Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For He whom you deserved to bear in your womb, alleluia. Has risen, as He promised, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia. V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia. Let us pray. O God, who through the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ gave rejoicing to the world, grant, we pray, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary,we may obtain the joy of everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Latin:
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
O most Holy Virgin, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, you are the joy of the Church Triumphant, the help for the Church Militant, and the comfort of the Church Suffering. Therefore, extend, we pray you, your merciful glance on those numerous souls who suffer in the fires of purgatory and free them, that they may be admitted to the Beatific Vision of God as soon as possible.
Remember, O holy Virgin, to help especially those of my relatives, and those who are most abandoned and devoid of help. O most merciful Virgin, pour the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus on the elect brides of Jesus Christ until they are comforted in the heavenly glories.
And you, holy souls, O elect souls, who can do so much through your prayers to God for us, intercede, therefore, for us and free us from the dangers of body and soul. Protect our families until we have all been granted admission to eternal happiness. Amen.
Photo:R.Massaro(c)2013SpiritSinging
St. Alphonsus Church Peru, Ohio
I recently discovered a shrine to St. John Neumannon the grounds of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in the little town of Peru, Ohio (mailing address is Norwalk, Ohio). I've traveled this route many times on my way to Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio and never knew this shrine and church existed. This church is located within the Diocese of Toledo. St. John Neumann lived at this parish for a short period of time and baptized three babies-the baptismal record of these three children are located in the historic cabin. I hope you will be able to make the journey to this little shrine.
PRAYER FOR HIS INTERCESSION O Saint John Neumann, your ardent desire of bringing all souls to Christ impelled you to leave home and
country; teach us to live worthily in the spirit of our Baptism which makes us all children of the one Heavenly
Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the first-born of the family of God.
Obtain for us that complete dedication in the service of the needy, the weak, the afflicted and the abandoned
which so characterized your life. Help us to walk perseveringly in the difficult and, at times, painful paths of
duty, strengthened by the Body and Blood of our Redeemer and under the watchful protection of Mary our
Mother.
May death still find us on the sure road to our Father's House with the light of living Faith in our hearts. Amen.
Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
Peaceful was the night and deep the silence
When my boat set sail on the open sea,
Gliding 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
In order that God might give his grace to those who do not or cannot ask it, or who do not wish to ask it, he enjoined us to pray for one another, so that we might be saved (Jas 5:16). If God gave the grace of conversion to St. Augustine, it was due to the prayers of St. Monica; nor would the church have St. Paul, according to one of the fathers, were it not for the prayers of St. Stephen.
Since God does not distribute his graces to men except through prayer, because he wishes us to recognize him as the source from which all good things flow; in like manner, he does not wish to save us from danger, or cure our wounds, or console us in affliction, except by the means of this same exercise of prayer.
The Martyrdom of Cyprian: In August, 258, Cyprian learned that Pope Sixtus had been put to death in the catacombs on the 6th of that month, together with four of his deacons, in consequence of a new edict that bishops, priests, and deacons should be at once put to death; senators, knights, and others of rank are to lose their goods, and if they still persist, to die; matrons to be exiled; Caesarians (officers of the fiscus) to become slaves. Galerius Maximus, the successor of Paternus, sent for Cyprian back to Carthage, and in his own gardens the bishop awaited the final sentence. Many great personages urged him to flee, but he had now no vision to recommend this course, and he desired above all to remain to exhort others. Yet he hid himself rather than obey the proconsul's summons to Utica, for he declared it was right for a bishop to die in his own city. On the return of Galerius to Carthage, Cyprian was brought from his gardens by two principes in a chariot, but the proconsul was ill, and Cyprian passed the night in the house of the first princeps in the company of his friends. Of the rest we have a vague description by Pontius and a detailed report in the proconsular Acts. On the morning of the 14th a crowd gathered "at the villa of Sextus", by order of the authorities. Cyprian was tried there. He refused to sacrifice, and added that in such a matter there was no room for thought of the consequences to himself. The proconsul read his condemnation and the multitude cried, "Let us be beheaded with him!" He was taken into the grounds, to a hollow surrounded by trees, into which many of the people climbed. Cyprian took off his cloak, and knelt down and prayed. Then he took off his dalmatic and gave it to his deacons, and stood in his linen tunic in silence awaiting the executioner, to whom he ordered twenty-five gold pieces to be given. The brethren cast cloths and handkerchiefs before him to catch his blood. He bandaged his own eyes with the help of a priest and a deacon, both called Julius. So he suffered. For the rest of the day his body was exposed to satisfy the curiosity of the pagans. But at night the brethren bore him with candles and torches, with prayer and great triumph, to the cemetery of Macrobius Candidianus in the suburb of Mapalia. He was the first Bishop of Carthage to obtain the crown of martyrdom.
FATHER OSCAR I. APARICIO, GENERAL Archivist, OCD-Rome-Italy (03.13.2013.) - In these days of the conclave we want to narrate the story of the Discalced Carmelite who came closest to occupying the See of Peter. We are speaking of Giovanni Antonio Benedetto Gotti. I was born in the Italian city of Genoa on March 29, 1834. He made his first profession in the Teresian Carmel on September 21, 1851, in Loano. From That date, as was the custom in the reformed Carmel, I was called Jerome Mary of the Immaculate Conception. On December 22, 1856, I was ordained to the priesthood. He spent his first years as a professor of philosophy and from 1858 as a member of the community of Saint Ann in Genoa.
Elected He Was General Procurator of the Discalced Carmelites on April 21, 1872. I managed the finances of the Order and was its legal representative before the Holy See and the Italian nation. It was Father Jerome Gotti who was in charge of bringing to the safe harbor union of two congregations of Discalced Carmelites in 1875: the Spanish congregation of Saint Joseph and the Italian congregation of Saint Elijah. His leadership qualities led to his election as Superior General of the Order on October 22, 1881, and his reelection to office in 1889 That.
On March 8 I was named archbishop of Petra by Pope Leo XIII and was ordained in Rome on March 27. His first pastoral mission was Papal Legate Apostolic Internuncio and to the Republic of Brazil. During the period of more than three years in Which I was in Brazil (1892-1895) his work consisted of organizing the church, Principally the Brazilian hierarchy, and its Relations with the Brazilian state.
On October 16, 1895, I received a telegram from the Secretary of State, Cardinal Rampolla, announcing I had been nominated That Cardinal of the Holy Church. The publication of his name as Cardinal was made on November 29, 1895, and on December 1 of the same year I received the biretta. He later presided over the Sacred Congregations of Indulgences, Bishops and Regulars, and lastly of the Propaganda Fide. He died in Rome on March 19, 1916.
Cardinal Gotti participated in the 1903 conclave. There were two likely successors to the papacy: Cardinal Rampolla and Cardinal Gotti. We Know That They received the MOST votes in the first two ballots, Rampolla Gotti Receiving 24 and 17. In the Following ballot, received 29 and Gotti Rampolla 16. Subsequently, the Austro-Hungarian Empire vetoed Rampolla, and Cardinal Sarto, patriarch of Venice, Began to accumulate many votes. On the seventh ballot He Was Elected Pope. He took the name of Pius, the tenth of That name to date, and we know him as Saint Pius X.
Known May These Words make an exemplary life of the Discalced Carmelite, Cardinal Gotti, who was the friar That came closest to serving the Church from the Petrine office.
Fr. Saverio Cannistra's Letter to the Holy Father on behalf of the Carmelite Order
Holy Father, Our family of Discalced Carmelite friars, nuns, and seculars bids you the warmest welcome. With the simplicity our fathers and mothers in Carmel have handed down to us, we open the doors of our hearts to you. Count on us, Your Holiness; on us, your sons and daughters in Christ Jesus. Our Holy Mother Teresa taught us to live the gift of faith in a communion of love with the Church, in the spirit of obedience to the Vicar of Christ, placing our lives at the service of the Kingdom. This we have done with your predecessors and this we will do with you. Keeping in our hearts a profound gratitude towards your predecessor, Benedict XVI, whose life has helped us so much to set our eyes on Christ, we have lived with trusting serenity, expectant prayer, and elated joy the election of a new Pope. Every day we told the Lord: “Show us who you have elected to guide the barque of Peter in this time of grace.” Now that we have seen you, we welcome in Your Holiness he whom God has sent to us. Our heartfelt thanks for having said yes. We imagine it was not easy to do, faced with the arduous tasks awaiting you. But we have seen in your countenance the true humility of he who offers himself as an instrument of the Lord, who allows Him to work through his words, his decisions, his actions. In Your Holiness we have once again recognized the work of the Spirit, his renewing strength, which contains continual surprises for his faithful, and for that we give thanks to God. Holy Father, we want to tell you with a bit of daring that we want to be your friends. We want our family of Carmel to be like a new Bethany for Your Holiness, where you can rest from your labors and where, together, we can talk about what we most love: our Friend Jesus Christ, his Church, the poorest of our times. The name you have chosen encourages us to do so: the name of who, following the footprints of Christ, has always wanted to be the smallest among his brothers. We will be missionaries with you when you undertake the journey to announce the Gospel to the whole world. We will join Your Holiness when you proclaim with courage and strength the peace and justice of the Kingdom of God. When the cross appears, you will have us beside you to embrace it with you. And we will also be at your side when you retire in prayer to speak to the Heart of Jesus. We place your pontificate under the protection of Mary, who for us is the “Flower of Carmel, fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Virgin Mother, Mother most tender, Star of the Sea.” May God bless you! Your sons and daughters of the Discalced Carmel.
March 12 is also an historic date in Carmelite history. St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) was canonized on March 12, 1622. May she intercede for the Cardinal Electors in their discernment for our new Holy Father.
From the Interior Castle, Fourth Mansion: Perhaps we do not know what love is, nor does this greatly surprise me. Love does not consist in great sweetness of devotion, but in a fervent determination to strive to please God in all things, in avoiding, as far as possible, all that would offend Him, and in praying for the increase of the glory and honor of His Son and for the growth of the Catholic Church.
Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
He is Here
By Charles Peguy
Photo:R.Massaro(C)2013SpiritSinging
St. Edward Church Ashland, Ohio
He is here.
He is here as on the first day.
He is here among us as on the day of his death.
He is here forever among us just as much as on the first day.
For every day.
He is here among us all the days of his eternity.
His body, that same body of his, hangs on the same cross;
His eyes, those same eyes of his, quiver with the same tears;
His blood, the same blood of his, bleeds from the same wounds;
His heart, that same heart of his, bleeds with the same love.
The same sacrifice causes the same blood to flow.
A parish shone with an everlasting brightness, but all the parishes shine eternally, for in all the parishes there is
the body of Jesus Christ.
The same sacrifice crucifies the same body, the same sacrifice causes the same blood to flow.
The same sacrifice offers up the same flesh, the same sacrifice sheds the same blood.
The same sacrifice sacrifices the same flesh and the same blood.
It is the same story, exactly the same, eternally the same, which happened in that time and in that country and
which happens on all days in all days of all eternity.
In all the parishes in all Christendom.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the World,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,
pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Queen of Heaven
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Victorious over Satan
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Most Obedient Daughter
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Most Pure Virgin
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Devoted Spouse
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mother Most Tender
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Model of Perfect Virtue
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sure anchor of Hope
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dispenser of the Gifts of God
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bastion Against Our Enemies
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our aid in Danger
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, The Way Leading to Jesus
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Light in Darkness
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Consolation at the Hour of Death
Pray for us Sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Advocate of the Most Abandoned Sinners
Pray for us Sinners.
For the hardened in vice,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those who offend Thy Divine Son,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those who neglect to pray,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those who are in agony,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those who defer their conversion,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those suffering in purgatory,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
For those who do not know thee,
With confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel
Let us pray,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, glorious Queen of Angels,
channel of God's tenderest mercy to man,
refuge and advocate of sinners,
with confidence I prostrate myself before thee,
beseeching thee to obtain for me (mention request)
In return I solemnly promise to have recourse to thee
in all my trials, sufferings and temptations,
and I shall do all in my power to induce others
to love and reverence thee and to invoke thee in all their needs.
I thank thee for the numberless blessings
which I have received from thy mercy and powerful intercession,
Continue to be my shield in danger, my guide in life,
and my consolation at the hour of death. Amen.
I hope you enjoy this post from a few years ago. I thought it appropriate to meditate on these three words of wisdom during this Lenten season.
PENANCE! PENANCE! PENANCE!
Photo: R. Massaro (C)2013SpiritSinging
Today's three words come directly from the lips of the Virgin Mary in her apparition to St. Bernadette. In French, the words are Penitence! Penitence! Penitence!
Photo: R. Massaro(C)2013SpiritSinging
What is penitence? In the spiritual life, it can be described as many things. Did you know it is a virtue? Yes, it is a virtue when we possess this gift to amend our life of sin and imperfections. It is a virtue when we wish to somehow make up for the wrong we have done. It is a virtue when we want to console the heart of Christ, whom we have grieved by our sins. Our Lady calls us to repentance of heart. This change of heart can only be brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who enlightens the mind and the heart to "turnaway from sin and be faithful to the Gospel," as the priest exhorts us on Ash Wednesday; thus beginning the great penitential season of Lent. There are different forms of penance. One such form is public. Here is some interesting information from the Catholic Dictionary by DonaldAttwater on public penance that was practiced in the early Church. Penitents had to go through a four-stage process: 1. Weepers:-were excluded from Mass 2. Hearers-attended the liturgy of the catechumens 3. Kneelers-knelt apart from the congregation 4. Standers-Excluded from the offertory and holy communion. These penances lasted for years and in some cases were imparted for life. Today, the Church is more merciful in her dealings with the penitent. We know that in the Sacrament of Penance, the priest does not usually impose harsh penances on the sinner, he usually prescribes prayers or works of charity. The Virgin Mary, in many of her apparitions asks for penance, which may include, fasting and prayer. She continually asks us to pray for sinners, indeed, poor sinners. Mary is asking us to be people full of mercy by praying for sinners. Let us recall that one of the spiritual works of mercy is to "pray for sinners." We know that if we are praying for sinners, we are praying for ourselves. We are not alone in this request. We only have to read the lives of the saints to see that they considered themselves poor sinners. At the end of St. Bernadette's life, one of her final statements, was "pray for me a poor sinner."
The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all flames towers the cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity.
The world is in flames. Are you impelled to put them out? Look at the cross. From the open heart gushes the blood of the Savior. This extinguishes the flames of hell. Make your heart free by the faithful fulfillment of your vows; then the flood of divine love will be poured into your heart until it overflows and becomes fruitful to all the ends of the earth. Do you hear the groans of the wounded on the battlefields in the west and the east? You are not a physician and not a nurse and cannot bind up the wounds. You are enclosed in a cell and cannot get to them. Do you hear the anguish of the dying? You would like to be a priest and comfort them. Does the lament of the widows and orphans distress you? You would like to be an angel of mercy and help them. Look at the Crucifed...
Photo: R.Massaro (C)2013SpiritSinging
St.Joseph Church Massillon, Ohio
The eyes of the Crucified look down on you--asking, probing. Will you make your covenant with the Crucified anew in all seriousness? What will you answer him? "Lord, where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
St. Teresa's letter to her sisters on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, 1939.
Please visit this website to "adopt" a Cardinal to pray for during the upcoming conclave for our new Holy Father. May the Holy Spirit be with them during this period of discernment.
Photo:R.Massaro (C)SpiritSinging2013
St. Peter's Church Millersburg, Ohio
PRAYER TO ST. PETER:
O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for your strong and generous faith, your profound and sincere humility,and your burning love, was rewarded by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and, in particular, with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which you were made the foundation stone, please obtain for us the grace of a lively faith, one that shall not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it,and to sacrifice life itself rather than surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is the heir of your faith and of your authority, the one, true, visible Head of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside of which there is no salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility and meekness, her teaching and her advice, and may be obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness. Amen.
V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Apostle,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
O God, who hast given unto Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of all
our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
