A Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI by the Knights of Columbus

As Editor-in-Chief of a Catholic centered magazine, I find the following prayer necessary to pass on. Please keep our Pope in your prayers as he is suffering during this time of persecution. May the Holy Sprirt give you strength, Pope Benedict. May Mary, together with Pope John Paul the Great in Heaven intercede on your behalf to Jesus for the strength to endure this time.







God Bless our Pope!








PRAYER FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI




Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world. Amen.




V. Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.





R. May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the power of his enemies.




V. May your hand be upon your holy servant.






R. And upon your son, whom you have anointed.






Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be...






Knights of Columbus


In Solidarity with our Holy Father

Reflections of the Passion



                            By Jennifer Gladen




When I am Worried, I think of your Passion and am reminded it was out of worry for us that you endured the Cross.

When I am Sad, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the sadness which filled Mary’s heart at your suffering.

When I am Surprised, I think of your Passion and am reminded of your surprising courage and strength you showed.




When I am Excited, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the excitement yet to come when you return for us, O Lord.


When I am Happy, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the happiness you gained for us in Heaven.When I am Loving, I think of your Passion and am reminded of your words: "there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend."




Now I am grateful when I think of your Passion because I'm reminded after the cross comes the crown.

Priests that Inspire Us

During one of our Lenten Talks in our parish this year and then again on Holy Thursday, our Pastor posed this question: Do you have a favorite priest and why is he your favorite? His point in posing the question was to get the faithful to reflect on ways their priests influenced them in their faith throughout their lives.

Many people mentioned priests who helped them in illness and times of death. Many had fond memories of CYO games. As I reflected on my life, there are two who have come to mind and they are both from my current parish. I don't know if that's because I didn't pay attention when I was younger or if it's because my biggest spiritual growth has occurred over the last 4 years. Regardless of the reason, the 2 who came to mind were Father Sullivan and Father Shenosky.  Why? Because I always learned a valuable spiritual lesson from most of their homilies. I grew in my spirit what seems like a hundredfold since I've heard these priests preach. I truly believe God graced me with their work at the perfect time - during the beginning and the height of my growth.

We need to remember - especially in these times of trial for our priests - that they are a wonderful gift to us from Jesus Himself. They are here to lead us to Him. Whenever I get a chance to, I thank our parish priests for their wonderful preaching at Mass. They boosted my soul. They're leading me to Jesus. Like the gift Jesus gave to us on Good Friday around 2000 years ago - this is a gift which is impossible to repay. Instead of ridicule, we should thank and pray for our priests.

St. John Vianney, present our priests and their vocations to Jesus so that they have the strength and fortitude of the Holy Spirit while carrying out Jesus' instructions of so long ago.