Prayers for the Deceased

Transalpine Redemptorists, All Souls Day, Used with Permission

I have received several messages lately asking for our prayers for people that have left this world for the next. Please pray that these people may be in the peace of God now and that Christ will be their life and light for all eternity. First, please pray for Jane, who died after a long battle with leukemia. I also received this message:

A diocesan priest in our area, who was a close friend of my own friend's family, passed away this weekend. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Gerald Sheehan. I also read about the passing of Retired Roman Catholic Bishop James Sullivan from Fargo, ND and thought you would also like to include him in your prayers as well. Thanks to all

Prayer for the deceased: 

Father, God of all consolation, in Your unending love and mercy for us, You turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life. Show compassion to Your people in their sorrow. Be our refuge and our strength to lift us from the darkness of this grief to the peace and light of Your presence. Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying for us, conquered death and, by rising again, restored life. May we go forward eagerly to meet Him, and after our life on earth be reunited with our brothers and sisters where every tear will be wiped away. We ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Source: Sacred Heart Prayer Book compiled and edited by the Priests of the Sacred Heart

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This Week in Catholicism (June 12-18 2006)

• Monday: Gospel: Mt 5:1-2
• Tuesday: Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Gospel: Mt 5:13-16
• Wednesday: Gospel: Mt 5:17-19
• Thursday: Gospel: Mt 5:20-26, USCCB meets to approve changes in the Mass
• Friday: A day of penance, Gospel: Mt 5:27-32
• Saturday: Gospel: Mt 5:33-37, USCCB meeting ends
• Sunday: The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord (Corpus Christi), Gospel: Mt 28:16-20

Since this is still the Month of the Sacred Heart, please continue devotions and prayers to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth." - Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary

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Prayer for the Poor by Mother Teresa

Who is Jesus to me?
Jesus is the Word made Flesh.
Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross.
Jesus is the Sacrifice at Holy Mass for the sins of the world and mine.
Jesus is the Word - to be spoken.
Jesus is the Truth - to be told.
Jesus is the Way - to be walked.
Jesus is the Light - to be lit.
Jesus is the Life - to be loved.
Jesus is the Joy - to be shared.
Jesus is the Sacrifice - to be given.
Jesus is the Bread of Life - to be eaten.
Jesus is the Hungry - to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty - to be satiated.
Jesus is the Naked - to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless - to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick - to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely - to be loved.
Jesus is the Unwanted - to be wanted.
Jesus is the Leper - to wash his wounds.
Jesus is the Beggar - to give him a smile.
Jesus is the Drunkard - to listen to him.
Jesus is the Little One - to embrace him.
Jesus is the Dumb - to speak to him.
Jesus is the Crippled - to walk with him.
Jesus is the Drug Addict - to befriend him.
Jesus is the Prostitute - to remove from danger and befriend her.
Jesus is the Prisoner - to be visited.
Jesus is the Old - to be served.
To me Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All,
Jesus is my Everything.

Amen.

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Novena to St. Anthony: Day Nine

Prayer:

O wonderful St. Anthony, glorious on account of the fame of your miracles, and through the condescension of Jesus in coming in the form of a little child to rest in your arms, obtain for me of His bounty the grace which I ardently desire from the depths of my heart . (State your intention)

You who were so compassionate toward miserable sinners, regard not the unworthiness of those who pray to you, but the glory of God that it may once again be magnified by the granting of the particular request (State your intention) which I now ask for with persevering earnestness. Amen

(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.)

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

DAY NINE

Saint Anthony, servant of Mary, glory of the Church, pray for our Holy Father, our bishops, our priests, our Religious Orders, that, through their pious zeal and apostolic labors, all may be united in faith and give greater glory to God. St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me and intercede for me before the throne of Almighty God that I be granted the favor I so earnestly see in this novena (State your intention).

(One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony).

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

May the divine assistance remain always with us.
Amen

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

O God, may the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, your confessor, be a source of joy to your Church, that she may always be fortified with spiritual assistance, and deserve to enjoy eternal rewards. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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On Crosses and Crucifixes

I own a very nice St. Benedict's Crucifix. It is a rather large one to wear and it has the St. Benedict's medal in the center of the Crucifix behind the head of Jesus.

However, what I don't like is to see people wearing Crosses as opposed to crucifixes. Only a crucifix - the one with Jesus' body on it - truly means something - that Jesus Christ died our deaths for us. An empty cross is our own cross. Yet, it was Jesus Christ that took away our deaths. Only a crucifix is a medal of love and hope - not a cross. That's my own opinion.

St. Josemaría Escriva said, "Whenever you see a poor, wooden cross, alone, uncared-for, worthless...and without a corpus, don't forget that that cross is your cross--the everyday hidden cross, unattractive and unconsoling--the cross that is waiting for the corpus it lacks: and that corpus must be you."

If you don't own one, find some nice and inexpensive ones on Amazon.com.

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Ohio Prepares an Abortion Ban

As you know, South Dakota has passed a ban on all abortions except to save the life of the mother. Louisiana's Governor is expected to sign a ban that would prohibit abortions when Roe v. Wade is overturned except to save the life of the mother. Now, Ohio joins the club (LifeNews). Unlike the other bans, Ohio's bill, if it becomes law, would ban abortions in every circumstance - even the save the life of the mother.

Excellent news that another state is working to save the lives of the unborn. The bill, House Bill 228, has 17 co-sponsors right now, and is scheduled for its first legislative hearing on Tuesday.

Roe v. Wade's days are numbered. Let's keep praying

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Reports on Planned Parenthood's 2005 Numbers

LifeNews, one of the best pro-life new agencies on the Internet, posted about the new annual reports coming from Planned Parenthood.

As LifeNews.com previously reported, Planned Parenthood, a supposedly nonprofit organization, brought in $882 million in FY 2004-2005 a whopping increase of 8.9 percent over the previous reporting period. The abortion business made $63 million in profit last year.

New information shows Planned Parenthood, as of June 2005, had net assets valued at $784.1 million, of which $302.1 million is unrestricted. PPFA has another $107.6 million that is temporarily restricted.

...

The annual report shows Planned Parenthood did 255,015 abortions in 2004 alone (up 4.3% from 2003), generating an estimated $95 million. A scant 1,414 customers were referred to adoption agencies; down more than 20% from 2003.

The figures show Planned Parenthood continues to be the largest abortion business in the United States. In 1984, it did about 5.5 percent of all abortions nationwide, but the figure has increased to nearly 20 percent as of 2004.

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood says it has sold 983,537 “emergency” birth control kits in 2004 (nearly 21.3% more than in 2003). The kits contain the morning after pill drug, also known as Plan B, which can sometimes cause an abortion.

Let us continue to pray that abortion is made illegal in the United States.

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Picture of St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima (1586 - 1617)

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Pope Benedict XVI: "Priest To Be An Expert At The Spiritual Life"

Today I am meeting you, priests called by Christ to serve him in the new millennium. You have been chosen from among the people, appointed to act in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Believe in the power of your priesthood! By virtue of the sacrament, you have received all that you are. When you utter the words "I" and "my" ("I absolve you ... This is my body ..."), you do it not in your own name, but in the name of Christ, "in persona Christi," who wants to use your lips and your hands, your spirit of sacrifice and your talent.

At the moment of your ordination, through the liturgical sign of the imposition of hands, Christ took you under his special protection; you are concealed under his hands and in his Heart. Immerse yourselves in his love, and give him your love! When your hands were anointed with oil, the sign of the Holy Spirit, they were destined to serve the Lord as his own hands in today's world. They can no longer serve selfish purposes, but must continue in the world the witness of his love.

The greatness of Christ's priesthood can make us tremble. We can be tempted to cry out with Peter: "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8), because we find it hard to believe that Christ called us specifically. Could he not have chosen someone else, more capable, more holy? But Jesus has looked lovingly upon each one of us, and in this gaze of his we may have confidence. Let us not be consumed with haste, as if time dedicated to Christ in silent prayer were time wasted. On the contrary, it is precisely then that the most wonderful fruits of pastoral service come to birth.

There is no need to be discouraged on account of the fact that prayer requires effort, or because of the impression that Jesus remains silent. He is indeed silent, but he is at work. In this regard, I am pleased to recall my experience last year in Cologne. I witnessed then a deep, unforgettable silence of a million young people at the moment of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament! That prayerful silence united us, it gave us great consolation. In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light particularly to those who are suffering.

The faithful expect only one thing from priests: that they be specialists in promoting the encounter between man and God. The priest is not asked to be an expert in economics, construction or politics. He is expected to be an expert in the spiritual life. With this end in view, when a young priest takes his first steps, he needs to be able to refer to an experienced teacher who will help him not to lose his way among the many ideas put forward by the culture of the moment. In the face of the temptations of relativism or the permissive society, there is absolutely no need for the priest to know all the latest, changing currents of thought; what the faithful expect from him is that he be a witness to the eternal wisdom contained in the revealed word. Solicitude for the quality of personal prayer and for good theological formation bear fruit in life.

© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana [translation by Holy See; adapted]

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Nicole Kidman is still Catholic

American Actress Nicole Kidman is journeying back to the Catholic faith as she prepares for her marriage to Keith Urban on June 25, 2006.

"For Nicole, you know this is a spiritual homecoming, coming back to the church and her faith in her old parish," said Jesuit Father Paul Coleman, a longtime friend of the Kidman family who advised them on the annulment of Kidman's marriage with Tom Cruise.

As someone exposed to both Scientology and Buddhism, she has remained faithful to the Catholic Church and the only truth of Christ, the Son of God. She recently told the Philippine Daily Enquirer: "Catholicism guides me. I certainly have a strong belief. I try to go to church regularly, and I try to go to confession." She has also asked for donations to Sydney Children's Hospital instead of wedding gifts.

Let us pray for her and thank God for leading her back home.

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