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    • To Jesus Through Mary–An Opportunity

    By Sarah Rozman | November 4, 2009

    If you’ve wondered about or wanted to participate in consecration to Jesus through Mary, here’s an opportunity that will interest you. Mary’s Project, directed by CUF advisor Msgr. Charles Mangan, is beginning preparation for consecration/re-consecration to Jesus through Mary starting tomorrow, November 5. The consecration/re-consecration will take place on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Materials will be available through the Mary’s Project website.

    I received an invitation by email, the text is as follows (view PDF here):

    Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,Praised be Jesus Christ! Hail Mary! Hail St. Joseph!

    Please join us in the Thirty-three days Preparation for Consecration/Re-Consecration Ad Iesum Per Mariam (“To Jesus Through Mary”) as advocated by Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716).

    The Preparation begins on Thursday, November 5, 2009 and the Consecration/Re-Consecration occurs on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

    The necessary materials will be posted on www.marysproject.com. Limited copies of the Preparation booklet may be obtained from contacting Mary’s Project [(605) 251-2422 or contact-us@marysproject.com].

    Please let us know if you are making the Preparation with us.

    Peace be with you always.

    Sincerely yours in Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph,

    Msgr. Charles M. Mangan
    Director of Mary’s Project and Director of the Marian Apostolate of the Diocese of Sioux Falls

    A number of CUF chapters have followed de Montfort’s consecration “to Jesus through Mary.” To learn more, take a look at these articles from the CUF website:

    To learn more about Mary’s Project, visit their website.

    Topics: Blessed Virgin Mary | No Comments »

    The Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for November

    By Sarah Rozman | November 1, 2009

    General That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the fields of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.

    Mission That believers in the different religions, through the testimony of their lives and fraternal dialogue, may clearly demonstrate that the name of God is a bearer of peace.

    Topics: Prayer, Pope Benedict XVI | No Comments »

    Action Alert on Healthcare Reform

    By Sarah Rozman | October 29, 2009

    Bishops across the United States have been voicing their opposition to healthcare reform that funds abortion and that doesn’t protect the conscience rights of healthcare providers–such as the bills before Congress right now. The USCCB wants to get that message into every parish in America. American Papist alerts us to an urgent message from the USCCB Pro-Life Activities secretariat:

    From: Tom Grenchik, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

    To: Diocesan Pro-Life Directors & State Catholic Conference Director

    Re: URGENT: Nationwide USCCB Bulletin Insert on Health Care Reform

    Attached [see below], please find an Urgent Memorandum highlighting USCCB plans and requests for diocesan and parish based activation on health care reform.

    The President of the Conference and the Chairmen of the three major USCCB committees engaged in health care reform have written all the bishops and asked that the attached USCCB Nationwide Bulletin Insert on health care reform be printed or hand-stuffed in every parish bulletin and/or distributed in pews or at church entrances as soon as possible.

    Congressional votes may take place as soon as early November. If your Arch/bishop is not in agreement with disseminating the bulletin insert, you will be hearing from his office immediately. You may wish to check with his office ASAP to see how you may be of assistance in distributing the Bulletin Insert, far and wide.

    Tomorrow, the USCCB will be e-mailing these same materials to a large number of parishes across the country, already on a USCCB contact list. The parish list is incomplete, so we will still have to rely on diocesan e-mail systems to reach EVERY parish. Thank you for your great help with this.

    Also included are suggested Pulpit Announcements and a Prayer Petition.

    There is also a copy of a newly-released ad for the Catholic press, which may be printed as flyers for the vestibule or copied on the flip-side of the Bulletin Insert. The flyer/ad directs readers to www.usccb.org/action where they may send their pre-written e-mails to Congress through NCHLA’s Grassroots Action Center. If you wish to sponsor the ad in your local Catholic paper and need a different size, please contact Deirdre McQuade at dmcquade@usccb.org.

    Please encourage parishioners to pray for this effort as well. More information can be found at www.usccb.org/healthcare.

    Thank you for your urgent actions and prayers on behalf of this nationwide effort!

    Resources:

    I’d also like to cite AmP’s action points, which we at CUF echo:

    Action items:

    • Please ask your pastor if he intends to use these materials. If he is not aware of them - forward them to this post on AmP [or on cufblog.org] so he has access to them. Or, print them out and bring them to him personally.
    • Perform the action items described in the materials I’ve provided in this USCCB bulletin insert.
    • Pray that health care reform not be passed unless it is truly universal and pro-life.

    Health care reform could be voted on as early as next week. These materials need to be in the hands of Catholics starting this weekend. Thank you for your efforts in serving our bishops and getting the word out. Godspeed.

     

    Topics: Conscience, USCCB, Abortion, Pro-Life, Bishops | No Comments »

    Catholic Bible Concordance Update

    By admin | October 15, 2009

    Recently, we discovered a production error that inadvertently left out a small section of the overall work. The remaining inventory was immediately sent out to be repaired to correct the error. In addition, we are in the process of printing inserts for individuals that had purchased the RSV-CE Concordance prior to us discovering the error. Each person will be contacted and mailed an insert as soon as they are available. If a customer prefers a new book to be shipped rather then an insert, we are happy to accommodate their needs.

    If you know of someone who has purchased the book other than directly from Emmaus Road Publishing, please have them contact us so we send them the corrected material (questions [at] emmausroad.org or 1-800-398-5470).  We want to do everything possible to remedy this situation and make the book a useful and complete resource for those desiring to study Sacred Scripture.

    Topics: Emmaus Road Publishing | No Comments »

    The Power of the Rosary

    By Eric Stoutz | October 7, 2009

    Today is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.

    The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a galley fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of the Republic of Venice, the Papacy (under Pope Pius V), Spain (including Naples, Sicily and Sardinia), the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy, the Knights Hospitaller and others, decisively defeated the main fleet of Ottoman war galleys.

    Victory gave the Holy League temporary control over the Mediterranean, protected Rome from invasion, and prevented the Ottomans from advancing into Europe (Wikipedia).

    The victory is attributed to Rosary processions made at Rome on that same day and thereby to the intercession of Our Lady. Pope Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory for the anniversary of that battle. Gregory XIII in 1573 expanded the celebration of the feast and changed the name to Feast of the Holy Rosary. Through subsequent centuries Clement X and Clement XI extended the celebration further. Leo XIII added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary”. (See Catholic Encyclopedia)

    In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to “Our Lady of the Rosary.”

    Pope John Paul II issued his apostolic letter Mane Nobiscum Domine on October 7, 2004, for the year of the Eucharist, encouraging a contemplation of the face of Christ with Mary.

    Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

    The Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for October

    By Sarah Rozman | October 2, 2009

    General That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.

    Mission That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.

    Topics: Prayer, Pope Benedict XVI | No Comments »

    Angels and Demons

    By Sarah Rozman | September 15, 2009

    No, not the Dan Brown novel-turned-film. Real angels and real demons. I just posted an article on the CUF site about them, and it’s good stuff.

    For example, I forget that angels “are not impeded by any material agent—by space or time.” I’m so accustomed to being embodied and to having a linear understanding of time, that it’s hard to imagine not being affected by objects and distance and time and so forth.

    The article also looks at fallen angels–devils. They may, as the article points out, be given very little attention in homilies–yet they are ever at work in the world.

    Lucifer as a bad angel strives to destroy this plan and bring man into eternal damnation. Every soul who dies outside of God’s friendship is a conquest of Satan, a victory to be chalked on the infernal scoreboard of Satan’s domain. Ceaselessly, with strategic allurement, he wages his campaign to make every man turn from God with the shout that was the hallmark of his rebellion: “Non serviam!” “I will not serve.”

    On a related note, in two weeks, we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael–three angels who do serve. And a few days following, we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Just as a refresher, the prayer that many may have learned as children:

    Angel of God, my guardian dear,
    To whom God’s love entrusts me here
    Ever this day (night) be at my side
    To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

    Topics: Satan, Angels | 1 Comment »

    The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

    By Sarah Rozman | September 14, 2009

    Crucifixion
    Crucifixion by William Willet (from Willet Hauser Architectural Glass. Source.)

     

     ”The Exaltation of the Holy Cross . . . should be for all of us the beginning, the content, and the end of the whole year.

    “What is the Cross? What does it signify for us and for mankind? Let us breathe in these words from the Greek liturgy for Good Friday:

    Today, He who poised the earth upon the waters is poised upon the Cross. He that is King of angels is wreathed with a crown of thorns. . . . The Spouse of the Church is pierced with nails. The son of the Virgin is wounded with a spear.”

    Read more.

    Topics: H. Lyman Stebbins, Jesus Christ, Feast Days, Liturgical Year | No Comments »

    Christ and Covenants

    By Sarah Rozman | September 9, 2009

    In the July/August 2009 issue,  Lay Witness ran an article on the relationship between Christians, Jews, and God, especially as it pertains to the Old Covenant, the New Covenant, and evangelization (“All in the Family: Christians, Jews, and God”). Authors Michael Forrest and David Palm respond to two common errors and show that Christians have a responsibility to share the Gospel with the Jews and invite them to enter the Church.

    In response, we received an interesting letter from Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Harrisburg, PA. It appears in the upcoming issue of Lay Witness, but I thought it was worth posting for an advance read.

    To Michael Forrest and David Palm:

    Thank you very much for your article “All in the Family: Christians, Jews, and God” (July/August ’09). I appreciate your good scholarship and your fidelity to the teachings of the Church. Your reflections bring much-needed clarity to a complex topic. I believe your critique of both the dual covenant theory and extreme supersessionism is right on the mark.

    I was also happy to support the Note on Ambiguities in “Reflections on Covenant and Mission” recently issued by the Committee on Doctrine and the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The conclusion of that Note states: “With Saint Paul, we acknowledge that God does not regret, repent of, or change his mind about the ‘gifts and the call’ that he has given to the Jewish people (Rom. 11:29). At the same time, we also believe that the fulfillment of the covenants, indeed, of all God’s promises to Israel, is found only in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, the right to hear this Good News belongs to every generation. Fulfilling the mandate given her by the Lord, the Church, respecting human freedom, proclaims the truths of the Gospel in love.”

    Thank you for proclaiming the truths of the Gospel in love!

    Gratefully yours in Christ,

    Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades
    Bishop of Harrisburg, PA

    Topics: Lay Witness, Judaism, Salvation, Bishops | No Comments »

    “Charity in Truth”

    By Sarah Rozman | July 7, 2009

    Pope Benedict XVI’s third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, has been signed (on July 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul) and released.

    A couple snippets from the introduction:

    In the present social and cultural context, where there is a widespread tendency to relativize truth, practising charity in truth helps people to understand that adhering to the values of Christianity is not merely useful but essential for building a good society and for true integral human development. A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance. In other words, there would no longer be any real place for God in the world.  (no. 4)

    [T]he Church searches for truth, proclaims it tirelessly and recognizes it wherever it is manifested. This mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce. Her social doctrine is a particular dimension of this proclamation: it is a service to the truth which sets us free. Open to the truth, from whichever branch of knowledge it comes, the Church’s social doctrine receives it, assembles into a unity the fragments in which it is often found, and mediates it within the constantly changing life-patterns of the society of peoples and nation. (no. 9)

    Go to the Vatican Web site to check it out.

    Topics: Social Teachings, Pope Benedict XVI | Comments Off

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