Year of Faith

The Year of Faith is upon us! 

"This year can help fill the Emptiness found in Society today." 

"Today, more than ever, evangelizing means witnessing to the new life, transformed by God, and thus showing the path." – Pope Benedict XVI’s homily from the opening Mass of the Year

Watch this video!

Check out these words from the Holy Father about the Youth in this world...

Pope Benedict XVI sees young people as a sign of hope for Christianity in the world. In a recent interview he stated the following, "A third reason [for hope]... is evident in the fact that this sense of restlessness today exists among the young. Young people have seen much - the proposals of the various ideologies and of consumerism - and they have become aware of the emptiness and insufficiency of those things. Man was created for the infinite, the finite is too little. Thus, among the new generations we are seeing the reawakening of this restlessness, and they too begin their journey making new discoveries of the beauty of Christianity; not a ...watered-down version, but Christianity in all its radicalism and profundity... The facts confirm this in a single phrase: Deep foundations. That is Christianity; it is true and the truth always has a future."  Beautiful.

The Vatican during the opening of the Year of Faith...look at all those people!!

October...it's almost over! What a packed month, praise the Lord!

Some items of note:

• Pope Benedict the XVI named two additional Saints to the level of Doctor of the Church - St. John of Avila, and St. Hildegard of Bingen. These aren't medical doctors, as some might believe, but rather Saints who through their lives showed a great understanding of the message of Jesus Christ. With these two recent additions, there are now 35 Doctors of the Church. Other notables include St. Therese of LiSieux, St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila. Read a bit more about St. Hildegard HERE! And for the complete list of Doctors, check out HERE (without the 2 new additions).

• The Feast of St. Denis happened on Oct 9th! St. Denis, as legend has it, was beheaded while preaching...he wasn't quite done yet, so he picked up his head and continued preaching while walking for quite a distance before falling over. That's just cool. :)

• October 11th marked the opening of the YEAR OF FAITH - declared so by Pope Benedict XVI. You'll be hearing much more about this throughout the next year! Praise the Lord. 

• SEVEN Saints were canonized in October! One of them, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the first canonized Native American Saint! Praise God! Another, Saint Marianne Cope worked in Hawaii serving lepers.  We also have a new patron Saint of young people, Saint Pedro Calungsod! Click on their names to learn more!

And speaking of Saints...All Saints day is coming up soon! Did you know that we are called to be Saints? It's true...Saints are those we know of who are together with God in Heaven...what else is there??

Be Holy. Become a Saint. :)

Our Lady of Sorrows

Hello! Long time no blog!

Today(yesterday for most of you)...is one of my personal favorite Feast Days...Our Lady of Sorrows. I meant to post a little sooner in the day, but I was hanging out at the Archdiocesan Youth Conference in Minneapolis, MN for most of the day! What a blessed time with Archbishop Nienstedt, 1500 teens, and many priests and seminarians. It was beautiful :)

Okay, back to the Feast Day. Today, Saturday, September 15th, we honor Mary, our Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows.

This title specifically deals with the sorrow which she must have felt in seeing her son, the Son of God who she knew to be innocent and blameless, be tortured, mocked, and finally crucified and buried. What anguish she must have felt! She was faithful to God, and yet this was happening to her Son...God is not without a plan, however! If we read closely, this day was actually foretold roughly 30 years previously when Jesus was presented at the temple...let's check out the Word of God on this:

"22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." " - Luke 2:22-35

So we see that this sorrow by Mary was predicted almost right after Jesus' birth! 1) That Jesus was proclaimed by Simeon as the Salvation of God's people, and 2) That a sword would pierce Mary's soul. Wow.

Still, knowing the pain was coming, I'm sure did not lessen it.  And although it is almost heartbreaking to imagine what Mary went through, it also gives me great hope. I know that any rough times I am going through, like a bad day, or someone was mean to me, or upset with me...the sorrow that I feel is NOTHING compared to what Mary suffered. AND! She was given to us as our Mother by Jesus Himself, so we are able to come to HER with our suffering! And she will give that to Christ Jesus! What a blessing! No matter our suffering, Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, is always there to assist us with her comfort and prayers. It is so beautiful!

And speaking of beautiful...here are some images commonly used with this Title of Mary, as well as some of the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago IL! I would recommend checking it out if you're in the area. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! So...pictures:   :)

      

Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, more info HERE!

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us. Bring your cares, your wounds, and your sorrows to her.

Be Holy.

Just Show Up

Just show up!
That is the most often heard motto in the life of young Catholics at St. Francis of Assisi Parish...Just show up.

Students and leaders from Rochester parishes St. Francis, Resurrection, and Pax Christi, as well as Divine Mercy Parish in Faribault, did just that on August 6th for the second Just Show Up Retreat to the LaCrosse, WI.

We spent the afternoon at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, learning about various Marian Apparitions, chatting and laughing with Father Jacinto of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, praying Evening Prayer with the Friars, touring the beautiful church, and enjoying God's beautiful creation in the bluffs of Wisconsin!

After dinner, we then moved onto the Diocesan Center of LaCrosse for a short presentation on the Eucharist by Father Wierzba, vocations director of the LaCrosse Diocese, followed by a Holy Hour for Vocations! Ice cream and fellowship with Catholics from around the area, including a Consecrated Single, ended the evening before our late night drive back home to Rochester.

It was a blessed trip indeed! Learning about the Saints and their relics(at least 6 of them!), praying in silence in the physical presence of our Lord, being "unreachable" during prayer to better focus on Him(no cell phones!), and surprise run-ins with the Totus Tuus team that came to St. Francis a few months earlier!

Here are some pics!

Be Holy!

Today is the Feast Day of St. Clare of Assisi! Co-patron of St. Francis of Assisi Church. What a blessed day!

Saint Clare was born during the time that St. Francis lived, in 1193, in Assisi, to a wealthy family. She loved hearing St. Francis preach, and followed His teachings.  She left her family, sneaking out at night to join him in a life of poverty.  That night, she cut off her beautiful hair, and was given just a plain, rough garment to wear.  She eventually became the mother and foundress of an order of nuns, who are today called the Poor Clares.  Her sister, and eventually mother, all came to join the order as well! Although she lived a life with very few comforts and luxuries, she was very rich in works of charity and piety.

One of my favorite stories of St. Clare is how once when her convent was threatened by invaders. As the attackers drew near, St. Clare calmly rose from her sick bed and went to a window with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance. As she raised the monstrance, the soldiers who were about to enter the monastery fell backward, as if dazzled.  The others who were ready to follow those attackers ran away in fear! The attackers left, the house was saved, and this image of her with the monstrance is one of the more common images of St. Clare.

She is the patron Saint of eyes, of television, and against eye diseases.

Read more about her HERE or HERE! She is a wonderful Saint to get to know, and to ask to pray for us. Her unworldliness is pretty profound! And here are some pictures :)

St. Clare's beautiful hair

Warding off invaders with the monstrance

         

Be Holy!! St. Clare of Assisi, pray for us!

Happy Friday!

In our Catholic Tradition, the first Friday of every month is devoted to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!

Remember when the whole month of June was devoted to that? That was beautiful!

Since today is the first Friday of August(can you believe it? August), we are asked to pray in a special way, seeking the mercy of Christ through His most Sacred Heart. Please take a moment(it only takes a minute or two) to pray the following litany as an act of reparation of sins to the Most Holy Eucharist. 

(Basically, to ask Jesus to have mercy on us for committing sins against the Eucharist...not giving Him the honor and praise and glory that He deserves!)

Ready? Let's pray!
HERE is a little history about the Litany


Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon You, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints,have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee forever and ever. Amen.


Be Holy.

Fun fact...this blog thing tells me that almost half of the people viewing the blog this month are viewing it from Russia...Soooo Здравствуйте! to the Russians, I guess! :)

Also, have you ever been to northern Minnesota? I was blessed to go on two trips up there in the past 2-3 weeks. Remarkable! So blessed to have these opportunities. Here's a few pictures!

Beautiful!!

The sun is much larger up north ;)

This is the lake we stayed on. So peaceful.

But now...back at St. Francis and ready for action! Lots of great stuff is coming up! Here's a quick rundown:
August 6th - Just Show Up Retreat - Our last one of the summer!
August 12th - St. Francis of Assisi Parish 75th Anniversary! It will be a wonderful afternoon of food, games, and music! Come join us!
August 13th - S'more Catholicism - HS Youth Group, this is your night! Last bonfire of the summer :(
August 20th - MS Youth Night - Last one of the summer as well!
For all events, permission forms are required, and can be found HERE!!
More Youth Group events will be happening in the Fall, but for now, that's the schedule for summer! If you have any input for activities/events/etc in the Fall, contact me! youthminister@stfrancis-church.org!

In other news, today is the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola! This man knew how to pray...how to really discern the will of God.  Many books and courses and talks have been developed based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Praying in this way, with a spiritual director, can really help one to discern in what ways the Lord is calling them.  Check it out - HERE!

      

As always...Be Holy!

Happy Tuesday!

Just wanted to let you all know of some of the events going on over the next few weeks. I will be out of town for a week! My first vacation since starting! I'm excited.

Here's the scoop! All forms for these events can be found HERE!! Simply download, print off, fill out, and bring!

July 23rd - Middle School Youth Night
Sit back, relax, and enjoy watching Evan Almighty! (Catholic News Service Review can be found HERE). Bring a friend and some popcorn or other movie snack! 6-8:30PM in the Activity Room.

August 6th - Just Show Up Retreat #2
High School students! Join us as we again travel to LaCrosse for an afternoon/evening full of beauty and adventure! We will be checking out the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, visiting Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and hanging out with some Sisters for ICE CREAM! Come learn what Pelicans have to do with the Catholic Church! We will depart St. Francis around 1:00pm, and return around 10:30pm. Cost is $5 to help with gas. Bring a few bucks for dinner too.

August 13th - S'more Catholicism
Details are still being worked out on this one...apparently 6-8:30pm on a very hot day is NOT a good time for a bonfire...who knew!

Also going on:

United Way Running Start for School

St. Francis Parish is again a drive and drop site for the United Way Running Start for School program.  Last  year, St. Francis collected over 800 items! This year, more than 7,000 low income students in Olmsted County are unable to afford school supplies.  This gives us an opportunity to help!

You will find two donation bins in the Gathering Space starting this weekend. While shopping for the upcoming school year, please consider purchasing a few extra

supplies to drop in the bins.  Backpacks, folders, pencils, notebooks, scissors, glue...pretty much anything!

The drive runs from July 14th - August 6th, with a friendly competition between the middle school and high school students! The winners will receive a prize...which has yet to be determined! Exciting!

Get involved! Become Saints! What else is there?  Be holy.

           

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel!

Besides bringing to mind a delicious sugary snack(which is NOT what the Mountain is made out of, unfortunately. It's just another typical mountain), Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to Mary as the patroness of the Carmelite Order.  The Carmelites were hermits living on Mount Carmel, which is a mountain in the Holy Land, during the 12th and 13th centuries.

The most well known association with Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a devotion known as the Brown Scapular.  In 1251, in England, Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon Stock(who was a Carmelite), and handed him a brown woolen scapular.  She said, "This shall be a privilege for you and all Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall not suffer eternal fire."  Over the year, the Church extended this privilege to all Catholics who are willing to be "invested" in the Brown Scapular, who wear it always.

Why wear the Brown Scapular? Because it is a constant reminder to tell Our Blessed Mother every moment of the day that we venerate her, love her, and trust in her protection and prayers! Praise the Lord! (You can learn more HERE)


Other news...the Steubenville North Youth Conference was fantastic! Roughly 1,300 high school students from throughout the US and Canada spent the weekend learning how to live a joyful Catholic life, and spent time praising and adoring the Lord! It was a powerful weekend for all who attended. Be sure to thank those volunteers!

Also! Tonight at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, we will have our first bonfire of the summer!! 6-8:30pm! Yes, I know it won't really be dark, but it'll still be fun. :) Come join us! Forms are HERE!


BE HOLY!