Art Auction to Raise funds for the restoration of The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain a success.

Well, I missed the Art Sale to raise funds for the Renovation of the Cathedral. I am reliably informed that of the 128 pieces 49 were not sold. The good thing was that if 49 were not sold then 79 were sold. Great job guys!

Below, Father Kenneth Assing, The Administrator of the Cathedral views what may be a Kenderson Noray work.

Feast of the Guardian Angels

Today (October 2nd) is the feast of the Guardian Angels.

The painting above is known as Heilige Schutzengel by Lindberg. Heilige Schutzengel is German for Holy Guardian Angel, it is known in English as the Guardian Angel, Angel and Bridge, Angel at the Bridge & etc. It is an extremely popular image with many, many variations back at least to Victorian times


GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER
for Feast day of October 2nd)

Dear Angel at my side,
my good and loyal friend,
you have been with me since the moment I was born.
You are my own personal guardian,
given me by God as my guide and protector,
and you will stay with me till I die.
He who created you and me
gave me to you as your particular charge.
You assisted in great joy at my baptism,
when I became part of the Mystical Body of Christ,
and was made a member of the household of God
and an heir of heaven.
You saw the dangers that beset my path,
and, if I sinned,
it was in spite of you.
You envied me when Christ came to me in Holy Communion.
Even though you probably were there
among the angels that adored Him
the night that He was born,
you have not been able to receive Him as I can.
O, help me to appreciate these gifts!
Help me to realize, as you do,
with every fiber of my being,
that to serve Christ is to be a King!
Help me steadfastly to avoid evil
and do good and always guard my soul from sin.
Protect me as well from physical evils
as I go about my daily work.
You will be with me all my life,
and at the hour of my death.
Help me to face death bravely, patiently,
with great love of God,
knowing that it is only through death
that I can come to Him in heaven!
Then, come with me to my Judge,
and when the hour of my salvation comes,
take me home to my Father, God.

Amen

Trinidad Pilgrims at World youth day 2011 in Mocejon Spain

I got these off of Youtube:


Saint Domincs Home Feeling hot in Macejon:

Cathedral Members talk about World Youth day 2011

The Caribbean Catholic asked some questions of the pilgrims to world youth day 2011.

How was it?
Do you feel your life has been changed by the experience?
Are you proud to be a catholic?
How were your hosts?
Did you encounter any of the anti world youth day people/protesters?
Did you have a single most moving moment and what was it?Did it meet your expectations?
How was the rest of the group?

Drew Ramsingh of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain talks about his World Youth Day Experience:

My experience at the World Youth Day was a really great one. My life has been changed by the experience as I have become strengthened in my faith. I am very proud to be a practising Catholic.

My hosts were an elderly couple who were very welcoming. Their children, who were in their 30s, were very friendly and provided a full Catholic Spanish family environment.

I didn't encounter any anti-World Youth Day people/protesters. Some of the other Trinidadian pilgrims encountered them however.

The single most moving moment for me was at the last English-speaking cathechesis session. I was so moved by the moment, seeing different cultures from countries across the world joining to celebrate after the mass in a small space, that is, in a chapel. The sight of this blend truly showed why Catholic means universal.

The rest of the group was very entertaining at times, and always kept me feeling like I was home in Trinidad so I was never home-sick.

God Bless you Drew.

Cherise also tells us about her experience:

I came back to Trinidad disappointed in the outcome of my World Youth Day Experience and I remember feeling the extreme need to restore my spirit to quiet and calmness upon my return. So extreme was it,that I stayed away from all duties and I placed myself in isolation for a while (actually about 3 weeks) - just to think.

And then I got an email. I was asked some important questions, 'what did Spain do for me?', 'Am I proud to be Catholic?' The headache started because I couldn't figure it out. (Yes Caribbean Catholic, you gave me a headache! Lol)

Then finally during a meeting at confirmation class last Saturday it dawned on me. The theme of WYD was, 'Firmes en el fey' Firm in the faith! I saw in my mind's eye, each moment where my faith was shaken in Spain, where I had every plausible excuse to turn away and because of that, I came back home confused. It took me that isolated while to see again the beauty of being catholic.

So yes, I am very proud to be Catholic!!! You see,we recognize that we all are sinners and we try to become better people despite contrary influences...and we pray. And we try to imitate Christ as in the way He loves. If we love as He loves, we won't turn away others but we would love them nonetheless. I know this sounds far-fetched. But I saw it so easy to turn away and to despise what and who is not of Christ. Hence the reason for my isolation period.

But before mass on Thursday, Sr Eunice asked me, 'Cherise,what would Jesus do?' I saw then the 'Firmes en el fey' banner in my mind. Our Church, our Faith emphasizes Love! That's what Jesus would do. He would love. Even on the Cross He loved. Here I saw that had it not been for my Catholic Faith, had I not been planted and built up, rooted in Christ Jesus, I would have turned away. The truth is, I didn't come back home confused, rather I came back rooted even more deeply in Christ, solid, unshaken and so sure of my Faith and the Rock on which I stand.

May God continue to bless you Cherise.

The Pilgrims publicly thank our Parish and Administrator for all the help they recieved in funding the trip. Again Cherise:

A special, special gratitude to my Parish. I know efforts were made in fund raising for myself, Drew and Runako, at a time when we had so much else of importance going on. From the bottom of our hearts we thank our Parish Administrator- Fr Assing and our parish priests who supported us and offered their prayers for our journey. We are deeply grateful to all those who helped with the fund raising and to all parishioners who kept us in their prayers while we were away...thank you.

The Legion of Christ - Who are they?

Who are the Legions of Christ. Well according to Wikipedia they are as follows:

..a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005. The Legion of Christ has priests working in over 22 countries, and had 889 priests and 2,373 seminarians as of December 31, 2010. In the U.S. it operates 9 schools (and asists at several others), a start-up university in Sacramento and two of a small number of seminaries for teenage boys currently operating in the US.

Its lay movement Regnum Christi has approximately 70,000 members.In Mexico, the Legionaries administer the Anahuac University Network.It operates centers of education (minor seminaries, seminaries, schools and/or universities) in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Israel, Korea, Poland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, and the Philippines.

The most important fields of their apostolic work are education, youth and family ministry, evangelization (especially in the mission territory of the Mexican State of Quintana Roo in the Yucatán Peninsula), and social work. The Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi seek to collaborate with the local churches by lending help and support to the bishops and parish priests as they carry out their diocesan pastoral programs.

Members of the Legion take vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. They originally took a private vow of charity, promising never to criticize their superiors. This private vow was originally opposed by the Vatican when it chartered the Legion decades ago, but that opposition disappeared after a final decision by the Vatican. This vow was repealed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. Their private vow of humility remains intact.

The Legion's spirituality can be described as four loves: love for Christ, love for Mary, love for souls, and love for the Church and Pope.

Love for Christ is, for Legionaries, a personal experience. Through the Gospel, the Cross, and the Eucharist, Legionaries come to know Christ intimately, and love him in a passionate way by embracing him as their model of holiness.

Love for Mary flows from imitating Christ; the Blessed Virgin is loved as both Mother of the Church and of the individual Legionary's vocation. Legionaries consecrate their spiritual and apostolic lives to her care, and seek to take on her virtues of faith, hope, charity, obedience, humility, and cooperation with Christ's plan of redemption.

Love for Souls is expressed in an ardent desire to spread Christ's kingdom in this world. Legionaries try to use every moment of their time to help the greatest number of souls know and love Christ. They want to be able to say when they get to Heaven that they never wasted one minute or one soul.

Finally, there is Legionaries' love for Church and Pope. The Church is loved because it is the Body of Christ, and the beginning of his Kingdom on earth. Legionaries see the Church both as she currently stands and as Christ wants her to be. Thus Legionaries honor her by faith, submit to her in obedience, win souls for her through evangelization, and put her above all other earthly things in their lives. This love of the Church leads many in the Legion to speak of being "always in step with the Church, neither ahead nor behind." It also explains the Legionaries' special affection for the Pope, who is supported in his charism of primacy and magisterium. All bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff, as the Apostles' successors and teachers of the Catholic Faith, are likewise honored.


According to the Wall Street Journal, "The Legion of Christ...became a global phenomenon in Catholicism over the past few decades by joining a devotion to orthodoxy and secrecy with an equal fidelity to the Legion's charismatic founder, Father Marcial Maciel, who helped his community's cause by liberally dispensing funds to hierarchs in Rome. Other bishops complained of the Legion's cult-like aspects, but it was only in 2006, when the truth of Maciel's extensive record of sexual abuse and financial shenanigans was finally acknowledged, that the Vatican forced the elderly priest from ministry and launched an investigation."

The Vatican denounced the Legions head and released a statement:

"very serious and objectively immoral acts" of Fr. Marcial Maciel, which were "confirmed by incontrovertible testimonies" represent "true crimes and manifest a life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment," the Vatican said. The Vatican said the Legion created a "mechanism of defense" around Maciel to shield him from accusations and suppress damaging witnesses from reporting abuse. "It made him untouchable," The statement decried "the lamentable disgracing and expulsion of those who doubted" Maciel's virtue.

The Vatican statement did not address whether the Legion's current leadership will face any sanctions. Actions taken by the current Legion leadership will be scrutinized; but no specific sanctions were mentioned, amid suspicion that at least some of the current leaders must have been aware of Maciel's sins. The Vatican acknowledged the "hardships" faced by Maciel's accusers through the years when they were ostracized or ridiculed, and commended their "courage and perseverance to demand the truth."

As a result of the visitation, Benedict XVI named Archbishop (now Cardinal) Velasio De Paolis as the Papal Delegate to oversee the Legion and its governance on July 9, 2010.

A

Jesus given lemons, wants to make lemonade

Zenit Founder Jesus Colina Fired from Zenit by Legionnaires of Christ
by John-Henry Westen
Thu Sep 29, 2011 ROME, September 29, 2011
(LifeSiteNews.com)


Jesus Colina, still in his early 40s, is one of the more dynamic Catholic laymen in the world. 14 years ago he founded Zenit News agency which soon became the largest Catholic news service in the world. He spoke with LifeSiteNews today from Rome explaining how, despite founding the service, he has now been terminated from it.

There will be much more heard from Colina in a new and very significant career change, but that is for another story.

Inside the Vatican put Colina in their top ten people of 2006. While running the major news service Colina found the time to raise three children with his wife Giselle in Rome.

The involvement of the Legion of Christ with Zenit was a natural thing, Colina said in a phone interview from Rome. He was a member of Regnum Christi, a lay group of the Legionnaires and it was a custom of a layman running a Catholic organization to associate it with a religious order as a guarantor of orthodoxy.

Colina doesn’t regret the relationship either. “We did beautiful things together,” he says without bitterness.

The main points of contention which led to his dismissal surrounded Colina’s concerns about the reputation of the Legion of Christ and its affect on the reputation of Zenit. “Especially in countries where that relationship was known,” he said, there were problems due to the scandal about the head of the Legionnaires, Fr. Maciel.

Beyond this, Colina was wanting to ensure there would be transparent financial accountability and long term sustainability.

To solve these difficulties Colina suggested opening the governing board to other religious communities and creating an editorial board consisting of other media professionals.

In the end, he said, it came down to a perceived lack of trust with the Legion and thus the decision to terminate the relationship.

Colina is in good spirits. He has big plans which will be revealed shortly, and remains a man on a mission to promote faith and life.

Good KIng Wenceslas

Wednesday (September 28th) is the feast of Saint Wenceslas. He was born in 907 near Prague, son of the Duke of Bohemia. His saintly grandmother, Ludmilla, raised him and sought to promote him as ruler of Bohemia in place of his mother, who favored the anti-Christian factions. Ludmilla was eventually murdered, but rival Christian forces enabled Wenceslaus to assume leadership of the government.

His rule was marked by efforts toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church and peace-making negotiations with Germany, a policy which caused him trouble with the anti-Christian opposition. His brother Boleslav joined in the plotting, and in September of 929 invited Wenceslaus to Alt Bunglou for the celebration of the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian (September 26). On the way to Mass, Boleslav attacked his brother, and in the struggle, Wenceslaus was killed by supporters of Boleslav.

Although his death resulted primarily from political upheaval, Wenceslaus was hailed as a martyr for the faith, and his tomb became a pilgrimage shrine.



Sung by Candice Night from Blackmore Night

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me bread and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel