Can You Spend One Hour With ME?

A couple of months before his death Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was interviewed on national television. One of the questions was this:

"Bishop Sheen, you have inspired millions of people all over the world. Who inspired you? Was it a Pope?"

Bishop Sheen responded that it was not a Pope, a cardinal, another bishop, or even a priest or a nun. It was a little Chinese girl of eleven years of age. He explained that when the Communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his own rectory near the Church. After they locked him up in his own house, the priest was horrified to look out of his window and see the Communists proceed into the Church, where they went into the sanctuary and broke into the tabernacle. In an act of hateful desecration, they took the ciborium and threw it on the floor with all of the Sacred Hosts spilling out. The priest knew exactly how many Hosts were in the ciborium: thirty-two.

When the Communists left, they either did not notice, or didn't pay any attention to a small girl praying in the back of the Church who saw everything that had happened. That night the little girl came back. Slipping past the guard at the priest's house, she went inside the Church. There she made a holy hour of prayer, an act of love to make up for the act of hatred.

After her holy hour she went into the sanctuary, knelt down, bent over and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy Communion, (since it was not permissible for laymen to touch the Sacred Host with their hands.)

The little girl continued to come back each night to make her holy hour and receive Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue. On the thirty-second night, after she had consumed the last and thirty-second host, she accidentally made a noise and woke the guard who was sleeping. He ran after her, caught her, and beat her to death with the butt of his rifle. This act of heroic martyrdom was witnessed by the priest as he watched grief-stricken from his bedroom window.

When Bishop Sheen heard the story he was so inspired that he promised God he would make a holy hour of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament everyday of his life. If this frail, little child could give testimony and witness to the world concerning the real and wonderful Presence of her Savior in the Blessed Sacrament, then the Bishop was absolutely bound by all that was right and true, to do the same. His sole desire from then on was to bring the world to the burning Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Saturday 10.30am - 12.30pm St Patrick's Church Dundalk

SAINT BRIGID OF FAUGHART

In the run up to the Annual celebrations of St Brigid in Faughart and Dundalk, we thought you might like a brief introduction to one of Ireland's best loved saints.

St Brigid was born in a quiet village named "Faughart" set upon a hill over looking Dundalk Bay. She was born about the year 454 A.D. She spent most of her childhood in Faughart attending to a Dairy farm. It was to be an important event in her life.
Within a very few years of her death she was venerated as patron of Faughart and it's surrounding areas. It appears that this district was the first in the Country in which she became the chosen patron, and it was from that time forward that the place was called "Faughart of St. Brigid".
Dubhthach, her father, was an Irish chieftain and commanded the fort on the top of the hill which controlled the gap of the North about half a mile to the North. Her mother was a bondswoman (slave) named Brocca. As a child, Brigid, demonstrated a strong will, but also a charitable nature. Although her calling to help the poor often got her into trouble. One story occurred when she was only 9 years old. The King of Leinster gave her father a precious beautiful jeweled sword as a gift. Brigid took the jewels from the sword to provide food for a family in need. (Sometimes it is said that she gave the sword to a leper). The King was livid. But Brigid did not backdown, proclaiming to the king that she would take all of his riches and her father's as well and distribute them to the poor, if it was her decision. There are numerous legendary stories of St. Brigid. According to these stories, she had healing powers. Some say that by simply stepping into her shadow you would be instantly healed.
Healing powers were also attributed to her cloak (or mantle). All one needed to do was to touch her cloak to be healed. It was even said that she was seen hanging her cloak to dry on a ray of sunshine.
Bridget is also known as the Mary of the Gael, Bride, and the mother of the Irish race. She was a strong willed, compassionate woman.
There are many versions of the stories and legends about St. Brigid. Her name also has many spelling variations including Briget, Bridget, Brighid, Brigit, Brigid, and Bride.

Stories about St Brigid’s life as a Catholic nun also depict her as being a most unusual person. It is believed by many that she may have been ordained as a bishop. Another story involves the sisters at the nunnery she established. Brigid was known as the Symbol of Eternal Light. The nuns celebrated as guardians of the “Fire of St. Brigid” by starting and sustaining a perpetual fire. Nineteen nuns each took a turn tending the fire and on the 20th day, St. Brigid tended it herself. After her death, the nineteen nuns continued this tradition and on the 20th day the fire was left for her to sustain. According to legend, the fire burned continuously, and although, this required a great deal of wood, the ashes never increased.
Adding to the many stories and the legends are also the quite remarkable historically accepted achievements of St. Brigid. She founded 4 monasteries and ruled over thirty religious houses. She is most noted for having established a double monastery in Kildare with Bishop Conlaeth. She started a nunnery there. A foundation to house both a monastery and a nunnery was a unique achievement and so was the fact that she was the first Abbess of a nunnery in Ireland. She and Bishop Conlaeth ruled the Kildare monastery as equals. This was a powerful position for a religious woman of this time. She also founded a school of art at Kildare, which became famous for its illuminated manuscripts.
It is believed that she died at Kildare on February 1 in the year 525 and was buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick.
The Sisters of St. Brigid as part of "St. Brigid's Cloak" continue to tend the eternal spiritual fire of St. Brigid and surround the world with the healing powers of her cloak through sacred prayer and acts of charity.

CELEBRATIONS IN LOUTH

Saint Nicholas' Church, Dundalk:

Solemn Triduum 30th Jan - 1st Feb; 11.00am & 7.30pm daily

PROCESSION OF SAINT BRIGID'S RELIC: 1st Feb 7.15pm

Saint Brigid's Shrine, Faughart

Triduum of Prayer, Jan 30 - Feb 1; Torchlight Procession, Feb 1

2008: IRISH YEAR OF VOCATIONS

When Irish Cardinal Sean Brady celebrated Mass at the titular church he was assigned in November, he told his audience that 2008 will be the "year of vocation" in Ireland.
Cardinal Brady, given the red hat in November, took possession of the titular Church of Sts. Cyricus and Julitta on Wednesday.
"I am delighted to have been assigned the Church of Sts. Cyricus and Julitta by the Holy Father," he said. "At one time the Irish College was also based in the same parish as this church. An interesting feature is that the church contains the tombs of some Irish College students, including Andrew Plunkett, a student of the diocese of Meath and cousin of St. Oliver Plunkett.
"The proximity of this church to the Irish College brings to mind the beautiful gift of vocation. Happily, in 2008, the Church in Ireland will focus, in a special way, on the vocation of all Christians. […] Various projects and initiatives will be organized to highlight the special dignity of each of the specific vocations: married and family life; ordained priesthood; religious life; and, the single life."
Cardinal Brady said the church reminds him of "the enjoyable time that I spent as a teacher of Latin and the history of Roman art and architecture in St Patrick's College, Cavan." He concluded asking for prayers as he begins his new responsibilities as a cardinal.

Source: Zenit

PROPHET, NOT PROFIT ON SUNDAY

The owner of a chain of carpet and home furnishing stores in Ireland has taken a strong stand against Sunday trading and decided to close all of his thirteen outlets each Sunday, so as to keep the Sabbath holy.
Des Kelly is the owner of Des Kelly Carpets, with 13 shops around Ireland and up to 200 employees.
He himself pioneered Sunday shopping back in 1971, but since he began to visit Medjugorje in 1998, he has begun to think more seriously about his faith. “I got great healing there,” he said on popular radio phone in programme Liveline on Tuesday. “I have been going twice a year ever since. I got to know God and our Blessed Lady better. The closer you get to God, the more you realise when you’re committing sin.”
Mr Kelly said the decision to close on Sundays was taken in the last six months, following consultation with his staff. He stands to lose about €600,000 in trade, but is adamant that he is happy about the decision and he will “make the money up in other ways.”
A caller, Helen, said the ruse was a “publicity stunt”. She herself was a shop owner and found that people didn’t buy on Sunday, but merely browsed.
Mr Kelly replied that Sunday was their best day. “It is not a publicity stunt. I’m glad with what I’ve done. With the help of God I’ll set a trend.”
Helen ended up agreeing with him. “I hope it works and we all follow suit,” she said.
James, a caller from Tipperary spoke of how he had commiserated with a shop keeper on Easter Sunday for having to work. “If people didn’t come in we wouldn’t have to be in here on Sunday,” was her reply. Her words had made him re-evaluate his own attitude and since then he has tried not to shop on Sunday.
Another caller, Seán, also commended Mr Kelly, saying that shopping does not have to be done on Sunday. He pointed out that banks are closed on Sundays and people still manage to get to the bank during the week. He himself brought his children to Mass on Sundays, and then to the shops, which were “heaving”. Mr Kelly’s stand “would make me change my habits,” he concluded. Another caller, Bernadette, said if others followed suit, “it might give a young family time to reflect instead of just thinking materialism, to think, Yes, Sunday is for something else". She had opened her shop on Sundays over Christmas, but “I will not open this coming Christmas,” she added.
However other callers were opposed to the move. John, from Carlow, said that it would deprive young people of an income to help cover their studies, and Derek from Kildare said that many couples who were both working, were too exhausted to do anything on Saturday except sleep and potter around the house, and all the shopping was done on Sunday.
Mr Kelly answered he was sticking to his decision. “It is against our principles to trade on Sunday. It is unnecessary servile work. We open late on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. My workers won’t work Sunday. They are happy, my family is happy and my grandchildren are happy. Sunday is a day of rest.”

Source: Catholic Ireland