Adoramus Te, Domine!: All is Grace

Adoramus Te, Domine!: All is Grace: Congratulations to our newest postulant! O Holy Spirit, make me aware of the grandeur and dignity, glory and splendor of the G...

Setting An Example

Setting An Example

The Rosary: School of Contemplation and Silence

The Rosary: School of Contemplation and Silence

The Gospel of Saint Luke: A Rosary of Icons

The Gospel of Saint Luke: A Rosary of Icons

Saint Gregory Nazianzen

Saint Gregory Nazianzen

Haec est domus Domini

Haec est domus Domini

 

CENACOLO COMMUNITY

 

I experienced the pleasure of visiting the Cenacolo Community in Knock County Mayo the other day.

 

This is a community of male ex drug addicts who live in Community.

The Community live completely by Divine Providence, if food arrives they eat, if it does not arrive they go hungry.

The purpose of my visit was to take them some basic foodstuffs, but I also wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of a set up it was and if it was some kind of scam.

 

The Community of 8-10 males live in "Our Lady of Knock" House.

Their day is Monastic in its discipline, rising early with Prayer, Mass and Rosary.

They work in the workshop or polytunnel or on the land and in the House.

There is no Television, Radio or Newspapers, There is no Alcohol, Drugs or Smoking.

There are no Psychotherapists or Counsellors.

 

What there is in Cenacolo is a palpable presence of God, love, prayer and friendship.

 

Our Lady of The Cenacle

 

 

I met an ex drug addict who was previously involved in serious crime and who by his own admission would have been dead either by violence or by suicide if it was not for the Cenacolo Community.

He is now a changed person, is studying for the Priesthood and is HAPPY for the first time in his life. He exuded happiness, peace and the presence of Christ in his life.

 

The Community Fast every friday for a special intention and pray the Rosary every day.

 

Cenacolo was founded in the 1980s by an Italian Nun, Sister Elvira, who felt called by God to found a Community where drug addicts and other people whose lives are controlled by the evil of Addiction could find a refuge where they could experience LOVE, Gods love for them.

 

The Cenacolo Community now has over 60 houses worldwide and continues to grow.

 

Sr Elvira is adamant that the Communities pray and rely completely on Divine Providence for their everyday needs.



 

 

Any person whose life is being controlled and ruined by addiction is possibly under the influence of the Evil One.

The only person who can release a person from the influence of Satan is the Person of JESUS CHRIST with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.

 Jesus Our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit are ALIVE and can liberate us from any evil.

 

It was marvellous to see people whose lives were destructive and self centred, and who had been depressed and very devious, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into sober, upright loving persons who love God and are trying to do His will and not their own.

 

The Cenacolo Community is open to any person who desires to CHANGE.

The Community is open for non-catholics and disbelievers, however every person must agree to follow the Communitys foundation rules of PRAYER, ROSARY, HOLY MASS, ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, FASTING and WORK. 

 

The Cenacolo Community has a success rate of over 90% in comparison to so called drug rehab places that substitute Methodone for Heroin and dont deal with the spiritual disease afflicting the person.

 

Prayer can work wonders and I saw it with my own eyes at Cenacolo.

 

May the work of the Cenacolo Community continue to expand and help more drug addicts and alcoholics change from a destructive and self centred way of life to a life centred on God and other people.

From Lying and Deceit to Truth and Love.

                                                                               

 

Persons who want to join the Cenacolo Community must attend  meetings held every wednesday in Dublin at St Peters Parish Centre, St Peters Church Phibsboro, Dublin or by contacting:

Frank 087 9096007

Jean 087 2687040

 

Females who need to join a Cenacolo Community and are in Ireland may be sent to one of the houses in Rome or in Medjugorge. The Community in Knock is for males only.

 

May God continue to bless the work of CENACOLO and may the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for all those souls who cry out to be liberated from the evil of substance addiction.

Our Lady of the Cenacle Pray For Us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary

 

The Angelus

 

 

"The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and She Conceived by the Holy Spirit"

 

How wonderful is that? and how simple, humble and yet earth shatteringly profound!

The Angel Gabriels Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary announcing to her that she has been chosen by God to bear His very self in her womb.

 

The humble innocent virgin girl of Nazareth, scared and over awed, and yet she is able to give her YES and her free consent to an event that will change her life and that of her family and that will also change Human and Salvation history forever.

 

"BEHOLD THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD, LET WHAT YOU HAVE SAID BE DONE UNTO ME"
 

Marys YES to God, enables the Incarnation to take place, God becomes Man in the womb of the Virgin.

Jesus The Saviour of Mankind asks for the consent of Mary a human, before He is Incarnated.

 

"AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US"
                    (ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST)
 

The Incarnate Word, who created the Universe and all that is within it, becomes a Human Being at the moment of the Incarnation.

Earth and Heaven are united at that moment and the most important event in human history takes place.

 

Annunciation

 



 The practice of praying "The Angelus" reminds us that God has entered Human history, God took flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary.

The Angelus reminds us what life is all about, it is about God and not just about us.

 

The ringing of the Angelus bells at 6am 12 noon and 6pm remind us of this fact.

Pausing to remember the miracle of the Incarnation, for a minute or so, grounds us in reality and helps us keep in touch with reality.

 

The Angelus bells ringing on RTE 1 Television and Radio at 12 and 6pm are for some people a joke, for some people an irrelevancy, for some people an annoying hangover of a Catholic Church dominated Ireland and for some people a source of anger that a God who they dont believe in has somehow managed to encroach into their consciousness.

I think that RTE is to be praised and thanked for continuing a tradition that goes back to the 11th century and which has more than proved its worth.

Of course we all know that RTE will eventually stop The Angelus and succumb to the Pagan Secularists who clamour for a bland, non-descript God less society , masquerading under the banner of "Equality & Freedom"  What a joke! 

You try disagreeing with the modern Pagans or mentioning God or the Catholic Church and you will see their idea of Freedom and Equality clearly manifested.
No, they have no room in their "free and equal" world for practising Christians, Muslims, Jews or any other religion, apart that is from thier own "religion" of consumerism, pleasure seeking and materialism. (Known for genereations as Hedonism)

RTE have already bowed to the wishes of the Pagan / Secularists and removed all religious imagery during the minute or so of the transmission of the Angelus bells!

Oh please spare me from having to watch people feeding white bread to Swans (bad for them by the way) while the Angelus rings out!  
WHAT ON EARTH HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH THE ANNUNCIATION and GOD BECOMING MAN??

No please give me the beautiful images of the Annunciation that RTE used to show.



Mosaic of Annunciation in Santa Maria Maggiore

(St Mary Major Basilica-Rome)

 

By the way, I remember a priest once telling me that the most important words in the story of the Annunciation as told in St Lukes Gospel are at the very end.

 

The passage starts The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a Virgin betrothed to a man called Joseph of the House of David, and the virgins name was Mary.  

The Angel went in and said to her, "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee, "
                                                            "AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA"

 

The whole account as described by St Luke is marvellous and the miracle of the Incarnation of Christ as described is profound, but the passage ends with the following words:

 

"And the Angel departed from her"

 

These were the words that were highlighted to me many years ago as being so important.

 

 

St Luke is emphasising to us that following Marys acceptance of her mission and role to be the Mother of the Saviour, that she is left alone and without Angelic help or assistance.

"And the Angel departed from her."

 

She, like us all, had to GET ON WITH IT on her own.

 

That is a great insight into Marys yes and her acceptance of Gods will in her life.

May we all like Mary, say YES to God in our lives and may The Angelus continue to remind us all that God became man.

 

 

                "AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONGST US"

 

                                                "ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST"

 

The Blessed Virgin Mary extolled the greatness of God and Her own role in salvation history when she proclaimed:

 

"My Soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my Saviour, for He has looked upon the lowliness of His handmaid, for henceforth  ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED for the Almighty has done great things for me and Holy is His name.

His Mercy is from age to age on those who revere Him,

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly,

The poor He has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.

He has remembered His promise to our forefathers, to Abraham and to his children forever."

 

May the ringing of the "AVE bell" continue to ring out its dulcent tones over the towns, cities, villages and townlands of Ireland and in many other countries for years to come.

And may we all take comfort from its reminder message that we are not alone, God loves us so much that He took flesh, was born of the Virgin Mary, was Crucified, Died but Rose from the dead VICTORIOUS.

Christ has already conquered evil and death, we have nothing to fear, we live with total joy and hope as Catholic Christians.

 

The Angelus bells remind us of this fact.

 

God is in charge

                                                                                   

 





 

Feast of All Souls

 

 November 2nd is the Feast of All Souls, a most interesting and consoling Feastday for the church.

 

I attended Mass in my local church of St Marys, Killenummery, County Leitrim.

A good turn out, and a lovely Mass offered by Fr Vincent Connaughton the Parish Priest for our departed brothers and sisters who have gone where we will all eventually (hopefully) follow.

 

I went specifically to pray for my mother Zillah Crellin, my brother Tony Crellin, my Auntie Laura, various friends and all those whose death I have been present at over the years in my work as an Intensive Care Unit nurse (and that is by now probably many hundreds of people afterr 30 plus years nursing)

 

I have been present at many deaths and have seen many souls depart this world. Some deaths were traumatic and some beautiful. The Feast of All Souls reminds us that its not all about us!

The departed souls, all those who were linked to us in this life need our prayers and it is our privileged ability as Christians STILL in THIS world, to pray to God for their wellbeing in the next.

 

All Souls Day in India

 

 

I also like to pray on All Souls day for those souls in Purgatory who have no one here on earth to pray for them.

 

Now theres a word to cause many a controversy and debate-PURGATORY.

Its such a shocking and descriptive word but ive never understood why the Protestant churches have such a problem with the concept.

I am fully aware of the abuses in the medievil period where Indulgences and Pardons for time spent in Purgatory were sold and where the teaching of the Catholic Church about Purgatory was deliberately twisted for selfish and monetary gain.

However, the concept of Purgatory I think is eminently sensible and blatantly obvious.

 

How can a sinful and self centred person like most of us humans are seriously expect to be immediately assumed into Heaven into the presence of the Person who created us and the Universe instantly following death? (like being beamed up like Star Trek!)

It smacks of Pride and a seriously over inflated Ego on our part.

 

No, Dying is a PROCESS and im sure that following death a process of adjustment, cleansing and healing takes place to PREPARE us for the presence of the Most High.

(A bit like a Spiritual Hospital where we are nursed back to full health)

For Purgatory read HOSPITAL.

 

Dominicans Praying for the Faithful Departed

 



 Prayer for the Departed is an ancient practice and has always been recommended by Holy Church from the first century A.D.

Prayer for the dead is recommended in Sacred Scripture (Book of Maccabees)

Im convinced that the prayers of the Church here now on earth can assist the church penitent in Purgatory.

 

 

The Church also teaches that the departed souls can assist us here on earth.

It makes sense. Why would people we love and who are linked to us forget us after they die?

No, they are still part of the Church and we are all linked through the "Communion of Saints" we are "One Body in Christ"
The Church consists of 3 PARTS:
on Earth -Church Expectant,
In Purgatory- Church Penitent
In Heaven -Church Triumphant
So all three parts are in Communion, all of us are able to assist each other with prayer.
 

 

So dont be afraid to pray for the Departed Souls and to ask for their prayers as well, after all they are one step closer to Him who created us all in our Mothers wombs and who will call us back when our pilgrim journey and the job we have been given to do here on earth is completed.
 



Holy Mass for all Souls



 

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them O Lord And May Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them, May They Rest In Peace.

A.MEN