Confirmation...Gifts of the Holy Spirit..........April 30

CONFIRMATION

coming up at our local Church.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL

The gift of wisdom corresponds to the virtue of charity.
The gift of understanding corresponds to the virtue of faith.
The gift of knowledge corresponds to the virtue of faith.
The gift of counsel corresponds to the virtue of prudence.
The gift of fortitude corresponds to the virtue of fortitude.
The gift of piety corresponds to the virtue of justice.
The gift of fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of hope.

To read more about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit click here

Feast of St. Catherine of Siena.......... April 29

St. Catherine of Siena
Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Patroness of Fire Prevention


At eighteen years of age she received the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic. She died at the age of 33.

St. Catherine has long been regarded as one of the finest theological minds in the Church--as is shown by her outstanding work, Dialogue--and in 1970 Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church.

Read more about St. Catherine of Siena here.

See, Listen, Love..........April 28

"To see Jesus

is to see God.

To listen to Jesus

is to listen to God.

To love Jesus

is to love God."

Fr. Bernard

Holy Trinity..........April 27

O Most Holy Trinity,

Undivided Unity,

Holy God,

Mighty God,

God Immortal Be Adored.

Holy Family Prayer..........April 26

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY

O Heavenly Father, our loving God, you have given us the Holy Family as our patron to bless and guide our families that the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control - shall reign in our homes.

St. Mark Feast Day..........April 25

St. Mark
Patron of Venice, Italy
Patron of Notaries

St. Mark is represented with a lion lying at his feet, because the lion, one of the four symbolical animals in the vision of Ezechiel makes the desert re-echo with its roaring.

God our Father, You helped St. Mark the Evangelist with Your grace so that he could preach the Good News of Christ. Help us to know You well so that we may faithfully live our lives as followers of Christ.

The Chalice..........April 24

"Almighty Father,

I place the Precious Blood of Jesus

before my lips before I pray,

that my prayers may be purified

before they ascend

to Your divine altar."

Sr. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

River of Suffering..........April 23

And I saw the River
over which every soul must pass
to reach the Kingdom of Heaven,
and the name of the River was SUFFERING...
and I saw the Boat which carries souls across the River,
and the name of that Boat was...LOVE."

St. John of the Cross

Guardian Angel..........April 22

I will sing

even when I must pick my flowers

amid thorn.

The longer and sharper the thorns are,

the sweeter my song will sound.

St. Therese, The Little Flower

Cross and Book..........April 21

The crucifix is an open book

that all can read.

The crucifix is an infinite

declaration of love.

St. Catherine of Siena

Lord, inspire me to read the Crucifix often.

HIM..........April 20

O holy and immaculate Virgin,

how shall I praise you as I ought?

You have borne in your womb

HIM

whom the heavens could not contain.

God's Messengers..........April 19

"The Angels are the shepherds of our souls.

Not content with bringing our messages to God,

they also bring God's messages to us.

They nourish our souls

with their delightful inspirations

as well as their Divine communications."

St. John of the Cross

Silence..........April 18

"Silence exists so that we might speak to God.

And it is in silence that God communicates His graces to us."

St. Vincent de Paul

The world was silenced at His birth.

Meschini (artist) Jesus and Birds..........April 17

"Whenever our eyes feast on a spectacular scene--

such as a magnificent landscape, or a splendid sunset, or a beautiful star-studded sky--

let us realize that it is only a pale reflection of the Divine Beauty.

Let us then bless the Lord as being the sole source of all good."

St. Theresa of Avila

Come to the Tabernacle..........April 16

"Jesus knows how to comfort us.

So when you are desolate,

leave creatures behind.

Come to the tabernacle,

and you will always find strength and consolation."

St. Peter Eymard

Holy Father..........April 15

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES

POPE BENEDICT XVI

April 15-20, 2008

"The one who has hope lives differently;

the one who hopes has been granted

the gift of a new life."

Pope Benedict, Spe. Salvi, 2

Mass..........April 14

"When you are at Mass,

be there as if you were on Calvary.

For it is the same sacrifice

and the same Jesus Christ

who is doing for you

what He did on the cross for all human beings.

St. John Baptist de la Salle

*The Good Shepherd..........April 13

"It takes some of us a lifetime

to learn that Christ, our Good Shepherd,

knows exactly what He is doing with us. He understands us perfectly."

Phillip Keller

Baptism April 12

"In spite of divisions among Christians,

all those justified by faith

through baptism

are incorporated into Christ...

brothers and sisters in the Lord."

Pope John Paul II

Divine Conversation April 11

"A virtuous life is simply impossible

without the aid of prayer."

St. John Chrysostom

And what is prayer?

Just talking,

having conversation,

with our God.

Nourish Children April 10

"It is not enough for Christian parents to nourish only the bodies of their children; even animals do this.

They must also nourish their souls in grace, in virtue, and in God's holy commandments."

St. Catherine of Siena

Jesus Delights April 9

Jesus takes his delights

with the

simple of heart.

Eternity April 8

Let us pray for a greater faith. Let us know that life

here is only a pilgrimage. We know that the end is

only the beginning.

We know that Eternity has no end.

Eternity is forever.

Where we spend eternity is totally up to us.

Boat Called "Faith" April 7

DIVINE JESUS BE OUR GUIDE

(card dated 1872)

"No matter what happens, stay aboard the Lord's ship. Never jump off. Persevere to the end and God's kingdom will be yours."

Fr. John Randall

(thanks to Ed's blog here)

Praying Hands April 6

"Prayer does not change You, Lord,

nor make You do what we want,

or what we think we want.

But it does allow You to change our hearts."

An Hour With Jesus, Volume II

Silent Birds April 5

(This holy card is a folded folder type card. In the open position you see the front and the back....thus you also see a "fold line" down the middle.)

"Use the talents you possess,
for the woods would be very silent
if no birds sang
except the best."

Queen of the Patriarchs April 4

"The fidelity and the other virtues of Mary
surpass those of the Patriarchs,
whose queen she is."

There are six patriarchs shown and Moses is the only
one with a positive identity. The others might be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and maybe Adam and Noah?????

Thanks to John for translation to English

Patriarchs - "Fathers" who exercised authority over an extended family.

Wings to Heaven April 3

A child (representing any of us) is being readied for the way to heaven.

To support her/us in the harsh combat all the way to Him. He has commanded the angels to give to the soul two wings/ribbons.

One is Chastity, which pleases the Lord.

The other is Charity, which wins us His heart.
Blessed are those faithful souls who use these wings to fly to Him.

(Thanks John for your translaltion.)

Mary Hugs Pope John Paul II, April 2

Today is the Third Anniversary of

the death of Pope John Paul II.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and

let perpetual light shine upon him.

"The desire to receive God's treasures and favors is universal.

But how few people aspire to wear themselves out and to suffer for the Son of God!"

St. John of the Cross

Mary's Sorrows April 1

Human beings will never comprehend

sufficiently the anguish and immensity of

Mary's sorrows.

Very few Christians partake of those

sufferings and even fewer offer any

consolation to her.

St. Bridget