Religious painting expected to draw thousands to Worcester church

The video and excerpt is from NECN.com:

(NECN: Mike Cronin, Worcester, Mass.) - A religious painting is expected to draw thousands to a special church service in Worcester, Mass. Tuesday evening.

It's a painting of the Virgin Mary, and some say it can perform miracles.

It’s on display and bringing people together to see what some say is a miracle.

“I prayed from the bottom of my heart. I felt that Jesus and St. Mary are listening to me,” says Clara Elnerm.

The Elnemr family is one of many flocking to the St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester Tuesday. It's all to see a religious painting, called the Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Virgin Mary. Five years ago, a Hawaiian clergy member discovered his painting suddenly smelt of roses and was gushing myrrh, a type of oil.

“It's a miraculous icon that's performed many miracles,” says Walter Haddad.

The icon is touring the east coast this month, much to the delight of Haddad, the president of the east orthodox churches of central Massachusetts.

“The oil is supposed to be miraculous oil. That's why everybody's coming to be anointed with her tears.”

Clergy members say they don't worship the icon, rather they pray through it.

“Some people don't realize that miracles like this do happen. They do happen around us all the time,” says Milad Selim.

Father Selim is the dean of the cathedral. He's been anointing those who have come by to pay their respects.

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Religious Street Art? Local artist says why not?

The video and following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

When it comes to 'street art' most people think about graffiti. But this local Italian, is changing that perception...His art, is all about Christianity.

His projects include posters of Madonnas, Jesus and Saints. All of them placed in random Roman street walls. 

The 34 year old goes by the name of 'Mr. Klevra.' He works full time as an engineer and on his free time he designs religious posters.  His favorite style is Byzantine iconography.

Over the years he has posted roughly 300 posters throughout Rome and Florence. But he acknowledges that once posted, they are no longer his. They belong to the entire city.

As a Catholic, he says his inspiration comes from a combination of the Gospel, his family and every day life.

With so many churches in Rome, many of them often go unnoticed.  But he thinks it's this type of modern religious art, that leaves an impression and makes people stop, think and reflect.

His current project is not out on the street, but inside an architectural gallery in Rome. The theme is the Apocalypse.

What does interest him is exposing the message of Christianity, out in the open, in places other than churches, so that all people can be inspired as they go about their daily lives.

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Italian priest recognises Lourdes' '68th miracle'

Our Lady of Lourdes - Photo by Loci B. Lenar

French news | Expatica France

The following excerpt is from Expatica.com:

The case of a nun who started walking after being paralysed for years has become the 68th miracle to be recognised at the fabled French shrine of Lourdes, Catholic officials said Thursday.

The priest at Traverso's diocese of Casale Monferrato officially recognised it as a miracle at a mass Thursday, the Sanctuary administering the shrine said.

The incident happened in July 1965, when the nun, Luigina Traverso, started walking during a visit to the holy site. Born in 1934, the nun had been wheelchair-bound despite several operations for lumbar sciatica.

She "was overwhelmed by a sensation of warmth and well-being and warm sensation and felt the sudden impulse to get up," said the Catholic Silesian Sisters order, the Filles de Marie-Auxiliatrice.

"She started moving her paralyzed limbs," the order said.

More than 5,000 miraculous cures have been documented but the Catholic church has so far validated a mere 67. Traverso's case was yet to be officially recognised by the church.

The shrine at Lourdes is a destination for sick pilgrims many of whom are reported to be miraculously cured of their ailments after drinking the water there.

Read More: Lourdes 68th Miracle

A DECADE OF GRACE, CENTURIES OF MIRACLES

Reprinted with permission from The Standard-Times and www.SouthCoastToday.com

A DECADE OF GRACE, CENTURIES OF MIRACLES

By LINDA ANDRADE RODRIGUES

NEW BEDFORD,  Massachusetts — Catholics believe that Jesus Christ dwells in their midst and is present in the Eucharist because He said this is so.

"While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26)

Catholics believe this through an act of faith, yet there are prodigies of Eucharistic miracles recorded throughout the world.

The most preserved and scientifically studied Eucharistic miracle occurred during the 8th century in Lanciano, Italy.

According to an ancient document, a monk spoke the words of consecration, and the host changed into flesh and the wine into blood.

They are still intact and on display in the Church of St. Francis, built on the site of the original church.

In 1971, the latest team of medical and scientific experts examined the flesh and confirmed that it is striated muscular tissue of the human heart wall and the human blood is type "AB" — with both having no trace of agents used for preservation.

The extract summarizing the scientific work of the Medical Commission of the WHO and the UN, published in December 1976 in New York and Geneva, declared that "science, aware of its limits, has come to a halt, face to face with the impossibility of giving an explanation."

In honor of the 10th anniversary of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, Our Lady's Chapel will celebrate "A Decade of Grace," a six-day observance that will feature the Vatican International Exhibit "Eucharistic Miracles of the World," which will be on display from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 8-12 in Blessed John Duns Scotus Hall.

"When I go to the church (in Italy) and see the host, I see a miracle that is continual, our Lord is still really present. He has worked these miracles to help people who struggle with their faith to believe in Him," said the Rev. Louis Maximillian, FI, Father Guardian of the Chapel. "But I don't have to go to Lanciano. I can go to Our Lady's Chapel or one of the Catholic churches here in New Bedford, where the Lord is really present."

During the past 25 years, there has been an explosion of Eucharistic Adoration taking place, according to the friar.

"Maybe this is our Lord's way of helping people, particularly Catholics, rediscover their faith at a very critical moment in our history," he said.

The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate instituted Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration a decade ago with the blessing of the bishop.

"It's really a gift from our Lord, something our Lord wanted all along," said Father Louis. "We are simply trying to respond to our Lord's desires that He become better known and loved. We truly want Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration instituted in every Catholic parish."

Fifteen years ago, Father Louis was a young man attending The Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, Ga., one of the few churches for miles around that offered Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.

"Words cannot describe the impact this had on my own faith life," he said. "I had the privilege of being able to adore our Lord on a regular basis. There's no question that Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and devotion to Our Lady — the two pillars — were instrumental in my eventually being a priest."

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is the adoration of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

For the past 10 years, the Holy Eucharist has never been unattended at Our Lady's Chapel. The friars are responsible for covering adoration several hours each day, but most of the hours are covered by adorers, who pray the rosary, read Scripture or just sit quietly in the presence of the consecrated host in the monstrance.

"Whoever decides to participate commits to a fixed hour per week with the resolve to remain faithful to that commitment," said Father Louis. "It is a great act of faith that they make."

The celebration of the10th anniversary of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at Our Lady's Chapel will include talks on "Our Lady and the Eucharist" at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8-12, featuring the Rev. George Roth, FI, of the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Griswold, Conn., on Oct. 8; the Rev. Edward Murphy, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford, on Tuesday, Oct. 9; the Rev. Ron Floyd, parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish in Wareham, on Wednesday, Oct. 10; the Rev. David Mullen, pastor of St. Brendan Parish in Bellingham, on Thursday, Oct. 11; and the Rev. Monsignor Gerard O'Connor, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet, on Friday, Oct. 12.

All talks will be preceded by recitation of the Holy Rosary and followed by Benediction.

A Solemn Holy Mass will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, with principal celebrant Bishop George Coleman. The Mass will be preceded by the recitation of the Holy Rosary and followed by a reception.

For more information, call Our Lady's Chapel at (508) 996-8274. If you are interested in becoming an adorer, drop by the chapel anytime at 600 Pleasant St. in New Bedford, Massachusetts and talk to any of the friars.

Prayer for Vocations by Bishop Arthur Serratelli

Bishop Arthur Serratelli - Photo by Loci B. Lenar



Diocese of Paterson New Jersey

 Prayer for Vocations

Father, in the fullness of time,
 you sent your Son,

born of the Virgin Mary to be our Savior.
He preached the good news of our salvation, 

healed the sick and cast out evil.
Now as crucified and risen Lord,

he pours out on us the Holy Spirit of adoption,


making us your sons and daughters.
Through the Church, he calls us to accept the gospel 

and to share in your own divine life.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life for all people.
In your mercy, you do not abandon us.
In every age, 
you raise up men and women
 to offer their lives
for the sake of the gospel
 and the work of the Church.

We beg you, therefore,
 grant to this local Church of Paterson 

an increase of vocations 
to the priesthood and religious life.
Give us courageous and faithful men
 to serve
as worthy priests and deacons.
Bless us with generous and zealous 
men and women
 willing to seek holiness 
in consecrated life.
May we rejoice in an abundance
 of vocations from our families

so that we may yield a rich harvest of good works 

for your honor and glory.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
who lives and reigns
 with you and the Holy Spirit,

 One God, forever and ever.
Amen

+Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop of Paterson

The photograph of Bishop Serratelli was taken inside of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church, 427 Stanhope Road, Sparta, NJ.  To the left of Bishop Serratelli is a statue of Blessed Kateri who will be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.

 

‘Heaven Changes Everything’: How belief impacted a family

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Colton Burpo's New Book about Heaven - TODAY.com

The following excerpt is from Today.com:

Two years after the release of the best-selling book, “Heaven Is for Real,” telling the story of Colton Burpo’s near-death experience at age 4, Colton, his dad, Todd, and his mom, Sonja, speak about their second book, a devotional called “Heaven Changes Everything."

The story of Todd and Sonja Burpo's son Colton making a trip to heaven and back had an enormous impact on their lives. Their son's story came at a time when things were tough and the parents discovered that beliving in heaven can make all the difference.

Read More: Heaven Changes Everything