Our life: a Magnificat! ...

St Josemaria Escriva recommended priests to keep the Blessed Sacrament 

company as much as they could.  He wanted all of them to increase 

their devotion to the Eucharist, pointing out to them:

 

“Don’t do it for your parishioners to see, 

but don’t worry if they do see you. 

If you are centered on our Lord, 

and people notice how you love Him, 

they’ll ask you why, 

and then you can tell them 

about this love 

that should fill your whole life.”

Simply known...

"If I am not in God's grace, may God put me there;
and if I am, may God so keep me there." - St Joan of Arc

"About Jesus Christ and the Church,
I simply know 
they're just one thing,
and we shouldn't complicate the matter."
- St Joan of Arc, as recorded at her trial

St Joan of Arc

France ~ 1412-1431

Mystic, Patriot, Martyr

aka - "Maid of Orleans"

Patron of France, soldiers

FEAST DAY - May 30

"I am not afraid.  I was born to do this." - St Joan of Arc

Click here: St. Joan of Arc - Warrior of God - YouTube (10 mins)

Click here: Joan of Arc - Maid of Heaven - Quotes (excellent!)
Click here: St. Joan of Arc - YouTube (2 mins)
Click here: Joan of Arc -"Who Cares About The Saints?" - Fr. James Martin, S.J. - YouTube (7 mins)

St Joan of Arc, pray for us!

A place of heart...

    ... a broken and contrite heart, O God,

you will not despise. - Psalm 51:17

  "I still remember an evening meditation on Dutch television

during which the speaker poured water on hard, dried-out soil,

saying, 'Look, the soil cannot receive the water and no seed can grow.' 

Then after crumbling the soil with his hands and pouring water

on it again, he said, 'It is only the broken soil that can receive

the water and make the seed grow and bear fruit.'  

    After seeing this, I understood what it meant 
to begin the Eucharist with a contrite heart,

a heart broken open,

to receive the water of God's grace."

Fr Henri Nouwen

With Burning Hearts,

A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life

Photo credit (above):  Eve Anderson 

 MEMORIAL DAY - May 29

Eternal remembrance and gratitude for the innumerable, generous, 
courageous, self-sacrificing and heroic acts of service – seen and unseen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May their souls and the souls of all of the faithful departed 
through the mercy of God rest in peace. AMEN

Donald Trump Calls for Memorial Day to Be a Day of Prayer for Permanent Peace After Meeting With Pope Francis

This is the Host-life...

"It is His will to rise from the dead in our lives and to come back to

the world in His risen Host-life." - Caryll Houselander

"Every day, every hour, Christ is born on the altar

in the hands of the priest. Christ is lifted up and sacrificed;

Christ is buried in the tomb of the human heart

and Christ rises from the tomb to be the life of the world

through His Communion with men.

This is the Host-life.... Everything relates to the Host. ...

Living the Christ-life means that we are given the power

of Christ's love.  We are not only trustees of God's love for man,

entrusted to give it out second-hand, but miraculously,

our love IS His love!

"I have bestowed my love upon you, just as my father has bestowed

his love upon me; live on, then, in my love." (John XV.9.)

Caryll Houselander

Excerpt from The Passion of the Infant Christ

O Lord, You are my portion...

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 

surely I have a delightful inheritance. - Psalm 16:6

"God, in His promises to hear our prayers, 

is desirous to bestow Himself upon us;

if you find anything better than Him, ask it; 

but if you ask anything beneath Him,

you put an affront upon Him, and hurt yourself

by preferring to Him a creature which He framed.

Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, 

in which the royal prophet said to Him,

'Thou, O Lord, are my portion.'

Let others choose to themselves portions among creatures, 

for my part, You are my portion,

You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance."

St Augustine of Canterbury*

*Not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo

+605

Italian Benedictine monk

sent by Pope Gregory the Great as missionary to England

First Archbishop of Canterbury

Patron of England

Feast Day: May 27

Click here: St. Augustine of Canterbury - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: Life of St Augustine of Canterbury - YouTube (6mins)

In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote:

"He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."

St Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us!

ORDAINED to the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ TODAY*

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Oh, day of all love excelling!

An Old German saying: It is worth wearing out a pair of shoes 

to walk to receive a priest's First Blessing!

Rev Mr Paul Baker~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls
Rev Mr Bryce Evans ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls 
Rev Mr Nicholas Froehle ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls 
Rev Mr Nicholas Hagen ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls 
Rev Mr Matthew Quail ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls 
Rev Mr Tim Sandquist ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls

Rev Mr Brandon Theisen ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls

Rev Mr Chad VanHoose~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls

Rev Mr Benjamin Wittnebel ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls

Rev Mr Timothy Wratkowski ~ Archdiocese of St Paul/Mpls

Cathedral of St Paul ~ 10 AM Mass
 

Rev Mr Samuel Beardslee ~ Diocese of Lincoln (Nebraska) 

Rev Mr Timothy Danek ~ Diocese of Lincoln
Rev Mr Jason Doher~ Diocese of Lincoln
Rev Mr Timothy Kennett ~ Diocese of Lincoln
Rev Mr Andrew Litt ~ Diocese of Lincoln
Cathedral of the Risen Christ ~ 11 AM Mass

Rev Mr Peter Faimega ~ Diocese of St Louis (Missouri)
Rev Mr Michael Lampe ~ Diocese of St Louis
Rev Mr Clark Philipp ~ Diocese of St Louis
Rev Mr John Schneier ~ Diocese of St Louis
Cathedral Basilica of St Louis - 10:00 AM Mass

Rev Mr Andrew Bergkamp~ Diocese of Witchita (Kansas)

Rev Mr JD Betzen ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Jacob Carlin ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Kyle Dugan ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Adam Grelinger ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Ed Herzog ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Drew Hoffman~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Clay Kimbro ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Andrew Labenz ~ Diocese of Witchita
Rev Mr Jorge Lopez ~ Diocese of Witchita
Church of the Magdalen ~ Witchita  ~10:00 AM Mass

 Rev Mr Kevin Earleywine ~ Diocese of Dubuque (Iowa) 

Rev Mr Ralph Davis ~ Diocese of Dubuque

Rev Mr Andrew Marr ~ Diocese of Dubuque

Rev Mr Austin Wilker ~ Diocese of Dubuque

Cathedral of St Raphael - 10:30 AM Mass  
  

Rev Mr Mark Bernhard ~ Diocese of Joliet (Illinois)

Rev Mr John Honiotes ~ Diocese of Joliet

Cathedral of St Raymond Nonnatus - 11 AM Mass

Rev Mr Daniel Coronado ~ Diocese of Kansas City (Kansas)

Rev M Michael Guastello ~ Diocese of Kansas City

Cathedral of St Peter - 10:30 AM Mass

Rev Mr Wayne Stock ~ Diocese of Springfield (Illinois)
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception - 10:30 AM Mass

 

Let us hold them in prayer and offer thanksgiving for their 'YES'! 

 

Those who let themselves be seized by this Love

cannot help abandoning everything to follow Him."

St. John Paul II, Vita Consecrata #18 

Fragrance of Paradise...

"God makes all His own the soul 

that is wholly given to Him." - St Philip Neri

“Can you feel the
fragrance of Paradise 
which diffuses Itself
from the Tabernacle?"

St Philip Neri

Italy ~ 1515 - 1595

Priest, bears title "Second Apostle of Rome"
Founder - Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians)

Known for his great JOY

Counter-reformer

Advice regarding prayer:  "Be humble and obedient

and the Holy Spirit will teach you."
FEAST DAY - May 26

  
"The true servant of God acknowledges

no other country but heaven." - St Philip Neri

"Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us 

persevere in a good life.  Therefore the servant of God 

ought always to be in good spirits." - St Philip Neri

Click here: Maxims of St Philip Neri (excellent!) 
Click here: St. Philip Neri - YouTube (2 mins)

Click here: Saint Philip Neri May 26 - YouTube (6 mins)

 St Philip Neri, pray for us!

He ascended into heaven...

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord*

*All worldwide and ecclesiastical U.S. provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and the state of Nebraska have retained this celebration
on Thursday, while all other US provinces have transferred
the Solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 28.

...the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, commemorating the Ascension of Christ

into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. 

"Let our hearts ascend with Christ."  ~ St Augustine

  

“Ascending once again to the Inaccessible Light…

You remain still in the ‘valley of tears,’

hidden beneath the appearances of a white host.” 

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

 

Fr Antoine Thomas, CSJ, celebrating Holy Mass

"...Christ's Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised, whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult, dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of thanks.For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven, and have gained still greater things through Christ's unspeakable grace than we had lost through the devil's malice."- Pope St Gregory the Great - Sermon LXXIII 

  

 

The Feast of the Ascension marks the beginning of the first novena, 

or nine days of prayer.  Today, Catholics recall that first novena

by praying the Novena to the Holy Ghost between Ascension and Pentecost,

asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. BEGIN the NOVENA FRIDAY!

Click here: Pentecost Novena PRAYERS (prayers to your email daily)

OR simply pray each day ... 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful,

and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Click here: Introit. Feast of the Ascension.Gregorian Chant.Australia (3 mins)

Click here: Scott Hahn - Ascension: Underrated Mystery - YouTube (3 mins)

Click here:  On the Ascension of the Lord - A Homily of St. Leo 

O my priest, how can you dare to make an offering of Me 
truly and totally complete, if you haven't first made
the offering of yourself, totally complete. - Msgr Vladimir Ghika

Joyously remembering the Ordination of
Fr Spencer J Howe - 25 May 2013
and in gratitude for all men Our Lord has called to the altar as priests.