2017 June Newsletter

Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter

June 2017

VISITOR’S VISION: “BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER”

Recently, I went to the Cathedral bookstore to check on some books and it occurred to me that I should look at the section on Mary also, because I wanted to write on Mary for the month of May. Of course, there I realized immediately that there are already many books on Mary especially because of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparition of Mary to the three little shepherd children. So, I thought to myself, why then should I write an article about Mary? Well, it is not because I want to say something that has not been said, but simply because I want to say things that have been said, but in my own way and as they talked to me. In other words, this is a reflection on why I am devoted to Mother Mary. Specifically, I want to reflect briefly on the place of Mary in the life of a Christian, for I must acknowledge at the outset that it will be impossible to totally do justice to the topic in just a few paragraphs.

First, we recall that Jesus came to show us the Father. This is the truth of the gospel: that Jesus is the revealer of the Father and through our faith in him we come to possess God’s very life, as Jesus revealed to Nicodemus (Jn 3:31-36). Because Jesus knows God, he can teach us the truth about God. So, he came to tell us what God is like and what we can become. Thus, true life for man then becomes listening to Jesus, believing in Jesus and responding to God in obedience to the Word. In other words, Jesus came that we may have life, and life to the full (Jn 10:10). Now, we read from John the Apostle that at the scene of the crucifixion, Jesus continued to demonstrate his sacrificial love for his bride the Church, by not only dying for her but also by giving her over to Mary to look after, as symbolized in those famous words which he said to Mary: “Behold your son...Behold your mother” (Jn 19:26-27). Of course, this could be seen as a lovely act of an only son who was about to go away and then asked his close friend to look after his mother. However, we know that with John’s Gospel, represented by the eagle, the meaning of scenes and signs presented therein soar over the literal meaning of the facts and incidents presented. So, this is about life of the spirit that comes from God, and it means a lot that Jesus entrusted his Church to Mary, as the most trusted human being he knew in his human family.

Now, from the beginning of the Church, Mary was with the Church and has never abandoned her or her children down through the centuries, as we learn from the scriptures and from history. Take for instance, at the upper room, at the coming of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts of the Apostles, Mary was one of the 120 gathered inside the room (Acts 1:14-15). Also, there is a more consistent conviction among the scripture scholars that Mary had a great influence on Luke’s gospel, as she is ‘L’ Source, which is the oral tradition from whom Luke the Evangelist got and verified his information, especially regarding the birth, the early life and the endlessly-merciful person of Jesus Christ. Consequently, for me, Mary has continued to be our beloved Mother, and I see her many apparitions, both private and officially recognized ones, as the means of her continued assistance in the renewal and recreation of the face of the earth, as the Mediatrix of all graces. As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said: “Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin was on this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord…This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore, the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ, the one Mediator.” (Lumen Gentium, nn.61-62).

Accordingly, there are different Marian titles that speak of her loving assistance to us. A little compilation edited by Fr. Michael Sullivan, called “Illustrated Book of Mary’ recorded not less than thirty official apparitions at which she has named herself differently according to the graces she brings to the Church and to each individual devotee. Amazingly, they are not all the same apparition. According to St Catherine Laboure to whom she appeared to in France in 1830, as well as other visionaries at the different apparitions, Mary would be wearing jeweled rings and, while some of them emit rays of light, others do not. She told St. Catherine Laboure that those not emitting any light are the graces she can impart, but people have not asked them from her: “They rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask.” (M. Sullivan, ed., Illustrated Book of Mary, William J. Hirten Co., Rhode Island, 2010, p.6).

This is not surprising since she is the highly favored one and is full of grace, as proclaimed by God’s messenger, the Angel Gabriel (Lk 1:28.30). She has been gifted with grace as the Mother of God, as beautifully articulated in the dogmatic constitution on the Church, so she could endlessly give from what she has. As we read in chapt.8 of the document: “The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace, she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth” (Lumen Gentium, n.53). But is it all only the work of God’s grace?

Sometimes, due to the powerful and wonderful discourses regarding the grace of God bestowed on Mary, which sometimes go to diminish Mary’s part in the graces bestowed to her, it may seem that she contributed only a little. However, it must be noted that Mary is the ultimate example of one who cooperated with the grace of God, for she sacrificed a lot of herself. As the case may be, she realized the love of God for her and decided to respond with complete love and obedience to God, by deciding that the will of God be done completely in her life (Lk 1:38), in spite of the sacrifice this would entail (Lk 2:34-35). And in loving God completely, she also loved all whom God loves, and who her Son shed his life for. Actually, this is part of the reason why Mary is our model and our powerful intercessor, as well as because, being human, she suffered all the emotions, trials and fears associated with human life. But in all those trials, she overcame and did not sin, for she trusted in the power and love of God for her. Thus, she serves as our model to show us how to respond to the love of God in this life by cooperating with the graces God has given us in various forms, thereby qualifying for entry into the kingdom of God, at the end of our pilgrimage on earth. No wonder the Church recognizes her as Queen of all Saints, whom we ask to intercede for us when we recite the Litany of Lepanto, since she knows how and what Christian perfection entails.

In her book on women saints that can assist a Christian in the person’s spiritual journey, Gina Loehr noted that the saints admire Mary, call upon her for intercession and urge others to do the same, because, “for the saints Mary is more than a model; she is a companion” (G. Loehr, Real Women, Real Saints, Servant Books, Cincinnati, 2008, p.161). Hence, many Marian saints and authors trusted their life and vocation to her maternal protection, like Saints Alphonsus Liguori, Anthony Mary Claret, Louis Mary de Montfort, Simon Stock, Dominic, Lucia, Teresa, Bridget, etc., who never ceased to promote her devotion and profess their devotion to her. St Alphonsus wrote in The Glories of Mary, published in 1888 by P. J. Kenedy & Sons, NY: “Not by chance, nor in vain, do the servants of Mary call her mother, and it would seem that they cannot invoke her by any other name, and are never weary of calling her mother; mother, indeed, for she is truly our mother, not according to the flesh, but the spiritual mother of our souls and of our salvation” (Glories of Mary, p.39).

Concluding, we ask; “{H}how can we bond with Mary Our Mother, and how do we receive her mediation, intercession and assistance on our journey of faith and Christian witnessing to the love of God? At all her apparitions, we recall that her message has always been the message of conversion, which is also the message of the gospel. This is the call to devout life which is helped by a daily recitation of the Rosary. As we know, the Rosary “…is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian person sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer” (Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of John Paul II, 16 October 2002, no.1). This is because it is a Christ centered prayer that is set in Marian character. In the end, we reiterate Mary’s place in the life of all her children as magnificently elucidated in that powerful Marian hymn written by Father John Lingard (1771–1851), a Catholic priest and historian:

Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star, Guide of the wanderer here below, Thrown on life's surge, we claim thy care, Save us from peril and from woe. Mother of Christ, Star of the sea Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.

--Father Francis Chukwuma, CFP Visitor

FOLLOWING FRANCIS, FOLLOWING CHRIST: COMMUNITY LIVING

In the Gospel, Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. The Pharisees, of course, are trying to trick Jesus. Jesus replies that the greatest commandment is to love God according to the law. He then throws in a second commandment, “to love thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus then combines these two into one, saying that the second commandment (love of neighbor) is like the first one (love of God). He adds, “There is no greater commandment in the law than these. These sayings are a combination of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Leviticus talks about loving your neighbor as not taking revenge or bearing a grudge. Jesus is combining these two into one, a clear indication that loving thy neighbor is in fact also loving God.

I was reminded of this when our religious community was being taken down to a local garage to introduce us to the mechanic Mario, who would be working on the cars that we use in community. “Anything you need,” he said. “I don't charge labor for you guys. I do anything for the Church.” Of course, we were grateful and thankful. In reflecting on this encounter, I could see how Mario was holy in his own way of honoring the commandment to love God and love neighbor. He loved God enough to love his neighbor, therefore, he did not run his business only for the profit he could make from it but had, instead, elected to help the neighbors who were trying but who could not afford to pay..

Recently, much has been made about the CEO of the Drug company Mylan for increasing the price of Epipen for personal profits and bonuses making it more difficult for parents to purchase this life saving drug. The world is self-driven, not Gospel driven. Jean Vanier wrote, "It is human nature to protect what is precious to us behind defensive walls. We erect borders and boundaries to protect our nations, our cultures, our families, our certitudes, and our own hearts. But we barely take time to look closely at the barricades we erect in our daily lives, as we confront even less frequently the personal fears that prevent us from reaching out in fellowship to others to build the road to peace and hope." In his own way Mario was building community. Mother Teresa would always say to do small things with great love.

Part of Franciscan spirituality is community living. How does one learn to love thy neighbor as thyself? Jesus spoke of taking the lowest place at the table. In a world of hierarchy and ladder climbing to find self-worth, those at the bottom are often looked down upon. Those who don't share the same viewpoints are often frowned upon. How are we able to see God in our neighbor if we are constantly building walls to protect our own comfort zone? So, in my own effort to build community, I believe it is important to be more like Mario. To lend a helping hand. To be present to those that I am ministering to. To be less judgmental. To not to be 'busy like Martha' but to do small things with a greater love for God and my neighbor and, in so doing, help bring about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peace, Jesse Pellow, CFP Postulant

NO GREATER LOVE: THE POSSIBILITY OF PRAYER

When a person attempts to engage in meditative and contemplative prayer, the first question which might come to mind is whether this is really possible. In other words, can I, a sinner in this sinful world, really speak with God? In the book, Prayer, theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar says yes! “Man was created to be a hearer of the word, and it is in responding to the word that he attains his true dignity. His innermost constitution has been designed for dialogue. His reason is equipped with as much light of its own as it needs to apprehend God speaking with it. His will is just that much superior to instinct and open to all that is good, that he is able without compulsion to follow the attraction of the most blessed good.” Thus, the ability to dialogue with God is not like musical, artistic, or intellectual talent which some have and some do not have. The ability to know God and respond to Him is what makes us human and sets humans apart from other animals. However, like other human talents such as music or art, it can be neglected, ignored, or even blocked by outside forces. How many people are there in the world who potentially could know, love, and serve God but do not because they live in places where this is difficult or even impossible?

For those of us whose dialogue with God is not blocked, we still need to understand how God speaks to us. Scripture is the history of God’s communication with humanity which is known as revelation. When we look at Divine Revelation, we can see that God comes to us in absolute freedom. God may tell us what He plans to do as He did with the Old Testament prophets, but we cannot read off what God will do now based on what He did in the past. The call of Abraham, the election of Jacob (Israel), the captivity in Egypt, the exile to Babylon, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and so many other events since then could be not simply read off or predicted based on what happened in the past.

We can see one example of God’s freedom from the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 19, we read of God calling down fire from heaven to destroy the great sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the New Testament, we read where Jesus and his disciples are travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus sent messengers to a Samaritan village to make preparations so that they can stay there. The village did not receive them since they were going to Jerusalem. “And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.” (Lk 9:54-56) James and John were probably thinking of the destruction of Sodom. Christ’s refusal to destroy the village was not a matter of the Old Testament God of vengeance, judgment, and punishment versus the New Testament God of love and mercy. Teachers who say this are trying to reduce God’s wisdom to human wisdom. This is an example of God’s absolute freedom to act according to His Divine wisdom. Behind God’s actions in history stands His Love for humanity. We know of His Love for us through scripture. The more we know of scripture, the more we know of God’s Love for us. We can always meditate on God’s love and freedom.

The freedom of God, as recounted in scripture, goes beyond His dealing with humanity. God is also free in His dealing with us. The Word of God could require something different from us today than it did yesterday. This is why we always have to be listening to God in whatever He does. Since God created us in a way so that we can dialogue with Him and even be united with Him, our fulfillment as human beings depends on this relationship. In St. John’s Gospel (Jn 4:1-42), we read of Jesus Christ’s encounter at a well with a sinful Samaritan woman who was living with a man to whom she was not married. St. John records many things which Jesus said to this woman, which were meant for us. Since, however, He stayed in that city for two days, Jesus certainly said many other things to this woman which St. John did not record, since they were meant only for her and her specific situation. When the Word of God came to this sinful Samaritan woman, she was able to hear and was listening even though she did not expect it. This woman and others in her area became believers and their lives were changed.

While God does certainly live in us, we need always to be ready to hear Him whenever He chooses to speak with us. This means that methods of prayer which involve seeking God within ourselves to the exclusion of anything from the outside are deficient. We need to be open to the Word of God whenever the Word has come to us in the present or in the past. If we block out the Word, we block out God. God does live within us, but He is also infinitely greater than us so we need to always to be open to Him as He comes to us. This attention to the Word of God will not end but will continue into eternity. To those of us who love God, our joy forever will be listening to Him.

We also need to be attentive to the two basic ways that the Word of God comes to us. Our model for this has to be Mary. Before the Annunciation, Mary was certainly attentive to the Word of God as it came to her spiritually in scripture and teaching as were the holy men and women of God’s Covenant with Israel. Yet she surpassed all of them since she consented to have the Word of God come to her in the flesh and dwell within her and not just into her but into humanity. With the Incarnation God entered humanity not just spiritually, but physically. This continues to this day in the Eucharist, but not just in the Eucharist but in all the sacraments of the Church which are outward and physical manifestations of the Lord. This physical manifestation of the Word of God even extends beyond the sacraments to the Church. If Jesus Christ truly is the Word of God and if He founded the Church, the Word of God also comes to us through the visible Church. Thus, the Word comes to us both spiritually, through scripture, and bodily or physically through the Church.

We need to let the two ways that the Word of God comes to us work together and not exclude one or the other. The visible Church is made up of sinful and limited human beings. This can cause a person to block out the Church and look exclusively to scripture for the “spiritual” Word of God. This has happened in Protestantism with its “scripture alone” orientation. While Catholics can imitate this Protestant attention to the Word, the Word in its entirety is missing. This could be one reason why Protestants tend to downplay devotion to Mary. Mary embodies the attention to the spiritual Word as well as the bodily presence of the Word which dwelt in her womb, in the presence of Jesus Christ outside her womb, and in the Church and the sacraments of the Church. The spiritual and physical Word worked together perfectly in Mary. While Catholics may be more “comfortable” than Protestants with the physical and bodily aspect of the Word, there is also danger for them. They can get too comfortable and neglect the Word of scripture, preaching, and teaching as it comes to them spiritually. This neglect blocks out real prayer and communion with God. Catholics also need to imitate Mary as she pondered the Word of God in scripture and the Word of God as bodily present to her.

Hans Urs Von Balthasar tells us how we need to hear God’s Word. “Scripture is history, event, just as the life of each individual is history and event before God and with God. But scripture holds within it and tells us of a primal history, a primal event, and it is this that imparts to each individual life its true historical destiny, its nature as event. In contemplating scripture, we learn how to listen properly, and this listening is the wellspring of all Christian life and prayer.” We all can hear the Word of God as it comes to us and it is a “talent” which we all must use.

Jim Nugent, CFP

REFLECTION ON THE RULE

CONSTITUTIONS:

VI. PURPOSE (CHARISM)

The Confraternity recognizes that God is Lord, Creator, and Father. It endeavors to assist the penitent in surrendering his or her life totally to God's Divine Will as manifest through the teachings of Christ, the authority of the Church, and the motion of the Holy Spirit in the penitent's life, as confirmed by the counsel of the penitent's spiritual director.

Thus, the Purpose (Charism) of the Confraternity of Penitents is to promote penance (conversion), that is, doing things God's way instead of human ways. The Purpose (Charism) is developed in its Vision, Prayer, Mission, Motto, Action, Song, and Symbol.

VISION

To give glory to God and surrender to His Will through the living of a medieval, penitential Rule of Life, the Rule of 1221. This Rule is lived as closely as possible to its original intent, and in one's own home, in peace with all others, and in obedience to the Roman Catholic Church, its Pope, and its Magisterium.

PRAYER

"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen." (Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano Crucifix)

MOTTO

"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind, (and) you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Jesus's words as recorded in Matthew 22:37-38)

MISSION

"Go and repair My House which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San Damiano Crucifix.)

ACTION

To pray for God's specific direction in one's life so that, through humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the world.

SONG

"No Longer I" is the theme song of the Confraternity of Penitents.

REFLECTION:

The charism of the Confraternity of Penitents is to do things God's way instead of human ways. Jesus told us to love God and neighbor, so that means, that, if we do things God's way, our actions will be the results of our love of God and neighbor. St. Francis's actions certainly reflected this dual love. Penitents should continuously examine their lives to see if they are praying to know God’s will and if their own actions reflect doing that will as concrete examples of love of God and neighbor.

MONTHLY LETTER TO ALL PENITENTS: FORGIVENESS

It’s impossible to see God in others while I cannot see God within me. If I will allow myself to see God within me, I can see God in every single person.

Once I will able to see God in my life, I believe no one can sway my faith. Faith comes from experience, and experience comes when we speak to others and educate ourselves with the experience of others. Faith turns to belief, and belief changes into trust. Trust changes into prayer, and prayer changes into surrender in front of the Almighty. Surrender leads us to receive blessings and graces from God.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot completely mirror God in forgiveness. That depth of forgiveness is beyond us. Nevertheless, with the help of Holy Spirit, we can become able to practice forgiveness. As humans, we can develop some habits, like Love is a habit.

If we stop practicing love, very soon we will forget how to love. In life, every virtue comes through practice. We should develop the habit of practicing forgiveness. The more we practice, the more perfect we will become.

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot master any virtue. Virtues and ethics play major roles in our lives, but without the grace of God’s presence of our lives, we will never be able to change.

Asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness both come from the grace of God. We humans are not design to do any good without the blessing of the One who has created us. We need like the heart of God and the nature of the Divine to act mercifully toward others.

In order to achieve these blessings, we need time with Divine and that’s called prayer. Prayer is spending time with the One who knows us more than we know ourselves, One who understands our actions better than us, One who knows us more than our mothers ever could. God asks us to pray because we asked Him to teach us to pray because we don’t know the proper manner to call upon HIM.

When we pray to HIM “forgive us our trespasses,” HE wants us to have the same experience which we are demanding form HIM. We need to forgive others their trespasses. When someone sins against us, but comes back and asks for forgiveness, what are the feelings of the offended party? When a person sits in front of another person and says, “Forgive me, because I have killed your beloved one”, is that easy to forgive? NO.

Nevertheless, as human beings, we are weak and can fall when sin takes over. We forgive the person who has become satan’s helper, because, if we don’t forgive, that person becomes the cause of our sin of unforgiveness. When we forgive, we show that we will not be satan’s helper. We show the one forgiven that he or she should not again become a helper of satan.

Just so, God forgives us. He insists that we ask for forgiveness because HE knows how much we are weak without HIS presence in our life. Satan can take us away when we are not in the shadow of God’s wings. God forgives us again and again. He understands that satan tempts us.

Therefore, it’s easy for God to see our weakness. Thus, he saves us again and again from the powers of satan. God is sweet, sweet as pure honey. When we experience a “seed of bitterness,” that is the taste of satan. Being bitter ourselves, we provide a place for satan to sow the seed of his bitterness plant within us. We are the ones who offer our bodies and minds to satan and, through our soul and heart, we spread bitterness all over. If we are not aware of what is happening, we are in danger of becoming slaves to satan and doing any manner of evil.

Bitterness takes away from us the sweetness of the God. Scripture tells us that the world has been given to satan. So, what else we can imagine but bitterness from this world? Jesus knows that we are hungry for God. This is why He taught us to follow Him, to walk the narrow way, to find salvation through the Cross, and grasp the forgiveness and redemption which He won for us by His own suffering.

--Iffat Lawrence, Novice 2

CFP RETREAT 2017—MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND!

October 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2017 -- St. Felix Catholic Retreat Center, 1280 Hitzfield Street, Huntington Indiana USA.

Retreat Master: Father Warren Tanghe. As an Episcopal priest, Fr. Warren Tanghe served in academic and parish ministries over a period of 38 years. He was received into the Catholic Church in 2009 along with the community he then served as chaplain, the All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville, MD. He was ordained a Catholic priest by Cardinal O’Brien in 2011 for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. After serving as associate pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City and at St. Mark’s Church in Catonsville, he returned to Ellicott City in December, 2015 as administrator of St. Paul’s parish, and was named its pastor on July 1st, 2016.

Five Conferences with Fr. Tanghe. full Divine Office prayed daily -- Daily Mass -- -- One Night of All Night Adoration-- 6 Hour Silent Hermitage Experience – Fatima Mass and Breakfast – Visit to CFP Administrative Headquarters and Mary’s Glen

$195 plus $15 worth of food to share (we will be cooking our own meals) or $15 toward food costs

Commuters (Thursday Night, Friday, Saturday, Sunday--includes lunch, supper, no overnights)--$60 plus $15 of food or paper goods or $15 toward costs of food and paper goods

Arrival time: 4 - 5 p.m. Thursday, October 7. Mass 7:30 p.m. -- Departure 7 a.m. Monday, October 9, following 6 a.m. Mass

We will pick up airport, train, or bus attendees free of charge and transport them to the retreat and, after the retreat, back to the appropriate location to return home. If you are coming by mass transportation, please contact us regarding the best ports of arrival.

Fr. Warren Tanghe

CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS PHOTO ALBUM: BLESSING OF MARY’S GLEN

On May 8, 2017, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, Bishop Kevin Rhoades offered an outdoor Mass in Mary’s Glen for about forty people. Following the Mass, the Bishop blessed Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii Prayer Chapel and Mary’s Glen in which it resides. Mary’s Glen is a ¾ acre spiritual oasis for prayer, which was developed by the Confraternity of Penitents at the rear part of the property used for its administrative headquarters. A pot luck luncheon followed the blessing.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades blessed the interior of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii Prayer Chapel in Mary’s Glen.

Bishop Rhoades blessed the Pet Memorial Grotto of Saint Francis in Mary’s Glen. Assisting him are Fr. Francis Chukwuma (left), CFP Visitor, and Fr. Augustine Mugarura.

For links to additional images of Mary's Glen and Bishop Rhoades' Mass Homily, see this link.

HUMOR: THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Wood burns faster when you have to chop and cut it yourself.

The best cure for sea sickness is to sit under a tree.

Kill one man and you’re a murderer. Kill a million and you’re a conqueror.

The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone.

If God intended us to fly, he would have made it easier for us to get to the airport.

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.

As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind: every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder. –Astronaut John Glenn

After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. (Old Italian Proverb)

NEW ITEMS FROM THE CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS HOLY ANGELS GIFT SHOP

New! Rosaries, handcrafted in Spain by CFP member Kingsley Eze and his family. Your purchase of these beautiful rosaries help to support not only the Confraternity of Penitents but also Kingsley, his wife, and three young children. To see the full collection of these lovely rosaries, visit the CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop at www.cfpholyangels.com

Blue faceted crystal rosary bracelet with St. Benedict Medal. 9.95

Multi Green and Blue Rosary with St. Benedict Medals

Red Chalk Rosary 14.99