Padre Pio used to say, “Unite yourself to my prayers.” Be inspired by the life and prayers of St. Padre Pio, including the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which he prayed every day. padrepiodevotions.org/

“Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers.” – St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

The Catholic Church has a long tradition of honoring the relics of Saints. Do you know what relics are? Do you know that there are relics of three Saints held under the altar? If you know who they are please talk to Fr. Paul. We also have a relic of St. Gianna Beretta Molla displayed near the statue of the Sacred Heart. For more information on relics check out “church-teaching-on-relics” at catholiceducation.org. Learn about St. Gianna Beretta Molla at saintgianna.org/.

We pray to saints of a certain patronage to ask for their special intercession. Patron saints can be venerated as the Heavenly advocate and special intercessor for many things, even entire nations. If you want to ask for the special intercession on behalf of your country, do you know who to pray to? Check out this fascinating list at http://www.ucatholic.com/blog/the-catholic-patron-saint-of-countries/

6/25/17

After Pentecost, the Church resumes what is now called the season of “Ordinary Time.” But what does that really mean? Is it some sort of generic season in the Church that has no focus? Read the history of this season of the Church at https://aleteia.org/2017/06/05/the-surprisingly-deep-spiritual-meaning-behind-ordinary-time/

As we near Father’s Day, do you find yourself reflecting on what is important in life and how to convey important life lessons to your family? Author & blogger, Randy Hain, has put this into words.

“How many of us have benefited from the influence of our fathers, grandfathers, and other important people in our lives? Out of my strong desire to raise my sons to be strong and faithful Catholic men, I have composed a letter to them which I hope inspires the readers of this post to do something similar with your children and grandchildren.”

You can read it at www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2016/06/randy-hain-letter-to-my-children/

When you are traveling it can be challenging to find a Church and Mass time for the family. Check out www.thecatholicdirectory.com , www.discovermass.com, or get the “Catholic Mass Times Church Directory” in the App Store. These programs will use your location to identify any local Catholic Churches!

“If you had to name a patron saint of the Internet, whom would you choose?” This and the question of “Patron Saints for Modern Challenges” is discussed in an interesting article from Franciscan Media. Read about Patron Saints for divorced people, single mothers, AIDS patients and their caregivers, homeless people, television, those suffering from discrimination, and lapsed Catholics. www.franciscanmedia.org/patron-saints-for-modern-challenges/

On, January 24, 2002 Pope John Paul II said “I dare to summon the whole church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put into the deep of the Internet, so that now as in the past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world ‘the glory of God on the face of Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6).” In line with this challenge, several Catholic websites have added 24 hour live streaming of their Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist. If you would like to spend some time with our Lord and can’t make it to church, check out the Adoration Chapel at www.aquinascollege.edu/adoration/online-adoration/ and at fortheloveofgodworldwide.org/prayer-practices/24-hour-perpetual-adoration-24-hour-online-rosary/.

Did you know that the inserts in each week’s bulletin can also be found at www.ourfatimafamily.com, our Parish website? Click on NEWS to find the links. This means you can print a flyer that you missed, the Birthday Lists, or the OLOFPS Newsletter! While on the website, check out the Church & Eucharistic Adoration CALENDARS. E-GIVING, PARISH, SCHOOL, and LINKS!

For additional information about Our Lady of Fatima apparitions: you can read an account of the visitation and her message to the world on our Parish website. Go to ourfatimafamily.com/Fatima.html There are additional links there that will give you the full text of the three parts of her message and a guided tour of Fatima.

This weekend brings the first of May and all of its wonderful celebrations. Our young children are preparing to receive our Lord for the first time in the Eucharist. “Receiving Holy Communion for the first, or the hundred and first, time is like nothing else in the world.” For an interesting discussion of “how to prepare your child for his/her First Communion, including discussion on dealing with distractions during time of Thanksgiving prayer.” Check out www.eatholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=601 This is a great refresher for all of us.

The message and devotion to Jesus known as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy. Jesus said to Sister Faustina: “Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy …. ” and later ” …. When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior”. You can find the Chaplet at www.thedivinemercy.org.

Many of us can remember listening to radio and television broadcasts of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Many of these are still available through YouTube. Some of them are just audio recordings of his radio shows. Others are full videos from his TV shows. They are just as meaningful today as they were when we first heard them. Open a search engine like Google and search for “YouTube Bishop Fulton Sheen.”

Have you ever considered reading the New Testament and contrasting the Gospels as written by the evangelists? A wonderful resource has been made available by the University of Toronto Religious Studies program. Created for students, this reference uses the RSV version of the Bible which will read a little different than the ASV used in the US. Here you can compare the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar wording. Synoptic Gospels

Here is a beautiful blog post that recounts the different promises made by Mother Mary to those who reverently pray her rosary. . We have beautiful rosaries available in our Parish Gift Shop along with brochures to guide you through the mysteries of the Rosary. Pray The Rosary There are additional links there that will give you the full text of the three parts of her message and a guided tour of Fatima.

How much do you know about the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima to the three children in Portugal? As we prepare for the lOOyr Anniversary of her appearance, you can read an account of the visitation and her message to the world on our Parish website. Go to OurFatimaFamily.com/Fatima There are additional links there that will give you the full text of the three parts of her message and a guided tour of Fatima.

If you are using MyParispApp, note that they have changed the Calendar option. When you open the Calendar, click on Featured Events and select Our Lady of Fatima.
Click on “Our Lady of Fatima ↓”

If you don’t have our Parish App, you can download it at myparishapp.com .

The season of Lent begins this Wednesday. We have Lent Reflection booklets at the doors of church. If you are using MyParispApp, note that they have added a “Lent” button on the bottom of the home page. Here they will be posting Daily Lent Reflections. If you don’t have our Parish App, you can download it at myparishapp.com or scan the QR code.

Are you interested in sharing your faith through hand crafts? A fun craft that you might enjoy can be found at www.dosmallthingswithlove.com. This is the blog of a young mother who writes about her Catholic family life and has created inexpensive cross stitch patterns of over 100 saints. Wouldn’t they be perfect as part of a special gift for a child or a special accessory for our homes? She also has a set of Catholic coloring pages available for free.

There are many Catholic resources to be found on Pinterest. Type Catholic in the search bar and you will find links to prayers, pod casts, people & things that inspire, images of Mary and the Saints, bible study information, and resources for kids. Each link is tied to a Board of related material. You can choose to follow any that you are interested in. Check out my Catholic Board which can be found at www.pinterest.com/msmauk/catholic/

What does it mean to have a Mass “offered” for someone? “An individual may ask a priest to offer a Mass for several reasons: for example, in thanksgiving, for the intentions of another person (such as on a birthday), or, as is most common, for the repose of the soul of someone who has died. One must never forget the infinite graces that flow from the Sacrifice of the Mass which benefit ones soul.” Continue reading the history of Mass Intentions in the church at the CatholicEducation.Org website found here.

Contact the Parish Office to schedule a Mass for a special person or special intention. We have cards that you can send to notify a family.