Thursday, August 1, 2013

Be Holy

Okay, I know I'm horrible at keeping this updated...There's such a thing as a MID-year resolution right? ;)

BLOG UPDATING! MUST BE BETTER!

This isn't even really much of an update...sooo...just watch this video...and then desire to be a Saint. Take the next step. Seriously.  What else is there?

Step messing around - Be Holy.


Sunday, April 7, 2013

Happy Birthday, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati! ...Yesterday! ;)


Called "The Man of the Eight Beatitudes" by Blessed John Paul II, Pier Giorgio was a young man who truly lived out his love for Jesus Christ. Born on April 6th, 1901 in Turin, Italy, Pier Giorgio went on to live a life full of adventure, prayer, and service to the poor.  He was born into a quite wealthy family, but as he grew and learned about the world around him, he started to use that wealth to help those without it:
   - He would often give his bus money to the poor, and then have to run home to make it for meals
   - He would give his shoes/coat to people without them
   - He got a job so that he could support numerous homeless people by buying them medications needed to keep them healthy.
   - When asked if he wanted a car or money after graduation, he said money, which he then promptly gave to the poor.

But his life was not just about this service. He was also quite the adventurer! He and his friends, a young group of guys, would often play practical jokes on each other, and go hiking up into the mountains.They would often play pool together...if his friends won, they would ask for money. If Pier Giorgio won, they all would have to go to Eucharistic Adoration for an hour with him! :)

                             

Pier Giorgio saw the Eucharist, prayer, and devotion to the Blessed Mother as the main pillars of his life. As a youth, he would often get up very early, run a few miles to Mass, then back home before breakfast. He did this without his parents knowing since he thought that they wouldn't approve. Family life was sometimes difficult for him because he felt that his parents didn't understand him very well.  While he would be joyful, active, and loud outside of the home, when it came to supper time he was often more subdued.

There is so much more to Pier Giorgio's life, and I encourage you to learn more! Try HERE! Or HERE!! He packed a lot into a short few years.  In the mid 1920s, he contracted polio, most likely from one of the poor he was taking care of, and died at the age of 24 - July 4th, 1925.  Since came from a wealthy family, his funeral was a big deal. Many well known, similarly wealthy figures were present. A surprise came to his parents, though, when thousands of poor and others from throughout the city showed up! They received a surprise to, as they found that this anonymous young man who was serving them turned out to come from such a wealthy family!

He was beatitufed by Blessed John Paul II on May 20th, 1990.  Truly a man to look to for a model of Christian living.  He most definitely put others before himself, but above all, God.

"Verso l'alto," he would often say: "Toward the top."


Be Holy.




Thursday, March 28, 2013

Boredom Buster Week

Boredom Buster Week 2013!! It's here!

As we progress through Holy Week and the Lord's Passion and Death, let us drawn closer to Him, sharing in His suffering through our sacrifices. Because as we share in the sufferings of His death...we also share in the JOYS of His Resurrection!!

Sunday is EASTER! And we, as Catholics, know how to party. :) Easter isn't just one day, but a whole week of intense celebration! Following that week, the party doesn't stop, either, but continues for the next 50 days until Pentecost. :) Praise the Lord!

Since it is also Spring Break next week, join in the party at St. Francis with our Boredom Busters! Here are the activities we'll be having throughout the week:
 *For Permission forms Click HERE!*
 *For a printable version of what is below, go HERE!*
 *And for just a neat flyer about the week...try this one - HERE!* :)



Come once or come each day---it’s up to you!

Monday, April 1 – Friday, April 5
Open to all students in grades 6-12.  Friends welcome!
Cost is: $3 per day or $12 for four or more events (Family max of $20)
If you’re around for spring break, there is no room for boredom here!
Monday, April 1st: Just Show Up – A Fieldtrip to La Crosse, WI – 1:00pm – 10/10:30pm
Meet in the Activity Room at 1:00pm to carpool over to La Crosse, WI! We will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, exploring the beautiful outdoors! For supper, we’ll be hanging out with the brief time of prayer in a crypt chapel, and then ice cream! We’ll return to Rochester around 10/10:30pm. Note: An extra permission slip is required for this trip (found on the back of the normal one. Limited spaces available!


Tuesday, April 2nd: Photo Scavenger Hunt! – 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Join us in the activity Room to begin the HUNT! Sign up in teams of 2-4 people.  Each team should dress in a team color and will be asked to come up with a team name.  Clues will be given to help teams in their search and one team will be awarded the grand prize.  After the hunt we will spend the rest of the time playing games in the Activity Room.  Cheese pizza will be provided after the scavenger hunt, please eat lunch before you come. 

Wednesday, April 3rd: Resurrection Party – 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Christ is Risen! Praise the Lord! Come celebrate Easter with games, music, Resurrection rolls, and more! This is a celebration you don’t want to miss! Easter is celebrated for weeks after the day of, so let’s join in the party! We’ll start in the Activity Room

Thursday, April 4th: Movie and Game Night 5:00- 9:00 pm
This night will be all about fun and games.  Bring a cozy blanket to watch a fun movie!  Before the movie we’ll play board and card games, have some pizza and get to know each other!  Participants should bring a blanket to watch the movie and a board game to share with the group.  Again, in the Activity Room!

Friday, April 5th: Service Day - 2:00-5:00 pm
Come join us in the Activity Room for a day of service.  We will learn a little bit about the different ways we can serve, and then participate in some of these works of mercy. It is always good to help our fellow neighbors!



Permission Forms for Boredom Buster Week can be found on the Kiosk or at the links above!
Checks can be made out to St. Francis of Assisi Church
Questions? Please Contact:
Matthew Edens • Youth Ministry Coordinator • 289-2427 • youthminister@stfrancis-church.org


 

Friday, February 1, 2013

March for Life!

March for Life - 2013
March for Life 2013

...what an amazing experience! Next year, if you're able to go...go! It is amazing to see that many people (that many youth!) courageously defending life.

Of course, once again this year as in years past, the mass media chose not to really give the March all that much coverage.  There were 650,000 people peacefully walking past the capital building and supreme court to demonstrate that abortion is wrong...the only news story that I saw said "A few thousand anti-abortion..."  Hmm. No mention of Pro-Life, no mention that there were more than half a million people there! Sad indeed.

The experience though, was very neat. Mass and Youth Rally with 17,000 high school and college students, seeing the Sisters of Life and other faithful religious orders running around, taking a 20 hr bus ride across the country, touring the largest Catholic Church in North America! So great! I promised pictures...so...here you go :) You can find them HERE!

Some highlights:
- Lunch with the Sisters of Life!
- Rosary, Mass, and Youth Rally with 17,000 students!
This is just before Mass! All the empty seats are for priests. :)
- Praying at St. Matthew's Cathedral, in the St. Anthony Chapel, infront of a mosaic of St. Francis of Assisi! A candle is lit there for all of the St. Francis parishoniers in Rochester. :)
- The March with 650,000 other defenders of LIFE
- Uniting our sufferings of fatigue, discomfort on the bus, freezing weather, hunger, and pain to the Cross of Christ, in order that He might use our suffering to help those who are unborn.

Praise the Lord!

Be Holy.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

March for Life

My goodness! I haven't posted on here all year! *sigh*

Well...better start it off right...Happy New Year! ;)

 Happy new year graphicsHappy new year graphics

Now, onto the good stuff...kind of...

Today is an interesting day in the history of our country. Forty years ago, abortion became legal. What a tragedy...Blessed Teresa of Calcutta pretty much sums up my thoughts about that: 

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters" 

"And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." (Mother Theresa -- "Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14)

"Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants." - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

It's pretty ridiculous...Since that day 40 years ago, at least 55 million abortions have taken place in America. This is why myself and a few students from St. Francis of Assisi Parish will be joining the close to 500,000 others in Washington DC this week for the National March for Life. It's really time that we stepped it up as a society...took responsibility for our own actions regarding sex...and realize where we are. Even the woman who fought for her abortion in Roe vs Wade, the case that started this, is now pro-life! Praise the Lord.
Check it out HERE!

Also, watch this video!! We'll be there!


Also...Be Holy.


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Dec 22nd AND Dec 23rd, 2012

Happy 4th Sunday of Advent!!
Such a short 4th week this year...just one day long!
My apologies...A Christmas party and a very busy day caused me to miss posting yesterday's Antiphon! So today you get two. :) Praise the Lord!

Dec 22 - O King of the gentiles and their desired One, the cornerstone that makes both one: come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth. (No reflection today, but you can find the chant music/Latin HERE!)

Dec 23 - O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God. (No reflection today, but you can find the chant music/Latin HERE!)

A few things going on in yesterday's antiphon...O King of the gentiles....Jesus was is typically called the King of the Jews, as He is the King, Lord/Messiah they have been waiting for. Here we see Him referred to as the King of the gentiles, no non-Jews, as well! He is the cornerstone, or foundation of all the nations on Earth, and indeed, everyone's savior.  We cry to Him, who formed us all in the first place, to come and save us from this mess of sin and darkness that we have gotten ourselves into.

For today's, the last of the O Antiphons...O Emmanuel.  Emmanuel means "God with us", so the first part is simply a repeating of the phrase. Jesus, our King and lawgiver...He came to save ALL the nations! We know we need help from sin and death, although many might not know that what, or who, they are hoping for is actually Jesus. The Savior. He comes to save us...Rejoice! :)

The O Antiphons, while great prayers to meditate on before Christmas, also contain a hidden message! The picture above contains the 7 names of Christ found in the antiphons, in the original Latin, the official language of the Catholic Church. In order, they are Sapientia (Wisdom), Adonai (Lord), Radix (Root), Clavis (Key), Oriens (Dawn), Rex (King), and Emmanuel (Emmanuel).  If you take the first letters of each of those names, and work back words, you get EROCRAS, or "ero cras,"... which is a Latin phrase meaning "I will be (there) tomorrow."  And tomorrow...Christmas Eve night, is when we celebrate the Birth of Christ...Beautiful!

I love being Catholic. :)

Be Catholic.
Be Holy!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Dec 21st, 2012

December 21st! The end of the world? False! Matthew 24:36...look it up. :) We know neither the day nor the time. So take courage, and keep living radically for Jesus Christ! :) Praise the Lord!

Today is also the Winter Solstice...the shortest day of the year!

 

Things only get brighter from here! How fitting that this day happens so close to Christmas, when we celebrate the Light of the World coming to Earth. :) This theme is also reflected in the Antiphon for today. Check it out:

Dec 21st - O dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Dawn of the east...the sun...the SON! He comes to cast out sin and darkenss and death! What hope we have in Christ! Pray that He may enter your own sin and darkness...He will heal you. Be prepared, though, to be used by Him in wonderous ways! He will use you to your full potential to help others defeat their own darkness...what an adventure life with Christ is. :) Praise the Lord!

Check out a deeper reflection HERE again by Fr Z.


And...

Be Holy.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Dec 20th 2012

So much snow today! Praise the Lord!



Dec 20th - "O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: come, and lead forth the captive who sits in the shadows from his prison."

Christmas is so close! But we must not miss out on the graces of these last few days of Advent. The O Antiphons continue.  Today's mentions Christ as the "Key of David."  David being King David of the Old Testament.  David was Jesse's son...and Jesse was mentioned in yesterday's antiphon! This is family that Jesus came from, as we know from both the prophets, as well as the geneology of Christ found in the Gospel of Matthew 1:1-17.

Jesus as the Key of David...He can both open and close doors in our lives...whatever He wants! This is BEAUTIFUL! God is leading us. We might not understand or like the doors that open or close...but we must keep in mind that God is leading us somewhere. He has a plan for us, a mission, for each one of us. If we pray, pay attention, and keep seeking holiness, we will find and fulfill that plan. And because it is given by God, it will be the absolute best plan for us in this life, leading us to life in the next. Praise the Lord!

But even deeper meaning...Remember in the Gospel when Jesus gives St. Peter the keys to the kingdom? Jesus is that Key! St. Peter, the first pope, was given that Key. Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, and promised to be with us until the end of the age. Mmm. Check out more reflection related to that idea, again by Father Z, HERE!

In other news, this is coming up soon!!! Invite friends!



Be Holy.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Dec 19th 2012





We continue with our O Antiphons as we get closer and closer to Christmas...The third one of the Seven:

Dec 19th - "O Root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come, to deliver us, and tarry not.." Reflection by Father Z - HERE! Read it! It helps so much to understand the true meaning behind these verses! :)

This antiphon happens to be one of my FAVORITE verses in the song O Come O Come Emmanuel, especially in the version linked below. The verse starts at 2:02. Take a listen!


Simply beautiful. Our Church is so rich with sacredness!

In other news...huge snow storm coming towards St. Francis tonight!!

Be safe...
Be Holy.