Tuesday, September 28, 2010




Scroll down for Novena Prayer to St. Therese
Click on right sidebar for complete novena

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
____________________

Monday, September 27, 2010




Novena Prayer to St. Therese

(For complete Novena
click on right sidebar)

St. Therese, Flower of fervor and love, please intercede for me. Fill my heart with your pure love of God. Make me more aware of the
goodness of God and how well he tends His garden. Instill in me your "little way" of doing ordinary things with extra-ordinary love. Give me the heart of a child who wonders at life and embraces everything with loving enthusiasm. Teach me your delight in God's ways so that divine charity may blossom in my heart.


Little Flower of Jesus, bring my petitions (mention here) before God our Father. With your confidence, I come before Jesus as God's child, because you are my heavenly friend.
Amen.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
_____________________

Saturday, September 25, 2010




Novena Prayer to St. Therese
(For complete Novena
click on right sidebar)


St. Therese, Flower of fervor and love, please intercede for me. Fill my heart with your pure love of God. Make me more aware of the goodness of God and how well he tends His garden. Instill in me your "little way" of doing ordinary things with extra-ordinary love. Give me the heart of a child who wonders at life and embraces everything with loving enthusiasm. Teach me your delight in God's ways so that divine charity may blossom in my heart.

Little Flower of Jesus, bring my petitions (mention here) before God our Father. With your confidence, I come before Jesus as God's child, because you are my heavenly friend.

Amen.



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
_________________

Monday, September 20, 2010

TABERNACLE OF THE WEEK

Here are a few more photos from my pilgrimage to Lourdes. Here are photos of tabernacles from the various churches at the shrine.

Underground Basilica Tabernacle


Underground Basilica


The Upper Basilica





St. John Vianney Chapel




Adoration Chapel
Tabernacle is the large
"Pillar of Fire"


Rosary Basilica

Altar of St. Bernadette




Rosary Basilica
Interior side altar of Our Lady

Village of Bartres
Parish Church
St. Bernadette lived here
as a shepherdess







Crypt Church-Lourdes



St. Bernadette's Relics



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
____________________

Sunday, September 19, 2010

CARMELITE QUOTE



A poem by Saint. Elizabeth of the Trinity
written Sept. 24, 1906





Peaceful was the night and deep the silence
When my boat set sail on the open sea.
Gilding over the boundless ocean on the loveliest
of journeys.


All was hushed beneath the vault of heaven
As if listening to the voice of the Eternal.
Suddenly the waves arose, engulfing my light
barque--


It was the Trinity opening out to me:
In that divine abyss I found my deepest center.
No more will you find me at the water's edge;
I have plunged into infinity, where I belong.
With my Three I live at peace, in the wide
freedom of eternity.



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie,ocds
______________________

Saturday, September 18, 2010

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY


Images of Our Lady
 and the Grotto at Lourdes, France









The rain produced some unusual effects



The Lourdes theme for this year:
The Sign of the Cross






John Paul II's
Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman, Blessed by the Most High! Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era, We join in your song of praise, to celebrate the Lord’s mercy, to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and the full liberation of humanity.



Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord, Glorious Mother of Christ! Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word, Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word, and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit, attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience and to his manifestations in the events of history.

Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows, Mother of the living! Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve, Be our guide along the paths of the world. Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ, to stand with you before the innumerable crosses on which your Son is still crucified.

Hail Mary, woman of faith, First of the disciples! Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always to account for the hope that is in us, with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love. Teach us to build up the world beginning from within: in the depths of silence and prayer, in the joy of fraternal love, in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Amen.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie,ocds
____________________

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Stained Glass Scapulars-Reflections on the Secular Carmelite Rule



Photo: R. Massaro

From the Constitution of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites:

Taking into account the origins of Carmel and the Teresian charism, the fundamental elements of the vocation of Teresian Secular Carmelites can be summariezed as follows:

( I have skipped point a to comment on point b).

b): To seek a mysterious union with God; by way of contemplation and apostolic activity, indissolubly joined together, for service to the Church.

The above point of our Constitution says concisely what we as Secular Carmelites are seeking: spiritual marriage through love of God and neighbor by way of contemplation.  Yes, the Constitution is very clear, this union is most mysterious, indeed!  Many saints have tried to explain this mysterious union. Our holy Carmelites St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and St. Therese of the Child Jesus, have been proclaimed doctors of the Church because of their marvelous teaching on the mysterious union between the soul and God. As Carmelites we must turn to them again and again for help and direction on the road of prayer.

We may first ask ourselves, even though we are Secular Carmelites, are we seeking this mysterious union with God?  Have we settled for less--something other than becoming a saint?

We must not be discouraged when we are experiencing the mysterious union of God in the dark night of faith. We cannot and will not understand everything in this life.  St. John of the Cross clearly teaches that our minds cannot understand God. We will experience great peace when we surrender as little children and trust that he will lead us to him safely if we are obedient to those in authority over us: the Magisterium, our Carmelite doctors and saints, our Carmelite provincial and our local council.

St. Therese, one of the greatest saints of modern times was led by the dark night of faith. She did not experience visions or revelations, nor did she desire these things.  Her way of spiritual childhood of trust in the loving Father whom we know loves us requires the pure heart of a child of God. Only He can purify and sanctify us. Let this be our desire: a pure heart that experiences the mysterious union of love between God and the soul and lives out this love in service to our neighbor by acts of charity and mercy.

Let us pray for each other.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
___________________

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

I recently returned from my pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. I remembered all of the readers of Spirit Singing in my prayers at Our Lady's Shrine.  I'll share some pictures of the shrine in the coming days.



SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY

The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus. (Gospel of Luke 2:34)



The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Gospel of Matthew 2:13)



The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)



The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)



The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (Gospel of John 19:25)



The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)



The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)

Sorrowful Mother Shrine-Bellevue, Ohio













Peace be with you!
Rosemarie,ocds
________________

Sunday, September 5, 2010

THREE WORDS OF WISDOM

TODAY'S (ALMOST) THREE WORDS:
PRAY, HOPE , DON'T WORRY

(St. Pio, Feast Day: Sept. 23)

These simple words of wisdom from St. Pio bring to mind the teaching of our Carmelite Saint: Therese of Lisieux.  St. Therese teaches us that we cannot worry about the past, it is finished and over. And we cannot worry about what will happen tomorrow, it has not arrived. We can only live in the present moment and give God our all and be obedient to His will in each moment of the day.
We can save ourselves much pain and emotional suffering if we take these words to heart.  The Christian who trusts in the Lord and does not worry about what has happened or what will happen will truly have peace of heart.

Pictures from the Shrine of Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania
Click here to visit the website




Above:Padre Pio's Glove that covered the stigmata.
The shrine staff  allows visitors to hold
it and pray for healing.

Replica of St. Pio's Casket


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
______________________