The Baptism of the Lord

Sts. Peter and Paul, Honolulu
Photo by Joey

Mater Dolorosa

Picture SourceMATER DOLOROSA Attributed to José Joaquín Magón

Beautiful rendition Andreas Scholl & Barbara Bonney · Stabat Mater ~ Pergolesi

The Memorial of Our Lady or Sorrows is commemorated by the Catholic faithful on September 15, 2008. This devotion which dated back from the twelfth century has its roots in Sacred Scripture and in Christian piety which always associates the Blessed Mother with her suffering Son, Jesus Christ.

The title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors," the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary

Jesus Himself was Mary's sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul.

Source St. Michael Center

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, whom we contemplated yesterday as Our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of the Cross, obtain for us the gift of always trusting in God's love and help us to be merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful.

- Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, September 16, 2007

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On August 15, the piety of the Catholic devotees honors the Feast of the Assumption.

This is holy day of obligation in the United States. It is the most ancient feast of Mary but its origin is unknown. The feast of Assumption completes God's work in Mary since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. Mary had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.

The Feast of Assumption is a dogma of the Faith declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended

Source St. Michael Center for the BVM, Honolulu, HI Please visit their site and you can find Assumption Day traditions as well as other interesting articles on the Assumption.

"The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

- Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus

Feast of St. Jean Marie Vianney

"If we could comprehend all the good things contained in Holy Communion, nothing more would be wanting to content the heart of man. The miser would run no more after his treasures, or the ambitious after glory; each would shake off the dust of the earth, leave the world, and fly away towards heaven."

"When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other;"

"Jesus Christ, after having given us all he could give, that is to say, the merit of his toils, his sufferings, and bitter death; after having given us his adorable body and blood to be the food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing he had let, which was his holy Mother."

"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master."

"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."

"Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself".

"My little children, your hearts are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of Heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun".

- St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of Parish Priests.

Feast Day of Our Lady of Japan

Thanks to Micki of Holy Card for Your Inspiration for the reminder.

In honor of Joey's birth country, we ask for the intercession of our Lady of Japan for the unborn children in Japan and all over the world.

Picture source and to view a gallery of Japanese Madonnas

Feast Day - St. Josemaria Escrivá

After Mass this morning an Opus Dei member reminded us that it was their founder's feast day.

The following prayer is on the Holy Card she shared with us.

O God, through the mediation of Mary our Mother, you granted your priest St. Josemaría countless graces, choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei, a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties. Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances and events of my life into occasions of loving You and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity, lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love. Deign to grant me, through the intercession of St. Josemaría, the favor of ... (make your request). Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.

The holy card can be found here

Check out Escriva Works for his writings.

Feast Day of Early Christian Martyrs

Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, Domitilla and Pancratius

Feast Day of Blessed Damien de Veuster

"On May 10, 1873, the steamer Kilauea deposited 33 year old Fr. Damien de Veuster on the landing at Kalaupapa, Molokai'.

A man of enormous activity, Damien vigorously tackled every need that he saw. He cleaned wounds, bandaged ulcers, even amputated gangrenous limbs. When a hurricane destroyed the exiles' shabby huts, Damien petitioned the Board of Health for lumber and built three hundred houses for the sick. He laid a pipeline to a distant spring to supply water for the settlement, administered the sacraments, dug graves, built water for the settlement, administered the sacraments, dug graves, built coffins and said funeral Masses.

After eleven years at Kalawao, it became evident that Damien himself had contracted leprosy. In 1888, Mother Marianne and her Franciscan Sisters arrived to open a home for girls. By then Damien also had the help of two priests as well as Joseph Dutton, a lay volunteer.

On April 15, 1889, Damien died. In 1977, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Sacred Hearts missionaries in Hawai'i, Pope Paul VI declared Damien venerable.

On June 4, 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified Damien in Brussels, Belgium. Currently, the case for Blessed Damien's sainthood is being studied by the Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of saint."

The above short biography of Blessed Damien of Moloka'i, was read to us at the candlelight vigil honoring Fr. Damien. It was read by the vice-postulator Sacred Heart Sister Helene Wood.

Hawaii Bishop Larry Silva said at the vigil that sainthood for Blessed Damien is "imminent"!

Mahalo to Padre Steve for the following video:




The draping of the lei on Father Damien's statue
The Father Damien statue in front of the Hawaii State Capital
Sacred Hearts Sister attending the Blessed Damien Memorial
The candlelight vigil where we sang Hawaiian hymns in honor of Father Damien
The candlelight vigil was held on May 9th because on the actual feast day, Bishop Larry Silva as well as some of the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Sisters will be on Kalapapa to commemorate the 100th anniversary of St. Francis' church.

A novena for Blessed Damien as well as more pictures can be found at Catholic Homeschooling in Hawaii

St. Joseph the Worker - Optional Memorial

Happy Feast Day Joey, Dan and Dad!

Feast Day - St. Catherine of Siena

by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

Source: Here

Feast Day of St. Louis Marie de Montfort

Since it is St. Louis Marie de Montfort's feast day, consider consecrating yourselves and your family via his Total Consecration.

To Jesus, through Mary.

Blessed Margaret of Castello - Patroness of the Unwanted

Feast Day April 13th

For more pictures of Blessed Margaret of Castello, be sure to visit This site

It's a pretty safe bet that, had Blessed Margaret of Castello been conceived in the 1990's, we would never know about her. Why? Because her parents would have chosen prenatal diagnosis and aborted her.

Margaret's parents were members of the Italian nobility. Her father Parisio was Captain of the People, a totally fearless and highly capable soldier. He had captured the mountaintop castle of Metola and instantly became a national hero, along with the awards and pride such recognition brings. As a reward for his valor, Parisio was given the castle and its extensive estate to which he proudly brought his young bride Emilia. Parisio and Emilia enjoyed the adulation of the common people and the easy life of wealth.

Everything was going wonderfully for the upwardly mobile young couple, when these two "beautiful people" conceived their first child. Of course, their child would be a perfectly formed, perfectly behaved infant whom they could show off to friends, family, and neighbors. Since prenatal diagnosis did not exist in those days, the couple did not know that their first born daughter was a badly deformed dwarf until they laid eyes on her at birth...

Please visit Priests for Life for the rest of this article

San Isidro de Sevilla

How can I forgot to post about this saint? I can't even though it's late for many of you on the Mainland and elsewhere. This is my dear father in law's name day saint.

Please check out Charity Therese's post about St. Isidore.

Happy Feast Day to the Josephs in My family!

To Joey of course! My DH and I named him after St. Joseph.

For my DH and dear F-i-L whose middle names are Joseph.

To celebrate this morning, I attended Mass and we feasted on waffles, strawberries and whipped cream.

St. Dominic Savio

The following is from St. Michael Center for the BVM

On March 9 the Catholic church honors the feast of St Dominic Savio. He is the patron saint of the youth, choir boys, and falsely accused. He was an ordinary boy with an extraordinary love for God. He was a gentle, calm and cheerful lad who puts great efforts into his studies, helps others in every way, teaches the Catechism, tends the sick, sorts quarrels and other tasks. He was described by Pope Pius XI as “small in size, but a towering giant in spirit.” He set up the ‘Sodality of Mary Immaculate’ with a group of friends to carry out his apostolic work

When St Dominic received his first communion at the age of seven, he wrote down the following as his plan of life: “I will go to confession very often and go to communion as often as my confessor gives me permission. I will celebrate Sundays and feast days as holy days. Jesus and Mary will be my friends. Death rather than sin.”

Prayer to
St. Dominic Savio

Great model for God-loving boys and cherished pupil of the famous Don Bosco, you died prematurely, humanly speaking, but you had already attained mature spiritual wisdom. Your kindness won you many friends, but your love above all sought the Master who is present in our tabernacles. His praises you eucharistically sang. Make choir boys be singers like you, for the love of Jesus, our most loving Master.
Amen.

Quotable Quote on St. Dominic Savio

“You have many good boys, but none can match the good heart and soul of Dominic. I see him so often at prayer, staying in church after the others; every day he slips out of the playground to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. When he is in church he is like an angel living in Paradise.”- Mamma Margaret, remarked to his son St John Bosco about St Dominic Savio

“In other circumstances, Dominic might have become a little self-righteous snob, but Don Bosco showed him the heroism of the ordinary and the sanctity of common sense.” -Rev. Clifford Stevens, The One Year Book of Saints

I highly recommend The Life of St. Dominic Savio by St. John Bosco.

Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes

"For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible."





Original picture from www.art.com and modified by ECG.

Feast Day - St. Josephine Bakhita

To learn more about this flower of the Sudan, view photos, listen to original music, please visit Jane Ellen's website.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Also known as Candlemas. Have you had your candles blessed today?

Feast Day - St. Thomas Aquinas

St Thomas Aquinas, by P.D. Francesca, Milano

Picture source: This Site

Feast Day - Conversion of St. Paul

by Caravaggio