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"My Immaculate Heart Will Be Your Refuge And The Way That Will Lead You To God!"
Our ultimate enemy today is not anti-Christ but anti-God! The battle at hand is between Satan and the Mother of God, “his seed and the seed of the Woman.” Our Lady came to Fatima to convince the world of sin. Her revelation, explicit and emphatic, was the reality of Hell – not just at the end of the world, but its reality now, for each one of us at the hour of our death! This is the secret of Fatima. To a world and, especially, to the Christian world for whom hellfire has faded into a myth, Our Lady shows the existing reality and imminent possibility of eternal damnation. More important than the end of the whole world at the end of time, is for us to know, He is coming “soon” and, therefore, we must “watch and pray." (Lk. 21:36) “PENANCE and PRAYER” Her reminder is our best and only hope. Sin is an evil which far surpasses all other evils united, for it destroys the union between God and man. All miseries endured in this world: poverty, shame, disgrace, suffering, sickness and death, are but the effects of sin. Sin reigns everywhere, defiling every age. Sin is our positive refusal to submit to God’s authority, “I WILL NOT SERVE THEE!” It is contempt of divine authority and the blackest ingratitude. “If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He is come, He will convince the world of sin and of justice, and of judgment.” ( Jn. 16: 7- 8 ) The treason of Judas was preceded by his contempt of the penitent Magdalene for her act of love in anointing the Feet of Jesus with costly spices. Jesus knew perfectly well that one of His Apostles would betray Him to His enemies for money. He lovingly washed the feet of Judas and longed to be allowed to wash his soul. The betrayal of Christ and the love of money are inseparably joined in our sacred history. If Judas sells Jesus, will I buy Him? He has loved me and delivered Himself up for me. Will I give all I have and all I am? Will I make Him mine at the expense of my pleasure and temporal happiness? In the Agony of Jesus in the Garden, He sweat blood. Raising His Eyes to Heaven, He prayed: “Father, behold the witness of my entire obedience to Thee, and of my devoted love for Thy children and My brethren.” Victim and Martyr, His Blood speaks louder than words. And Pilot said to them, “I find no cause in this Man.” Yet, he chastised Him to satisfy the people. It was a brutal flogging, unlimited both in number and the severity of the stripes inflicted. As the steel strikes fire out of the flint, so did the whips spark the fire of Love from the Heart of Jesus. The harder they struck Him, the more He loved them, and loved all sinners. He answered the whips with darts of Love. Through this particular suffering, He was atoning especially for our sins of impurity. Let no Christian who has studied Christ’s scourging at the pillar ever again pamper his miserable flesh! Let him chastise his body and bring it into subjection by continually practicing, at least, some little acts of bodily self-denial.
Jesus and the Cross are together at last. He must have affectionately pressed the Cross to His Heart and kissed it. Jesus received the Cross from the Hand of His Father. To Him, it was not a shameful gibbet, but the chosen symbol of His tenderest Love. Still, it was hard for Him to carry this crushing load for His Body was totally spent through the terrible scourging He underwent. His physical strength might fail, but not His determined purpose. His courage never faltered. No matter how heavy our crosses, let us never lose courage. Let us say with the Apostles, “I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me.” Patience in affliction and under adversity brings peace in strife, solace in pain and, above all else, secure hope of the pardon for our sins. Pride is the root of all sin and by the public humiliation of Christ upon the Cross, He made the most fitting reparation. He paid the price in full; Christ is made a dreadful spectacle. A great crowd was near at hand looking at “Him Whom they had pierced,” gloating over His sufferings and eagerly awaiting His gradually approaching death. He was pleased with so great a throng, and glad they saw Him so miserably broken and ruined that they would never forget the sight. We know not what place self-love can find on Calvary. The only real glory the world has ever known is to share in the Cross and Passion of Jesus Christ won by patient endurance of injuries, loving atonement to God for sin, our own and that of our neighbor. The best word of encouragement that can be spoken to one in distress is this: BEAR YOUR CROSS BRAVELY IN UNION WITH JESUS CRUCIFIED. Christ is our Teacher and our Pattern. His Example is the known and approved reasonableness of a mortified life. Oh, how many virtues flow into our soul 'by looking upon Him Whom we have pierced: humility, patience, self- denial, obedience to the Divine Will and sacrificial love.
From the turmoil of Calvary’s horrors, the Soul of Jesus thus passed into the tranquility of the Godhead. Christ died for sinners, of whom I am the greatest. To care not why the Son of God suffered Himself to be put to death, is for the Christian a capital sin of sloth. The charity of Christ presses every love into its service, and places itself at the service of every love. The Son of God died for my salvation! JESUS CRUCIFIED, I commend my spirit, unreservedly and forever, to be owned and ruled by Thy Spirit in all things. O, what in all life is so precious as the privilege of bowing down one’s head and dying for sinners! If the disciples of Christ preach rigors, it is no compliment to their Master Who preached pardon. From among all actions calculated to win souls, Christ chose to die for men that they may have life everlasting. Mary, John and Magdalene and the other faithful women stood alone at the foot of the Cross of Christ. A party of soldiers from the city was sent by Pilot to break the legs of the convicted and remove them from their crosses. Jesus was obviously dead but a soldier pierced Him with a lance. It struck Him hard and made a great wound clean to the heart, wide as a man’s hand. After that stroke, no hand touched Jesus but in love. Jesus suffered in all His bodily frame; His Feet were pierced that blood might mark His tracks as He searched zealously for our souls; His brain was tortured by a thorny crown that His thoughts might trickle blood as they ached and throbbed for us, and now His Heart, the very organ of love, receives the deepest cut of all, drained so generously in atonement of our sins. If our gaze upon the Crucified Savior can put a touch of pain in a sinner’s heart, He has won that heart. The gaping side of Christ is that open door from whence the Sacraments of the Church flow forth, without which there is no entrance to true life. "Son, Behold Thy Mother."
O God, Who guidest that which is gone astray, and gatherest that which is scattered, and keepest that which is gathered together, we beseech Thee, mercifully pour forth upon the Christian people the grace of Thy unity, that they may reject the spirit of dissension and unite themselves to the True Shepherd of Thy Church, and may thus be enabled to serve Thee worthily. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. (An indulgence of 3 years. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if this prayer is said with devotion every day for a month – Roman Missal 576 S.P. Ap., Nov. 22,1934) Have you Loved Ones who have strayed from the Sacraments, a spouse who is unfaithful, children who are abusive and disobedient, sick ones who are in anguish, crushing financial worries or unbearable burdens at the workplace? Make haste to bring them to the Fountain of Life, and bathe them in the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ! During this Holy Season, enrich your family spiritually by enrolling your parents, spouse, children and friends in the Lenten Mass Bouquet we are privileged to offer to you. The Holy Mass Is Your Life!
The needy man needs the Mass, that praying with Jesus Christ and through Him, he may offer a prayer that is worthy of being heard and, thus, discharge his duty and debt of petition. At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. At every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins. Assisting devoutly at Mass, you render the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, the greatest homage. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished. By hearing Mass, you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Mass heard by you, during life, will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after death. Holy Mass preserves you from many dangers and misfortunes that would otherwise befall you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass. You win for yourself a higher degree of glory in Heaven. At Mass, you kneel amidst a multitude of angels who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. You receive the priest’s blessing which Our Lord Himself ratifies in Heaven. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs. “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it to you.” John 16-23 Nihil obstat: P. L. Biermann, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago The names you send for individual enrollment for the Sacred Masses during the Lenten Season and Easter Octave will be placed upon the Altar. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and all the priests you have helped in Ukraine will offer these Masses. Mass cards will be provided for the persons enrolled. |
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Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Monday, January 30, 2012
February 1st, 2012
“I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, between thy seed and her seed. She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” (Gen.3-15)
The soldiers crowned Jesus with thorns out of contempt for His divine sovereignty. The sin-infected earth brought forth thorns and briars, and sinners more savage than the earth crowned their Monarch with the sharpest insults. Let us love the crown of thorns because it plainly tells that, after obtaining forgiveness of his own sins, the chief glory of every Christian is to bear the shame of his neighbor’s sins. Christ’s coronation with thorns is a splendid victory over our pride, leading us to be subject to one another in all humility. Both the Cross and Crown He committed to us as a special heirloom of self-sacrifice and self-abasement.
Jesus kept Himself alive on the Cross by a miracle of fortitude. His Face lifted upward, and His fading Eyes gazed into the darkened Heavens, “Father, into Thy Hands, I commend My Spirit.” Jesus died.
The rational man needs the Mass to pay Almighty God the debt of homage and adoration he owes Him. The grateful man needs the Mass to pay his debt of thanksgiving. The sinful man, and who among us is without sin, needs the Mass to propitiate God’s justice and to pay his debt of satisfaction.Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January 26th, 2012|
First, she is a witness to the transforming power of God’s Grace. She reminds us that with the Grace of God all things are possible. And this is a message of hope, a message of confidence and trust which we need to remember more than ever, because we run the risk of growing discouraged by the evil that surrounds us. It is very easy to be a pessimist in the Church today. It is very easy for us to be cynical or critical, to believe that we are living in the worst of times and to believe there is no hope. To give into that temptation is to go against the virtue of Hope. And, this is something we cannot afford to do. Philomena is a reminder to us that the Grace of God accomplishes wonders. But, where does the Grace of God work? The Grace of God does not work through politics, international treaties or trade agreements. The world is touched and changed and transformed not by Washington, or the United Nations; the world is touched and changed for the better through the Grace of God at work in the human heart. This is what St. Philomena reminds us: the Grace of God and the Power of God are at work! Even in the midst of this corrupt and depraved generation, we can see God’s Grace reflected in the faces of the children and the families here present. The Grace of God is not absent from our world. But, we have to know where to look for it. Philomena reminds us that we have to look for the Grace of God at work among the young. Our children are not incapable of virtue. All too often, there is a temptation to write off the children of this generation: they are too callous, they are too cynical, they are too locked into their own little worlds, they are too selfish, too self-centered, they have completely given into the lies of the media and they are blind to any spiritual reality. But, that simply is not the case. Many of our children are lost, many are not! And that is why we have to continue to seek the Grace of God which is at work in them. We cannot afford to give up or to write off an entire generation for the Grace of God is at work. The transforming power of God’s Grace is active in them. St. Philomena is the Patroness of Youth. Every Saint has a task to perform in this world and in the next. Just because we get to Heaven does not mean that our work is done. St. Philomena’s task, assigned to her by the Church, is to intercede for the young. She is to be a witness, model and intercessor for our youth. And we have to help her in that task. The children of today are lost in many ways because they no longer have reflected for them any witness or example of holiness or innocence. As you know, so many of them come from broken homes, wounded relationships and abusive situations. Many of them have never experienced a Catholic education. They have not experienced the support of an extended family. They have never known the love of dedicated religious or the care of priests. They have had no one to witness to them the marvelous love of our Heavenly Father. This is why the Archconfraternity of St. Philomena and the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena have developed the Youth for Purity Crusade to introduce St. Philomena to as wide an audience as possible. The Youth Crusade consists of two phases: The first phase is a program of mini-shrines that are being put together and will be sent free of charge to whatever school or parish or CCD program would like to receive one. The mini-shrine is simply a large plastic container but, in that plastic container, there is a statue of Saint Philomena, her chaplet, a set of CD’s describing her life and her miracles, devotional materials as well as educational materials on the basic tenets of the Faith. Included, also, are Scapulars, Rosaries and Miraculous Medals, enough for every child to carry back into his own home. That is the first phase of what we want to accomplish in St. Philomena’s Youth for Purity Crusade. We want to introduce her and take her on tour. We want to expose as many children as possible to the power of this young girl because the Church in Her Infallible Wisdom holds up this child as a witness and a sign of what the Grace of God is able to do with our human weakness. Included with every mini-shrine, there is a curriculum which guides the teacher to present the story of St. Philomena and to help focus the children’s attention on the message that needs to be conveyed, the message that we all need to hear. And that message is very simple and, yet, very profound. What do we need to hear in the modern world? What do we need to remember? St. Philomena teaches us, first of all, about the need for courage. Courage is a supernatural gift which comes to us from the Holy Ghost. The virtue of courage is needed in our world today. Philomena is a wonderful example because she is the unexpected witness of courage. Our children today are inundated with images of superheroes and novel forms of courage that are not possible. But, Philomena presents a courage which is supernatural and, yet, at the same time accessible. Here is a child, and we have to remember she was very much a child; here is a child in a foreign land, torn from her parents, isolated from all that was familiar, abused and tempted in ways that none of us have ever been tempted. None of us have ever been offered the kingdom of the world on a platter. She was offered fame, fortune, power and physical pleasure. Everything the world could offer, was offered to her! And, yet, she found the courage to resist this temptation, to overcome her fear and to maintain her peace of soul. Her courage is a tremendous witness and it is a witness, not only to the supernatural virtue of courage but it is also a witness to the power of innocence. Our world today does not value innocence. You can see it in the fashions, you can see it in the advertisements and you can see it everywhere from the billboards to the check-out line at the grocery store. Ours is not a culture that values innocence. We view innocence as a handicap because we have the mistaken idea that innocence is the same as being naïve. And we see this as a weakness not a strength. But, there is more to innocence than just virginity of the body. The greatest innocence, the strength and power of innocence, comes through purity of the mind and heart which is reflected in the purity of the body. You must have the first one before you can have the second. Our children are not innocent and, believe me, they are not innocent because they have not been taught that purity of the body can only happen when we understand and embrace purity of the mind and the heart. For only the pure of heart, shall see God. And this is what innocence is all about. Innocence is the ability not just to refrain from sexual activity, but it is the ability to see and to understand as God does, to possess a spiritual point of view and to be able to value and judge things of this world in the light of eternity. Philomena had that ability and was able to see through the shadows and the illusions of temptation. She was able to distinguish what was important from what was unimportant, what was necessary from what was not necessary. She saw through the lies and the deceptions and she clearly understood that the only thing necessary was the salvation of her soul. Philomena had the courage to embrace the Truth! This is innocence! This is power! Innocence is power because it brings with it integrity of heart. The third powerful lesson that St. Philomena brings is integrity of heart. She was single-minded, stubborn and committed. This is what gave her strength. She was focused completely on the one thing necessary, the only thing that is necessary: the salvation of her soul. This is what gave her courage and strength in the face of martyrdom and death. These are the three lessons we want to highlight as we send the mini-shrines out to the schools, to the youth groups and to the CCD programs. We want to emphasize integrity of heart and the power of innocence and the great need for courage. This is the focus we want to give our children and Philomena does that in a radical and powerful way. The second phase of the Youth Crusade is accomplished simultaneously with the first. Philomena is not only the patron Saint of miracles and the patron Saint of youth, but she is also the patron Saint of the Children of Mary. The Children of Mary is an organization that was begun in the 19th Century. It was requested by the Blessed Mother when she appeared to St. Catherine Labouré at Rue de Bac in 1830. At the time She gave Catherine the Miraculous Medal, Mary asked for the establishment of the Congregation of the Children of Mary. St. Philomena was named patroness of that Congregation by Pope Pius IX. The second phase of our Youth Crusade now is to resurrect the Congregation of the Children of Mary. Msgr. Braschi, as rector of the Shrine of St. Philomena in Italy and universal director of the ArchConfraternity, has asked us to do just that. We are to resurrect the Congregation of the Children of Mary as a Youth Crusade for all, as a means of teaching and spreading devotion not only to Saint Philomena, but the importance and the necessity of the Marian Consecration, the spirituality of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, by which we go to Jesus through Mary. To this end, we have re-established the Congregation of the Children of Mary as the youth arm of the International Family of St. Philomena. The International Family of Saint Philomena is composed of three branches: The ArchConfraternity of Saint Philomena headquartered in the Sanctuary of Mugnano del Cardinale, the Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena founded by Ven. Pauline Jaricot and the Congregation of the Children of Mary: The papa, the mama and the children. Here, then, is the Family: La Familia de Santa Filomena (The Family of St. Philomena) Now, there is a place for all of us to grow in our understanding and our awareness of St. Philomena and also to practice this devotion and pass it on to others. That is the purpose of the Family, to spread the devotion, to tell the story, to give witness to the miracles, to remind the modern world that God does reach into our lives and perform miracles. Miracles are not just a thing of the past. They happen in the here and now. And it is because of such a miracle that I am here today with you. When I was in Junior High, I was introduced to Saint Philomena through the Universal Living Rosary Association. I signed up for my Daily DECADE and received a pamphlet on St. Philomena and wanted to know more about her. So I read everything I could about her and I was inspired by her story. I knew that I wanted to be a priest; I wanted to go to the seminary but I was diagnosed with a tumor-like growth in my inner ear. The doctor informed my parents that it had to come out right away. This cholesteatoma was of enormous size and would have to be removed immediately by radical surgery. The surgery was scheduled but, before the surgery, I began a Novena to St. Philomena reminding her gently that, if I was going to be a priest, I must have the ability to hear. My family was able to obtain a First Class Relic from the Vatican. My parents and I prayed the Novena and then I went in for surgery. I had a radical mastoidectomy, where they basically cut off my ear, and drilled through the mastoid bone to get into the inner ear. The doctor got in there and, after eight hours of surgery, he came out and told my parents, “The tumor was much larger than I imagined. The growth was actually the size of a grapefruit; it was pressing on the brain, and there is no way now that he will be able to hear because there is nothing left in the inner ear. Everything has been eaten away. We patched together an ear drum but he will definitely be deaf and most likely paralyzed on his left side.” My mother said, “Are you sure?” They said, “No, we cannot be certain until he comes out of the anesthesia.” I came out of the anesthesia, and felt the doctors pricking my toes to see if I could feel anything. Not only was I not paralyzed, but when they finally unwrapped the mummy and took off my bandages, I could hear out of that ear. The doctors were amazed because there was nothing there but one large vast cavity. There was no inner ear left. There was nothing to hear with. Yet it is that ear which, every week, I press up against the Confessional grill to hear Confessions. St. Philomena is a wonderful sister to us. And that’s what she longs to be. She longs to be a sister to us in order to remind us that we are not alone, the power and the Grace of God are present, and we must not lose hope, or give in to cynicism or despair. Rather, we must continue to practice the devotions by which we recognize that we are part of something greater than ourselves, for you and I are part of the Communion of Saints. Sanctity is not limited to the Saints in Heaven, but you and I are part of that Family – the Family of the Communion of Saints. We are bound to one another and to the Souls in Heaven, and to the Souls in Purgatory as a support system, for this is the Mystical Body of Christ. We have the right to call upon the Saints. We have the right to demand that they intercede in our behalf. Most of all, we are called to take our place with them by trusting Almighty God, and by asking for their continued intercession in all of our needs. Through the intercession of St. Philomena, we pray for our children as we pray for our world. We must also continue to pray for the gift of Hope, that great forgotten virtue, for hope is a gift from God which enables us to believe that God will provide everything that is necessary for our salvation. Nothing will be lacking to us. Nothing is lacking. Everything has been given. When God reaches into our lives with a miracle, He reminds us of this fact: There is nothing lacking. All we have to do is to believe and hope and trust like a little child. This is why, I believe, God has once again raised up this powerful Saint who will not die, whose devotion will not fade or go away. I believe her devotion will continue to grow, it will continue to spread because her miracles happen every day. The testimonies that pour into the Sanctuary from all over the world and the testimonies that are reported to the Universal Living Rosary Association are tremendous! God is at work among us. He wants us to turn to the Saints; He wants us to ask for their powerful help, so we might remember in doing this, we are a part of the tremendous Communion of Saints. We have the support we need. We are not alone! I would urge you, if you have not done so already, to sign up for the ArchConfraternity of St. Philomena. This is a wonderful way for us to express our devotion to St. Philomena and to help spread this devotion to others. The requirements are very simple: just fill out the membership card and practice the devotion on your own and do what you can to help spread the devotion to others. Fr. Jason and Fr. Kevin made mention of the cord of St. Philomena which is indulgenced. The cord is the sign of membership in the ArchConfraternity and, certainly, is a tremendous treasure that has been given to us. If you haven’t already, I would urge you to sign up for your Daily DECADE with the Universal Living Rosary Association. Venerable Pauline Jaricot was a tremendous soul and she devised a system by which we could promise to pray one DECADE of the Rosary, joining with others throughout the world. By praying our Daily DECADE, we share not only in the graces of all 15 decades of the Rosary every day, but through the power of association, we gain the graces and merits of all 12-Million members united with us praying their Daily Decade. It is the best bargain value in the Church. This devotion is sanctioned by the Holy Father and is highly indulgenced. It is a tremendous thing. There are 12-MILLION members of the Living Rosary Association worldwide. Take up your Decade, play your part, and help spread devotion to the Blessed Mother throughout the world. The Living Rosary Association is also a missionary activity. I urge you to take home the information we have for the Children of Mary. The Congregation of the Children of Mary, the youth arm of the Family of St. Philomena, is a wonderful way for us to fulfill what was requested by Our Blessed Lady, that our children gather together on the First Saturday of each month, receive Holy Communion in reparation, pray the Rosary and consecrate their lives to Jesus through Mary. This is the purpose of the Congregation of the Children of Mary. Through this Congregation, they learn and are formed so that they can make Mary’s “YES” their own. It is a tremendous Crusade. Take the information back to your parish, to your CCD class or include it in your home-school curriculum. Let everyone know about the Youth Crusade. Share with them the possibilities of spreading devotion to this tremendous Saint. If you do that, you will be doing your part. We are all called to offer our FIAT to God’s plan for us by promulgating devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and hastening her final Triumph. We are called to live and to act, to work and to pray like St. Philomena as Children of the Light, as Children of Mary!
Thank you. May God bless you! Fr. Chad Partain, Director Email: frpartain@catholic.org |
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I am Fr. Chad Partain, the pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Mansura, Louisiana and the chancellor for the diocese of Alexandria. And so I had a long trip to be with you today. But, it is a trip that I looked forward to making because I have seen pictures of your beautiful church for years and always wanted an excuse to come visit. This was the perfect opportunity. In September 2011, we gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows outside of St. Louis, Illinois for an international conference on St. Philomena and, while we were there, devotees from all over the world gathered to share their stories of St. Philomena and to reflect on the devotion and the work of the devotion in the world. It was during the gathering at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows that we came to a greater understanding of what St. Philomena was accomplishing in the modern world. She is a Saint who went from great obscurity to great popularity. She rose from the silence of the catacombs to being the great Wonder-Worker of the 19th Century. After this time, she again slept, but now her devotion is in a period of great resurgence. Many of us who work with the devotion and who try to spread it, believe there is a reason for that resurgence. Philomena is a gift to the Church that God gives to the generations that are in most need of her intercession. And certainly, I think, this is true of our own time and our own need. Our day and Age is not radically different from the days of Diocletian, the waning days of the old Roman Empire. If we were to look back in history and read accounts of life in those days, it would almost be as if we were reading newspaper headlines of our own day. The reign of Diocletian was a culture of death! It was a time when life was cheap, men and women lived for their own sexual excess and pleasure. The Family Unit had completely broken down under a system of no-fault divorce which had been introduced in the Roman Law. Abortion and Euthanasia were common, suicide was rampant, the birth rate almost non-existent. Homosexuality was accepted as a norm and no longer looked upon as perversion. In so many ways, the days of St. Philomena are an exact mirror of our own. And it was into the darkness of that culture of death that God brought forth this amazing little Saint to challenge the wisdom of the world. God sent a teenage girl to challenge the strong and the powerful. He sent this humble little child whose name means simply “Child of the Light,” Philomena, daughter of Light. God has given us this little Saint, the patron Saint of miracles, this innocent child in our own time because we have the same needs as the people of her time. We have to be reminded as they were reminded that the light does shine in the darkness, for this is Philomena’s message. The Light of Christ still continues to shine even in the darkest moments as we pass through this valley of the shadow of death. And so, Philomena speaks to us, as she speaks for us before the throne of God. The message St. Philomena gives to the modern world is the message which it greatly needs. 
I invite you all to be a part of the Youth for Purity Crusade. By your participation in the Archconfraternity, the Universal Living Rosary and the Children of Mary, you will grow in virtue and purity, and help Saint Philomena bring souls to Jesus through MaryWeekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, January 18, 2012
January 19th, 2012|
"Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular Shall not suffer eternal fire!"
Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Simon Stock – July 16, 1251 No matter how extraordinary the promise made by Our Blessed Mother may appear, She made it and She will keep it. At the word of Her FIAT, She conceived by the Holy Ghost and the Incarnate Word became Man. If Almighty God comes down upon our Altars: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in obedience to the words of the priest every day at Holy Mass, would He refuse His own Mother the grace She asks for Her children? "To save souls from Hell, God wishes to establish in the world, devotion to My Immaculate Heart. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” Fatima, 1917 "The Scapular will be for all Love the Scapular! True devotion to Mary consists in three things: Veneration, Confidence and Love. Without saying to Mary we venerate Her, love Her and trust in Her motherly protection, we show Her all these things every moment of the day by simply wearing Her Brown Scapular. THE SCAPULAR IS A PRAYER! Mary’s Motherhood is not limited to Catholics; it extends to ALL MEN. Many miracles of conversion have been obtained through the devout wearing of the Scapular. The Scapular is a great missionary Sacramental. After the Rosary, the Scapular is the most highly indulgenced Sacramental in the Church. Become an apostle of the Brown Scapular! Today, the terrible demise that many overlook, is the horrible devastation of our Catholic families, who recklessly choose to ignore Our Blessed Mother’s requests. What a deplorable loss of Sanctifying Grace for mankind! We are at war. Satan and the world battle for our souls. There is but one step between us and death. Make haste to take refuge in the Heart of Mary.
A SACRAMENTAL is anything set The first Scapular worn should be blessed by a priest and imposed by him (if possible). Any priest may bless and enroll in the Confraternity. After having received the initial blessed Scapular from a priest, no other Scapular need be blessed before wearing. The blessing and imposition are attached to the wearer for life.
The Scapular Medal was created only for those who would suffer grave inconvenience in wearing the cloth and the indul-gence of 500 days does NOT apply to the Medal. To obtain the graces and promise of the Scapular, it must be worn constantly. It should be worn, day and night, in sickness and in health. Then the Scapular is worn out, being a sacred object, it should not be thrown in the regular garbage but should be burned or buried. The Sabbatine Privilege consists in Our Lady’s promise to release from Purgatory, on the First Saturday after their death, those who meet these three requirements:
A SIGN OF SALVATION! Scapular wearers share in the daily prayers of the Carmelite Order and the worldwide good works of over two hundred million members of the Scapular Confraternity. Man cannot be saved without prayer. Only one thing can release the graces necessary to bring about world peace and that is prayer. The Scapular is the Promise of Mary’s prayer. By wearing the Scapular, we offer the perpetual prayer that everything we do is done in God’s Eyes through Mary. At the same time, we become apostles of His Mother because all that He requires to save the world is to make our daily actions a prayer in union with Her. The Brown Scapular is the masterpiece of the love of the Heart of Mary. An attack on the Scapular is an attack on the Church and the Mother of God. Let us defend it and explain its value to all! It is our sign of belonging to the universal family of Her Immaculate Heart. Mary, O my Mother, I am Thine!
The Blessing of The Scapular of Mount Carmel “O Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of mankind, by Thy right Hand sanctify this Scapular which Thy servant will devotedly wear for the love of Thee and of Thy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel, so that, by Her intercession, he/she may be protected from the wickedness of the enemy and persevere in Thy Grace until death: Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.” Investiture for Enrollment into The Confraternity “Receive this blessed habit and ask the Most Holy Virgin that, by Her merits, it may be worn without stain of sin: that She may guard thee from all evil and bring thee to life everlasting. Amen. May Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and earth, bless you whom He has been pleased to receive into the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel! We beg Her to crush the head of the ancient serpent in the hour of your death and, in the end, to obtain for you the palm and the crown of your everlasting inheritance. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.” Sprinkle the person with Holy Water.
SWEET HEART OF MARY,
THE UNIVERSAL LIVING ROSARY ASSOCIATION |
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The Brown Scapular
The Scapular is ‘Mary’s Mantle’ made of wool and MUST be worn over the shoulders so that one piece falls in front and the other in the back. Each time the Scapular is kissed with devotion, 500 days indulgence is granted to those in the state of grace.
I Am All Thine,
“O Mother of Carmel, when my last hour shall sound and
This Week, Celebration of the Birth of Saint Philomena and the Anniversary of the Death of Pauline Jaricot
January 8th, 2012|
VATICAN – More than 300 dioceses in the world celebrate Pauline Jaricot, pioneer of the mission ad gentes Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – More than 300 dioceses in the world, in five continents, will celebrate on 9 January, the 150th anniversary of Pauline Jaricot’s death: this is what Father Timothy Lehane Barrett, Secretary General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith tells Fides. By joining in the jubilee celebrations, over 300 dioceses will celebrate Holy Masses, pray and reflect on the figure of Jaricot, as a “woman of our time”. “She was a lay woman who lived the universality of the Church and the universality of the mission ad gentes as a genuine pioneer. Even the Pontifical Mission Societies today want, in her memory, to renew the spirit and the universal call to mission. We hope that the missionary animation, in the year of Porta Fidei, may find new life and new dynamism”, remarked the Secretary. EUROPE/FRANCE-”Pauline Jaricot, a woman always present”: international meeting for the Jubilee Year Lyon (Agenzia Fides) – Pauline Marie Jaricot (1799-1862), declared “venerable” by Pope John XXIII on February 25, 1963, devoted her life to the mission, prayer and service to the poor: she founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (May 3, 1822) and the movement of the Living Rosary (1826). January 9, 2012 marks the 150th anniversary of her birth to heaven, and the Pontifical Mission Societies of France have launched an international meeting on “Pauline Jaricot, a woman always present”, which aims to reflect on the occasion of the jubilee year, on how a simple, young girl, was able to give new dynamism to the universal Catholic mission and foreshadowed the movement of social Catholicism. This international meeting (see Fides 12/10/2011) will be held on Monday, January 9 in Lyon (France), where Jaricot was born and is buried in the presence of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, Primate of the Gauls, President of the French Association of the Pontifical Mi ssion Societies, the Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, His Exc. Mgr. Savio Hon Tai-Fai and the Secretary-Generals of the Pontifical Mission Societies |
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| St. Philomena, Ven. Pauline Jaricot and St. John Vianney – their separate lives were inspiring, but the three together were given miraculous rewards by God for their devotion to Him.
It is no coincidence that the official Feast of St. Philomena falls on the 10th of August, for that is the very day that the Great Miracle of Mugnano occurred and the day that St. Philomena granted the Venerable Pauline Jaricot a wonderful healing. It was the miraculous cure of Pauline Jaricot which led to Philomena’s being raised to the status of Saint. Pope Pius XI canonized St. Jean-Marie Vianney in 1925 and named him “Patron of all Parish Priests” and said that his spirituality in its totality should be followed by them. This would necessarily include his deep devotion to St. Philomena. The present Pope dedicated 2009 as the “Year for Priests” and has honored St. Jean Vianney by elevating him to be the “Patron of all Priests“. Because he was such a dear friend of the Ven. Pauline Jaricot, her cause for sainthood takes on new fervor. Pauline was not only the foundress of the Propagation of the Faith, she also founded the Living Rosary Association to promote faith through the united prayer of the Daily Decade of the Holy Rosary, and the distribution of good Catholic literature in the wake of heresy and persecution, which was rampant in her own day in the aftermath of the French Revolution. These three lives are very closely intertwined in other ways. Note their influence on these Leaders of the Church:
Saint Philomena’s influence was life-changing for both Pauline Jaricot and St. Jean Vianney. Pauline’s miraculous cure by St. Philomena on August 10, 1835 provided the impetus for formally elevating St. Philomena to the Altar. She then became the only person recognized as a Saint solely on the basis of her miraculous intercession. When Pauline shared the story of her healing with her dear friend St. Jean Vianney (Curé of Ars, France) and bestowed upon him the relics of St. Philomena obtained from the Shrine in Mugnano, Italy, she prophetically said to St. Jean Vianney, “Have full confidence in this great Saint. She will obtain for you all that you ask.” Both St. Jean Vianney and Ven. Pauline Jaricot grew up in the same historical period and both suffered very much from the persecution of the Church during the French Revolution. Priests were hunted down and sent to prison if they would not take an oath to the State. Pauline, herself, was baptized at home by a priest faithful to Rome. The holy Curé saw in St. Philomena a New Light for the Church Militant. |
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| Pauline Marie Jaricot – Mother of Souls in Distress
Pauline was greatly distressed by the plight of the Catholic Family whose members, young and old, served in factories for very long hours each day and even on Sunday. She longed to establish for them a Community in which they could make a living and have time to pray, attend Holy Mass and spend quality time with the family. She invested her entire fortune in this venture and borrowed heavily from good people who knew of her sound judgment and practical ability to make a success out of all that she undertook for God and country. Pauline was betrayed by a treacherous thief who absconded with her fortune. All that had been invested in this inspired dream of rescuing the working man from the slavery of the industrial age was lost. She was left destitute, calumniated and in ruin. On January 9, 1862, Pauline died bankrupt and abandoned by all. Stripped of everything, she had followed Christ as a victim for souls to the end. She signed her letters: “Your poor beggar”. Clothed in a rusty black dress, her face worn with suffering, breathless with heart disease and dropsy, her expression was not merely one of courage or charity, but it was majestic. Pauline showed royal dignity, her features were full of authority and she possessed a spiritual power that nothing could defeat! Pauline loved without measure! Cardinal Tomko, prefect of the Community of Evangelization, visited Lyon in 1999 and greeted her as a “great figure for the Universal Church, who founded missionary works of world dimensions”. Ven. Pauline Jaricot has rightfully gained her place as the patroness of those in financial distress. She is mother of the poor, advocate of debtors, help to all those treacherously deceived by others, persecuted and maligned. She understands their plight and the accompanying anxieties which haunt them. Call upon Pauline who suffered to the extreme at the hands of the greedy and the proud. She will hear your prayers, ease your burden and obtain for you the special graces needed to carry your heavy crosses with courage and hope! Her heart is sensitive and she will dress your wounds with the balm of the merits she obtained from the Heart of God through the slow martyrdom which she endured day after day. Maria was entrusted with her care by St. Jean Marie Vianney, and tells us, “Often, a halo of light shone around the head of our mother Pauline as she prayed for long hours before the Blessed Sacrament”. Many documents exist which record the special gift of prophecy which Pauline possessed. We have been given by the custodian of Ven. Pauline Jaricot’s artifacts a blood relic; a piece of the cloth upon which her magnificent heart rested during its embalmment. It is soaked with the blood from the victim heart of our beloved Foundress. If you wish to have a piece of cloth touched to this relic, and a prayer to offer Pauline in beseeching her help in your financial needs, write to us and send $3.00 to cover the costs of materials and postage. If you are not yet a member of her Living Rosary, this too will be a healing balm for your sufferings and further win her favor in your behalf. Jubilee Prayer for Debtors For the intercession of Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot (1799 – 1862) Foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and the Association of the Living Rosary (and of the model Christian Community at Rustrel, France, ruined by dishonest managers)
The Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot may rightly be called the Patroness of the poor, debtors, the deceived, the persecuted and the maligned. This great daughter of Holy Mother the Church was born into a family of wealthy silk merchants. She is the Foundress of the two greatest works of the Church in the Nineteenth Century: The PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH and THE LIVING ROSARY. |
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Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, January 4, 2012
January 4th, 2012|
A Family Praying the Rosary is Filled With the Life of Christ!
Every wife can be an influence in the life of her husband, every mother an inspiration to her children, every brother and sister a companion and help to their siblings.
This means that marriage has been taken out of the civil courts and placed in the sanctuary. It means that Our Divine Savior has shed His Precious Blood that your love shall be sanctified, that your children shall know the fear and love of God, and that your union will not fail! Television is deadly poison to the souls of our Youth! Often, just one television program is enough to push a youth into mortal sin. Right in your own home, they are exposed to violence, nudity, vulgarity and perversion taken in through their senses, the windows of their soul. None of you would risk your child’s life by sitting him on the freeway in the middle of the night. Setting him in front of the TV is worse. You endanger the supernatural life of your child which is infinitely more precious than his bodily life. What a responsibility before God! Television is a deadly poison to the minds of our Youth! No intellectual effort, whatsoever, is needed for watching TV. By viewing TV, people are passive. They receive what is presented without making any effort to think. They are comfortable and lazily seated on the sofa, enjoying a snack. Everything is at hand. They swallow the snack and all that the television pours out. The pictures strike an image on the imagination and leave their trace on the mind. Television creates millions of people who do not think. It replaces culture. God’s judgment is replaced by public opinion, and the listless brain of the viewer is placed under anesthesia. We cannot be saved without making all our decisions in favor of good. The obstacles and traps which come from the world, the devil and our own lusts, we must conquer through our liberty of judgment for the glory of God. Television is deadly poison for our children’s studies! Ask an intellectual effort of children who watch television and you will obtain no response. These children have the inability to concentrate and pay attention. They are insecure, superficial and fail to have a solid grasp of intellectual reasoning. Television watchers are filled with the illusion that they have great and vast knowledge. The young lose their innocence and simplicity. They live in an artificial world of sin, ugliness and stupidity. Irreparable harm is done to their intelligence and hearts. Your efforts and those of their teachers are rendered sterile. Television is deadly poison to Family Life! Your homes must be sanctuaries where GOD is honored, loved, and served and where parents watch vigilantly over the education of the children. Television is breaking up family life. It prevents conversation of parents and children. Television is the stranger in your home who has been given the place of honor that belongs to God and to you parents. There is no more family life, no more conversation, no more prayer, no more unity! The family is ruptured by the presence of television, which dictates its programs, its opinions and its garbage. GET RID OF IT, TODAY, tonight while the children are sleeping!
Family prayer, morning and evening, and the family Rosary will once again take their rightful place of honor. The artificiality of life which goes on in front of the television kills the personality of everyone in the family and, thus, results in mediocrity, laziness, slavery to fashion and impurity. Catholic parents must not be party to such dehumanization and de-Christianization of their families. Television is deadly poison to the education of your children! Educate your children to the full exercise of their spiritual lives. A child’s interior life is the only thing that will arm him against the false maxims of the world. Help put him in touch with truth. Attract him to what is simple, good and beautiful. The home is a church in which dwells the Most Blessed Trinity. Not just anyone should be allowed to come inside. Not just anything may be said, no unfitting or vulgar music may be sung. The home is like a tabernacle, one enters and senses the need for respect; he is taken by a certain feeling of depth, and is sheltered from intellectual and moral degradation. To educate a child is to dare to choose for him the Life of Christ. Sin cannot withstand the presence of a good mother; irresponsibility is rebuked by the industry of a devoted father. Piety, purity, temperance and justice, prudence and courage and all other virtues blossom in the rich soil of a family faithful to God. From such homes, there goes forth a power like the Spirit of God to renew the face of the earth. In the ordinary realm of life, we do not hesitate to choose for our children what is necessary to safeguard their health. In the all-important realm of the child’s soul, we must not hesitate to instruct and demand that which is best for his soul. If our love for our children is true, we will be courageous to take the heroic steps necessary to secure their eternal salvation. Require your children to eat supper together with the family. Let them eat what is served to them. Set a time for studies and supervise their work. Demand of them Christian generosity toward you and their brothers and sisters! Insist upon physical efforts: walking, hiking, biking, tennis, swimming, etc. If they are lax, weak and wanting in energy, it is because they need lots of exercise. Throw out the make up and nail polish, what is needed is prayer, work and sacrifice. Youth are made for heroism. The more you ask of your children, the happier they will be. Above all, never give up. Strive valiantly to provide for them a good example. Saintly parents beget saintly children. A sanctified family will grow into a sanctified community and a sanctified community will grow into a holy Nation. The Sacred Mass is the most important of all. The Mass teaches us the necessity of sacrifice, self-denial and service. Here at Holy Mass, we acknowledge God’s supreme dominion over us. The restoration of the Mass to its rightful place in society will turn the key that will open to the whole world a reconstructed social order. Frequent Mass and Holy Communion will be the foundation of every holy family. From such homes will spring champions in the cause of Christ and saints for His Church. Great is your opportunity, and great will be your reward!
Restore the Family to Christ, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary! Pray your Daily Decade! |
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There is no greater hope for earth than the sight of father, mother, brothers and sisters on their knees together in the quiet of their home praying the Rosary. On their lips is the Word of God, in their hearts is the Love of Mary, and within their home, all the special graces and blessings God pours down upon those who make their home a Home of the Daily Family Rosary!
In the great Charity of Christ, Marriage has been Elevated To the Dignity of a Sacrament! 
You will be surprised to see how much time you have to enjoy your family, how fast the level of conversation will rise and how docile your children will be to your authority. 
By the Eucharist, you will perform miracles, cure souls, and bring back to the family and to God those who have strayed farthest from home! Restore the Family to Christ, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary! Pray your Daily Decade!Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, December 28, 2011
December 29th, 2011|
To Saint Philomena, Nothing is Refused!
When I had my 6th baby, I had a long hard labor and suffered with a uterine infection. The doctor advised me to have no more children and suggested I have a ligation. I became pregnant with my 7th child last year and my family was very much concerned for my wellbeing. My aunt let me wear her St. Philomena cord during my 8th month of pregnancy and I prayed to this great Saint every day. She heard my prayers. I had a normal delivery and named the baby, Mercedes Philomena in honor of God’s mercy and in thanks to St. Philomena. < Maria – USA > Today, while still in bed, there was a great pressure on my left eye, but suddenly it felt like tangled wires behind the eye being released. It was astonishing. There was also pressure ringing in my ear, which was painful. I placed my Brown Scapular on my ear and my eye and felt an anointing. The loud noise ceased and the pressure vanished. Things felt different. I tried to get up and I got right up without help. I was able to walk without assistance! All praise and thanksgiving to God and His Saints! < Lillian – USA > Thank you for your prayers and the intercession of St. Philomena. My daughter passed the bar exams and is now a full pledged attorney! Praise God! I wrote some time back and asked for prayers for my son to find a job. Thank God and St. Philomena who brought forth this miracle. My son received word, he was to fly out to the cruise ship in Puerto Rico and begin his new job right away. He carried with him the relic card of St. Philomena and is praying to her every day.
Forgive my delay in writing as this was due to the wild floods which surrounded our hospital. Here is a photo of our orphans who have taken up a Decade in the Living Rosary. Please send us more Sacramentals and pray for the success of St. Philomena’s Hospital of Fatima here in Benin, Africa. These good people are from Mexico, in the State of Michoacán. Her brother lost his job and, after going back to ask if there was any way possible to reclaim the job, he was told “Definitely, NO!” He was very discouraged when they were told about the virgin St. Philomena and how powerful she is. He and his wife began a novena to her with complete confidence and, at the end, he went back to ask for his job back. They gave it to him right there and then! I had a bad inflammation in my legs where screws had been implanted. My diabetes was unstable and I suffered a mild stroke. The doctors said my toes must be amputated. I agreed to the surgery as my fever was high and the inflammation in my feet spread to my whole body. I was in grave danger. Our dear friend, Jeanne Marie, visited me and brought St. Philomena’s healing oil and other devotionals in her honor. He gave me his own cord and a beautiful picture of this Saint. I underwent the surgery and he visited me every day for the next three days, saying that, at the end of that time, St. Philomena would heal me and that my leg would be saved. When the doctor came the next day, he announced that the inflammation was completely gone. Today, my body is healed and my diabetes is under good control. I am at home with my wife and son, who promised to honor St. Philomena for all of their lives.
For three years, I suffered terrible pains in my joints, underarms, arms and knees. During this time I went to three doctors, had tests done, and was given sedatives and vitamins. Nothing stopped or lessened the pain. It was as if 1000 needles were driven into my body, to the point where I could get no rest at night. At first, I judged this devotion to St. Philomena to be exaggerated piety, foolish, truly foolish! Today, I am ashamed to admit this. One night when my pains were excruciating, I took the little vial of holy oil and put it all over my body where the pains were so bad. Instantly, I experienced such relief that I fell deeply asleep. The pains ceased as if by magic. But, it was not magic! It was through the grace of God and the intercession of St. Philomena. I stopped taking all my medicine. On 23rd May, a dear friend of mine was taken to the ER unresponsive. She was an elderly woman with no relatives in our State. Our priest went out to give her Extreme Unction, and we prayed the Rosary around her bedside. She was also enrolled in the Scapular Confraternity on that same day. We carried the holy oil of St. Philomena to her and placed some on her forehead, also sprinkling a little Lourdes Water. On the very next day, after 7 days in a coma, she woke up! She is recovering. We thank God and all our friends who prayed for her. < Joseph – OH, USA > I am writing to ask you to send me another holy oil. My husband uses it every day for his leg problems and, although he has always been skeptical of miracles, finds his legs much better. He has been converted by St. Philomena. He was unable to sleep or walk without lots of pain. He prays to this dear Saint every night and thanks her for helping him! I have been faithful to my Decade. Thank you for all you do in promoting, the Decades of the Rosary. Gratefully yours,
We visited Paul in Liberia and he told us about St. Philomena. My wife and I had been married for six months and she was having spiritual problems. We made the 54 days Rosary Novena for the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We found that she was 3 months pregnant. Her confinement time came and labor was only thirty minutes. Our beautiful baby is named Philomena. We want to share the miracle obtained through the Miraculous Medal. Our blood bath is increasing daily. Last week, close to 200 people were killed by suicide bombers. The miracle was that Zai, a Moslem girl who had accepted the Medal, kept it on her body hidden from everyone. None of her relatives knew she had it. Her family was killed in the bombing, she alone lived! She has promised to wear the Miraculous Medal all her life and is asking me for more. Please pray for her! After working in the school, my husband and I took the bus home. There was a terrible accident. My hand and arm is broken and multiple injuries on my body. Still, it is a great miracle that I am not dead! I say, “Thank you, Saint Philomena and the holy Virgin Mary!” Here are the lists of 120 new members for the Living Rosary. We have two miracles to share: Yeldie was married for 15 years and had no children, but after she was anointed with the holy oil of St. Philomena, she was blessed with twins. Another lady who was ten years married without children, put on I am a patient with hyperthyroidism. I began to use a drop of the holy oil of St. Philomena on my tongue. When I went for my review at the University Hospital, I was told that my thyroid gland was now almost normal! St. Philomena answered our prayers and the application of her oil on my husband’s large toe prevented the need to amputate it! The black skin peeled off and there was new healthy pink skin underneath it. The best news of all is that he has decided to join the Living Rosary! Thanks for all your prayers.
In January 2005, my daughter was in her third month of pregnancy for her first child, when she was involved in a 4-vehicle accident on a busy street. Two vehicles hit her from behind and she was so blessed to sustain only moderate injuries. The vehicle she was driving was the smallest one involved. The other two were totaled. To our amazement, her vehicle sustained minimal damage and the left rear corner of the car took the brunt of the impact and on that side, was the bumper sticker, “Ask Saint Philomena – To Philomena nothing is refused!” Here is Myra with Anna Rose who is now 5 years old!
I am busy working for the US Senator Rand Paul and he is doing a good job. I believe we need to do more for the Faith. Each and every day, I meet so many people who say they were ‘former’ Catholics. So many care only about material things. So many souls are on the road to Hell. I do what I can but it is not enough. This is why your Dedicated Decades is such an encouragement. To see all these people in so many foreign lands, so hungry for the Faith and so in love with St. Philomena is a great consolation! God bless you! Bon Courage!!! Thank you so much for the beautiful package you sent after the passing of my mother, especially for the Mass card. You sent the most wonderful teachings of our Catholic Faith of anyone I have ever donated to. God bless you! Open to Us, O Mary, The Gates of Paradise Since Thou has its Keys! |
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Here is our little Philomena whom you enquired about the other day. Since birth, she has not had any ailment.
She keeps growing healthy and people are asking me, “Mike, what are you giving your baby to eat, what cream and soap do you use on her, etc.?” It’s not like I have a lot of money to take care of her like some people do but when she stands among other children, she looks different. When it was time for her to walk, she walked and now she has started singing and talking. People can’t stop being amazed. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey; when I needed your prayers right from my wife’s pregnancy, you were there for me; you remember the mother almost lost the baby but for the intercession of St. Philomena and Mother Mary. Philomena is our miracle baby!
Saint Philomena, Invincible Champion of Chastity, Pray for Us, who Have recourse to Thee!
Merry Christmas 2011 from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena
December 20th, 2011|
The Spirit Of Advent is One Of Holy, Expectant Joy! Twenty hundred and eleven years ago, the Divine Redeemer appeared visible and incarnate when He was born a poor human Child in a stable at Bethlehem. But, this first coming of Our Lord occurs again, a merciful reality, not only on the feast of Christmas, but in the hearts of each one of us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Church being, as it were, the stable of Bethlehem, and the Altar and our hearts the crib. At Christmas, the Church celebrates not only the first coming of Christ on earth as Our Redeemer, but also the merciful reality of His second coming on earth as our Judge! The day on which the work of Redemption was consummated, is a Triumph for Christ and His followers. By His first coming, Our Lord redeemed us from sin and obtained the resurrection of our souls to the life of Grace. By His second coming, Christ will heal us of all our frailties and will bring resurrection to our bodies. We shall reap the harvest of complete happiness with God even as we have served Him in this world with our whole being, body and soul. It is, then, exceedingly important to prepare our hearts during the Season of Advent for the two-fold coming of Christ: as our Redeemer and also as our Judge on the Last Day. At the great feast of Christmas, now approaching, Christ desires to be born in us that we may live a new, purer and more perfect life through His Grace. We have work to do. There are still countries where people sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; souls in whom Christ, the Sun of Justice, has not yet risen. Let us, during Advent, pray for the redemption of pagan people. Only too numerous, also, are the unbelievers and lukewarm Christians in our own countries, who are deaf to the call of Advent, who do not desire the Redeemer and do not fear Him as their Judge. Let us endeavor to lead these poorest of creatures to Christ and by our prayers, sacrifices and good works make their cold, barren hearts susceptible to the great Grace of Christmas! During the reign of Pope Pius XII and in the wake of the grave crisis of World War II, the Sovereign Pontiff consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Through this universal consecration, he gently led an unthinking and rebellious world to the feet of Mary. In the agony of those fateful days, he repeated the words of Jesus Christ upon the Cross: SON, BEHOLD THY MOTHER! At the first hour of human sin, God Himself revealed the Woman who would be victorious over Satan. “I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, between thy seed and Her seed; and She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for Her heel." Satan had deceived the first woman, Eve. Through her agency, Adam, our first Parent, fell and with him the whole human race. Disobedience ushered in the reign of death. Mary is the sign of hope, given by God to a sinful people. Through Her humble Fiat, She became His Mother and ours. The Son of God, Who exists from all Eternity became, in time, the Son of Mary! "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us. Mary was a Virgin before the Birth of Jesus Christ, a Virgin in His Birth, by a miracle of God, and a Virgin ever after She brought forth Our Saviour: such is the Faith of all the Church since the earliest of times. In considering the glory of the Blessed Virgin, it is perhaps easy to forget the life-long sorrow that was Hers, for She is in fact the Mother of the suffering Redeemer. Our Blessed Mother was gifted with a vast intelligence. No sin had ever clouded Her understanding of the things of God. She knew well the sadness of the prophecies which foretold how the Messiah would take upon Himself the penalties of our sin. We count in our Rosaries, the Annunciation as a Joyful Mystery. The joy, in truth, is ours; we who have through Mary been given a Redeemer. The sorrow is Hers, for She knew that He must be the Man of Sorrows. Simeon confirmed the anguish in Her mother’s soul; the sword pierced Her Heart in that instant. In full submission, Mary had agreed to be His Mother. We can only guess at Her thoughts as She watched the beauty of Her Infant and growing Son. She saw His little Hands and Feet pierced with nails, His face bruised and bleeding, and in His side the brutal opening of the lance. His outstretched arms were already affixed upon the Cross.
The closeness of Mary’s union with the atonement of Her Son has won for Our Lady the title which is perhaps the sweetest that a man can use in Her regard: Mother of the Divine Redeemer. There is one Mediator of God and man, Jesus Christ. By His Death, mankind has been redeemed. Yet, in a very real sense, Our Lady by Her satisfaction and Her merits under Christ and in union with the only Saviour, is called Co-Redeemer. At the Incarnation, She gave Her fullest consent to be the Mother of the Crucified Redeemer, with all the martyrdom of soul that such an office could entail. In the Presentation, Mary offered to God a gift such as never before had been given Him. She, it was who cared for the Saviour at every stage of His infancy and His hidden life. To suffer and to live in union with Her Son, summed up Her entire life on earth. She was one in heart with all the thoughts and sentiments of Her Son. She offered Him to God in the Sacrifice on Calvary, with an understanding and a love, which were surpassed in fullness and perfection only by the sacrificial act of the Divine Victim on the Cross. By the Death of Jesus Christ, Her Son, and in the martyrdom of Her own Heart, we have cost Her too deeply for Her to forget us. God has bequeathed to Her the treasury of all the graces He won for us through His Redemption. Mary is the Mother of Divine Grace. She pleads for us with God and lavishly pours out upon us the graces of which we stand in need. Mary is truly Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope in this vale of tears. Mary is the Mother of the living. On Christmas Day, let us approach the stable at Bethlehem and the foot of the Cross, where we find the Child with His Mother where He brought us forth to His Life of Grace. With all the love in Her Heart, She will care for the needs of our salvation and She will not rest until She numbers us among the trophies of His Most Precious Blood. To Her Mother’s Heart, we make this appeal for every Grace even unto our final breath: Holy Mary, Mother of God, We want to wish all of you a very holy and happy Christmas, filled with the most choice blessings! May your family be warmed and sustained by the furnace of charity which flows through our souls, by the great bond of prayer that unites us the world over! Cherish your family, count your blessings and set up solid spiritual goals for the New Year! We remain, One with you in the Pure Heart of Mary!
This is Our Life: To Let Christ live! |
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"The Twelve Days of Christmas" We all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written. It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts. Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law – private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic. The song's gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so …" The other symbols mean the following:
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From the Holy Land MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the baby Jesus remain in your heart and may your tears be that of joy! May St. Michaels’ fighting angels of peace invade your home and drive away all that is ungodly and undesirable! May thieves steal all your debts! May the Archangel Raphael heal all your illnesses, heartaches and physical discomforts of the last years and keep you always healthy! May the angels of love stick to your face like expensive perfume and may laughter assault your lips! May love, peace, joy, good health, success and prosperity be the daily order of your day and may the days that follow be just as blessed! May your problems and heart aches disappear and may future challenges be light as feathers! May your faults be written in the sands and may your good deeds be carved into granite stones! May your soul be free of worldly debris and may your heart be filled with right faith, firm hope and perfect charity! May your Christmas and New Year wishes be answered and may your dreams come true! May our merciful God continue to bless you and may you humbly accept all with heartfelt gratitude! In other words, Merry Christmas! Be assured of my prayers for you and your family for the coming year! Prayerful best wishes,
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¡El Espíritu de Adviento es Uno de Gozo Piadoso, Expentante! Hace dos mil once años, el Divino Redentor apareció visible y encarnado cuando nació como un Niño pobre en el establo de Belén. Pero, este primer advenimiento de Nuestro Señor ocurre de nuevo, una realidad misericordiosa, no solo en la fiesta de Navidad, sino en los corazones de cada uno de nosotros en el Santo Sacrificio de la Misa. La Iglesia siendo, como si dijéramos, el establo de Belén, y el Altar y nuestros corazones el pesebre. En Navidad, la Iglesia celebra, no solo la primera venida de Cristo a la tierra como Nuestro Redentor, ¡sino también la misericordiosa realidad de Su segunda venida a la tierra como nuestro Juez! El día en el que la obra de Redención fue consumada, es un Triunfo para Cristo y sus seguidores. Por Su primera venida, Nuestro Señor nos redimió del pecado y obtuvo la resurrección de nuestras almas a la vida de Gracia. Por su segunda venida, Cristo nos sanará de nuestras flaquezas y traerá resurrección a nuestros cuerpos. Recogeremos la cosecha de felicidad completa con Dios según como le hayamos servido en este mundo con todo nuestro ser, cuerpo y alma. Es, entonces, sumamente importante preparar nuestros corazones durante la Temporada de Adviento para los dos aspectos de la venida de Cristo: como nuestro Redentor y también como nuestro Juez el Día del Juicio. En la gran fiesta de Navidad, que se acerca, Cristo desea nacer en nosotros para que vivamos de nuevo, por Su Gracia, una vida más pura y más perfecta. Tenemos trabajo por hacer. Todavía hay países donde la gente está en las tinieblas y en la sombra de la muerte; almas en las que Cristo, el Sol de la Justicia, aún no ha salido. Recemos, durante Adviento, por la redención de la gente pagana. Demasiado numerosos, también, son los cristianos incrédulos y tibios en nuestros propios países, que están sordos al llamado de Adviento, quienes no desean al Redentor y no le temen como su Juez. Procuremos guiar a estas creaturas paupérrimas a Cristo y por nuestras oraciones, sacrificios y buenas obras hacer sus corazones fríos y estériles, ¡suceptibles a la gran Gracia de Navidad! Durante el reinado del Papa Pío XII y en la estela de la grave crisis de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el Soberano Pontífice consagró el mundo al Inmaculado Corazón de María. Por esta consagración universal, él suavemente guió un mundo irreflexivo y rebelde a los pies de María. En la agonía de esos días funestos, repitió las palabras de Jesucristo desde la Cruz: ¡AHÍ TIENES A TU MADRE! A la primera hora del pecado humano, Dios Mismo reveló a la Mujer que sería victoriosa sobre Satanás. “Yo pondré enemistades entre ti y la mujer, y entre tu raza y la descendencia suya: ella quebrantará tu cabeza, y tú andarás acechando a su calcañar." Satanás había engañado a la primera mujer, Eva. Por ella, Adán, nuestro primer Padre, cayó, y con él toda la raza humana. La desobediencia lanzó el reino de la muerte. María es la señal de esperanza, dada por Dios a un pueblo pecador. Por su humilde Fiat, ella se convirtió en Su Madre y la nuestra. ¡El Hijo de Dios, que existe desde toda la Eternidad se convirtió, en el tiempo, en el Hijo de María! "He aquí la esclava del Señor: Y el Verbo se hizo Carne y habitó entre nosotros. María fue Virgen antes del Nacimiento de Jesucristo, Virgen en Su Nacimiento, por un milagro de Dios, y siempre Virgen después de dar a luz a Ntro. Salvador: tal es la Fe de toda la Iglesia desde los primeros tiempos. En consideración a la Gloria de la Santísima Virgen, quizá sea fácil olvidar el sufrimiento de toda su vida, porque ella es de hecho la Madre del Redentor doloroso. Ntra. Santísima Madre fue dotada de una vasta inteligencia. Ningún pecado jamás había empañado su entendimiento de las cosas de Dios. Ella bien supo la tristeza de las profecías que predijeron cómo el Mesías tomaría sobre sí las penalidades por nuestro pecado. En nuestros Rosarios, contamos la Anunciación como un Misterio Gozoso. El gozo, en verdad, es nuestro; nosotros a quienes les ha sido dado por medio de María un Redentor. El dolor es de ella, puesto que ella sabía que Él debía ser el Varón de Dolores. Simeón confirmó la angustia en su alma de Madre; la espada traspasó su Corazón en ese instante. En completa sumisión, María había accedido a ser Su Madre. Solo podemos imaginar sus pensamientos al observar la belleza de su Hijo, de Niño y durante su crecimiento. Vio sus manitas y pies atravesados por los clavos, su rostro amoratado y sangrando, y en su costado la abierta brutal de la lanza. Sus brazos extendidos ya estaban fijos en la Cruz.
La estrechez de la unión de María con el desagravio de su Hijo ha ganado para Nuestra Señora el título que quizá sea el más dulce que un hombre pueda usar con respecto a ella: Madre del Divino Redentor. Hay un Mediador entre Dios y el hombre, Jesucristo. Por Su Muerte, el hombre ha sido redimido. Sin embargo, en un sentido muy real, Nuestra Señora por su satisfacción y sus méritos bajo Cristo y en unión con el único Salvador, es llamada Corredentora. En la Encarnación, ella dio su completo consentimiento para ser la Madre del Redentor Crucificado, con todo el martirio de alma que tal oficio pudiera acarrear. En la Presentación, María ofreció a Dios un don tal como jamás antes le había sido dado. Fue ella quien cuidó al Salvador a cada etapa de Su infancia y Su vida oculta. Sufrir y vivir en unión con su Hijo resumió su vida entera en la tierra. Ella de corazón fue una con todos los pensamientos y sentimientos de su Hijo. Ella lo ofreció a Dios en el Calvario, con un entendimiento y un amor, que fueron sobrepasados en plenitud y perfección solo por el acto expiatorio de la Divina Víctima en la Cruz. Por la Muerte de Jesucristo, su Hijo, y en el martirio de su propio Corazón, le hemos costado demasiado para que nos olvide. Dios le ha legado la tesorería de todas las gracias que Él ganó para nosotros por su Redención. María es la Madre de la Divina Gracia. Ella ruega por nosotros con Dios y espléndidamente derrama sobre nosotros las gracias que necesitamos. María es verdaderamente Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Dulzura y Nuestra Esperanza en este valle de lágrimas. María es la Madre de los vivos. El Día de Navidad, acerquémonos al establo de Belén y al pie de la Cruz, donde encontramos al Niño con Su madre, donde Él nos dio a luz a Su Vida de Gracia. Con todo el amor en su Corazón, tendrá cuidado de las necesidades de nuestra salvación y no descansará hasta que nos cuente entre los trofeos de Su Preciosísima Sangre. A su Corazón de Madre, hacemos esta súplica por todas las Gracias hasta nuestro último aliento: Santa María, Madre de Dios, ¡Queremos desearles a todos ustedes una muy bendita y feliz Navidad, llena de las mejores bendiciones! ¡Que su familia sea calentada y sostenida por la hoguera de caridad que fluye por nuestras almas, por el gran vínculo de oración que nos une por todo el mundo! ¡atesoren a su familia, cuenten sus bendiciones y preparen metas espirituales sólidas para el Nuevo Año! Permanecemos, Uno con ustedes en el Corazón Puro de María! Patti Melvin
ESTA ES NTRA. VIDA: ¡DEJAR QUE CRISTO VIVA! |
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May Mary, the Mother of God, mother Jesus in you, until you no longer are – but He lives and prays through you! This is our vocation as Christians: to again give to Christ, even as Mary did, a body of real flesh (our very own) in which to dwell and operate! This is our glory! This is our calling! Jesus looks to us for another humanity through which He can live again, through which He can again believe, obey and love His Father. 
Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Tuesday, December 13, 2011
December 13th, 2011|
Children blessed by their parents are blessed by God!
You may send your blessing to those away from home. The parental blessing may extend over hill and vale, and will rest on the children wherever they may be. Post your blessings in a letter: “Your father and mother bless you.” The blessing maybe given in the evening after night prayers. It may be given oftener; when the child leaves the house for school or on a journey. It should be given solemnly on the day of First Holy Communion, on the wedding day, on a child’s entrance into Religion or to a son about to ascend the Altar for the first time. Finally, dear parents, bless your children when lying on your deathbed. You may not be able to bequeath any great possessions to your children, but one thing you can give them: the heritage of your blessing. It is better to be blessed than to be rich! Fathers! Mothers! Bless you children daily, most especially in these present times when the dangers surrounding the youth threaten their innocence and their Eternal Salvation! “I BLESS YOU, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY GHOST, THAT GOD MAY BLESS YOU!”
"Let's Walk Towards Heaven! The Battle Won't Last Long, and the End Will Be Everlasting” St. Teresa of Avila
Archbishop Fulton Sheen spoke courageously and tirelessly exposing the fundamental nature of Communism and our duty to use all our resources and energy to oppose it. Every member of the Communist Party has pledged to commit treason against the USA and help to overthrow our Constitution by duplicity and deceit. The Communist Party is the largest atheistic organization in the world. It is determined, dedicated, well organized and deadly! We must use all our resources to stop this lethal foe. If we do not win, the rest of the world will be swallowed up by this satanic force and we will lose all our freedoms. Their goal is to subjugate, dominate and remake the entire world, by subversion if possible and by force if necessary! Rome is the big prize for Communism. Our Lady of La Salette forewarned us in 1846 and Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. Our Lady of Fatima mentioned 1960 as being critical in the battle for souls. Sister Lucia later lamented that neither the good nor the bad have taken to heart or heeded Mary’s pleas. We could not realize the implications of Our Lady’s message at that time but, as we look back, it is painfully clear. We view woefully the Vatican-Moscow Agreement of 1962 in which Vatican officials formally pledged to Soviet counterparts that the Church, henceforth, would refrain from any condemnation of Communism! This pledge has been honored without exception to the present day. As such, it constitutes TREASON! Failure to oppose the satanic force of Atheistic Communism can hardly be short of sin! Archbishop Sheen was called to Rome in 1963 and ordered to be silent against Communism by the Holy Father. The great foe of Communism was silenced and Pope Paul VI publicly proclaimed the United Nations to be the hope of the world! THIS IS HISTORY. Please God, we can learn from it. We are on the battlefield and need some deadly serious guidelines to help us win this war. Satan is a deceiver for he is the father of lies and there is no truth in him. If he can get us to believe his lie, then he can begin his work in our life. He questions God’s word and His goodness. He is a rebel against God, “You will be like unto God,” he tells Eve. God accomplishes His work through Truth, Satan through lies, but he always masquerades his lies as God’s Truth. His target is our mind and his goal is to divert us from doing God’s Will. God’s Will is not our duty, but our delight; it is our nourishment! Beware, we cannot reason or dialogue with Satan. Man’s wisdom is no match for Satan is cunning. We must study our Faith, understand our duty to God, and make time for prayer, without which we will be easy prey for the devil. Be Sober! Be Alert!
Be Prayerful! The devil, our adversary, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. If Satan cannot attack our mind, he is happy to attack and destroy our body which is God’s Temple, the tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity. Christians can be seen and it is our conduct in the body that glorifies and exalts Our Blessed Lord. The members of our body are tools in the Holy Spirit’s Hands to help build the Church. The various trials we encounter are simply a test of our faith and they produce in us endurance. Impatience is a mark of unbelief. Patient endurance is enriching. The only way to learn patience is to go through the suffering that God has assigned to us. Satan is proud, critical, unbending, stubborn, a gossip, jealous and a braggart. Pride glorifies man and robs God of the Glory He deserves. The essence of sin, is to be independent of God. Beware if you feel important! Remember in this battle against Satan the only way to conquer is to surrender, SURRENDER TO GOD! Humility is not thinking meanly of ourselves; humility is not thinking of ourselves at all! We must know our enemy and put on the Armor of God: truth, humility, faith and absolute confidence in God. Satan is a destroyer, he is well organized and his first attack is against the home. Let us give him some resistance! Our vast physical resources and our masterly technical skills will avail us nothing unless we are a people strong in Faith which gives purpose to our action, and fosters discipline and courage. The true strength of a Christian Nation is the power of God which outweighs all force of arms! The fortress of our Catholic Families has been gravely undermined. Lustful self-indulgence, divorce and birth prevention have broken the lives of our youths rendering them delinquents! Victory Will Come Only With Obedience To God's Law! |
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The parental blessing is as old as humanity. Priests have the authority to bless all the faithful; thus, too, parents have the right to bless their children. Dear Parents, every time, you raise your hands in benediction over your children, you draw down upon them the blessing of God for the good of their bodies and souls. The early Christians, daily, blessed their children with the Sign of the Cross. Your happiness and joy does not consist in wealth, but in having good children. The Sign of the Cross which you make upon your children’s forehead will never be effaced. The blessing will never be lost. No passion will be able to obliterate it completely. The parental blessing effects another great good; it is a sacred bond which unites the father and mother in everlasting fidelity, in perfect love and harmony. The Sign of the Cross, daily, reminds them of the solemn obligation taken before the Altar to remain faithful even unto death. The blessing: Have your children kneel before you; place your right hand on the head of each as you repeat: GOD BLESS YOU, MY CHILD! Then, you may take holy water and, with the thumb of the right hand, make the Sign of the Cross upon the forehead and lips and breast of the child, saying: “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY GHOST." The child may answer: “GOD REWARD YOU!"
The enemy is within our gates. We must identify him and recognize him for what he really is and strive with all our might to crush and expel him from our hearts and our homes. Some feel the enemy is only political or merely an economic system. Be not mistaken that the enemy of your family, Holy Mother the Church and our country, is atheistic materialism, secular humanism, Communism! It stalks our cities, community housing, residential neighborhoods and country villages. It’s tools are terror, murder, lies, deceit, oppression, cruel suppression of governments, enslavement of millions, separation of families, crisis, unrest, conflict and destruction. It is a revolution against the established order which has at its heart to silence moral authority and enslave the world.
Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Tuesday, December 6, 2011
December 7th, 2011|
News from the Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) from Around the World Dear Friends, Cordial greetings from the new Catholic Diocese of Bo in Southern Sierra Leone! I have been in touch with Ms. Juliana Tommy. I acknowledge and appreciate the spiritual work she is engaged in, that is, of promoting the praying of the Rosary in our country which is largely Moslem. I would like to express my gratitude to you and your organization for the gifts of Rosaries, Chalice, Holy Oils, etc. that I received from Juliana after my Episcopal Ordination on 7th May this year.
Our diocese is the newest and youngest in Sierra Leone. We hope to build it up on a very solid spiritual foundation. We, therefore, kindly ask you to keep us in your prayers and help us form the people of God in this new diocese in deep spirituality. May Mary, Our Mother, Help of Christians, pray for us all! Yours in Christ, Most Rev. Charles A. M. Campbell Thank you so much for the package you sent me. St. Philomena’s cord is unbelievable! l wear it all the time. It is like my own umbilical cord that connected me to my mother! I am overjoyed with it. It is part of me now and will be forever! I have been a member from 2003 and my wife joined in 2008. Thank you for your magazine, Dedicated Decades, we both read it throughout. The spirituality of the essays deepen our faith, while the accounts of the miraculous interventions of St. Philomena and the courageous efforts of Catholics in third world countries, increase our devotion. We are sending our annual donation.
Thank you so much for your parcel. May God reward you 100-fold! Great numbers have benefited. I encourage all my students to enroll in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). We pray for all of you and we thank you! I treasure everything you send, for it gives strength to our people. Thank you for your gift of Rosaries. Today, we have many faithful who come to pray the Rosary. They live under the firm confidence in Mary and the power of the Mysteries. Countless numbers convert. The simplicity of this devotion makes it perfect for children and persons of every walk in life. Forgive my delay to send my thanks along to you. I work alone as Prior of our Dominican Mother House, Director of a school and representative of the Dominican Order in Quito. When I distribute the Rosaries you send to our people, before we begin the Holy Rosary, we pray for you first.
I mailed you 720 members and here is another photo of new members from the Madeleine Academy and our feast day celebrations for St. Philomena. Your FOREX boxes are such a support for the spread of this devotion among the suffering and poor. God bless us all!
We gather all our youths for 2 weeks out of the year and we invite speakers, resource people from the Church and government, to give guidelines to the youth. During this time, we have sports activities, Bible studies, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration, fund raising and a social night. We are happy to learn about your Youth for Purity Crusade and are eager to be a part of this work. I greet you on the Eve of St. Patrick’s Feast. May St. Patrick along with St. Philomena bring you and all your staff many graces and blessings! I am hoping you can send me some medals of St. Philomena. I work as a hospital chaplain and give out the medals. I place the children under her care. Prayers are answered in abundance! I know she is a powerful Saint. Also, I place couples who have suffered miscarriages under her protection to help them conceive. May God reward you!
Thank you for accepting our sincere request to join full membership in the ULRA. Many will be willing to join the group. I enclose a photo of our new members. We appreciate your concern for us and pray that this communion may shine forth toward accomplishing the desired mission before us, which is the salvation of the whole world.
I have presented the framed photo of St. Philomena to his Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Camilus Elukudo (SP) while the members look on. I intend to build a shrine for St. Philomena in the Port Harcourt diocese. We will need your help and prayers. Yours faithfully,
I have enrolled these young seminarians in the ULRA. I could not include everyone as many were writing their exams. Please, we need more materials for the large number of new members.
I am officially continuing to assist the youth in our parish to take part in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). It is my hope that youhave received the enrollment forms I sent and more materials will be coming to us. I am sharing photos of the youth just enrolled. The young generation and our whole community wish to be involved in the ULRA. Folks from distant villages want to take part. Please send us more materials to help spread the devotion. God bless all of you!
< Andrew – ZAMBIA > Please find 26 completed forms for membership. We are patiently waiting for more Rosaries. We thank God for the good works you do in His Name.
< Sr. Mary Florence – CAMEROON > I thank you and all your members for your tireless support of my missionary work by providing Sacramentals. We are very grateful as it is an important part of what we do here at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Heart of Mary.
< Fr. Okanya, Rector – KENYA > Thank you for the Rosaries, Medals and all the materials you send. Our ULRA groups are growing in great numbers not only in this parish but also in other parishes the priests invite me to share with them the life of St. Philomena. The bishop has invited me to teach the people about the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) and St. Philomena. We pray for all of you.
< Mathewos – ETHIOPIA >
< Michael – Nigeria, AFRICA > Our people have little money to buy books or Sacramentals. We thank you very much for all the spiritual treasures you send for our members in Romania. This is Transylvania where we still continue to have Holy Mass under the burning sun, and confessions in make-shift confessionals.
< Monica – ROMANIA > It is with great pleasure I wish to report my visit to Sri Lanka along with our Spiritual Director, Fr. Prasad Ignatius (who was appointed by our Archbishop, Most Rev. A.M. Chinnappa) from July 29 to August 1, 2011. Fr. Andrew Uthayadas, Animator of Sri Lanka organized a Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Rally on 30th July. About 150 members participated. The role of Our Lady in the Salvation of mankind and the Children of Mary’s cooperation in the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart was the theme of our Spiritual Director’s talk to the members.
On August 1, we met Most Rev. Malcolm Ranjith, Cardinal and Archbishop of Sri Lanka and discussed about the ULRA functioning in our country and recommended the petition of Fr. Andrew, Animator of Sri Lanka for the appointment of a National Spiritual Director. The Cardinal was happy to appoint Fr. Prasad Ignatius as the Spiritual Director of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Sri Lanka and he is very supportive in spreading the devotion of the ULRA in the country. It was a fruitful and worthy meeting. The prayers and reflections during the Rally were conducted in the local dialect, Sinhala and in Tamil, followed by Eucharistic benediction. Brother Joseph Roche and his Indian Spiritual Director, Fr. Prasad Ignatius, had boosted the program. The success of the ULRA Rally in Sri Lanka is due to the constant love and support of our ULRA Director, Patti Melvin. We thank you, dear Benefactors, for helping us spread the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Sri Lanka. We keep you in our prayers and in the Sacred Masses too.
Fr. Andrew with Cardinal and Fr. Prasad Ignatius
Joseph Roche with Cardina The Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Papua New Guinea
I and my family wish to enroll in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). We are interested and happy to follow your instructions, and guidelines, so that peace and harmony may come to our communities. We are all happy to become soldiers in Mary’s Holy Rosary. I am requesting for Rosaries and the holy oil of St. Philomena. Everyone loves this dear Saint, whose rope and oil are healing the sick, driving the devil out of those possessed and strengthening every one spiritually. A group of about 20 families meet every Sunday, pray the Rosary, have a Bible study and carry out social activities. I had 30 candidates for First Communion. Please send us anything you can. The demand is just great. I failed to reply and inform you about what is going on. The people in our parish badly need the sacred materials you send out to teach and strengthen the Faith. The youth turn to drugs and homebrew alcohol. This creates lots of problems in the family and society as a whole. All who call upon St. Philomena are helped. Thank you. We await your parcel! I am a seminarian and the animator of the Pontifical Missionary Childhood Group here in Port Moresby. We have 40 consecrated children who have committed themselves to the service of the Church and to the world. We have many programs that help us to be missionaries. I hope you can send for them, little pictures of St. Philomena, oils, Rosaries and Medals which will bolster their spirits to seek after the things of Heaven. We will keep in touch with you in our prayers under the guidance of St. Philomena. St. Philomena’s holy oil has cured many people in Yabob Village, Madang. Please, I beg for more. I am so glad to receive your spiritual gifts, reading materials, booklets and literature which encourage, inspire and enrich me and to share these with my people. Thanks a lot, not only for the gifts, but also for your support, care and prayer during my vocation crisis and, above all, for your love and faith. Yours in Jesus and Mary, Fr. Levi Supriyadi, SVD PARISH PRIEST St. Philomena’s Feast Day Celebration in Myanmar (Burma)
Wishing you a Happy Feast of Saint Philomena!
I am very proud to tell you that the celebration of Saint Philomena’s Feast was successful. We four priests (Kaly, Vicar Forane – Fr. Jerome as main celebrant) offered High Mass at 8 a.m. and there were about 200 faithful. Soon after Mass, we had a meeting. One girl, Helena Tee gave witness to the power of the Rosary and Infant Jesus. She recites 1,000 Decades a day. She casts out devils from those who are possessed through the power of the Holy Rosary, holy water, and holy oil and cord of St. Philomena. 26 lay persons promised to say one Rosary every day. I need more Decade numbers for enrollment. Please send me Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, holy oil and cords of St. Philomena as soon as possible for another list of members. I have already mailed the lists of new members. How about our proposal to build a chapel for St. Philomena? Here are the photos of our activities.
God Bless All of You! < Fr. Joseph Mung, Pastoral Center, Pinlon, Myanmar – ASIA > I was invited to launch the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in village Kologory, located in Lviv near the mountain. The people learned about the strength of the ULRA spirituality and invited me to form the LR group. All the village folks came to church for the Sacred Mass in honor of St. Philomena and the youth performed a concert which was dedicated to the Saint. Everybody was moved to learn how St. Philomena offered her life for Jesus Christ. 30 children participated in the performance and almost 100 faithful were present at the Sacred Mass along with members of Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) from village Kologory. “In my suffering from kidney failure and dialysis three times each week, your parcel and kind words are a great consolation. The road of pain leads to Heaven. I have to suffer. Please pray for me and know that you are remembered in my prayers.”
Fr. James Parokaran (RIP) THRISSUR – KERALA Please pray for the repose of soul of Father James. Archbishop Thazhath continues his Decade in the ULRA.
I am very happy to receive the packet containing a Crucifix, Rosaries, poster pictures of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Way of the Cross, and leaflets. I am also happy to understand that you have included my classmate, Fr. James Parokkaran (RIP), in your prayers. I am distributing the Rosaries and poster pictures to our faithful who are really devotees of Our Lady. Practically in all our Catholic houses, the Rosary is recited daily. I wish God’s blessings through the intercession of Mary for the success of your ministry for the Glory of God. With best regards, yours in Christ, X Mar Andrews Thazhath, Archbishop of Trichur, Archbishop’s House, Trichur, Kerala – INDIA I am very happy to have the DVD on the Eucharist. I am one with you in prayer that through the example of St. Philomena, every family may cultivate a great love and devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother! I am so grateful to receive materials from your Association. Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Mission in Ghana, Africa
You may see how the work is been done at our Center. Michael, Sylvester and Gabriel are so busy at typing the enrollments and filling out Decade Cards for new members. You can see how we sort out / arrange devotional items for making the packages. You may see, after packaging, how we try to decorate the packages or boxes and address label them for mailing. We finally pack them into the St. Philomena’s van, and then to the Post Office for special mailing. So sorry, the little camera I use cannot capture indoor pictures clearly. You may see me behind a lot of boxes in my office at the St. Philomena’s House!
One of the schools, we had the privilege to visit last month was the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School at Odeneho-Kwadaso. We talked much about Purity to the students who are already members of the ULRA. You can see Sr. Cecilia Salifu, headmistress with some of the staff members in the group photograph. Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier, the Catholic Bishop of Damongo Diocese in the Northern Region of Ghana giving me a warm welcome. Thank you, dear Benefactors and Patti, for all the love and support to the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Center in Ghana. |
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I am sending you some pictures taken at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Abuja, Nigeria where many people were assigned a Decade. There was a lot of publicity so people from other parishes and dioceses came. In fact, all the presidents from other churches helped set up a superb meeting, as for the very first time we had something to eat and drink for they were really happy with the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) for the good work it is doing in spreading the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
After Mass, the parish priest, in his message, conveyed his happiness with what we were doing and encouraged us to do more to reach out to other people who are in dire need of our united prayer. He has worked in many places but has not come across any society that is doing this much in spreading the devotion of Mary. I visited the HIV-AIDs victims. They are all happy to be a part of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA).
Dear Leader, Associates, Friends and Benefactors of the Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association, Thanks for the Rosaries and religious articles!
Fr. Prof. John Appiah Poku, on my left, is a Senior Lecturer, School of Medical Science, University of Science & Technology, Kumasi and on my right is Fr. Dr. Augustine Ntim Duodu, Vice Rector of St. Joseph’s Catholic Seminary, Mampong. They are very well recognized as the Spiritual Directors of the ULRA in Ghana, after Archbishop Emeritus Dr. Peter Sarpong and are very active and much supportive to the work of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). They try always to travel from their various destinations to celebrate the Mass of St. Philomena with us on every feast day of the Saint at our St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica. This they have done for over the past 20 years now. They say, they deserve NO recommendation from anyone as they do all because St. Philomena is their own beloved Sister who intercedes for and refuses them NOTHING they ask through her intercession. Patti, you can see both our good Priest members at the Altar offering the Mass of St. Philomena during her last feast on May 25, 2011.
During the 1990’s, both Fathers John and Augustine use to accompany our Preaching Team for some weekend trips to other Parishes and that was so very encouraging but, nowadays, due to their heavy schedules, they cannot continue. In fact, they have done a lot for the fast spreading of the ULRA devotion here in Ghana more than any other Priest in the country. They do much to inspire me in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) work in Ghana and other places. Moreover, they have taken the responsibility to celebrate Holy Masses for the special intentions of the ULRA, both spiritual and temporal. They love Our Lady, the Rosary, ULRA and St. Philomena as well as you, Patti and me! You and your wonderful Apostolate are always in their hearts. Many people call them Saint Philomena’s Brothers in Ghana, as I am also called Anthony Philomena. Let us continue to keep them in our daily prayers.
Thanksgiving Message – Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Tuesday, November 22, 2011
November 22nd, 2011| Dear Apostle of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
We are deeply grateful for your timely and generous support of our missionary work throughout the world. How urgent it is to reach souls with the Holy Rosary and Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart! As we witness the rampant spread of materialism, we must pray, labor and sacrifice to restore the Kingship of Christ in our hearts, homes and Nation today. Tomorrow will be too late! Special Masses have been arranged for your dear family. It is a wonderful thing to trust God. If only we trusted Him, we would find joy, confidence and peace of soul. How very often, we are so busy planning God’s agenda and anxiously waiting for Him to attend to our wishes, that we fail Him in both gratitude and trust! When one trusts, he is then grateful. When one is grateful, he views life as a grace, an undeserved and unearned gift from the Father’s Hands. The grateful heart cries out in the morning: “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of a new day! Thank you for the gift of loving and being loved! Thank you for the four seasons! Thank you for the gift of Thy Son, It is curious that in studies of financial giving, the poor give a larger proportion of their income to charity than the rich. Being surrounded by misery, they see opportunities to help on every side. To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy. To be grateful for the moments of sorrow, pain and uncertainty, requires hard spiritual work. When we are inwardly dissipated through business, obsession, addiction, sports, gossip, TV, movies and internet, we cannot be attentive to the gifts that arrive each day. Gratefulness is born of prayerfulness which makes us aware of the presence of God, which is manifested in a sunset, the song of a meadowlark, symphony, a word from a friend and the smile of an infant child. Gratitude is contagious. Grateful people are a delight to be around and their spirit is catching. It is not joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us joyful. The highest form of giving is “Thanksgiving”. Ingratitude is the most abominable of sins. Those who grumble forget the graces, benefits and blessings they have received from the Hand of God. To trust in the Love of God amidst sufferings and setbacks, is one of the highest forms of Gratitude. Just for today, my Sweet Jesus, Please, pray for me. Patti Melvin |
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| Dear Members and Benefactors,
Fast approaching is the holy Season of Advent in which we prepare our hearts for the coming of Our Divine Infant King. God’s Eyes rest upon our Catholic homes with special love and benediction. Christ longs to flood these hallowed walls with His presence and lavish graces. In Baptism, we became other “Christs”, cherished members of His Mystical Family and sharers in His work of Redemption. We became the Tongue and Hands and Heart of Jesus in the world. Himself invisible, He must reach others through you and me, or not at all. To make Jesus better known and loved, this is our mission. As we journey to Bethlehem, leaving the world behind, silent and unseen will be the transformation that is wrought within the sanctuary of our souls. Believe me, through our detachment and sacrifices, ills will be cured, our lives will increase in vigor and miracles of health will take place at every moment of the day and night. Take, O Lord, all that we are and all that we have; only give Thyself to us and that will suffice! Sacrifice is the fuel of love. Let us count our sufferings as great blessings. Perfection is to put God first in everything! May our union of prayer be made fruitful during this Advent Season so that, through our charity, sacrifice and love all souls who do not yet know our Sweet Infant Savior will come to Bethlehem and find him in the stable in the arms of His Immaculate Mother, and ours! With God’s Grace, all things are possible!
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
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We thank you for the great zeal you have shown in remembering your departed loved ones at the Sacred Altar. We will continue these 30 days of Masses for them, all through the month of December too. May their eternal union with God be accomplished
I impart to all of you my priestly blessing: