Fatima Message - On Priests

Click for better viewing.

Be patient and loving towards to foreign born Priests

Picture source

 A lady I know has offered to teach English to the new priest in her parish. She tutors Father after Mass. She is patient and tries to encourage Father.  However, she is very discouraged and hurt by the comments she hears.  It seems that there are some who voice their criticism of Father's limited English not only to her but to Father himself, and maybe even to the bishop.

This is not the only incident where a parishioner feels the need to complain because the priest speaks with an accent or if the priest is still struggling to learn the English language.

It is very sad when faced with a priest shortage worldwide, the United States of America, who once sent missioners to just about every corner of the world, now finds itself in need of priests from foreign countries to shepherd the people in this country.

In Hawaii priests from the Philippines, China, the African countries and Colombia, to name a few, have been sent to serve the people in the Diocese of Honolulu.  Do you think it is easy for these men of God, to leave their home countries and their families, to come to a far off place where they are forced to communicate in a new language?  How difficult it must be for them!  Put yourself in their place.  Would it be an easy thing for us to do?

I hope and pray that people will be patient with these holy men.  I hope and pray that instead of criticizing and complaining about a priest's lack of English skills, they will be grateful that there is a priest who will offer the sacrifice of the Mass at the church and administer the sacraments;  that they will like the lady I mentioned above, volunteer to tutor their priest in English or at least say something encouraging to him.

Sad to say, the priest in the lady's church has been transferred.

Sacrifice of Titanic's Catholic priests recalled on 100th anniversary

Three Catholic priests, including one hailed by Pope Saint Pius X as a martyr for the faith, were among the victims of the Titanic disaster remembered during its 100th anniversary on April 14-15. Read the full story here.

The more familiar of the three is Father Thomas Byles. You can learn more about him at Father Thomas Byles of the Titanic

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

Priests and Blogging

Picture source

Good post! Does a Parish Priest have time to blog?

Father Peter Rookey - The Healing Priest " Pilgrimage of Love "

Thank you Ed for sharing this very moving tribute to Father Rookey. I hope everyone orders this touching DVD.

Watch a clip from the beautiful new DVD

"Pilgrimage of Love: The Story of a Priest". Follow Fr. Peter Rookey as he makes one last journey to the Holy Land, a walk of faith that parallels his remarkable life story, including his own healing of blindness as a child and his 60+ years as a Catholic priest.

Praise God for this holy, humble worker in the vineyard, and for the many healing miracles that Jesus Christ has worked through him.

The full DVD can be ordered from Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry.

Photo of Father Peter Rookey

Father Peter Rookey

The photo was shared by Mary Jane who wrote the following:

Look at the light shining on Father Peter Mary Rookey's face. A holy man of God. Looks good for 94!! He is wearing Our Lady's Miraculous Medal.

Happy Belated 94th Birthday to Father Peter Rookey!

Thank you Ed for letting us know it was Father's birthday recently.

Friends and family sing happy birthday to Fr. Peter Rookey at his 94th birthday party on Oct. 17, 2010. Niece Anne Rookey led the tribute with her beautiful voice. The celebration took place at Palermo's Italian restaurant in Oak Lawn, IL.

Pray the Miracle Prayer with Fr. Rookey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtuS8a-MAb8

Prayer Request: http://www.saintmichaelusa.org/prayer_request.php

Phone: 708-748-6279

Heroic priests deserve not to be left alone at the altar

HE ITALIAN alpine village of Villaretto was drowsing under its blanket of snow when, on January 26th, 1985, the parish priest hanged himself, just before the Saturday evening Mass. He left three farewell letters, one addressed to the altar servers. It read: “Be more friendly and generous with your next priest: do not leave him alone at the altar.”

Read the rest here
H/T to Deacon Greg

This article literally brought tears to my eyes. Be friendly to to every priest you come in contact with. Smile, and chat with them. Compliment their homily if you liked it. Keep quiet about it, if you did not. Ask them to your home for lunch or dinner with your family. Do not judge or criticize them. Recently at Mass, during the elevation of the Blessed Sacrament, I pray for that particular priest's intentions.

Pray for our priests

Do The Right Thing - Four Priests that Did

Two Priest Stories to Share

"My Lord and My God"

1. From CNA:

"...then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant . . .'" Matthew 26:27

“For most priests, the chalice is the most significant vessel that they use. Of all the vestments and vessels we use, it’s the most significant because it’s the one we use the most often, and because the Eucharist is at the heart of what we do as priests as far as being nourished ourselves and nourishing the people of God.

“The chalice is very significant.”

That’s how Father Alex Zenthoefer understands the importance of the chalice. He’s the assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Church and chaplain at Memorial High School, both in Evansville, Indiana, and diocesan director of Vocations.

His own chalice has added significance, because it connects him to two other diocesan priests, linking them all the way back to 1911.

Chalice connects three priests over 99 years

2. From Insight Scoop:

Winter 1989, downtown South Bend, Indiana. The night is snowy and crisp. Inside the bar, already humid and smoky, the guitarist lights his cigarette, takes a long, patient drag and wedges it among the strings in the head of his guitar. As the smoke drifts from his mouth he begins moving his fingers across the fret board, the distortion turned up to eleven. The opening riffs of Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" crackle from the bending strings. Standing next to him, I watch his fingers glide effortlessly across the wood and steel. The toe of my boot taps to the chucky thumping as the bassist, my older brother, and the drummer make their entrances. With my forehead already sweaty from the lights and body heat of the room, I gather the lyrics in my head, press the microphone to my lips and begin navigating through the first verse. The crowd packed tightly into the small place begins pulsing with the beat. I feel the palpable rush from that invisible electricity between band and crowd beginning to fill the room. As the music crescendos to the refrain, I saunter over to my brother's side of the stage area where he is cuing the approaching vocal harmonies. He steps up to his microphone and we belt out, "Ain't talkin' 'bout love".

Nine years later in the Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, I lie prostrate, my forehead pressed into the cool marble floor. The smell of incense and burning candles mingles with the warm June air imbuing it with a holy fragrance. The tightly packed church, imploring the intercession of the angels and saints of Heaven, chants the litany of the saints for us who are about to be ordained priests. The invisible and peaceful presence of grace fills the church. After the examination the Archbishop, a successor to the apostles, lays his hands on each of our heads and pours the scented chrism on our hands.

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love? Why This Gen-Xer Is a Priest | Fr. John Cihak, S.T.D.

LAY CATHOLICS LAUNCH EXPANDED WEBSITE TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTS

From Catholics Come Home

ATLANTA, Ga. (June 22, 2010)—The new lay Catholic outreach effort EncouragePriests.org™ has just launched its new interactive and expanded website to support priests. The apostolate launched on Holy Thursday and the new interactive website went live this Father’s Day, June 20, 2010.

The new website comes on the heels of the “Year for Priests” in an effort to extend the Holy Father’s call for the laity to show our love and support for the many holy Catholic priests around the world.

“This audacity of God who entrusts himself to human beings – who, conscious of our weaknesses, nonetheless considers men capable of acting and being present in his stead – this audacity of God is the true grandeur concealed in the word ‘priesthood,’” said Pope Benedict XVI.

Collar-HollerThe mission of EncouragePriests.org™ is to promote vocations and support ordinary men who do extraordinary work as Catholic priests, celebrating Mass and the sacraments, preaching, evangelizing and tirelessly serving the needs of their communities and the world.

On the new EncouragePriests.org™ website, visitors can learn more about the priesthood and vocations through audio, visual and written material on the site and on the blog. People will also find resources to show their gratitude for the priests in their lives through spiritual bouquets, written and video greetings, and short “Collar-Holler℠” e-cards. Encourage Priests™ can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

EncouragePriests.org™ has already been welcomed by priests and lay Catholics around the country. “Great concept…Will be a tremendous help to the morale of priests,” said Bishop Sam Jacobs from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. Several Catholics have submitted words of encouragement about their priests, like Rose who said, “He is truly a great priest who is always there for God's people, no matter what. His presence alone is a blessing to his parish and ours. I pray that he stays strong throughout his priesthood to continue to be a great priest.”

New Site Added to the Sidebar - Courageous Priest

Photo taken at Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

Thanks to John Michael of St. Robert Bellarmine's Blog for Courageous Priest

Chef to Enter Seminary

Looks like there will soon be another priest who is great at cooking.

Anyone who has tried Smith's food at the Upperline -- the dark, dense gumbo, the nostril-flaring Gulf shrimp piquant, the duck-andouille etouffee that is filling in more ways than one -- should not be surprised to discover there is a spiritual component to his cooking. Upperline owner JoAnn Clevenger, who has worked with Smith for nearly 20 years, was still shocked late last month when Smith told her he was leaving the kitchen behind to become a priest.

Read it here.

Thanks MJ for sharing.

Writer tells story of love and compassion after murder of pastor

Last October, the parishioners at St. Patrick's Church in Chatham, N.J., were horrified when their pastor, Father Edward Hinds, was found murdered in the rectory. Tuesday, in an article appearing in The Wall Street Journal, former presidential speech writer William McGurn described his experiences “as a guest” in the St. Patrick's community, where he has seen firsthand over the past months the love and compassion of a community struck by tragedy.

You can read the rest of this beautiful story here

Public Relations for Catholic Priests? Unique Website to Be Discussed on Live CatholicTV Talk Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Relations for Catholic Priests? Unique Website to Be Discussed on Live CatholicTV Talk Show

BOSTON-On June 25th, a unique website which posts thank you letters to priests will be discussed on the live CatholicTV talk show "This is the Day".

The creators of the website (letterstopriests.com) write that the purpose of the site is to "promote positive public relations of Catholic Priests." The website publishes stories written by average citizens (anyone can submit stories) who want to thank the priests who have affected their lives in positive ways. The stories range from a heroic, civil rights activist priest, to a priest who expressed tremendous joy even after being imprisoned and tortured in a Nazi concentration camp.

Matthew Warner, a contributing writer at the National Catholic Register wrote a positive review about the site saying that he liked the idea "Since it involves such a diversity of perspectives it has the potential to be a comprehensive collection of unique insights into the various ways priests benefit the community." Warner also mentioned the tragedy "that a very small percentage of bad priests have given a bad name to so many good ones."

This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM.

Anne Hughes will be interviewed on This is the Day on June 25th. She helped to organize Letters to Priests and plans to publish a book which will be a collection of the letters submitted to the website.

Also to be interviewed on This is the Day, will be Liz Abramo, a high school junior from Massachusetts. She will talk about being a Catholic leader amongst her peer group.

Episodes of This is the Day are posted on the site's archives starting the same night of the broadcast day. All videos at the website are viewable in full-screen. Paste this URL into your browser in order to access the "This is the Day" video archives. http://www.CatholicTV.com/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=72

CatholicTV broadcasts across the US on Sky Angel channel 142, and selected cable outlets in New England and in Chattanooga (TN) where CatholicTV is available on FiTV channel 153. To find out where to watch CatholicTV visit: http://www.CatholicTV.com/schedule/where-to-watch.aspx

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI's call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America's Catholic Television Network.

"This is the Day" can also be seen on demand at www.CatholicTV.com or downloaded via iTunes.com.and SQPN.com The hosts, Director of CatholicTV, Father Robert Reed, and General Manager, Jay Fadden discuss various topics of the week and respond to viewer mail (you may email the show at thisistheday@CatholicTV.com)

Sister Briege McKenna, a nun with the gift of healing and who ministers ...

what priest has influenced you the most?

For me, it would have to be Father Peter or any of the Capuchin Friars we were friends with in NJ. How about you?

At Fatima, Pope Benedict entrusts all priests to the Virgin Mary

Photo Source: Idle Speculations' Images of Fatima post. Thanks Terry.

Arriving at Fatima on Wednesday, May 12, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated all of the world's priests to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Addressing himself to the Virgin, and speaking on behalf of all the world's 400,000 priests, the Holy Father said: "Help us, through your powerful intercession, never to fall short of this sublime vocation, nor to give way to our selfishness, to the allurements of the world and to the wiles of the Evil One..."

Read the rest here

Real Men Love...

H/T Leticia