Advent 2010

I have been saving the above image since the Summer. Thanks to Jill Stanek

Tonight Catholics in Hawaii will be participating in an Advent Prayer Vigil for the Unborn at

1. Sacred Heart Church, after the 5pm Mass with our pastor presiding.

2. the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace at 7:00 p.m. Bishop Silva will be the presider there.

I believe that at both Churches, prayer will include Exposition, vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

May your Advent Season be filled with joyful anticipation for the coming of our Lord. 

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Prayer to Redeem Lost Time

Vanitas Still Life with a Tulip, Skull and Hour-Glass by Philippe De Champaigne

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O my God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things.

Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in "wedding garments." Amen.

by St. Teresa of Avila

Source via Sue Cifelli

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

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Miraculous Medal Prayer

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The following is from Father Tommy Lane's homily on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

I know that very many of you wear the Miraculous Medal. You may not know that it really is the medal of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady...

The entire homily can be read here.

Novena to the Immaculate Conception for Seminarian Philip Johnson

Philip Johnson

From the Diocese of Raleigh:
The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, has requested in a letter that all the Priests, Religious and lay faithful in the Diocese of Raleigh participate in a novena to the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Diocese, on behalf of Philip Johnson, one of our Diocesan seminarians. The novena will begin on Monday, November 29, and culminate on Wednesday, December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Read the details over at Dr. Nadal's blog.

As you know, we have been keeping Philip in our daily prayers (see side bar for prayer). I would now ask that you join in this novena for Philip.

Book Recommendation: Thy Will Be Done by St. Francis de Sales

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This book is the first one I have chosen for spiritual reading for Advent. 

Thy Will be Done! "Fifty-eight letters to souls troubled by problems that afflict each of us today: anger, frustration, grief and sickness, difficulties in praying, and even lack of faith - with wise, practical remedies for each. Lovingly written by St. Francis de Sales." That beautiful description is from the front cover of the book which is published by Sophia Institute Press.

The following is from the back cover:

Three centuries ago, people flocked to St. Francis de Sales, seeking his help for their problems. St. Francis spent countless hours ministering to them face-to-face and wrote over 20,000 letters! From these letters to persons in many countries and in all walks of life, we’ve selected the ones which will be most helpful to you today.

Each is a hand-written response to someone like you seeking help with an actual problem. You’ll be consoled by the warmth, the wisdom, and the holy sympathy you’ll find in these pages as the love of this great saint reaches out to us across the centuries. Whatever your circumstances may be, there’s wisdom here to make your life holier . . . and happier.

Wisdom for difficult situations . . .
 To a pious wife: how to be devout without irritating your husband
 To an old man, preparing for death
 To a woman who judges herself harshly
 To a woman distressed by her lack of spiritual progress
 To a newlywed, teaching the duties of married life and how to fulfill them
 To a new widow who finds life alone a terrible burden
 To a young man, showing him how to treat his parents better
 To a nun, on placing ourselves in the presence of God
 To a married woman trying to bear patiently her live-in parents-in-law
 To a pregnant woman, tired, sick, and discouraged, who thinks she doesn’t pray enough
 To a childless woman, helping her to accept this sorrow
 To a priest, on staying faithful to his calling
 To a nervous woman, showing her how to be less troubled
 To a woman troubled by sinfulness in the world
 To a businessman, showing him how to find God in his busy life
 To an overworked woman
 . . . plus help for dozens of other problems we all face!

Solutions to common troubles . . .
 Family problems — how to keep calm, and even use troubles to improve your family
 Anxiety about the future: your job, your children, anything at all. It can be overcome!
 Your flaws -- the right response to them. Plus, ways to bear those you can’t overcome
 Family, work, prayer: which should come first? How to set your priorities
 Three criteria for judging pastimes. Do you really know which are spiritually healthy and which are dangerous?
 Helplessness: coping when you’re not in control, especially during times of sickness or loneliness
 The roots of heresy — why you must understand Scripture in light of Church teachings
 Temptation and sin: how to turn them into spiritual victories

“Francis de Sales modeled himself so closely on our Lord that many times I asked myself with astonishment how, considering human frailty, a mere creature could reach so high a degree of perfection.”
St. Vincent de Paul

“He seemed to have been sent especially by God. A great saint, remarkable not only for the holiness of his life, but for the wisdom with which he directed souls.”
Pope Pius XI

Thanksgiving Day

A very happy and blessed Thanksgiving to each and every one of you and your family.

The First Thanksgiving was celebrated by Catholics in St. Augustine in 1565

56 Years Later, Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims

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Mother Angelica Live Classics - Thanksgiving - Mother Angelica - 11-23-2010

"Little Star" by Anthony DiStefano and Read by Pat Boone

If you may remember, I recently reviewed this beautiful little book here.

Now you can listen to it read by singer Pat Boone. Thanks to Anthony DiStefano for sharing this with me.

Video Message - Fr. Donald Calloway's new book, "No Turning Back, A Witness to Mercy"

Thanks to my friend Ed for sharing this with me. As you know, I previously reviewed Father's book here. If you have not read it yet, why not put it on your Christmas wish list. 

What the Church Teaches About Cremation

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While cremation is not prohibited unless it is chosen for reasons “contrary to Christian teaching,” the Catholic Church prefers that the body of a deceased person be buried in accord with Church custom, according to statements issued by two U.S. archdioceses...

...“Especially to be condemned are the practices of scattering the ashes, enclosing them in jewelry, dividing them among relatives as keepsakes or doing other bizarre things with them,” Archbishop Sheehan wrote in an All Souls’ Day statement. “Such practices do not give honor to the body and, indirectly, are an affront to our belief in the resurrection of the dead....

This is a very good and informative article regarding cremations for Catholics. You can read the article in its entirety here.

Mahalo to Lisa Graas for sharing via Twitter.

Blessed Miguel A. Pro, S.J. - Priest and Martyr

Dios y Padre nuestro, que concediste a tu hijo Miguel Agustín, en su vida y en su martirio, buscar con entusiasmo tu mayor gloria y la salvación de los hombres, concédenos, a ejemplo suyo, servirte y glorificarte cumpliendo nuestras obligaciones diarias con fidelidad y alegría, y ayudando eficazmente a nuestros prójimos. Te pedimos también, Padre Santo, que, si es tu voluntad, podamos pronto venerar al Beato Miguel Agustín, como un nuevo Santo de la Iglesia.

God our Father, whom You bestowed on your son Miguel Agustín, in his life and his martyrdom, to look forward to Your greater glory and the salvation of men, grant, following his example, to serve and glorify You, by fulfilling our daily duties with fidelity and joy, and effectively helping our neighbors. We also ask you, Holy Father, that, if You will, soon we venerate the Blessed Miguel Agustin, as a new saint of the Church.

Prayer source

Miguel Pro and Family. According to the
source for this picture, the boy standing
between the parents is Humberto, also
killed with Miguel.

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Padre Miguel Pro in one of his disguises

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Padre Pro Awaiting Martyrdom

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"Viva Cristo Rey!"

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Padre Miguel Pro lying dead with his arms outstretched like a cross

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Worldwide Rosary for the Iraqi Christians Tuesday November 23rd

Tell friends about this Rosary

60 Catholics were brutally murdered while attending Mass in a Catholic Church in Bagdad , Iraq . They are glorious martyrs.

But 400,000 Catholics remain and are being persecuted for the faith. And we’re being asked to pray the Rosary to help them.

See this impassioned email I received from an Iraqi Catholic:

“I need help. I am Chaldean. We are Catholics from IRAQ who are persecuted for our faith. As you may have heard, the Muslim extremists bombed a Church in Baghdad , killing 2 priests and 58 believers.

“Is there anyway we can set up a rosary rally for Chaldeans? So all can join in? We need help. Please, I am begging you. I am begging you.”

So please pray the Rosary on November 23 for persecuted Catholics in Iraq . And tell everyone you know to please join in.

Spread news about this Rosary to your friends.

On TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23, AT 9PM THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL ROSARY RALLY AT MOTHER OF GOD CHURCH IN SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN.

Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church
25585 Berg Road
Southfield, MI 48033
Tel: (248) 356-0565
Fax: (248) 356-5235
Email: MotherOfGodChurch@yahoo.com

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS SPECIAL ROSARY TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

And please remember: the Rosary saved Austria from Russian Communists. It can save Catholics in Iraq too. There used to be 1.5 million Catholics in Iraq , but only 400,000 remain. They urgently need our prayers!

ANF Blog

H/T to a few friends.