Association Of Catholic Bloggers

At a recent funeral of the bother of a very dear family friend I was struck by how comforting all the rituals were to all of us. Almost everyone there was knowledgable about the funeral rites and it allowed us to relax, to be carried along by the rhythm of the liturgy and to be consoled by the comfort of familiar roles and responsibilities. In Catholic funerals, the Church seeks to provide spiritual support for the deceased and honor their bodies, as well as to provide a measure of hope for the family and friends of the deceased. I have been to funerals where the closest thing to ritual was a CD playing “I can’t give you anything but love, Baby,” as the crematorium doors opened. [I kid you not.] Others might find such off-beat funerals meaningful and original, but, when I am deep in sorrow, I don’t want anything new – I want the comfort of the tried and true. Do you feel the same way?

Francis Phillips writes: Having now read some of the blog posts at the (new) Association of Catholic women bloggers, I must apologise to the good lady who asked me to join it. At the time I saw it as a kind of breakaway movement from the proposed Guild of Catholic bloggers which has been discussed on the Herald blog site, and felt that we needed to be united, not divided. What I did not appreciate, in my haste to reject the proposal, is that it is not a question of ‘Either/Or’ but of ‘Both/And’. The Church is rich, diverse, and we Catholics have a multiplicity of different ways of communicating our common faith; thank God for it. There are obvious difference between the posts on the Catholic women’s blog site and the Herald’s: the former is more personal in tone, less engaged in politics, less disputatious and argumentative, more concerned with sharing stories of conversion or ‘reversion’ and how faith is lived in family life and in adversity. In short, it points to the difference

Thank you Padre Luis, a priest in Venezuela, for sharing this very moving video.

I posted this on my blog today but thought I would post my first post here! I am delighted to be associated with the "Association of Catholic Women Bloggers! I must explain that I am a priest from the Archdiocese of Birmingham. I qualify for the blog via invitation! I hope to post on here every now and again and I enjoy the inspiration found here so far! The Visitation Life is about the journey that anticipates the destination. There is an excitement about arriving. I remember with fondness many holidays spent with a good friend. Arriving at the Hotel, getting checked in and sitting down in the room brings a great satisfaction, now the holiday begins! The memories of a good holiday can impart joy and sustain us through moments when life can appear to be dull, when we hear a clock is ticking but the hands are moving slowly! These times are times of struggle when we endure difficulties, disappointments, sadness, at these points in the journey the clock slows down! In times of

By Jean M. Heimann, Cross-posted at Catholic Fire Today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which recalls Mary's visit with her cousin Elizabeth. This event is also the second joyful mystery of the rosary -- the first being the Annunciation. Elizabeth had been barren all her life, but in the Annunciation, Mary learned that her kinswoman was miraculously expecting a child in her old age. Upon hearing this good news, Mary fervently desired to share in Elizabeth's joy and serve her during the last part of her pregnancy. So she went "with haste" to visit Elizabeth and remained with her for three months. Mary's first action after God had come to dwell in her was one of self-denying charity. She undertook a troublesome journey in order to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Thus, she proclaimed charity to be the virtue which above all Christ brought with Him from heaven. God made Mary's visit the occasion of a wonderful miracle. On her entranc

heart speaks unto heart: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus : "I'm using ' Love Peace and Joy ' by Very Rev Andre Prevot, Devotion to the Sacred Heart according to St Gertrude.( TAN publications ). Ther..."

Katharine of Aragon › Welcome This is very interesting..

Speaking personally I'm quite happy calling her the Lady..but Flossie is nice :)

God..Our True Rest This is the cause why we are not at rest in heart and soul: that here we seek rest in things that are so little there is no rest in them, and we do not know our God Who is all mighty, all wise and all good. For He is true rest. No soul can have rest until it finds created things are empty. When the soul gives up all for love, so that it can have Him that is all, then it finds true rest. For He is endless and has made us for His own self only, and has restored us by His blessed passion, and keeps us in His blessed love. And He does all this through His goodness. God of Your goodness give me Yourself, for You are enough for me! Julian of Norwich * May the God Who is enough..bless you. ..Trish

 by Jean M. Heimann, Cross-posted at Catholic Fire Today's saint is the valiant warrior Saint Joan of Arc , French national heroine, who was born in Domremy, France, 1412 and died in Rouen, France, 1431. When she was about 13 years old, Joan began to hear the voices of Saints Michael the Archangel, Margaret of Antioch, and Catherine of Alexandria, urging her to free her country from the English. Joan’s visions told her to find the true king of France and help him reclaim his throne. She resisted for more than three years, but finally went to Charles VII in Chinon and told him of her visions. After overcoming opposition from churchmen and courtiers, she was given a small army with which she raised the siege of Orleans on May 8, 1429. Carrying a banner that read “Jesus, Mary”, she led the troops into battle. She followed the famous campaign of the Loire during which the English were decisively beaten, and Charles was crowned at Rheims, on July 17, 1429. When she was capture

What a blessing to find a community of Catholic women, interested in sharing faith and life in such a beautiful and public way. This morning at Mass, I was moved almost to tear at the Psalm. This rarely happens to me. I am not one prone to public emotion, but there you have it. I am pregnant, and perhaps more hormonal than usual. What was the Psalm that moved me to tears? Responsorial Psalm: R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”  (R,) ... Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me. Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or his kindness!(R.) It has not been an easy few days for me.  I have been facing family troubles, lack of sleep, a new work schedule for hubby, and pregnancy worries.  Without going into details, suffice it to say that I am emotional and exhausted.  I do not fe

This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem

Picture source The following advice was given by Saint Teresa of Ávila, to parents. She wanted them to be careful when permitting their daughters to enter certain religious orders which gave the women too much freedom*. "... Let them be prepared to allow them to marry far beneath their stations rather than put them into convents of this kind*. Unless they are very devoutly inclined and God grant that their inclinations may lead them into what is good!..." Quote source: The Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Ávila.

A Universal Prayer For All Things Necessary to Salvation (Composed by Pope Clement XI, A.D 1721) O My God, I believe in Thee; do though strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them. I love Thee; teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended Thee; do Thou increase my sorrow. I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign protector. Vouchsafe, O my God! to conduct me by Thy wisdom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power. To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts words, actions and sufferings; that henceforward I may think of Thee, speak of Thee, refer all my actions to Thy greater glory, and suffer willingly whatever Thou shalt appoint. Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will may be done because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou willest. I beg of Thee to enlighten my u

The unusual bouts of rain in the dry season have contributed to the rapid blooming of poui trees across the country, creating a breathtaking sight. The poui, one of my country's (Trinidad and Tobago) most spectacular trees normally flowers a brilliant yellow or mild pink between April and May or nearer to the middle or end of the dry season. Whenever the poui tree shed its leaves in the dry season and a shower of rain occurs, usually a few days later they start to flower. When in bloom the yellow poui creates a carpet of yellow flowers especially around the Queen’s Park Savannah and on the hills of St Augustine. There are two species of yellow poui—yellow and black, while the pink specie, native to Venezuela, can be seen in abundance up the Islands.   I always look forward to my first sight of this unusual tree and the enormous pleasure it gives me. A truly splendid example of nature at its best. The Poui tree is surely a gift from God. 

Besides being blessed as a new member of this amazing group of Catholic Women, everyday as my children keep getting older and more wonderfully made, I've been taking stock in what surrounds me.  Thanks to Jackie for stopping by my blog to leave a comment and a lovely invitation to join here, blessings to all!  Here goes: Ten Reasons I Am Blessed as a Mom: 1. I, together with my beloved spouse, played a part in the future of our society 2. Being pregnant, though miserably uncomfortable, I was able to experience something beyond my control and learn patience and endurance and prayer. 3. Seeing my beloved witness the birth of our children one by one, I was able to fall in love with him all over again with every tear of joy he shed. It was beautiful and unforgettable. 4. Sharing the responsibility of another life with my beloved spouse 5. Watching the progress of growth and development of each of our children is facinating 6. Being at the receiving end of uncondition

Quite a few ladies have asked about/suggested names for the blogging regency lady pictured above. I don't know were Jackie got the picture so she may have a name already but I don't mind if you guys wish to have a little poll to see what name to use if she hasn't got one already! Sorry if things are a bit bumpy as I am not that good with the technical side of things,I'm not quite a Luddite but I am definitely ignorant of computer programming, :) Just a quick word about posts Jackie and I   decided if one person doesn't think something is truly in the spirit of charity or is felt by someone not to be, or is too much of a propaganda piece for any particular business we will remove it.We all have our own blogs for that sort of thing if we really want to post them, but here we want to be charitable, loving and supportive.

‎ "We must learn to spend more time in front of God, before the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ; we must learn to recognize in silence, within our very selves, his voice that calls us and leads us to the depth of our existence."

Picture source Aloha! I have been following this new blog with much interest. What an honor to be here with all of you. Mahalo for asking me to join. I thought I would share something from Blessed Seelos. He was truly a humble priest who was filled with joy. The following are words by Father Seelos to: -his recently widowed mother who was lonely following her husband's death: "Love these days entirely recollected in God, like holy Anne who never left the temple...Prayer is the best medicine which conquers ever pain." -a young lady contemplating the religious life: "A vocation and perseverance are special favors from God and can be obtained by prayer only. Therefore, I advise you to pray continuously not only when in church, but also when at home and at your work. But at the sacrifice of the Mass and after Holy Communion prayers are most powerful." Quotations from Cheerful Ascetic: The Life of Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R. by Michael J. Curl

Little Flower's Crown of Roses...: Morning and Evening Prayer... : "One of the things Secular Carmelites are asked to do is pray the Liturgy of The Hours, especially Morning and Evening Prayer. I have bee..."