Day Two - Novena to the Holy Spirit - The Gift of Fear

Feast of San Isidro Labrador (Saint Isidore the Farmer)

Picture Source

Prayer to Saint Isidore (Farmer) and
Saint Maria de Cabeza (Farm Wife)

O holy Isidore and Maria, continue to intercede for those who work the fields and grow our daily food. Ask our Merciful God to continue to bless their efforts to produce abundant food and fiber.

We ask your prayerful aid in the cultivation of the fields of our hearts. Help us through God’s grace to grow in holiness and accept the grace-filled opportunities God gives to us in our work, our marriages and our everyday lives.

O holy Isidore, intercede with our Lord to send angels to aid us in opening our hearts so that one day, enlightened by God’s wisdom and having grown in God's likeness, we may join you and all the Saints in Heaven.

O Most Holy Trinity, you have created us out of your love. We pray that we will always recognize your presence in all that we are, all that we do, and all that we will become.
Help us realize that your Message of Salvation is found in all of Creation -- the fields, the plants, living water, fresh air, all creatures, love for one another.

We await in joy and hope for the day, O Merciful God, when we will be united with You in your Heavenly Kingdom.

Amen.

Fr. Pat's Place: St. Isidore the Farmer

Picture Source

The Final Day in Portugal: Pope Benedict XVI

Plenty of great photos and videos over at Caput Mundi The above video and photo are from Carlos' blog. Mahalo Carlos!

Also be sure to click here to read Terry's post on the pilgrimage to Fatima.

Feast of St. Matthias

Today the Church commemorates the Feast of St. Matthias.  He was the man chosen to replace the traitorous Judas.  In his homily this morning Father Paul said that he did not want to take away any honor due to St. Matthias today.  But if Judas had just believed in God's Mercy (His Divine Mercy), we would have been commemorating "St. Judas" and not St. Mattias.

He was reminded of the following poem: 

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'" 

- John Greenleaf Whittier
Picture Source

First Day - Novena to the Holy Spirit

Thanks to Ed of In God's Company 2 for sharing these beautiful videos.

Feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

"Words cannot express the perfection of his adoration. If Saint John leaped in the womb at the approach of Mary, what feelings must have coursed through Joseph during those six months when he had at his side and under his very eyes the hidden God! If the father of Origen used to kiss his child during the night and adore the Holy Spirit living within Him, can we doubt that Joseph must often have adored Jesus hidden in the pure tabernacle of Mary? How fervent that adoration must have been: My Lord and my God, behold your servant! No one can describe the adoration of this noble soul. He saw nothing, yet he believed; his faith had to pierce the virginal veil of Mary. So likewise with you! Under the veil of the Sacred Species your faith must see our Lord. Ask St. Joseph for his Lively, constant faith."

- St. Peter Julian Eymard

Quote Source: The Real Presence

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be worthy to receive Holy Communion every day.

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

PRESS RELEASE from ASSOCIATION for the ARCH of TRIUMPH of the IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY and INTERNATIONAL SHRINE of the HOLY INNOCENTS

From Brother John Samaha, S.M.

May 13, 2010—Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Buffalo, NY. The Association for the Arch of Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary today unveils new architectural plans [http://www.archoftriumph.org/archdesign.html] for the pro-life shrine and great triumphal arch, at 700 feet tall to be the world’s tallest monument, which the Association was formed to build in 2001. When Buffalo’s Common Council unanimously endorsed the project in 2002, the Association promised that it would be “built according to high standards of architectural beauty and integrity,” a promise clearly kept in the new official designs.



Mary’s Arch of Triumph will point towards the “fundamental transformation” that America and the world truly need—a change of hearts and minds, more than of laws. It will sound a global signal call to repentance and conversion, renewed faith in God, and respect for human life from conception to natural death. Originating with a dream, this great spiritual undertaking quickly gained worldwide support among Mary’s faithful, and has been approved by many Catholic pro-life leaders [http://www.archoftriumph.org/excerpts.html], including Fr. Frank Pavone, Fr. John Corapi, Mrs. Judie Brown, Dr. John Willke, and Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

The project evokes Mary’s revelations at Fatima on July 13, 1917, “God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart,” and that, “In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph . . . and an era of peace will be granted to the world.” This great arch hails this coming triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart. It will be 700 feet tall because seven is the biblical number of perfection, and Mary represents the perfection of humanity because of her humble obedience to God. Mary is revered also by Muslims, who believe in Mary’s perpetual virginity; indeed, Mohammed said that Mary enjoys the highest place in heaven of all women.

The Association is raising funds (projected cost: $85 to $100,000,000) through its Web site [http://www.archoftriumph.org] and a mail campaign, and is searching for a site in the Diocese of Buffalo, NY where the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, entered America triumphally on December 8, 1947 when “200,000 people lined the streets and welcomed Our Lady” [see History page at http://www.pilgrimvirginstatue.com]. The Association had desired to locate the shrine on waterfront land on Fuhrmann Blvd. adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Station, but has learned that the parcel is now under contract for sale to another.

Mary's gloroius Arch of Triumph of is destined quickly to become an international icon, boldly though silently proclaiming the dignity and sanctity of human life, born and unborn, and extolling the oft-neglected virtues of purity, faith and obedience to God.

END

For further information or interviews, contact:

Laurence D. Behr, Executive Director

43 Court St., Ste. 600

Buffalo, NY 14202

Tel: 716-856-1300

Email: lbehr@barthbehr.com

LINKS:

Official Drawings: http://www.archoftriumph.org/archdesign.html

Project origins: http://www.archoftriumph.org/news5.html

Worldwide supporters: http://www.archoftriumph.org/liaisons.html

Catholic leadership endorsements: http://www.archoftriumph.org/excerpts.html

Buffalo Common Council endorsement: http://www.archoftriumph.org/news8.html

Fatima apparitions and messages: http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/FIRSTSAT.htm

Architectural Drawings By:

Jaeger, Nickola & Associates, Architects
Specialists in the design of churches and related structures
www.jaeger-nickola.com
Contact: David C. Kuhlman, AIA, Principal
kuhlman@jaeger-nickola.com

On Proper Dress and Behavior at Mass

Thank you for saying what needed to be said Father Trigilio!

While in Church:

1. Dress modestly
2. Act reverently: Be reverent
3. Speak softly

Novena to the Holy Spirit Begins Tomorrow May 14th

White (Fairy) Tern also known as the Holy Spirit bird

Photo by Esther G.

Just a reminder that the oldest known novena begins tomorrow Friday, May 14th. You can find the Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts at EWTN

Our Lady of Fatima

Photo by Esther G.

Act of Reparation

O Most holy Virgin and our Mother,
we listen with grief to the complaints
of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns
placed therein at every moment
by the blasphemies and ingratitude
of ungrateful humanity.
We are moved by the ardent desire
of loving you as our Mother
and of promoting a true devotion
to your Immaculate Heart.

We therefore kneel before you
to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances
that people cause you,
and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices
for the offenses with which they return your love.
Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins.
Hasten the conversion of sinners
that they may love Jesus
and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended,
and will not fall into hell.
Turn your eyes of mercy toward us,
that we may love God with all our heart on earth
and enjoy him forever in heaven. Amen

- New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing