Heading into Election Day, some excerpts from St. Faustina

Pope John Paul II was known to be ascetic

These excerpts, below, from the Diary of St. Faustina were sent to me by a priest.  Consider how close Blessed Pope John Paul II was to the writings of St. Faustina and recall the depth of his prayer.  He understood how to pray and he knew that asceticism was important. St. Faustina, likewise, understood this role it plays in the spiritual life and in the greater scheme of salvation history.  We often hear about the Battle of Lepanto and how, against overwhelming odds, the Christians defeated the Turks. The Blessed Virgin mary was credited after her intercession was sought in the face of such dire odds.

Keep in mind that it is not enough simply to pray and to engage in ascetic practices.  One must have faith and hope.  As followers of Christ, we know that what God doesn't will, He permits for reasons known only to Him (Job 2:10).  Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.  (Rom 5:20).  That said, we should also remember how Esther prepared to speak to the King when she wanted to save her people - who were condemned by decree.  She put on sack-cloth and fasted for three days.  Our Lord told his disciples that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting, so we see encouragement by Jesus to engage in such practices.

This interesting set of excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina gives us yet another example.

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What did really stop the Angel, the executor of divine wrath? St. Faustina wrote in her Diary

The following day, Friday, September 13, 1935. In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. he was clothed in a dazzling robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of lightening were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply, and I did not dare to repeat my entreaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus' grace which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh how great is Our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to this greatness, because before long we shall see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. 

As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel's helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then. (Diary, # 474)

The words with which I entreated God are these: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us."

The next morning, when I entered the chapel, I heard these words interiorly: "Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday." When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: "This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: 'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.' On the HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.' In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'"    (Diary, # 474)

St. Faustina wrote before:

“The entire paragraph shows the context with mortifications: “Before the eight day retreat, I went to my spiritual director and asked him for certain mortifications for the time of the retreat. However, I did not receive permission for every-thing I asked for, but for some things only. I received permission for one hour of meditation in the Passion of the Lord Jesus and for a certain humiliation. But I was a little dissatisfied at not receiving permission for everything I had asked for I had asked. When we returned home, I dropped into the chapel for a moment, and then I heard this voice in my soul:

- ‘There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood;

- the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy.   I am surprised that you still have not completely renounced your self will ...’." (St. Faustina, Diary, 369)

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PRAYER VIGILS HAPPENING NOW!

Many parishes, including Assumption Grotto are offering opportunities for Adoration, public Rosary and more.  Check the com-box in this post at Father Z's blog where some others have noted places to pray tonight and tomorrow.  Add to his list there if you are aware of others.

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Fr. Perrone on All-Night Prayer Vigil for Election; and on 40 Hours Devotion

Here is Fr. Perrone's weekly column for November 4th.  In it, he discusses the upcoming prayer vigil Monday night into Tuesday morning (click here for details); as well as the 40 Hour Devotion which will be next weekend.  Note that the EF Mass (aka, "Tridentine") moves to Noon for the closing of 40 hours.  Also, the Grotto K of C are holding their monthly pancake breakfast tomorrow after the 9:30 and Noon Masses.

A Pastor's Descant 

A decisive week is before us. By Wednesday morning we will know the outcome of the presidential election that will determine so much of what is to happen in our country. I have already expressed my great concern about this to you in asking for your prayers and for fasting. You have only two more days to do some penitential works of this kind. I urge you most earnestly to take up these spiritual means to secure a brighter future for these United States.

You were already alerted about another thing we are doing to help in our storming of the heavens. Monday evening’s 7:00 p.m. Mass will be followed by exposition of the most Blessed Sacrament and we will have a night-long vigil of prayer in the church that will conclude just before the 7:30 morning Mass on Tuesday. I know that for many of you this may be an impossible thing. But there are others who might say, ‘Let somebody else do this. I’ve got other things to do with my time.’ Fair enough. Everyone’s got something else to do besides staying up and praying–even if only for an hour or two. But consider this. If, on account of the outcome of the election, you were to suffer great financial loss, or the persecution of the Church, or coercion to act against your moral convictions, or the loss of our country’s security, or anything else as serious, then would you do the holy hour, say the rosary, and do some penance to get back what you had lost? But then it would be too late, of course. Think how you would regret your inaction. I’m proposing some things you can do besides voting. You will have to bear some small part in the outcome of things no matter how they turn out, inevitably so, either by your help or your failure to help. Your part is not insignificant, though it may seem so. Come to church to ‘vote’ first on Monday night before going to vote Tuesday at the polls.

You have also through Thursday of this week to obtain a plenary indulgence on behalf of the dead, one such each day, by visiting our cemetery on any of those days (or once on each of them) and praying for the faithful departed. These “poor souls” are not only helped by our prayers, good works and indulgences, but are capable of helping us as well, being yet vital members of the Church’s mystical body. They can be, if only we would ask them, allies in our prayers for our country. Let’s not neglect to tap that source of spiritual intercession.

Our Knights of Columbus are hosting their monthly PANCAKE BREAKFAST today (Sunday) in the gym after the 9:30 and noon Masses. They are also collecting your used clothing today for the ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY CLOTHES DRIVE. Your bagged clothes may be brought to the truck in our parking lot. Do not bring clothes here after today; we do not have an ongoing program of clothes’ collection.

As if this were not already a week packed with significance, we will open our parish FORTY HOURS DEVOTION this Friday at the 7:30 a.m. Mass with the prescribed ceremonies following. The Holy Eucharist will be exposed in the church for adoration Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Forty Hours closing Mass with Eucharistic procession will be at the noon Mass, November 11. This will be a Latin Tridentine Mass. The 9:30 that day will be a low Mass in English.

Fr. Perrone

For more information about 40 Hours Devotion, check out these resources:

• 40 Hours with Jesus Christ (Fr. William Saunders)
• 40 Hours Devotion (Catholic Encyclopedia)
• St. John Neumann on 40 Hours Devotion (Air Maria)
• Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament (Fr. William Saunders)
• The ultimate resource page on Eucharistic devotion (The Real Presence)
• Pope Benedict XVI on the new "Eucharistic Sprintime" and St. Juliana of Cornillon (Zenit)
• See a post from St. John Cantius on their 40 Hour Devotion - Closing Ceremony (click the link at the bottom to go to the photographs - much liturgical eye-candy)

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Oops. Comments published.

For some reason I did not get the signal that comments needed moderating. I just published a number of comments. I'll have to watch more carefully.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Assumption Grotto is holding All-Night Adoration on Election Eve; is your parish doing something special?

When the disciples of Jesus could not drive demons out they asked Jesus in private why this was so.  If you recall, Our Lord told them that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting (MK 9:29). With so many attacks against the Church and against life itself, our temporal actions cannot equal the power of our spiritual actions.  This doesn't mean we should not be engaged in the public square; rather, it must be coupled with prayer and fasting.  This also requires an act of faith (Mt 17:20).

Assumption Grotto in Detroit is holding it's second, ElectionEve All-Night Adoration for the presidential election. We had a great turn-out in 2008 and we anticipate many will be looking for a place to pray in the hours leading up to the 2012 election.

This is a great opportunity for families to make the spiritual battle a part of the civic duty - to show young people that even voting should spring forth from prayer and that things like life and liberty come before convenience. And, some voting choices may require sacrifice when we have to let go of some good things a candidate offers because he or she is advancing non-negotiable things, like abortion. So, set an example to your kids and make this a family outing.

This is not just a time to offer a prayer of petition.  It is a time to also make a prayer of reparation. Morality in our country has taken a real left turn as can be seen when we turn on the TV or read the news.  It has turned highly militant with attempts to force Church-run institutions and Catholic and Christian business owners  into participating in evil.  We need to make amends for our own sinfulness, but we can also make reparation for the sins of our culture.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking  in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church... (Col 1:24)

If we are to imitate Christ, then we must suffer with Him.  Spending time in Adoration is one way to offer this.  Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, not for His sins - because He was without sin - but for ours.  We sit before Our Eucharistic Lord and express our sorrow for the many sins committed - ours, and those of others.  It is good to make an act of reparation for our own sins.  This serves us.  It is much better when we join that with making reparation for the sins of others and asking God to convert their hearts and to shower them with graces. In this way, our petitions will have much greater efficacy.  Perhaps some voters will be showered with graces they cannot resist.


Don't forget about small sacrifices.  

Pray, fast, give alms.  Treat these remaining days like Lent.  Offer up your daily work.  Go to Confession because these prayers and sacrifices must be presented cleanly.



WHAT IS YOUR PARISH DOING FOR THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE?

I'd like to see a list of events happening around the U.S. in THE com-box.

To my priest-readers, consider how you can encourage your people to participate in spiritual activism.

If your parish isn't having anything, get a group of people together to approach the pastor and ask for Monday night Adoration, even if it is only for one hour.  Perhaps some parishes can hold Adoration during voting hours on Tuesday.

UPDATE:

Thanks to New Advent for directing traffic here.  I hope others will also get the word out, and share what is happening here, in the com-box.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

2012 Call to Holiness Conference Photos; Audio & Video Info

About 500 people were in attendance at the conference

Here are a few of the many photos I took at the Call to Holiness conference which took place here in metro-Detroit on Saturday, October 13th at Immaculate Conception School which is connected with St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Warren, Michigan.  There was a separate youth conference taking place and some of the speakers spoke at both.  You can find information about the event and speakers, and you can order audio and video at CallToHoliness.com

The theme was Vatican II with a focus on what was written versus the proverbial "spirit of the council." Many things are attributed to Vatican II that have no basis in the council.

Here are the speakers at the main conference.

Louie Verrecchio spoke on Harvesting the Fruit of Vatican II

Fr. John Trigilio spoke on "Responsible Citizenship"

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, "Father Z" served as MC at the event and spoke at the evening dinner.

His Excellency, the Most Reverent Alexander K. Sample
offered the keynote address on "Revisiting What Vatican II Said About the Church"

Fr. Frank Phillips, CR discussed "Sancta, Sanctae: Holy Things Done in a Holy Way"

"Make No Mistake: The Bible Doesn't Err" was the subject of a talk by Fr. Brian Harrison, O.S. 

Dr. Monica Migliorino Miller discussed "Bioethics and the Church in a Post-Vatican II World"

Here are some images from the Youth Conference.

Fr. Frank Phillips, CR

Sr Basilea - one of the Sisters of the Holy Cross who resides in the convent on the grounds
of Assumption Grotto speaks to the youth

Dr. Monica Miller

Louie Verrecchio

Fr. Frank Phillips

Peggy Stanton also spoke at the Youth Conference, but I was not able to make it back to the room during her talk.

Fr. Anthony Kathawa from the Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church in Southfield
MC'd the Youth Conferece

I have many pictures of Bishop Sample talking to the youth.  I often take a dozen or more pictures per speaker because many must be discarded due to facial distortions (when speaking), eyes closed, etc.  With Bishop Sample, I was able to keep most of them and I must say that his dynamic manner is captured well in pictures. Here is a sequence of photos that played like a movie when I thumbed through them in my camera.

Needless to say, the young people were engaged.

These young people were among many who worked hard.  These ladies spent hours at the registration table.

Vendors were in an area outside the gym and in several rooms along the walk to the gym.

Following the main conference, participants had an opportunity to go to a Divine Liturgy (Mass) in the Ukrainian Byzantine Rite (St. John Chrysostom) at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church.  It is part of the Eparchy of St. Nicolas (Chicago) and is in communion with Rome.  

Fr. Eduard Perrone delivers a homily, discussing Vatican II

After the 6:00 PM Mass concluded, there was a dinner which was a separate event.  It was quite well attended despite the long day. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf spoke after the dinner to conclude the evening. 

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (aka, Father Z)

This was a photo taken of the speakers who were able to stay for the dinner.
From left to right: Fr. Charles White IV (current CTH Spiritual Advisor), Fr. Eduard Perrone (CTH Co-Founder
and SA-Emeritus), Louie Verrecchio, Fr. Frank Phillips, Dr. Monica Migliorino Miller, Fr. John Trigilio,
Peggy Stanton (Dinner MC and Youth Conference speaker), Bishop Alexander Sample, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE CALL TO HOLINESS CONFERENCE

See my Smugmug Gallery for the CTH 2012 event for the full set of pictures.

Click here for: PHOTOS FROM THE SOLEMN PONTIFICAL MASS CELEBRATED BY BISHOP SAMPLE

AUDIO and VIDEO: Visit the Call to Holiness website

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Ed Peters: Fencing the Altar

Photos are done for the Call to Holiness Conference and they will be uploaded tonight, barring a power outage or something!

I would like to pass along this excellent article by Ed Peters on safeguarding the Eucharist.  Here is the beginning.  Following the link to read the rest.

Fencing the Altar

 By Edward Peters

For several years, Raymond Cardinal Burke, now Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and I have been among the chief exponents of the view that Catholic sacramental and canonical discipline supports, and in some cases demands, that Catholic ministers withhold Holy Communion from certain Catholics in response to their public conduct. In particular, serious questions have arisen about the eligibility of some prominent political figures to receive Communion. Almost invariably, these questions focus on their personal, albeit public, conduct, rather than their beliefs, and are being decided, or conspicuously not decided, case by case. 

While some earlier disputes about participation in Communion focused on the receiver’s private conduct, recent disputes concern conduct that is particularly public, indeed often formally political or, at any rate, packed with societal consequences. These modern debates emerged first in regard to Eucharistic participation by the millions of Catholics who civilly divorced and remarried, followed by arguments about Catholic politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Kathleen Sebelius, Andrew Cuomo, and Rudy Giuliani, and most recently Catholics participating in various forms of pro-homosexual activism. 

Many Catholics who support untraditional marriages, Pelosi’s near-perfect pro-abortion politics, or Rainbow Sash-style activism profess outrage at seeing the Eucharist “used as a weapon” against fellow Catholics. Others, however, are appalled at seeing such markedly contrarian Catholics take Holy Communion. 

The Eucharist is central to the identity, doctrines, and practices of the Catholic Church. As canon 897 of the Code of Canon Law puts it, “The most august sacrament is the Most Holy Eucharist in which Christ the Lord himself is contained, offered, and received and by which the Church continually lives and grows. The eucharistic sacrifice . . . is the summit and source of all worship and Christian life, which signifies and effects the unity of the People of God and brings about the building up of the body of Christ.”

Continue reading Ed Peters at First Things...

If you don't check New Advent's homepage on a regular basis, you should.  There are some really great headlines there today.  I can't always pass things along, so do check their site daily.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Powerful Image: Your Body?

This powerful image was floating around on Facebook.  Enough Said...

 

 



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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

A note about Call to Holiness Conference Photos

Well, I had planned on trying to complete the processing of the Call to Holiness photos I took last Saturday, but my hard drive started acting up on my Mac and I realized I had never made a backup of the hard drive. That became a priority. I've got it connected to an external drive now making a backup for the first time. Unfortunately, it is telling me that it will take 14 hours to complete... no, wait... 19 hours... no, 8 hours. Okay - it is still calculating. In any event, I needed to work on those photos now to get them done tonight. So, they won't get done tonight.

This all started when I went into iTunes on my desktop only to find the entire library gone.  I'm puzzled because I have updates set in such a way that I need to okay it so I can backup my library before any changes are made.  How it disappeared is beyond me. I rushed over to my Macbook Pro and found my library intact there, so I grabbed an external hard drive to save the library.  Then, I realized I had never created an entire backup of that computer. 

I'm not too fluent with Macs or iTunes yet, and I had a lot of apps, music and audio books on that thing.  If anyone knows what makes a library disappear when you don't do anything, please let me know so I don't do it again. Before I connect my phone to the laptop to sync it, I figure I better back up the library on that external drive. I'll look at the iTunes version between the desktop and the Mac after it's done backing up. I think it upgraded on me when I wasn't paying attention.

I must not have saved my iTunes library any time lately.  While I was sick the past year I just didn't care much about any of that.  Now that I'm starting to feel better after my surgery, I'm waking up to many things that need to be done - like computer backups. 

I'm trying to prevent this...

Stay tuned.

If you didn't see the Mass pictures from the Pontifical Mass which closed the conference, you can see them here: Photos: Solemn High Pontifical Mass with Bishop Sample at Assumption Grotto

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Homily of Pope Benedict as he Canonizes Seven

Below is full text of Pope Benedict XVI's homily at today's Mass.



The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Mk 10:45)

Dear Brother Bishops,
Dear brothers and sisters!

Today the Church listens again to these words of Jesus, spoken by the Lord during his journey to Jerusalem, where he was to accomplish the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection.  They are words which enshrine the meaning of Christ’s mission on earth, marked by his sacrifice, by his total self-giving.  On this third Sunday of October, on which we celebrate World Mission Sunday, the Church listens to them with special attention and renews her conviction that she should always be fully dedicated to serve mankind and the Gospel, after the example of the One who gave himself up even to the sacrifice of his life.

I extend warm greetings to all of you who fill Saint Peter’s Square, especially the official delegations and the pilgrims who have come to celebrate the seven new saints.  I greet with affection the Cardinals and Bishops who, during these days, are taking part in the Synodal Assembly on the New Evangelization.  The coincidence between this ecclesiastical meeting and World Mission Sunday is a happy one; and the word of God that we have listened to sheds light on both subjects.  It shows how to be evangelizers, called to bear witness and to proclaim the Christian message, configuring ourselves to Christ and following his same way of life.  This is true both for the mission ad Gentes and for the new evangelization in places with ancient Christian roots.

The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Mk 10:45)

These words were the blueprint for living of the seven Blessed men and women that the Church solemnly enrols this morning in the glorious ranks of the saints.  With heroic courage they spent their lives in total consecration to the Lord and in the generous service of their brethren.  They are sons and daughters of the Church who chose a life of service following the Lord.  Holiness always rises up in the Church from the well-spring of the mystery of redemption, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: the Servant of the Lord is the righteous one who “shall make many to be accounted as righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities” (Is 53:11); this Servant is Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and living in glory.  Today’s canonization is an eloquent confirmation of this mysterious saving reality.  The tenacious profession of faith of these seven generous disciples of Christ, their configuration to the Son of Man shines out brightly today in the whole Church.

Jacques Berthieu, born in 1838 in France, was passionate about Jesus Christ at an early age.  During his parish ministry, he had the burning desire to save souls.  Becoming a Jesuit, he wished to journey through the world for the glory of God.  A tireless pastor on the island of Sainte Marie, then in Madagascar, he struggled against injustice while bringing succour to the poor and sick.  The Malagasies thought of him as a priest come down from heaven, saying, You are our “father and mother!”  He made himself all things to all men, drawing from prayer and his love of the sacred heart of Jesus the human and priestly force to face martyrdom in 1896.  He died, saying “I prefer to die rather than renounce my faith”.  Dear friends, may the life of this evangelizer be an encouragement and a model for priests that, like him, they will be men of God!  May his example aid the many Christians of today persecuted for their faith!  In this Year of Faith, may his intercession bring forth many fruits for Madagascar and the African Continent!  May God bless the Malagasy people!

Pedro Calungsod was born around the year 1654, in the Visayas region of the Philippines. His love for Christ inspired him to train as a catechist with the Jesuit missionaries there. In 1668, along with other young catechists, he accompanied Father Diego Luís de San Vitores to the Marianas Islands in order to evangelize the Chamorro people. Life there was hard and the missionaries also faced persecution arising from envy and slander. Pedro, however, displayed deep faith and charity and continued to catechize his many converts, giving witness to Christ by a life of purity and dedication to the Gospel. Uppermost was his desire to win souls for Christ, and this made him resolute in accepting martyrdom. He died on the April 2^nd 1672. Witnesses record that Pedro could have fled for safety but chose to stay at Father Diego’s side. The priest was able to give Pedro absolution before he himself was killed. May the example and courageous witness of Pedro Calungsod inspire the dear people of the Philippines to announce the Kingdom bravely and to win souls for God!

Giovanni Battista Piamarta, priest of the Diocese of Brescia, was a great apostle of charity and of young people.  He raised awareness of the need for a cultural and social presence of Catholicism in the modern world, and so he dedicated himself to the Christian, moral and professional growth of the younger generations with an enlightened input of humanity and goodness.  Animated by unshakable faith in divine providence and by a profound spirit of sacrifice, he faced difficulties and fatigue to breathe life into various apostolic works, including the Artigianelli Institute, Queriniana Publishers, the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth for men, and for women the Congregation of the Humble Sister Servants of the Lord.  The secret of his intense and busy life is found in the long hours he gave to prayer.  When he was overburdened with work, he increased the length of his encounter, heart to heart, with the Lord.  He preferred to pause before the Blessed Sacrament, meditating upon the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, to gain spiritual fortitude and return to gaining people’s hearts, especially the young, to bring them back to the sources of life with fresh pastoral initiatives. 

“May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you” (Ps 32:22).  With these words, the liturgy invites us to make our own this hymn to God, creator and provider, accepting his plan into our lives.  María Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras, a religious born in Vic in Spain in 1848, did just so.  Filled with hope in spite of many trials, she, on seeing the progress of the Congregation of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of Teaching, which she founded in 1892, was able to sing with the Mother of God, “His mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation” (Lk 1:50).  Her educational work, entrusted to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, continues to bear abundant fruit among young people through the generous dedication of her daughters who, like her, entrust themselves to God for whom all is possible. 

I now turn to Marianne Cope, born in 1838 in Heppenheim, Germany.  Only one year old when taken to the United States, in 1862 she entered the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis at Syracuse, New York.  Later, as Superior General of her congregation, Mother Marianne willingly embraced a call to care for the lepers of Hawaii after many others had refused.  She personally went, with six of her fellow sisters, to manage a hospital on Oahu, later founding Malulani Hospital on Maui and opening a home for girls whose parents were lepers.  Five years after that she accepted the invitation to open a home for women and girls on the island of Molokai itself, bravely going there herself and effectively ending her contact with the outside world.  There she looked after Father Damien, already famous for his heroic work among the lepers, nursed him as he died and took over his work among male lepers.   At a time when little could be done for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage and enthusiasm.  She is a shining and energetic example of the best of the tradition of Catholic nursing sisters and of the spirit of her beloved Saint Francis.

Kateri Tekakwitha was born in today’s New York state in 1656 to a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother who gave to her a sense of the living God.  She was baptized at twenty years of age and, to escape persecution, she took refuge in Saint Francis Xavier Mission near Montreal.  There she worked, faithful to the traditions of her people, although renouncing their religious convictions until her death at the age of twenty-four.  Leading a simple life, Kateri remained faithful to her love for Jesus, to prayer and to daily Mass.  Her greatest wish was to know and to do what pleased God.  She lived a life radiant with faith and purity.

Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her culture.  In her, faith and culture enrich each other!  May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are.  Saint Kateri, Protectress of Canada and the first native American saint, we entrust to you the renewal of the faith in the first nations and in all of North America!  May God bless the first nations!

Anna Schaeffer, from Mindelstetten, as a young woman wished to enter a missionary order.  She came from a poor background so, in order to earn the dowry needed for acceptance into the cloister, she worked as a maid.  One day she suffered a terrible accident and received incurable burns on her legs which forced her to be bed-ridden for the rest of her life.  So her sick-bed became her cloister cell and her suffering a missionary service.  She struggled for a time to accept her fate, but then understood her situation as a loving call from the crucified One to follow him.  Strengthened by daily communion, she became an untiring intercessor in prayer and a mirror of God’s love for the many who sought her counsel.  May her apostolate of prayer and suffering, of sacrifice and expiation, be a shining example for believers in her homeland, and may her intercession strengthen the Christian hospice movement in its beneficial activity.

Dear brothers and sisters, these new saints, different in origin, language, nationality and social condition, are united among themselves and with the whole People of God in the mystery of salvation of Christ the Redeemer.  With them, we too, together with the Synod Fathers from all parts of the world, proclaim to the Lord in the words of the psalm that he “is our help and our shield” and we invoke him saying, “may your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you” (Ps 32:20.22).  May the witness of these new saints, and their lives generously spent for love of Christ, speak today to the whole Church, and may their intercession strengthen and sustain her in her mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.

Here is video via Rome Reports:

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Video Footage of the Lourdes Grotto Flooding

Here is a video that appears to be later than the one currently showing at Catholic News Agency in this article. In this video, you see the Lourdes grotto actually flooded. The relics of Pope John Paul II are due to arrive in the morning. As sad as it is to see this, what God doesn't will, He permits.

UPDATE: Here is more footage, this time including the town, and some rescues.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

"Stand Up for Religious Freedom" Rallies Today; Archbp Vigneron to speak in Dearborn

This is from the Dearborn Patch...

One of several rallies planned by the Pro-Life Action League and the Citizens for a Pro-Life Society will take place on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 20, in front of the Dearborn City Hall. 

The rally, called “Stand Up For Religious Freedom,” was organized by the two groups to raise awareness about, in their point of view, a threat to religious liberty due to a mandate from the US Health and Human Services Departmentmeant  to expand access to FDA-approved modes of birth control and emergency contraception. The mandate is part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. 

Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron will be the featured speaker. 

Pro-life and Catholic groups believe the provisions on whole are contrary to Catholic teachings, said Vigneron in a statement. 

“The issue here is not about contraception,” he said. “The issue is about religious freedom; it is an affront to our constitutional guarantees. The church does not desire to impose its values on society. Rather, it’s the government seeking to impose its views upon the church. That is where the conflict lies.”

Continue reading at the Dearborn Patch... 

There was an "exemption" added, but it is so narrow that even the Archdiocese of Detroit would not qualify, nor would many other Catholic organizations, like EWTN.  So, they are suing the federal government.

The rallies will be held in more than 140 cities.  Here is a list of locations where you can go today.  The rallies begin at Noon in all timezones.

http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/locations/


The Archdiocese of St. Louis has made it very simple...

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Australia: Youth for Life March Video

Andrew Rabel sent along this video of the Youth for Life March in Australia. It's beautiful to see the pro-life movement alive and well in other countries. Notice their smiling faces and the hope they offer in contrast to the anger darkness of death projected by the few anti-life protestors.

I started working on the pictures from this past weekend's Call to Holiness Conference. I hope to have them finished soon and uploaded.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.