Our Morning Offering – 10 October – The Memorial of St Daniel Comboni (1831-1881)
Lord, we Trust in You
By St Daniel Comboni (1831-1881)
Lord,
we trust in You
and we entrust
ourselves to You,
take us as we are
and make us
the way You
want us to be.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 9 October – The Memorial of St Louis Bertrand O.P. (1526-1581) “Apostle of South America”
In Catholic iconography, St Louis Bertrand is often portrayed holding a chalice from which serpents are emerging. In the other hand, he displays a crucifix with a pistol at its base. These articles call to mind two stories from the great saint’s life when God miraculously saved him from attempts on his life by vile would-be assassins. The first recalls the story of Brother Louis’ where a native priest gave him a chalice of poison for Mass. Louis made the sign of the Cross over the toxic potion and serpents sprang from the chalice, thus revealing its true contents and saving his life.
The second object – the crucifix/pistol – recalls another account of near-martyrdom in the life of St Louis Bertrand. Set upon by a crazed gunman, St Louis calmly made the conquering sign of the Cross. With this most basic gesture of our faith, the barrel of the gun miraculously turned into a crucifix.
“If because of your preaching men lay aside enmities, forgive injuries, avoid occasions of sin and scandals and reform their conduct, you may say that the seed has fallen on good ground. But to God alone give all the glory and acknowledge yourselves ever unprofitable servants.”
St Louis Bertrand, OP
Quote/s of the Day – 9 October –
The Memorial of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“I have a place in God’s counsels,
in God’s world, which no one else has,
whether I be rich or poor,
despised or esteemed by man,
God knows me and calls me by my name.
God has created me to do Him
some definite service.
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission – I never may know it in this life
but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes,
as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his –
if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another,
as He could make the stones children of Abraham.
Yet I have a part in this great work,
I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught.
I shall do good, I shall do His work,
I shall be an angel of peace,
a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him,
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him,
if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow
may be necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain –
He may prolong my life, He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me
– still He knows what He is about.”
“Who is the flower but our Blessed Lord?
Who is the rod, or beautiful stalk
or stem or plant out of which the flower grows
but Mary, Mother of our Lord, Mary, Mother of God?”
“Fear not that your life
shall come to an end
but rather fear,
that it shall never
have a beginning.”
“Regarding Christianity,
ten thousand difficulties –
do not make one doubt.”
“He compasses me round
and bears me in His arms.
He takes me up and sets me down.”
One Minute Reflection – 9 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:38–42 – Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”…Luke 10:41-42
REFLECTION – ” Has not the desire of wealth so eaten into our hearts, that we think poverty the worst of ills, that we think the security of property the first of blessings, that we measure all things by mammon, that we not only labour for it ourselves but so involve in our own evil earnestness all around us, that they cannot keep from the pursuit of it though they would? Does not the frame-work of society move forward on such a plan as to enlist into the service of the world all its members, almost whether they will or no? Would not a man be thought unaspiring and unproductive, who cared not to push forward in pursuit of that which Scripture calls “the root of all evil,” the love of which it calls “covetousness which is idolatry,” and the possession of which it solemnly declares all but excludes a man from the kingdom of Heaven? Alas! can this be denied?
And therefore, of course, the entire system of tranquil devotion, holy meditation, freedom from worldly cares, which our Saviour praises in the case of Mary, is cast aside, misunderstood, or rather missed altogether, as much as the glorious sunshine by a blind man, slandered and ridiculed as something contemptible and vain. Surely, no one, who is candid, can doubt, that, were Mary now living, did she choose on principle that state of life in which Christ found her, were she content to remain at Jesus’ feet hearing His word and disengaged from this troublesome world, she would be blamed and pitied. Careless men would gaze strangely and wise men compassionately, on such an one, as wasting her life and choosing a melancholy, cheerless portion. Long ago was this the case. Even in holy Martha, zealous as she was and true-hearted, even in her instance, we are reminded of the impatience and disdain with which those who are far different from her, the children of this world, regard such as dedicate themselves to God. Long ago, even in her, we seem to witness, as in type, the rash, unchristian way in which this age disparages devotional services.”…Blessed John Henry Newman 
PRAYER – “Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!” – (Note – NOT written by St Mother Teresa, who merely made it her own but by Blessed John Henry Newman) Lord Holy God, grant that by the intercession of Blessed John Henry, we too may become a fragrance of You! Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 October – The Memorial of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Praise to the Holiest in the Height
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.
O loving wisdom of our God,
When all was sin and shame,
He, the last Adam, to the fight
And to the rescue came.
O wisest love! that flesh and blood
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.
And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence, and His very self
And essence all-divine.
O generous love! that He, who smote
In man for man the foe,
The double agony in man
For man should undergo.
And in the garden secretly,
And on the cross on high,
Should teach His brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful;
Most sure in all His ways.
Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:25–37 – Monday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year B
As long as anyone has the means
of doing good to his neighbours
and does not do so,
he shall be reckoned a stranger
to the love of the Lord.
No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments
but for those who neglect their neighbour,
a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire
and torment in the company of the demons.
Do not, therefore, adorn the church
and ignore your afflicted brother,
for he is the most precious temple of all.
We must speak to them with our hands
before we speak to them with our lips.
We should strive to keep our hearts open
to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people
and pray continually, that God may grant us,
that spirit of compassion,
which is truly the Spirit of God.
Since God is perfect in loving man,
man must be perfect in loving his neighbour.
All our religion is but a false religion
and all our virtues are mere illusions
and we ourselves are only hypocrites
in the sight of God,
if we have not that universal charity for everyone –
for the good and for the bad,
for the poor and for the rich
and for all those who do us harm,
as much as those who do us good.
“This parable is a splendid gift for us all and also a task!
To each of us Jesus repeats what He said to the doctor of the Law:
“Go and do likewise” (v. 37).
We are all called to follow the same path of the Good Samaritan,
who is the figure of Christ:
Jesus bent down to us, He became our servant
and thus He has saved us,
so that we too might love
as He loved us, in the same way.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:25–37 – Monday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time, Year B
“Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him. ” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”...Luke 10:36-37
REFLECTION – “Jesus brings about an unexpected reversal in the traditional concept of neighbour. The Samaritan is the neighbour and not the wounded man, as we would have expected. This means that we must not wait till our neighbour appears along our way, perhaps quite dramatically. It belongs to us to be ready to notice him, to find him. We are all called to be the neighbour! The problem of the doctor of the law is reversed. From an abstract and academic problem, it becomes a concrete and living problem. The question to ask is not “Who is my neighbour?” but “Whose neighbour can I be here and now?…
If one of us were to pose Jesus the question “Who is my neighbour?” what would he answer? He would certainly remind us that our neighbour is not only our fellow countrymen but also those outside our community, not only Christians but Muslims also, not only Catholics but Protestants also. But he would immediately add that this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is not to know who my neighbour is but to see whose neighbour I can be here and now, for whom I can be the Good Samaritan.”…Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa – Preacher to the Papal Household (14 July 2007)
PRAYER – Lord God and Father, who entrusted the earth to men and each to the other, as one family of man, give us the grace this day, to see Your Face in our neighbour and to seek all who need our help. Grant us the grace to work faithfully for Your glory and for our neighbour’s good. May the prayers of St Hugh Canefro who worked tirelessly for his neighbour be a help to us all and may Mary our Holy Mother, keep us ever in her guiding care. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 October
A Prayer for Enlightenment
St Alcuin of York (735-804)
Eternal light, shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power, be our support,
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the
darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity, have mercy on us;
that with all our heart
and mind
and soul
and strength,
we may seek Your Face
and be brought by Your infinite mercy
to Your Holy Presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord
Amen.
Thought for the day – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
33 Day Consecration by St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
St Thomas Aquinas assures us that, “following the order established by His divine Wisdom, God ordinarily imparts His graces to men through Mary. Therefore, if we wish to go to Him, seeking union with Him, we must use the same means which He used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart His graces to us. That means, was a complete dependence on Mary His Mother, which is true devotion to her.”
St Louis de Montfort recommends consecrating yourself on one of Mary’s Feast days.
Here is a typical list using the 33-day preparation method, set out for us by St Louis. The method includes daily prayer, meditation and a daily Rosary of course.
Many of us have done this a few times perhaps, before but as the Holy Father has recently requested us all to pray to our Mother, most especially for the Church and for the whole world, this might be a good time to reconsecrate ourselves to her!
I am thinking 17 October – 19 November, the Memorial of Our Lady of Divine Providence. Will you join me?
Sunday Reflection – 7 October – Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
This is what Pope Benedict XVI said on 10 June 2007:
“Today’s solemnity of Corpus Christi, which was celebrated last Thursday in the Vatican and in other countries, invites us to contemplate the supreme Mystery of our faith – the Most Holy Eucharist, the Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the altar. Every time that the priest renews the Eucharistic Sacrifice, in the prayer of consecration he repeats: ‘This is my Body…this is my Blood.’ He lends his voice, his hands and his heart to Christ, who wanted to remain with us in order to be the beating Heart of the Church.
But even after the Celebration of the Divine Mysteries the Lord Jesus remains present in the tabernacle. For this reason, praise is rendered to Him especially through Eucharistic Adoration, as I sought to remind everyone in the recent Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (see nos. 66-69) following the Synod on this topic. In fact, there is an intrinsic connection between celebration and adoration. The Holy Mass is in itself already the greatest act of adoration on the part of the Church. ‘No one eats this flesh,’ St Augustine wrote, ‘unless he has first adored it’ (Com. on Psalms 98,9; CCL XXXIX, 1385). Adoration, apart from the Holy Mas, prolongs and intensifies what has taken place in the liturgical celebration and makes it possible, to receive Christ in a real and profound way.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 October – Our Lady of the Rosary
Open your petals, like roses planted near running waters…Sirach 39:13
“To discover whether people are of God,
I have found no better way than the following.
Observe whether they say the Hail Mary and the Rosary.”
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon
to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer,
who loves His Mother.”
THE SEVEN BLESSINGS OF THE ROSARY
“The Rosary, recited with meditation on the mysteries, brings about the following marvellous results:
1. It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;
2. It purifies our souls, washing away sin;
3. It gives us victory over all our enemies;
4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue;
5. It sets us on fire with love of Our Blessed Lord;
6. It enriches us with graces and merits;
7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay,
all our debts to God and to our fellow men
and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God.”
“When reciting the Rosary,
the important and meaningful moments
of salvation history are relived.
The various steps of Christ’s mission are traced.
With Mary the heart is oriented
toward the mystery of Jesus.
Christ is put at the centre of our life,
of our time, of our city,
through the contemplation and meditation
of His holy mysteries
of joy, light, sorrow and glory.”
Basilica of Saint Mary Major – Saturday, 3 May 2008
“Mary joins us, she fights at our side.
She supports Christians in the fight
against the forces of evil… through the Rosary.”
“Do you pray the Rosary each day?”
One Minute Reflection – 7 October – Today’s Gospel – Mark 10:2–16 – Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
“…The two shall become one flesh.”...Mark 10:8
REFLECTION – “In the world of the Bible, God’s relationship with Israel is described using the metaphors of betrothal and marriage – idolatry is thus adultery and prostitution… But God’s eros for man is also totally agape. This is not only because it is bestowed in a completely gratuitous manner, without any previous merit but also because it is love which forgives… In this biblical vision, on the one hand we find ourselves before a strictly metaphysical image of God: God is the absolute and ultimate source of all being but this universal principle of creation—the Logos, primordial reason—is at the same time a lover with all the passion of a true love. Eros is thus supremely ennobled, yet at the same time it is so purified as to become one with agape… The first novelty of biblical faith consists… in its image of God. The second, essentially connected to this, is found in the image of man.
The biblical account of creation speaks of the solitude of Adam, the first man and God’s decision to give him a helper… The idea is certainly present that man is somehow incomplete, driven by nature to seek in another the part that can make him whole, the idea that only in communion with the opposite sex can he become “complete”. The biblical account thus concludes with a prophecy about Adam: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).
Two aspects of this are important. First, eros is somehow rooted in man’s very nature; Adam is a seeker, who “abandons his mother and father” in order to find woman, only together do the two represent complete humanity and become “one flesh”. The second aspect is equally important. From the standpoint of creation, eros directs man towards marriage, to a bond which is unique and definitiv, thus and only thus, does it fulfil its deepest purpose. Corresponding to the image of a monotheistic God is monogamous marriage. Marriage based on exclusive and definitive love, becomes the icon of the relationship between God and His people and vice versa. God’s way of loving becomes the measure of human love…Pope Benedict XVI – Encyclical letter “Deus caritas est”, # 9-11
PRAYER – Almighty, everliving God, whose love surpasses all that we ask or deserve, open up for us, the treasures of Your mercy. Teach us the truth of love and forgive us all that weighs on our conscience. Grant us even more than we dare to ask and grant us the merciful and guiding assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through Him who redeemed us in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
oly Spirit, one God forever and ever. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 October – Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Your Sacred Table
A Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Divine Saviour,
we come to Your sacred table
to nourish ourselves,
not with bread but with Yourself,
true Bread of eternal life.
Help us daily to make a good
and perfect meal
of this divine food.
Let us be continually refreshed
by the perfume of Your kindness and goodness.
May the Holy Spirit fill us with His Love.
Meanwhile, let us prepare a place
for this holy food by emptying our hearts.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 6 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:17–24 – Saturday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Bruno O.Cart. (c 1030-1101)
“Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you but rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the babes…” Luke 10:20-21
REFLECTION – “We were chosen out of love and this is our identity.
I have chosen this religion, I have chosen?… NO, you have not chosen.
He is the one who chose you, called you and bound Himself to you.
And this is our faith. If we do not believe this, we do not understand what the message of Christ is and then we do not understand the Gospel.
He fell in love with our smallness and for this reason He chose us. And He chooses the little ones – not the great, the little ones. If you want to understand something of the mystery of Jesus, lower yourself, make yourself small. Recognise that you are nothing. And not only does He choose and reveal Himself to the little ones but He calls the little ones: ‘Come to me, all you who are tired and oppressed, I will give you rest’. But does He not call the gre at? His heart is open but the great cannot hear His voice because they are full of themselves. To listen to the voice of the Lord, one must become small.”….Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 23 June 2017
PRAYER – Lord God, You called St Bruno to serve You in a life of solitude. Amidst this world’s changes, help us, by his prayers, to set out hearts always on You. Heavenly Father, let me realise that You guide our lives through Your Providence, Your Word and Sacraments. Help me to be obedient to the rules for my state in life and so be obedient to Your will for me. Grant that the prayers of St Bruno may assist us as we strive to grow in humility. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
ANNOUNCING a Novena to St John Paul to begin on 13 October
Leading up to the feast day of Saint John Paul the Great on 22 October, I invite you to join me in prayer to ask for his powerful intercession as well as learn something new about him each day.
Over nine days from 13 October, I will post a prayer to St John Paul, as well as a fact about him, a short Reflection by a great heart and mind about a great heart and mind and a quote that is perhaps less well known. Thus, we will join our prayers together to pray for all of our intentions and ask John Paul II to intercede for us.
St John Paul, Pray for us!
October – The Month of the Holy Rosary
REMINDER
of the Prayers to be conclude the Rosary each day of October (most especially) but I will add these always.
From Pope Francis’ Message – 29 September
“The Holy Father has decided to invite all the faithful, of all the world, to pray the Holy Rosary every day, during the entire Marian month of October and thus to join in communion and in penitence, as the people of God, in asking the Holy Mother of God and Saint Michael Archangel to protect the Church from the devil, who always seeks to separate us from God and from each other.”
The invocation “Sub tuum praesídium” is recited as follows:
“Sub tuum praesídium confúgimus,
sancta Dei Génetrix;
nostras deprecatiónes ne despícias in necessitátibus,
sed a perículis cunctis líbera nos semper,
Virgo gloriósa et benedícta”.
We fly to Thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin
and
The Holy Father has also asked that the recitation of the Holy Rosary during the month of October conclude with the prayer written by Pope Leo XIII:
“Sancte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in próelio;
contra nequítiam et insídias diáboli esto praesídium.
Imperet illi Deus, súpplices deprecámur,
tuque, Prínceps milítiae caeléstis,
Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos,
qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo,
divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Amen”.
Saint Michael Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil,
may God rebuke him, we humbly pray
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, cast into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl throughout the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 6 October – The Memorial of St Bruno (c 1030-1101)
St. Bruno was one of the most exceptional scholars, teachers, prayer warriors of his time:
“…a prudent man whose word was rich in meaning.” I think the key was the gift of great humility.
The Order founded by Bruno — the Carthusians — is one of the strictest in the Church. Carthusians follow the Rule of St Benedict but accord it a most austere interpretation, there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical (hermit) way of life. His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of its founder, never needing a reform.
Bruno and his friends built an oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other. They met for Matins and Vespers each day and spent the rest of the time in solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was copying manuscripts.
Hearing of Bruno’s holiness, the pope called for his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again and after refusing a bishopric, spent his last years in the wilderness of Calabria.
Silence in the Statutes:
What benefits
What divine exultation
The solitude and silence of the desert
Hold in store for those who love it!(Saint Bruno to Raoul)
Bruno was never formally canonised, because the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of publicity. However, Pope Clement X extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674.
“Rejoice, my dearest brothers, because you are blessed and because of the bountiful hand of God’s grace upon you.
Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world.
Rejoice because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbour. Many wish to come into this port and many make great efforts to do so, yet do not achieve it. Indeed many, after reaching it, have been thrust out, since it was not granted them from above.
By your work you show what you love and what you know.
When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.”from a letter by Saint Bruno to the Carthusians
May we mirror Bruno’s quest for holiness and unity with God.
Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – The Memorial of St Bruno (c 1030-1101)
“If the bow is stretched for too long,
it becomes slack and unfit for its purpose.”
“No act is charitable if it is not just.”
““By your work,
you show what you love
and what you know.”
“While the world changes,
the Cross stands firm.”
Our Morning Offering – 6 October
Mary, Let Me Love Your Jesus
By St Ildephonsus (607-670)
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer:
through the Holy Spirit
you became the Mother of Jesus;
from the Holy Spirit may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit
your flesh conceived Jesus;
through the same Spirit
may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit
you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus,
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit
may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit,
Mary, you could say:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word”;
in the Holy Spirit,
lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son;
in the same spirit,
Mary, let me love your Jesus.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 6 October – Blessed Marie Rose Durocher SNJM (1811-1849)Religious Sister, Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Teacher, Catechist, Apostle of Charity, evangeliser – born on 6 October 1811 at Saint Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada as Eulalie Durocher – died on 6 October 1849 at Longueiul, Quebec, Canada of natural causes. Patronage – the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
The tenth child of Olivier and Geneviève Durocher, Eulalie Durocher was born on 6 October 1811 to a well-respected family in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu (Québec). Eulalie received her initial education on the lap of her mother, a former student of the Ursuline Sisters in Quebec City and from her grandfather, a former soldier and defender of Fort Carillon. She went on to attend boarding school with the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu for two years. Despite her frailty, she was a lively and joyous child. At the same time, health problems made it impossible for her to continue her studies and her dream of religious life seemed to be out of reach.
As a teenager, Eulalie proudly rode her beautiful horse Caesar to visit friends, the sick, and the less fortunate in her village. She also loved to spend time praying in the church and adoring Jesus present in the Tabernacle. Eulalie was eighteen when her mother died. This was a very difficult time in her life but the young woman courageously stepped in to take charge of the household.
Shortly afterward, her brother Théophile, who had been appointed pastor of Beloeil, invited his father and sister to live with him in the presbytery of St Matthew’s parish. Manager and hostess of the presbytery, Eulalie welcomed visiting priests to the presbytery and worked diligently for the parish and local community for 12 years (1831-1843). In company with her friend, Mélodie Dufresne, Eulalie visited the destitute, taught catechism to the children, organised liturgical celebrations, supported families through difficult times and mobilised other parish volunteers to concerted action.
With the arrival of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Saint-Hilaire, in 1841, Eulalie lent her enthusiastic support to their evangelisation efforts and founded the Association of the Children of Mary, the first organisation of its kind in Canada. Her outreach and joyous personality attracted and transformed many young women.
Her years in Beloeil marked a very important phase in her life. Keenly aware of the political situation and the needs of the country, Eulalie deplored the poor level of religious instruction and the lack of schools, particularly for girls. Her desire to enter religious life remained with her, and she dreamed of the day when small convents could be established in the parishes. She was ready to join a religious community that Bishop Ignace Bourget was planning to bring to Québec from France.
To her great disappointment, the Sisters from Marseille were unable to come to Canada. Aware of her hopes and abilities, Bishop Bourget asked Eulalie Durocher to found a community herself. On 28 October 1843, Eulalie and Mélodie Dufresne came to live with Henriette Céré, who was already teaching at the parish school in Longueuil. Their house, which was provided by the pastor, Father Moïse Brassard, would serve as the cradle of the Congregation.
Being initiated into the religious life and starting an entirely new educational project was not an easy task, particularly as its pioneer women faced a series of obstacles from outright opposition, poverty, criticism and a lack of understanding. However, a profound faith, open-mindedness and an ardent love for young people enabled them to lay a solid foundation for the Institute.
Under the name Mother Marie Rose, Eulalie was able to reach out to talented women and to provide them with excellent pedagogical preparation. The Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate lent vital assistance. According to her vision, each child must receive a well-rounded education: spiritually, academically, artistically and socially.
During the lifetime of the foundress, four houses were established – the convents in Longueuil, Beloeil, Saint-Lin and Saint-Timothée. In an effort to make education available to many more, Mother Marie Rose wanted a school to be built adjacent to each boarding school, where the same program could be offered free of charge to others, thanks to the income from the boarding schools.
Mother Marie-Rose provided leadership to the fledgling congregation until her premature death in 1849. Testimonies gathered at that time attest to the sanctity of her life, which was entirely dedicated to God and to people around her. On the occasion of her Beatification in Rome on 23 May 1982, the Church declared Marie-Rose Durocher an apostolic woman and a herald of new times.
Her remains have rested in the Marie-Rose Chapel at the co-Cathedral in Longueil since 2004.
Celebrating and Learning from Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos C.Ss.R. (1819-1867) on his Memorial today, 5 October
1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion.
2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing
and make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes,
if a half hour is not possible.
4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament
and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour.
6. Conclude the day with evening prayer
and an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7. Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month
and imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena, that is, nine days of devotion.
10. Try to begin and end every activity with a “Hail Mary.”
Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos C.Ss.R. (1819-1867)
“The Cheerful Ascetic”
From His Preaching: On Divine Mercy
“Oh, if only all the sinners of the whole wide world were present here! Yes, even the greatest, the most hardened, even those close to despair, I would call out to them, “The Lord God is merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion” (Exodus 34:6). I would show them why the Apostles call God the Father of Mercy, the God of all consolation. I would tell them that the prophet in the Old Testament even said that the earth is full of the mercy of God and that mercy is above all His works.
O, Mother of Mercy! You understood the mercy of God when you cried out in the Magnificat, “His mercy is from generation to generation!” Obtain for all sinners a childlike confidence in the mercy of God.
It is not His justice but His mercy which is the motive of your trust. He is the God of all consolations and the Father of mercies. He does wish the death of a sinner but that he be converted and live. He came to heal the sick and to seek those who were lost. He spared the woman taken in adultery. He showed mercy to the thief crucified with Him. He took upon Himself our punishment. He prayed for His murderers. He now intercedes for us at the right hand of God. None of the damned was ever lost because his sin was too great but because his trust was too small.”
Quote of the Day – 5 October – The Memorial of St Mary Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
“Oh, how great, is the goodness of God,
greater than we can understand.
There are moments
and there are mysteries,
of the Divine Mercy
over which, the heavens are astounded.
Let our judgement of souls cease,
for God’s mercy upon them, is extraordinary.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:13–16 – Friday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of Blesseds Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867) and Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926)
“He who hears you, hears me and he who rejects you,
rejects me and he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me.”...Luke 10:16
REFLECTION – “Someone, having listened to the verse: “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise” (Ps 50[49].14), said to himself: “I will go to church every day when I get up and sing a morning hymn; then an evening hymn at the end of the day and then, in my own home, a third and fourth hymn. This is how I will make a sacrifice of praise every day and offer it to my God.” It is good to do this if you do it in truth but beware of placing your confidence in what you do and fear lest, while your tongue is speaking eloquently before God, your life may be speaking badly…
Take care you don’t live evilly, while speaking well.”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – And we exult you, O Mary Assumed into Heaven, as we contemplate you who have been glorified and, in the risen Christ, have become the co-worker of the Holy Spirit in communicating divine life to mankind. In you we see the goal of holiness to which God calls all the Church’s members. In your life we recognise the clear sign of the path to spiritual maturity and Christian holiness. With you, with Blesseds Francis Xavier Seelos, Bartholomew Longo and with all the saints, we glorify God the Trinity, who sustains our earthly pilgrimage and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen (by St Pope John Paul Nov 2000)
Our Morning Offering – 5 October – The Memorial of Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) – Apostle of the Holy Rosary and the Month of the Holy Rosary
In this prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary, we ask the Virgin Mary to help us to cultivate a habit of interior prayer through the daily recitation of the rosary. We pray this prayer, particularly during the month of October, as we daily cultivate the habit of praying the Holy Rosary. This is the object of all of our prayers- to arrive at the point where we can “pray without ceasing,” as Saint Paul tells us to do.
To Our Lady of the Rosary
O Virgin Mary,
grant that the recitation of your Rosary
may be for me each day,
in the midst of my manifold duties,
a bond of unity in my actions,
a tribute of filial piety,
a sweet refreshment,
an encouragement to walk joyfully
along the path of duty.
Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary,
that the study of the mysteries may form in my soul,
little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening
and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding,
my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being.
So shall I acquire the habit of praying while I work,
by interior acts of admiration and of supplication,
or by aspirations of love.
I ask this of you, O Queen of the Holy Rosary,
through Saint Dominic and Blessed Bartholomew Longo,
your sons of predilection,
the renowned preachers of your mysteries
and the faithful imitators of your virtues.
Amen
Second Thoughts for the Day – 4 October – Celebrating St Francis of Assisi OFM (1181/2–1226)
He used to praise God the Artist in every one of God’s works. Whatever joy he found in things made he referred to their maker. He rejoiced in all the works of God’s hands. Everything cried out to him, “He who made us is infinitely good!’
He called animals “brother” or “sister” and he exhorted them to praise God. He would go through the streets, inviting everyone to sing with hi m. And one time when he came upon an almond tree, he said, ‘Brother Almond, speak to me of God.” And the almond tree blossomed.
That is what Saint Francis of Assisi did and that is what he does for us once we are caught up in his life and teachings. He makes us blossom, wherever and whoever we are. We blossom because we see in Francis what could happen to us if we were to embrace the overflowing goodness of God revealed in everything that exists and let that embrace change us.…Murray Bodo, OFM
Thought for the Day – 4 October – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi OFM (1181/2–1226)
Dear friends, Francis was a great Saint and a joyful man. His simplicity, his humility, his faith, his love for Christ, his goodness towards every man and every woman, brought him gladness in every circumstance. Indeed, there subsists an intimate and indissoluble relationship between holiness and joy. A French writer once wrote that there is only one sorrow in the world – not to be saints, that is, not to be near to God. Looking at the testimony of St Francis, we understand that this is the secret of true happiness: -to become saints, close to God!
May the Virgin, so tenderly loved by Francis, obtain this gift for us. Let us entrust ourselves to her with the words of the Poverello of Assisi himself:
“Blessed Virgin Mary, no one like you among women has ever been born in the world, daughter and handmaid of the Most High King and heavenly Father, Mother of our Most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, spouse of the Holy Spirit.
Pray for us… to your most blessed and beloved Son, Lord and Master”
(Francesco di Assisi, Scritti, 163)….Excerpt from Pope Benedict XV’s Catechesis on St Francis – General Audience, 27 January 2010
St Francis leaves us with his blessing:
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.
Quote/s of the Day – 4 October – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi (1181/2–1226)
“The one you are looking for,
is the One who is looking.”
“Let the whole world of mankind tremble,
the whole world shake
and the heavens exult when Christ,
the Son of the living God,
is on the altar in the hands of a priest.
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness!
O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself that for our salvation,
He hides Himself under the little form of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God
and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well,
that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing
of yourselves, for yourselves,
so that He,
Who gives Himself totally to you,
may receive you totally.”
“Jesus is happy to come with us,
as Truth is happy to be spoken,
as Life to be lived,
as Light to be lit,
as Love is to be loved,
as Joy to be given,
as Peace to be spread.”
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon
some persons will hear today.”
One Minute Reflection – 4 October – Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:1-12 – Thursday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi OFM (1181/2–1226)
“Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’”...Luke 10:4-5
REFLECTION – “Three times Christ on the Cross came to life and told him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins”. This simple occurrence of the word of God heard in the Church of St Damian, contains a profound symbolism. At that moment, St Francis was called to repair the small church but the ruinous state of the building, was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the Church herself…. it is important to note that St Francis does not renew the Church without, or in opposition, to the Pope but only in communion with him. Authentic renewal grew from these together….
Francis, standing before the Bishop of Assisi, in a symbolic gesture, stripped off his clothes, thus showing he renounced his paternal inheritance. Just as at the moment of creation, Francis had nothing, only the life that God gave him, into whose hands he delivered himself….
The truth is that St Francis really did have an extremely intimate relationship with Jesus and with the word of God, that he wanted to pursue sine glossa – just as it is, in all its radicality and truth. It is also true, that initially he did not intend to create an Order with the necessary canonical forms. Rather he simply wanted, through the word of God and the presence of the Lord, to renew the People of God, to call them back to listening to the word and to literal obedience to Christ.”…Pope Benedict XVI – Catechesis on St Francis – General Audience, 27 January 2010
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received—only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”….St Francis of Assisi
PRAYER – Lord God, You made St Francis of Assisi, Christ-like in his poverty and humility, his gentleness and charity, his love and courage. Help us to walk in his ways that, with joy and love, we may follow Christ Your Son and be united with You. May the intercession of St Francis, be an assistance on our journey. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 4 October – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi OFM (c1181–1226)
I Beg Thee, Lord
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181–1226)
I beg Thee, Lord,
let the fiery, gentle power
of Thy love
take possession of my soul
and snatch it away,
from everything under Heaven,
that I may die,
for love of Thy love,
as Thou saw fit, to die
for love of mine!
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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