Remarkable Sunlight at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

By Loci B. Lenar

My visit to the Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday, July 31, 2010, included attending Mass at noon time. The Mass was celebrated by Father Paul Ruge with a few other visiting priest in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. While at the shrine, I had Father Paul bless some scapulars. I also took some interesting photographs of the sun, right above the amphitheatre. On top of the amphitheatre is a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which is also located right above the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Please consider visiting Christian-Miracles.com and reading Father Paul Ruge's interview with Fr. Hubert Schiffer. Father Schiffer miraculously survived the atomic explosion on August 6,1945 in Hiroshima, Japan. To read the story and to view a documentary trailer, please visit the following link: Rosary Miracle at Hiroshima

The World Apostolate of Fatima, USA, will hold Healing Masses throughout 2010 with Father Paul Ruge. Father Paul is the chaplain and spiritual advisor at the National Blue Army Shrine.

The Mass will begin with Divine Mercy Prayer at 3:00 PM in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Healing Masses will also include the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick right after the Homily. For any changes or updates on the Healing Mass schedule, please call the shrine at the following number (908) 689-1700.

The Healing Mass Schedule for 2010:

Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Catholic shrine is in scenic Warren County on 674 Mountain View Road, Washington, New Jersey, USA.

Copyright 2010 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

The Shrine of Saint Jude

Ascension of Jesus Christ

News Story by Loci B. Lenar

The Shrine of Saint Jude has a beautiful array of statues on display with lovely stained glass window art. The shrine is located on the premises of Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church.  The church is also a short distance from Route 80 and can be found on 100 Fair Street in Paterson, New Jersey.  The church pastor is Msgr. Thomas Coletta.

The Virgin Mary

My visit to the shrine on Thursday, February 11, began inside with photographing some eye-catching works of art including a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and a large window which shows the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The same window has a depiction of St Jude on the lower half.  In order to appreciate the artwork, I photographed the top and bottom of the window separately. 

  

Saint Jude

The stained glass shown below combines the Ascension of Jesus Christ and Saint Jude into an exquisite window of art.  Anyone visiting the church will be delighted with the lovely interior.

St. Jude Heals King Abgar of Edessa

After taking some photographs, I knelt down in the church pew and prayed to Our Lord Jesus Christ for the needs of all who were visiting the church. Mass began at 12:00 noon and was followed by novena prayers.

Everyone in attendance joined together in prayer for the nine week Winter Solemn Novena in Honor of Saint Jude and Our Lady of Fatima.  The novena is prayed every week on Thursday.  The novena began on January 21st and will conclude on March 18th.

I mailed my petitions to the shrine in advance of the nine week novena and also requested a devotional candle to be lit for the nine week period. My novena included a request for an era of peace and for violence to be mitigated and extinguished throughout the world. 

   

Our Lady

After the church service, I walked outside and photographed an interesting statue of Our Lady.  On the prior day, New Jersey was covered with snow from a storm that had passed through the tri-state era.  A small amount of snow from Wednesday's inclement weather covers part of the statue. 

However, what I found to be remarkable is the beautiful blue eyes of Our Lady, which I payed no attention to while photographing the icon.  It wasn't until I arrived at home and examined the photos that I truly recognized the beauty of the artwork.  The statue is also showing some signs of aging with paint beginning to peel off in areas. 

Our Lady of Victories Church - Side Entranceway

In any event, the shrine's website indicates that Our Lady of Victories Church had been completed in 1892.  With that in mind, perhaps the church is now in need of some exterior restoration, specifically with the statues of Our Lady, and Saint Jude.

If you do decide to visit the shrine, please check the church schedule by calling the rectory at 973-279-0487, since doors are closed immediately on completion of Mass and right after the recitation of novena prayers.

Copyright 2010 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Lenar@Christian-Miracles.com

Woman Healed During Visit to Our Lady of Lourdes

Healing ‘gift’ from Lourdes visit frees ALS victim from wheelchair

The following story on Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that Antonia Raco claimed she was healed of ALS while visiting the shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

Turin, Italy, Aug 25, 2009 / 12:03 am (CNA).- A woman who suffered from a severe nerve disease now no longer uses her wheelchair and has even gone for a run, after she visited to Lourdes earlier in August. The woman credits the baths at Lourdes for the ‘gift’ of her improved health.

Antonia Raco, 50, had been in a wheelchair for four years because of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. She made a trip to the shrine at Lourdes on August 5.

''Ever since I came back I have been walking, doing everything normally, and I've even run,'' Raco told ANSA.Raco, who is from a village near the southern Italian city of Potenza, said she would rather talk about the change as “a gift, an act of mercy, rather than a miracle.”
She reported to ANSA that when she was in the healing bath at Lourdes, “I felt a voice encouraging me and a strong pain in my legs.”

On Tuesday, Raco will be examined by a specialist at the prestigious Molinette Hospital in Turin. The hospital’s specialist, Adriano Chiro, has been treating her since 2006, according to Italian news reports.

Lourdes, France has been the site of pilgrimage and devotion since the 1858 Marian visions of peasant girl St. Bernadette Soubirous at a grotto.

Following the guidance of the Virgin Mary, Bernadette scraped away soil besides the grotto until a spring of water began trickling out.

The spring produces 27,000 gallons of water every day. Many miracles have been attributed to the shrine’s waters and Our Lady of Lourdes.

(More details regarding the story can be found on Zenit.org)

A World in Peace with God's Love

The above contemporary icon is a three panel painting depicting a world of violence and suffering, followed by a future of hope and peace. The interesting design is crafted from a medievel triptych by artist Don Kuhn of Millington, NJ. The attention-grabbing artwork is actually displayed in horizontal order inside the Catholic church at the Shrine of Saint Joseph, located on Long Hill Road, Sterling, NJ.

From the bottom up, the icon illustrates a timeline of the world engulfed in hostility, war, violence, and chaos. As you approach the top, emerging on the right is a glimpse of God's light with a field of lilies, a future of possibilities with hope and peace as in Christ's resurrection. A new creation.

What world would you prefer to live in? A world of chaos or a world transformed and resurrected into the likeness of Jesus Christ?

In order to create positive change, nations and leaders must make a concerted effort to achieve mutual respect for human life, regardless of an individuals ethnic background and race or nationality. A world united with respect for one another is a world connected and living in God's peace.

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

(1 Corinthians 14:33)

In John 13:34, Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Jesus also said, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

My sincere hope is for God's blessing and grace to enfold humankind with love, respect, and peace.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Hall of Candles and Saints

Regarding saints and their intercessory help from heaven, Sirach 46:13 and 20 states, Beloved of his people, dear to his maker, dedicated from his mother's womb, Consecrated to the Lord as a prophet, was Samuel, the judge and priest. At God's word he established the Kingdom and anointed princes to rule the people. Even when he lay buried, his guidance was sought; he made known the King his fate, And from the grave he raised his voice as a prophet, to put an end to wickedness.

Wisdom 3: 7 and 9 states, In time of their visitation, they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

How do you pray for intercessory help through a saint?

One method is to pray a novena for 9 successive days as a private devotion. A novena can also be prayed once a week for 9 consecutive weeks. A novena is a prayer used to petition God for a specific need.

In the Catholic Church, it’s a common practice to pray for intercessory help through a particular saint. The saint intercedes on an individuals behalf before the throne of God. Through faith we believe that God answers our requests through the saint's intercession.

For additional information on praying a novena, please visit the following link: http://www.mycatholictradition.com/

For information on praying to a saint, please visit the following link:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp

Displayed from the right are Saint Jude, Saint Therese, and Saint Anthony.

During a recent visit to the Shrine of Saint Joseph, I made an offering for a candle to be lit for seven days on behalf of world peace and Christian Unity. Please join in prayer for the Lord to intervene in our world and change the course of history into an era of peace with unity. Thank you very much for the prayer support.

The Catholic shrine is located on 1050 Long Hill Road, Stirling, NJ, USA.

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com