The Saint from Syracuse

Catholics across upstate New York await eagerly the canonization this year of Blessed Marianne Cope. On Dec. 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the nun from Syracuse a saint after a second miracle was attributed to her on Dec. 6.

Sister Mary Laurence Hanley, OSF—who died last year before the news was announced—was a longtime advocate for Mother Marianne Cope’s sainthood. The nun, a member of the Order of St. Francis, had been a hospital administrator before she went to Hawaii in 1883 to minister to those aflicted with leprosy.

To learn more about Blessed Marianne Cope, visit the official website HERE.

View the press conference announcing the news:

 

Meditations upon the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11

Ten years ago, our nation experienced a devastating attack and loss of lives. As we mark this somber anniversary, there are some websites to help put Sept. 11 in perspective.

Read some first-person accounts of the day at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. 

American Catholic has more thought provoking articles—including one on the death of Father Mychal Judge.

One man has launched a Pay It Forward event for Sept. 11 on facebook.

A day for women of the Syracuse Diocese

 On Saturday, October 29, women from the Syracuse Diocese will gather at the OnCenter in Syracuse for a day of uplifting presentations, Mass and lunch. Speakers include priest & TV chef Fr. Leo Patalinghug,  America’s Next Top Model contestant Leah Darrow, Helen Alvare—Consult to Pope Benedict XVI’s Pontifical Council on the Laity, and music will be performed by Alicia Hernon. For complete information on the conference, visit the website http://syracusecwc.com/

There will be a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 15 in Msgr. Carey Hall for women of St. Ambrose Parish and their friends who would like to attend the conference and register for the early bird admission discount—a $20 savings. Hope you can amke it!

World Youth Day coverage on the web

It’s that time again. Catholic youth from around the world will be gathering in Madrid from August 16-21.

There are several good sites where you can participate from afar.

• The Official WYD 2011 Madrid site:   News updates, vlogs, polls, multimedia, shops.
• Catholic News Service: News, stories, blogs 
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Info, suggestions for how to observe the event
• Virtual World Youth Day: Make the pilgrimage via facebook.
• Twitter: Follow official tweets made by @madrid11_en. You can also just search for World Youth Day to read posts from other people. Be aware that you’ll see posts from critics and naysayers, too.
• The Vatican WYD site: Watch live broadcasts, read Pope Benedict XVI’s messages and view photo galleries.

Summertime message from Pope Benedict

The following quotes from Pope Benedict XVI on nature were made July 10 at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

 ”I would like to recommend that during this time of vacation, you revivify your spirits by contemplating the splendors of Creation.”

“Parents, teach your children to see nature, respect and protect it as a magnificent gift that presents to us the grandeur of the Creator!”

“Jesus used the language of nature to explain to his disciples the mysteries of the Kingdom. May the images he uses become familiar to us. Let us remember that the divine reality is hidden in our daily lives like the seed in the soil. May it bear fruit in us!”

Prayerful gatherings can make a difference

Leah Chen photo by The Catholic Sun

The latest issue of The Catholic Sun has a profile of Binghamton native Leah Chen and the effort she led this Lent called 40 Days for Life. For 40 days, people gathered outside a local abortion clinic to pray for an end to the practice. They gathered around the clock, hoping that women seeking an abortion would change their minds. It did work.

So far, Leah said, at least one woman decided not to have an abortion because of the presence of those praying there. It happened one recent late afternoon. A woman in her 20s got out of her car, walked into the clinic, then returned within a few minutes. Leah said the woman approached the two women who were praying the rosary.

Chen said the woman said, “I saw you guys out here when I came another time and I just wanted to let you know that your prayers have helped me and I’m keeping my baby!’ After assuring the women on the sidewalk that she had all of the resources she needed, she got in her car and drove away.”

Read the article here.

Basically Bach Ensemble to perform April 12

The Basically Bach Ensemble in concert, November 23, 2010.

The Basically Bach Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. on April 12 in St. Ambrose Church. The ensemble is conducted by Fitzroy Stewart. J.S. Bach’s Easter cantata “Christ Lay in the Bonds of Death BWV 4,” and a work by the young W.A. Mozart, “Litany to the Most Blessed Sacrament, K. 243,” will be heard with chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra. The soloists will be Ghislaine Stewart, soprano; Hilerie Klein-Rensi, mezzo-soprano; Gerald Grahame, tenor; and Randolph Messing, baritone.

A free-will offering is encouraged.

The conductor is Fitzroy Stewart and a free-will offering is encouraged. This performance is funded, in part, by a project grant from the United Cultural Fund, a program of the Broome County Arts Council.

Western New York’s future saint?

Bishop Robert Cunningham’s latest column (March 31) in The Catholic Sun focuses on the life of Father Nelson Baker, who was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI on January 14. He writes that after making a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Victory Basilica—founded by Father Baker, he “marveled at the amazing good that one priest can do.” Through Father Baker’s keen business acumen, he was able to help the struggling Buffalo parish and its orphanage stay open, eventually enlarging it, adding a maternity ward, establishing a home for unwed mothers and their babies, a protectory for young men and a working boys home for older adolescents. Bishop Cunningham writes that Father Baker “expanded the facilities into a city of charity” and because of this, he was known as the “Padre of the Poor.”

Included with the article are these prayers.

Father Baker’s favorite prayer: O Victorious Lady! Thou who has such powerful influence with Thy Divine Son, in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, they may return to the unity of the true faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the canonization of Father Baker: Lord you gave us Your servant Nelson Baker as an example of service to the poor, homeless, and young. By Father Baker’s ardent concern for those in need, inflame our hearts and lives with compassion for the poor, justice for the oppressed, hope for the troubled, and courage to those in doubt. We pray through the intercession of Our Lady of Victory, if it be your will, that your servant, Nelson Baker, may one day be canonized. Amen.

St. Patrick’s Breastplate: A daily prayer for Lent

The inspiration of St. Joseph

There’s a wonderful column in Catholic San Francisco by Fr. Vito Perrone on the influence of St. Joseph on the lives of two men. Fr. Perrone writes:

     …When it was finally time for me to leave and get on the bus for my pilgrimage to the San Francisco Bay Area, Willy gave me his most precious possession: a St. Joseph prayer card. He told me that this was the prayer card that he had carried with him for years and read at daily Mass. Already, in his early life, he had become a man among us boys, and this was due in large part to his model, St. Joseph.
     He told me that night that it was through the intercession of St. Joseph that he had experienced the strength, courage and peace he needed to remain faithful to the Catholic Church and to watch over his own holy family as St. Joseph did with his. He cherished this card and gave it to me as his greatest gift. And his greatest hope was that I, too, would discover that St. Joseph, the “Silent Saint,” could make holy impressions on my heart and soul that would lead to a life of deep prayer, holiness and spirituality.
     We were 23 years old then. I carried the card with me for decades. The impressions that were produced on my intellect, feelings, heart and conscience through the prayer card were cumulatively profound. They were especially profound in regard to contemplative prayer.