Saturday, February 27, 2010
Urgent Prayer Request - For the People in Chile and Argentina
Please keep them and all in South America in your prayers.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST - HAWAII UNDER TSUNAMI WARNING
Please keep the Hawaiian Islands, and all of the Pacific in your prayers. The first wave is expected to hit approximately at 11:00 am HST.
Saint Damien protect us.
Saint Damien protect us.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saint Damien's Island
One can tell that Molokai is indeed Father Damien's island. His presence is everywhere! His image can be found just about anywhere too. The following are photos from yesterday's trip.
From the building next to St. Sophia where Mass is being celebrated since the unfortunate burning of St. Sophia.
Father Damien Koa Statue
Father Clyde shared an interesting bit of trivia concerning Father Damien's efficient ways.
Look at that little screen that Father Clyde is holding. Father Damien came up with an ingenious way of having a confessional in a small and simple church. When it came time for confession, a veil would be placed over the screen, thus separating the confessor from the penitent. This little screen window can be found in all the churches built by Father Damien. It is a feature particular only to St. Damien Churches.
From the building next to St. Sophia where Mass is being celebrated since the unfortunate burning of St. Sophia.
Father Damien painting
Father Damien statue in front of St. Joseph's Church
Father Damien and Children painting at the airport
Photo of young Father Damien
Saint Damien can even be found in a wall stencil
Father Clyde shared an interesting bit of trivia concerning Father Damien's efficient ways.
A Day Trip to Heaven on Earth - EWTN Filming of Divine Mercy
To say a group of us were privileged to go on a pilgrimage to Molokai would be a real understatement. We were extremely blessed to be able to travel to Molokai and do our small part to contribute to a new EWTN project currently underway. My dear friend Easter graciously inquired if my mother and I would be interested in going to Molokai with Ricardo and Danielle B's family, for the Saint Damien portion of a new Divine Mercy recitation.
This lengthy project is under the direction of a truly wonderful man of God, Father Luis Eduardo R. of Venezuela. The filming of this new Divine Mercy film has taken Father Luis all over the world and eventually brought him to film in Hawaii.
Father was given permission to film topside on Molokai. The nine of us, which also included Easter and Father Luis, landed in Molokai very early in the morning. From that moment on, it was a non stop day of greeting new people, both lay and religious, (the Sacred Hearts Brother, Father and Sisters and another Maryknoll sister could not have been kinder to us), making new friends, (they don't call Molokai the Friendly Isle for nothing) and seeing places that Saint Damien saw and was a real part of.
We actually were able to visit two of the churches Saint Damien built!
The first church we visited was St. Joseph.
The second church we visited was Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, approximately five miles from St. Joseph's Church.
Father Clyde G. SS.CC, the pastor of these churches graciously gave Father Luis permission to celebrate Mass at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. This was indeed God looking out for us because we had missed morning Mass.
Father Luis gave a truly powerful homily in Spanish, basically on how some people do not believe that Jesus is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. The people who walk past the Blessed Sacrament without reverence or even respect; do not realize that this is our God! He said that some of us walk by Him or treat Him as if He were a dog!
After this beautiful celebration of the Holy Mass, we went to St. Joseph for the filming. Afterward, we went to have lunch. It was a real joy to watch the humpback whales playing in the horizon as we waited for our lunch.
Later that day, we drove to the west side of the island (the opposite end of where we were) and visited Kalaupapa Lookout. Since we were unable to visit Kalaupapa for a few different reasons, it was great to be able to at least see the famous, once infamous peninsula.
A rainbow gradually appeared over the whole Kalaupapa peninsula...almost like a small miracle for us to experience! The wind and the rain that fell and chilled us to the bone was a small price to pay to see this God created magnificence right before our eyes!
At 3:00 p.m. we walked into the dense pine-type forest, where the dried needles created a natural carpeting for the walk and the trees created a beautiful silent world for us, there in that beautiful place, we prayed the Divine Mercy together as God's ohana....in Spanish. Even Easter, the only non-Spanish speaker joined in and led a decade.
Too soon it was time to head back to the airport.
When we began this pilgrimage, I thought it would be a very long day. Once the day ended, it was if time had flown by in a blink of an eye.
Before we know it, it was back to the hustle and bustle of our dear island.
We were truly blessed yesterday.
Note: There are photos that I did not share here because I did not ask for permission yet and that includes the religious community (with the exception of Father Clyde...I'm hoping he doesn't mind too much), we met and the B. Family.
This lengthy project is under the direction of a truly wonderful man of God, Father Luis Eduardo R. of Venezuela. The filming of this new Divine Mercy film has taken Father Luis all over the world and eventually brought him to film in Hawaii.
Father was given permission to film topside on Molokai. The nine of us, which also included Easter and Father Luis, landed in Molokai very early in the morning. From that moment on, it was a non stop day of greeting new people, both lay and religious, (the Sacred Hearts Brother, Father and Sisters and another Maryknoll sister could not have been kinder to us), making new friends, (they don't call Molokai the Friendly Isle for nothing) and seeing places that Saint Damien saw and was a real part of.
We actually were able to visit two of the churches Saint Damien built!
The first church we visited was St. Joseph.
The second church we visited was Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, approximately five miles from St. Joseph's Church.
Father Clyde G. SS.CC, the pastor of these churches graciously gave Father Luis permission to celebrate Mass at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. This was indeed God looking out for us because we had missed morning Mass.
Father Luis gave a truly powerful homily in Spanish, basically on how some people do not believe that Jesus is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. The people who walk past the Blessed Sacrament without reverence or even respect; do not realize that this is our God! He said that some of us walk by Him or treat Him as if He were a dog!
After this beautiful celebration of the Holy Mass, we went to St. Joseph for the filming. Afterward, we went to have lunch. It was a real joy to watch the humpback whales playing in the horizon as we waited for our lunch.
Later that day, we drove to the west side of the island (the opposite end of where we were) and visited Kalaupapa Lookout. Since we were unable to visit Kalaupapa for a few different reasons, it was great to be able to at least see the famous, once infamous peninsula.
A rainbow gradually appeared over the whole Kalaupapa peninsula...almost like a small miracle for us to experience! The wind and the rain that fell and chilled us to the bone was a small price to pay to see this God created magnificence right before our eyes!
Too soon it was time to head back to the airport.
When we began this pilgrimage, I thought it would be a very long day. Once the day ended, it was if time had flown by in a blink of an eye.
Before we know it, it was back to the hustle and bustle of our dear island.
We were truly blessed yesterday.
The Curé of Ars - On the Sacrifce of the Holy Mass
All good works together are not of equal value with the sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men, and the holy Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison; it is the sacrifice that man makes of his life to God; the Mass is the sacrifice that God makes to man of His Body and of His Blood. Oh, how great is a priest! if he understood himself he would die.... God obeys him; he speaks two words, and Our Lord comes down from Heaven at his voice, and shuts Himself up in a little Host. God looks upon the altar. "That is My well-beloved Son," He says, "in whom I am well-pleased." He can refuse nothing to the merits of the offering of this Victim. If we had faith, we should see God hidden in the priest like a light behind a glass, like wine mingled with water...Read the rest here Day 10: February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
YEAR FOR PRIESTS - Curé of Ars on the Priesthood
The following is being shared in its entirety because of the richness. St. John Vianney teach us exactly what is a priest. I hope everyone takes the time to read it slowly and completely. It is very powerful.
Cure of Ars Lenten Reading Plan: Day 9: February 25, 2010
My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God.
What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God – a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go," said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations.... He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me." When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you." At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body."
St. Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces,all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest – always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.
Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you." Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love. The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest. What would be the use of a house full of gold, if you had nobody to open you the door! The priest has the key of the heavenly treasures; it is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good God, the distributor of His wealth. Without the priest, the Death and Passion of Our Lord would be of no avail. Look at the heathens: what has it availed them that Our Lord has died? Alas! they can have no share in the blessings of Redemption, while they have no priests to apply His Blood to their souls!
The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, "What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home." When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.
When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, "Where are you going?" you might answer, "I am going to feed my soul." If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, "What is that golden door?" "That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept." "Who has the key? Who lays in the provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?" "The priest." "And what is the Food?" "The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord." O God! O God! how You have loved us! See the power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the word of a priest makes a God. It is more than creating the world.... Someone said, "Does St. Philomena, then, obey the Cure of Ars?" Indeed, she may well obey him, since God obeys him.
If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. St. Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed. When you see a priest, you should say, "There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul." At the sight of a church tower, you may say, "What is there in that place?" "The Body of Our Lord." "Why is He there?" "Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass."
What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much! The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands. Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loreto. But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious? The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus. When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Cure of Ars Lenten Reading Plan: Day 9: February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
New Blog Added to the Sidebar - Malianika: Expressions of Hawaiian Marianist Spirituality
Malianika or Marianist in Hawaiian, is a relatively new blog by some young Marianist brothers.
Focusing specifically on themes of Marianist spirituality as expressed through Hawaiian culture, this Web site serves as a repository of insights for prayer and reflection, as inspired by the Holy Spirit to our authors—two professed Marianist religious in the Society of Mary.A big mahalo to Brother John M. Samaha, S.M. for sharing this with me.
Quiet as a Basic Human Right
Silence is the enemy of everything superficial, stupid, and ugly.
Quiet as a Basic Human Right
A Priest's Reflection on Gossip
I was cleaning out dead links on my sidebar and came across this article on gossip which struck home for me. There are many times I feel compelled to "discuss" someone with a close friend. Afterward, I feel terrible and I know it is because I have chosen to gossip. As my mother always says "En bocas cerradas, no entran moscas". Flies do not enter a closed mouth.
Fr. Jim Murphy: Gossip and the Devil's Radio
Fr. Jim Murphy: Gossip and the Devil's Radio
A Veritable Treasure Trove of Sacrament of Confession Resources!
1. Shared by Patrick Madrid: Por Que Confesarse?
2. Shared by Padre Steve: Seven Reasons Why You Should Go to Confession During Lent
3. Shared by the Church Ladies: May God Give You Pardon and Peace
Okay, so I thought there were more....:-)
O Sacred Head Surrounded- Two Versions
Lyrics: O Sacred Head Surrounded
(Latin: Salve caput cruentatum, St. Bernard)
O Sacred Head surrounded
By crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding Head so wounded,
Reviled and put to scorn!
Death's pallid hue comes o'er Thee,
The glow of life decays,
Yet angel hosts adore Thee,
And tremble as they gaze.
In this, Thy bitter passion,
Good shepherd, think of me,
With Thy most sweet compassion,
Unworthy though I be:
Beneath Thy cross abiding,
Forever would I rest;
In Thy dear love confiding,
And with Thy presence blest.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I'm Sorry Blessed Mother
Today I planned on bringing our car to our usual place for a safety inspection, leave the car and pick it up when it was ready. At daily Mass, I asked our Lady a few times, to please help the car pass inspection.
After Mass, we went to the safety inspection place, waited in line and we were told that they would not be able to perform safety inspections for at least two weeks.
"Oh, no!" and my first thought was "Blessed Mother, weren't you supposed to make sure the car got inspected?"
I drove home and suddenly remembered another place that possibly performed safety inspections.
"Yes", the owner told me. But "No, I could not leave the car." Well, that is because they immediately took car of my car's safety inspection. And, needless to say, the car passed inspection!
I could not stop apologizing enough to our lady. I should have relied on her assistance that I had asked for because she took care of things better than I could have imagined.
Thank you Blessed Mother and I promise not to doubt you again.
She should become the patron of mechanics. I know my late dad, the car mechanic, would agree.
My mom's reaction to this whole thing was..."You doubted her?"
ACN News - A Heartfelt Thank You from Haiti
ACN-USA News
2/23/2010
A heartfelt thank you from Haiti
Haiti’s most senior Church leader has spoken of his “deepest gratitude” for the help given by a leading Catholic charity in the wake of the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean country.
In a letter sent earlier this week, Archbishop Louis Kébreau, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, thanked Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for $70,000 in emergency aid and $100,000 for destitute diocesan seminarians.
Sent within a week of the catastrophe on January 12th, the aid packages prioritized help for the Haiti capital, Port-au-Prince, which was worst affected by the quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale.
Archbishop Kébreau, who is Archbishop of Cap-Haïtien, wrote: “With this letter, I would like to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti and also the seminarians…”
“True love is compassionate. Your kind gesture gives us the strength and hope to build and unite our efforts to carry on…”
His letter coincided with another message sent to ACN by the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti giving a brief progress report on how the charity’s money has been spent.
The nuncio, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, explained that the aid package contributed to a wide-ranging emergency relief program including the provision of rice and beans for destitute people and aid to “relaunch commercial activity” with hand-outs distributed through local parishes.
In the meantime, aid is being sent through the bishops’ conference to help more than 200 seminarians who were stranded after seminary buildings collapsed. At least 26 seminarians died in the quake including 10 from the Montfortian order who were killed when their minibus was crushed by falling debris.
In his message, Msgr. Kébreau said the seminarians were now receiving ongoing medical aid and counseling.
As well as Port-au-Prince, where the majority of the aid is being spent, emergency support is also going to the nearby dioceses of Jacmel, Cap-Haitien and Hinche, with other plans underway for aid in lesser affected regions including Jérémie, Les Cayes and Fort-Liberté.
The nuncio went on to stress the “huge task” of reconstruction, which will take years – even decades – to complete.
These messages of thanks come amid new reports indicating that the scale of devastation was much worse than previously estimated. Haiti President Rene Preval announced on Mon, Feb. 22nd, that the final death toll was expected to reach nearly 300,000 – far higher than originally estimated.
Outlining longer-term projects, the nuncio referred to plans to help pay school fees for children from Port-au-Prince to attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Les Gonaives, which was much less affected by the quake.
Help has also gone towards providing equipment for a temporary chancellery for the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, where the archbishop’s house and offices were reduced to rubble as well as the cathedral.
ACN project coordinators are planning a visit to Haiti in April to assess medium and long-term priorities to help the Church, with guidance provided by the nuncio and Archbishop Kébreau.
Despite the enormous burdens, Archbishop Kébreau’s message to ACN was optimistic. He wrote: “My messages are with you [ACN]. God is love, truth and justice and He wants us to create a new civilization, one of love.”
With picture of Archbishop Louis Kébreau, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti and Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti
Editor’s Notes:
Your browser may not support display of this image.
Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
2/23/2010
A heartfelt thank you from Haiti
Haiti’s most senior Church leader has spoken of his “deepest gratitude” for the help given by a leading Catholic charity in the wake of the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean country.
In a letter sent earlier this week, Archbishop Louis Kébreau, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, thanked Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for $70,000 in emergency aid and $100,000 for destitute diocesan seminarians.
Sent within a week of the catastrophe on January 12th, the aid packages prioritized help for the Haiti capital, Port-au-Prince, which was worst affected by the quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale.
Archbishop Kébreau, who is Archbishop of Cap-Haïtien, wrote: “With this letter, I would like to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti and also the seminarians…”
“True love is compassionate. Your kind gesture gives us the strength and hope to build and unite our efforts to carry on…”
His letter coincided with another message sent to ACN by the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti giving a brief progress report on how the charity’s money has been spent.
The nuncio, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, explained that the aid package contributed to a wide-ranging emergency relief program including the provision of rice and beans for destitute people and aid to “relaunch commercial activity” with hand-outs distributed through local parishes.
In the meantime, aid is being sent through the bishops’ conference to help more than 200 seminarians who were stranded after seminary buildings collapsed. At least 26 seminarians died in the quake including 10 from the Montfortian order who were killed when their minibus was crushed by falling debris.
In his message, Msgr. Kébreau said the seminarians were now receiving ongoing medical aid and counseling.
As well as Port-au-Prince, where the majority of the aid is being spent, emergency support is also going to the nearby dioceses of Jacmel, Cap-Haitien and Hinche, with other plans underway for aid in lesser affected regions including Jérémie, Les Cayes and Fort-Liberté.
The nuncio went on to stress the “huge task” of reconstruction, which will take years – even decades – to complete.
These messages of thanks come amid new reports indicating that the scale of devastation was much worse than previously estimated. Haiti President Rene Preval announced on Mon, Feb. 22nd, that the final death toll was expected to reach nearly 300,000 – far higher than originally estimated.
Outlining longer-term projects, the nuncio referred to plans to help pay school fees for children from Port-au-Prince to attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Les Gonaives, which was much less affected by the quake.
Help has also gone towards providing equipment for a temporary chancellery for the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, where the archbishop’s house and offices were reduced to rubble as well as the cathedral.
ACN project coordinators are planning a visit to Haiti in April to assess medium and long-term priorities to help the Church, with guidance provided by the nuncio and Archbishop Kébreau.
Despite the enormous burdens, Archbishop Kébreau’s message to ACN was optimistic. He wrote: “My messages are with you [ACN]. God is love, truth and justice and He wants us to create a new civilization, one of love.”
With picture of Archbishop Louis Kébreau, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti and Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti
Editor’s Notes:
Your browser may not support display of this image.
Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Virtual Saint Joseph Altar is Now Open
Evann has recently reopened the Virtual Saint Joseph Altar. Click HERE
Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, there is even a place for special prayer requests. There’s lot more to keep you busy: prayers, history, recipes, photos, special links, and more. Stop by the blog, and don’t miss the mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph’s Altar craft.