of 'responsible parenthood' encompasses the shared responsibility in conscience to choose the most appropriate method of birth control."

The document says the use of natural family planning, condoned by the church, encourages responsible decisions about family size while respecting human fertility and "the dignity of the sexual relationship between husband and wife."

Bishops expressed particular concern with the "ideology called gender theory, according to which the gender of each individual turns out to be simply the product of social conditioning and needs" without "any correspondence to a person's biological sexuality."

The bishops see a need for better teaching of "Christian anthropology," the document states. Noting that contemporary culture dismisses or misunderstands theories of "natural law," which seek to "found human rights on reason," bishops increasingly prefer to invoke Scripture in support of Catholic moral teaching.

The document also points to economic factors behind Catholics' disregard of that teaching: Cohabitation without marriage can be driven by financial need; youth unemployment; and a lack of housing." A widespread "contraceptive mentality" reflects, in part, a shortage of "child care, flexible working hours (and) parental leave." Long working hours and commuting times "take a toll on family relationships."

"The church is called to offer real support for decent jobs, just wages and a fiscal policy favoring the family as well as programs of assistance to families and children," the document states.

The document refers briefly to scandals over the sexual abuse of children by priests, which it says "significantly weaken the church's moral credibility," as do other forms of "counter-witness in the church," including the lavish lifestyles of some clergy and unwelcoming attitudes in some parishes toward separated, divorced or single parents.

The bishops recognize the challenges of ministering to growing numbers of people in such "irregular" situations, including divorced Catholics who have remarried civilly without obtaining an annulment of their first marriage, leaving them ineligible to receive Communion.

Their predicament, which Pope Francis has said exemplifies a special need for mercy in the church today, has been a topic of unusually open debate at the highest levels of the church over the last year.

Many in such situations feel "frustrated and marginalized," the document states, noting proposals for rendering the annulment process simpler and quicker -- and warnings that such streamlining might obscure church doctrine on the indissolubility of marriage.

The document also notes proposals that the Catholic Church consider adopting Orthodox practice, which allows for second and even third marriages under certain circumstances.

On the other hand, some bishops and others "want to see more attention given to separated and divorced persons who have not remarried but have remained faithful to their nuptial vows," and who often "have the added suffering of not being given proper care by the church and thus overlooked."

The document draws a connection between family breakdown and a "crisis of faith," noting that, with the increase in single-parent households, many children now miss experiencing the "love of a father, thereby making it particularly difficult to experience God's love and him as Father."

Regarding unions between partners of the same sex, bishops around the world "are trying to find a balance between the church's teaching on the family and a respectful, non-judgmental attitude toward people living in such unions."

"A distinction must be made between those who have made a personal, and often painful, choice and live that choice discreetly so as not to give scandal to others, and those whose behavior promotes and actively -- often aggressively -- calls attention to it," the document states.

While opposing adoption of children by same-sex couples, almost all bishops said they would greet requests to baptize children living with such couples "with the same care, tenderness and concern which is given to other children."

The document states that children of parents in "irregular" situations should also feel welcome in Catholic schools, where "words and expressions need to be used which create a sense of belonging and not exclusion ... fully aware that 'irregular' is a word applied to situations, not persons."

"Children or young people are not to blame for the choices and living situations of their parents," the document states. It adds that excessive rigidity in such matters runs the risk of "making an unjust distinction between different morally unacceptable situations," for instance, by punishing children of an invalid marriage but not those whose parents "live a life of crime and exploitation."

- - -

Editors: The complete text of the synod working document in English will be posted at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/index.htm.

The complete text in Spanish will be posted at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/index_sp.htm.

END

Wednesday night back in Prison

I went back to prison again. As pastoral care chaplain for Rayburn Correctional Center, a state prison in Angie, LA, I'm used to several visits there per month. Since my surgery in early May, and the subsequent heart issues due to my mitral valve issues, I had not been at the prison in 7 weeks. Fortunately, our ministry at Rayburn is a big team effort with support from two lay teams and a Catholic Priest who celebrates Mass twice monthly and graciously hears confessions. There is never a week of the year that the men do not have an opportunity to gather in the chapel for either Mass or a Communion service.

My return found me conducting a Communion service supported by two lay volunteers from Assumption Parish in Bogalusa. All three of us arrived as the heavens opened up with a pretty strong thunderstorm. Despite the bad weather, which did delay the men from being called out from the dorms to the chapel. we did have 35 inmates gather for prayer and worship. As I have described many times before, the nature of worship is very reverent in the prison; I always sense the men are so appreciative that, even in prison, they have an opportunity to worship. Recently the men have formed a choir and the new inmate chaplain has been able to purchase some worship aides that adds some dignity to our worship.

For me, I was so glad to be back. Presiding at the Communion Service I was able to preach on this Sunday's Gospel for the celebration of the Feast of Sts. Peter & Paul. Yet for me and more importantly the men, the center of the celebration is always the Eucharist. I was also able to confirm for the men the upcoming visit to Rayburn of the Archbishop in August! For the second time since he became our local Ordinary, Archbishop Aymond will be visiting during a Saturday one day retreat. The men are filled with anticipation at his visit!

As I left, having said my goodbyes, I drove the 40 miles home in a light soothing rain, incredibly happy to have returned to prison(how often would someone say that) and edified by the men's welcome and worship. I thank God again for the gift of my prison ministry!

abitadeacon

Friday, June 27, 2014

From the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Pope not feeling well this Friday; had to cancel a visit to local hospital

Thursday, June 26, 2014