Year: 2017
DECEMBER is the Month of the Immaculate Conception
DECEMBER is the Month of the
Immaculate Conception
During Advent, as we prepare for the birth of Christ at Christmas, we also celebrate one of the great feasts of the Catholic Church. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) is not only a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary but a foretaste of our own redemption. It is such an important feast that the Church declared the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception a Holy Day of Obligation in most countries.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: WHAT MANKIND WAS MEANT TO BE
In keeping the Blessed Virgin free from the stain of sin from the moment of her conception, God presents us with a glorious example of what mankind was meant to be. Mary is truly the second Eve, because, like Eve, she entered the world without sin. Unlike Eve, she remained sinless throughout her life—a life that she dedicated fully to the will of God. The Eastern Fathers of the Church referred to her as “without stain” (a phrase that appears frequently in the Eastern liturgies and hymns to Mary); in Latin, that phrase is immaculatus: “immaculate.”
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION IS A RESULT OF CHRIST’S REDEMPTION
The Immaculate Conception was not, as many people mistakenly believe, a precondition for Christ’s act of redemption but the result of it. Standing outside of time, God knew that Mary would humbly submit herself to His will, and in His love for this perfect servant, He applied to her at the moment of her conception the redemption, won by Christ, that all Christians receive at their Baptism.
It is appropriate, then, that the Church has long declared the month in which the Blessed Virgin not only was conceived but gave birth to the Saviour of the world as the Month of the Immaculate Conception.
The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for December 2017
The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for December 2017
THE ELDERLY
That the elderly,sustained by families and Christian communities,
may apply their wisdom and experience
to spreading the faith and forming the new generations.
Prayer of Saint Pope John Paul II for the elderly:
Grant, O Lord of life…
that we may savour every season of our lives
as a gift filled with promise for the future.
Grant that we may lovingly accept Your will
and place ourselves each day in Your merciful hands.
And when the moment of our definitive “passage” comes,
grant that we may face it with serenity,
without regret for what we shall leave behind.
For in meeting You, after having sought You for so long,
we shall find once more every authentic good
which we have known here on earth,
in the company of all who have gone before us
marked with the sign of faith and hope.
Mary, Mother of pilgrim humanity,
pray for us “now and at the hour of our death”.
Keep us ever close to Jesus, Your beloved Son
and our brother, the Lord of life and glory. Amen!
St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Getting Ready for the arrival of our King!
St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Getting Ready for the arrival of our King!
While a Novena is normally a nine-day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the “Christmas Novena” or the “Christmas Anticipation Prayer,” because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (30 November) until Christmas. It is an ideal Advent devotion; the First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.
The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in honour of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal).
Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your family and children on the Advent season.
This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves for the Lord’s coming.
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 Saviour Jesus Christ
and of His blessed Mother. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 November – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Our Morning Offering – 26 November – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
From the Psalter Hymn or Prayer to Christ our King
Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journey on my way.
What need I fear, when Thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand,
than if a host did round me stand.
My destined time is fixed by Thee
and death doth know his hour.
Did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay His power.
No walls of stone can man defend,
when Thou Thy messenger dost send.
My life I yield to Thy decree
and bow to Thy control.
In peaceful calm, for from Thine arm,
no power can wrest my soul.
Could earthly omens e’er appal,
a man that heeds the heavenly call!
The child of God, can fear no ill,
His chosen dread no foe,
we leave our fate with Thee and wait,
Thy bidding when to go.
‘Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our trust, O King of kings!
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year – 26 November
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year – 26 November formerly referred to as “Christ the King,” was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man’s thinking and living and organises his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, society, governments and nations.
Today’s Mass establishes the titles for Christ’s royalty over men: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things – “All things were created by Him”; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is Head of the Church, “holding in all things the primacy”; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.
Today’s Mass also describes the qualities of Christ’s kingdom. This kingdom is: 1) supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings; 2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places; 3) eternal, for “The Lord shall sit a King forever”; 4) spiritual, Christ’s “kingdom is not of this world.” 
Christ the King as Represented in the Liturgy
The liturgy is an album in which every epoch of Church history immortalises itself. Therein, accordingly, can be found the various pictures of Christ beloved during succeeding centuries. In its pages we see pictures of Jesus suffering and in agony; we see pictures of His Sacred Heart; yet these pictures are not proper to the nature of the liturgy as such; they resemble baroque altars in a gothic church. Classic liturgy knows but one Christ: the King, radiant, majestic, and divine.
With an ever-growing desire, all Advent awaits the “coming King”; in the chants of the breviary we find repeated again and again the two expressions “King” and “is coming.” On Christmas the Church would greet, not the Child of Bethlehem, but the Rex Pacificus — “the King of peace gloriously reigning.” Within a fortnight, there follows a feast which belongs to the greatest of the feasts of the Church year — the Epiphany. As in ancient times oriental monarchs visited their principalities (theophany), so the divine King appears in His city, the Church; from its sacred precincts He casts His glance over all the world….On the final feast of the Christmas cycle, the Presentation in the Temple, holy Church meets her royal Bridegroom with virginal love: “Adorn your bridal chamber, O Sion and receive Christ your King!” The burden of the Christmas cycle may be summed up in these words: Christ the King establishes His Kingdom of light upon earth!
If we now consider the Easter cycle, the lustre of Christ’s royal dignity is indeed somewhat veiled by His sufferings; nevertheless, it is not the suffering Jesus who is present to the eyes of the Church as much as Christ the royal Hero and Warrior who upon the battlefield of Golgotha struggles with the mighty and dies in triumph. Even during Lent and Passiontide the Church acclaims her King. The act of homage on Palm Sunday is intensely stirring; singing psalms in festal procession we accompany our Savior singing: Gloria, laus et honor tibi sit, Rex Christe, “Glory, praise and honour be to Thee, Christ, O King!” It is true that on Good Friday the Church meditates upon the Man of Sorrows in agony upon the Cross but at the same time, and perhaps more so, she beholds Him as King upon a royal throne. The hymn Vexilla Regis, “The royal banners forward go,” is the more perfect expression of the spirit from which the Good Friday liturgy has arisen. Also characteristic is the verse from Psalm 95, Dicite in gentibus quia Dominus regnavit, to which the early Christians always added, a ligno, “Proclaim among the Gentiles: the Lord reigns from upon the tree of the Cross!” During Paschal time the Church is so occupied with her glorified Saviour and Conqueror that kingship references become rarer; nevertheless, toward the end of the season we celebrate our King’s triumph after completing the work of redemption, His royal enthronement on Ascension Thursday.
Neither in the time after Pentecost is the picture of Christ as King wholly absent from the liturgy. Corpus Christi is a royal festival: “Christ the King who rules the nations, come, let us adore” (Invit.). In the Greek Church the feast of the Transfiguration is the principal solemnity in honour of Christ’s kingship, Summum Regem gloriae Christum adoremus (Invit.). Finally at the sunset of the ecclesiastical year, the Church awaits with burning desire the return of the King of Majesty.
We will overlook further considerations in favour of a glance at the daily Offices. How often do we not begin Matins with an act of royal homage: “The King of apostles, of martyrs, of confessors, of virgins — come, let us adore” (Invit.). Lauds is often introduced with Dominus regnavit, “The Lord is King”. Christ as King is also a first consideration at the threshold of each day; for morning after morning we renew our oath of fidelity at Prime: “To the King of ages be honour and glory.” Every oration is concluded through our Mediator Christ Jesus “who lives and reigns forever.” Yes, age-old liturgy beholds Christ reigning as King in His basilica (etym.: “the king’s house”), upon the altar as His throne.
Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Come let us adore our King of all ages and all eternity!
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Nine
Lord, Thy Kingdom Come
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
1 Corinthians 15:24
Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.
«Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!». I am sent by Him, by Christ Himself, to do this. I am an apostle, I am a witness. The more distant the goal, the more difficult my mission the more pressing is the love that urges me to it. I must bear witness to His name: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. . . . I could never finish speaking about him: he is the light and the truth; indeed, He is “the way, the truth and the life”. He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst.
Jesus Christ: You have heard Him spoken of; indeed the greater part of you are already His: you are Christians. So, to you Christians I repeat His name, to everyone I proclaim Him: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega; He is the king of the new world; He is the secret of history; He is the key to our destiny…St Pope Paul VI, Homily delivered in Manila, 29 November 1970
Prayer: God, Father of Mercy! You, who ceaselessly reaches out to Man, who has lost the path leading him back to You, the Only Lord and Father of all children, may You give him the light to find the path to You. Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, hath revealed that His Divine Heart is Man’s only secure shelter. Our Lord and King, we yearn for You and the Virgin Mary to reign in our hearts, in our nation and state. Jesus, through the intercession of Your Mother we implore You, may we come to believe that proclaiming You the Lord and King, will bring only good things.
King full of mercy accept us gathered here as Your subjects.
May You also receive our homage, worship, fidelity and the act of consecration to the King of the Universe.
Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, may you lead us to the complete acceptance and
proclamation of your Son as Lord and King, so that we may realise that the Kingdom of God is true happiness and fulfilment in the earthly life. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray: Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 November
Our Morning Offering – 25 November
Father, Teach us to love
A Traditional Catholic Pray
Father, You love with an everlasting love
because You are love itself
Your love sustains the sun
and the other stars.
You are the loving life of all that is.
In love You call us into being,
You sustain us in our freedom,
even when we exercise that freedom
to turn our backs on You.
Teach us to love as You love,
to love without limit or reserve.
Teach us to love with love
that sets the loved one free.
To love with love
that seeks to give, not to take.
Teach us to love
not only those who love us
but also those who hate or are
indifferent to us.
Teach us to be patient
when our love is not returned
and teach us to love and trust You
even when we feel Your absence
and fear You are not there.
Amen
Memorials of the Saints – 25 November
St Catherine of Alexandria (Optional Memorial): Apocryphal. Born to the nobility. Learned in science and oratory. Converted to Christianity after receiving a vision. When she was 18 years old, during the persecution of Maximinus, she offered to debate the pagan philosophers. Many were converted by her arguments, and immediately martyred. Maximinus had her scourged and imprisoned The empress and the leader of the army of Maximinus were amazed by the stories, went to see Catherine in prison. They converted and were martyred. Maximinus ordered her broken on the wheel but she touched it and the wheel was destroyed. She was beheaded and her body whisked away by angels.
Immensely popular during the Middle Ages, there were many chapels and churches devoted to her throughout western Europe and she was reported as one of the divine advisers to Saint Joan of Arc. Her reputation for learning and wisdom led to her patronage of libaries, librarians, teachers, archivists and anyone associated with wisdom or teaching. Her debating skill and persuasive language has led to her patronage of lawyers. And her torture on the wheel led to those who work with them asking for her intercession. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
While there may well have been a noble, educated, virginal lady who swayed pagans with her rhetoric during the persecutions, the accretion of legend, romance and poetry has long since buried the real Catherine. She was beheaded c 305 in Alexandria, Egypt.
Patronages:
• apologists
• craftsmen who work with a wheel
• archivists
• attornies, barristers, lawyers, jurists
• dying people
• educators, teachers
• girls
• knife grinders, knife sharpeners
• librarians
• libraries
• maidens, unmarried girls and women
• mechanics
• millers
• nurses
• old maids
• philosophers
• potters
• preachers
• scholars
• schoolchildren, students
• scribes
• secretaries
• spinners
• stenographers
• tanners
• theologians
• turners
• University of Heidelberg
• University of Paris
• wheelwrights
• Dumaguete, Philippines, diocese of
• Saint Catharines, Ontario, diocese of
• 12 cities
Attributes: • spiked wheel • woman strapped to the spiked wheel on which she was martyred • woman arguing with pagan philosophers.
—
Bl Adalbert of Caramaico
St Alanus of Lavaur
St Audentius of Milan
St Bernold of Ottobeuren
Bl Conrad of Heisterbach
Bl Ekbert of Muensterschwarzach
Bl Elisabeth Achler
St Erasmus of Antioch
Bl Garcia of Arlanza
Bl Guido of Casauria
St Imma of Wurzburg
Bl Jacinto Serrano López
St Jucunda of Reggio Aemilia
Bl Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi
St Mercurius of Caesarea
St Moses of Rome
St Peter of Alexandria
Bl Santiago Meseguer Burillo
—
Martyrs of Africa – (13 saints): A group of 13 Christians murdered together for their faith in Africa, date unknown. The only details to have survived are their names – Claudian, Cyprian, Donatus, Felix, Januarius, Julian, Lucian, Marcian, Martialis, Peter, Quirianus, Victor and Vitalis.
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Eight
With the Followers of Christ
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Hebrew 7:26
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.
The priest always and in an unchangeable way, finds the source of his identity in Christ the Priest. It is not the world which determines his status, as though it depended on changing needs or ideas about social roles. The priest is marked with the seal of the Priesthood of Christ, in order to share in His function as the one Mediator and Redeemer.
So, because of this fundamental bond, there opens before the priest the immense field of the service of souls, for their salvation in Christ and in the Church. This service must be completely inspired by love of souls in imitation of Christ, who gives His life for them. It is God’s wish that all people should be saved and that none of the little ones should be lost. “The priest must always be ready to respond to the needs of souls,” said the Curé of Ars. “He is not for Himself, He is for you.”
The priest is for the laity: he animates them and supports them in the exercise of the common-priesthood of the baptised — so well illustrated by the Second Vatican Council — which consists in their making their fives a spiritual offering, in witnessing to the Christian spirit in the family, in taking charge of the temporal sphere and sharing in the evangelisation of their brethren. But the service of the priest belongs to another order.
He is ordained to act in the name of Christ the Head, to bring people into the new life made accessible by Christ, to dispense to them the mysteries . . . St Pope John Paul II, Letter to priests for Holy Thursday in 1986, 10
Prayer: God, King of heaven and earth! Jesus Christ hath established the sacred priesthood to enable spiritual sacrifice, for the greater honour and glory of Your Name and for the Redemption of all believers. We come to You with great reverence and humility and, learning to love like Jesus, Our Lord and King, we commend to You, O Lord, all those whom He loved until the end. O Christ, we implore You to behold Your chosen ones today in Your mercy. It is them who guide souls to Salvation; may You show Your love to them and grant them the light of the Holy Spirit. Fortify them by Your power,
support them through the fidelity of their congregations and protect them from all evil. You who lives and reigns world without end. Amen
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray: Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 November
Our Morning Offering – 24 November – The Memorial of St Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions/The Martyrs of Vietnam
By Your Holy Cross – An 11th Century Catholic Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ
For the sake of Your Holy Cross,
Be with me to shield me.
Lord Jesus Christ,
By the memory of Your Blessed Cross,
Be within to strengthen me.
Lord Jesus Christ,
For Your Glorious Cross,
Go before me to direct my steps.
Lord Jesus Christ,
For Your Noble Cross,
Be You in me to lead me to Your kingdom.
Amen
Memorials of the Saints – 24 November
St Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions – Martyrs of Vietnam – (Memorial) – 117 saints and beati: Between the arrival of the first Portuguese missionary in 1533, through the Dominicans and then the Jesuit missions of the 17th century, the politically inspired persecutions of the 19th century, and the Communist-led terrors of the twentieth, there have been many thousands of Catholics and other Christians murdered for their faith in Vietnam. Some were priests, some nuns or brothers, some lay people; some were foreign missionaries but most were native Vietnamese killed by their own government and countrymen.
Record keeping being what it was, and because the government did not care to keep track of the people it murdered, we have no information on the vast bulk of the victims. In 1988, Pope John Paul II recognized over a hundred of them, including some whose Causes we do have, and in commemoration of those we do not. They are collectively known as the Martyrs of Vietnam (or Tonkin or Annam or the other older names of that country).
They include –
• Blessed Andrew the Catechist • Saint Agnes De • Saint Anrê Tran An Dung • Saint Anrê Tran Van Trông • Saint Anrê Tuong • Saint Antôn Nguyen Ðích • Saint Antôn Nguyen Huu Quynh • Saint Augustine Moi Van Nguyen • Saint Augustine Schoffler • Saint Augustinô Nguyen Van Moi • Saint Augustinô Phan Viet Huy • Saint Bênadô Võ Van Duê • Saint Clemente Ignacio Delgado Cebrián • Saint Daminh Ninh • Saint Domingo Henares de Zafra Cubero • Saint Dominic Uy Van Bui • Saint Ðaminh Bùi Van Úy • Saint Ðaminh Ðinh Ðat • Saint Ðaminh Huyen • Saint Ðaminh Mau • Saint Ðaminh Nguyen • Saint Ðaminh Nguyen Ðuc Mao • Saint Ðaminh Nguyen Van Hanh • Saint Ðaminh Nguyen Van Xuyên • Saint Ðaminh Pham Trong Kham • Saint Ðaminh Toai • Saint Ðaminh Trach Ðoài • Saint Ðaminh Tuoc • Saint Emanuele Lê Van Phung • Saint Emmanuel Nguyen Van Trieu • Saint Etienne-Théodore Cuenot • Saint Francesc Gil de Federich de Sans • Saint Francis Trung Von Tran • Saint Francis Xavier Can Nguyen • Saint François Jaccard • Saint François-Isidore Gagelin • Saint Giacôbê Ðo Mai Nam • Saint Gioan Ðat • Saint Gioan Ðoàn Trinh Hoan • Saint Giuse Ðang Van Viên • Saint Giuse Hoàng Luong Canh • Saint Giuse Nguyen Duy Khang • Saint Giuse Nguyen Ðình Nghi • Saint Giuse Nguyen Ðình Uyen • Saint Giuse Pham Trong Ta • Saint Jacinto Castañeda Puchasóns • Saint Jean-Charles Cornay • Saint Jean-Théophane Vénard • Saint John Baptist Con • Saint John-Louis Bonnard • Saint José Fernández de Ventosa • Saint José María Díaz Sanjurjo • Saint José Melchór García-Sampedro Suárez • Saint Joseph Marchand • Saint Luca Pham Trong Thìn • Saint Martinô Ta Ðuc Thinh • Saint Martinô Tho • Saint Mateo Alonso de Leciñana • Saint Matthêô Nguyen Van Ðac Phuong • Saint Micae Nguyen Huy My • Saint Nicolas Bùi Ðuc The • Saint Nicolas Bùi Ðuc The • Saint Pere Josep Almató Ribera Auras • Saint Phanxicô Ðo Van Chieu • Saint Phanxicô Xaviê Can • Saint Phanxicô Xaviê Hà Trong Mau • Saint Phaolô Hanh • Saint Phaolô Lê Bao Tinh • Saint Phaolô Nguyen Ngân • Saint Phaolô Nguyen Van My • Saint Phaolô Vu Van Duong • Saint Phêrô Dung • Saint Phêrô Ða • Saint Pherô Ðoàn Van Vân • Saint Phêrô Khan • Saint Phêrô Lê Tùy • Saint Phêrô Nguyen Bá Tuan • Saint Phêrô Nguyen Khac Tu • Saint Phêrô Nguyen Van Luu • Saint Phêrô Nguyen Van Tu • Saint Phêrô Thuan • Saint Phêrô Truong Van Ðuong • Saint Phêrô Truong Van Thi • Saint Phêrô Võ Ðang Khoa • Saint Phêrô Võ Ðang Khoa • Saint Phêrô Vu Van Truat • Saint Pierre Rose Ursule Dumoulin Borie • Saint Pierre-François Néron • Saint Stêphanô Nguyen Van Vinh • Saint Tôma Ðinh Viet Du • Saint Tôma Nguyen Van Ðe • Saint Tôma Toán • Saint Tôma Tran Van Thien • Saint Valentin Faustino Berri Ochoa • Saint Vihn Son Ðo Yen • Saint Vincent Liêm • Saint Vinh Son Nguyen The Ðiem • Saint Vinh Son Tuong • Saint Vinh-Son Duong •
They were martyred in various ways and in various locations in Vietnam and Canonised on 19 June 1988 by St Pope John Paul II.
—
St Albert of Louvain
St Alexander of Corinth
St Balsamus of Cava
St Bieuzy of Brittany
St Chrysogonus
St Colman of Cloyne
Bl Conrad of Frisach
St Crescentian of Rome
St Eanfleda of Whitby
St Felicissimus of Perugia
St Félix Alonso Muñiz
St Firmina of Amelia
St Flora of Cordoba
St Francisco Borrás Román
St Hitto of Saint-Gall
St Kenan of Damleag
St Leopardinus of Vivaris
Bl Maria Anna Sala
St Marinus of Maurienne
St Mary of Cordoba
St Phêrô Võ Ðang Khoa
St Pierre Rose Ursule Dumoulin Borie
St Portianus of Miranda
St Protasius of Milan
St Romanus of Le Mans
St Vinh-son Nguyen The Ðiem
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Carmelite Sisters of Valencia – 12 beati:
• Blessed Antonia Gosens Sáez De Ibarra
• Blessed Cándida Cayuso González
• Blessed Clara Ezcurra Urrutia
• Blessed Concepción Rodríguez Fernández
• Blessed Daría Campillo Paniagua
• Blessed Erundina Colino Vega
• Blessed Feliciana de Uribe Orbe
• Blessed Félix Alonso Muñiz
• Blessed Francisco Borrás Román
• Blessed Justa Maiza Goicoechea
• Blessed María Concepción Odriozola Zabalía
• Blessed María Consuelo Cuñado González
• Blessed Niceta Plaja Xifra
• Blessed Paula Isla Alonso
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Seven
Following the Saints
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
1 Peter 1:15-16
. . . but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I (am) holy.”
By their eloquent and attractive example of a life completely transfigured by the splendour of moral truth, the martyrs and, in general, all the Church’s Saints, light up every period of history by reawakening its moral sense. By witnessing fully to the good, they are a living reproof to those who transgress the law (cf. Wis 2:12) and they make the words of the Prophet echo ever afresh: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Is 5:20)… St Pope John Paul II, The Encyclical Veritatis Splendor, 93
Prayer: God, Father of all grace! In Your Saints You ceaselessly show us Your immeasurable kindness and Your care over the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, You teach the saints the path to perfection and lettest them taste in this life the sweet fruit of Redemption. May You give us strength so that we have courage to follow the way to sainthood, fortified by the example of all Your saints.
Jesus Christ, who takes joy in every soul that yearns to love You more than the world and one’s own life. Lord and King, You wish to reign in the hearts of the
righteous and the honest, the poor and the humble, the suffering and the scorned, through the intercession of Your Servants, the Saints, be mindful of their souls and make them the kingdom of Your love, peace and truth. May all the hearts cold and indifferent to the reverence and adoration of the Celestial Father be enkindled with love for Him. You who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray: Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro S.J. (1891-1927)
Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro S.J. (1891-1927)
To The Heart Of Jesus
By Blessed Miguel Pro S.J. (1891-1927)
I believe, O Lord
but strengthen my faith,
Heart of Jesus, I love Thee
but increase my love.
Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee,
but give greater vigour
to my confidence.
Heart of Jesus,
I give my heart to Thee,
but so enclose it in Thee
that it may never
be separated from Thee.
Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine,
but take care of my promise
so that I may be able
to put it in practice even unto
the complete sacrifice of my life.
Amen
Memorials of the Saints – 23 November
St Pope Clement I (Optional Memorial)
St Columbanus (Optional Memorial)
Bl Miguel Agustin Pro (Optional Memorial)
—
St Adalbert of Casauria
St Alexander Nevski
St Amphilochius of Iconium
St Augusta of Alexandria
St Cecilia Yu Sosa
St Clement of Metz
Bl Detlev of Ratzeburg
Bl Enrichetta Alfieri
St Falitrus of Chabris
St Faustina of Alexandria
Bl Felícitas Cendoya Araquistain
St Felicity of Rome
St Gregory of Girgenti
Bl Guy of Casauria
St Jaume Nàjera Gherna
St Loëvan of Brittany
St Lucretia of Mérida
Bl Margaret of Savoy
St Mustiola of Chiusi
St Paternian of Fano
St Paulinus of Whitland
St Rachildis of Saint-Gall
St Severin of Paris
St Sisinius of Cyzicus
St Trudo of Hesbaye
St Wilfetrudis of Nivelless
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Six
Contemplating the Holy Family
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Luke 2:51
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
“Loving the family means being able to appreciate its values and capabilities, fostering them always. Loving the family means identifying the dangers and the evils that menace it, in order to overcome them. Loving the family means endeavouring to create for it an environment favourable for its development. The modern Christian family is often tempted to be discouraged and is distressed at the growth of its difficulties; it is an eminent form of love to give it back its reasons for confidence in itself, in the riches that it possesses by nature and grace, and in the mission that God has entrusted to it. “Yes indeed, the families of today must be called back to their original position. They must follow Christ.”... St Pope John Paul II, The Adhortation Familiaris Consortio, 86
Prayer: God, Father of mankind! You who came into this world through a family and showed it to us as a visible sign of love, mutual respect and kindness, let us learn to love anew, over and over again and find a way to happiness through contemplating the ideal of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Jesus, who hast sanctified family life through Your Incarnation, to You we entrust every family, both such that lives separated from genuine happiness and such that enjoys the Divine gift of grace.
True happiness consists in a faithful fulfilment of the Divine will and the Nazarethan atmosphere of warmth and modesty. Watch over all Catholic families on, give them Your blessing and let them find the true values that constitute and unite the family and are a way to find Your peace. Amen
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray: Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 November
Our Morning Offering – 22 November
St Pio’s Prayer of Today for Tomorrow
Eternal Father,
today, while I am fully conscious,
totally lucid and completely free,
I offer You my life with all its mystery and suffering.
Indeed, Eternal Father,
I offer You my life as an ultimate act of love,
as an act of infinite gratitude,
as an act of faith in Your mercy.
My God and Father,
accept this prayer I am making to You now
for the day when You will call me back to You.
If I am unconscious at the final moment of my life,
if anguish and doubt assail me,
if medication prevents me from thinking of You,
I want my last heartbeat to be an act of perfect love,
telling You with Jesus,
“Into Your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Amen.
Memorials of the Saints – 22 November
St Cecilia (Memorial)
—
St Amphilochius of Iconium
St Ananias of Arbela
St Apphia
St Benignus of Milan
St Christian of Auxerre
St Dayniolen the Younger
St Mark of Antioch
St Maurus of North Africa
Bl Pedro Esqueda Ramirez
St Philemon
St Pragmatius of Autun
St Sabinian the Abbot
Bl Salvatore Lilli
Stephen of Antioch
Bl Tommaso Reggio
—
Apostles of Bulgaria – 7 saints
Martyrs of Armenia – 8 beati: A group of eight Franciscans martyred in the region of Mujuk-Dersi, Armenia (modern Turkey) by invading Islamic Turks who tortured them, demanded they convert, and murdered them when they did not. They were
• Baldji Oghlou Ohannes
• David Oghlou David
• Dimbalac Oghlou Wartavar
• Geremia Oghlou Boghos
• Khodianin Oghlou Kadir
• Kouradji Oghlou Tzeroum
• Salvatore Lilli
• Toros Oghlou David
They were martyred on 22 November 1895 in Mujuk-Dersi, Armenia (in modern Turkey) and Beatified on 3 October 1982 by St Pope John Paul II.
Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales – 85 beati: 85 English, Scottish and Welsh Catholics who were martyred during the persecutions by Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. They are commemorated together on 22 November.
• Blessed Alexander Blake • Blessed Alexander Crow • Blessed Antony Page • Blessed Arthur Bell • Blessed Charles Meehan • Blessed Christopher Robinson • Blessed Christopher Wharton • Blessed Edmund Duke • Blessed Edmund Sykes • Blessed Edward Bamber • Blessed Edward Burden • Blessed Edward Osbaldeston • Blessed Edward Thwing • Blessed Francis Ingleby • Blessed George Beesley • Blessed George Douglas • Blessed George Errington • Blessed George Haydock • Blessed George Nichols • Blessed Henry Heath • Blessed Henry Webley • Blessed Hugh Taylor • Blessed Humphrey Pritchard • Blessed John Adams • Blessed John Bretton • Blessed John Fingley • Blessed John Hambley • Blessed John Hogg • Blessed John Lowe • Blessed John Norton • Blessed John Sandys • Blessed John Sugar • Blessed John Talbot • Blessed John Thules • Blessed John Woodcock • Blessed Joseph Lambton • Blessed Marmaduke Bowes • Blessed Matthew Flathers • Blessed Montfort Scott • Blessed Nicholas Garlick • Blessed Nicholas Horner • Blessed Nicholas Postgate • Blessed Nicholas Woodfen • Blessed Peter Snow • Blessed Ralph Grimston • Blessed Richard Flower • Blessed Richard Hill • Blessed Richard Holiday • Blessed Richard Sergeant • Blessed Richard Simpson • Blessed Richard Yaxley • Blessed Robert Bickerdike • Blessed Robert Dibdale • Blessed Robert Drury • Blessed Robert Grissold • Blessed Robert Hardesty • Blessed Robert Ludlam • Blessed Robert Middleton • Blessed Robert Nutter • Blessed Robert Sutton • Blessed Robert Sutton • Blessed Robert Thorpe • Blessed Roger Cadwallador • Blessed Roger Filcock • Blessed Roger Wrenno • Blessed Stephen Rowsham • Blessed Thomas Atkinson • Blessed Thomas Belson • Blessed Thomas Bullaker • Blessed Thomas Hunt • Blessed Thomas Palaser • Blessed Thomas Pilcher • Blessed Thomas Pormort • Blessed Thomas Sprott • Blessed Thomas Watkinson • Blessed Thomas Whitaker • Blessed Thurstan Hunt • Blessed William Carter • Blessed William Davies • Blessed William Gibson • Blessed William Knight • Blessed William Lampley • Blessed William Pike • Blessed William Southerne • Blessed William Spenser • Blessed William Thomson •
Beatified on
22 November 1987 by St Pope John Paul II.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• BlessedAquilino Rivera Tamargo
• BlessedFerran Llovera Pulgsech
• BlessedFrancisco Lahoz Moliner
• BlessedJulián Torrijo Sánchez
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Five
Under the Patronage of Saint Joseph
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Matthew 1:20
. . . the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
The total sacrifice, whereby Joseph surrendered his whole existence to the demands of the Messiah’s coming into his home, becomes understandable only in the light of his profound interior life. It was from this interior life that “very singular commands and consolations came, bringing him also the logic and strength that belong to simple and clear souls and giving him the power of making great decisions-such as the decision to put his liberty immediately at the disposition of the divine designs, to make over to them also his legitimate human calling, his conjugal happiness, to accept the conditions, the responsibility and the burden of a family but, through an incomparable virginal love, to renounce that natural conjugal love that is the foundation and nourishment of the
family. This submission to God, this readiness of will to dedicate oneself to all that serves Him, is really nothing less than that exercise of devotion which constitutes one expression of the virtue of religion… St Pope John Paul II, The Adhortation Redemptoris custos, 26
Prayer: God of unfathomable kindness, who continuously summonS every person to a life of sainthood. You have summoned Saint Joseph to accept the role and duties of the Guardian of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Lend us Your help so that we may see in Saint Joseph a paragon of Christian virtues following His example of fidelity, justice, assuming a humble role and abandoning one’s own aspirations.
Saint Joseph, be mindful of all souls longing to bear unconditional love to Lord Jesus
and His Mother. May we receive streams of graces through your intercession, so that we may guard the purity of our souls like a treasure to make them a worthy dwelling place for God. Saint Joseph, protect our children and youth from all impurity that destroys Divine life in their souls. We implore you to intercede before God on our behalf so that we may, within our powers and cooperating with Christ’s grace, extend the Divine Kingdom on earth.
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 November
Our Morning Offering – 21 November
Prayer to Spend the Day Well
By Blessed James Alberione
Dear and sweet Mother Mary,
keep your holy hand upon me;
guard my mind,
my heart and my senses,
that I may never commit sin.
Sanctify my thoughts,
affections,
words and actions,
so that I may please you
and your Jesus, my God,
and reach heaven with you.
Jesus and Mary,
give me your holy blessing;
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Memorials of the Saints – 21 November
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin (Memorial): Commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child in the Temple where, according to tradition, she was educated.
The feast originated in the Orient probably about the 7th century and is found in the constitution of Manuel Comnenus (1166) as a recognised festival. It was introduced into the Western Church in the 14th century, abolished by Pope Pius V but re-established by Pope Sixtus V in 1585. Its observance by the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the day of their origin led to the devotion of Mater Admirabilis.
Among the many masters who have represented this subject are: Alberti, Fra Bartolommeo, Biagio, Agostino, Carracci, Cima da Conegliano, Cossa, Holbein the Elder, Palma, Piombo, Tintoretto and Titian.
Mary Mother of the Church: Bl Pope Paul VI explicitly proclaimed Mary Mother of the Church and asked that she honoured and invoked with this title by all the Christian people. The title “Mother of the Church” thus reflects the deep conviction of the Christian faithful, who see in Mary not only the mother of the person of Christ but also of the faithful. She who is recognised as mother of salvation, life and grace, mother of the saved and mother of the living, is rightly proclaimed Mother of the Church.
Pope Paul VI would have liked the Second Vatican Council itself to have proclaimed “Mary Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole People of God, of the faithful and their Pastors”. He did so himself in his speech at the end of the Council’s third session (21 November 1964), also asking that “henceforth the Blessed Virgin be honoured and invoked with this title by all the Christian people” (AAS 1964, 37). In this way, my venerable Predecessor explicitly enunciated the doctrine contained in chapter eight of Lumen gentium, hoping that the title of Mary, Mother of the Church, would have an ever more important place in the liturgy and piety of the Christian people. – St Pope John Paul II
Our Lady of Quinche: Also known as
• La Pequeñita
• Virgen de Monte del Sol
• Virgin of the Rock
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the image of a cedar statue in Quinche, Ecuador. About two foot tall, it was carved in 1586 by Don Diego de Robles, an artist who created many other images of Mary. He carved it on order from the Lumbici Indians, who were unable to pay for it at delivery. Diego traded the statue to the Oyacachi Indians in exchange for a large load of cedar for future projects.
Legend says that the vision of Our Lady appeared in a cave to some of the Oyacachi, promising to the protect their children; the image Diego brought for trade looked just like the lady in the vision. The Oyacachi asked Diego to stay and help them build a shrine for the statue; he declined and started home. His horse threw him as they crossed a bridge and Diego was miraculously saved after he had prayed for Our Lady’s intervention; he understood that this was a sign, went back to the Indian, and built an altar for the statue.
In 1604 the statue was moved to the local village of Quinche and a chapel was built for it. A new sanctuary was built in 1630 where the statue stayed until the church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1869. The church was re-built and housed the image until moved to another new church in 1928; in 1985 the Vatican proclaimed the chapel to be a national sanctuary of Ecuador. Many miracles, especially healings, have been associated with the image and there is a huge catalogue of songs in several languages that have been written in devotion over the centuries.
Patronage – Equador.
—
St Amelberga of Susteren
St Celsus the Martyr
St Clement the Martyr
St Demetrius of Ostia
St Digain
Bl Eoin O’Mulkern
St Pope Gelasius I
Bl Gelasius O’Cullenan
St Heliodorus of Pamphylia
St Hilary of Vulturno
St Honorius of Ostia
Bl Maria Franciszka Siedliska
St Maurus of Cesena
St Maurus of Porec
St Maurus of Verona
Bl Nicholas Giustiniani
St Rufus of Rome
—
Martyrs of Asta – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together for their faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. The only details about them to survive are their names – Eutychius, Honorius and Stephen. They were martyred in c 300 at Asta, Andalusia, Spain.
—
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Four
Behold, your mother
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
John 19:26-27
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother,
“Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
For the Mother of Christ is glorified as “Queen of the Universe.” She who at the Annunciation called herself the “handmaid of the Lord” remained throughout her earthly life faithful to what this name expresses. In this she confirmed that she was a true “disciple” of Christ, who strongly emphasised that his mission was one of service: the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). In this way Mary became the first of those who, “serving Christ also in others, with humility and patience lead their brothers and sisters to that King whom to serve is to reign” and she fully obtained that “state of royal freedom” proper to Christ’s disciples: to serve means to reign!…(St Pope John Paul II, The Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, 41)
Prayer: O God, whose sainthood is beyond understanding! Through Your Son Jesus Christ You have given us the paragon of sainthood and the path thereto. You have involved the Blessed Virgin Mary in the mission of Salvation by making her Christ’s Mother and ours. May You help us to see and believe that Virgin Mary is, for us, the model of ideal love. May our existence be permeated with the longing to bear love to Jesus and Mary. Mother of Divine Love, be mindful of the faithful gathered in this
temple and all other places where You are glorified and addressed in the world full of misery. Be mindful of our souls longing to bear indivisible love to your Son and thee. Be mindful of all souls, especially the souls loving your Son, teach them to fulfil His will as faithfully as possible, protect them from all sin and help them to attain perfect love in humility, simplicity and complete devotion to God. Through Christ, Our Lord, with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Memorials of the Saints – 20 November
St Agapius of Caesarea
Bl Ambrose of Camaldoli
St Ampelus of Messina
St Anatolius of Nicea
St Apothemius of Angers
St Autbodus of Valcourt
St Basil of Antioch
St Bernerio of Eboli
St Crispin of Ecija
St Dasius of Dorostorum
St Dorus of Benevento
St Edmund of East Anglia
St Eudo of Carméry
St Eustachius of Nicea
St Eval of Cornwall
St Felix of Valois
St Francis Xavier Can Nguyen
St Francisca Desamparados Honorata Lloret Martí
St Gaius of Messina
St Gregory Decapolites
St Hippolytus of Belley
St Humbert of Elmham
St Leo of Nonantula
Bl Maria Fortunata Viti
St Maxentia of Beauvais
St Milagros Ortells Gimeno
St Nerses of Sahgerd and Companions
St Simplicius of Verona
St Sylvester of Châlons-sur-Saône
St Thespesius of Nicea
St Teonesto of Vercelli
—
Martyred Sisters of the Christian Doctrine – 17 beati: A group of 17 religious sisters, members all of the Sisters of the Christian Doctrine, who were martyred in two different incidents in 1936 during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.
They were Beatified on 1 October 1995 by St Pope John Paul II.
Martyrs of Antioch – 3 saints: Group of three Christians executed together for their faith. No details have survived except their names – Basil, Dionysius and Rusticus. They were martyred in Antioch (Antakya, Turkey).
Martyrs of Heraclea – 3 saints: A group of 43 Christians martyred together. The only details about them to survive are three of their names – Agapitus, Bassus and Dionysius. They were martyred in Heraclea, Thrace.
Martyrs of Turin – 3 saints: Three Christian martyrs whose original stories were lost, and somehow came to be associated with the Theban Legion. They are – Adventor, Octavius and Solutor. They were beheaded in 297 in Turin, Italy. Patronage – Turin, Italy.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.
• Blessed Ascensión Duart Roig
• Blessed Aurea Navarro
• Blessed Catalina Calpe Ibáñez
• Blessed Emilia Martí Lacal
• Blessed Francisca Desamparados Honorata Lloret Martí
• Blessed Gertrudis Rita Florència Surís Brusola
• Blessed Isabel Ferrer Sabrià
• Blessed Josefa Pascual Pallardó
• Blessed Josefa Romero Clariana
• Blessed Josepa Mongoche Homs
• Blessed María Antonia del Sufragio Orts Baldó
• Blessed Maria Dolors Llimona Planas
• Blessed María Isabel López García
• Blessed María Purificación Gómez Vives
• Blessed Milagros Ortells Gimeno
• Blessed Paula de San Antonio
• Blessed Teresa Jiménez Baldoví
• Blessed Teresa Rosat Balasch
Duty calls!
Our Morning Offering – 20 November
Our Morning Offering – 20 November
PRAYER OF DEDICATION TO THE LORD
by St Francis de Sales
Lord, I am Yours
and I must belong to
no one but You.
My soul is Yours
and must live only by You.
My will is Yours
and must love only for You.
I must love You
as my first cause,
since I am from You.
I must love You
as my end and rest,
since I am for You.
I must love You more
than my own being,
since my being subsists by You.
I must love You more than myself,
since I am all Yours
and all in You. Amen.
This beautiful prayer from Treatise on the Love of God by St Francis de Sales is a prayer of giving oneself totally to God, of wanting to love Him above all thing and is a very appropriate Daily Prayer to add to your memory.
Out of Town
Out of Town from 20 November for roughly 10 days – until the job is finished!
Dear friends and followers
I have to fly off tomorrow on a work assignment. As soon as I am done I will start posting again.
In the meantime, I am pre-scheduling the Novena, the list of Saints for each day, a Morning Offering and a post for the beautiful Feast of Christ the King next Sunday 26 November. On which day, I will be praying for you all to be abundantly blessed.
Stay well and be saints!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
St Francis
The First Annual World Day of the Poor and Memorials of the Saints – 19 November
The First Annual World Day of the Poor and Memorials of the Saints – 19 November
Blessed Virgin Mary (Optional Memorial)
Our Lady of Providence
—
Bl Alexandre Planas Saurí
St Atto of Tordino
St Azas of Isauria
St Barlaam of Antioch
St Ebbe of Minster-of-Thanet
Bl Eliseo García y García
Bl James Benefatti
St James of Sasseau
St Maximus of Caesarea
St Maximus of Rome
St Mechtilde of Helfta
St Medana
St Nerses the Great
Obadiah the Prophet
St Pope Pontian
St Tuto
—
Martyrs of Heraclea
Martyrs of Vienne: – 3 saints
St Exuperius
St Felicianus
St Severinus
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow
Day Three
Fortified by the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
The breath of the divine life, the Holy Spirit, in its simplest and most common manner, expresses itself and makes itself felt in prayer. It is a beautiful and salutary thought that, wherever people are praying in the world, there the Holy Spirit is, the living breath of prayer. It is a beautiful and salutary thought to recognise that, if prayer is offered throughout the world, in the past, in the present and in the future, equally widespread is the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, who “breathes” prayer in the heart of man in all the endless range of the most varied situations and conditions, sometimes favourable and sometimes unfavourable to the spiritual and religious life. Many times, through the influence of the Spirit, prayer rises from the human heart in spite of prohibitions
and persecutions and even official proclamations regarding the non-religious or even atheistic character of public life…(John Paul II, The Encyclical Dominum et vivificantem, 65)
Prayer
O God, the source of life and the giver of all graces! You who renews and sanctifies
everything through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, be mindful of Your Church, wishing to renew ceaselessly through His Power. Make our hearts open to His mysterious working. Jesus Christ, who has opened for us the path to Heaven through the mystery of Redemption, be mindful of all who wish to renew the face of the earth through contribution and sacrifice. Lord, send forth Your Spirit, to turn all our intentions, longings and decisions towards the service of God and the glory of Your Kingdom. Amen
Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)
O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel. May You reign in our hearts through grace. May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen
Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace. We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Thought for the Day – 19 November – The First World Day of the Poor
Thought for the Day – 19 November – The First World Day of the Poor
When it became clear that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, would succeed Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Brazil, seated next to Cardinal Bergoglio in the March 2013 conclave, comforted the Argentine cardinal and told him, “Don’t forget the poor.”
The future Pope Francis took those words to heart.
“That’s always been a characteristic of his spirituality and his ministry,” Bishop da Cunha said the first World Day of the Poor, 19 November, which the pontiff announced in his November 2016 closing letter for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, is an opportunity for the whole Church to reflect, pray and think about how it serves the poor the world over.
“During the Jubilee for Socially Excluded People, as the Holy Doors of Mercy were being closed in all the cathedrals and shrines of the world, I had the idea that, as yet another tangible sign of this Extraordinary Holy Year, the entire Church might celebrate, on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, the World Day of the Poor. This would be the worthiest way to prepare for the celebration of the solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who identified with the little ones and the poor and who will judge us on our works of mercy (cf. Mt 25:31-46). It would be a day to help communities and each of the baptised to reflect on how poverty is at the very heart of the Gospel and that, as long as Lazarus lies at the door of our homes (cf. Lk 16:19-21), there can be no justice or social peace. This day will also represent a genuine form of New Evangelisation (cf. Mt 11:5) which can renew the face of the Church as she perseveres in her perennial activity of pastoral conversion and witness to mercy.” …Pope Francis in his November 2016 apostolic letter Misericordia et Misera, closing the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Prayer of intercession to the Blessed Virgin Mary
for Migrants and Refugees
O Blessed Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you fled into exile in the moonlight,
carrying your son, our Lord Jesus.
You shared His journey to the Cross,
and are now robed in the light of peace.
Mary, Mother of the Poor,
watch over migrants and refugees
holding their families close on fearful journeys.
Comfort and protect them, we pray,
as they walk beneath the shining stars.
Bless our communities, loving Mary,
fill our hearts with compassion,
help us to shelter the stranger,
and share the goodness
of God’s consoling love
with all our neighbours.
Hail Mary…
Quote/s of the Day – 19 November – The First World Day of the
Quote/s of the Day – 19 November – The First World Day of the Poor
“Let us love, not with words but with deeds.”
“As long as Lazarus lies at the door of our homes
there can be no justice or social peace.”
“Blessed are the open hands that embrace
the poor and help them – they are hands
that bring hope.
Blessed are the hands that reach beyond
every barrier of culture, religion and nationality
and pour the balm of consolation over
the wounds of humanity.
Blessed are the open hands that ask nothing
in exchange, with no “ifs” or “buts” or “maybes”:
they are hands that call down God’s blessing
upon their brothers and sisters.
Pope Francis
FIRST WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
19 November 2017
“If you want to honour the body of Christ,
do not scorn it when it is naked;
do not honour the Eucharistic Christ
with silk vestments and then,
leaving the church, neglect the other Christ
suffering from cold and nakedness”
St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church – (Hom. in Matthaeum, 50.3: PG 58)
AnaStpaul 
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