Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

PRAYERS TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

by St. John Eudes

O Blessed Virgin Mary,

I humbly beseech thee, 

by thy immaculate conception and 

through thy pure Heart,

to take full possession of my heart.

Give it completely to thy Divine Son

and beg Him to banish from it all sin

and to establish in it forever the

perfect reign of His divine love.

---

O Mary,

mother of Mercy,

O mother of loving grace,

hide us in thy blessed Heart,

draw us to share in thy constant sacrifice,

and immolate our hearts forever in thy sanctuary

and in thy altar, 

to the eternal glory of Thy Beloved Son.

---

Queen of my heart,

suffer me to offer my own miserable heart to thee.

I beseech thee, 

by the ineffable goodness of thy admirable Heart

to employ the entire strength of the power God has given to thee,

to crush and destroy in my  heart at any and every cost, 

all that displeases thy divine Son.

Establish in me the sovereign empire of His Heart

and thy own.

May these two Hearts, which are one and the same, 

reign within me unceasingly, sovereignly and forever,

for the greater honor and glory of 

the Most Blessed Trinity.

The Admirable Heart of Mary by St. John Eudes

How to pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart

Thank you H.L.:

How to pray the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart

This devotion to the Sacred Heart is prayed on the regular Marian Rosary of 59 beads.

On the Crucifix, say the following prayer:

"Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide."

On the first bead (normally the "Our Father"), say:

"O Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Blood,
Passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ
and the sorrows of Our Blessed Lady
and St. Joseph in reparation for my sins,
in suffrage for the souls in Purgatory,
for the wants of our Holy Church,
and for the conversion of sinners."

On the three beads (normally the "Hail Marys"), say:

"My God, I believe in Thee.
My God, I hope in Thee.
My God, I love Thee with my whole heart,
and for Thy sake I love my neighbor as myself."

On each of the single beads of the 5 decades, (normally an "Our Father"):

"Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
make my heart like unto Thine.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for me."

On the 5 sets of 10 beads (Normally the "Hail Marys"), say:

"Sweetest Heart of Jesus,
I implore, that I may love Thee more and more.
Sweet Heart of Mary, be thou my salvation."

When you have concluded, say

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
I give you my heart and soul.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
assist me now and in my last agony.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you."

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart / Actus reparationis

Sacred Heart of Jesus - Molokai

Thank you Mary Jane.

For those of you who would like to avail yourself of this beautiful grace, a plenary indulgence can be gained for the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 7th

Note:
A partial indulgence is granted to those who recite this prayer. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is publicly recited on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, (under usual conditions).This prayer was prescribed to be recited on this feast by Pope Pius XI.

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart / Actus reparationis

 

Most sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thee, eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.

 

Mindful, alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Thy pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation, not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow Thee, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the promises of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Thy law.

 

We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against Thee; we are now determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holydays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against Thee and Thy Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Thy Vicar on earth and Thy priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Thy Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which Thou hast founded.

 

Would that we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Thy divine honor, the satisfaction Thou once made to Thy Eternal Father on the Cross and which Thou continuest to renew daily on our Altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Thy Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Thy grace, for all neglect of Thy great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth, we will live a life of unswerving faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the Gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending Thee and to bring as many as possible to follow Thee.

 

O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mother, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to Thee, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit Thou livest and reignest, God, forever and ever. Amen.

 

First Friday and the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  In fact, the whole month of June is dedicated to Jesus' Most Sacred Heart.  For those of you who still have not done the nine First Fridays, why not start today. What a wonderful way to honor the Most Tender and Loving Heart of our Lord!

"From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion."  - Pope Pius XI regarding the Sacred Heart Devotion.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us.  The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness. - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Hail, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love.  Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, O my amiable Savior.  Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed.  Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine.  May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions.  Amen. - St. Gertrude

Prayer for the Church

O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy;  to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assists the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love.  Amen.

Act of Love

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions.   Unite me to It for ever.  Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to thee:  Yes, Lord, I am all Thine; the pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart and will never cease to be there.  Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously please to repair all my wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and eternity.  Amen.  - Cardinal Merry Del Val

The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests 2013

Today is the last day of the Novena to the Sacred Heart for our priests' intentions.  Tomorrow we commemorate World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

Blessed John Paul II established that, on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the Church will observe the World Day of prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

In 2002, the Catholic Church announced a special annual world priest day, a day of prayer for the sanctification of priests to be held on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The 2010 to 2011 ''Year of The Priests'' was a tremendous success worldwide. We are most grateful to all who participated in making this year of prayer such a special gift to all priests.

We strongly encourage each and every one of the faithful to begin, if not already doing so, to pray for our priests today - this day, this very moment - in preparation through prayer, celebration of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, so that the 07th June 2013 will be an even greater celebration of the priesthood of Jesus Christ worldwide.

Click here for the source and to read the The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests 07th June 2013 LETTER TO PRIESTS

EWTN will be broadcasting live the Rosary Relay for Priests on First Friday, June 7th, 2013 at 9:30 A.M. EST. The following are prayers for our priests.

Suggested devotion/prayer:

Reflective Moment at 3:00 P.M.  3:00 P.M. begins the Hour of Mercy.  We can start this reflective moment by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

We are encouraging people around the world to stop whatever they are doing at 3pm local time and spend a quiet moment praying in thanksgiving for our priests and contemplating the gift of priesthood.

Set your cell phone alarm to ring at 3pm local time as a reminder to stop reflect and pray for a few moments.

''I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice''. --From the diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska, 1572

"If we make Jesus' call to have 'confidence in his divine mercy' penetrate our being, which the Pope has relaunched in the present time, we will realize that it is precisely priests who are personally called to allow themselves to be imbued by the Spirit given to us by the risen Christ, which makes us a sign of God's forgiveness for all". --Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy

His Holiness Benedict XVI's Prayer for Priests

LORD JESUS CHRIST,
eternal High Priest, you offered yourself to the
Father on the altar of the Cross and through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave your priestly
people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial
priesthood may be ever more conformed to you,
the divine Master. May they preach the
Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own Heart,
single- minded in service to you and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy,simple and joyful life. Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
your Mother and ours,draw all priests and the flocks
entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where
you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

His Holiness Benedict XVI's Prayer for Priests
(specially composed for Worldpriest)

PRAYER FOR A PRIEST

Risen Lord Jesus,
You love your priest with all your priestly Heart.
Hear our heartfelt prayer for our priests and in particular today for Father __________________.
We pray for our faithful and fervent priests,
for joyful and dedicated priests,
for unfaithful and struggling priests,
for lonely and desolate priests,
for sick and dying priests,
for the souls of priest in Purgatory.
Merciful Heart of Jesus, remember that they are weak and frail human beings.
Increase in them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love.
We ask that in their loneliness, You comfort them;
in their sorrow, You strengthen them;
in their frustration, You show them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified.
Eternal High Priest, keep them close to your sacred Heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and eternity.
Please call forth more priests to serve Your Church.

Amen Source: Diocese of Jefferson City, MO via EWTN

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

by John Cardinal O'Connor

Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.
We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.
Yet we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement as are we, needing to be ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.
We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread.
We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours.
Amen.

March, 1995

LITANY FOR PRIESTS

Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
give all priests Thy spirit of humility;
Jesus, poor and worn out for souls,
give all priests Thy spirit of zeal;
Jesus, full of patience and mercy for sinners,
give all priests Thy spirit of compassion;
Jesus, victim for the sins of the world,
give all priests Thy spirit of sacrifice;
Jesus, lover of the little and the poor,
give all priests Thy spirit of charity.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us;
and obtain for us numerous and holy
priests and religious.
Amen.

Source:  EWTN

Update on Father Patrick Peyton's Cause for Canonization

Picture source

It has been two years since an update on Father Peyton's canonization proceedings has been posted on this blog.  I recently reconnected with the vice-postulator for Father Peyton's cause, Father David Marcham. The following is Father's response to my inquiry on the status of the cause for canonization:

Fr. Peyton’s Cause is progressing; thank God! The Diocesan Inquiry was completed in Baltimore in 2010 and a second alleged medical miracle diocesan investigation was completed in 2011. All three documents will eventually be reviewed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
First the Diocesan Inquiry is being condensed into a document called the Positio which we hope will be completed and ready for presentation to the Congregation by Easter 2014.
Then the Congregation will review the document and if they vote in favor; Fr. Peyton will be declared Venerable.
After this stage is reached then they could review the first alleged medical miracle that has been documented from Uganda.
This if approved would bring Fr. Peyton to the stage of Blessed.
And, then the next step would be to review the 2nd Alleged Medical Miracle which would be necessary to be named a Saint.
In all we continue to pray, be pleased to receive people’s prayer requests and favors granted as well as possible medical miracles.
We are glad that progress is being made and are grateful for folks like yourselves who talk to others about Fr. Peyton and his message of Family Rosary Prayer.

The following is the Prayer for the Beatification of Servant of God Father Patrick Petyon, CSC

Dear Jesus,
Father Peyton devoted his priestly life to
strengthening the families
of the world by calling them to pray together every day,
especially the Rosary.
His message is as important for us now as it
was during his life on earth.
We beg you, therefore,
to hasten the day of his beatification
so that Your faithful people everywhere will
remember his message that
The Family That prays Together Stays Together,
imitate him in his devotion to your Mother and ours,
and be inspired by his holy life to draw ever closer to you
with childlike confidence and love.
Amen

Oh!  There is a nice article regarding a presentation given by Father Marcham recently.  You can read it online HERE

 Those of you interested in learning more about Father Peyton, the Rosary Priest, please click Father Peyton's Cause for Sainthood.

Scenes of Corpus Christi Celebration in Honolulu

In the early morning, 5:00 a.m. to be exact, churches in Hawaii, including Sacred Heart Church, joined the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, and the entire world, in Eucharistic Adoration.

Later that afternoon, the faithful walked behind our Lord, processed from St. Theresa the Co-Cathedral to downtown to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.  The procession was led by our own Bishop Larry Silva, and followed by other priests, deacons, the Knights of Columbus.  There were three stops with prayers and benediction at each one.

Finally, we arrived at the Cathedral where we continue with adoration, the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction.

What a glorious way to celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Feast of Corpus Christi - Jesus in Prison

Note:  I am updating this post to include something I didn't have available when I first posted this.

The Catholic Church celebrates and commemorates the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Many churches will be exposing Jesus for Eucharistic Adoration in accordance with Pope Francis' request to join him in adoring our God.

At Adoration this morning I reflected on Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey's meditation that Jesus is imprisoned in the tabernacle.  With the guidance of the Holy Spirit I further reflected on just how Catholics and especially the priests were able to celebrate Mass or adore our Lord while they themselves were imprisoned.

Father Crawley-Boevey wrote:

A dungeon enclosed Jesus after He had been seized in the Garden of Olives, the evening of Holy Thursday.

The Tabernacle is the New Prison in which Jesus has shut Himself for love of us and where He will dwell until the end of time.

Twenty centuries have elapsed; but today as then, in one prison as in the other, He is still the same Jesus, treated with contempt, scoffed at, buried in opprobrium.

This Holy Hour should be an act of solemn reparation for the grievous sin committed by the ever-increasing number of Christians who practically pretend they love Jesus and the world with equal love...Let it be at the same time a merciful and stern lesson to the many Catholics who in their exterior religious life protest their loyalty to Our Lord, but in their social life ignore and gravely violate the Law of the supreme King of love...

Holy Hour by The Rev. Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC. Book Four

Father Jean Bernard wrote about his imprisonment in the infamous Dachau concentration camp.  He and other priests were kept separated by the other prisoners in what they called "Priestblock"  Father's number was 25487.  He wrote about a priest that had newly arrived at Dachau.

One morning Father de Coninck pulls out a cellophane bag labeled "vitamin C" from a fold in his shirt.  In the good old days it was possible to buy such vitamin pills at the camp store.

Through the cellophane the shimmer of a piece of consecrated Host was visible, barely half an inch long.  We all had difficulty hiding our excitement.

"Don't give us away", said de Coninck.  "A German priest from barrack 26 has sent the Lord to us."

We decide to keep this most precious treasure among us for the time being and then to divide it among ourselves for the day when each of us is put on a transport.

Those were days of celebration.  Now when we spoke the prayers of the Mass together, Father de Coninck held the Host inconspicuously in his hand.  How much consolation that brought to the hearts of the tormented priests, how much courage and readiness to sacrifice, cannot be expressed in words.

Priestbock 25487: A memoir of Dachau by Jean Bernard, Zaccheus Press

Father Walter J. Ciszek was an American priest who was convicted of being a "Vatican Spy" by the Soviet communists.  H spent 23 agonizing years in their prisons and in Siberia.  He has written books about his experiences.  His well-known book He Leadeth Me tells on how much the celebration of Mass meant to him and the other priests, who sacrificed beyond belief the privilege of celebrating or participating in the Holy  Mass.  Father wrote:

Sometimes I think that those who have never been deprived of an opportunity to say or hear Mass do not really appreciate what a treasure the Mass is. I know, in any event, what it came to mean to me and the priests I met in the Soviet Union;  I know the sacrifices we made and the risks we ran in order just to have a change to say or hear Mass.  When we were constantly hungry in the camps, when the food we got each day was just barely enough to keep us going, I have seen priests pass up breakfast and work at hard labor on an empty stomach until noon in order to keep the Eucharistic fast, because the noon break at the work site was the time we could best get together for a hidden Mass.  I did that often myself.  And sometimes, when the guards were observing us too closely and we couldn't risk saying Mass at the work site, the crusts of bread I had put in my pocket at breakfast remained there uneaten until I could get back to camp and say Mass at night. Or again, during the long arctic summer, when the work days were the longest and our hours of sleep were at a minimum, I have seen priests and prisoners deprive their bodies of needed sleep in order to get up before the rising bell for a secret Mass in a quiet barracks, while everyone else clung to those precious extra moments of sleep.  In some ways, we led a catacomb existence with our Masses.  We would be severely punished if we were discovered saying Mass, and there were always informers. But the Mass to us was always worth the danger and the sacrifice; we treasured it, we looked forward to it, we would do almost anything in order to say or attend a Mass...."

He Leadeth Me:  An Extraordinary Testament of Faith by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. with Daniel Flaherty, S.J., a Doubleday, Image Book


Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan of Vietnam was also imprisoned by the communists in his own country.  He spent thirteen years as a political prisoner and most of that time, he spent in solitary confinement.  Yet he was able to celebrate Mass!  The Cardinal wrote in Road of Hope:

"I will never be able to express my immense joy: Every day with three drops of wine and one drop of water in the palm of my hand, I celebrated my Mass.

Road of Hope: The Spiritual Journey of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan

Another heroic Cardinal was Cardinal Kung of China.  The following is from the Cardinal Kung Foundation:

On September 8, 1955, the press around the world reported in shock the overnight arrest of Bishop Kung along with more than 200 priests and Church leaders in Shanghai. Months after his arrest, he was taken out to a mob "struggle session" in the old Dog Racing stadium in Shanghai. Thousands were ordered to attend and to hear the Bishop's public confession of his "crimes." With his hands tied behind his back, wearing a Chinese pajama suit, the 5-foot tall bishop was pushed forward to the microphone to confess. To the shock of the security police, they heard a righteous loud cry of "Long live Christ the King, Long live the Pope" from the Bishop. The crowd responded immediately, "Long live Christ the King, Long live Bishop Kung". Bishop Kung was quickly dragged away to the police car and disappeared from the world until he was brought to trial in 1960. Bishop Kung was sentenced to life imprisonment.

How many more heroic priests falsely imprisoned for the Faith, continue to adore our Lord and the celebrate the Holy Mass.   One such priest is Father Gordon MacRae.  Most of my readers know the story of his long imprisonment.  He has written extensively about life behind bars. I wanted to share with you about his spiritual life in particular.

Toward the end of that first five years in prison, a new chaplain arrived, a Catholic deacon. A few weeks after his arrival, I was summoned to his office. He wanted me to read a presentation on Eucharistic Adoration that he had written for the diocesan diaconate program. I sat in his office dutifully reading his essay. When I looked up at one point, I noticed a small wooden tabernacle on a shelf in the corner of the office. The tabernacle was hand carved by a Catholic prisoner, and was incredibly beautiful.

Sitting there with the deacon’s essay in my hand, I noticed a small Sanctuary Lamp that was lit. I realized with a great jolt that the Blessed Sacrament was in the tabernacle in the deacon’s office. I felt overwhelmed, and tears came to my eyes. For the first time in over five years, I was in the Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The chaplain smiled, apparently thinking that I was reacting to his essay.

Father Gordon MacRae's blog: These Stone Walls: The Sacrifice of the Mass: Part I

 So my friends, let us remember to never take for granted this immense privilege we have so readily available to us.