Deacon Ward's Essentials and Expressions 10/01/2020

      

Jesus *  Mary  *  Joseph

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Deacon Ward's Essentials and Expressions

Thursday October 1, 2020

Memorial 

St. Terese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

"The only way to make rapid progress along the path of divine love is to remain very little and put all our trust in Almighty God."

 

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Please forgive me for my recent absence. 

The intent of this blog is/was to bring you announcements of our Mater Dei parish, and some selected reflective payers and thoughts. 

Because there have been so few "tuning in"... I presume that most get our parish announcements/information directly from our Sunday bulletins and from the Mater Dei website.   

My intent and wish now is to bring you more of the "bread of life"...true nourishment for our souls and spirit...with some occasional announcements sprinkled in. 

For now I will post once a week; I hope you will join me!  

 

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Solemn Mass of Ordination

to the Order of Deacon

I was truly blessed to be able to attend the ordination of four new deacons at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Burlington last Saturday!

Our newly ordained deacons are:

Armand Auclair

George Flower 

Paul Kendall

Thomas McCormick

Please pray for our new deacons...and old ones as well!

Our New Deacons

Our Old Deacons!

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We must continue to pray for vocations 

to the priesthood, diaconate and the religious life! 

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“Eternal Father, we lift up to you these and all the priests and deacons of the world.

Sanctify them, heal and guide them.

Mold them into the likeness and holiness

of your Son, Jesus, the Eternal High Priest.

May their lives be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name, we pray."  Amen.

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May God gather them into His Loving arms.

Today, let us pray for those souls of our parish who have recently died, and for their grieving families:

"God of the spirits and all flesh, who have trampled death and annihilated the devil and given life to your world, may you yourself, O Lord, grant to the souls of your deceased servants, rest in a place of light, a verdant place, a place of freshness, from where suffering, pain, and cries are far removed.

 

Do you, O good and compassionate God, forgive every fault committed by him/her in word, work, or thought because there is no man who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin and your justice is justice throughout the ages and your word is truth.

 

Since you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life, and the repose of your deceased servants, we give you glory together with your unbegotten Father and your most holy, good, and life creating Spirit, now and always and forever and ever." Amen.

(Byzantine prayer for the deceased) 

 

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Don't forget our Parish Food Shelf!

Your contributions of

non-perishable food is needed!
This week's most needed items are:

******Dry Milk and Saltines******

Food Shelf Open Thursdays from 

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Thank you for your generosity!

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For Reflection

Are we spending (enough) time with Jesus? 

Are we truly giving Him our worship, fidelity and obedience?

Are we meeting Him where we are?

Come to Holy Adoration!

Spend time with Him...just sit there and be in His presence; 

this will make Him smile!  

"No moment spent in My presence is without value. Every moment given Me is precious in my sight and becomes fruitful for the whole Church. It is not a question of quantity, of spending long hours in My presence when the duties of one's state in life requires something else. What I ask instead is the moment of pure adoration and of love offered to Me from a simple, childlike heart. Just as a mother takes as much delight in a single wildflower offered by a child as in a great bouquet of flowers, so too do I take delight in the moment offered Me out of love.

Begin, then, by offering Me what you can. You will see that I will move you to add moment to moment, until you are giving Me all the time of adoration and of love that I desire from you. Too many souls are discouraged when they attempt to pray. They think, wrongly, that unless they can undertake much, they should undertake nothing. And so they abandon prayer and leave Me alone, leave Me waiting for their little moment of presence, a consolation to My Heart.

Give me the little moment of adoration and of love and I will multiply it, making it possible for you to give Me hours of adoration and of love, as they become available in your life, and as I ask them of you. Too many souls try to do too much, and end up doing nothing. It is better to begin by doing what is very little, and by and trusting that little offering to Me, confident that I will receive it and turn it into My glory and to the glory of My Father."

(From a journal of a priest at prayer: "IN SINU JESU")

(Thank you Jayne Badano-Bidwell)

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****TOMORROW NIGHT!****

...and every Friday night

"It is easier for the world to exist without a sun than to exist without the Eucharist."

(St. Padre Pio)

Put your love for Jesus into practice!
...Starting at 7:00 PM!

 Come and join us (or online: Mater Dei website) for 

Holy Adoration and Holy Rosary (Led by Fr. Rijo)

 from St. Mary Star of the Sea Church

And/Or....

Join me each Monday morning at St Edward Church for Holy Adoration!

At 9:00 AM we will begin with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, we will pray together the Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, hear the day's Gospel reading and conclude with praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Come and find peace!

If there are any questions, I encourage you to call me. 

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A Final Thought

You have the Eucharist, what else do you want?

-St. Peter Julian Eymard, Apostle of the Eucharist

🌹🌹Until next time...In His Peace.   Deacon Ward🌹🌹  

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