Priest Ordained Early to Fulfill Father's Wish

In the past several months, new priest Father Richard Dyer has experienced deeply the highs and lows of the Christian life.
In late December, he was ordained a priest six months early for the Diocese of Arlington, Va., by Bishop Paul Loverde to fulfill his dying father’s wish to be present at his ordination.
After seeing his son become a priest, Father Dyer’s father, Richard Dyer Sr., passed away the following day — at almost the same time his son finished celebrating his first Mass.


Read more: of the National Catholic Register article here

Novena OL Sorrows 3/22-3/30

Shared by Louise:

In Honor of the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Start Thursday before the 5th Sunday in Lent

Most holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, you stood
beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of your dying Son.
Look with a mother's tenderness and pity on me, who kneel
before you. I venerate your sorrows and I place my requests
with filial confidence in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.

Present them, I beseech you, on my behalf to Jesus Christ,
through the merits of His own most sacred passion and death,
together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross. Through
the united efficacy of both, obtain the granting of my petition.
To whom shall I have recourse in my wants and miseries if not
to you, Mother of Mercy? You have drunk so deeply of the
chalice of your Son, you can compassionate our sorrows.

Holy Mother, your soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at
the sight of the passion of your divine Son. Intercede for me
and obtain for me from our Lord {mention your petition}, if
it be for His honor and glory, and for my good. Amen.

LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our
hearts; that, we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy
Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may by
His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His
Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.


Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ have mercy on us
Lord have mercy on us
Christ hear us
Christ graciously hear us

God, the Father of heaven
Have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world
Have mercy on us
God the Holy Ghost
Have mercy on us

Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins pray for us
Mother of the Crucified pray for us
Sorrowful Mother pray for us
Mournful Mother pray for us

Sighing Mother pray for us
Afflicted Mother pray for us
Forsaken Mother pray for us
Desolate Mother pray for us
Mother most sad pray for us

Mother set around with anguish pray for us
Mother overwhelmed by grief pray for us
Mother transfixed by a sword pray for us
Mother crucified in thy heart pray for us
Mother bereaved of thy Son pray for us

Sighing Dove pray for us
Mother of Dolors pray for us
Fount of tears pray for us
Sea of bitterness pray for us
Field of tribulation pray for us

Mass of suffering pray for us
Mirror of patience pray for us
Rock of constancy pray for us
Remedy in perplexity pray for us
Joy of the afflicted pray for us

Ark of the desolate pray for us
Refuge of the abandoned pray for us
Shield of the oppressed pray for us
Conqueror of the incredulous pray for us
Solace of the wretched pray for us

Medicine of the sick pray for us
Help of the faint pray for us
Strength of the weak pray for us
Protectress of those who fight pray for us
Haven of the shipwrecked pray for us

Calmer of tempests pray for us
Companion of the sorrowful pray for us
Retreat of those who groan pray for us
Terror of the treacherous pray for us
Standard-bearer of the Martyrs pray for us

Treasure of the Faithful pray for us
Light of Confessors pray for us
Pearl of Virgins pray for us
Comfort of Widows pray for us
Joy of all Saints pray for us

Queen of thy Servants pray for us
Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled pray for us.

Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ

O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of
Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet
soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary, grant
that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows,
may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives
and reigns world without end. Amen

Film on Mexico's religious persecution: "For Greater Glory" to be released in Mexico and the US

Book Review - The Donkey That No One Could Ride

Catholic writer Anthony DeStefano has been very busy! I just read his newest book and couldn't wait to review it for you. This is a children's book written in rhymes. It is a very special little book to teach Catholic children not only about Jesus but also a lesson in trusting God.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and touching as well. One almost heart wrenching illustration is when the donkey had tears in his eyes. Even my 21 year old son remarked "Poor donkey!". You can see for yourself here.

This little book will make a wonderful gift for any child for Easter. I highly recommend it.

The World Apostolate of Fatima strongly encourages all to participate in the USCCB's (Religious Liberty & Conscience Rights) prayer campaign.

World Apostolate of Fatima: Hawaii Division


JMJ

The World Apostolate of Fatima strongly encourages all to participate
in the USCCB's (Religious Liberty & Conscience Rights) prayer campaign.

The Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), at its March 13-14 meeting in Washington, called for a nationwide prayer campaign for protection of religious freedom and conscience rights from several threats, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces employers, including religious ones, to provide contraception/sterilization in their health plans.

"We call upon the Catholic faithful, and all people of faith, throughout our country to join us in prayer and penance for our leaders and for the restoration of our First Freedom-religious liberty-which is not only protected in the laws and customs of our great Nation, but rooted in the teachings of our great Tradition," the bishops said in "United for Religious Freedom" a March 14 statement. "Prayer is the ultimate source of our strength-for without God, we can do nothing; but with God, all things are possible."

The following prayers may be used in solidarity with the bishops' call to penance and prayer to restore religious freedom & conscience protections.


Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

The Religious Liberty prayer is currently available as a downloadable PDF file for use in English- and Spanish-speaking settings. It is featured with three different images of the Blessed Virgin Mary & St. Thomas More.




Please check back again soon for information on how to order versions of these 2-sided color cards from USCCB Publications.



Immaculate Conception - Mary as the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of the United States of America
María Inmaculada - Patrona de Nuestro País
St. Thomas More - St. Thomas More is the Patron of Religious Freedom.
Santo Tomás Moro- Patrón de las Libertades Religiosas



Additional Suggested Prayers


Prayers of the Faithful ~ Prayer for Formation of Conscience ~ Prayer for Our Nation ~ Prayer for Our Leaders

Oración por la formación de conciencia ~ Oraciónes de los fieles ~ Oración por la protección de los derechos de conciencia ~ Oración por el gobierno ~ Oración por nuestra nación ~ Oración por la libertad religiosa (Tarjetas para oración nacional)




Deacon Bob Ellis
Executive Director & National Coordinator
World Apostolate of Fatima, USA
674 Mountain View Rd. East
Asbury, NJ 08802
Visit us at:
www.wafusa.org
www.BlueArmy.com
Email to: Shrine@BlueArmy.com

An Association of Pontifical Right

Mother Angelica Live Classics Lenten Observations

800th anniversary of the Call of St. Clare

Picture source

The following was shared by Father Vince Inghilterra: The Year of St. Clare's Vocation

"We Hold These Truths" - Reminder to Vote - HHS Mandate: A Danger to Religious Freedom

History of St. Joseph's Altar

Thank you Mary Jane for sharing the photo source. Be sure to click here to see all of them. Mary Jane also shared this article on St. Joseph's Altar. Mahalo to both of you!

Sicily, the largest and most populous of the Mediterranean Islands, is
located just across the Strait of Messina from the Italian mainland. Be-
cause of its location in the north central Mediterranean Sea, it has often
been used as a "stepping stone" to and from the European continent.
Invaders, at various times, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans,
the Arabs, the Normans, and Spanish have ruled Sicily. It was under
the Arabs in the ninth century that agriculture and commerce flour-
ished. By cultivating mountainous land, grapes, olives, and oranges
became the main crops and chief exports. The Arabs were driven out
by the Normans and so on, but the crops continued to be the chief
resource.

It was in the nineteenth century that Sicily discovered a new source of
trade, the United States. New Orleans was one of the chief ports of call
for Sicilian merchants, coming on a regular basis to trade their farm
products for American cotton. With this trade came numbers of Sicilian
businessmen, and thus a small Sicilian community came into being.
There were nine hundred fifteen Italians in New Orleans in the 1850
U.S. Census, more than any other U.S. city including New York at that
time.

When the great emigration from Sicily began in 1880, New Orleans
became the main destination for many Sicilians. In 1910 almost 40%
of the population of Louisiana was of Italian descent and more than
90% of these Italians were from Sicily. These new Americans brought
with them many of their old beliefs and customs. One of these was their
devotion to St. Joseph and the custom of the St. Joseph Altar.

The exact date of the origin and the circumstances of the St. Joseph
Altar is not known, but it is believed to be in the sixteenth century in
one of the small western farm communities located south of Palermo.
Whatever the origin, it reached its popularity in Sicily in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries with entire villages taking part. It is believed
that when a great famine occured, the people prayed to St. Joseph
and, in gratitude for their survival, staged a celebration in his honor.

The legend of "The Invited Ones" dominated the ceremony. In this leg-
end the Holy Family, played by three memebers of the village, are denied
food and drink at two locations; then at the third they are invited in to
eat and drink. Legend has it that at this third location food and drink
never runs out, no matter how much is consumed. At the end of the
ceremony, the food was distributed to the villages.

When the first St. Joseph Altar in New Orleans was held is uncertain,
but it was probably just before World War I and was celebrated in a
private home. Altars became popular in the years that followed, taking
place in private homes given for reasons ranging from a family member's
recovery from illness to help in a financial venture. In later years the
altars have become less and less private and more and more public
functions sponsored and given by church, ethnic, and social organiza-
tions. Among these is the St. Joseph Women's Club of St. Joseph
Church in Gretna, Louisiana, who put on one of the largest altars in
the Metropolitan New Orleans area.

~~~Taken from the St. Joseph's Women's Club
Altar Cookbook, Gretna, Louisiana

Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Joseph statue - St. Joseph's Church, Molokai

A very blessed Feast of St. Joseph to all the Josephs especially those in my family and our beloved Pope Benedict (Joseph Ratzinger).

Prayer to St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church

O Most powerful patriarch, St. Joseph,
patron of that universal Church,
which has always invoked thee in anxieties and tribulations;
from the lofty seat of thy glory,
lovingly regard the Catholic world.
Let it move thy paternal heart to see the mystical spouse of Christ
and His vicar weakened by sorrow and persecuted by powerful enemies.
We beseech thee,
by the most bitter suffering thou didst experience on earth,
to wipe away in mercy the tears of the revered pontiff,
to defend and liberate him,
and to intercede with the Giver of peace and charity,
that every hostile power being overcome
and every error being destroyed,
the whole Church may serve the God of all blessings in perfect liberty.
Amen.

ON THE HOLY MARRIAGE OF ST. JOSEPH AND MARY:

"Our Lady, in giving him her hand, gave him also her whole heart. Never did a wife love her husband so tenderly, so ardently, nor revere him more profoundly. Mary and Joseph says St. Bernardin of Siena, were but one heart and soul; they were two in one same mind, one same affection, and each of them was the other's second self, because Our Lady and he were, so to speak, only one person. The heart of Mary with that of Joseph, and the heart of Joseph with that of Mary, who ever could imagine a union so intimate, a grace so great!"

ST. JOSEPH, SAVIOR OF THE SAVIOR:

"...St. Joseph, ... had the honour of preserving the Divine Infant from the fury of Herod..."

ST. JOSEPH, VIRGIN:

"In the first place, he was a virgin, so much that his virginal purity yielded in brilliancy and merit to that of the Queen of Virgins alone. What supreme graces he must have received to preserve this angelical virtue in an age which despised virginity, and to guard this delicate lily without the slightest taint or stain on its brilliant whiteness! According to the Holy Fathers , he that preserves intact the treasure of virginity ranks highter than the angels. To what a degree of holiness must not St. Joseph have attained, who was the first to preserve it in the state of marriage, and preserved it with such fidelity!"

SPOUSE OF MARY:

"...According to St. John Damascene the dignity of Spouse of Mary is one so elevated that no human eloquence can express it. Neither is it possible worthily to celebrate the greatness of St. Joseph without understanding that of his holy Spouse, who is the Queen of the Saints and the Angels, and the Mother of God. Who, then is the form a true idea of the dignity of St. Joseph*, as also of the graces he holds in the consequence of that dignity..."

""St. Bernardin of Siena says that the virginal marriage of Mary and Joseph was only contracted on earth after having been decided in heaven, and that these two spouses were perfectly worthy one of the other. Mary surpassed all men and Angels in the sovereign plenitude of her graces; therefore it was necessary that, after her, Joseph should be the most holy human being that existed, that had ever existed, or that should ever exist upon earth..."

"...Now, there never were two hearts, two souls more united than those of Mary and Joseph; nor could this faithful Virgin ever remain satisfied with rendering half service to God. Therefore she used every endeavour that her other half, St. Joseph, should be supremely exalted in all sorts of perfections. To use St. Gregory's own words, she intensely desired that her spouse should be perfect in order that no part of herself should remain imperfect..."

*According to the ancient law, whoever espouses a queen becomes king by the fact of his marriage... notwithstanding...the Church has consecrated the custom of addressing this invocation principally to Jesus Christ."

Excerpts from The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph by Pere Binet, published by Tan Books