Monday, June 08, 2009

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:

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

Sunday, June 07, 2009

October 18th a Day to Pray for Life and Peace


The World Apostolate of Fatima and the Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Located on Mountain View Road in Washington, NJ, will hold on October 18, 2009, a special day of prayer for the sanctity of life and peace. The event will be televised by EWTN from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Scheduled guests include Reverend Clement J. Machado, Reverend Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., Tony Melendez - Christian Singer, Joe DeVito - Artist and Sculptor of the Mary, Mother of the Life Within Statue, and MC and Special Guest Diana von Glahn.

Psalm 127:3 states, "Children too are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward."

I am reminded of Psalm 139:13-16, which says, "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be."

Please join in prayer for the Lord's blessing and mercy to enfold humanity and the unborn with God's grace for respect and love of life including world peace. Thank you very much for the kind prayer support.

The Pray for Life and Peace poster was displayed recently at the National Blue Army Shrine. The poster was photographed during my visit.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Catholic New Media Awards

Monday, June 01, 2009

Saint Bernadette's Incorrupt Body a Sign from God


Excerpt from Wikipedia regarding Saint Bernadette:

Bernadette Soubirous - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Saint Bernadette (born Maria-Bernada SobirĂ³s (Marie-Bernarde Soubirous)); January 7, 1844 – April 16, 1879), was a miller's daughter from the town of Lourdes in southern France. From February 11 to July 16, 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of 'a small young lady.' Despite initial skepticism from the Roman Catholic Church, these claims were eventually declared to be worthy of belief after a canonical investigation, and the apparition is known as Our Lady of Lourdes. After her death, Bernadette's body reportedly remained incorrupt, and the shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major site for pilgrimage, attracting millions of Catholics each year. On December 8, 1933, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church; her Feast Day is celebrated on April 16."

Excerpt from CatholicPilgrims.com :

A crystal coffin was made for Saint Bernadette's body. She was placed in a chapel in the Church of St. Gildard at the convent in Nevers where she lived for thirteen years. She has remained undisturbed and on view in this chapel since August 3, 1925. The Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction at Nevers are not secretive about the body of St. Bernadette. They welcome visitors, and encourage learning about the life example and messages of their sister saint.

For other news regarding signs, wonders and miracles, please visit Christian-Miracles.com

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Signs, Wonders, and Miracles - The Memorare



The Memorare
Intercessory Prayer to the Blessed Mother

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.

Amen


Photographed at St. Theodore Roman Catholic Church, located on 855 Route 57, Port Murray, New Jersey.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Archdiocese Investigates Seelos Miracle



The following excerpt is from an article written by George P. Matysek Jr. for The Catholic Review:

Go home and prepare to die.

That’s what Mary Ellen Heibel’s doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington told her May 11, 2004, after they discovered that the cancer that had attacked Heibel’s esophagus in 2003 and then a lymph node later that year had spread throughout her body.

At the suggestion of a Pittsburgh priest, Mary Ellen Heibel began praying a novena in 2005 to Blessed Francis X. Seelos – a 19th-century Redemptorist pastor of her parish who died of yellow fever in 1867 in New Orleans.

One week after she began the novena at her parish, Heibel’s cancer disappeared. Gone were tumors in both lungs, her liver, back and sternum. When Dr. Michael Gibson, her doctor at Hopkins, called with the news, Heibel couldn’t believe it.

“I was just so excited. I called everyone,” the 71-year-old mother of four remembered. “I never thought in a million years this would happen.”

Told by her doctors that the unexplained healing could not be the result of her chemotherapy, Heibel is convinced that Blessed Seelos interceded on her behalf. “I know this had to be a miracle,” she said.

Archdiocesan officials are now investigating whether Heibel might just be right.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Our Lady of Czestochowa



The painting is a replica of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The picture is displayed behind the alter in Saints Peter and Paul Church, located on Route 46 in Great Meadows, New Jersey, USA.

Excerpt from CatholicTradition.org:

The miracles attributed to Our Lady of Czestochowa are many and most spectacular. The original accounts of them, some of them cures, are archived by the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Gora. Papal recognition of the miraculous image was made by Pope Clement XI in 1717.

For additional information regarding miracles associated with Our Lady of Czestochowa, please visit the following link:

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar