The Mother of Good Counsel of Genazzano

The story of this wonderful devotion is is wonderfully told by Mgr. João S. Clá Dias, in The Mother of Good Counsel of Genazzano (Western Hemisphere Cultural Society: 1992

Meditation

Over the centuries, there are many prayers written in the spirit of the respective age, seeking advice from Mary on how to live a Christ-centered life. For our meditation, we have selected one of these prayers and include here the official prayers of the church for the votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel. We encourage you to savor these prayers as we pray with the universal church for good counsel.

"Short Prayer to Mary Most Holy of Good Counsel to Implore Her Protection" (1796)

O Mary of Good Counsel, inflame the hearts of all who are devoted to you, so that all of them have shelter in you, O great Mother of God. O most worthy Lady, let everyone choose you as teacher and wise counselor of their souls, since you are, as Saint Augustine says, the counsel of the Apostles and counsel of all peoples. Amen.

From the liturgy:

Lord, you know that our thoughts on earth
are full of fear and uncertainty;
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
from whom your Son took flesh and blood,
send us the Spirit of counsel
to teach us how to know your will,
and to guide us in all we do.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, we have shared in your mysteries on this memorial of Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel.

Grant that we may learn what is pleasing to you,
and receive salvation from your Son,
whom you gave to us as our wonderful Counselor
through the cooperation of his Blessed Mother.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Reception of Habits in Brazil

A very beautiful video of the ceremony may be found at: http://tv.arautos.org/movie/show/*0e0duGWWjQvBFGS

On 14/01/2010, Mgr. John S. Cla Dias presided over a solemn ceremony at the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary,Thabor,in Sao Paulo,Brazil, during which a number of young men received the Habit of the Heralds of the Gospel.Tabor (Thabor in Portuguese) is the name of the international seminary of the Heralds of the Gospel (The Society of Apostolic life of Pontifical Right Virgo Flos Carmeli). It comprises the Major Seminary, Minor Seminary, Church and TV studios of the Heralds of the Gospel.

It is the main place where our future priests and consecrated receive their formation. In here they will not only study theology, philosophy and other ecclesiastical disciplines, but will formed into holy men. In a life full of prayer and study, guided by discipline and love of perfection they learn to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)”

At the Major Seminary, St. Thomas Aquinas, the young Heralds study the Church disciplines, always with a particular love for the via pulchritudinis (the beauty of the Christian life). At the minor seminary, young aspirants begin their steps in the religious life with joy, starting from middle school to high school.

The Heralds of the Gospel always strive for the elevation of man to God through beauty and splendour. That is a keynote to Tabor. Everywhere and at all times is the young seminarian/novice surrounded by a an ambiance that elevates him towards contemplation. In a life full of ceremonials, the young Herald already begins to participate in the joys of the angels and saints in Heaven, feeling the peace God gives when we are in search of Him.

Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for 44th World Communications Day

On 24 January 2010, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales, Pope Benedict XVI spoke on ‘The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word‘, his chosen theme for World Communications Day 2010. The Day will be celebrated on May 16 of this year.

The Holy Father highlighted the need for priests and pastoral workers to help people grow in faith, and to be in contact with them using the resources made available by the digital age in which we live. He regards this as an urgent and unavoidable task . In his Message, Pope Benedict says that through modern means of communication, the priest can make known the life of the Church and help people today to rediscover the face of Christ.

"If used wisely, and with the help of experts in technology and communications, the new media can become a valid and effective tool for priests and all pastoral workers for evangelization and communion that are true and full of meaning … The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.”

Memories of 2009 - Our Friends in England Part 2

Memories of 2009 - Our Friends in England Part 1

A New Year resolution: Keep Christmas in our hearts all year round.

What is Prayer?

How many of us struggle with this, and say that we haven't time to be always in Church or on our knees. The excerpt below is taken from a history of the Trappists in America: ‘Burnt Out Incense (The Saga of Citeaux: American Epoch)’ by M. Raymond O. C. S. O. and it reminds us that prayer is not something which separates us from life, but which sanctifies and elevates every one of our actions, even the most apparently trivial. If we only make one New Year Resolution this year, let it be this; to say our daily Morning Offering, and renew it as often as possible.

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"I must tell you that a prayerful person is one who always prays, but not one who is always saying prayers. A life of prayer is not a life spent on ones knees, incessantly talking to God; it is a life where one is ever conscious of God within and outside of oneself, above and below, over, under and all around. To be a person of prayer then, is to be someone whose every thought, word, and deed is not about God, but directed to God; a person who eats and drinks, sleeps and works laughs and cries, suffers and rejoices, triumphs and fails in God and for God’s honour and glory.

Prayer knows more divisions than vocal and mental, actual and virtual, habitual and transitory; it allows of other definitions than the ‘lifting of the heart and mind to God’, ‘converse with the Creator‘, ‘the employment of the faculties of the soul on God’. Prayer is more than attention given to, and awareness of, the Divine One; prayer is an atmosphere. … chiefly it is the taking of a direction. One fixes ones thoughts, words, mind, heart, even ones acts and gestures - and the lightest and most meaningless of these - towards the Light which alone gives them worth.

(Even) driving a team of mules, or a bulldozer, harnessing a horse or a waterfall, digging a ditch or potatoes, waxing floors or wiping a dish, planting, ploughing, harrowing or harvesting, writing a book or typing a letter - so long as you point all these towards God - it is praying! That orientation, that deliberate choice of direction, that aiming everything at God alone, makes every act an act of praise and adoration. "

How very consoling for the rest of us. Let us remember that this is what our Morning Offering means - and then act on it.