Greetings: January 1, 2012

Today marks the end of Christmas Octave and the beginning of the New Year 2012.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou to all priests, seminarians, spiritual mothers, and to all of you who come to visit this blog!

May this day, the first of the New Year, as well as our days to come be fully blessed with God's ageless grace and strength, healing and renewal, joy and birth, love and mercy, and all that we need to keep ourselves ever so focused on God!


With confident hearts, we walk with Mary towards Christ.


A Blessed Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:24-26).

At the Tomb of St. John of the Cross

Fr. Robert Barron and Fr. Steve Grunow comment on St. John of the Cross. Segovia, Spain - 7/29/09

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for Priests

A prayer to say today, The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patronal Feastday of the United States of America.


Prayer to the Virgin Mary for Priests
By Pope John Paul II

O Mary,
Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of priests,
accept this title which we bestow on you
to celebrate your motherhood
and to contemplate with you the priesthood
of, your Son and of your sons,
O holy Mother of God.

O Mother of Christ,
to the Messiah-priest you gave a body of flesh
through the anointing of the Holy Spirit
for the salvation of the poor and the contrite of heart;
guard priests in your heart and in the Church,
O Mother of the Savior.

O Mother of Faith,
you accompanied to the Temple the Son of Man,
the fulfillment of the promises given to the fathers;
give to the Father for his glory
the priests of your Son,
O Ark of the Covenant.

O Mother of the Church,
in the midst of the disciples in the upper room
you prayed to the Spirit
for the new people and their shepherds;
obtain for the Order of Presbyters
a full measure of gifts,
O Queen of the Apostles.

O Mother of Jesus Christ,
you were with him at the beginning
of his life and mission,
you sought the Master among the crowd,
you stood beside him when he was lifted up from the earth
consumed as the one eternal sacrifice,
and you had John, your son, near at hand;
accept from the beginning those who have been called,
protect their growth,
in their life ministry accompany your sons,
O Mother of Priests.
Amen.

Source: [John Paul II, conclusion of the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores dabo vobis" on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day, March 25, 1992:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis_en.html]
Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_31011994_direct_en.html

Understanding the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal

Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit http://www.wordonfire.org/

"There is much richer theological density to it. You see it clearly in the Latin prayers; it's hard to miss. There is theological complexity in the language. It honors these great doctrinal truths of our tradition." --Fr. Barron

Promoting Ave Maria Press Webinars

Join Ave Maria Press online for a series of free, professional development webinars for parish ministers! Enjoy access to free presentations by experts in every area of parish ministry from the comfort of your home or office. Log in to the live webinars to participate in our question-and-answer sessions or watch the free recordings at your convenience.

Why Priests Are Happy
November 15
3:00 p.m. ET
Presented by: Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti

In partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership and the National Association for Lay Ministry, Ave Maria Press is pleased to present this FREE Webinar:

Why Priests Are Happy
Presented by
Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti
November 15, 2011
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST
(Show this in my timezone)
Register for the event here

Join Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti, a psychologist, professor of pastoral studies, and frequently consulted expert on clergy and religious for a presentation on his groundbreaking study of the psychological and spiritual health of priests. From this survey of nearly 2,500 priests from twenty-three dioceses in the United States, Rossetti discovered that, contrary to popular media portrayals, American priests enjoy an extraordinarily high rate of happiness and satisfaction, among the highest of any profession.They like the priesthood and are committed to it. In fact, 92 percent say they are happy in their ministry, among the highest rate of satisfaction of any profession in the United States.

This webinar is a must-attend for every Catholic! Sign up today. Space is limited.

Visit Ave Maria Press for more details.

RIP, Msgr. Daniel J. Dever

November 2nd is a special day for priests and those who have been a part of the Catholic educational system in Hawai'i. Because it is All Souls Day, it makes it more special to celebrate the life of a good priest and a good man, Fr. Daniel Dever. On that day also, he would have celebrated in person his 86th birthday. The gathering of the faithful at the 6 p.m. funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace celebrated -- as he probably looked on and was among those present -- his very life, a life well lived.

I didn't know Fr. Dever, but the homily of Fr. Gary Secor gave a wonderful image of what a beautiful priest he was. In a gist, Fr. Dever lived his life not for himself, but truly and wonderfully, for Christ.

About Fr. Daniel Dever by Patrick Downes, Editor of the Hawaii Catholic Herald.

Communion of Saints

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Communion of Saints

957
Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself"498:

We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!499


958
Communion with the dead. "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and ‘because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them."500 Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.

959
In the one family of God. "For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity—all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ—we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church."501

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Let us, therefore, love one another in the spirit of prayer by continuing to pray for one another.

We pray for our priests: the deceased, the living who continue to minister to God's people, those in formation or sabbatical leave, and those who are sick or dying.