Friday, May 24
Veneration 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mass 5:00 PM
Saturday, May 25
Mass 8:00 AM
Veneration 8:45 AM – 12:00 Noon
Novena for Priests for Pentecost (From May 31st to June 8th)
by VP
Posted on Friday May 31, 2019 at 10:41AM in Prayers
Jesus, Good Shepherd, You sent us the Holy Spirit to guide Your Church
and lead her faithful to You through the ministry of Your priests.
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grant to Your priests wisdom in leading,
faithfulness in teaching, and holiness in guarding Your sacred Mysteries.
As they cry out with all the faithful, "Abba, Father!" may Your priests be ever
more closely identified with You in Your divine Sonship and offer their own lives
with You, the one saving Victim. Make them helpful brothers of one another,
and understanding fathers of all Your people.
On this Pentecost Sunday, renew in Your priests deeper faith, greater trust in You,
childlike reliance on our Mother Mary, and unwavering fidelity to the Holy Father and his bishops.
Holy Mary, intercede for your priests.
St. Joseph, protect them.
St. Michael, defend them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Amen.
Source: Curé d'Ars Prayer Group
ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 30, 2019 at 12:20PM in Books
«He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.” — Apostles’ Creed.
The only Son of God was made man, and became like unto us in all things, sin alone excepted. He died on the cross for the salvation of the world. His body was placed in a tomb; His soul descended into Limbo to deliver the holy souls who were waiting there until the blood of our Savior should wash away and blot out the sins of the world; which was necessary before they could enter into glory. The third day after the painful and cruel torments of the cross, Christ came forth gloriously from the grave, as He had foretold. Behold, my Brethren, what I explained to you in my last instruction.
Now, let us turn our attention to the sixth article of our creed, an article which will make the subject of this day’s instruction. Christ rises from the dead, ascends into heaven, and seats himself at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. Listen, my Brethren, , to the account which the Evangelist St. Luke furnishes us, concerning the wonderful Ascension of our Savior, Jesus Christ, into heaven. After His resurrection, our divine Redeemer remained during forty days on earth, showing himself frequently to His Apostles and disciples, instructing them in many very important things; such as the establishment of His Church, the propagation of the Gospel, all that regarded the reign of God in the hearts of men, and every thing calculated to bring souls to the happiness of heaven. At last, when all the Apostles and disciples were assembled at Jerusalem, Jesus appears to them for the last time. He takes a seat at their table, eats and drinks with them. During the repast, He reproaches them, but with great benignity, for their want of faith in His resurrection, of which He had now come to give them still another evident and palpable proof; He imposes upon them the mission of preaching His word to every creature, and commands them to travel the whole world, propagating His religion and spreading His divine doctrine among all nations. To inspire them with courage and penetrate their hearts with a generous confidence, He bestows upon them the divine power of working miracles, thus to give greater force to the truths which they were to announce, and which the world, converted at the sight of these prodigies of the omnipotence of God, might embrace and practice.
Our divine Lord then rises, and, followed by His Apostles and disciples, goes out from the city, and proceeds to the mount of Olives. There His agony had commenced; thence too, will He take His flight into glory. He gives His Apostles and disciples the most consoling assurance that He would never cease to protect them; recommends them to remain at Jerusalem, until they should receive the Holy Ghost, the Comforter whom He had promised to send them; He speaks to them with all the tenderness of a father addressing his children, whom he is about to leave; raises His hand, blesses them, recommends them to the favor and protection of His heavenly Father; and then, full of glory and majesty, elevates himself in the air, and mounts gradually toward heaven. For some time the Apostles gaze on the form of their departing Master; but at length, the clouds of heaven conceal Him from their view. Jesus continues His ascent into heaven, seats himself at the right of hand of the Almighty Father, to whom He is perfectly equal, and is from whom He receives, as man, the first place in heaven, above every creature.
Jesus ascends into heaven; He goes to take possession of the glory which was due to Him. He had come down from the bosom of His Father, to take, on earth, the form of a slave, to live in poverty and disgrace,— to die in torments, to pour out His blood on the cross for the redemption of the human race. All has been consummated, the mission of the Man-God has been accomplished, and behold, “from the height of the cross, He shall draw all unto Him. The Son of man has crushed the serpents head; sin has been blotted out; the empire of the devil annihilated; error cheeked and light diffused; and the God of heaven and earth shall be adored in spirit and in truth. Yes, Jesus hath glorified His Father among men, it was just that He should receive from His Father infinite glory in the eternal mansions. But before quitting the earth, He said to us: “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be.” (St John, xiv : 1, 2, 3.)
Christ ascended into heaven, to prepare a place for us there; He himself has said: “Where I am, you also may be.” A day will come, when it will he permitted us to participate in the glory of our divine Savior. It will be so if we place ourselves among the number of the true servants of Jesus Christ; if we preserve in our hearts and manifest in our conduct, the holy commandments which He has given us; if, in fine, we endeavor to render ourselves like to Jesus Christ, our Savior and our model, “A faithful saying,” says St. Paul to Timothy; “if we be dead with Christ, we shall live also with Him. If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us.” (2 Timothy, ii : 1, 2.) Where Christ is, there also must His servants be.
O! divine Jesus, let me dwell with Thee in eternity, in the tabernacles of Thy Father! But, O my Savior, I am so weak, and I fall into so many sins! Must not the splendor of Thy glory over- whelm the unhappy sinner, who would dare aspire to the happiness of heaven? This fear would fill my soul with desolation, did I not know that Thou hast ascended into heaven to be our advocate and mediator with Thy Father. “My little children,” writes St. John to the first Christians; “these things I write to you, that you may not sin. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just. And He is the propitiation for our sins.”(Epistle of St. John, ii : 1, 9.) Yes, my Brethren, Jesus Christ is our advocate in heaven; He who destroyed sin, is our Mediator with God; He is there under the eyes of His Father, as a constant victim and perpetual sacrifice for our sins. Should not this saving truth fill our souls with sweet and consoling hope! Jesus intercedes for us! God the Father did not spare His only Son, but delivered Him up for us, and how, after having bestowed upon us this gift, can He refuse us any thing which this divine Savior asks for us? Oh! we have an advocate whose influence over the heart of God is infinite, we can, therefore, reach heaven.
My Brethren, heaven is our country, and it is there only we can find happiness. We are only passengers on earth, and we see here only empty baubles, vanities, deceptions and sufferings. Let us not allow our hearts to be foolishly attached to the things of this world; let us remember that we live not for time, but for eternity. Let us seek the things that are in heaven, where Jesus Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; let us taste the things that are of heaven, and not the things of earth. When Jesus Christ shall appear. He who is our life, we too shall appear with Him in glory, if we walk in His footsteps, follow the example He has given us, obey the roles and precepts which He has imposed upon us, and love God and our neighbor as He has commanded. We shall reap in eternity what we have sown in time. Let us, therefore, keep our hearts raised up to heaven; let us have God always before our eyes, let us glorify Him, by advancing in the practice of good works, and then as vigilant and faithful servants, we shall deserve to ascend to the mansions of our divine Master. — Amen.
Source: One hundred short sermons, The Most Rev. Martin John Spalding Archbishop of Baltimore
Novena for Those Preparing for Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 30, 2019 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Heavenly Father, source of all fatherhood on earth, we humbly beseech
you to abundantly bless David Miller and Noe Ramirez you have called
to the share in the sacred priesthood of Your Son.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be configured to Christ the one
High Priest and thus be your instrument for the salvation of the world:
“This is my body, which will be given up for you.”
Through their total gift of self in celibacy, inspire David Miller and Noe
Ramirez to perfectly imitate Jesus and to lay down their lives for His
Bride,the Church.Thus may they bear witness that God must be loved
above all things.We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy Mary, Mother of priests, pray for us!
Raleigh Diocese Candidates for 2019
Source: Curé d'Ars Prayer Group.
Rogation Days, Prayer without Ceasing
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 29, 2019 at 12:21PM in Prayers
Prescribed days of prayer and penance in
spring. Two sets of rogation days were kept since early Christian
times: the Major Rogation on April 25, the Feast of St. Mark; and the
Minor Rogations on the last three days before Ascension Thursday. They
were instituted to appease divine justice, ask for protection, and
invoke Godʼs blessing on the harvest. (Catholic Dictionary, Catholic
Culture)
Rogation is simply an English form of the Latin rogatio, which comes
from the verb rogare, which means "to ask". The Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday before Ascension day, were called Rogation days or days of solemn supplication and prayer. On these days the priest and people went
in procession, singing the litanies, to beg God’s blessing upon the
fruits of the earth, and be preserved from pestilence, famine, etc.
(Right Rev. Dr. Challoner)
Litany of the Saints
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, pray for us.
St. Michael, pray for us.
St. Gabriel, pray for us.
St. Raphael, pray for us.
All ye holy Angels and Archangels, pray for us.
All ye holy orders of blessed spirits,
St. John the Baptist, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
All holy Patriarchs and Prophets, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Paul, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
St. James, pray for us.
St. John, pray for us.
St. Thomas, pray for us.
St. James, pray for us.
St. Philip, pray for us.
St. Bartholomew, pray for us.
St. Matthew, pray for us.
St. Simon, pray for us.
St. Thaddeus, pray for us.
St. Matthias, pray for us.
St. Barnabas, pray for us.
St. Luke, pray for us.
St. Mark, pray for us.
All holy Apostles and Evangelists, pray for us.
All holy Disciples of the Lord, pray for us.
All Holy Innocents, pray for us.
St. Stephen, pray for us.
St. Lawrence, pray for us.
St. Vincent, pray for us.
SS. Fabian and Sebastian, pray for us.
SS. John and Paul, pray for us.
SS. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.
SS. Gervase and Protase, pray for us.
All holy Martyrs, pray for us.
St. Sylvester, pray for us.
St. Gregory, pray for us.
St. Ambrose, pray for us.
St. Augustine, pray for us.
St. Jerome, pray for us.
St. Martin, pray for us.
St. Nicholas, pray for us.
All holy Bishops and Confessors, pray for us.
All holy Doctors, pray for us.
St. Anthony, pray for us.
St. Benedict, pray for us.
St. Bernard, pray for us.
St. Dominic, pray for us.
St. Francis, pray for us.
All holy Priests and Levites, pray for us.
All holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us.
St. Agatha, pray for us.
St. Lucy, pray for us.
St. Agnes, pray for us.
St. Cecilia, pray for us.
St. Catherine, pray for us.
St. Anastasia, pray for us.
All holy Virgins and Widows, pray for us.
All holy Saints of God, intercede for us.
Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.
From all evil, deliver us, O Lord.
From all sin, deliver us, O Lord.
From Thy wrath anger, deliver us, O Lord.
From sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord.
From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Lord.
From anger, and hatred, and all ill will, deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Lord.
From lightning and storms, deliver us, O Lord.
From the scourge of earthquake, deliver us, O Lord.
From plague, famine, and war, deliver us, O Lord.
From everlasting death, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy Coming, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy Nativity, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy Baptism and holy Fasting, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy Cross and Passion, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy Death and Burial, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy holy Resurrection, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy admirable Ascension, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, deliver us, O Lord.
In the day of Judgment, deliver us, O Lord.
We sinners, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst spare us, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst pardon us, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst govern and preserve Thy holy Church, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve our Holy Pope and all orders of the Church,
in holy Religion, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst humble the enemies of holy Church, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant peace and unity to all Christian people, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst recall all who have wandered from the unity of the Church,
and lead all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst give eternal blessings to all our benefactors, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the souls of our brethren, relations,
and benefactors from eternal damnation, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst give and preserve from harm the fruits of the earth, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst graciously hear us, Son of God, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, ....
Psalm 69
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.
Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me.
Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: ‘tis well, ‘tis well.
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee. And let such as love Thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
But I am needy and poor; O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
V. Save thy servants.
R. Who hope in Thee, O my God.
V. Be unto us, O Lord, a tower of strength.
R. From the face of the enemy.
V. Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R. Nor the son of wickedness have power to hurt us.
V. O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins.
R. Neither requite us according to our iniquities.
V. Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff N....
R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon
the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
V. Let us pray for our benefactors.
R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy Name’s sake, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good. Amen.
V. Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. For our absent brethren.
R. Save thy servants who hope in Thee, O my God.
V. Send them help, O Lord, from thy holy place.
R. And from Sion protect them.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Prayer
Let us pray.
O God, whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, receive our
humble petition: that we, and all Thy servants who are bound by the
chain of sin, may be the compassion of Thy goodness mercifully be
absolved.
Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord the prayers of Thy
suppliants, and forgive the sins of those that confess to Thee: that, in
Thy bounty, Thou mayest grant us pardon and peace.
In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thine unspeakable mercy to us: that
Thou mayest both loose us from all the punishments which we deserve for
them.
O God, who by sin art offended, and by penance pacified, mercifully
regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication to Thee, and turn
away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.
Almighty, everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant N, Our
Sovereign Pontiff, and direct him according to Thy clemency into the way
of everlasting salvation, that by Thy grace he may both desire those
things that are pleasant to Thee, and perform them with all his
strength.
O God, from Whom are all holy desires, right counsels, and just
works, give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give:
that both our hearts, given over to Thy commands, and our times, the
fear of our foes removed, may by Thy protection be peaceful.
Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire of the Holy
Ghost: that we may serve Thee with a chaste body and please Thee with a
clean heart.
O God, the Creator and redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the
souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins: that
through pious supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have
always desired.
Prevent, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspirations,
and further them by Thy assistance: that every word and work of ours may
begin always from Thee, and by Thee be likewise ended.
Almighty, everlasting God, who hast dominion over the living and the
dead, and art merciful to all, of whom Thou fore-knowest that they will
be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee, that they for
whom we intend to pour forth our prayers whether this present world
still detain them in the flesh, or the world to come hath already
received them out of their bodies, may, through the intercession of all
Thy Saints, by the clemency of Thy goodness, obtain the remission of all
their sins, Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us. Amen
And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in Peace.
Source: Curé d'Ars Prayer Group
Rogation Days
by VP
Posted on Monday May 27, 2019 at 10:19AM in Prayers
Today is the beginning of three days of prayers and fasting that
were traditionally known as Rogation Days. Below you will find
historical information I gathered from different sources:
"Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday were
instituted by the Church to appease God's anger at man's
transgressions, to ask protection in calamities.
These Rogation Days are of French origin, coming about in the 5th
c., when St. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne, Dauphiné instituted them
after a series of natural calamities. Rogation is simply an
English form of the Latin rogatio, which comes from the verb
rogare, which means "to ask". The Rogation Days were marked by the
recitation of the litany of the Saints which would normally begin
in or at a church.
After Saint Mary was invoked, the congregation would proceed to
walk the boundaries of the parish, while reciting the rest of the
litany (and repeating it as necessary or supplementing it with
some of the penitential or gradual Psalms). Thus, the entire
parish would be blessed, and the boundaries of the parish would be
marked. The procession would end with a Rogation Mass, in which
all in the parish were expected to take part.
If your parish does not celebrate the Rogation Days, there's
nothing to stop you from celebrating them yourself. You can mark
the days by reciting the Litany of the saints.
We could also pray the Litany to obtain Holy Priests:
Finish it all off by attending daily Mass and praying for good
weather and a fruitful harvest."
sources:
Ember & Rogation Days ~ Fr Ripperger
Ember & Rogation Days ~ Fr Ripperger
The Kingdom of Heaven: An
Instruction in the Catholic Faith for Children
By Hazel Gillmore Alden Rogation Days
By Hazel Gillmore Alden Rogation Days
Heart of a Priest: Relic Pilgrimage of St. Jean Vianney's Incorrupt Heart
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 23, 2019 at 12:00AM in Prayers
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Raleigh NC
Honor the Priesthood
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 22, 2019 at 11:10AM in Quotes
“He who would truly honor the priesthood must do so by helping priests.
I would rather have a hand in getting one priest back to the altar of God
than to write a thousand books on the priesthood,
or to preach a million sermons on the glory of the priesthood,
for neither the sermons nor the books
can hold Christ in their hands and offer Him to the Father.”
– Very Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, s.P.
Source: A True Prophet for the Priesthood
A Priest’s Prayer to Our Lady
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 21, 2019 at 10:27AM in Poetry
By whose unworthy hands and trembling breath
The Victim-Priest renews His mystic death;
Whose functions bind him to thy highest care,
While conscience cries: “Presumptuous man, beware!”
O Glorious Queen, thy lamp was kindled bright
In thy Conception; yet, through all the night,
Waiting the King of kings, thy prudent toil
Trimmed and replenished it with purest oil:
My priestly lamp burns dim; oh! Pray thy Spouse
Within my sluggish spirit to arouse
The grace the priestly character demands,
Pledged by the Pontiff’s venerable hands.
Source: Lyra Hieratica: poems on the priesthood / collected from many by Fr. Thomas Edward Bridgett, 1829-1899.
Refusing to Share in the Priesthood of Christ
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 14, 2019 at 01:29PM in Quotes
What would happen to a priest already sharing in the priesthood of Christ by reason of his ordination, if he refused to share in Christ’s condition of victim? He would certainly be falling away from the priestly ideal: his life would become disordered, disturbed, and confused. He would remain a minister of Christ but without a sincere love for his affectionate Master. No longer a man of God but a man of the world, a man whose life has become vain, superficial, barren. This deplorable state of sterility reveals in an even better light the fruitfulness of a genuine apostolate, just as it is easier to appreciate the value of justice when we see the suffering resulting from injustice. Every priest should ask for the grace to be a victim in the way God wants him to be, to suffer patiently whatever God has willed for him from all eternity, so that he takes up his cross each day not simply as a faithful follower of Christ but as a priest standing in the place of Christ himself. He must undergo a mystical death before his physical death.
Source: The Priest in Union with Christ, Father Reginal Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
Commemoration of a Faithful Priest
by VP
Posted on Monday May 13, 2019 at 12:24PM in Poetry
Quantis micas boneribus
Good Priest, where art thou hid from human eyes
in calm Repose,
Haply to tread the marble-shining skies
after life’s woes;
Where God’s Own Presence hath His People blest,
Himself their happy Guerdon, and their rest.
Those Virtues, in whose steps thou here didst toil,
and strive to go,
Are not put off with this thy fleshly coil,
and left below;
They now are turned to rays of Light Divine,
and glorious Crowns, which on thy temples shine.
And they for whom thou toilest in second birth,
with many a sigh,
Are with thee, like thy children, fled from earth,
and through the sky
They share thy victory the blest Choirs among,
and lift with thee the new mysterious Song.
Thou here below, dim-veiled from earthly eyes
in shadows dread,
Didst offer up th’Unbloody Sacrifice,
on Christ to feed;
He now Himself, with unveiled Deity,
of Spirits Immortal the Repast shall be.
And as a daily Sacrifice may we
Be lifted up,
Bearing our daily Cross, and share with thee
Thy Master’s Cup;
We press, like shipwrecked sailors on the wave,
To Shores where Christ doth stretch His Arms
to save.
To Him, Who governs His own Priestly Host,
Himself their Crown;
To Him with Father and with Holy Ghost,
be all renown:
All praise to Him as hath been heretofore,
All praise to Him both now and evermore.
Source: Lyra Eucharistica : hymns and verses on the Holy Communion, ancient and modern ; with other poems by Shipley, Orby, 1832-1916
