Off to Lourdes

Over the next 5 days I will be leading a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Since I work on my blog on my laptop, I won’t be able to post any entries until Saturday. But at least I get the opportunity to take a little break, which I have not done in 4 years. In fact my last time off was another pilgrimage to Lourdes in August 2019, just before Covid attacked us. I will be praying especially for all the visitors of my blog, who are quite a few, as I’ve been averaging over 400 hits daily over the last two weeks. I am looking forward to celebrating Mass in the various chapels, and also at the Grotto on Thursday morning at 6 AM. Wednesday is always the international day and I will concelebrate Mass with  many other priests in the basilica of St. Pius X, the new huge modern underground church. May the Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception of Lourdes always protect us, our families, our children and youth, our seniors and couples struggling with their marriages, and everyone else in need of prayers. 

Larchmont NY

I go back today at least 25 years when I spent a few months at a Retreat House in Larchmont, New York, helping my spiritual Director, Fr Benedict Groeschel, transcribing one of his books. Strolling through the neighborhood close to the Long Island Sound, one comes cross some nice manicured houses and a peaceful atmosphere, a town close to New York City but far enough to give you that peaceful transition from the hustle and bustle of city life. Then there was this gazebo in a park, close by the sea, and sunrise was always so spectacular, with trees and foliage in the foreground, the gazebo perching alone at the edge of the park, and the rising sun heralding another sunny day.

Getting along with people

These are Ten Recommendations for better Human Relations, or better, how to get along with people:

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful greeting.
2. Smile at people ... it takes 72 muscles to frown - only 14 to smile.
3. Call people by name ... the sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his, her own name.
4. Be friendly ... if you would have friends, be friendly.
5. Be cordial .... speak, act , as if everything you do is a real pleasure.
6. Be genuinely interested in people ... you can like everyone if you try.
7. Be generous with praise ... cautious with criticism.
8. Be considerate of the feelings of others ... it will be appreciated.
9. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others ... there are three sides to a controversy - yours, the other fellow's, and the right one.
10. Be alert to help and give service ... what counts most in life is what we do for others.

Human Relations

Benjamin Franklin's practical suggestions on how to get along with others are as timely today as they were when he wrote them nearly 250 years ago:

The best thing you can give:
- to your enemy is forgiveness;
- to an opponent, tolerance;
- to a friend, your ear;
- to your child, good example;
- to a father, reverence;
- to your mother, conduct that make her proud;
- to yourself, respect;
- to all men, charity.

Thank you God

Thank you God:

for befriending me when I felt hurt and alone,

for providing me with the comfort of a home,

for preventing me from falling into the depths of despair,

for reassuring me with kind words and loving care,

for saving me from a life of destitution,

for making me a person with a sense of direction,

for holding me close to you on days grey and dark,

for touching me with your honesty and generosity,

for helping me calm my troubled mind,

for showing me the beauty of a good time,

for teaching me the ways of the world,

for loving me with a beautiful Christian heart.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

One of the patrons of youth, St Aloysius Gonzaga was an Italian Jesuit saint of the 16th century. Quite a few Jesuit colleges are named after him, including Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and St Aloysius College, in Malta. Aloysius is the Latin form of his given name, Luigi, in English known as Louis. The Gonzaga name is well known in Italy. Aloysius Gonzaga was born at Castiglione near Mantua, Italy, in 1568 to a celebrated family of wealth and prestige. As the first born son of his father, Ferrante, and his mother, Marta, he was in line to inherit his father's title of Marquis. He grew up amid the violence and brutality of the Renaissance Italy and witnessed the murder of two of his brothers. In 1576, Aloysius' parents sent him to attend the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco de Medici, in Florence. Later, accompanied by his parents, he traveled to Spain to join the court of Philip II in Madrid. In Spain, Aloysius decided he wanted to join the newly founded religious order, the Society of Jesus. His father resisted his decision and there followed a struggle of wills that continued after his return to Castiglione in 1584. But Aloysius eventually prevailed. Renouncing his right to the title of Marquis and to the vast wealth he was destined to inherit, he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on November 25, 1585. During his early studies in Rome, he would regularly go out into the streets of the city to care for victims of the plague. He himself contracted the disease as a result of his efforts for the suffering and died on June 21, 1591, at the age of twenty-three, six years short of his ordination as a Jesuit priest.  Aloysius was known for his love of prayer and fasting. He received his First Communion from St. Charles Borromeo. As a Jesuit at the Roman College, his spiritual director was Robert Bellarmine who later was canonized and declared a doctor of the church. When Robert was dying, he asked to be buried next to the grave of Aloysius. Today, they rest next to each other in the church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Rome, known as ‘Il Gesu’. Pope Benedict XIII canonized Aloysius in 1726, and three years later declared him to be the patron of youth in the Catholic Church, an honor later confirmed by Pope Pius XI in 1926. 

The Class of 1977

I share today a group photo we took yesterday after the anniversary Mass we concelebrated at St. Joseph the Worker parish church in Birkirkara. All 10 of us were present, with various family members, relatives and friends. Most of our parents are deceased, and only two mothers survive. Many of us also lost siblings, and yet we all are busy with various pastoral duties, including three who are pastors, while others are in diocesan offices, or teach at the university, coordinate diocesan programs or like myself, take care of residents in Retirement Homes, while helping in parishes, give talks and help out whenever we are called.

46th Anniversary

Ordination on June 19, 1977 with my family and other relatives

Today I join my classmates, the Class of 1977, as we celebrate 46 years of service in the priesthood. After a two-day retreat we’ve had this past week, tonight we concelebrate Mass as we’ve done every year for the past 45 years. Of course I was away for quite a few of them since I was in the USA, but presently I am also coordinating our meetings, which we do every month. Granted that not all my classmates attend, but we keep going. For our retreat we were 8 of us, and I hope today we will have full house, which is 10 right now as we lost two over the past 6 years. Three of us are still pastors right now, while the others keep busy with various meetings, just as I do, also celebrating 2 Masses a day and three on Sundays, plus communion calls, funerals, giving talks and coordinating the pastoral work here at the Retirement Home, while helping in the parish of Naxxar. I say to my classmates ‘Ad Multos Annos !’

Ordination Class of 1977 with Archbishop Mercieca

To end I share this beautiful poem by Henri Lacordaire, a French Dominican priest, which has always been an inspiration for me.

To live in the midst of the world, without desiring its pleasures.
To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none.
To share all sufferings, to heal all wounds.
To penetrate all secrets, without being curious.
To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers.
To return from God to men, to bring pardon, hope and peace.
To have a heart of gold for charity, and a heart of bronze for chastity
To teach, to listen, to forgive. To lead, to console, to bless always.
This is your life, o priest of Christ.         

The Cocoon and the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.   But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings.   It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.  Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.  And we could never fly.

The Heart of Mary

Following the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Similar to yesterday's feast, it was St John Eudes who promoted this devotion first in 1648 in the town of Autun, France, and later on in all the French dioceses. In 1799, Pope Pius VI granted the Bishop of Palermo the permission to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in his diocese. When the revelation of the 'Miraculous Medal" to St Catherine Laboure took place in 1830, the impetus for this devotion was even more obvious. In the back of this famous medal, two hearts are seen under a cross with the letter M superimposed. The heart of Jesus is surrounded by a crown of thorns, and that of Mary pierced by a sword. The image of Mary in sacred art is one of the most popular in Malta with most church having statues and paintings of the Blessed Mother, including the one shown here of Mary with a Maltese Cross medallion on her breast, which is found in St. Augustine's church, Valletta. It's interesting to note that every month of the year has a feast dedicated to the Blessed Mother.

Fr. Caleb Cunningham

Yesterday I was able to follow online the Ordination of Father Caleb Cunningham in the Cathedral of St Francis de Sales, in Baker City, Oregon, my former diocese of Baker and in the beautiful Cathedral of which I coordinated its renovation between 2007 and 2008. It was great to see all the priests gathered together with the Bishop who ordained Fr Caleb in the presence of his parents, siblings and friends who filled the place to its maximum, considering the number of people that came up for communion. I remember little Caleb who used to come with his parents and siblings to the Chrism Mass, faithfully in March or April every year, a long voyage for them since they lived in Jordan Valley, 130 miles away from Baker City, a round trip that accumulated to more than 260 miles, a trip that would take 5 hours, just one way. Fr. Caleb will be assigned to serve at St. Thomas parish church in Redmond, a newly-built church which is in the heart of the diocese, and where the Chancery is now located. 

Caleb’s family is very devout and down-to-earth, always friendly and hard-working as ranchers in the middle of nowhere, surrounded with scenic beauty, vast expanse of space, fresh air, cold weather and snow and ice in the winter months. Ad Multos Annos to Caleb. These two photos I was able to take from the computer, live, and hope to replace them if I get better photos from the diocese of the Cathedral parish.

Dr. Louis Camilleri – a centenarian

Another centenarian reached his milestone today as Dr. Louis Camilleri turned 100, to the delight of his family and friends. He was born in Gozo, a smaller island close to Malta on June 15, 1923, one of 8 children, his father being the Chief Justice of Malta. He graduated as a doctor in 1949 and spent 55 years serving the people as a medical doctor in family practice, especially in the town of Qormi, where everybody knew him as a dedicated person, trustful and very spiritual in his approach to everything that was ever asked of him. For many years he served as the doctor of three major companies in Malta, Rediffusion, a cable radio company, Farsons, a beer company, and Joinwell, a furniture company. Over the last 4 years he has been residing at our Retirement Home at Hilltop Gardens, with his only sister Margaret. He never misses a single Mass, and even reads for me on many Sundays. He is an example of true integrity, dedication, humility and devotion to his duties. Ad Multos Annos Louis! 

Truths to live by

1. You need not be afraid of where you're going when you know God is going with you.
2. Your work is a commentary on your character.
3. When you are feeling low remember that God thinks highly of you.
4. Patience means awaiting God's time without doubting God's love.
5. To add to your joy, count your blessings.
6. Each day is a gift to be opened with prayer.
7. Everything in God's store is on the bottom shelf... you have to get on your knees to get it.
8. It's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.
9. You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.
10. To the world you may just be somebody.......but to somebody you may just be the world.

St. Anthony of Padua

Statue of St. Anthony in my childhood church at St. Julian's

St. Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and became an Augustinian Canon in the Monastery of San Vicente as a young man. While studying Scripture, he had a chance of meeting with two Franciscan friars who inspired him to enter the Order of Friars Minor in 1220. Recognizing Anthony’s intellectual gifts, Saint Francis of Assisi himself appointed Anthony to teach theology to the friars and he is credited with the beginnings of the intellectual tradition in the Franciscan Order.  Anthony was a beloved preacher and travelled through northern Italy and southern France. He returned to Italy in 1227 and eventually settled in Padua.  St. Anthony died on June 13th, 1231 at Arcella, a suburb of Padua. There he received the last rites and died. He was only 36. Saint Anthony was canonized in 1232 by Pope Gregory IX and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946. He holds the record for the second fastest canonization in history: he was declared a saint 352 days after his death. He is one of the most beloved saints in the Church is honored as a particular patron of the poor. For centuries, Christians have called upon Saint Anthony’s help to find lost objects. This tradition goes back to early accounts of the life of Saint Anthony, who helped discover the whereabouts of a stolen psalter. A huge Basilica was built in 1263 in his honor in Padova Italy, enlarged over the decades, and which is visited by many pilgrims all year round. These are two quotes from St. Anthony:

‘May your love grow in knowledge and understanding so that you may know how to discern not only between good and evil, but also to distinguish between what is good and what is even better.’

‘Truly honest people possess a harmonious and pleasant demeanor; nothing reproachable can be found in their actions, nothing inappropriate in their words, nothing indecent in their manner. Being spontaneous and respectful, their behavior wins the admiration and goodwill of all.’

The miracle of David

She was a migrant woman who was able to give birth to her son David in a Spanish hospital. It was 2002, and after 2 days in the hospital, she left with nowhere to go, along with her baby and husband. It just happened that a certain Conrado Gimenez had just started a foundation to help pregnant women and their babies. At that time, he was alone in the Foundacione Madrina, but later got organized better with others helping him, even leaving his work as a banker and dedicating his time entirely on this mission. This past December 28, 2022 he received a letter that brought tears to his eyes, from that baby he had saved, now aged 20. The letter said : ‘Hello, I am David – it’s been 20 years since you entered into our lives. I was barely 2 days old when I was dismissed from the hospital, with no memories of that day, except from the stories my mother told me of how kind you were to her and me. Her face still lights up every time she thinks of you. She remembers that she was homeless with a new-born baby, and no place to go, until you came into her life, and my life. You were like an angel from heaven, drying our tears. How wonderful it is that when you fall, you find someone catching you in their sturdy, loving arms!’ Conrado wrote back to David and told him that every baby born is a sign that God is not discouraged with us humans.

Eucharist

The Monstrance at St Francis in Bend, Oregon

Without any doubt, the greatest gift Jesus could have left us was in the Eucharist. He also gave us His mother Mary as our Mother, just before He died on the cross, but a few hours earlier, he gave us His Body and His Blood, literally and figuratively, as our everlasting spiritual food. We are also honored to adore His presence every day. And this happens in every church around the world, as the Blessed Sacrament is present for Adoration, prayer and private time with the Lord. When people pray in His presence, miracles happen, as many people can tell you.  If the Blessed Sacrament is not exposed for adoration, many people still spend precious time in front of the tabernacle, with the sanctuary light always flickering, day and night, to affirm the presence of Someone special. Today’s celebration of Corpus Christi further accentuates the respect and reverence we should all show to the Eucharist. Processions are held in various countries, a tradition started by St Juliana of Liege in the 12th century.

The Monstrance at Holy Family, Hicksville, NY

The Monstrance is one of the most precious items in any church, and 10 years ago, I made an appeal to my parishioners in Bend, Oregon for donations to buy a worthy monstrance. The response was truly overwhelming, collecting $13,000 from various donations. I had enough money to buy a beautiful ornate monstrance, as well as two chalices, one for each of our churches. In the church we used to have daily adorations, and they still do, usually starting with the noon Mass and ending at 6 PM.

From Hero to Monk

During the Korean War (1950-1953) Capt. Leonard LaRue was 36 years old, and his ship was a freight ship named SS Meredith Victory. His job was to supply armaments and ammunition to the bigger ships. Around 200,000 American soldiers and Korean refugees were in danger at one point and needed urgent evacuation. When Capt. LaRue saw the amazing crowd crying for help, he unloaded all the armaments he had on his ship, and he was able to put on board 14,000 people, all crammed into every tiny space available. Not one soul was lost that day. Moreover 5 babies were born on the trip to safety. This humanitarian gesture was called ‘The Miracle of  Christmas 1950’ as it happened on December 23, 1950. Four years after the war ended, Leonard LaRue, inspired by some monks he met during the war, entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter’s in Newton, New Jersey. He took the name of Marinus, in honor of the Blessed Mother. 

Leonard LaRue as a Benedictine Brother

In the monastery, he did menial work, washed clothes, run errands and helped the poor. Surprisingly none of the monks knew what he had done during the Korean War, until they discovered his heroism during the naval campaign in Korea. He died n 2001, and in 2019, his cause for beatification was started.

Flashback from 41 years ago

1983 bike trip, l to r: James Rafferty, Michael O'Brien, Fr Julian and Tommie Smith

When I first went to the USA in 1981, I did not drive and so all my travels were on a bicycle, visiting people in the parish, doing communion calls, trips to the store and other errands while discovering my neighborhood in New Hyde Park, New York. I eventually got my drivers license in 1983, but for almost 2 years I covered many miles on two wheels. Being on Long Island, I gathered a few altar boys and did 2 long trips to Montauk Point, at the very end of Long Island. My first group in the summer of 1982 were Tommie Smith, John Ryan, and twins Martin and Michael O’Brien. A year later in 1983 I had Tommie Smith, James Rafferty and Michael O’Brien. 

Crossing on ferry from south shore to north shore of Long Island.

The first year we had planned to bike to Montauk Point in 2 days and then take the train back home, but they would not let us on the train to my disappointment, and to the delight of the boys, who rented a boat and waded through Montauk Bay with the money they saved from the train ride. Thanks to our Pastor Fr John Heinlien, he borrowed a van and came to pick us up. The second year we made a round trip – going on the south shore and returning on the north shore over 4 days, a longer gruelling bike ride, but enjoyable nonetheless. We had many memories of those trips, and thankfully other than a few punctures or flat-tyres, we were safe all along the miles, 110 miles the first year and over 200 miles the second year.

The 1982 bike trip, l to r: Fr Julian, Tommie Smith, John Ryan, Michael and Martin O'Brien

2 Popes – 2 stories

So many historians have criticized Pope Pius XII for not doing enough to save the Jews during World War II. However many Vatican archives, which have recently been fully opened for researchers, have shown the complete opposite. Incidentally the Pope had also opened his Castelgandolfo summer residence for the many refugees that were seeking some kind of shelter. His own private room was turned into a maternity ward, and 40 babies were born in his room during the war !

And believe it or not, Pope Francis has not watched TV in 33 years. He loves to read and listen to music. In 2015, in an interview he gave, he had stated that back in 1990, he made a vow to the Blessed Mother that he will not watch TV anymore. Now we all know that he is a great fan of the Argentinian football team San Lorenzo, and he relies on the Swiss guards to tell him the score of their games. Maybe as he recovers from hernia surgery, he many want to watch at least some Tom and Jerry cartoons, or an old Laurel and Hardy movie.

Libraries still needed

With search engines like Google and Bing, today just about everyone can effortlessly obtain information with unprecedented ease and speed. Every kind of information is now more accessible than ever before. Despite the digital accessibility of information, libraries continue to play a crucial role, especially in the realm of education. If libraries were to disappear, it would have detrimental effects on children’s education, and yet the convenience and speed of digital information cannot be denied. However, libraries serve as public spaces where people can gather, share cultural and scientific heritage and contribute to the creation of knowledge. Librarians and archivists, as custodians of our societies’ historical records, play a significant role in preserving our collective memory. Libraries hold a nostalgic and profound place in people’s hearts. The joy of finding unexpected discoveries while searching for something else resonates with people of all ages and backgrounds. Similarly, the decline of physical, printed newspapers poses a risk of missing out on important stories that provide a comprehensive view of the world. Moreover, libraries serve as essential ‘third places’ that are open to the public, providing safe and comfortable spaces for people to access information, think, write and learn. Libraries and archives provide essential services to the public every day. They make decisions on what texts and images to hold for posterity, ensuring the preservation of our collective knowledge. By recognising and supporting the multifaceted roles of libraries, we can ensure that they continue to thrive and serve as vital institutions in our digital era, which is moving at stratospheric speed.

Given to God

Angelo Ragosta and Maria Giuseppina met when they were teenagers. For 9 years they were in a happy relationship and planned a life together. Then their plans changed radically.  “We were planning on getting married, but God was going to change the cards a little — just a little,” says Angelo Ragosta — who has now been a priest for 10 years. He recalls that his fiancée made the decision to separate. Angelo writes, “God made her understand he wanted her for himself.” The girl entered a cloistered order and took the name Maria Giuseppina of Incarnate Love. Fr. Angelo recalls that at the time her decision was very difficult for him, and for a long time he couldn’t understand. He continued his life working as an industrial electrician, but in his heart he became more and more restless. He was getting a salary, he went out with friends, but he wasn’t where he wanted to be. “I had everything, and yet I was not happy,” he used to say. He then prayed harder than ever asking God “What do you want from me?” He opened the Bible his confirmation sponsor had given him and read Jeremiah 1:4-5: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.’ That’s when he started to discern that his vocation was the priesthood. Angelo entered the seminary and after seven years received the sacrament of Holy Orders on April 21, 2013.  It has already been 10 years since his ordination. Despite the separation and the choice of a different path in life, Angelo and Maria still keep in touch. Whenever he’s in Naples, Fr. Angelo visits the Maria Giuseppina at her cloistered convent.  “Today, whenever I’m back in Naples, I go to her convent and we meet,” Fr. Ragosta added.

A Martyred Family

Pope Francis just approved a decree of martyrdom for the family of Jozef and Wiktoria Ulm, who, along with their children, were murdered by the Germans for saving Jews during World War II. They will soon be beatified. The Ulma family lived in the village of Markowa in the pre-war Lwów province. Before the war, both Józef and Wiktoria were heavily involved in social life as well as helping the Jewish community of Markowa – most probably in late 1942. Despite poverty and risk, the Ulmas gave shelter to eight Jews: Saul Goldman and his four sons, and two daughters and 2 grand-daughters. However, their heroic attitude did not escape the attention of the Germans. They were probably denounced to the Germans for harbouring Jews by Włodzimierz Leś, a navy-blue policeman. In occupied Poland, any kind of help to Jews was punishable by death, and this was also the fate of the Ulmas. On March 24, 1944, in the morning, five German gendarmes and several navy-blue policemen arrived in front of the house of the Ulmas and shot the entire family – Józef, Wiktoria, who was pregnant, and their six children: Stanisława (8 years old), Barbara (6 years old), Władysław (5 years old), Franciszek (4 years old), Antoni (3 years old) and Maria (1.5 years old). They also murdered the Jews the Ulmas were hiding, the entire Goldman family. On 13 September 1995, the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem posthumously honoured Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”. In 2016, a museum named after them was opened in Markowa, which is dedicated to all Poles who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The Ulma family symbolises the attitude of Poles who, risking their lives, brought help to Jews persecuted by the Germans during World War II. Many of them – like the Ulmas – paid the highest price for this heroic attitude. This is best evidenced by the fact that Poles make up the largest number of recipients of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ medal for rescuing Jews during World War II.

Holy Trinity

1511 - Albrecht Durer - Adoration of the Trinity

We celebrate today the feast of the Holy Trinity. Many images and analogies were brought forward to explain the mystery of the three persons in one and three Gods. The most popular one is the one presented by St Patrick with the image of the clover leaf, the shamrock. Well this story which I shared in my homily today is very interesting too. It deals with an atheist confronting a priest about this mystery.

Pointing to the sun streaming in the window, the priest asked the atheist: “Do you believe in the sun?” “Why, of course,” the atheist admitted. “Alright,” the priest continued, “the rays you see coming through the window are from the sun, 90,000,000 miles from here, give or take a few thousand miles. The heat we feel comes from both the sun and from its rays. The Holy Trinity is something like that. The sun is God the Father; the sun sends out its rays, God the Son. Then from both the sun and its rays, from the Father and the Son, proceeds or comes the Holy Spirit, the heat. Can you explain how that happens?” The atheist quickly changed the subject.
The sun is the source of physical good; the Trinity is the source of God’s life in us.
The sun gives energy and strength; the Trinity gives inner power and strength.
The sun gives light; the Trinity lights the mind and heart of man. 
The sun produces heat; the Trinity pours forth spiritual heat - love of God and mankind.
The sun heals sickness and disease; the Trinity heals the sickness of the souls - sin.
The sun helps resist germs and infection; the Trinity drives off temptations and distractions.
The sun cheers and brightens the world around us; the Trinity cheers the heart of mankind.

Let us remember also to never be embarrassed in making the sign of the cross, as we honor God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The Uganda martyrs

One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages (aged 13 to 30) from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands.For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order. Charles first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages. On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received Baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’s courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful. When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he referred to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason. Although the Anglicans could not be canonized, they were named "with the others, also deserving mention" for enduring "death for the name of Christ".The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs was built at the site of the executions, and serves as their shrine. Their remains are in Kampala. The order known as "The Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga" were founded in 1927 as an indigenous religious congregation of Ugandan men committed to providing education to the youth of their country.

Prayer for those who are alone

In my daily Mass, I always try to share a prayer after communion, most of which I write myself. This morning I wrote and shared this prayer which was well received, especially after one of the parishioners came over to thank me for it. I hope the Lord will bless you with His presence and comfort.

Remember us Lord, and keep us in your thoughts.

When we are ready to give up, give us your courage.

When we experience solitude and aloneness, assure us that you will always be near to us.

When we lose someone dear, convince us that You will stay with us, and they will watch over us.

When we don’t know what to do with our lives, suggest a plan and give us a sense of direction.

When we are sad and anxious, give us a word of consolation.

When we don’t know what to say, share with us a message that consoles us.

When we are in the dark, enlighten us with Your presence.

When we think we are alone, let us know of Your closeness to us.

When we are afraid, remind us of the saints, who kept trying and never gave up.

And when we think we’re near the end of our lives, show us that we are actually at the beginning of a New Life with You.

NYC Pentecost procession

In what many are calling the largest Eucharistic procession ever held in New York City, thousands of people took to the streets reciting prayers and singing songs of praise on the vigil of Pentecost, May 27.The Police department estimated more than 4,000 people took to the streets and processed through Times Square. Led by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat of the Archdiocese of New York, the procession brought together priests, nuns, and laity to pray for the forgiveness of sins in the iconic city and the world. The theme of the procession was “¡Esta ciudad pertenece a Jesu Cristo!” — “This city belongs to Jesus Christ!” The procession was organized by the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Center located in the Bronx, which is part of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Participants started at Father Duffy Square in Times Square and after two hours, the procession ended at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where Mass was celebrated. With a bullhorn in hand, Espaillat shared intense words to the faithful, saying: “In the middle of New York is the cross of Jesus Christ! And this is why we rejoice today. We rejoice because this is Pentecost weekend. And we would not be standing here if it were not for the power of the Holy Spirit. So my sisters and my brothers in Christ, we rejoice today for the blessings that God has in store for this great city. I love this city! I love New York! And that’s why I’m here, because I want to pray for our city.” 

Photojournalist Jeffrey Bruno, who happened to be in the city for another assignment and stumbled upon the procession and said: “I have never seen anything like that before, especially in New York.” One particularly moving moment Bruno captured was the crowded street, lined by the skyscrapers of Times Square, filled with the faithful kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament as it was being lifted high into the air. The number of people was secondary to the amount of real authentic faith that was so evident in those who were present. While many view New York City as hostile toward Catholic events, such as protests held during pro-life walks in the city, the vast majority of people are respectful. Most people like to see expressions of faith, even when they don’t understand them fully, and even in a city that’s often considered more famous for its sinners than for its many saints. The Eucharistic procession was organized as part of the Church’s National Eucharistic Revival, which is being organized all over the USA.