Sunday 27 March 2016

Male Catholic Leadership

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Turning Around 
the Crisis of Male Spiritual 
Leadership in the  
Catholic Home
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One of the consistently trending topics in the Catholic media is the issue of the absence of male Catholic leadership in the home. Nowhere is this seen more than in new Catholic websites such as Fr. Richard Heilman's Roman CatholicMan, The New Emangelisation, and in the initiative highlighted below. 
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Bishop Thomas Olmstead of the Diocese of Pheonix has created an initiative to strive for male spiritual leadership in the Catholic home. The initiative is called 'In to the Breach' and the video is below.
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Saturday 26 March 2016

Pentecost at St. John Cantius Church

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A Shower of Rose Petals 
for Pentecost at
St. John Cantius
Church
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On Pentecost Sunday at St. John Cantius, a beautiful ancient custom takes place at the end of a High Solemn Latin Mass. This custom was instituted in Rome, from the early centuries, when rose petals would be dropped through the the circular oculus of the Pantheon.

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...and go and look at the great photos of 

people reacting to the rose petals! HERE
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CATHOLIC MARRIAGE GODS DESIGN FOR LIFE & LOVE



CATHOLIC MARRIAGE:
GODS DESIGN FOR 
LIFE & LOVE


Some of our most faithful clergy & laity of the Catholic Faith, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Mark Davies, Fr. Marcus Holden, Fr. Andrew Pinsent, & Fiona Mansford (Pure in Heart & Former National Director of Youth 2000) are highlighted in a film & DVD entitled Marriage: God's Plan for Life & Love.  The film presents the Catholic vision and understanding of marriage and the natural law, the beauty and meaning of human sexuality, family, and of the gift of children. It also addresses the challenges we face in our world today. The trailer is on the video below.

 

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Friday 25 March 2016

HOLY WATER Domestic Church


HOLY WATER IN THE
DOMESTIC CHURCH

In today's secular society the culture will not acknowledge the realities of sin let alone the influence of the devil in the world....




However,
Holy water is just one of
the sacramentals that is at our disposal. 
  A sacramental is a sacred sign that signifies effects obtained through the Church's intercession.


 There are three types of holy water, but the type we take home is a sacramental that also remits venial sin. Due to the blessing attached to it the Church strongly urges every Catholic home to also have a small supply for times of danger and to protect against evil.


WHY DO WE BLESS OURSELVES WITH HOLY WATER?


This use of holy water from a stoup and making a sign of the cross also reflects...


1. a renewal & reminder of baptism, 
2. a cleansing of venial sin
3. protection against demonic and negative spiritual activity.  


However, what is not commonly known is that every time we cross ourselves with Holy Water, the original blessing over the water is sent up to heaven. It is also sometimes accompanied by the following prayer:

"By this Holy water and by your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins O Lord".

The font is also at the back of a Church to remind us of our baptism when we enter.  It is best practice to use the baptismal font as a holy water stoup for this reason.

 Always ask your priest to bless your Holy Water with the special exorcism prayer!


CANDLEMASS & THE BLESSING OF CANDLES


CANDLEMASS &
THE BLESSING OF CANDLES

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To rediscover our Catholic identity and culture we often have to look to other strong Catholic countries that have never lost the Catholic Faith. In Poland, the candles brought from home to be blessed are decorated with symbols and ribbons.


This tradition gives Candlemas its Polish name "Matka Boska Gromniczna," 
or "Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle.

There, the custom is to let a blessed candle burn all night before an icon of Our Lady who, when the world still had forests, was relied upon to keep the wolves away during these cold nights. Now, our "wolves" tend to be of a different sort, but the pious burning of a blessed candle tonight, with powerful prayers offered to Our Lady, still help keep the world at bay.



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The mystery of today's ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century. According to Ivo of Chartres, the wax, which is formed from flowers by the bee was always been considered as the emblem of virginity, and signifies the pure nature of the body of the Divine Infant, who is diminished not, either by His conception or His birth, and was born through the spotless purity of His Blessed Mother. The same holy bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus who came to enlighten our darkness. St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, asks us to consider three things in the blessed Candle: the wax, the wick, and the flame. The wax, he says, is the Flesh of our Lord; the wick, is His Soul within; the flame, which burns on top, is His divinity.

From: Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB The Liturgical Year


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With a return to Catholic tradition in this country, especially in the home, many more will be lighting blessed candles on Candlemas and many other nights as well.

THE RETURN OF THE CATHOLIC HOME ALTAR


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THE RETURN OF THE


CATHOLIC HOME ALTAR


ALTARISIMO DOMESTICUS
  
The Catholic home is the Domestic Church.

Two main reasons for this very true saying is that parents are primarily responsible for children’s catechesis, and of course, families spend much more time in the home than they do at the parish. The Catholic home altar is also one of the simplest means of evangelising friends and family. So, like an increasing number of Catholics, why not bring some of those Catholic devotional sacramentals from Church, that draw souls to God, and incorporate them into your home?
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