Catholic Fire

Due to my studies, I will be taking a brief blogging break, but will return soon. Y'all come back now! :)

Today's saint of the day is Saint Zita, the patron saint of domestic servants.   Zita was born in Tuscany, Italy in the village of Monsagrati to a poor, but deeply devotional family. To help support the family, she became a maid of a wealthy family, Fatinelli, in the nearby Tuscan city of Lucca, serving them loyally for 48 years.  Zita considered her work as an employment assigned to her by God and obeyed her master and mistress in all things as being placed over her by God.  She always rose several hours before the rest of the family and spent time in prayer while they slept. She started each day with Holy Mass before she began performing her duties.  Zita visited the sick and those in prison, giving them hope and spreading the gospel message. She became well known in the Lucca area for all her works of charity and her sweet, joyful disposition. Zita had a great love for the poor and donated her own food or that of her master to the poor. At first, her em...

A video on Fr. Kaupan (pronounced cape-en)via Rome Reports:    (Romereports.com) From the wheat fields of Kansas to a prisoner of war during the Korean Conflict in 1951, this is the story of military chaplain Father Emil Kapaun. He is currently being considered to receive the Medal of Honor as well as a being candidate for sainthood by the Catholic Church. He is the subject of a documentary called “The Miracle of Father Kapaun”. It follows the life of this Catholic martyr, with interviews from many of the men who served alongside the chaplain in the war. They tell how he refused to leave injured soldiers which led to his capture and eventual death in a prison camp. Through many personal letters written to his family, one is given an idea of what it was like to serve as a clergyman on the battlefield. In the last letter he is believed to ever have written he notes that “we do have a few laughs in spite of the evils of war”. The Vatican is now looking at possibly beat...

  BY   CHARLES E. RICE Charles E. Rice is a professor emeritus of law at the University of Notre Dame, and the author of several books on faith and the right to life. On April 14, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., of Peoria, Illinois, delivered a courageous homily at Mass during “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith.”  Bishop Jenky said, “This fall, every practicing Catholic must vote, and must vote their Catholic consciences, or by the following fall our Catholic schools, our Catholic hospitals, our Catholic Newman Centers, all our public ministries—only excepting our church buildings—could easily be shut down.  Because no Catholic institution, under any circumstance, can ever cooperate with the intrinsic evil of killing innocent human life in the womb.” Forty-nine members of the Notre Dame faculty denounced Bishop Jenky in a Letter to the University President, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Richard C. Notebaert...

Today is the optional memorial of  Our Lady of Good Counsel. On the Feast of Saint Mark, the Evangelist, April 25 1467, the people of Genazzano, Italy witnessed a marvelous sight. A cloud descended upon an ancient church dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared, an image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus was revealed which had not been there before. The image, on a paper-thin sheet, was suspended miraculously. Soon after the image's appearance many miracles were attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Because of this, Pope Paul II ordered an investigation and the results have been preserved. It was later discovered that the very same image had been seen in a church dedicated to the Annunciation in Scutari, Albania. The image in this church was said to have arrived there in a miraculous manner. Now, the image had been transported from Albania miraculously to avoid sacrilege from Moslem invasion. A commission of inquiry determined that a p...

Today is the feast of St. Mark, Evangelist. The second Gospel was written by St. Mark, who, in the New Testament, is also called John Mark. St. Mark and his mother, Mary, were highly regarded in the early Church, and his mother's house in Jerusalem served as a meeting place for Christians there. It was to her house that St. Peter fled following his miraculous escape from prison.  St. Mark is believed to be the young man who ran away when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52), and the "John whose other name was Mark" (Acts 12:25).  St. Mark, a cousin of Barnabas, accompanied Saint Paul on his first missionary journey and later went with him to Rome. He was a disciple of Saint Peter whose teaching was the basis for Mark's gospel. Mark is said to be the founder of the church of Alexandria.  St. Mark is the patron saint of attorneys and notaries.  "Go out into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." ~Mark 16:15  Prayer   Lo...

Cardinal Angelo Amato, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, praised the life of Mother Maria Ines Teresa , calling her beatification a gift from Pope Benedict to Mexico.  “Today’s beatification is another gift the Holy Father Benedict XVI is making to the Church and to the entire Mexican people. One month ago the Pope came to this noble land, and he was happy to be among you,” Cardinal Amato said.  “With this visit he wanted to reach out to all Mexicans, at home and abroad, to support them and thank them for their fidelity to the Catholic faith and for their love for Christ the King and the Church.”  Cardinal Amato beatified the 20th century nun on Saturday, April 21 in the presence of 12,000 people who filled the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.  During the ceremony, a relic of Mother Maria Ines was carried in procession by Francisco Javier Carrillo Guzman, the twelve year-old boy who experienced the miracle th...

Known as Mark Rey and the "Poor Man's Lawyer," Fidelis was born in 1577 at Sigmaringen, Prussia. His studies took him to the University of Freiburg and eventually to the position of tutor for Wilhelm von Stotzingen. Fidelis traveled with Wilhelm extensively throughout France and Italy before returning to Freiburg and earning a doctorate in canon and civil law. He became a prominent lawyer. However, he felt that this career endangered the salvation of his soul and he abandoned law.  He joined the Capuchin Friars Minor, changed his name to Fidelis, and gave away his worldly wealth to the poor. As a Franciscan priest, he served his friary as guardian, and worked in epidemics, especially healing soldiers. He had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Trusting in her intercession, he often begged God for the grace of sacrificing his life in vindication of the Catholic faith.  Fidelis was tireless in his efforts to convert heretics and wrote several pamphlets...

Here's a look at the Lyrid Meteor shower with a bonus Aurora Borealis, April 22, 2012. Photographed by Kameron Barge on Lake MacDonald in Glacier National Park Montana. Music Produced by Inevitable Thought.

April 23, 2012. (Romereports.com) Benedict XVI sent a message to those taking part in the VII World Congress on Pastoral Care of Tourism, which is being held in Cancun, Mexico from April 23rd to the 27th. The Pope talked about the positive side of tourism, but he also denounced the negative aspects that can arise from this industry, such as sex tourism, human trafficking, the buying and selling of organs and the exploitation of minors.  Benedict XVI also said that tourism, along with vacation and leisure time, creates an ideal space to meet people from different cultures, while taking time for both the physical and spiritual renovation. Read the full transcript of the Holy Father's Message. Related Article: HOLY FATHER DENOUNCES HUMAN TRAFFICKING FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ORGAN HARVESTING

I just received the following press release from Liberty Counsel Action and am posting it here for your information: Washington, DC – Kansas has become the latest battleground over granting special rights to homosexuals and cross-dressers. Human Relations Commissions and/or homosexual activist groups in Lawrence, Hutchinson, Salina, Wichita, and Pittsburg have asked their respective city councils to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to protected classes. Lawrence passed the ordinance. The Hutchinson City Council will vote on such a proposal May 1, 2012. “The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 laid the foundation for future civil rights laws,” said Mathew Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel Action. “Homosexual activists are attempting to hijack the civil rights train by claiming that homosexual behavior deserves the same special protection granted to racial and gender minorities.” While all rational Americans are against discrimination, elevating “sexual orientation”...

Today's saint of the day is St. George. St George is honored in the Catholic Church as one of the most illustrious martyrs of Christ. The Greeks have long distinguished him by the title of The Great Martyr, and keep his festival a holiday of obligation. However, very little is known about the life and martyrdom of any of the Early Christian martyrs and Saint George is no exception. It is certain that he lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. He is reputed to have come from Cappadocia, and reached the rank of Tribune in the Roman army.  Several stories have been attached to Saint George, the best known of which is the Golden Legend. In it, a dragon lived in a lake near Silena, Libya. Whole armies had gone up against this fierce creature, and had gone down in painful defeat. The monster ate two sheep each day; when mutton was scarce, lots were drawn in local villages, and maidens were substituted for sheep. Into this country came Saint George. Hearing the story o...

Today is the optional memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the Church. St. Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbury, England. St. Anselm's services to the Church are principally the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church's lands, impeded the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual jurisdiction. Second, as a philosopher and theologian he developed a method of reasoning which prepared the way for the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Third, he had a great devotion to Our Lady and was the first to establish the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the West.  You can find my favorite quotes, prayers, and writings of St. Anselm here.

Washington D.C., Apr 20, 2012 / 02:04 am (CNA).- The U.S. bishops voiced concerns that proposed budget cuts for the 2013 fiscal year could adversely impact the most vulnerable members of society. In an April 16 letter, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, who chairs the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, urged leaders of the House Agriculture Committee to resist “unacceptable cuts to hunger and nutrition programs.” He said that reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern federal food stamp program, “are unjustified and wrong.” The bishop argued that the program “helps feed millions of households,” most of which include a child, senior or disabled individual. In a time of “economic turmoil and growing poverty,” Congress should not cut an “effective and efficient anti-hunger program that helps people live in dignity,” he said. “If savings need to be achieved, cuts to agricultural subsidies and direct payments sho...

April 20, 2012. (Romereports.com) The Vatican department which deals with the family, has published a volume of official Vatican documents that were previously published separately from 2000 to 2011. The collection of texts is called an 'Enchiridion,' which basically serves as a a type of encyclopedia on the family. The Pontifical Council for the Family, organized the data by subjects. It includes theology, anthropology of the family, education, marriage preparation, children's rights and natural death. A total of 5,000 copies were published for the first edition, which will then be presented at the World Meeting of Families in Milan. The gathering will run from May 30th to June 3, 2012 and it will be closed by Benedict XVI.

April 20, 2012. (Romereports.com) For his 85th birthday,the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig (Germany), which is the oldest in the world, has offered a concert to the Pope at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall. The program included the spectacular Symphony No. 2, 'Hymn of Praise' by Felix Mendelssohn. Also accompanying the Orchestra was the Gewandhaus and MDR Radiophonic chorus. The concert included the solo voices of Luba Orgonasova, Bernarda Fink and Steve Davislim, under the direction of Riccardo Chailly.

Today is the historical feast of St. Agnes of Montepulciano, a nun of the Order of Preachers. This holy virgin was born in 1268 in a little village near Montepulciano, Italy, of the wealthy family of De Segni. Her birth was announced by great lights surrounding the house where she was born, and from her babyhood she was one specially marked out for dedication to God. As a child, she often spent hours reciting the Our Father and Hail Mary on her knees in some private corner of a chamber. She was such a pious child that when she was nine years old her parents placed her in a Franciscan convent known as Sackins, so called because their habits or scapulars were made of sackcloth. Agnes was a model of all virtues to this austere community. She was also well-known for her gifts of miracles and prophecy. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Dominican Order at Proceno, in the county of Orvieto, and was appointed abbess by Pope Nicholas IV. She slept on the ground, with a stone under he...

Historically today is the feast of St. Leo IX, a cousin of the emperor Conrad the Salie, born in Alsace, and baptized Bruno. He was made bishop of Toul in 1026 and constrained to accept the papal office in 1048. He took his spiritual adviser, Hildebrand, the future Gregory VII, to Rome and began the reform of the Roman curia. Leo combated simony, condemned Berengarius, and strove to prevent the schism between the Eastern and the Western churches then being engineered by the emperor Michael Coerularius. While at Benevento, a city belonging to the Holy See, he was taken prisoner by the Normans. He was released, but shortly after died before the high altar in St. Peter's. St. Leo IX Before becoming Pope, St. Leo IX was known as Bruno. He was bitten by a poisonous reptile when a boy, but St. Benedict appeared to Bruno and cured him. In 1026, Bruno, then a deacon, commanded troops in Italy under the Emperor. The Bishop of Toul died during this time, and upon Bruno's return, he ...

Dick Clark has died at the age of 82.  I watched the "World's Oldest Teenager" on American Bandstand as a youth while my older sister used me as a dancing partner to practice her rock 'n roll moves and later as an adult. I also watched him on “The $25,000 Pyramid,” “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes,” the American Music Awards and on many rockin’ New Year’s Eves.  I liked his  good-natured and upbeat personality. R.I.P. Dick Clark. What memories does he bring back for you? Perhaps these videos will help.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Citing "serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life," the Vatican announced a major reform of an association of women's religious congregations in the U.S. to ensure their fidelity to Catholic teaching in areas including abortion, euthanasia, women's ordination and homosexuality. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle will provide "review, guidance and approval, where necessary, of the work" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Vatican announced April 18. The archbishop will be assisted by Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio, and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., and draw on the advice of fellow bishops, women religious and other experts. The LCWR, a Maryland-based umbrella group that claims about 1,500 leaders of U.S. women's communities as members, represents about 80 percent of the country's 57,000 women religious. The announcement from the Vatican's Congregatio...

Ana Benderas shares why she thinks that children of rape victims should not be killed by abortion as they have done nothing to deserve the death penalty.

April 18 commemorates the feast of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin, a Canadian woman whose life was a story of obedience in the face of personal setbacks. Esther Blondin was born in 1809 to a pious, French-Canadian farm family in southern Quebec. When she was old enough, she began to work as a domestic servant for a merchant and later for the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. While she worked for the sisters, she learned to read and write. During that time, Esther decided to enter the congregation as a novice. However, her health forced her to abandon the pursuit. Nevertheless, the literacy she had obtained opened doors for her and she became a teacher, and eventually a director at a parochial school. She was aware of the high levels of illiteracy in the area, and when she was 39 years old, she sought to found an order that taught both boys and girls in the same school. The year was 1848 and her idea was radical, as schools taught boys and girls separately. Eventually, the...

The BBC has written a wonderful story and produced a video on our dear, heroic priest and saint soon to be, Fr. Emil Kaupan, whom I have previously written about. This is a great read! Other Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Another Miracle for Fr. Kaupan?  Fr. Kapaun nominated for Kansas honor TV Program featuring miracle attributed to Fr. Kapaun tonight on ABC The Miracle of Fr. Kaupan   Father Emil Kaupan on Keeping The Commandments   A Miracle in Colwich, Kansas? Father Emil Kapaun’s cause for sainthood to be officially opened this month Servant of God Father Emil Kaupan Father Kaupan's Official Website

Today is the memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin. Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks" and and the “Geneviève of New France,” Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in the year 1656, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Catholic Algonquin woman whom he had saved from captivity at the hands of the Iroquois. She was four years old when her parents and younger brother died of smallpox. The disease also attacked Kateri, scarring her face and impairing her eyesight. Kateri was adopted by her two aunts and an uncle. She converted as a teenager. When she was baptized at the age of twenty, she experienced great hostility from her tribe. Although she had to suffer greatly for her Faith, she remained firm in it. To escape persecution and death threats, Kateri joined the new Christian colony of Indians in Canada. Here she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick and aged. Every morning, even in bitterest winter, she...

April 16, 2012. (Romereports.com) As he looked on St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI asked for everyone's prayers, as his seventh anniversary as Pope approaches. During the Regina Coeli prayer, he asked people to keep that date, April 19th, in mind. “Thursday, will be the seventh anniversary of my election as the Successor of Peter. I ask you to pray for me, may the Lord give me strength to carry out the mission he has entrusted to me.”, said Benedict XVI However, the Pope made no reference to his 85th birthday, celebrated on April 16th. Benedict XVI explained that Christianity is not just about commemorating the past, nor is it a mystical experience. Rather, the Pope said it's an active encounter with the risen Christ. Benedict XVI “It is an encounter with the risen Lord who lives in the dimension of God, beyond time and space. He makes himself truly present among the community and speaks to us in the Scriptures.” The first Sunday after Easter, the Catholic Chu...

April 16, 2012. (Romereports.com) For the Pope's 85th birthday, a delegation from his native Bavaria visited the Vatican to make Benedict XVI feel a bit more at home. Along with his brother Georg, the Pope enjoyed a series of dances that a group of children performed at the Vatican's Clementine Hall. As a gift, his fellow countrymen gave him a crucifix and a basket full of typical items from his native Germany.

Today is the feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous, the renowned visionary of Lourdes. Born in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, Bernadette was the first child of Francois and Louise Soubirous, a poor peasant family. A severe asthma sufferer, Bernadette was such a poor student that she was unable to make her First Holy Communion until she was 14. She had many trials to contend with as a child -- poverty, health problems, which caused her to be behind in school, many responsibilities as the oldest child of six siblings, moving from one poor place to another, and a father who escaped from his financial problems by drowning them in alcohol. Her education was entrusted to the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction. - a teaching and nursing order whose mother-house is at Nevers, in central France. The Sisters soon discovered that although Bernadette had a quiet, modest demeanor, she had a lively sense of humor and a pleasing personality. It was to this simple 14-year-old girl t...

On this Divine Mercy Sunday  we recall the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: "Mercy consists in bringing a thing out of non-being into being." We see this transpire concretely in the life of the early Church. The community of believers "was of one heart and mind" and they had everything in common."  They were filled with awe; they were witnesses of wondrous signs; they dedicated themselves to the good of the other; they were selfless and generous.  They lived with the faith that "conquers the world." That is what the Apostle Thomas is looking for in the Lord's open side. "The secret of Christ's heart is revealed to us in the clefts of his body." (Saint Bernard) ~ Via the Magnificat

The saint of the day is Pope St. Martin I . Martin I lay too sick to fight on a couch in front of the altar when the soldiers burst into the Lateran basilica. He had come to the church when he heard the soldiers had landed. But the thought of kidnapping a sick pope from the house of God didn't stop the soldiers from grabbing him and hustling him down to their ship. Elected pope in 649, Martin I had gotten in trouble for refusing to condone silence in the face of wrong. At that time there existed a popular heresy that held that Christ didn't have a human will, only a divine will. The emperor had issued an edict that didn't support Monothelism (as it was known) directly, but simply commanded that no one could discuss Jesus' will at all. Monothelism was condemned at a council convened by Martin I. The council affirmed, once again, that since Jesus had two natures, human and divine, he had two wills, human and divine. The council then went further and condemned Const...

I will be taking a brief blogging break due to my studies, but will return within a few days. God bless you, dear readers! Enjoy this glorious Easter Season !

May God bless you with His eternal love and fill your heart with hope and joy this Easter and always!

On Holy Saturday, the Church waits at the Lord's tomb in prayer, meditating on His Passion and Death and on His descent into Hell, awaiting His Resurrection. "Here we are, Your Church the Body from Your Body and from Your Blood. We are here, we are keeping watch. We are by Your sepulcher." ~ Pope John Paul II "Holy Saturday is the day of the 'death of God,' the day which expresses the unparalleled experience of our age, anticipating the fact that God is simply absent, that the grave hides him, that he no longer awakes, no longer speaks, so that one no longer needs to gainsay him but can simply overlook him…Christ strode through the gate of our final loneliness; in his Passion he went down into the abyss of our abandonment. Where no voice can reach us any longer, there is he. Hell is thereby overcome, or, to be more accurate, death, which was previously hell, is hell no longer. Neither is the same any longer because there is life in the midst of death, ...

Start the Novena.

Today begins the holiest and most important time of the Church year -- the Easter Triduum. It commemorates the heart of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sacred Triduum begins with Holy Thursday , which marks the end of the forty days of Lent and the beginning of the three-day celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday. The Triduum liturgies teach us the meaning of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.The richness of the rituals and symbols help us to experience the mysteries of Jesus’ final hours, His passion, suffering -- and His rising from the dead. In a special way, during these three days,we come together as God's people to remember the saving act of Jesus, the miracle of His resurrection – and to celebrate our faith and identity as Catholics. Because Christ was willing to die for our sins and was raised from the dead, death is no longer the end of life for us. It is the b...

April 16, 2011  (Romereports.com) John Paul II will be beatified on May 1, during the Sunday of Divine Mercy, it's the same liturgical feast that was celebrated the day the pope passed away. It's a celebration closely linked to Poland and John Paul's pontificate and the devotion he held for St. Faustina Kowlaska, who began spreading devotion to Divine Mercy. Fr. Giuseppe Bart Sanctuary of Divine Mercy (Rome) “John Paul II grew up with the spirituality of St. Faustina Kowalska. Throughout his pontificate he explained the need to invoke the Divine Mercy. John Paul II said the Divine Mercy was the key to his pontificate.” In fact, John Paul II officially established the devotion to Divine Mercy for the whole Church during the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska. Fr. Giuseppe Bart Sanctuary of Divine Mercy (Rome) “In 2000, John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina, which is the first saint of the Jubilee. During her canonization he stated that 'from now ...

April 4, 2012. (Romereports.com) Less than a week ago, the Pope came back from his apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba. During Wednesday's general audience, Benedict XVI reflected on his trip, describing it as an unforgettable experience. He also called on both nations to strengthen their faith and trigger positive change. READ FULL TEXT OF THE CATECHESIS: Dear Brothers and Sisters, My recent Apostolic Journey to Mexico and Cuba sought to confirm the people of those countries, and all the peoples of Latin America, in their faith and in the hope which makes it possible to build a just and harmonious social order. At the liturgies in León, marked by an outpouring of devotion and spiritual joy, I encouraged the Mexican people to let their deep Christian roots inspire their efforts to overcome violence and to work for a better future. In Cuba, I wished to reaffirm the Church in her public witness to the Gospel and to support the aspirations of all Cubans to a renewed, reconci...

Today is the optional memorial of St. Isidore of Seville , the patron saint of the Internet and the author of the first encyclopedia. A Confessor, Doctor of the Church, and Bishop of Seville, Isidore was born in Cartagena, Spain, 560 and died in Seville, Spain in 636. He was younger brother to Saint Fulgentius of Astigi and Saint Florentina and succeeded his brother, Leander, a monk, to the See of Seville in 599. He began as a poor student, but he turned his problem over to God and became one of the most learned men of his time. During his episcopacy he devoted his time and energy to promoting science and establishing schools and convents. He presided over the synod of Seville, 619, and the synod of Toledo, 633. He was a prolific writer whose literary works included: a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a history of Goths, and a history of the world beginning with creation. He is the patron saint of computers, computer technicians, computer programmers, and the Internet. His symbols...

Today is known as Spy Wednesday because on this day Judas made a bargain with the high priest to betray Jesus for 30 silver pieces. Today's Mass Readings Today's Spiritual Meditation Jesus carries this betrayal in love so that we too may be able to carry in love all the struggles the Church is now living, all the struggles of humanity. We know that these battles are terrible and sometimes they make us lose hope. Well, no! They should not make us lose hope! The stronger the battle, the more Jesus is present and the more He wants to be glorified in our heart. And Jesus is glorified in our heart to the extent that love triumphs. This is truly what the glory of Christ is: love victorious over betrayal, victorious over all lies. ~ Excerpted from Return to me ... Daily Meditations for Lent By Father Philippe, O.P., Philosopher and Founder of The Community of St. John compiled by the Sisters of St. John Prayer for Wednesday of Holy Week

"One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side." ~John 13:23 Mass Readings "Suffering is a sign, a sign that we have come so close to Jesus on the Cross that He can kiss us, show that He is in love with us, by giving us an opportunity to share His passion." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." ~ John 12: 3 Mass Readings

The saint of the day for April 2 is St. Francis of Paola. Francis was born in Paola in Calabria, Italy on March 27, 1416. His parents were remarkable for the holiness of their lives: they were childless for many years, but following prayers for the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, they had three children; Francis was the oldest. Francis suffered from a swelling which endangered the sight of one of his eyes. His parents again prayed for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, and made a vow that their son should pass an entire year in the "little habit" of St Francis in one of the convents of his order, a not uncommon practice in the Middle Ages. Francis was immediately cured. From his early years Francis showed signs of extraordinary sanctity. At the age of thirteen, he entered a convent of the Franciscan Order in order to fulfill the vow made by his parents. Here he glorified God by his love of prayer and mortification, his profound humility, and his prompt...

Time magazine is conducting a poll to determine who the most influential people are. Timothy Cardinal Dolan is on the list. Let's get him on the cover of Time. VOTE HERE!