Divine Mercy Novena Begins Today

Just as Jesus came to St. Margaret Mary centuries ago to tell the world of the great love of His Sacred Heart, He later came to St. Faustina to encourage us to trust in Him and His Divine Mercy.

It is customary to begin saying the novena on Good Friday and end the day before Divine Mercy Sunday. If you are reading this on Saturday, you can still end on Divine Mercy Sunday. Or, you can say the novena any time you like.

You can find the novena here.



Hat tip to Ebeth.

Margaret in Minnesota's Saint Friends

Earlier in the week, I participated in the Saint Friends Meme, and tagged the other MM, Margaret in Minnesota. (By "the" other MM, I don't mean to leave out any other MM's. She is simply the only other MM blogger I know at the moment.)

I alway enjoy reading Margaret's posts, and this is no exception...or is it? On second thought, it's an exception because it's exceptional! You can read it, too, by clicking here.

Than you, Margaret, for sharing your answers.

St. Josephine Bahkita

Today is the feast day of St. Josephine Bahkita, who was born in 1869 in the Sudan to a good family who was relatively wealthy. At the age of nine she was captured by slave traders, and suffered much in the coming years. Her fourth master took her to Italy where, while living with her fifth master, she decided to become a Christian. This patient, forgiving young woman was finally freed as she came of age, because slavery was illegal in Italy.

Josephine became a Canossian Sister, helping with the housework. The sisters asked her to do missionary work, telling her faith story from town to town. Although she was reluctant to attract attention to herself, she did this for a year "for God's glory". After that, she served cheerfully as doorkeeper and later as cook. She loved to pray before the crucifix or tabernacle.

In 1947 Josephine died of pneumonia and in 2002 she was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II. One of the things she loved to say was:

"Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!"
~ St. Josephine Bakhita




Hat tip to Jean at Catholic Fire who gives a more extensive biography at her site.

A Gaggle of Saint Friends Meme

I was tagged for this meme by Jean of Catholic Fire. Thank you, Jean!

Rules: Answer the questions! You can give a reason for the answer if you like. As for tagging people, you tag as many as you want or as few...minimum of one. There's no obligation to play. Last of all, have fun!

1. First Saint you "met"? The Blessed Virgin Mary, through whom I was converted to the Catholic Faith. I was introduced to St. Therese soon after. Many years later I wrote a Little Saint Therese Book for young children, which is available for free, online.

2. Favorite Saint(s)? Blessed Mother, St. Therese, St. Margaret Mary, St. Joseph, St. Anthony, St. Martin de Porres...and, last but not least, St. Francis, whom I "knew" before becoming a Catholic.

3. Patron saint for the year? I didn't know there was such a thing until this year. I was assigned St. Thomas the Apostle, who said: Unless I put my hands in his wounds, I will not believe (perhaps appropriate for me, so maybe he can help me grow); and St. Lawrence who, as he was being burned, said: You can turn me over now; I'm done on that side (maybe not so appropriate for me, so maybe he can help me grow).

4. Favorite book by a saint? Story of a Soul by St. Therese.

5. Saint book you are reading now? Quick, grab a book! Naw, I'll be honest; not reading a saint book right now.

6. Favorite movie of a saint? "A Man for All Seasons", about St. Thomas More.

7. Favorite Autobiography/Biography of a saint? Besides Story of a Soul by St. Therese...St. Francis of Assisi by Johannes Jorgenson.

8. Favorite novel/book of a saint? Behold This Heart by Rev. H. J. Heagney, about St. Margaret Mary, although I generally prefer for books about real people to be non-fiction.

9. Saint (besides your favorites) you'd want to meet? St. Helena.

10. Saint you look to for help? St. Joseph for finances and desperate situations, and St. Anthony to find things, whether lost items or not...sometimes to find things for me to buy economically. (Now you know my secret.)

11.Favorite saint quote? St. Thomas the Apostle, "My Lord and My God."

12. Favorite Holy Card? Infant Jesus of Prague Novena on the back, which begins, "O Jesus, who has said, Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find..." etc. This novena is said every hour for nine hours, so I love praying it when I'm very concerned or in a hurry.

13. Favorite story of a saint? When Our Lord was dying on the cross, He said to St. John, "Behold thy Mother" and to Mary, "Behold thy son". This is my favorite, when He gave us His Mother, through St. John, to be our Mother too.

14. If you could go anywhere on a pilgrimage to a saint's homeland, where would it be? I haven't thought about it, but I have loved being where saints have been: In the California missions where Blessed Junipero Serra lived and worked; at St. Alponsus Church in Baltimore where we go to church, where St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos were both pastors (at different times); and St. Brigid's Church in Baltimore, where we have our homeschool co-op, where James Cardinal Gibbons (author of the book Faith of Our Fathers) was once pastor (different building but same location).

15. Any Blesseds or Venerables that you would like to become canonized? Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Zelie, the mother of St. Therese. Blessed Junipero Serra.

I will tag Margaret, of Minnesota Mom, if she has the time and would like to do it. No pressure here, Margaret. And the linking thing I did is not necessary. I just had fun with it.

Anyone else who would like to do this is also welcome. And again, anyone is welcome to tell us about your favorite saints, saint stories, saint quotes or whatever, in the comments!

Behold This Heart

"Behold this Heart which has so loved men," said Jesus to St. Margaret Mary in the 1600's. It was a time when, in many cases, love had grown cold. There was a lot of emphasis on the fear of God, while men often forgot that He created us in love, redeemed us from the Cross in love, and sent the Holy Ghost to us in love.

When we open our hearts to the love of God, we are better able to love Him in return.

Dear Jesus, please bless us always with an awareness of Your great love for each of us and for everyone You created. Remind us often of Your Presence in our lives. May we turn to Your Sacred Heart for strength and consolation in our troubles, and may we turn to Your Sacred Heart with gratitude in our joys. Amen.



P.S. Yesterday was the feast of St. Margaret Mary, to whom Jesus presented the devotion to His Sacred Heart, but yesterday I wasn't yet ready to return to blogging. However, today is the feast day in the traditional calendar. Since I attend both the regular Mass and the Latin Mass, I figure I get to celebrate the feast of St. Margaret Mary two days in a row. How neat can it get?! If you already celebrated yesterday, you can join me again today, too, if you'd like.

New Catholic Saints Prayer Book!

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has written yet another prayer book! She has previously written Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers, Prayerfully Expecting, and The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home, all of which which were encouraged and endorsed by Mother Teresa, and blessed by Pope John Paul II.

She now offers a prayer book with biographies, quotes and prayers for 34 saints!

You can read more about it, and pre-order it if you wish, on this page at her site.

Speaking of Mother Teresa

If you have Windows Media Player, you can listen to Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, in her recent radio interview with Teresa Tomeo, talk about Mother Teresa. Donna is a mother and Lay Missionary of Charity who knew Blessed Mother Teresa personally. The talk lasts a little over twenty minutes. Even if you can only listen for five, it's very worth the time! Or maybe you can wait til the kids get to bed (if you have kids underfoot), brew a cup of uncaffeinated tea, and relax and enjoy! Just go to the this blogpost and click on the blue clickable link at the end of the sentence that says "...Mother Teresa is being criticized by the secular media which is saying that Mother Teresa lost her faith." She didn't, of course, as you will see (or hear).

Feast of the Assumption

This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Many centuries ago, on this day, the Blessed Virgin Mary fell asleep in the Lord (as they say in Eastern rites), and was taken up to heaven to eternal glory.

Unlike us, she was always pure. Like us, she suffered on earth, especially watching her Son suffer. May she bring us consolation in trials. May she bring us hope in the joyful triumph that we await.

Thank you, Dear Jesus, for thinking of us from the Cross, even to the last, even beyond all your sacrificial gift of Self; and giving us Your Mother to be our Mother too.



P.S. I was sure those first two sentences were a Bible verse, but I can't find it in a Bible search. Not sure which translation/version I remember it from or what book or chapter. So I present it without its source. Maybe a reader will know and share with us.

Prayers to Saint Therese

I think St. Therese is trying to tell me something! Within the past week I've had two different emails, one from a dear friend who is an extended family member and the other from a young dear friend from the past. Each of these emails was about an incident in my past in which that person had prayed to St. Therese. Two different eras in my life, two different needs, two different people, quite possibly two different novenas. But both to the same saint and both received a sign that their prayers were being answered (as indeed they were), and both told me about it this week, within a few days of one another.

There is a novena that I used to say every month to St. Therese that is very simple. You say 24 Glory Be's "in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity for all the favors bestowed upon St. Therese during the 24 years of her life on earth". (For those who aren't Catholic, by "Glory Be's", I mean "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." And a "novena" is a prayer said every day for a definite period of time, most often for nine days in a row.) Some say this particular novena from the 9th to the 17th of each month. I hope to re-establish that habit, but for now, I've begun today!

There are also other beautiful prayers to St. Therese. This site has three different novenas to St. Therese, printed on a lovely background with a photo of St. Therese and a border of roses. You can pick the novena that best suits you...or your mood. I have added this prayer site to my list of "Catholic Prayers on the Net" in my sidebar, so that you'll be able to find it any time you'd like.

Prayer to Saint Helena

Saint Helena, who searched for and found the wood of the true Cross on which Christ died, help us to find the cross of Christ by patiently accepting the crosses that come our way in life.

Saint Helena, who built hospitals, orphanages, and homes for elderly people, remind us often of Christ’s words, “What you do to the least of mine, you do to Me.”

Saint Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, and Empress of Rome, lead us to the Holy Empress of heaven and earth, and teach us to be trusting children of our Blessed Mother.

Saint Helena, a convert to Christianity, intercede for the conversion of those who do not have Faith, and pray for us to grow in ours. Amen.

Originally written about 1971
Revised and copyrighted 2007
By Margaret Mary Myers

Marian Meme

Esther of A Catholic Mom in Hawaii has tagged me for a Marian Meme. Thank you, Esther, for thinking of me. What a great subject that I'd love to share about.

Favorite Image of Our Lady:
Our Lady of Grace

Favorite Marian Feast:
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
August 22 on the Tridentine calendar
June 16 on the current calendar

Favorite Marian Hymn:
Ave Maria composed by Franz Schubert
Here is one example of it being sung. (You have to scroll down to the bottom to click on MP3.)

Favorite Place of Pilgrimage:
The Grotto in Portland, Oregon
My childhood best friend and I frequented this beautiful place when we were about 18.

Favorite Devotion:
The Rosary

In my sidebar are two links for online Rosaries:Mission Rosary
Printable/Self-Pace Online Version of the Rosary

I tag Alicia, Nancy, and Maureen, if they have the time and would like to do this...and anyone else who is interested.

Happy Mothers' Day!!!

Happy Mothers' Day!

This statue of Our Lady now resides in a protective upright wooden box on our balcony, where you see it in the picture. Previously, it spent 13 years gracing our yard in Northern Kentucky, which is why it has that "weathered look".

I happily adopted Mother Mary as my spiritual mother at the age of 18. Now she is the only mother that I have on earth. May my mother and my mother-in-law rest in peace. And may God bless the wonderful women who have been "like a mother" to me in any way in my life.

Whether you are a mother or not, I hope you have a beautiful day today!

John Newman or John Neumann?

Have you ever wondered whether it's spelled Newman or Neumann? Or perhaps you knew these are two different men. But do you know who they were and which one was which? For years I tended to get them confused. At last, now that I attend a church where St. John Neumann was once a pastor, and now that I can do research on the internet, I can learn more about these two great men.

These two intelligent, dedicated saints lived during nearly the same years of the nineteenth century, but were an ocean apart.

St. John Nepomucene Neumann became a priest in his native Bohemia and then immigrated to the United States. Having studied Italian in the seminary, he pastored the first Catholic church in America where Italians could hear the sermon and go to Confession in their native tongue. Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman was born in London and became an Anglican priest. He later converted to Catholicism, and became a Catholic priest. He lived and died in Great Britain.

St. John Neumann, as Bishop of Philadelphia, was best known for establishing the 40 hour devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in parishes, and for beginning the parochial system of Catholic education in the United States. In the meantime, in England, Venerable John Newman was perhaps best known for his book, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, his explanation of his life and conversion.

St. John Neumann is commemorated at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia. He is commemorated in a lesser way in other places, such as St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore, where a replica of the bedroom he used (while a pastor there) is preserved. Cardinal Newman is commemorated - in this country - by the Newman Centers on college campuses, which aid Catholic students in living their faith.