New Evangelization

This is a term we are becoming familiar with in our present day!  Even though evangelization has been around since the early days of the Church it is becoming new!  The reason that it is new is because we need to evangelize our own, the brothers and sisters who have fallen away from the practice of the faith!  As I write this blog, the priests of the Salina Diocese and Dodge City Diocese are meeting in Great Bend, Kansas to talk about the new evangelization and how we can reach out to our brothers and sisters!  There is a lot of work to do and we need to begin now!  Let us pray for one another that our efforts and ministry will bear much fruit!!!!

World Priesthood SUNDAY!!

The Sacraments of service are: Marriage and Holy Orders!  Both go hand in hand because through these vocations we are sharing the love of God with others!  The involvement I had with Marriage Encounter showed me how close knit these vocations are.  It was the Worldwide Marriage Encounter organization that initiated World Priesthood SUNDAY as a way to show love and support to priests worldwide.  Yesterday, I celebrated my anniversary of being ordained a Deacon and now as a priest I celebrate the vocation that God has called me to live.  Prayer was a key word in the readings for this weekend.  I ask you to pray for me and my ministry because I trust in the power of prayer and the grace of God to help me in all things!  Please know that you are in my prayers!!!!  Please pray for our priests and may God bless them and their ministry!!!!

Being of Service!

The time of pilgrimage and vacation has come to a close and ministry begins in full force!  We got back several days ago but the ministry started right away with two funerals back to back.  Now the weekend is here and time to reflect on this past week and what comes to mind is service.  Today is a special day for me, October 26, because it was 17 years ago today that I was ordained a transitional Deacon.  That means the diaconate was only temporary because I was on my way to be ordained a priest!  Being a Deacon reminds us of the call to service and of course, we are all called to serve, no matter what vocation God calls us to.  One of the things that I love to do is at funeral dinners and that is going around with tea, water, or coffee and offering refills to those who are eating.  It gives me a chance to interact with the people who were present and just provide that ministry of presence and service.  Usually people will tell me that I should be eating, but I say no, I love to serve and the servant waits until the end so that others can partake.  Sometimes it is those small things that people remember and it can touch lives and hearts.  I thank God for the gift of ordination and for the gift of service.  May God bless us as we continue to bring His love to our parishes and communities!!!

Where It All Began!!!!!

Our journey today took us to the grounds of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)!  We arrived in time for the noon Mass in the chapel that we see on television everyday.  However, we were not on the televised Mass.  That Mass is offered at 7:00am, and then replayed throughout the day.  This is the setting that Mother Angelica came to in 1962. The network started in 1981!  As a speaker said the other day at the Shrine, "With the hustle and bustle of the network, it was getting quite busy around the monastery, so Mother set out to find a place where the nuns could focus on God, prayer, and work."  That is how the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery came to be built out of Hanceville.  It was an awesome experience to visit these sites and to see how it all began.  We pray for the ministry of EWTN and those involved in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.  Even though the second part of our journey has changed focus (mom and I are going to the NASCAR race at Talladega), we will not forget the initial purpose of why we came to Alabama.  If you ever have the chance to visit the Shrine in Hanceville or the EWTN grounds in Irondale, I would highly recommend it.  God Bless You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prayerful Day!!!!

Everyday at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament has been a prayerful day!  Mom and I had nothing planned for today!  It was a day of rest before we move on to the next place for our vacation!  I decided to take a long walk back to the shrine grounds!  It was a prayerful walk as I said a Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet!  I saw some of the statues that I had not been up close to since we arrived!  I also walked the Twelve Eucharistic Stations!!!  These stations follow a path that is designed from the monstrance that the nuns wear around their neck in conjunction with their habit!  These stations follow the Eucharist from the Old Testament to the New Testament!  A very prayerful walk to be thankful for the gift of the Eucharist!  I am thankful for the days that we had here at the shrine and for the graces that we have received!!!  

The Dream Pilgrimage!

After our first day on the grounds of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the comment was made, "It seems like a dream"!  We have seen this beautiful shrine on television and now to be here in person!  Today we had another beautiful moment and that was attending the Conventual Mass with the Poor Clare Nuns!  Just like television, the Mass was very prayerful, the music was very good, and there was a lot of Latin!  The presider has his back to the people and for communion we go up and kneel at the communion rail!  It truly is an awe inspiring experience!!!!  We went to the Lourdes Grotto on the grounds as well!  We also went to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Bernard to see the Ave Maria Grotto!  This grotto was built by a Benedictine brother for a number of years!  There are stone miniatures of Jerusalem and St Peter's Basilica and so much more!  It is an amazing area to see!  It may see like a dream, but it is a blessing to be here!!!

Pilgrimage- Day One

Thank you readers for your comments and likes as my mom and I make this pilgrimage!!!!  After two days of driving we took a breather in the morning but made it over for noon Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament!!!  When I knelt down in prayer, it felt like a weight was on my legs because I was in awe in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord and did not want to move from the kneeling position!  The Mass was very peaceful and reverent!  The Mass was in the lower Church of the Shrine and afterwards we went upstairs to see the beautiful upper Church!!!!  We listened to a pilgrimage talk on how everything began, from Mother Angelica coming to Alabama in 1962 to the dedication of the shrine in 1999!  A wonderful start and we look forward to more sites and memories tomorrow!!!  God Bless

Being A Pilgrim

Vacation time has arrived, but it is also a pilgrimage!  My mom and I set out yesterday to journey to the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Hanceville, Alabama!  This is the shrine that Mother Angelica, from EWTN built some years ago!  This is a destination that we have talked about many times and we decided to do it!  It was a beautiful but long drive yesterday (Sunday) and today (Monday)!  We will regroup and make the most of our time in this beautiful setting!  When Jesus talks about getting away for some prayer and rest this just might be one of the places to come!  Definitely away from the hustle and bustle of daily life!  Please be assured of my prayers and look for other posts as we continue our journey as pilgrims!!!  God Bless You!!!!!

"Angels Among Us"

Even though the feast of the Archangels- Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and the Guardian Angels has passed, we can still be assured of the divine assistance that God gives to us each day!  The song "Angels Among Us" is a beautiful piece and a reminder that angels come when we least expect them.  We think of the angels who see the face of God but sometimes there are people who come into our lives and they become angels.  As Saint Basil the Great taught, "Each and every member of the faithful has a Guardian Angel to protect, guard, and guide them through life" (Magnificat, 46).  God always takes care of us and we need to be thankful for everything that God does for us because all that we have are His gifts to us.  Thank you God for the angels among us.  May we always trust in their unconditional presence!!!