Holy Spirit Vocation Call

Fr. O'Brien, pastor of St. Peter the Fisherman in Wisconsin, reflects on his parish's awesone Pentecost window, and how all the faithful are called to a vocation. Visit Saint Peter the Fisherman and FSCC - Called to Be for more info.

May Feelings II - Do You Pray the Rosary?

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Picture source of Our Lady of Divine Vocations The shrine of Our Lady of Divine Vocations is located in the diocese of Paterson at Florham Park in New Jersey, USA

Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them we see people who who achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well.

-St. Anthony Mary Claret

Diocese of Honolulu Prayer for Vocations
Prayer for Vocations

Heavenly Father,
your divine Son taught us
to pray to the Lord of the harvest
to send laborers into His vineyard.

We earnestly beg you
to bless our Diocese and our world
with many priests and religious
who will love you fervently and gladly
and courageously spend their lives
in service to your Son's Church,
especially the poor and the needy.

Bless our families and our children,
and choose from our homes those who you desire for this holy work.

Teach them to respond generously
and keep them ever faithful
in following your Son Jesus Christ,
that under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit
and with the inspiration of
Blessed Damien and Blessed Marianne
the Good News of redemption
may be brought to all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.


Diocese of Honolulu - Office of Vocations

In searching for words from saints on discerning a vocation to either religious life or the priesthood, I came across this marvelous site which is a wealth of inspiration for those of you discerning your vocation in life.

Religious Vocation

According To The Saints

The Saints offer us additional insight, namely; that the consecrated life is the surest path to God for a soul that loves God, and the most efficacious means for the salvation of the world (principally through a life of prayer and mortification). It is thus that the soul of a religious is better equipped to rise, without distraction, to the highest degrees of union with God;

They [religious] live more purely, they fall more rarely, they rise more speedily, they are aided more powerfully, they live more peacefully, they die more securely, and they are rewarded more abundantly."

Saint Faustina
"Today, the Lord gave me knowledge of His anger toward mankind which deserves to have its days shortened because of its sins. But I learned that the world's existence is maintained by chosen souls; that is, the religious orders. Woe to the world when there will be a lack of religious orders!" - diary, Dec. 1937 ¶.1434

"[The] Child Jesus said to me, 'Look at the sky.' And when I looked at the sky I saw the stars and the moon shining. Then the child asked me, 'Do you see this moon and these stars?' When I said yes, he spoke these words to me, 'These stars are the souls of faithful Christians, and the moon is the souls of religious. Do you see how great the difference is between the light of the moon and the light of the stars? Such is the difference in heaven between the soul of a religious and the soul of a faithful Christian'." - diary, May 12, 1935 ¶.424

Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order
"If a person thinks of embracing a secular life, he should ask and desire more evident signs that God calls him to a secular life than if there were question of embracing the evangelical counsels; for Our Lord Himself has clearly exhorted us to embrace His counsels."

Saint Cyprian of Carthage, A.D. 258 †
"But chastity maintains the first rank in virgins, the second in those who are continent (celibate), the third in the case of wedlock." [...] "While laws are prescribed to matrons ... virginity and continency are beyond all law; there is nothing in the laws of matrimony which pertains to virginity; for by its loftiness it transcends them all."

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, A.D. 373 †
"Now if a man choose the way of the world, namely marriage, he is not indeed to blame; yet he will not receive such great gifts as the other. For he will receive, since he too brings forth fruit, namely thirtyfold. But if a man embraces the holy and unearthly way, even though as compared with the former it be rugged and hard to accomplish, nonetheless it has the more wonderful gifts: for it grows the perfect fruit, namely a hundredfold."

Ven. Mary of Agreda, "Mystical City of God", Book II, Chp. I
[Words of the Queen] "My daughter, the greatest happiness, which can befall any soul in this mortal life, is that the Almighty call her to his house consecrated to his service. For by this benefit He rescues the soul from a dangerous slavery and relieves her of the vile servitude of the world, where, deprived of true liberty, she eats her bread in the sweat of her brow. Who is so dull and insipid as not to know the dangers of the worldly life, which is hampered by all the abominable and most wicked laws and customs introduced by the astuteness of the devil and the perversity of men?

The better part is religious life and retirement; in it is found security, outside is a torment and a stormy sea, full of sorrow and unhappiness. Through the hardness of their heart and the total forgetfulness of themselves men do not know this truth and are not attracted by its blessings. But thou, 0 soul, be not deaf to the voice of the Most High, attend and correspond to it in thy actions: I wish to remind thee, that one of the greatest snares of the demon is to counteract the call of the Lord, whenever he seeks to attract and incline the soul to a life of perfection in his service. Even by itself, the public and sacred act of receiving the habit and entering religion, although it is not always performed with proper fervor and purity of intention, is enough to rouse the wrath and fury of the infernal dragon and his demons; for they know that this act tends not only to the glory of the Lord and the joy of the holy angels, but that religious life will bring the soul to holiness and perfection. It very often happens, that they who have received the habit with earthly and human motives, are afterwards visited by divine grace, which perfects them and sets all things aright. If this is possible even when the beginning was without a good intention, how much more powerful and efficacious will be the light and influence of grace and the discipline of religious life, when the soul enters under the influence of divine love and with a sincere and earnest desire of finding God, and of serving and loving Him?

Reminder - First Saturday

The desire for a First Saturday devotion revealed by the Blessed Virgin Mary to the three children at Fatima in 1917. On December 10, 1925, the Virgin revealed more details about the devotion to Sister Lucia, the only seer still alive and at that time a cloistered nun. From that time, the devotion has spread throughout the world on the day (Saturday) that the Church has traditionally honored the Blessed Virgin. There is no distinct confraternity/association for this devotion, though many apostolates incorporate it into their devotional program.

Purposes

To establish devotion (in accordance with God's wishes) to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and to make reparation for...

1. Attacks upon the reality of Mary's Immaculate Conception

2. Attacks against her the reality of Mary's Perpetual Virginity

3. Attacks upon Mary's Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind

4. Those who try to publicly implant in children's hearts indifference, contempt and hatred for Immaculate Mary

5. For those who insult Mary directly in her sacred images.

Practices

The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays with the specific intention of making reparation for the offenses (above) against the Blessed Virgin.

1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)

2. Receive Holy Communion

3. Recite five decades of the Rosary*

4. "Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary" (separate from the Rosary itself)*

(*Preferably done in the presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle or at Exposition)

Promises

1. The Virgin Mary's assistance at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation for those who practice the devotion.

2. Salvation of souls and peace as a result of promoting of the Devotion to the Immaculate Heart.

Source

Guide to Confession with Examination of Conscience, Including Duties of Particular States of Life

Since Saturdays are traditionally the day set aside for the Sacrament of Reconcilation, I wanted to share excerpts from a very helpful little book entitled Confession: Its Fruitful Practice with an Examination of Conscience by The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and published by Tan Books

With every sin there is a twofold evil:

- The guilt

- The offense against God

5 Things Necessary for a Good Confession:

- Examination of conscience

- Contrition

- Purpose of Amendment

- Confession and Absolution

- Satisfaction: The penance that must be performed in expiation of the temporal punishment due to sin.

Making a good confession begins with a thorough examination of conscience and what better aids than the following:

The Ten Commandments.

1. I am the Lord, thy God: though shalt not have strange gods before Me.

2. Though shalt not take the Name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day (Sunday).

4. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.

5. Thou shalt not kill. (This includes also injury to the soul, and charitableness).

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

The Six Precepts of the Church:

1. To attend Mass and to abstain from servile work on all Sundays and Holydays of obligation.

2. To fast and abstain from meat on the days appointed by the church.

3. To confess one's sins at least once a year.

4. To receive worthily the Blessed Eucharist at Easter Time or within the time appointed.

5. To contribute to the support of the Church.

6. Not to marry persons within the forbidden degrees of kindred or otherwise prohibited by the Church; not to solemnize the marriage at the forbidden times, in general, to observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage.

The Seven Capital Sins:

1. Pride

2. Covetousness

3. Lust

4. Anger

5. Gluttony

6. Envy

7. Sloth

Examination of Conscience based on Duties of Particular States of Life:

For Married Persons:

Have I:

- Lived in peace and union?

- Given cause for jealousy?

- Observed the laws of purity according to the married state?

- Misused the holy state of matrimony?

- Given scandal by angry disputes?

- Forsaken my partner and lived separately without just cause?

- Neglected my duties of support or care for my children and household?

For Parents:

Have I:

- Neglected the religious training of my children?

- Failed to sen them to good Catholic schools when I could have done so?

- Sent them to a school where their Catholic faith or morals would be endangered?

- Neglected to watch over the company they keep?

- They things they read?

- The shows they watch?

- Given them scandal by cursing, quarreling, or in other ways?

- Failed to correct them?

- Selfishly interfered with the vocation of a son or daughter?

For Employers:

Have I:

- Failed to afford those who work under me opportunities to discharge their religious duties?

- Ordered them to do anything wrong?

- To be dishonest, cheat, etc.?

- Have I paid unjust wages?

For Public Officials:

Have I:

- Been faithful and exact in the discharge of my duties?

- Betrayed the public interest through fear of others' opinion, from desire for popularity, or for political or financial interest?

- Sacrificed the rights of any individual?

- Allowed crime and disorder to go unpunished? In what way, and how often?

- Have I directly or indirectly received bribes?

- Allowed myself to be influenced in the administration of justice or offical duties by promises or threats?

- Been guilty of embezzlement of public funds?

- Enriched myself or friends by unjust contracts?

- Applied my official power for revenge?

- Unjustly favored friends?

For Physicians:

Have I:

- Undertaken the care of persons seriously ill without sufficient knowledge or experience?

- Rashly hazarded dangerous remedies?

- Made needless expense?

- Intentionally taken the life of an unborn child?

- Assisted, approved of, or advised anyone to do so?

- Performed or advised forbidden operations, e.g. sterilizations?

- Given prescriptions for contraceptives or abortifacient "contraceptives"?

- Cooperated in others' doing so?

- Failed to warn those in danger of death in time for them to receive the Sacraments?

- Through neglect, allowed infants to die without Baptism?

- Taken the life of any patient, or avoided taking the ordinary means to preserve the life of any patient?

For Lawyers:

Have I:

- Advocated the claims which I knew were unjust?

- Sustained an unjust defense?

- Did I thereby obtain an unjust decision?

- Have I injured the just cause of a client by treachery, gross ignorance, want of study, neglect?

- Obtained false affidavits by artifice?

- Practiced deceit in drawing up wills, deeds, etc.?

Corporal and Spiritual Acts of Mercy:

- Have I failed to relieve the temporal and spiritual necessities of others when it was in my power to do so? Did I do what I could to assist them in poverty, sickness, old age, or any spiritual need?

Father Damien's Canonization Pilgrimage Tour

Our Lady of Peace Hawaii invites you to join Fr. Vince Inghilterra, F.S.D. on a Pilgrimage to Italy for the Canonization of Blessed Damien of Molokai and Blessed Jeanne Jugan Foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

October 4th to October 21st, 2009

$2884 per person from Honolulu

With group coordinator Renee Kathe

Sample Day by Day Itinerary

Oct 4th Honolulu to Rome

Oct 5th Enroute

Oct 6th Arrive in Rome - Transfer Rome Airport to Assisi

Oct 7th Half day walking tour of Assisi

Oct 8th Optional trip to Sienna or Cascia or free day for exploration and reflection

Oct 9th Assisi - Orvieto - Rome

Oct 10th Full day sightseeing in Rome - AM Vatican Museums; PM Christian Rome

Oct 11th Vatican Transfers to and from Canonization ceremony

Oct 12th - Rome - Monte Casino - San Giovanni Rotondo

Oct 13th AM Monte S' Angelo PM San Giovanni Rotondo

Oct 14th San Giovanni Rotondo to visit Holy Face of Manoppello - Rome airport flight to Dubrovnik

Oct 15th - 20th Medjugorje

Oct 20th Split Frankfurt

Oct 21st Frankfurt - Honolulu

For more information visit Pilgrimages - Fr. Inghilterra

Reminder - First Friday

THE NINE FIRST FRIDAYS DEVOTION AND THE TWELVE PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART MADE TO ST. MARGARET MARY WITH ADDED PRAYER FOR DAILY NEGLECT

1. I WILL GIVE THEM ALL THE GRACES NECESSARY FOR THEIR STATE OF LIFE.

2. I WILL GIVE PEACE IN THEIR FAMILIES

3. I WILL CONSOLE THEM IN ALL THEIR TROUBLES.

4. THEY SHALL FIND IN MY HEART AN ASSURED REFUGE DURING LIFE AND ESPECIALLY AT THE HOUR OF DEATH.

5. I WILL POUR ABUNDANT BLESSINGS ON ALL THEIR UNDERTAKINGS.

6. SINNERS SHALL FIND IN MY HEART THE SOURCE AND INFINITE OCEAN OF MERCY.

7. TEPID SOULS SHALL BECOME FERVENT.

8. FERVENT SOULS SHALL SPEEDILY RISE TO GREAT PERFECTION.

9. I WILL BLESS THE HOMES IN WHICH THE IMAGE OF MY SACRED HEART SHALL BE EXPOSED AND HONORED.

10. I WILL GIVE TO PRIESTS THE POWER TO TOUCH THE MOST HARDENED HEARTS.

11. THOSE WHO PROPAGATE THIS DEVOTION SHALL HAVE THEIR NAME WRITTEN IN MY HEART, AND IT SHALL NEVER BE EFFACED.

12. THE ALL-POWERFUL LOVE OF MY HEART WILL GRANT TO ALL THOSE WHO SHALL RECEIVE COMMUNION ON THE FIRST FRIDAY OF NINE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS THE GRACE OF FINAL REPENTANCE; THEY SHALL NOT DIE UNDER MY DISPLEASURE, NOR WITHOUT RECEIVING THE SACRAMENTS; MY HEART SHALL BE THEIR ASSURED REFUGE AT THE LAST HOUR.

This devotion consists in attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion in reparation for those who do not receive Our Lord, who do not love Him and who wound Him by their sinful lives.

"I promise you, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments, My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

-----Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary

Catholic Tradition

Devotion to Mary, The Mother of God in the Month of May

The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Mother of God and our blessed Mother Mary.

It must please God immensely when we show honor and devotion to His dear mother.

The following are some Marian devotions which are some of my family's favorites:

- Pray the Holy Rosary daily, especially with your family. What better way to reflect on the life of Christ through scripture, than through the 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

- Recitation of the Regina Coeli during Eastertide and the The Angelus, the rest of the year. These prayers are traditionally recited at 6:00 A.M., 12 noon and 6:00 P.M.

- Being enrolled and wearing the Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Brown Scapular

- First Saturday Devotions

In particular the following are two good ways of honoring our Blessed Mother during the month of May:

- May Crowning

- Mary's Garden

St. Joseph the Worker

We pray to St. Joseph for all those in need:

- of employment;

- for those who are employed, for their employment security;

- for husbands and fathers who are the providers of their families;

- for those in danger of losing their homes;

- for those who need to sell their home, that they may receive a fair price;

- for those who need to buy a home;

- for those who are dying;

- for the Universal Church;

- for those named Joseph

O Saint Joseph, assist those who need your intercession. Amen.

The following prayer is from Daily Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker

Glorious Saint Joseph,
pattern of all who are devoted to toil,
obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance,
in order thereby to atone for my many sins;
to work conscientiously, putting devotion to duty
before my own inclinations;
to work with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honor to employ and to develop,
by my labor, the gifts I have received from Almighty God;
to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties;
to work, above all, with pure intention
and with a spirit of detachment from self,
having always before my eyes the hour of death
and the accounting which I must then render
of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone,
and of my empty pride in success,
which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus,
all through Mary,
all in imitation of thee,
O Blessed Joseph!
This shall be my motto in life and in death.
Amen.

Photos of 2009 Spring New Products Show Mission

Ann and Orrin

Our soon to be saint from Hawaii

Fr. Vince Inghilterra

The Group

Statue of Our Lady of Fatima who accompanied the group on their Mission

Our Lady of Peace Prayer Group Hawaii Banner

Ann, Rose and Fr. Vince Inghilterra
My friend Ann of Our Lady of Peace Prayer Group Hawaii shared some photos of the groups recent "mission" at the Spring New Products Show in Honolulu.

Also, stay posted for info on the upcoming 2nd Marian Conference.