Novena to St. Jude

St. Jude

Our Parish hosts an annual Novena to St. Jude, which is wrapping up tomorrow. (The Feast of St Jude is on October 28th.) It’s been a wonderful prayer experience.

Here’s a beautiful prayer to St. Jude, who is a great intercessor.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.

Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly –
(make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

The Economic Document

The world is all abuzz with the new Vatican Document on the Economy presented this morning. A major problem is that it’s impossible to imagine a world with the United Nations functioning as the key financial player, while at the same time having a just world.

Michael Gorbachev is saying basically the same thing as the Vatican.

So is George Soros.

there are some good ideas here (obviously). Yet paragraphs like this one are problematic for me:

In view of the unification of the world engendered by the complex phenomenon of globalization, and of the importance of guaranteeing, in addition to other collective goods, the good of a free, stable world economic and financial system at the service of the real economy, today the teaching of Pacem in Terris appears to be even more vital and worthy of urgent implementation.

Urgent implementation?

No one can be content with seeing man live like “a wolf to his fellow man”, according to the concept expounded by Hobbes.

So we’re denouncing Hobbes, and at the same time promoting an urgent growth of a Hobbesian culture into a worldwide political and economic might, which will somehow be very equitable, fair and just.

It’s a hard sell, to say the least.

The Thirtieth Sunday

WYDNOLA 2011

Today was World Youth Day, which in New Orleans was held at Loyola University’s Rec Plex. I had not been in the Rec Plex since I used to go jogging on the indoor track there back in seminary, and I was suddenly feeling very out of shape.

The Mass was great, and catching up with so many people beforehand was a gift as well.

When John Paul II called for World Youth Days, which are held every several years around the world, he also called for regional events which would address the themes each year. The Bishop’s of the USA have declared the last Sunday in October to be World Youth Day throughout the land.

It was a very nice day.

Today was also World Mission Sunday, which I addressed at Mass, though no photo ops presented themselves!

Olde Car

However, one of our Parishioners has a collection of great old cars that he shows up in from time to time. Today it was this antique Model A Ford. Or, Ford Model A.

Olde Car Grille

Isn’t it a beauty?

Model A Engine

And check out that engine!

Festive Decorations

We also had coffee and donuts in the prayer garden after Masses.

I was here for several weeks before I discovered the prayer garden, and many parishioners don’t realize it exists either. It’s an undiscovered treasure, and a pleasant surprise. I often go out here before Masses.

Lovely Ladies

And here are some of the lovely ladies and gents who make up our St. Jude Society. They were after me to take pictures of everyone during fellowship after Mass, but I rarely have my camera with me right after Mass ends. Well, in fact I never have my camera with me after Mass ends. Later, when I did have it, everyone was gone or it was between Masses.

Priesthood has enough challenges without worrying about photographic ones.

Coconutty Rolls

In between everything I made some coconut rolls again. It’s one of those situations where I’m trying to make sure I have the recipe down and, while these are not exactly like the ones at Duong Phuong, they are fantastic in their own right.

Shaback

The Entrance Hymn at the Youth Mass was Shaback. I had never heard it before, but liked it. Awesome Gospel Choir, too.

Piano

Garrett was playing with the band for most things, he does a great job… and here he is acing the page turn.

This got me thinking, because he is turning the page with his left hand. And what I was thinking is that I could never turn the page with my left hand.

But, then I realize that I honestly cannot remember which hand I turn the page with. Is it the right, or is it the left? I’ve probably turned hundreds of thousands of pages since my teens, and I have no clue. As long as it’s completely silent I’m fine with it; it’s a completely unconscious act otherwise. Once during a choral competition, an air vent came on and wafted the music in front of me off of the piano; I kept playing with one hand and reached out and grabbed the music in midair with the other.

Everyone must switch off hands depending on what’s going on though, in the score. I’m going to go figure this out tomorrow so I can sleep peacefully once again.

The Sanctuary

Love of God, love of neighbor; living a life of mission in Jesus Christ, spreading the Word as we may while doing what God wills for us, in true freedom of spirit.

All in all this was a great day, and a very long day. See you on the flip side… Peace, out.

Swanning About

Black Swan

Our nearby park has lots of black swans.

So I looked them up today and realized they are from Australia, and then started wondering why we would have them here. And then, I looked them up here and found thousands of gorgeous black swan pictures at our local bird sanctuary.

I guess I had missed that point.

And, I guess I had best start practicing up for some better black swan pictures.

This morning at Mass one of our students was baptized. It was truly a great morning.

And tomorrow, October 22 is the Feast Day of John Paul II.

Outside Rome and Poland, bishops will have to file a formal request with the Vatican to receive permission to mark the feast day, the decree said. The local-only celebration of a blessed’s feast is one of the most noticeable differences between being beatified and being canonized, which makes universal public liturgical veneration possible.

The text of the opening prayer for the Mass in honor of Blessed John Paul is: “O God, who are rich in mercy and who willed that the Blessed John Paul II should preside as pope over your universal church, grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching, we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ, the sole redeemer of mankind. Who lives and reigns.”

So, tomorrow is Saturday of the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and it is not the Feast of John Paul II here. Yet at least.

May the late and great John Paul II continue to pray for the great Church he shepherded.

The Rev. Kenneth Allen