Benedict XVI on the huge crisis we face as a Church.

Wherein Fr. Z gets on his knees and begs you to act.

by frz@wdtprs.com (Fr. John Zuhlsdorf)

Pope Benedict XVI In his address to the Plenary meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, His Holiness said this, which is merely one paragraph of his address in my rapid translation:

As we know, in vast areas of the world the Faith is in danger of being snuffed out like a flame that no longer has any sustenance. We are at a profound crisis of faith, at a loss of a religious sense that constitutes the greatest challenge for the Church of today. The renewal of the faith must therefore be the priority in the undertaking of the whole Church in our times. I hope that the Year of Faith can contribute, with the cordial collaboration of all the members of the People of God, to bring God back anew to this world and to open to men an access to the faith, to a reliance on the God who loved us to the end (cf John 13,1), in Christ Jesus, crucified and risen.

This is a huge challenge for every member of the whole Church.

I will add my view that nothing of which His Holiness spoke is going to be accomplished without a renewal of our liturgical worship.

Our identity as Catholics cannot be separated from our worship.

Benedict XVI’s provisions in Summorum Pontificum remain one of the most important acts of his pontificate.

We need more and more and more opportunities for people to experience the older, traditional form of the Roman Rite in our Latin Church parishes.

Younger priests: learn the older form. This is your Rite! Know your Rite! If you are a Latin Church priest, who are you if you don’t know your Rite? Just do it!

Lay people: band together and start requesting celebrations Holy Mass also in the Extraordinary Form. Get organized. Form a schola and start singing chant so you will be ready when the time comes. Offer to take care of all the material details. Offer to provide vestments, books, money so the priest can go get training. Start thinking about forming a group of servers, perhaps even father and son teams.

Many benefits will flow from a side by side experience of both forms of Holy Mass of the Latin Church.

Spiritual Gems - January 28

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND TRANSFORMATION INTO CHRIST

Love offers no resistance to God because to give and to let itself be possessed, are the marks of Infinite Love. Love is the union of wills, the fusion of affections, of identical inclinations. One of the most intense and delicate joys of love is precisely this abandonment to the dispositions and action of the Beloved, this sweet slavery that makes the soul lose its own sovereignty in order to surrender itself to love. To love is to disappear, to efface oneself to the point of transformation into and fusion with the Beloved. This sweet abandonment to all the movements of love is the characteristic mark of devotion to the Holy Spirit.

Archbishop Louis Martinez
(From his Masterpiece “True Devotion to the Holy Spirit”)

Please do forward these spiritual gems to your Catholic friends.

You can receive complimentary materials to make your Consecration to God through Mary’s Immaculate Heart ( important spiritual protection at this time in salvation history) at myconsecration.org... where you can also learn about Our Lady of Las Lajas.

You can learn more about our Lady of Fatima at www.wafusa.org.

God Bless you and your work,

Deacon Bob		Tony

Deacon Bob Ellis		Anthony Mullen
Executive Director		MyConsecration.org
World Apostolate of Fatima, USA		222 S. Manoa Road
A Pontifical Association of the Faithful		Havertown, PA 19083
visit us at: www.wafusa.org		visit us at: www.myconsecration.org

H2Onews - Newsletter 01/28/2012 YourGoodNewsSource

via web.inxmail.com

Gospel for Sunday 29 january 2012

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark ‪1:21-28.‬
read more: http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224450518...

Minute With the Pope: Jan. 25, 2012

Benedict XVI dedicated his Jan. 25, 2012, catechesis to Christ's priestly prayer during the Last Supper. “The main element in Jesus' priestly prayer for His disciples,” he stated, “is His request for the future unity of those who will believe in Him. “This unity is not a worldly achievement. It derives exclusively from divine unity and comes down to us from the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit.”
read more http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224450514...

St. Jose of Calasanz, patron saint of children

Just off one of the main streets in the historic center of Rome a saint who left a 400 year imprint on the education of children is being remembered.
read more http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224450510...

The Tribunal of the Conscience

Within Rome's Palazzo della Cancelleria, a Church court exists to serve the consciences of the faithful. It‘s called the Apostolic Penitentiary, and it‘s located right here inside, along with the other two high courts of the Church: the Apostolic Segnatura and the Roman Rota. Though the Penitentiary is normally quite secretive, this conference was held to celebrate the opening of some of its oldest archives to scholars for study. So, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is the penitentiary?
read more http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224450497...

2012: Celebration and responsibility for Mexico’s Catholics

Mexico has reason to celebrate this year what with Pope Benedict XVI traveling there this spring. The nation’s bishops are paving the way.
read more http://www.h2onews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224450482...

Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches move towards unity

From http://www.christiantoday.com/

Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2012, 13:13 (GMT)

Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches move towards unity

Archbishop McDonald (l) and Bishop Angaelos at the launch of "Joint Statements" Photo: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

The Roman Catholic Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK have welcomed an “unprecedented” move towards unity this week.

They have launched a new book entitled “Joint Statements” outlining areas of theological agreement between the two denominations.

The book was developed by the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum (COORF) and presented by the body’s co-chairs Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, and the Catholic Archbishop of Southwark Kevin McDonald.

Bishop Angaelos said that the areas of common faith and witness outweighed the issues that had separated them for the last 1,600 years.

“It is very well for us to stand at our pulpits and preach love, but if our faithful do not see our Churches working together they see this as being quite hypocritical,” he said.

“If we, as Church leaders, as priests and pastors and shepherds in the Church cannot actually portray this, if we cannot have this relationship and the wider relationship in this room and indeed between our Churches in this land that we live in, then we will find it very difficult to stand and preach love and forgiveness and acceptance, that is why I am very happy to be part of this launch.”

Archbishop McDonald stated: “Even though in the past there were differences, they no longer justify the continued separation, and it is a call to the Churches to come together and move towards a closer communion.

“It is a good time for us to recognise that there is an international dimension to ecumenism and we all have a stake in it, we are all part of it.”

Vandalized, decapitated Jesus statue deemed a total loss

Bill Brett for The Boston Globe

The statue of Jesus in front of Blessed Mother Thresa of Calcutta Catholic Church on Columbia Road at Dorchester Avenue was vandalized during the night.

via boston.com

A statue of Jesus was decapitated this weekend outside a Columbia Road church named after Mother Teresa.

The Reverend Jack Ahern, of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta at St. Margaret’s church, said that when he arrived at the church early Sunday morning, he found the statue without its head and knocked partially off its stand.

“The head was to its side in multiple pieces. It’s almost like he whacked the head first, and then pushed it off its base,” Ahern said.

Ahern said the statue was originally at St. William’s church in Savin Hill, but was moved to Blessed Mother Teresa several years ago. Ahern said the statue touched, and was touched by, many.

“The statue was right by the sidewalk,” he said. “Kids and adults would walk by and touch the hand of Jesus.”

The statue is beyond repair, Ahern said. He added that the parish has not yet discussed replacing it.

Boston police said they received a call for vandalism Sunday morning and will further investigate the incident.

Mary TV Daily Reflection 1/27/2012

January 27, 2012

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! With joy, also today I call you to open your hearts and to listen to my call. Anew, I desire to draw you closer to my Immaculate Heart, where you will find refuge and peace. Open yourselves to prayer, until it becomes a joy for you. Through prayer, the Most High will give you an abundance of grace and you will become my extended hands in this restless world which longs for peace. Little children, with your lives witness faith and pray that faith may grow day by day in your hearts. I am with you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (January 25. 2012)

Our Lady gave us this message on Wednesday through Marija. What a beautiful message it is! Full of hope and joy! Our Lady has been speaking to us for over 30 years now. She has very faithfully given us monthly messages for 25 years. Each month, we receive another message to guide us through our days.

It occurred to me that one reason Our Lady has been so faithful is speaking to us through the visionaries is that she wants us to get used to her voice. She wants us to get very accustomed to the way she speaks, her tone of voice, her choice of words, the topics that are most important to her, etc. She has been letting us get to know her through her messages! One reason for this may be that she wants us to be able to recognize her "voice" so that we will not be fooled by messages that are not from her. She wants our discernment to be sharpened. If we know her voice, if we know her way of speaking, we will be less likely to be fooled by an imposter. Notice that she said in this message,"With joy, also today I call you to open your hearts and to listen to my call." She wants us to listen to her call, her voice, her words!

Just such a situation came up on Wednesday (January 25). Somehow an internet message began to circulate that purported to be from Ivan (spelled Yvan) of Medjugorje, warning us of war and sending many people into a state of alarm. Emails were flying! But it was pretty easy to see that the "voice" behind this email was not Our Lady of Medjugorje. Anna Shawl checked with Ivan about the email, and he assured her it was NOT from him. It was a fake.

And it was also interesting that it was sent out at the same time as the Monthly Message of Our Lady through Marija. I would say many people didn't even pay attention to Our Lady's regular Monthly Message for January 25, 2012, because they were so distracted by the message about war from "Yvan". And if you contrast the two messages, they are diametrically opposed. The fake email was full of fear, alarm, and panic. Our Lady of Medjugorje speaks of peace, of conversion, of prayer, of joy and of her presence with us. You can see all these things in the message of January 25, 2012.

We have been given a beautiful opportunity to get to know Our Lady, to experience her love, to hear her words and manner of speaking, to drink in her gentle, motherly ways. Let's not waste time with other messages. Our Lady is with us in Medjugorje, and she is helping us to hear her voice, so that we will be able to discern her call in the days ahead. Her call is a call to joy, a call to love, a call to hope and peace. Her call is a call to meet Jesus. Let's respond!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

Cathy Nolan

© Mary TV 2012

PS. On January 31, 2012, Mary TV will travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to stream the evening of prayer at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, with Ivan Dragicevic. Join us at www.marytv.tv at 5:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, USA, for this live experience of Our Lady, as she appears to Ivan (at approximately 6:40 pm EST). Tell all those you love! Our Lady will bless them all, live, during her visit!

[video] Introduction to Direction for Our Times

Introduction to Direction for Our Times

Direction for Our Times (DFOT) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to spreading God's messages as revealed in the Volumes. We have offices in both the U.S. and Ireland.

We are governed by a Board of Directors. Our staff is quite small and includes a number of volunteers working from several different countries. Anne plays an active role in the direction and administration of the organization.

http://directionforourtimes.org

TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH: Daily renewal for busy Catholics 1/27/2012

Friday, January 27
FEAST OF ANGELA MERICI, VIRGIN

Step out and step up
Saint Angela Merici did two things that may seem small now but in her time (16th-century Italy) were huge: She organized a group of single laywomen to teach the uneducated girls of her town. In her time, very few women had any schooling, let alone became teachers, and the ones who did have some education were nuns, who, like other unmarried women, rarely went out on their own. Her community eventually became the Ursuline religious order. It’s easy to ignore the fact that things people now take for granted came about because of someone who had a daring idea and the courage to carry it out. Their example can also serve to inspire you as well to take a bold step to do good in the world.
TODAY’S READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Mark 4:26-34 (321)
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God? It is like a mustard seed that . . . is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Caroline Hopkinson, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

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Religious priests, brothers, sisters, nuns, and others in consecrated life as well as diocesan priests and permanent deacons are vital to the life of the church. Please invite Catholic men and women to consider a church vocation, and make these FREE vocation resources available in your parish or places of ministry:

via interspire.truequest.biz

St. Angela Merici
The saint was born in 1474 in the diocese of Verona. Early in life she dedicated herself to Christ as His bride. After the death of her parents, she desired to live solely for God in quiet and solitude, but her uncle insisted that she manage his household. She renounced her patrimony in order to observe most perfectly the rule for Franciscan Tertiaries.

During a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1524, she lost her eyesight temporarily. Pope Clement VII, whom she visited in Rome, desired her to remain in the Holy City. Later she founded a society for girls, under the protection of St. Ursula; this was the beginning of the Ursuline Order. St. Angela was almost seventy when she died; her body remained incorrupt for thirty days. Remarkable phenomena occurred at her burial in the Church of St. Afra.

— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Believe like you mean it

Dear Friend in Christ,
The world would most definitely be a better place if more Catholics lived, professed and fought for their Faith as what it really is - the fullness of Truth on Earth. Please watch this episode of The Vortex and pass it on to as many people as you know.

GOD Bless you and your loved ones,

Michael Voris
~senior executive producer at RealCatholicTV.com

Children Stone Jesus

Children Throw Grenades And Worse
At Jesus In New Blasphemous Play…

Stand Up For Our Lord And

Protest Today

Dear Deacon Giglio,

I pray you will join our protest of a blasphemous new theater play called On The Concept of the Face...

Because in the play the Holy Face of Jesus is subjected to the most vile possible insults and mockeries!

(READ WITH CAUTION... this is highly blasphemous!...and also vulgar.)

According to reviews of the theater play On The Concept of the Face... in the play:

“…a son taking care of his incontinent father. He wants to go to work, but his father ***** himself again and again. You see the brown stains on his diaper … You even smell the horrible stench.

“Then nine kids walk on stage. They take off their backpacks and start taking out grenades. They take out the pin and start throwing them at the face of Christ. Each time they hit the painting you hear a loud bang.

“The last scene is entirely about that painting.”

Protest! Now

The Last Scene:
(The review’s wording is too vile to continue with, so I’ll take it from here.)

It looks like a large knife slashes the face of Christ. Large, red-brown streaks, a nod to the feces in the previous scene, ‘bleed’ out and spread over His face, before a black veil of the ‘tears’ entirely covers the portrait of the Son of God.

The painting is finally torn up, giving way to a large black panel. Above, in large letters, one can read, You are my shepherd. There’s another word that comes into view as well: not. You are not my shepherd.

This play has been touring major European cities since the summer of 2011, but, sadly, we have only just come across it.

As you receive this e-mail, it is in its last day showing in Milan, Italy.

BUT,
it is scheduled to show from February 1 – February 5
at the deSingel International Arts Campus
in the city of Antwerp, Belgium,
so there’s no time to lose,
protest now!

You and I both know that it makes no difference whatsoever where the Satanic head of blasphemy rears itself... If we know about it, we MUST defend the honor of God.

Hopefully, if everyone who gets this email actually peacefully and legally defends Our Lord’s honor and protests, then we will have a very practical effect upon the administrators of the deSignell “Arts” campus and maybe they’ll stop the blasphemous play from showing. If not, at least we will have done our duty to God.

	Sincerely,

	Robert E. Ritchie America Needs Fatima www.ANF.org

P.S. http://campaigns.americaneedsfatima.org/index.php?option=com_content&view..." title="" target="_blank">Protest now, because protests work. Their biggest effect is in heaven, where God looks for His children to defend His Honor. Their second effect is in your own spiritual life for defending the honor of God. And their third effect is on the sponsors, venues, and prospective customers of the evil being protested, as a deterrent to sin.

deaconjohn's posterous