Pope names 9 visitors to investigate sex abuse crisis in Ireland

The Vatican has announced that the Apostolic Visitation to Ireland will take place this fall and has named the 9 visitors who will lead the charge. The visit, which the pope ordered and mentioned in his letter to Irish Catholics, is part of an investigation aimed at eradicating clerical sex abuse.  The panel is made up of 5 archbishops and 4 religious.

 

Pope Benedict XVI announced such a visit would take place in his letter to Irish Catholics back in March, but had never mentioned when it would take place or who would be part of the visit. 

The delegation includes, Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston, Cardinal Emeritus of Westminister Cormac Murphy O’Connor and the Archbishop of Toronto Canada, Thomas Christopher Collins. The visitors have all previously successfully handled similar clean up efforts in their respective countries. 

In order to investigate what has taken place at religious home, the pope has also named four religious. 

In a statement, the Vatican’s press office says the goal of the visitation is to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond to the situation caused by clerical sex abuse. 

The group of visitors will also investigate the handling of abuse cases, assistance to victims and the effectiveness of the current procedures aimed at preventing abuse. 

The visitation will start in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses, religious orders and seminaries before an investigation is extended into other dioceses. 

The panel will produce a report with possible solutions to the pope after the visit. 

Benedict XVI asks for prayer for peace in Cyprus

The pope asked for prayers of “peace” and “prosperity” in Cyprus. It is five days before he leaves for the island, which will be the first papal visit to Cyprus. The country is divided into a Turkish area and the other Greek.

Benedict XVI will stay for three days in the mostly Orthodox country. He was invited by the Orthodox archbishop from Cyprus, Crisóstomos II, whom he has met with twice before.

Benedict XVI

“This week I am making an Apostolic Journey to Cyprus, to meet and pray with the Catholic and Orthodox faithful there and to consign the Instrumentum Laboris for the upcoming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East.”

One of the most emotional moments during the trip will be his visit to Paphos, the place where St. Paul performed his first miracle.

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Seven

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

FEAST OF THE VISITATION

In 2008 Pope Benedict gave a beautiful reflection on this feast. As we read it, let us “visit” one last time the Holy Father and his special prayer intentions for this month—victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, and all who work in service to the Church that they may have a missionary spirit that brings Christ to the people they serve just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth.

In today's Feast of the Visitation the liturgy has us listen again to Luke's Gospel passage that recounts Mary of Nazareth's journey to the home of her elderly cousin Elizabeth. Let us imagine the Virgin's state of mind after the Annunciation, when the Angel left her. Mary found herself with a great mystery enclosed within her womb; she knew something extraordinarily unique had happened; she was aware that the last chapter of salvation history in the world had begun. But everything around her remained as before and the village of Nazareth was completely unaware of what had happened to her.

Before worrying about herself, Mary instead thought about elderly Elizabeth, who she knew was well on in her pregnancy and, moved by the mystery of love that she had just welcomed within herself, she set out "in haste" to go to offer Elizabeth her help. This is the simple and sublime greatness of Mary! When she reaches Elizabeth's house, an event takes place that no artist could ever portray with the beauty and the intensity with which it took place. The interior light of the Holy Spirit enfolds their persons.

Going beyond the surface, Mary "sees" the work of God in history with the eyes of faith. This is why she is blessed, because she believed. By faith, in fact, she accepted the Word of the Lord and conceived the Incarnate Word. Her faith has shown her that the thrones of the powerful of this world are all temporary, while God's throne is the only rock that does not change or fall. Dear brothers and sisters, let us … bring the same sentiments of praise and thanksgiving of Mary to the Lord, her faith and her hope, her docile abandonment in the hands of Divine Providence. May we imitate her example of readiness and generosity in the service of our brethren. Indeed, only by accepting God's love and making of our existence a selfless and generous service to our neighbor, can we joyfully lift a song of praise to the Lord. May the Blessed Mother, who invites us this evening to find refuge in her Immaculate Heart, obtain this grace for us. 

Church on the ball - World Cup Football

The Catholic Church has a special site for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11. Already with links to South African Church groups and the Clericus Cup, a clerical version of the World Cup, the site now as a dedicated prayer for the world's biggest sporting event. 

www.churchontheball.com/index.php

Prayer on our 20th Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage. During the course of the years we realize how much God has blessed our lives through His grace, mercy and love in our life. Living together and rising six children is by no means any easy feat.  So today we give thanks to God with this special prayer.

 

Prayer on Our Wedding Anniversary

O God, we thank you that you have given us another year of life together. We thank you for the love which grows in us and for the bonds which grow more close each day. We thank you for the happiness we have known together; for the sorrows we have faced together; for all the experiences of sunshine and of shadow through which we have come, up to today.
 
We ask for forgiveness for any failure on our part; for any times when we became difficult to live with; for any lack of sympathy and understanding; for anything which spoiled even for a moment the perfect relationship which marriage should be. Spare us to each other to go on walking the way of life together, and grant that for us it may be true that the best is yet to be: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Special wedding anniversary blessings goes our to my dear brother and his wife (Joey and Vitra) as well as my dear friends Richard and Alicia who also celebrate their wedding anniversary today as well. God Bless.

Sunday Snippets - May 30, 2010

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

  My blogs for the last week. Hope you are inspired. God Bless:

-1-

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day One

-2-

The Lord is my Shepherd - A new look at this prayer

-3-

Art Linkletter, iconic TV and radio showman, has died at 97

-4-

AN ELECTION HOPE for May 24

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Six

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

Dante’s Inferno comes to Rome

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri is one of the most read books in the history of literature. In this masterpiece, Dante travels through Purgatory, Hell and Heaven in search of his beloved.

Mario Benedetto Robazza

Sculptor

“This exhibition aims to make people think because in this hell we are all represented.”

At this exhibit in Rome, you can see 18 marble panels in which Mario Benedetto Robazza has put his most personal version of Dante’s Inferno.

An exhibit that brings Dante’s Inferno to Castel Sant’ Angelo, one of the most heavenly places of the Eternal City.

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

We celebrate today one of the most sublime mysteries of our faith: God is one and God is three. God is a communion of Persons, not three separate individuals. God is Love in His very being. Made in God’s image and likeness, we find fulfillment in loving. Today let us make our offering and prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions an act of love as we reflect on Pope Benedict’s Sunday Angelus Address for this feast last year.

Today we contemplate the Most Holy Trinity as Jesus introduced us to it. He revealed to us that God is love "not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance" (Preface). He is the Creator and merciful Father; he is the Only-Begotten Son, eternal Wisdom incarnate, who died and rose for us; he is the Holy Spirit who moves all things, cosmos and history, toward their final, full recapitulation. Three Persons who are one God because the Father is love, the Son is love, the Spirit is love. God is wholly and only love, the purest, infinite and eternal love. He does not live in splendid solitude but rather is an inexhaustible source of life that is ceaselessly given and communicated. To a certain extent we can perceive this by observing both the macro-universe: our earth, the planets, the stars, the galaxies; and the micro-universe: cells, atoms, elementary particles. The "name" of the Blessed Trinity is, in a certain sense, imprinted upon all things because all that exists, down to the last particle, is in relation; in this way we catch a glimpse of God as relationship and ultimately, Creator Love. All things derive from love, aspire to love and move impelled by love, though naturally with varying degrees of awareness and freedom. "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps 8: 1) the Psalmist exclaims. In speaking of the "name", the Bible refers to God himself, his truest identity. It is an identity that shines upon the whole of Creation, in which all beings for the very fact that they exist and because of the "fabric" of which they are made point to a transcendent Principle, to eternal and infinite Life which is given, in a word, to Love. "In him we live and move and have our being", St Paul said at the Areopagus of Athens (Acts 17: 28). The strongest proof that we are made in the image of the Trinity is this: love alone makes us happy because we live in a relationship, and we live to love and to be loved. Borrowing an analogy from biology, we could say that imprinted upon his "genome", the human being bears a profound mark of the Trinity, of God as Love.

Rome discovers its most hidden places

Some of Rome’s best kept secrets are about to be revealed.

We’re talking about underground tours that’ll take place for only two weeks. They’ll take visitors to places normally off limits to the public. Places very few know about and that have shaped history. This is the ground Cesar walked on and the ground that witnessed the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

Take these 117 steps for example. These steps lead to the Virgin Aqueduct, which allows visitors to see the channels that deliver water to the most significant fountains in the Eternal City, such as the Trevi Foutain, The Foutain of the Old Boat near the Spanish Steps and the Fountain of the Four Rivers at Piazza Navona.

This structure dates back to the year 19 B.C but it’s been restored several times.

8 meters below the city, is the structure where Minthras, was worshipped. Minthra’s was a God connected to a religion that spraed throughout the Roman Empire during the first and fourth centuries. Because the religion shares some Christain elements, it’s believe many early Christians derived from that cult.

When you feel you are drowning

What I perceive to be horrible circumstances disappear the moment I get my eyes back on Jesus-

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Five

 

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

MARY SAID “YES”

On this last Saturday in the month of May, Mary’s month, and as we prepare for the feast of the Most Holy Trinity tomorrow, let us reflect today on the intimate relationship that Mary had with God, and with each Person of the Holy Trinity. First of all, like all of us, humans made in the image and likeness of God, Mary is a child of God. She is the beloved daughter of God the Father whom the Father chose from all eternity to be the Mother of His only begotten Son. Mary said “yes” to the Father’s plan and at that moment Mary became the Mother of God the Son, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. How did this happen? Through the action of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Luke says that the Angel Gabriel gave to Mary the following answer to her question about how she could be a mother: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Thus, Mary can truly be called the Spouse of the Holy Spirit since it was through the action of the Spirit and not any human husband that she conceived Jesus.

The following prayer is an act of consecration to our Lady of the Blessed Trinity that was first officially approved by Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York in 1963. As we pray it today, let us renew our daily offering for the salvation of souls and the Holy Father’s monthly intentions.

With all my heart I praise you, Most Holy Virgin, above all angels and saints in paradise, Daughter of the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to you my soul with all its faculties.

With all my heart I praise you, Most Holy Virgin, above all angels and saints in paradise, beloved Mother of the Son of God. I consecrate to you my body with all its senses.

With all my heart I praise you, Most Holy Virgin, above all angels and saints in paradise, beloved Spouse of the Holy Spirit. I consecrate to you my heart with all its affections and beseech you to obtain for me from the Most Holy Trinity all the graces necessary for Salvation. Amen.

St Mary's lit up in Vivid Sydney

The switches flicked on last night for the Vivid Sydney Festival, with colourful visuals lighting up the Opera House and seven prominent buildings along Macquarie Street - from St Mary's Cathedral to the Conservatorium of Music.

The New York performance artist Laurie Anderson watched as her morphing artworks were beamed onto the Opera House sails, said the Sydney Morning Herald. She is cited saying: "It's amazing - we have this moon that's just coming out of the clouds and then we have this kind of like disco moon on the sails.

"I hadn't imagined there'd be so much weather around it, which really looks beautiful."

As the Opera House lights went on, so did "immersive" projections onto the chosen buildings along the Macquarie Street area, relating to the life of Governor Lachlan Macquarie - sworn in 200 years ago - and colonial life.

FULL STORY
Spot the difference and see the city in a new light (Sydney Morning Herald)

PHOTO CREDIT
Screenshot from the slideshow on Vivid light spectacular (Sydney Morning Herald)

LINK
Vivid Sydney

The Irish Mental Health Hotline Answering Machine

Eucharistic Adoration organized at St. Peter’s Basilica

Young people from different nationalities who study in Rome will come together to pray for a solution and a stop to sex abuse committed by members of the clergy.  

The group prayer will take place at St. Peter’s Basilica on May 29th. The promoter of justice for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who’s the Vatican’s prosecutor, Charles Scicluna will participate and reflect on the current situation.

Norway, the best country to be a mother in

A special report on motherhood by ‘Save the Children’ analyzes the current situation of mothers worldwide.

To complete the report, ‘Save the Children’ has looked at factors of health, nutrition, education, economics and politics.

North Europe and Oceania are areas that provide the most ease for mothers. Among the top countries in the ranking are Norway, Australia and Ireland. At the bottom of the list are Afghanistan, Niger and Chad.

The announcement also shows the differences among developed countries and Third World countries.

For example in Ethiopia only six percent of births receive assistance. In total there are 50 million women worldwide who die each year from giving birth without receiving qualified help. But in Norway health personnel are present at almost every birth.

Also one in every seven women will lose their life during pregnancy or childbirth in Niger. In Spain the risk is much less with one in every 16,400 women.

‘Save the Children’ also includes in its announcement recommendations to improve the wellbeing of mothers like increasing investment in education for mothers and girls or improving maternal and child healthcare.

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Four

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

Love Itself

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Two

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY

Pope St. Gregory the Great sent today’s saint along with thirty monks to bring to the Angle people the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let us ask St. Augustine to pray with us today that priests, consecrated men and women, and lay people who work in the Church, may understand how to bring missionary enthusiasm to the communities they serve. Our reflection is from a speech that St. Augustine of Canterbury gave to King Ethelbert when he arrived in England.

Your everlasting peace, O king, and that of your kingdom is the object we desire to promote in coming here. We bring you news of never-ending joy. Do not regard us as superstitious because we have been at pains to come from Rome to your dominions for the sake of your salvation and that of your subjects. Do not see us as coming to force upon an unknown people benefits against their will. Be assured that only a great love constrains us to do this. For we long, beyond all the desires and glory of the world, to have as many fellow citizens with us as we can in the kingdom of God. We strive with all our efforts to prevent those from perishing, who may be advanced to the company of the holy angels.

The loving-kindness of Christ has everywhere infused goodwill into preachers of his truth. Thus without thought of themselves they burn with zeal for the salvation of all nations. Moved, too, by such love as this, Gregory, the present father of all Christendom, thirsts ardently for your salvation. He would have come to you himself had he been able, but he cannot leave the care of so many souls committed to his charge. Therefore, he has sent us in his place to open to you the way of everlasting light and the gate of the kingdom of heaven. You will reign there forever if you reject the idols of the devil and decide to enter through Christ.

Art Linkletter, iconic TV and radio showman, has died at 97

Art Linkletter, host of the long-running TV show "People Are Funny" and the radio/TVshow "House Party," has died in Los Angeles. He was 97.

The news comes from his son-in-law, the Associated Press is reporting. May he rest in peace.

Pope asks for prayer for his ministry of governance in the Church

During the pope’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, he focused his remarks on his governance of the Church and the ministry of priests.

The pope said the duty of the priest is to "govern and guide with the authority of Christ that portion of the people which God has entrusted to his care."
 

"In a special way I also ask you to pray for my own ministry of governance in the Church, and for the spiritual fruitfulness of the celebrations at the conclusion of the Year for Priests."

Benedict XVI said they will meditate on conversion and mission and will renew their priestly promises.

Anglican Church creates prayer for teams and fans of the World Cup in South Africa

The Anglican Church has published special prayers for the teams, fans, and hosts of the World Cup in South Africa.

Reverend Nick Baines, Bishop of Croydon, has written prayers portraying God as a football player who plays and gives life to the cosmos.

Reverend Baines says everyone will be affected by the World Cup in one way or another so it made sense to write prayers suitable to everyone.

The prayers ask for sportsmanship and safety during the competition and to bless teams and fans as they celebrate.

The bishop has also kept in mind those who are uninterested in the World Cup and will be surrounded by neighbors and friends who are soccer enthusiasts. He wrote a prayer asking to grant them the "gift of sympathy if needed."

Reverend Baines says the World Cup isn’t just about football, but that it is about "the rainbow of nations of the world celebrating together with the people of South Africa."

Website - See the Holy Land

As the Vatican and Israel continue to negotiate an agreement on tax and property issues, this recently launched site, by the founding editor of the New Zealand Catholic newspaper, offers a guide to visiting holy places in Israel and the Palestinian territories. 

It features a comprehensive, and well researched, list of the sites, and makes a useful travel tool. 

http://www.seetheholyland.net/

Steve Jobs Says iPad Revolution Means ‘Freedom from Porn’

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers, says his company will not be a party to the pornography industry and hopes that the iPad and iPhone revolution will help lead to a porn-free world.

Jobs reiterated his position in a heated e-mail  exchange with Ryan Tate, a writer for Gawker.com, which follows news and gossip in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. Tate, who admitted that he was home alone and slightly inebriated at the time, took issue with a television ad calling the iPad a “revolution” and fired off an e-mail to Jobs. READ MORE

Martyred monks film nabs second prize at Cannes festival

At the end the prestigious 12-day Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, a film on a group of French monks who were martyred in Africa during the 1990s won the event's second highest honor.

“Of Gods and Men,” a film by the French director Xavier Beauvois, centers around the true story of seven Cistercian monks who were taken hostage and murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in 1996. Though the monks were told to return to their native France, the group refused and chose to remain in the conflict-torn region of the Algerian mountains, knowing that they would be martyred.READ MORE

Oil reaches Louisiana shores

Over one month after the initial explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, crude oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and oil slicks have slowly reached as far as 12 miles into Louisiana's marshes.

A dragonfly tries to clean itself as it is stuck to marsh grass covered in oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in Garden Island Bay on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana near Venice on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 

A shrimp boat is used to collect oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana on May 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) 

These Kemp's Ridley turtles, photographed on May 23rd, 2010, are considered the smallest marine turtles in the world and are being held at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts because they cannot be released in the wild, due in part to the Gulf Coast oil spill. (Dina Rudick/Boston Globe) 

More Photo Here

BP Tweets

The Twitter account of British Petroleum Public Relations: BPGlobalPR. (H/O to J-Walk Blog)

A few examples:

• It's official, the phrase "All the tea in china" has been replaced with 'All the oil in the gulf" - Can't wait for the royalties! 
• Eating at a very expensive restaurant and spilled salad dressing on my pants. Not sure how to tackle this.
• The ocean looks just a bit slimmer today. Dressing it in black really did the trick!
• I'm sorry, are people mad at us for drilling in the ocean?!? Maybe God shouldn't have put oil there in the first place. DUH
• Negative people view the ocean as half empty of oil. We are dedicated to making it half full. Stay positive America!
• Please do NOT take or clean any oil you find on the beach. That is the property of British Petroleum and we WILL sue you.

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day Two

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.

 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.

I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

ST. PHILIP NERI

On this day in 1979 Pope John Paul II visited the church where the relics of today’s saint reside. As we reflect on his homily on that day, let us pray that all those who serve in the Church may have the same love and zeal that motivated St. Philip Neri.

I could not fail to visit this holy place, loved by the Romans, to venerate the one who was designated "The Apostle of Rome", St Philip Neri, the Joint Patron Saint of this noble City. My coming was a duty, it was a need of the soul and it was also an anxious expectation! In this Church, where St Philip Neri's body rests, I address first of all my most cordial greeting to the priests, his confreres. But then with special love I greet you the faithful, and in you I intend to reach all the faithful of Rome, the city of St Philip Neri, which he loved and benefited so much, and in which his living and sanctifying memory is still present.

You know that in the period in which he stayed in Rome, from 1534, when he arrived an unknown and poor pilgrim, to 1595, the year of his blessed death, St Philip Neri had a very deep love for Rome! He lived, worked, studied, suffered, prayed, loved, died, for Rome! He had Rome in his mind, his heart, his concerns, his plans, his institutions, his joys and also his sorrows! For Rome, St Philip was a man of culture and charity, of study and organization, of teaching and prayer. For Rome, he was a holy priest, a tireless confessor, a brilliant educator and a friend of all, and particularly he was an expert counsellor and a delicate director of consciences. Popes and cardinals, bishops and priests, princes and politicians, religious and artists, had recourse to him: illustrious persons, such as the historian Cesare Baronio and the famous composer Palestrina, St Charles Borromeo and St Ignatius of Loyola, and Cardinal Federigo Borromeo, confided in his heart, the heart of a father and friend.

But that poor, little room in his apartment was above all the goal of an immense multitude of humble persons of the people, the suffering, the disinherited, the outcasts of society, young people, children, who flocked to him, to receive advice, forgiveness, peace, encouragement, material and spiritual aid. St Philip's beneficial activity was such and so great that the Magistrature of Rome decreed to give a chalice to his church every year on the anniversary of his death, as a sign of veneration and gratitude.

Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ - Day One

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.

 I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy. 

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You. 

I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.

 I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation. 

I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.
I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners. 

I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul. 

I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request). 

If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.

O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.

Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

Jesuits show where Saint Ignatius died

The Society of Jesus celebrates its 470th anniversary by opening the doors of its oldest homes in Rome. A major event because some of the places, like the Saint Mary Assunta Chapel, has never been open to the public.

The initiative is called ‘Unexpected connections: journey to the heart of the Society’ and it includes guided tours by groups of young Jesuits.