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"1. St. Paul goes beyond the mere command to rejoice, and to rejoice in the Lord ; he also bids us to rejoice always. Is this possible ? Yes, it is quite possible. If it were not, the Apostle would not have imposed it upon us. It is not easy, because our self-love and our selfishness destroy joy. But the saints, who had driven self-love out of their hearts, found it a pleasant and an easy task to be always joyful. If we desire the same, we must do our best to get rid of this hindrance to our joy.

2. How are we to accomplish this task? It must be a gradual one. It is to be arrived at by many acts of submission to the will of God, and to the will of others when opposed to our own ; and the submission must have for its motive, not the intellectual conviction that what we ourselves desire is in itself inferior, but the determination to submit for the sake of submission, and as an act of reverence to God. We must be willing to submit both will and intellect to those set over us, without complaining or questioning their commands. Do I do so?

3. When this painful process is over, and when at length we begin to learn the happiness of giving up our own will to the will of others, we soon begin to receive the reward of our self-conquest. We acquire by degrees an undisturbed calm of soul, and an increasing strength of will, as the fruits of our victory over self, and above all a happy consciousness that we have been learning the lesson of conforming our will to the will of God, in which the happiness of heaven consists. "

Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)

Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests

Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.

Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.

Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more



St. Mary, Garner NC, Picture used with permission ©MW

"The Rorate or Angel's Masses, are really Advent Masses, because they are said only in Advent. They are called Rorate Masses because the Introit begins with the words: "Rorate caeli desuper" - "Drop down dew, ye heavens." They are also called Angels' Masses, because the Gospel is read in which the Archangel Gabriel brought the Blessed Virgin Mary the message that she should conceive of the Holy Ghost.
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They are said early in the morning, before the rising of the sun. It is still night when the bells ring out and give the first sign to the faithful, addressing to them, as it were, the words of the Apostle: "Brethren, know that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep, for now our salvation is near." Roman 13:11. The faithful assemble in the church, where the Rorate Mass is said. Whilst the word outside is veiled in darkness, the church, especially the altar, is lighted up with many candles. A symbol rich in meaning. What does the mysterious obscurity outside signify but the darkness of idolatry, of sin, and of spiritual misery, in which man, after separating himself from God, lay buried; while the burning lights in the church remind us of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, "The Orient from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death." Luke 1: 78,79. The Rorate Masses, however, are not said at midnight, but in the morning, shortly before the break of day, for the reason that they refer to Mary, this spiritual dawn, which immediately precedes Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice.

The Rorate Masses have a joyful celebration with solemn chant and the accompaniment of the organ. This is beautifully significant, first, because the Rorate Masses represent the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, as a mystery which must fill every Christian heart with joy; secondly, because these Masses announce the mystery of the Incarnation near at hand, referring to Gabriel, who approaches Mary, and brings her the message that she has been selected by God to become the Mother of his Son.

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The contents of these Masses refer in everything to the mystery of the Incarnation in the chaste womb of the blessed Virgin Mary.

a. The Introit of the Mass has reference to this mystery, "Drop down dew, ye heavens, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour." Isaiah 45:8. These words express the mournful sighing of the people in the Old Law for the promised Redeemer, and form the principal idea of Advent. This longing for the coming of the Redeemer must animate us; for, if Jesus is to come into our hearts with His grace, we must have a longing for Him. To him who has no desire to possess Jesus, our Christmas will be as little of a festival of grace as the first Christmas at Bethlehem was to Herod, to the high-priest, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. The Incarnation of Christ is also the prevailing sentiment in the three prayers of the Rorate Masses.

b. The Epistle contains the prophecy of Isaiah on the conception and birth of Christ by the Blessed Virgin Mary. By the command of God, the prophet had called upon Achaz, King of Judea, to ask for a sign from heaven, that his faith might thereby be strengthened. But Achaz, perverse as he was, rejected this invitation, and told the prophet that he would ask no sign. The prophet reprimanded him, and told him that God Himself would give a wonderful sign; which he recalled to him in these words: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel." Is. 7:14. The Virgin of whom the prophet here speaks is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us, whom she was to conceive and bring forth, is Jesus Christ.

The fulfillment of this prophecy is narrated in the Gospel of the Rorate Masses. It is the same Gospel which read on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary, and treats of the mystery of the Incarnation. At the very moment when Mary said to the angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word," the greatest miracle of the love and mercy of God was performed. The Son of God assumed human nature in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary. This Gospel forms the boundary line between the Old and the New Testaments; with it the time of expectation is concluded, and the fulfillment of grace begins. For this reason, the Church celebrates the Rorate Masses early in the morning, before dawn, for the night is passed, and day is at hand.

Peroration:

Reflect on the great and solemn mysteries which the Church, in her masses on the Sundays during Advent, and especially in the Rorate Masses, presents to you, and labor with renewed zeal that you may employ this holy season of Advent for the salvation of your souls. Contemplate the great misery into which the human race had fallen; reflect upon the mercies of God, who, in the very beginning, promised, and after four thousand years sent a Redeemer. Consider also what you would be without a Redeemer, and what you are, or rather still may be through him. Practice those holy exercises which are necessary in order to worthily prepare for Christmas and to participate in the graces of that festival. Amen"

Source: The Pulpit Orator, By Rev. Zollner 1884

"1. The time of preparation is a mingled period of penance and of joy. Of penance, by reason of our sins, which have removed us so far away from God ; of joy, at the prospect of being brought near to Him once more through Jesus Christ. On mid-Advent, as on mid-Lent Sunday, it is the joyful side of the matter that comes before us. More than this, joy is insisted upon as a duty. It seems strange that the command to rejoice should be necessary. Do not all men love joy and seek after it unbidden ? One thing it shows, that God desires that we should be full of joy. Thank Him for this merciful intention, and try and carry it out.

2. Yet it is not all kinds of joy that are recommended to us. There are many kinds of joy that the Apostle would be far from recommending To rejoice in the world is but a sorry kind of joy, on account of its transitory character. Gaudete in Domino , says the Apostle — “ Rejoice in the Lord.” This is the only joy that lasts, and the only joy that is really worth the having.

3. What does St. Paul, mean by rejoicing in the Lord ? He means the joy that is the result of such a love of God as makes us simply wish that His will should be done in all things, and that feels positive joy in seeing the accomplishment of the divine will, quite apart from any personal advantage or disadvantage that may accrue to ourselves. This is the secret of true joy, for then what befalls ourselves is a matter of indifference to us. Be it weal or woe, success or failure, we rejoice in it simply because it is what God has ordained for us. This is the meaning of Our Lord’s words, “ Your joy no man taketh from you.”

Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)

Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests

Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.

Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.

Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more

"1. Advent is essentially a time of hope. It is not in itself a time of joy except so far as hope of joy to come brings with it a present gladness. It is an exact representation of our life on earth. We are in a place of exile and a valley of tears, but yet our hope amid all the darkness should be lighted up and rendered joyous by the prospect of future joy. The motto of our life is our Lord’s farewell words to his disciples : “You indeed shall have sorrow, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” This must be my consolation in all sorrow. I must try and forget my present troubles in the happy thought of joy to come.

2. Why have we so little hope ? Generally because we seek to have our happiness here, and so forfeit the right to it hereafter, or at least forfeit the right to look forward to it with confidence and joy. We cannot eat our cake and keep it. If I seek my satisfaction in money, or comforts, or praise, or applause, or affection of others, I have my reward here and cannot expect to get any reward hereafter. I have no crown of justice to hope for if already I have had the crown of satisfied ambition, or pockets filled with money, or a tickled palate, or the buzzing applause of a crowd.

3. Our hope is also marred by our self-will, which prevents our will from being in complete conformity with the will of God. We are conscious of a sort of barrier between ourselves and Him which sadly interferes with our hope. We have assumed a sort of independence of God which renders it impossible for Him to pour into our hearts that hope which is in exact proportion to our conformity to His will. If I were humble and more resigned in all things, I should be more full of hope. "

Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)

Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests:

Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.

Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.

Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more

Wikipedia

"Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen."

Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, 1938.  prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Pius X August 18, 1908.

"1. St. John was something more than a herald. He had to prepare the way for the King, to make the crooked ways straight, and the rough places smooth. His office was that which is intrusted to us all in our own sphere : to try and make the way in which the followers of Christ have to tread straight and easy. What a privilege if we can by our charity and our edifying life make the path of life more easy for those whose lot it is to tread the way of the cross and to walk over rough or stormy paths f Is this your endeavor in your daily life, or do you place obstacles in the path of others by your bad example, want of charity and consideration, impatience, etc.?

2. St. John, as the herald or forerunner of Christ, had to proclaim the coming of the King. He himself expresses this by his description of himself as the voice of One Who cries in the desert; that is, Christ spoke through his mouth. So He speaks through the mouths of all His servants just in proportion to their devotion and singleness of purpose. How poor an echo are my words of the whispers of Christ to the faithful soul! How mixed with the discordant notes of self-will and worldliness!

3. St.John’s estimate of himself in comparison with Him Whom he announced was that he was not worthy to stoop down and untie the latchet of His sandal. This was the duty of the lowest slaves. It meant that he was unworthy to serve Christ, even in the capacity of a slave, and by doing the work that many slaves would consider beneath them. Am I willing to undertake the humblest and most menial duties in the service of Christ ? Do I consider it a privilege to do so ? "

Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)

Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests

Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.

Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.

Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more

19. We adore Thee, Eternal Priest, whose delight is to offer sacrifice! And to make reparation for the insults and affronts done to Thy priests, religious, and virgins, we offer up to Thee Thy own invincible patience, together with the true and fervent zeal of all good priests and apostolic preachers. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.

O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.

CAPG

North Carolina Catholic, 1964, used with permission

"The Raleigh Diocese (...) was formally establised on December 12, 1924 by Pope Pius XI. In the Bull, Omnium Ecclesiarum Sollicitudo, which erected the Diocese, the parish church of the Sacred Heart was elevated to the rank of Cathedral. Although the Diocese was thus established in 1924, the designation of the first Ordinary was not made until April 6, 1925. Prior to that date all the faithful residing in North Carolina were under the jurisdiciton of the Vicar Apostolic, Rt. Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B.

Bishop William J. Hafey took possession of the See of Raleigh on July 1, 1925. Having previously served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Bishop Hafey was the youngest member of the U.S. Hierarchy at the time of his consecration.

He found less than six thousand Catholics in his new diocese. There were only twenty-six priests laboring in the territory; twenty parishes had a resident pastor, and six of the parishes had schools in which eighty-eight sisters taught no more than eight hundred pupils." (North Carolina Catholic, Dec. 13 1964)

Raleigh Diocese statistics:

Pray for Priests: Cure d'Ars Prayer Group

Centennial Prayer for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh: Lord God, you alone are the source of every good gift, of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery of each human life. We praise you and we thank you for your tender, faithful love. As the Diocese of Raleigh celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its founding, we stand before you with gratitude and joy for the many gifts and blessings you have bestowed upon the faithful of this Diocese.
In imitation of Christ, your Son, you raised up courageous individuals, such as Servant of God, Father Thomas Frederick Price, and Saint Katharine Drexel, and through the countless efforts of its bishops, clergy, and the women and men who tirelessly gave of their wisdom and generosity, you have shaped a Diocese capable of bearing the fruit of compassion and charity in service to the needs of others.
Send forth now, we pray, your Spirit upon the faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh who look forward to another hundred years of the presence of Christ burning in our hearts. As we recall the great events, which enabled the flourishing of our Diocese, fill our minds with Christʼs truth and our hearts with His love.
As we look forward to the future may we be bonded together by the Holy Spirit and commit ourselves once again to grow as credible witnesses of the Gospel of Christ so that, as we walk your ways with faith and hope, we may never tire of bringing Christʼs joy into this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina

• "The congregation listened as Cardinal Gregory noted that when the Diocese of Raleigh turned 50, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “one of the most eloquent and saintly bishops in American Church history” preached to the congregation." (‘What a glorious century’ Diocese observes centennial at Mass of the Faithful" November 12, 2024)

Video: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen preaches at the 50th Anniversary Mass of the Diocese of Raleigh - 1974