Category Archives: News

News, Women's Communities

Singing Praise to the Angels and Saints

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Tomorrow, May 7th, is the day that the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, will have their second CD of sacred hymns released to the general public. Titled Angels and Saints at Ephesus, this CD follows on the heels of their chart-topping first album, Advent at Ephesus, which was #1 on Billboard’s Classical Music Chart for 6 weeks!

“The Benedictines of Mary have again created a beautiful recording to connect us to the oldest traditions of European monastic chant and hymns,” said Costa Pilavachi, Senior Vice-President, Classical A+R Universal Music Group International.

The second album features 17 English and Latin hymns sung a cappella honoring feasts of the holy saints and angels. Songs include:  Ave Regina Cælorum, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Virgin Wholly Marvellous, Lorica of St. Patrick. The sisters hope that this music will draw more people closer to the Lord through these most powerful intercessors, the angels and the saints.

The Benedictines of Mary are a young community that is growing. Following the Rule of St. Benedict, they are privileged to daily partake in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (1962) as well as the 1962 Monastic Office, with its traditional Gregorian Chant, in Latin, continuing the rich legacy of their predecessors.

As it says on their website: We have been richly blessed by God thus far with vocations, zealous young women imbued with the call to offer their lives to Jesus, through Mary, on behalf of all priests. Please pray that God Who has begun His work in us may bring it to fulfillment.

Ordering directly from the nuns allows more of the proceeds to go directly to them which helps to alleviate their debt and realize more of their new projects. Click here for more information on how to order.

News

That All May Be One…

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At the IRL National Meeting banquet, held on April 6, 2013, Mother Mary Clare Millea, ASCJ, received the Pro Fidelitate et Virtute award from the IRL in recognition of her extraordinary fidelity to the consecrated life, as well as her tireless dedication as a daughter of the Church. Mother is Superior General of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was the Apostolic Visitator for Institutes of Women Religious in the United States.

In the news yesterday was the report that Pope Francis reaffirmed the findings of the Assessment and the program of reform needed by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). Archbishop Gerhard L. Müller, the prefect for the Vatican’s doctrine congregation and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who was named to carry out the reform of the group, met met in Rome with conference president Sister Florence Deacon on April 15 among others.

Archbishop Müller thanked the sisters for their “great contribution” to the Church, “as seen particularly in the many schools, hospitals, and institutions of support for the poor” that have been founded and staffed by religious. The assessment noted that while the LCWR promotes social justice issues, it largely ignores matters of life, marriage and sexuality, which have played a large role in recent public debates. At their conferences, the talks included those with “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

Let us all pray that the LCWR, the affected communities, and those responsible for carrying out the reform may act in good faith, with the help of the Holy Spirit and strive to achieve the unity under Holy Mother Church so desired by our Lord.

For more information, see the Catholic News Service.

Men's communities, News

East Meets West

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At the 2013 IRL National Meeting this year we were blessed to have the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Abbot Nicholas Zachariadis of Holy Resurrection Monastery in Saint Nazianz, Wisconsin, on Friday night. Graced with the choir from Fr. Thomas Loya’s parish, Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, Illinois, it was truly a memorable and inspiring opening to the weekend.

Here is the link to the homily given by Abbot Nicholas courtesy of the Byzantine Forum in which he describes what the “Eastern” tradition can offer to the “Western” or “Latin” tradition, particularly in this time of crisis for Western Civilization when secularism and a do-it-yourself spirituality has infected society to such a large degree.

From my experience, the Eastern-Rite liturgy is dramatic; the words are clear, the sense of mystery is over-powering. The heart and mind can sense and see heavenly realities. Abbot Nicholas said, “Mystery for us is not just what we do in church! It’s how we see everything! Every Christian is part of the hidden life of the Sacred Trinity. Every Christian is a mystic. Being a mystic means being a liturgical being, nothing more. Everything we do is (or ought to be at least!) wrapped in the mystery of the direct experience of God.”

“Let’s think specifically about the Byzantine Liturgy. This liturgy is long, not because we think God begrudges us our time, but because in time we already begin to experience the first inkling of eternity. It is rich in ceremony, not because God wants to dictate our movements, but because our natural human yearning for beauty—whether in color, movement, the scent of incense or whatever—finds fulfillment in our experience of God in the Divine Services.”

Abbot Nicholas believes that the East and West united are essential to the success of the New Evangelization. He concludes, “What is it that we offer? A reminder, perhaps, that mystery, transcendence and the experience of God are not for a few Christians, but for all….Let’s unloose the bonds that hold us back, let’s get to know one another’s strengths, and just see what the Spirit can do!”

Visitors are welcome to Holy Resurrection Monastery. Please visit their website for information and directions.

 

News

World Youth Day – Not A World Away!

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It’s not too early to start thinking about World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero (July 23-28, 2013)! Who would have guessed that a native born son would be leading the celebration? May Pope Francis and all the attendees be bountifully blessed and nourished by the Word of God!

The theme of the meeting is:  “Go and make disciples of all nations!” (Mt 28:19)

While hundreds of  thousands if not millions of people from around the world will make the trek to Rio, there is an option for young people closer to home. The Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate sponsor their own event coinciding with World Youth Day called: World Youth Day ~ Not a World Away! To be held July 26—July 28, 2013, the 3 day celebration of our faith in this Year of Faith features dynamic speakers, music, drama, catechesis, discussion groups, Mass, confessions, Living Stations of the Cross, and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as video clips of the Holy Father and the young people in Brazil.

Pope Benedict  XVI said in his Message to Youth (18 October 2012): “Be a new generation of missionaries, impelled by love and openness to all! Follow the example of the Church’s great missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier and so many others.”

For more information, visit the Parish Visitors website.

 

News

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Brings a Son Home

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In a publication issued by the Association of Hebrew Catholics called fittingly enough The Hebrew Catholic there is a beautiful story about the conversion of a Jewish man named Jean-Rodolphe Kars.

Jean-Rodolphe was born in India in 1947 where his Jewish parents had taken refuge because of Nazi persecution. Raised in France by his parents who were non-practicing Jews, he became an international concert pianist, an environment he described as very narcissistic. There was a contempt for the Church and a resentment against the shackles  which the Church put on “freedom.”

When he faced a personal crisis, he was directed to a prominent member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal who radiated love, humility and faith, and who seemed to Jean-Rodolphe to have the faith of an early Christian. That night, he experienced the frightening sensation of evil. When he begged God to intervene, the anxiety went away and was replaced by the gentle presence of the Lord.

He was received into the Church at the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur on Montmartre in Paris in 1977. He was ordained a priest in 1986 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Paray-le-Monial in France where St. Margaret Mary received the visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sacre-Coeur, Paris

Before Jean-Rodolphe’s conversion he had left the jacket cover of a new Debussy recording to the whims of the publishers. When it came out, he was disappointed, because the piece of music called ‘The Engulfed Cathedral’ was illustrated with the Sacred Heart Basilica and an overprint of a photo of the sea. He forgot about it until shortly before his conversion. “I looked at the sleeve and at that instant I was staggered: I saw Sacred Heart Basilica where I was going to be baptized in a few months…The sea and the Basilica were emerging out of water. Water is the symbol of Baptism and, and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a symbol of the Church and of a new life.” He felt the Lord was telling him that even though Jean-Rodolphe had been distant, the Lord keeps His eyes on us and awaits the slightest movement of the heart to rush in.

Since 1986 he has been Chaplain of Paray-le-Monial. In his paternal family line, there are a long list of rabbis. Now as a priest and a Jew, he feels that God has given him “a place in His Heart, in the heart of the Church but also in the heart of Israel.”

For more information about the Association of Hebrew Catholics, please visit their website. You can request a free copy of the their newsletter such as the one which describes Fr. Jean-Rodolphe’s conversion story (# 90).

News, Women's Communities

Chantal Artisans

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In May, we will see the ordination of many men to the priesthood. Are you looking for a special gift to give one of these newly-ordained men? Is your Pastor having a Jubilee or Anniversary of Ordination? Would you like to remember a loved one by donating a vestment in his or her memory? Something magnificent  to consider are beautiful vestments created by the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary in Tyringham, Massachusetts.

The monastery belongs to the illustrious Visitation Order that was founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal in France in 1610.  They were unique for their time in not practicing severe penances. Rather they are called to “interior renunciations, great simplicity and joy in the common life.” Even though they are a contemplative, cloistered Order, they welcome individual women retreatants, giving priority to those who are considering a vocation.

The sisters sing the Liturgy of the Hours five times each day and have special mission entrusted to them of prayerfully  spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Visitation Monastery in Tyringham is dedicated to the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of His Mother, Mary. Thus their monastery is called Mont Deux Coeurs or the Mount of the Two Hearts.

Sr. Gemma Maria is a master seamstress who has been practicing her craft for 40 years. She is now guiding other sisters in the design and creation of sacred vestments. Each Sister within the monastery contributes some artistic handiwork for the enjoyment of others. In order to provide for their growing community and to help to support themselves, they have brought together their creative talents to launch this endeavor.

The beauty and elegance of a well-made vestment enhances the solemnity and sacredness of the Liturgy.

We are privileged to share our artistry and our labor for the Lord with you!

For more information, visit Chantal Artisans!

News, Women's Communities

He Leads, I Follow

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The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration received wonderful news during Holy Week!

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, signed a Decree of Miracle which paves the way for the beatification of the foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Venerable Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel. The beatification will take place in Paderborn, Germany, on November 10, 2013.

A four year old boy (who is now a young adult) in Colorado Springs had a persistant severe viral illness that normally ran its course in one week but was stretching into months. The Sisters began a novena to Mother Maria Theresia and the young boy was healed without any scientific explanation.

As their name suggests, the sisters foster in a special way the continuous adoration of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament as a sign of their surrender, in thanksgiving, in atonement for sin, and in intercession for the needs of the Church, for their congregation and for the world.

They have apostolates in Germany where they were founded, in the US, Brazil and the Philippines. They cherish the  the motto of their Foundress, Ven. Mother Maria Theresia , “He Leads, I Follow.”

May our dear Savior bless us from His Cross and preserve us in His grace.

Ven. Mother Maria Theresia

News

The Coat of Arms of Pope Francis

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EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS IN THE COAT OF ARMS OF POPE FRANCIS: The blue shield is surmounted by symbols of papal dignity, the same as those taken by his predecessor Benedict XVI (miter placed between crossed keys of gold and silver, bound by a red cord). At the top, stands the emblem of the Pope’s order of origin, the Society of Jesus, a radiant sun and Christ’s monogram “IHS”. The letter H is surmounted by a cross, and underneath are the three nails in black. Below, are the star and the flower of nard. The star, according to the ancient heraldic tradition, symbolizes the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and of the Church, while the flower of spikenard shows St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church. In the Hispanic iconographic tradition, in fact, St. Joseph is depicted holding a branch of spikenard. By placing these images in his shield, the Pope wanted to express his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.

Liturgical Year, Men's communities, News

Holy Week With the Norbertines

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In this day and age when homogenization seems to rule the day, it is wonderful to know that there are some venerable orders like the Dominicans and the Carmelites who still retain their ancient liturgical practices. In particular, the Norbertine liturgy during Holy Week is replete with symbols which echo back to ancient practices. Saint Norbert lived around the time of the Crusades and since the Latin Catholic liturgy was the predominant from of worship in Jerusalem, the liturgical practices of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site of our Lord’s Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection, had a profound impact on the Norbertine liturgy.

First, the Norbertines’ habit is white, like the original canons of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, symbolizing the angels who announced the Lord’s Resurrection.

At the end of the Palm Sunday procession, there is an unveilng and a threefold adoration of the Holy Cross, a 12th century practice in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Good Friday, there is a special form of the unveiling and adoration of the Cross, symbolizing the Eastern and Western Churches uniting at the foot of Calvary.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

It is the tradition in the Holy Land to celebrate the Mass of the place versus the Mass of the day. So, for example, in Bethlehem, no matter what the day of the year (with some exceptions), the Mass celebrating the Lord’s birth is the order of the day. It is also true that in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Easter Mass is usually celebrated every single day of the year. The Norbertines imitated this practice by celebrating the Mass of Easter each Sunday of Easter. At St. Michael’s Abbey in California, the Easter Antiphon of Easter Sunday is sung on each Sunday of the Easter season.

Finally, the Church calls for all the faithful to bow in reverence during the Nicene Creed when we recall the Incarnation. The Norbertines extend this reverence when the Nicene Creed is sung though the words professing faith in Jesus’ Burial and they rise from this reverence when they profess faith in His Resurrection. Once again, this practice comes from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

For more information, see the Spring 2013 issue of the St. Michael Messenger from St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, CA. If you are nearby a Norbertine Abbey, try attend a Norbertine liturgy and deepen your experience of Holy Week and the holy season of Easter. You don’t have to be a pilgrim to the Holy Land to experience a little bit of the uniqueness that comes from these ancient and deeply moving liturgical traditions.