As related by NLM, et. al., Francis Cardinal Arinze has resigned as head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments due to reaching the canonical age limit. Appointed to replace him is Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, who is the Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain. May his years as head of this Congregation be fruitful for the whole Church, and may Cardinal Arinze find rest and continued vigor in his retirement. Ad multos annos!
Today we pray for Rev. Deacon James Daly and Rev. Deacon Robert Potvin.
Deacon Daly was ordained in 2002 and serves at Immaculate Conception Parish in Nashua.
Deacon Potvin was ordained in 2002 and serves at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Parish in Manchester.
May their service to the Lord be fruitful and may the continually grow in love for Him and His Church. May Mary watch over them and lead them ever closer to her Son.
Today we pray for Rev. B. Jeffrey Blangiardi SJ and Rev. William Sullivan OSB.
I am unable to find any information on Fr. Blangiardi – anyone with information please leave it in the combox.
Fr. Sullivan is an Assistant Professor of U.S. History at St. Anslem College and a former prior of the St. Anselm Abbey.
May they enlighten hearts and enlighten souls, O Lord, as they allow theirs to be conformed ever more to you. May Mary guard and guide them and lead them ever closer to her Son.
Update: Fr. Blangiardi commented with his new status:
Since September, I am working full-time as a chaplain at the VA Hospital in San Diego, CA.
I live in the local Jesuit community in San Diego.
Father, may you be blessed in your new assignment and be a blessing to those around you.
Today we pray for the Bishop of Rome; the Servant of the Servants of God; the Vicar of Christ; Successor Of St. Peter, Prince Of The Apostles; Supreme Pontiff Of The Universal Church; Primate Of Italy; Archbishop And Metropolitan Of The Roman Province; Sovereign Of Vatican City State; His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
May the angels be ever at his guard and the saints continually intercede on his behalf. May he continually draw closer to our Lord that he may always pilot the barque of the Church on its way toward the Lord. Mary, watch over him, guard him, shelter him in your mantle and lead him ever closer to your Son.
So many people forget there is a real person, and a real story, behind Santa Claus. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas of Myra. I could give you my own short blurb on his story, but I’ll leave you to read through some of the below on your own. If you have children and have never told them the story of St. Nicholas, today is certainly a great day to start. The saints have much to teach us, and it is only to our own detriment should we not pay them attention.
Today we pray for Rev. Peter Boucher and Msgr. Alfred Daniszewski.
Fr. Boucher was ordained in 2004 and is pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Concord.
Msgr. Daniszewski was ordained in 1945 and is pastor of St. Hedwig’s Parish in Manchester.
May they draw each day on the deep well of love as they serve our Lord. May Mary hold them close and guide them along the sure path to her son our Lord.
Today we pray for Rev. Roger Croteau and Rev. Emmet Coyne.
Fr. Croteau was ordained in 1967 and is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Derry.
Fr. Coyne was ordained in 1966 and currently is working for Cross International Catholic Outreach.
May their every day be filled with bringing new souls to Christ and may they they continually be conformed more closely to Him. May Mary guard and guide them, leading them ever closer to her Son.
This is something I’ve been thinking for a long time. Maybe not about water, specifically, but the more general point made in the video. If we want Advent and Christmas to be treated as the Christian times they are, we as Christians must first start to treat them that way ourselves.
Kudos to my dear wife for finding this.
…rather than just scare the cats and make the dog have that sad “please stop the pain” look
It’s frequently said that you should immerse yourself in Scripture because you just never know what verse or part of a verse will have a whole new meaning for you that day. The same largely goes for the many liturgical acts of the Church, which is one reason I so highly recommend people pray the Liturgy of the Hours. While praying Morning Prayer this morning I was struck by the canticle antiphon: “I shall wait for my Lord and Savior and point him out when he is near, alleluia.”
If you look closely you’ll notice it is really a two-part statement: “I shall wait for my Lord and Savior” and “and point him out when he is near“. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t that first part seem to be what we very often leave ourselves doing while ignoring the second? “Yes, I shall wait for You – veni, veni Emmanuel!” we say. But how often do we say “look, you can find the Lord for He has come and shall come again!” That prayer is really a demand on us: it is not enough merely to wait watchfully for the Lord – we must make His presence and His coming known. As “faith without works is dead” so watching without evangelizing is empty.
