Dec. 31 plenary indulgence pray the TE DEUM

Thanks again to Mary Jane!

December 31 - pray the TE DEUM

public recitation on the last day of the year as an act of thanksgiving may earn a plenary indulgence 

 

1. What is a Plenary Indulgence?

    A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission of temporal punishment
    due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after
the sinner has confessed and received absolution. Indulgences draw on the Treasury of Merit
accumulated by Christ's superabundantly meritorious sacrifice on the cross and the virtues and
penances of the saints. They are granted for specific good works and prayers.

 

2. Who Can Gain A Plenary Indulgence?

To be capable of gaining an indulgence for oneself, it is
required that one be baptized, not excommunicated, in the state of grace at least at the completion of
the prescribed works, and a subject of the one granting the indulgence.

3. Who Can I get a Plenary Indulgence for?

You can gain a Plenary Indulgence for yourself or for a
deceased person (or a holy soul in purgatory) But not for another living person, they have to get it for themselves. 

 

Here are the usual conditions for obtaining one:

1. Receive Holy Communion on Dec, 31

2. Go to Confession (within 8 Days)

3. Have no attachment to sin.
4. Pray for the Intentions of the Pope one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be

 Te Deum - in English and Latin (below) 

 

O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge
Thee to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships Thee.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to Thee:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee:
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Thy adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, Thou art the King of glory!
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest it upon Thyself to deliver man,
Thou didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Having overcome the sting of death, Thou opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sitest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou willst come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg Thee to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.

V.  Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance!
R.  Govern them, and raise them up forever.

V.  Every day we thank Thee.
R.  And we praise Thy Name forever, yes, forever and ever.

V.  O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.
R.  Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

V.  Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee.
R.  O Lord, in Thee I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.
 

Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli; tibi caeli et universae Potestates;
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia,
Patrem immensae maiestatis:
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni: quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.

V.  Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.
R.  Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.

V.  Per singulos dies benedicimus te.
R.  Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.

V.  Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.
R.  Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri.

V.  Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.
R.  In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aeternum.
 

Jan. 1 Veni Creator Spiritus – plenary indulgence if recited publicly

A big thanks to Mary Jane!

Veni Creator Spiritus – plenary indulgence can be obtained for Jan. 1 if recited publicly - print out & bring to Mass - recite with fellow parishioners and/or family  (Latin and English below)

  

 

1. What is a Plenary Indulgence?

    A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission of temporal punishment
    due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after
the sinner has confessed and received absolution. Indulgences draw on the Treasury of Merit
accumulated by Christ's superabundantly meritorious sacrifice on the cross and the virtues and
penances of the saints. They are granted for specific good works and prayers.

 

2. Who Can Gain A Plenary Indulgence?

To be capable of gaining an indulgence for oneself, it is
required that one be baptized, not excommunicated, in the state of grace at least at the completion of
the prescribed works, and a subject of the one granting the indulgence.

 

3. Who Can I get a Plenary Indulgence for?

You can gain a Plenary Indulgence for yourself or for a
deceased person (or a holy soul in purgatory) But not for another living person, they have to get it for themselves. 

 

Here are the usual conditions for obtaining one:

1. Receive Holy Communion on January 1

2. Go to Confession (within 8 Days)

3. Have no attachment to sin.
4. Pray for the Intentions of the Pope one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be

 

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

 

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

 

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

 

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

 

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.

 

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

 

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.
---------------------------------------------------
Veni, Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia
quae tu creasti pectora.

 

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissima donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.

 

Tu, septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.

 

Accende lumen sensibus:
infunde amorem cordibus:
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.

 

Hostem repellas longius,
pacemque dones protinus:
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.

 

Per te sciamus da Patrem,
noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utrisque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.

 

Deo Patri sit gloria,
et Filio, qui a mortuis
surrexit, ac Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula.
Amen.
 

ACN News - In the Year of Mercy, Catholics in Middle East ‘will pray for Daesh’

By Oliver Maksan

The Holy Year of Mercy that was solemnly inaugurated by Pope Francis in Rome Dec. 8, 2015—on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception—is being hailed with joy by Catholics throughout the Arab world – from Morocco to Iraq. International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) gathered impressions from across the Middle East.

Father Dankha Issa is a Chaldean monk in Alqosh. Last summer, hundreds of Christian refugees found refuge in the city after their villages were seized by jihadists. The ancient, exclusively Christian city is situated in the northern part of Iraq. As the crow flies, only about 10 miles separate the monastery of the Virgin in the Corn Field from the front line ISIS-held territory.

“We are very thankful to Our Holy Father that he has proclaimed a Holy Year of Mercy. It is a time of grace for us,” the priest told ACN. He himself had been forced to flee Mosul in June of 2014 after it fell to ISIS, or Daesh, as the terrorist organization is known in Arabic.

Father Issa said: “This Jubilee gives us new hope. Let us hope that this year will extinguish the fires of hate and bring peace.”

“In this year our attention is particularly drawn to how merciful God is with us sinners. God forgives us. But this also means that we have to forgive each other. Even the people of Daesh, who have done so many evil things to us.”

“After all, as a Christian you also have to love your enemies. This is almost humanly impossible. But it is easier through faith. God is capable of everything.”

“Of course we hope that God will open and soften the hearts of the people of Daesh so that they cease their murderous doings. Let us pray that he will dispel the hate and violence in their hearts and let love take hold.”

The priest’s monastery wants to make it possible for the refugees to experience the mercy of God over the course of the year. “We will continue to support them with food and the like. However, we especially want to pray together, above all the rosary.”

“This is what makes it possible for us suffering limbs of the Body of Christ to become one with the universal Church and the Pope.”

In Lebanon, Father Raymond Abdo wants to use the Holy Year as an opportunity to come up with a Christian response to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

“The people who persecute Christians have to come into contact with Jesus Christ. Mercy thus means not allowing ourselves to hate these people,” the Carmelite from the northern city of Tripoli said.

He added: “We need the courage to pray for them and to love them. Because when they persecute Christians, they do not know what they are doing. This is what Jesus did on the cross.”

“The Church in the Middle East plays a role in many institutions that are visited by non-Christians. We have to love these people and show the mercy of the Gospels to them by example. Jesus did this with the Gentiles.”

In the school in which the priest teaches, 65 percent of the students are Muslim. “Respecting the Muslim students in the same way we respect the Christian students: this is what mercy means to me,” he said.

The Year of Mercy is also receiving attention in Gaza. There are only about 1300 Christians. The number of Catholics is hardly higher than 160.

Father Mario da Silva is pastor for the Catholic parish of the Holy Family. The Brazilian religious from the Argentine Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) has been living in Gaza City for several years. During this time he has witnessed several wars.

“This Holy Year is a big chance,” he told ACN, adding: “We Christians can re-learn what the mercy of God means. This includes re-thinking the reality of sin.”

“We are dependent upon the forgiveness of God. This is an opportunity to find out something new about the sacrament of penance.”

“From the first moment I arrived in Gaza, of course I felt the hatred that the people harbor because of Israeli politics. This hatred is rooted in the injustice the people here experience every day.”

“It may be less pronounced among the Christians because forgiveness belongs to our faith. But of course they also know this feeling. That is only human.”

“The wars, the destruction, the high unemployment rate that also affects the Christians: all this eats away at the people.”

“However, as a priest I do not feel it is my first priority to change the political situation. That is not in our hands, even though the Church of course draws attention to injustice as such. However, what we can do is to help convert our hearts.”

In Egypt, Father Beshoi has been the priest in Azareia, a Christian town in Upper Egypt near Asyut. The Coptic Catholic cleric wants to make the sacrament of penance more accessible to his parishioners again, saying: “We need the forgiveness of God.”

“Here, there are a lot of cases of revenge because of insults to family honor. These are often caused by something trivial. But the situations often escalate until there are casualties.

“And that happens here—even though only Christians live in our town. But they have assimilated to the Islamic culture that surrounds us. In Islam, God is only seen as a lawmaker who metes out punishment when His commandments are not heeded. However, I want to change this mentality.”

“I want to show God to my brothers and sisters as a merciful Father who forgives us. However, this is also why we have to forgive each other. Thus, the Year of Mercy has come at just the right moment for me.”

There are a lot of problems, especially among the adolescents in the town. The pastor said: “Many take drugs because they feel unloved or misunderstood. I want to show them that God loves them and is waiting for them with open arms.”

“I know that God can work miracles in the souls. Just recently, an almost 60-year-old man came to me for confession: for the first time in his life! I hope that I will see many such small miracles over the course of this year!”

The Holy Year is also being celebrated at the outermost Western edge of the Arab world. Admittedly, there are hardly any Catholics living in Morocco and the vast majority of these are foreigners. However, the small local Catholic community takes an active part in the life of the World Church.

A good example are the Sisters of the Carmelite convent of Tangiers. “We embrace the Holy Year with pleasure and gratitude. It is a great grace that we want to experience together with the entire church.”

“With all of our poverty and weakness and in recognizing our sinfulness, we are on our way to the Father, whose embrace we have need of,” Sister Maria Virtudes told ACN. The Spanish nun is the prioress of her community.

The Sisters began the Jubilee with a prayer vigil. The Sister said: “We prayed to the Lord who is present in the Eucharist. In doing so, we took turns in singing the hymn that was composed for the Holy Year and held long moments of silent worship.””

“As we did this, we were, together with the Immaculate Virgin, in communion with the entire Church.”

With pictures of Carmlelite Sisters in Tangiers, Morocco (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

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

ACN News - Christmas letters from the Middle East

Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako I—Celebrating Christmas in ‘silence and amidst tears’

The feast of the birth of Christ is one of the greatest feasts celebrated by millions of Christians around the world and particularly in Iraq. But this year Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable circumstances, on the one hand because of the deteriorating condition of the situation of our country at all levels, and, on the other hand, because of what they have gone through as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.

On this occasion, we want to be very frank again: we will not give in to injustice. On the contrary, we will remain attached to our land and to our patriotism and we will continue to show love for our fellow citizens, simply because they are our brothers and sisters.

In Iraq, we will celebrate the birth of Christ, who will come into our hearts in silence and amidst tears, without public displays or festive gatherings; nonetheless, we continue to enjoy an inner peace with perpetuates the joy of faith, and the hope that, despite all the suffering, we are moving toward the building of a more just country and a better future.

Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria—‘celebrating the Feast of the Nativity as bombs are raining down’

Here we are, for a fifth year now, celebrating the Feast of the Nativity as bombs are raining down. I do not know how many of you have lived through such a depressing and sad experience, but I can assure you it is painful. These beautiful days, so ardently awaited each year, amidst shortages and lack of security or electricity and, to top things off, cut off from the rest of the world by a strict and very tight boycott. It gives me still more reason to step out from these confines, if only for a few moments, to draw in some fresh and pleasant air in writing you these words from the heart, invested with all the affection I have for you!

May Almighty God have pity on all of us and may He cause friendship to reign among men, mercy in our hearts and peace among all the peoples on earth.

Maronite Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus—‘This year Christmas in Damascus merges with the Resurrection’

The name of the first of three new Maronite churches in Damascus is Church of the Blessed Masabky Brothers, who were martyred in 1860. The church will be consecrated in Kachkoul, an eastern suburb of Damascus, on Jan. 8, 2015. In the middle of destruction this new chapel appears like the Star of the magi which leads to the Divine Child. 

It is a true Christmas present, an oasis of prayer and a sign of joy and of hope in the middle of a world of violence, of intolerance, anguish, fear and death. To build a Church in times of war and desolation expresses the will to overcome death and the courage of living the faith. Our modest faithful choose to row against the current and to renew their confidence in Jesus Christ in this dark night. This year Christmas in Damascus merges with the Resurrection.

                                                

With picture of Christmas in Iraq 2015 (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

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

"My Merry Christmas Song" - Merry Christmas Mary

A big mahalo nui loa to Father Khanh who told us about this beautiful song by Johnny Cash, this morning at the Misa de Gallo.


Merry Christmas Mary,
thank you for the Child.
Thank you for Lord Jesus.
Thank you for the Child.
Christmas time is here again,
peace on Earth good will to men.
The air is filled with joyful sounds,
merry wishing all around.
Giving and receiving gifts,
stopping by to thank all of our friends.
And we thank you Mary,
for helping give God's greatest gift to man.
Merry Christmas Mary.
Thank you for the Child.
Thgank you for Lord Jesus.
Thank you for the Child.
Merry Christmas Mary,
to often we forget.
To thank you for your part in giving the greatest Christmas present yet.
Merry Christmas Mary.

ACN News - In Baghdad’s ‘Camp Virgin Mary,” displaced Iraqi Christians get their own chapel

By Oliver Maksan

Father Luis Montes is glad and he has reason to be: “We have just consecrated a new chapel. It was high time that our refugees got their own small church. This gives them back a piece of the home they have lost. And the people can now go to Mass without risking their lives,” the Argentine missionary said

For five years now, the missionary, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, has been living in Baghdad, one of the most dangerous places on earth. “There were 128 bomb attacks in Baghdad in October alone,” he told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The priest added: “It’s hardly surprising that the people are afraid of leaving their homes to go to Mass.”

Father Montes is in charge of a camp housing 135 displaced Iraqi Christian families. He said: “Because of the danger it was important that the Church came to them in the camp.”

Most of the residents of the camp—which is named after the Virgin Mary—are Syriac Catholics. They fled northern Iraq when the city of Qaraqosh was overrun by ISIS in the late summer of 2014.

The majority of these faithful are bent on leaving Iraq for the West. “None of them still harbor hope that they will be able to return to their hometowns. After all, there are no signs of liberation.”

“And furthermore, the people have lost their faith in Iraq and in the Arab world in general,” Father Montes explained.

The process of obtaining a visa for a Western country has only gotten harder in the wake of the Nov. 13, 2015 terror attacks in Paris. The people are living in limbo.

Said Father Montes: “The people are suffering. Not all have found work here. In particular, the fathers of the families feel useless.”

“However, when I look at our people, I am still looking into happier faces than those in the West. They still have their faith in God. This supports them and fills them with confidence.”

Father Montes refers to the new chapel as “our little container church.” There will be a vigil liturgy according to the Syriac Catholic Church every Saturday night.

“I only saw thankful faces at the consecration. It shows them that they have not been forgotten, that benefactors in the West are thinking of them.”

“Every sign of solidarity is worth a great deal to them in their situation. And we are all one in the Mystical Body of Christ. What we do for each other becomes a blessing for all. The small church is helping the people here.”

“The benefactors, however, and all believers are blessed by the suffering of these confessors of the Christian faith. They are the true treasure of the Church—one we have to take care of.”

With pictures of Father Luis Montes hears confession in the back of the new chapel in 'Camp Virgin Mary,' Baghdad (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

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

EWTN - We Bring Christmas to the World

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ACN News - Syrian priest recalls harrowing months as ISIS captive

ACN-USA News

12/16/2015

Syrian priest recalls harrowing months as ISIS captive

By Marta Petrosillo

“Masked men came into the monastery of Mar Elian and abducted me along with a volunteer. They forced us into a car and then left us in the middle of the desert for four days, blindfolded and chained up. Then they took us to Raqqa, the capital of ISIS."

So began the account of Father Jacques Mourad, the Syrian priest kidnapped by ISIS May 21, 2015 and released Oct. 2015. He spoke at a press conference here organized by international Catholic charity. This marked the first time the monk spoke publicly about his ordeal.

"In Raqqa they kept us shut up in a small bathroom,” the priest continued; "they deliberately chose this place in order to humiliate us – but then our mission is to be humble, even in the face of violence." Father Mourad would spend a full 84 days in that space.

"The jihadists frequently insulted us, but what was most difficult is when they tried to intimidate us, saying: 'Either you convert to Islam or we cut off your head.’”

During the long months of imprisonment Father Jacques found comfort in reciting the Rosary and in the prayers of abandonment composed by Father Charles de Foucauld, "a victim of violence who devoted his entire life to Christian-Islamic dialogue.”

For Father Mourad interreligious dialogue has also been at the very heart of his mission; he spent 15 years supporting the families in Qaryatayn, Christians and Muslims alike. He believes that this work on behalf of religious dialogue may be what prompted ISIS to abduct him.

"Though undoubtedly the good I was able to do for the population was a determining factor in my liberation; I am certain it was one of the reasons that prevented ISIS from killing me."

On Aug. 11, 2015, ISIS fighters put Father Mourad in a car and drove off for four hours. "I thought my last hour had come," the priest said.

Once the car stopped and he got out, the monk recognized a young man from his own parish. Behind him were the 250 Christians abducted by ISIS just a few days earlier from Qaryatayn.

Father Mourad and his flock were now close to Palmyra, where they would stay until Sept. 1, 2015, at which point the group was brought back to Qaryatayn, where the priest would remain in captivity, though he said that "we almost went back to a normal life, but we were absolutely forbidden from leaving the city."

During the 40 days he spent in Qaryatayn, he was able to celebrate Mass in underground places, "both in order not to be seen while we were praying and in order to take shelter from the bombings.”

Then on October 10, with the help of a Muslim man and a Syrian Orthodox priest, Father Mourad succeeded in escaping the city.

"Life in Qaryatayn had become impossible – with no food, no water, no electricity. Little by little all the Christians left the town.”

“There are just 11 faithful left there, still in the hands of ISIS, while eight of the Christians have been killed by the jihadists."

With pictures of Father Jacques Mourad (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

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

From the WAF: BLASPHEMOUS DEMONSTRATION AGAINST VIRGIN MARY CALLS US TO PRAYER AND REPARATION

Dear Blue Army Members:

A group of satanists plan to perform a blasphemous demonstration against the Virgin Mary on Christmas Eve in front of the historic St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City.

 

The small group, led by Adam Daniels who received city approval to hold a satanic "black mass" last year, now has approval for a display entitled, "Virgin Birth is a Lie." Daniels plans to cover a statue of Mary in sulfur powder and ash and pour fake blood over it. The blood is to "add another layer of corruption to Mary, which is an emblem of the Catholic Church," he stated.

 

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley issued this statement: "Though disgusted by the audacity of the planned event, I am discouraging parishioners and others from giving this group the attention they seek, and instead inviting all to focus our attention on celebrating the joyful birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. On this holy night, we will give thanks to God and honor the Holy Family in reparation for these planned outrages against Jesus, Mary and Joseph."

 

The First Saturdays Communion of Reparation that Our Lady and Our Lord requested at Fatima calls us to make reparation for five blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

 

1. Against her Immaculate Conception

2. Against her Virginity

3. Against the Divine Maternity, while refusing to receive Her as the Mother of    
     mankind

4. By those who try to publicly implant in the hearts of children indifference,
     disrespect, and even hate against the Immaculate Mother.

5. By those who insult Her directly in Her Sacred Images.

 

The Oklahoma City demonstration certainly covers all five of the "thorns" that pierce Our Mother's Heart.

 

Please join with Archbishop Coakley in offering prayers and sacrifices to atone for this act, and let us welcome the Holy Family on Christmas Eve, into our hearts and homes.

 

Saturday, January 2 is the first First Saturday of 2016. If you haven't already done so, join our campaign to increase the practice of the First Saturdays Communion of Reparation as a Centennial Gift to Our Lady. 

 

May the peace of Christmas be with you,

  

 

David Carollo

Executive Director

Year of Mercy Reflections

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Spiritual Guidance from Saint John of the Cross

Picture source

The following is from Magnifcat's Meditation of the day.  It will be shared in a list form for easy reference.   If we read this every day it will remind us how we can actually become holy.

- "Do not commit a mortal sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.

- Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.

- Do nothing nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were He in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.

- Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.

-  Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.

-  Do not not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations.

-  For any fault do some penance.

-  Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God.

-  In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.

-  Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason.  God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.

-  In heaven and on earth, always take the lowest and the last place and office.

-  Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, nor be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right.

-  And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile.  Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation of doing that which, if they reflect upon it well, in no way obliges them.

- Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and the lack of spirit.

-  Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity."

ACN News - God’s grace shines a light in Syria’s darkness

By Eliane També

War rages on in Syria. Aleppo, the country’s major business center—what’s left of it—is a city at war, subject to regular bombardments by various factions fighting for dominance.

Last year, a mother of two sons, 48-year-old Joumana Jarjour, a Melkite Catholic, was gravely wounded by shrapnel from a rocket that landed and exploded right in front of the family home.

She and her husband Alexan Saba, an out-of-work auto mechanic, were standing on their balcony, waiting for their boys—teenagers 14 and 15-years-old—to get home from school. Joumana almost did not make it.

She was given a couple of days to live, after doctors discovered a large piece of shrapnel inside her body, close to her heart and neck, areas of the body to delicate to perform surgery on.

Then it happened. Joumana remembers “fervently praying.” “I loved life and wanted to have a chance to go back to work to help my husband who lost his job,” she said recently, “and I was not ready to let go of my two sons.”

She saw “Jesus Christ smile” in a picture hanging before her on the wall, and right then she knew that “He responded to my request and that I would live.” Many surgeries later, Joumana is back on her feet.

What’s more, this brave mother just enrolled in training program sponsored by the Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo; she has enrolled in a course for beauticians offered by the Church’s “Build to Stay Program.”

The brainchild of Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart, the initiative offers local Christians who’ve lost their jobs during the civil war a chance to pick up the pieces—to up-date their skills, learn a new trade, or get a modest subsidy to relaunch their small business.

“Build to Stay,” which the archbishop describes as part of social movement rallying local Christians to a fresh commitment to stay put and rebuild their city and country—is designed to lay the concrete foundation for a future for the local Christians. Its programs are harbingers of a future of self-sufficiency and promise for a better life once, God-willing, the fighting will have come to an end—something some Church leaders believe is more likely now that Russia has joined the fight against Islamic extremists in Syria.

For Joumana, the prospect of a professional career is “part of the promise of the Lord,” made that one dark night, when she saw that “beautiful and charming smile.”

With pictures of Joumana Jarjour; Archbishop Jeanbart welcomes trainees (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

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

Aid to the Church in Need - Bring Hope to Christian Refugees Today

Small children and innocent women and men are refugees in their own land.

As we prepare for the birth of the Christ Child, we pray that you and your loved ones can once more open your hearts to the urgent needs of these Christian refugees and offer them much needed hope.  Our overwhelmed brothers and sisters in faith are bracing for a harsh winter and all the dire consequences that come with it.  The situation is a desperate one.

With your help, we can do something that would bring immediate assistance.  Aid to the Church in Need is providing Baskets of Hope to Christian Refugees in this troubled region. 

These baskets contain non-perishable food items, medicine and blankets – just in time for the winter months.  Let us supply these items so that no mother or father has to worry about their child going hungry or becoming sick.

A donation of $80 will fill one basket and help a family in need for one month. Please give what you can and ask your family and friends if they can give as well.

May God bless you, and may His light shine on the persecuted Church always

Jubilee Year of Mercy

Picture source

Pope Francis opened wide the doors to usher in the Year of Mercy.

Jesus told Saint Faustina:

 "My heart is a sea of Mercy.  All who glorify and spread my Mercy will not have terror at the hour of death.  I will defend them as My own glory.  Every soul that says this Chaplet or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon is the same. My Mercy will shield them from My Just Hands.  If sinners run away from my Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands..."

Pope Francis is calling us to do  these corporal and spiritual acts or mercy regularly during this great Jubilee Year. Our holy father is giving Catholics, and non-Catholics too, an opportunity to become more compassionate towards one another but especially towards those in need.

THE ACTS OF MERCY

CORPORAL ACTS:

To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To give shelter to the homeless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.

SPIRITUAL ACTS:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offenses willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead

Remember that charity begins at home.  If we don't have love and compassion or show mercy to those in our own family, how can we be expected to show compassion and mercy to strangers?

One Million Rosaries to Defeat ISIS

Pledge here

The following is from the website:

How do you defeat a global terrorist organization like ISIS, whose members are largely hidden throughout the world, and are willing to die in suicide bombings for their diabolical goals of worldwide mass murder and destruction?

The ultimate answer is through prayer. The battle against ISIS is, at its roots, a spiritual battle against the Devil and the forces of darkness.

We believe Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Spiritual Mother of all peoples, has been given the power by God to crush the head of Satan (cf. Gen 3:15) and to successfully lead the spiritual battle against the great Dragon (cf. Rev. 12). Historically, Our Lady has repeatedly interceded for victories against foreign invasion seeking to destroy Christianity and Judeo-Christian civilization (e.g., Lepanto, 1571; Vienna, 1683).

Join the spiritual battle to stop ISIS. Please pray the Rosary every day, and include in your Rosary the intention “for the defeat of ISIS and for the conversion of its members.”

Recently, Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of  Nigeria was praying before the Blessed Sacrament and asking Our Lord how to combat the horrific terrorist attacks of ISIS affiliate, Boko Haram upon the people of his diocese.   Suddenly, Jesus appeared to the bishop with a sword in his hand.  When Jesus handed to sword to the bishop, it turned into a Rosary. Jesus repeated three times: “Boko Haram gone.” This confirms that it is heaven’s directive that we battle and defeat ISIS through the power of the Rosary.

In this worldwide expression of prayer and unity, please add your name as a sign of your commitment to pray the Rosary daily to defeat ISIS. Let us entrust the spiritual defeat of ISIS to the most powerful intercession of Mary, the Spiritual Mother of all peoples and the Mediatrix of all graces.

Endorsements

Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, Cardinal Archbishop of Ranchi, India

Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu, Philippines

Bishop Josef Maria Punt, Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bishop John Njenga, Bishop Emeritus of Nairobi, Kenya

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme, Bishop of Maidugura, Nigeria

Dr. Mark Miravalle, Professor of Theology and Mariology, Franciscan Univeristy of Steubenville

Immaculée Ilibagiza, Worldwide Missionary for the Rosary and Forgiveness

Militia Immaculata's Daily Renewal of Total Consecration

Picture source:  Pinterest

Immaculata,

Queen and Mother of the Church,

I renew my consecration to you this day

and for always,

so that you may use me for the 

coming of the Kingdom of Jesus

in the whole world.

To this end I offer you all my prayers,

actions, and sacrifices of this day.

DAILY MIRACULOUS MEDAL PRAYER OF ST. MAXIMILIAN

O Mary, conceived without sin,

pray for us who

have recourse to you,

and for all those who do not have recourse to you,

especially the enemies of Holy Church

and all those recommended to you.

WHY TOTAL CONSECRATION:

As the Son of God entrusted Himself to the womb of the Virgin Mary to come into the world,

so we imitate Jesus and entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Virgin Mary on our journey to heave, for personal sanctification and the conversion of the world to Christ.

WHY SHOULD I JOIN THE MILITIA IMMACULATE?

The Militia of the Immaculate (MI) is a world-wide ecclesial movement founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917.  The MI has the full approval of the Vatican and canonical statues, and is dedicated to bringing the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

www.consecration.com Marytown

Solemnity - The Immaculate Conception

ACT OF CONSECRATION

O, Mary Star of the Sea,

Mother of God,

accept my entire consecration to you.

Standing before you, 

I offer your Immaculate Heart my feelings,

my thoughts, my actions, my sufferings, 

my death, 

all I can do,

all that I have,

all that I am.

I wish to love you,

to honor you,'

to defend your titles, 

especially that of your Immaculate Conception,

and to strive to imitate your virtues.

Grant that I may act in everything only through love

for the Heart of Jesus and for you,

Our Lady Star of the Sea.

The Confraternity of Our Lady Star of the Sea

Central Headquarters

PO Box 609

100-265 Morgan City, LA 70381