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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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Over the weekend I had some brilliant experiences with young people in our deanery. I helped out at a Confirmation Retreat on Friday and Saturday – lots of amazing young Catholics who responded really well to the retreat and seem genuinely excited about their Confirmation.
Then on Sunday, our youth movement met and a huge amount turned up. Our Bishop gave a talk about Salvation and Easter and then celebrated Mass for us all.
This is good news for me as a youth minister because I feel that there is a lot of good stuff happening and a lot more good stuff that is yet to happen.
Deo Gratis :)
@discerningguy AMEN. I can’t say it strongly enough, amen, and I pray you’re right. Sheesh, the idea that the world could be so topsy-turvy for those poor modernist Catholics that the SSPX is a canonical force for tradition in the Roman Catholic Church… it’s too wonderful to even imagine.
My father was baptized into the Church on Holy Thursday just hours before passing away on Good Friday. His died at home surrounded by his family just as he wanted. His death was an example of a happy death, something I have not personally witnessed before although I prayed for him to have a happy death. Thanks be to God for his goodness and mercy!!
My son and his wife gave us the happy news that a little one is on the way!
Sister Mary Immaculata of the Divine Shepherd of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration made her solemn religous profession in Saint Anne Catholic Church in the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., yesterday, Divine Mercy Sunday. She died[!] having gone under the funeral pall, as happens in the rite during Mass, but then made her profession. What a joy for Holy Mother Church!
Had a full church and great celebration for Divine Mercy Sunday. Five of us heard confessions for over an hour. Scheduled speaker was sick, the Lord gave me assistance in my need. Jesus, I trust in you!
Perhaps good news on the SSPX front. From Der Spiegel:
“The new letter is significant in that it seeks to tone down the conflict. Points of disagreement are no longer to be seen in terms of who is “more Catholic” than the other. The letter makes clear that conflicting positions on Vatican II is “not decisive” for the future of the Catholic Church. In short, the Society of St. Pius X is no longer demanding that the Vatican II reforms be repealed.”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,827808,00.html
If lack of bad news is good news, count me in. :)
WE HAVE A BISHOP!!! The Archdiocese I live in had it’s new Archbishop take the reigns Sunday. INCREDIBLE ceremony!! I was even interviewed on local TV!!
I found this sermon of His Excellency Bishop Sample to be very encouraging and hopeful:
2012 Divine Mercy Sunday reflection by Bishop Alexander Sample
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXf-eMTU08k
We are SO blessed by His mercy. I’m grateful to Bishop Sample for the reminder.
The Easter crowd didn’t disappear in the course of the week – so much so that the “usual” amount of Hosts wasn’t enough and Father had to stop halfway through Communion to go back to the Tabernacle for the rest of the reserved Hosts.
Another dear friend made the decision to enter the Church!! I have been praying for her conversion for a long time and am so excited for her!
Our son is currently deployed. (please pray for him and all military who are deployed, thanks you.) He received news of his next assignment. The new job will “most likely’ not involve returning to hostilities for at least 2 years. After repeated deployments the last 6 years, his little family it ecstatic that the job will be stateside. I used the phrase “most likely” because nothing in the military is guaranteed.
We were recently informed that we MAY be getting more TLM’s in our area. Please say a few prayers that this be true.
Beautiful Solemn High Mass yesterday for Low Sunday at Sacred Heart, Loughborough UK.
The transitional deacon in our parish gave a very brave and inspiring homily about St. Maria Goretti and the example of forgiveness that she provides us.
I passed my FCC General Class amateur radio exam on Saturday!
We had a great turnout for 3:00 PM Mercy Sunday at our parish.
2 confessors hearing confessions and the lines were constant for the full hour.
@ discerningguy and Saint Irenaeus: If what you say is true about the SSPX, then thanks be to God! It would seal our Holy Father’s legacy, that’s for sure!
@ Holy Souls Hermitage: Wonderful news about Sister Mary Immaculata’s Solemn Profession in Charlotte! I remember reading of her First Profession when the nuns were still in Ohio!
My ‘tiny bit’ of good news was that I went down to the traditional seminary I know in the Catskills of NY on Saturday to watch one of the seminarians receive his Diaconate! Lovely ordination Mass, and a nice time eating lunch and visiting with the Sisters at the nearby affiliated convent.
On a more mundane level, on the way home I didn’t have enough money to refill my gas tank, and when I pulled into a station in a small town, I humbly asked a couple of people there if they could help me. They couldn’t, but a young man came by and asked how much I needed. Could you spare twenty bucks? I asked. Then he flashed a huge wad of money, pulled out a twenty, and gave it to me. I gently gripped his wrist and said, ‘God bless you’, and went inside to pay for enough fuel to get home.
Anglicans on the move — former members of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada including the Archbishop and the Auxiliary enter the Church.
See http://foolishnesstotheworld.wordpress.com/ for Archbishop Prendergast SJ at St Patrick’s Basilica in Ottawa.
Three hours later in Victoria BC over 600 people at St Andrew’s Cathedral welcomed the Fellowship of Blessed John Henry Newman into the Church, a group that will also eventually enter the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter, of which Mons. Jeffrey Steenson is the Ordinary.
This a bit old but I had been waiting for a moment to tell the good news. The Chilean (I am Chilean) senate rejected all three initiatives to legislate about abortion. So Chile is still legally abortion free for another year!
I found this small article about it: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Americas.php?id=5240
Please pray for us!
Our associate pastor, who had offered his “First Mass” a year ago on Divine Mercy Sunday, and on his first Sunday back from medical leave, preached convincingly on the Divine Mercy. During Eucharist Adoration that afternoon (which was well attended) he heard many confessions; several more spontaneously asked to celebrate the sacrament after the evening Mass. Deo gratias!
A parish we visit from time to time has moved carefully and gradually to a much more “Benedictine” presentation of the OF liturgy. I commented to the Parish Priest on Low Sunday about the altar boys looking so much smarter in soutane and surplice than polyester whatnots… he just grinned! Brick by brick indeed. Their neighbouring parish was hit by an arsonist last Saturday night – the good news: only a hall was damaged, not the Church. All the vestments that were destroyed were of the rough-spun, polyester variety while everything truly worthy of the Sacred Mysteries was being stored in the Church itself. God writes straight with crooked lines!
We had a Divine Mercy service for the first time ever at our parish yesterday. That’s good news. Even better, our new pastor announced this weekend that we are going to have completely renovated confessionals. He said as our new pastor, he is dedicated to increasing and improving the sacramental life of our parish and the first and most important step to take will be to improve the confessionals. He wants them to reflect the same reverence as the altar or the tabernacle and to protect the privacy of penitents. I will not comment on the current state of the confessionals except to say I am glad they are going to be renovated.
My son has been accepted for the seminary training in the Diocese in Arundel and Brighton and will be going into Wonersh for Theology in the Autumn. Praise and Thanks be to God, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. [Very good news indeed.]
Yesterday my parish had two masses with the bishop in which four little boys were baptized and 87 children received the sacrament of confirmation and made their first Holy Communion. (We follow the restored order in Maine.) They were incredibly beautiful liturgies – it’s a real ‘reform of the reform’ parish.
The bishop gave an excellent homily drawing on Paul’s analogy of the Christian as an athlete and pointed out to the children that to be a successful athlete one must practice – and that they are called to ‘practice’ the Faith. He reminded the parents of their duty to help the children practice by continuing their catechesis and fulfilling their Sunday obligation. Very heartening.
Fr. Byers, we were at Sr. Immaculata’s profession also! We drove down especially for it, since 5 of our children are Haitian & I really wanted them to meet her (my husband had fun chatting with her family afterward & trying to remember his Kreyol). They were all rather wide-eyed & wondered where she went while she was prostrated beneath the pall (I think they thought there was a secret trap door in front of the altar LOL!)
The Mass by the bishop was lovely & the dozen new life-size statues recently installed at St. Ann’s were amazing! You truly do get the feeling of the “great cloud of witnesses” being right there with you.
A few other big highlights…the sea of mantillas (it was reeeally good for our girls to see that, since usually we’re the only ones) , the sung Chaplet of Mercy before Mass, & the first time for our family at a church with an altar rail! Something about being on your knees & not being able to see the priest’s face (even though I knew his voice since he’s our PV) & just hearing the words from above you “The Body of Christ” & gazing only at the Eucharist before your eyes as you receive him…wow.
Supertradmum ~ Arundel (castle & cathedral) is high on my ReallyMustSeeThat list! We named our little 21 acre dilettante farm that as well, since we like to think St. Philip Howard is a distant relative. (We know my husband’s family fled from England to Ireland under Queen Bess, but so far only have genealogy back to County Westmeath). Our son chose him as his confirmation saint this year.
We will remember to pray for your son!
In 36 minutes I defend my Ph.D. Thesis… In 2 hours, I may have very good news. Pray for me, please.
JSBSJ, praying!
Enjoyed a weekend in Venice and Padua…highlights: Padua’s St. Antonio Basilica, with the beautiful tomb of St. Anthony; and the tomb of St. Leopold Bogdan Mandic in the St. Leopold Sanctuary, also in Padua…
Last Wednesday I received a letter from my bishop calling me to the Order of Presbyter this June!
@Ana: Deo Gratias!
-On Friday night almost 70 young people were confirmed at our parish.
-Helpers of God’s Precious Infants prayer vigil on Saturday with one of our Archdiocese’s auxiliary bishops.
-Celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday both at our parish in the morning, then at another parish that afternoon. It was very beautiful in both places. :-)
-I was able to make it to Confession yesterday.
A blog that has been started be a group of young people in NZ, reflecting on our Catholic faith, is doing really well so far!!
http://faithbooknz.com/
Check it out!!
Moving out of Utah in a few short… and long weeks.
@beez: Magnificent news! You’ll be in my prayers. God bless.
Our new Metropolitan William Skurla is being enthroned this week as Metropolitan of the Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. May God grant him many years!
My oldest son received a letter from a far away diocese that stated they were given information from someone (they didn’t name) that said my son has the qualities that would make a good priest! He was invited to a discernment retreat there.
He is 16 years old and he looked at me- I said, “I swear it wasn’t me or dad!” and said, “Mama, maybe that is why I am having such a hard time trying to decide what to study after high school. I am really blocked and didn’t know what to think. I remotely thought about it before.” I almost cried when he said that (I truly never thought he would even consider a religious life, though I pray daily for God to call my children there if it be His will).
Pray that he is able to discern what God’s will is for his life. He is a good kid, doesn’t date or get into trouble, very solid.
I Completed The Divine Mercy Novena with My Mom. DEO GRATIAS!
The really good news I found out today, is that after 10+ years of infertility, my wife found out today that she is pregnant.
Oh my goodness! I am so happy for everyone here! I truly am. What wonderful and joyous events to read about. This was a good idea, Fr. Z.
JSB, I hope it went well. :)
My good news is, after two years of preparation, my “baby”, my precious great-nephew, is about to receive his First Holy Communion on May 6th. Please pray for him? His name is Ashton, and his family is not supportive of religious faith, but, there he will be on that day. He is making his first confession this Saturday.
I had a great day on Divine Mercy Sunday. Excellent.
On a lesser note, I have just found a recumbent trike I am going to find the money to buy. I am looking forward to hours of fun doing something totally new!