Prayers that need to be revived

In my opinion Catholics everywhere need to start saying these prayers again. Often!

O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord.


Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Bonfire of the Vanities: My Experimental 'Spirit of Vatican II' Liturgy

I wish this experiment would be tried here in New Ulm. I really think that we need to be able to experience this type of Mass more. We need it. Our souls need it.

Bonfire of the Vanities: My Experimental 'Spirit of Vatican II' Liturgy

St Joseph's cathedral

St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls, SD has been reopened after a long renovation. From the picture below it looks wonderful. My family and I usually attend Mass there when we stay in Sioux Falls. I can't wait to see it in person.

St Peter Chrysologus

Saturday of week 17 of the year

or Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor

St Peter Chrysologus (380 - 450)

He was born and died in Imola in northern Italy. He was made bishop of Ravenna, the new capital of the Roman Empire, and was responsible for many of the building works there. The name ?Chrysologus? means ?golden speech?, and was given to Peter because he was such a gifted preacher; unfortunately, most of his writings have perished, and only a collection of short sermons remains.

--From RC Calendar iPad app

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ".

His mission intention is: "That Western Christians may be open to the action of the Holy Spirit and rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/ VIS 20110729 (80)

US Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi dies

Prayers for the Archbishop and his family.

US Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi dies

2011-07-28 Vatican Radio

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., died Wednesday evening in Baltimore. 73 years old, he had suffered complications following lung surgery two weeks ago.

His family had travelled to the US to be with him and have asked bishops priests and lay faithful for their prayers.

Archbishop Sambi was appointed by Pope Benedict in 2005 as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. He began his duties in Washington, D.C. in February of 2006. Previously he was Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

His funeral will be at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on Saturday August 6th –feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

This is the Night: The Exultet

It's finally here. The Easter Vigil, the high point of our liturgical year is upon us. Jesus Christ is Risen!

Tonight we will hear one of the most beautiful prayers that our Church offers. The Exulet. This prayer should be chanted by a deacon (if you are lucky enough to have one) or a priest. Here are a couple of recordings of the Exultet that I enjoy. The files are large, however, well worth the wait:


Fr. Tim Hepburn chants the Exultet in English.

Father John Zuhlsdorf's podcast has a wonderful version of the Exultet sung in Latin along with some very interesting information about this glorious prayer.


The Exultet

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

My dearest friends,
standing with me in this holy light,
join me in asking God for mercy,
that he may give his unworthy minister
grace to sing his Easter praises.


The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night,
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slav'ry,
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night,
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin.

This is night,
when Christians ev'rywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night,
when Jesus broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights,
chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day:
it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed,
when heaven is wedded to earth
and we are reconciled to God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

In searching through my blog list this caught my eye. The Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. I want to spotlight this because I feel that praying for the souls in purgatory is becoming a lost practice. I encourage everyone who might stop by my blog to enroll your deceased loved ones and to pray for the souls in this society.

Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society



Please pray for the enrolled souls and the holy priests of the Society:
"For all the souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful departed rest in peace. Amen."


Then ...

Eternal God,
please bless our priests,
who are selflessly saying Masses for this Society.
Make them more greatly aware of the grace
that You pour out through them
when they minister the sacraments,
and help them to fall more deeply in love with You
after each and every Mass that they celebrate.
Please strengthen our priests,
who shepherd Your flock,
when they are in doubt of their faith,
that they may be examples of Your Truth
and guide us always on the path to You.
We ask these things of You, our Eternal Priest.
Amen.

US bishops praise updated Vatican norms dealing with sex abuse :: EWTN News

US bishops praise updated Vatican norms dealing with sex abuse :: EWTN News

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lauded a move by the Vatican to update its norms on dealing with sex abuse, saying they “welcome” the new changes.

On July 15, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith updated the 2001 Apostolic Letter, “The Safeguarding of the Sanctity of the Sacraments” (Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela), to include the new norms which state that the abuse of a mentally disabled adult and the downloading of child pornography are now in the same category as abusing a minor.

Also included in the changes is extending the statute of limitations for sexual abuse to 20 years after the victim turns 18.

Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Washington praised the updates on Thursday, saying that the “Vatican action is a welcome step forward as we deal with the terrible crime and sin of sexual abuse by a cleric.”

“What we read today from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is heartening,” said Bishop Cupich, who is also chairman of the USCCB Committee on Protection of Children and Young People.

“The bishops in this country felt the support of the Holy See in 2002 with the establishment of the Essential Norms and we are strengthened even more as the measures outlined in this document build on and go beyond what has been particular law for the Church in the United States since then,” he added.

Bishop Cupich also noted that the “seriousness with which the church views sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric cannot be understated. By putting child sexual abuse by clergy in the same context as the safeguarding of the sacraments, the Church is making it clear that such misconduct violates the core values of our faith and worship.”


“Today the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith notes that the abuse of the mentally impaired, no matter what the person’s age, is horrific. Abuse of someone who cannot defend himself or herself is craven, cowardly behavior.”

“Welcome, too,” he added, “is the recognition that the crime of child pornography damages not just those who pursue it, but any child degraded in the making of it. Child pornography is a degradation of any child of God. A priest’s involvement with it is particularly offensive.”

“The document makes law of measures that have already been in use by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith to facilitate handling of cases brought to the Vatican,” the prelate explained. “This is an important step in the continuing effort to achieve justice for innocent people whose trust in a cleric was violated.”

Bishop Cupich concluded that the new modifications further “our strong resolve to do all that is possible to see that children are protected and safe, especially in the Church. We apologize to those who have been hurt in the past. We are doing everything possible to prevent such harm in the future.”

Archbishop Carlson condemns casual attitude towards abortion :: EWTN News

Archbishop Carlson condemns casual attitude towards abortion :: EWTN News

Explaining the Commandment “you shall not kill,” the Archbishop of St. Louis has said that human life is sacred because “it involves the creative action of God.” He condemned abortion, saying those who view it as merely “a political issue” violate this Commandment and those who are “pro-choice” cannot remain Catholics in good standing.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson also condemned avoidable war, euthanasia, and the ordinary use of capital punishment while also warning of the dangers of hatred, anger and vengeance.

Writing in a July 6 column in the archdiocesan paper the St. Louis Review, the archbishop began: “God's law in the Old Testament is clear and unambiguous: You shall not kill. Jesus is even more demanding: Every one who is angry is liable to judgment.”

Sins against this commandment are “easy to commit,” he continued, explaining that anytime we think, speak or act out of “anger or hatred or jealousy or revenge” we violate respect for life, God’s “most precious gift.”

“Human life is sacred because, from its beginning until its natural end, it involves the creative action of God,” he continued, noting that all direct and intentional killing is “gravely sinful.”

“God alone is the Lord of life. No one has the right to end arbitrarily what God has begun, and sustained, through the gift of His love,” Archbishop Carlson wrote.

Recounting the murder of Abel by Cain in the Book of Genesis, he noted God’s question to Cain: “What have you done?”

“Today this question is asked not only of those who kill someone, but also of those responsible for violence, anger, hatred and vengeance in any form,” he continued.

Archbishop Carlson also condemned abortion, describing it as “the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb.”

“People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment,” he continued, quoting the Second Vatican Council document Gaudium et Spes: “ … human life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.”

“You cannot be 'pro-choice' (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life,” the St. Louis archbishop wrote.

He also noted that “Abortion is so grave a sin that the Church penalizes it with excommunication.”

The archbishop said it was “a shame” that so many violent words are daily expressed between family members. He warned of anger and intolerance being “pervasive in our Church and our society.” These attitudes are destructive and sinful and are “of the Evil One.”

He acknowledged that the Fifth Commandment does not bar legitimate self-defense, which can be “not only a right but also a grave duty for someone responsible for another’s life.” However, the Commandment also directs Christians to work “for justice and peace,” to avoid war “whenever possible,” and to limit capital punishment to “the most extreme (and rare) circumstances.”

Explaining the immorality of euthanasia, he noted the need for ordinary care for a sick person though “extraordinary” procedures are not necessary. Those with questions about such situations should contact their pastor, he advised.

“Taking proper care of our health, respecting others and showing respect for the dead are all matters covered by the Fifth Commandment's demand that we reverence God's most precious gift — human life,” his St. Louis Review column concluded.

Some Protestant churches construe the Commandments differently, placing “You shall not murder” as the Sixth Commandment.