Our Lady of Sorrows

Artist:  Lazzaro Pisani

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All the sorrows of Mary (the prophecy of Simeon, the three days' loss, etc.) are merged in the supreme suffering at the Passion.  In the Passion, Mary suffered a martyrdom of the heart because of Our Lord's torments and the greatness of her love for Him.  "She it was," says Pope Pius XII, "who immune from all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love.  As a new Eve, sh e made this offering for all the children of Adam contaminated through his unhappy fall.  Thus she, who was the mother of our Head according to the flesh, became by a new title of sorrow and glory the spiritual mother of all His members."

TO THE QUEEN OF MARTYRS

Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs,

accept the sincere homage of my filial affection.

Into thy heart,

pierced by so many swords, 

do thou welcome my poor soul.

Receive it as the companion of thy sorrows 

at the foot of the Cross,

on which Jesus died for the redemption of the world.

With thee,

O sorrowful Virgin, 

I will gladly suffer all the trials,

contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please our Lord

to send me.

I offer them all to thee in memory of thy sorrows,

so that every thought of my mind,

and every beat of my heart may be an act of 

compassion and love for thee.  

And do thou, sweet Mother, 

have pity on me, reconcile me to thy divine Son Jesus,

keep me in His grace, and assist me in my last agony,

so that I may be able to meet thee in

heaven and sing thy glories.

Amen.

*NOTE:  The faithful who, during the month of September, pray or perform other devotions in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sorrowing, may gain:  an indulgence of 5 years once, on any day of the month; a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if they persevere daily in this devout practice throughout the entire month.

Source:  The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

Exaltation of the Cross

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PRAYER FOR THE GRACE OF THE PASSION

O Lord,

for the redemption of the world,

You willed to be born among human beings,

subjected to the rite of circumcision,

rejected by the people,

betrayed by Judas with a kiss,

bound with cords,

led like an innocent lamb to the slaughter,

shamelessly exposed to the gaze of Annas

as well as Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod,

accused by false witnesses,

tormented by scourges and insults,

spat upon and crowned with thorns,

struck with blows of hand and reed,

blindfolded and stripped of your garments,

affixed to the wood and lifted  high on the Cross,

numbered among thieves,

given gall and vinegar to drink,

and pierced by a lance.

Lord,

by these most holy sufferings,

which we, Your unworthy servants,

devoutly call to mind,

and by Your holy Cross and death

deliver us from the pains of hell,

and be pleased to take us

where You took the penitent thief

who was crucified with You.

You live and reign 

with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, forever.

Source:  New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

To Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

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Virgin Immaculate,

Mother of Jesus and Our Mother,

We invoke you under the title of

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament,

because you are the mother of the savior who lives 

in the Eucharist.

It was from you He took the Flesh and Blood

which He feeds us in the sacred Host.

We also invoke you under that title

because the grace of the Eucharist

comes to us through you, 

since you are the mediatrix, the channel through which God's Graces reach us.

Our Lady of the Most blessed Sacrament,

Pray for us!

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

O Jesus, our Lord and our God,

creator and ruler of the vast universe,

we lovingly adore You  hidden so humbly

in the fragile little Host we rejoice

that the Blessed Sacrament is not

merely a holy thing, but a 

Living Person - the same Christ who died for us

on Calvary but who loved us so much that He wanted to remain with us forever.

May the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised and adored forever.

We offer this prayer in reparation for all the irreverences, profanations, and sacrileges which You receive in the Most August Sacrament of the Altar.

- from a holy card.

The Holy Name of Mary

Our Lady of Fatima, Adoration Chapel, Blue Army, Washington, NJ

"The holy name of Mary has always been so highly honored in the Church, that, according to Surius, St. Gerard  Bishop of Pannonia, ordered the people of his diocese to prostrate themselves on the ground at the mention of her holy name.  Blosious reports that in his time it was the universal custom in the Church that, whenever the holy name of Mary was pronounced, everyone knelt, and all the faithful prayed, sighed and wept with most extraordinary devotion and fervor.  This devotion is not dead, because the feast of the Holy Name of Mary is celebrated in number of churches, especially in the Order of the Redemption of Captives, where the office of her holy name is recited on all Saturdays not assigned to an office of nine lessons.  If the venerable name of Mary be worthy of such great veneration, what honor should we not render to her Admirable Heart?"

St. John Eudes' The Admirable Heart of Mary

We Remember

PRAYER TO JESUS AND MARY FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED OF SEPTEMBER 11TH

Most loving Jesus,
I humbly beg You to offer to Your eternal Father,
in behalf of the holy souls in purgatory of those who died on September 11th, 2001,
the most Precious Blood which poured forth
from the sacred wounds of Your adorable Body,
together with Your agony and death.

O sorrowful Virgin Mary,
do you also present to the Father,
together with the dolorous Passion of your Son,
your own sighs and tears
and all the sorrows you suffered in His suffering,
in order that through the merits of the same,
the souls of those who died on September 11th now suffering in purgatory
may receive refreshment and peace.
Delivered from that painful state,
may they be clothed with glory in heaven
there to sing th glories of God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Modified prayer from New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Mass was offered for the repose of the soul of Father Mychel Judge and all those who died on September 11th, this morning at Sts. Peter and Paul Church Honolulu.

The Nativity of the Virgin Mary

"The Birth of the Virgin Mary"

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Happy birthday dear blessed Mother!

At the time of Mary's birth the whole world was plunged in darkness. The heathen nations were steeped in vice and pride. The Jews too, had corrupted their ways and departed from God. Everywhere there was sin and gloom, scarce any bright spot on the face of the earth. But when Mary was born a light arose amid the darkness: the dawn of the glorious day that was to usher in the Redeemer. So, too, the darkness of the sinner's soul is dispersed by Mary's holy influence. Where the love of her is born in the soul, all becomes full of light, and Jesus comes to make His habitation there. Mary, in the first hour of her life, brought more glory to God than all the Saints of the Old Testament. In her were made perfect the obedience of Abraham, the chastity of Joseph, the patience of Job, the meekness of Moses, the prudence of Josue. It is because she is the model and pattern of these and all other virtues that she can communicate them to us.

Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace:  that as the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of our salvation, so the solemn feast of her Nativity may bring us an increase of peace.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth..."

Source:  The New Marian Missal for Daily Mass by Sylvester P. Juergens, S. M.


The Davidic ancestry of Mary

First Friday - Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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The Nine First Fridays

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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JOY

 "The world today is hungry for the joy that comes from a pure heart, for a pure heart can see God."

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DEATH

"There is no need to fear death, because death is nothing more than going home to God.  For me, that is the greatest development of a human life:  to die in peace with God."

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FRIENDSHIP

"No one can make a better friend than Jesus- because His love is so humble and so tender..."

Excerpts from The Best Gift is Love

Saintly Quote - Doing Good

Anniversary of the Father Capodanno's Ultimate Sacrifice

Mission Capodanno reminds us that today marks the 45th anniversary of Father Capodanno's battlefield sacrifice.

The following are two photos of the wall in the Maryknoll hallway honoring Father Vincent R. Capodanno, LT, CHC, USNR

and Maryknoll priest.

On the left is the rubbing from Father Capodanno's grave

On the right are a brief history in the life of Father Capodanno and he was a Medal
of Honor recipient 

On this day more than any other, join us in praying for the advancement of his Cause. Fr Vincent R. Capodanno, pray for us!