Year for Priests 2009

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/Culture/LiturgicalYear/overviews/year_priest/ for more info.

Region Novena

Greetings Dear Brothers and Sisters,

          In the TAU 2009 Spring Issue, there is a request to the SFO in the United States to

partake in a year long Novena.  They set up a nice bracket to utilize all 30 Regions in the

U.S. 

St. Joan of Arc has the 4^th week of June and the 4^th week of December to fulfill their

request.  I have attached the Novena Prayers so that you do not have to hunt for your TAU;

please make copies and involve your fraternity members to partake in this devotion.  Your

generous time and obedience to this request is greatly appreciated and … your reward in

Heaven will be great!  God bless you all and I look forward to seeing you at the Regional

meeting on June 13^th. 

 

Your servant sister,

 

Cherryle Fruge, sfo

San Damiano Fraternity-Kinder

St. Joan of Arc Region

Councilor – West

NOVENA of INTERCESSION

Lent 2009

For the next 40 days, we as a fraternity have decided that for Lent, we will do prayers and fasting for America to return to its founding principles (i.e., the God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), for pro-life victories, and for the conversion of pro-abortion politicians (example: Obama, Biden and Pelosi). We will be using the following prayer throughout Lent:

A Pro-Life Prayer for Our President and Public Officials

Lord God, Author of Life and Source of Eternal Life, move the hearts of all our public officials and especially our President, to fulfill their responsibilities worthily and well to all those entrusted to their care. Help them in their special leadership roles, to extend the mantle of protection to the most vulnerable, especially the defenseless unborn, whose lives are threatened with extermination by an indifferent society. Guide all public officials by your wisdom and grace to cease supporting any law that fails to protect the fundamental good that is human life itself, which is a gift from God and parents. You are the Protector and Defender of the lives of the innocent unborn. Change the hearts of those who compromise the call to protect and defend life. Bring our nation to the values that have made us a great nation, a society that upholds the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. Mary, the Mother of the living, help us to bear witness to the Gospel of Life with our lives and our laws, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Imprimatur: January 22, 2009 + Most Reverend Robert J. Baker Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama

The Advent Debate

      Lately  I  have heard  of  a local  ongoing  debate,  which  I fear  is  probably  pretty much  universal,  regarding the Season of Advent.  The debate  focuses  on whether Advent  is  just a  time of preparation for Christmas,  could  we then  call it  a  pre-Christmas,  or  a  penitential  season.  The  Church’s  answer,  as usual,  stands  in the middle – “Virtus in medio stat.”   While  it is  a  time for preparation  for  the great Feast  of the  Nativity of  the Son of God  made Man -  and as such  what a wonderful  event that is -  it  is  also  a  penitential season,  that is,  a time  of penance  and  sacrifice.  When we  were  little,  those  of us who  were  fortunate enough to have  had  good  old  fashioned  sisters  as our teachers  in grade school,  were   told  to  make  many acts  of  penance  and self-abnegation, sacrifices,  special  devotions  and  to have  a crib  for the Baby Jesus in which we  would  put  a  piece of  straw  for each act  we  performed.  The idea was that we  would  have so many acts  of penance  that we   would  make a  comfy  bed  for the Baby  Jesus.  It  was  childlike, yes,  and simple.  But isn’t  Christmas  all about childlikeness and  simplicity?  The  idea  was  that according to age-old  Church practice  Advent was -  and is -  a  season of  penance.  That is very difficult  in the  post-Christian  and secularized  world in which most of us live.  Christmas  carols  and decorations spring  up  as early  as Halloween (yes)  in many places  and for the most part  after Thanksgiving.  Those  same  decorations  are  thrown  out  and the carols  cease  the day after Christmas.  We  as  Catholics  should  be counter  cultural – as  Pope  John Paul II often reminded  us.  Christmas  lasts  for forty days  until Candle on February 2nd -  which goes  back to the Law  of Moses  which Christ came to  fulfill to perfection.  The  Vatican  is  a  good  sign of this  since  by order  of the Pope  the ancient  Roman  practice  of  leaving up all Nativity scenes (even in St.  Peter’s Square)  until  Feb.  2nd has  been   both  kept  up  and  restored in the last  few  years (as  far as St.  Peter’s  is concerned).  Thus we have Forty Days  of Christmas.  It  is then  that we  should have Christmas  parties and feasts,  not before Christmas Eve.  In too many quarters,  too many Parishes,  and  Catholic  organizations  we  have  succumbed  to the ways  of the world. Instead  of  bringing  the light  of the Truth to the  world  we have  molded  ourselves  about its erroneous  criteria.  This  must change.

 

        On the other hand  we have this time of Advent.   It  is  a  Season of  Penance  for which the Church vests Herself in violet or purple (except  Gaudete  Sunday in Rose  which signifies  a lessening of the rigors  of  penance).   So  it  is  a  Penitential Season,  primarily.   Yes,  it is a time of preparation for the Birth of Christ,  just as Lent  is a time of preparation for Easter.  Does  that mean we start to celebrate Christmas  before  Christmas  and forget the penance  which our Faith and Tradition  tell  us we  must do?  Does  that mean we start to celebrate Easter  on Ash Wednesday and forget  our Lenten penance?  I think  we  all know the answer.  The Liturgy and Discipline  of the Church (which follows  the Liturgy)  tell us otherwise.  We  prepare  for  Christmas -  or  for Easter -  by repentance,  by  penances, sacrifices, increased  quality and time and number  of prayers  and devotions.  We  gather,  as it were,  many pieces  of straw  to make  His crib more comfortable.  So yes,  this is a time  to performs  acts  of  fasting  and abstinence.  Of  giving witness   -  “No  I  cannot  partake of that because I am preparing for Christmas  which starts,  not ends,  on Christmas  Day.”   It  is a time  of renewed  repentance.  A  time  to   make  a good Confession of our sins.  Needless  to say,  we  repeat with John Paul II,  the  desire and advice  to all  that  they should  go to Confession regularly,  at  least  once  a month.  The  just man sins  seven times  a day.  Once  or twice  a  year  is  hardly sufficient  to make a good  thorough  confession  or to partake in the elements  of spiritual  growth which this  wonderful  Sacrament  affords  us.  It  is  a time  when we should try to attend  and participate  in the Sacred  Mysteries  of the Mass and perhaps  in at least the readings  of  the  Divine Office,  the Liturgy of the Hours  which are  so very beautiful.   A  time to meditate  more deeply  in the Joyful  Mysteries  of the Rosary  with Her  who was  so essentially central  to their  taking place and their remembrance  by the Evangelists and  the early  Church.   With  St.  John  the Baptist  who plays  a central role in this Season  we also  must  yell from the rooftops:  “Repent!  The Kingdom of God is at hand!”  “Make  straight the ways  of  the Lord!”   Fill in the valleys  and  bring  down the mountains  of our sins so the Lord’s  coming will be easy and fruitful  for us.  Repent!  Prepare!  Rejoice,  because  our salvation is close  at hand!

 

Fr.  Héctor  R.G.  Pérez y Robles, STD

A priest of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese

 

Praying for Pro-Life Victories in the 2008 Election

In the ancient times of the Church, to help prepare for the Feast of St. Michael, which is on September 29, a 40 day penitential practice, similar to that of Lent was performed. This penitential practice was called The Lent of Saint Michael. The Lent of Saint Michael started on August 21. This was a favorite devotion of St. Francis.

As a fraternity, we will offer throughout the Lent of St. Michael, penitential acts for Pro-Life victories in the 2008 US presidential and congressional election.

Cardinal DiNardo speaks about the Year of St. Paul

June 27, 2008

A Shepherd’s Message

By Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

On June 28, the Holy Father will inaugurate a “Year of St. Paul” to commemorate the 2000 anniversary of his birth.  The great persecutor of the early Church was to become one of her greatest teachers and apostles.  The Risen Christ encountered Saul on the road to Damascus, an event recorded both in the Acts of the Apostles and by the great apostle himself.  Saul was “blind” to the Lord and His Church, but the blazing light of the Crucified and Risen One truly blinded Saul with its brilliance.  His whole life, like his name, was changed.  Saul became Paul.  The blind one began to see.  The direct encounter with Jesus and the subsequent baptism led Paul to become the bold teacher and witness we know about from his many Letters.  Paul instantaneously “saw” that he was called to be an apostle, and not by any human appointment.  He would subsequently have to fight for his calling all his days.  He had to face other apostles and defend himself.  He was fearless, even with St. Peter, yet he also respected the Prince of the Apostles and, as he says in his Letter to the Galatians, went to see Ciphers (Peter) to lay out the Gospel he preached in order to receive that mark of approval which Peter exercised in the early Church.

St. Paul is a profound and sometimes difficult writer; from the beginning of the Church his writings were received as the Word of God.  His insights have been extraordinarily influential in the history of the Catholic Church.  His own experience of grace set the tone for his awesome recognition of the grace of God the Father in Jesus Christ.  His characteristic teaching of our justification by faith that bears fruit in love is even now a central consideration in our understanding of the supernatural gift of faith.  His proclamation of God’s love that shines most through the Crucified Lord Jesus is a spirituality that no Catholic Christian can evade or ignore.  His beautiful analysis of the work of the Holy Spirit in his Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8, is unsurpassed.  He also has given us an essential understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ, as the Temple of God where both Head (Christ) and members (u) form such a unity that it can be said that the Church is Christ’s presence alive in the world.  He was bold in correcting errors in both teaching and in moral life.  Uncompromising with himself, he became all things to all men, as he once wrote.  His lack of self-pity amidst so many persecutions and misunderstandings is a tribute to the sheer attachment to Jesus that was his whole life.  His example is particularly important today when so many Christians compromise the Gospel because it is difficult or seems less relevant than the opinions of the elite and the media.

The Year of St. Paul occurs also this year as an inspiration for the forthcoming Synod of Bishops to be held in October in Rome.  I have been honored by being elected as one of the four American delegates to the Synod.  The theme this year is: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”  The Synod will particularly give attention to the Scriptures and their essential role in the catechesis formation and spirituality of the Church.  I believe that St. Paul will be our great heavenly Patron during the discussion, deliberation and recommendations that the Bishops of the Synod will provide for the Holy Father in his universal shepherding ministry in the Church as the Successor of St. Peter.

We will be celebrating the Year of St. Paul and the life-giving presence of the Scriptures, particularly in catechesis, in this local Church of Galveston–Houston in the coming months.  I ask of all our priests, deacons, religious and faithful to renew or revivify your love of God’s Word.  If the Letters of St. Paul seem too difficult, remember that his preaching was always and everywhere a proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pick up one of the four Gospels and begin a slow and day by day reading of one of these masterpieces.  Pray about what you read.  Spend a year with St. Matthew, or St. Mark, Saint Luke or Saint John and become enthused again for the power of the Risen Jesus who shines through every page.  Happy Reading!

Resources for the Year of Saint Paul

Resources for the Year of Saint Paul can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/stpaul/index.shtml.

Divine Mercy Sunday 2008 Novena

Starting March 21, and ending on March 29, St. Thomas More Fraternity will be praying a novena in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday. This novena will be offered for Pro-Life victories in 2008, and that St. Thomas More Fraternity gets more members. The novena can be found at: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/Novena/divine.htm.

The Lent of Saint Michael

In the ancient times of the Church, to help prepare for the Feast of St. Michael, which is on September 29, a 40 day penitential practice, similar to that of Lent was performed. This penitential practice was called The Lent of Saint Michael. The Lent of Saint Michael started on August 21. This was a favorite devotion of St. Francis, and is a beautiful devotion which Franciscans should rekindle.

Prayers for the Months of the Year of the Church

Prayers for the Months of the Year of the Church

January – The Month of the Holy Holy Name

February – The Month of the Holy Family

March – The Month of St. Joseph

April – The Month of the Blessed Sacrament

May – The Month of Mary

June – The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

July – The Month of the Most Precious Blood

August – The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

September – The Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

October – The Month of the Most Holy Rosary

November – The Month of the Souls in Purgatory

December – The Month of the Immaculate Conception