June 15, 2020 Volume XII , Issue 6 ITE MISSA EST

A Newsletter from the Missions Office/Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Ohio What inspired Venerable Fulton Sheen to make a each day?

To monthly mission donors: the and threw it on the bedroom window. Thank you for your support! floor with all of the Sacred Hosts spilling out. The knew When Sheen heard the On behalf of His Excellency exactly how many hosts were in story, he was so inspired that he Robert J. Brennan, the Bishop of the ciborium: thirty-two. promised God he would make a Columbus, and Very Rev. Father holy hour of prayer before in Andrew Small, OMI, the National When the communists left, they the Blessed every day Director of the Pontifical Mission either did not notice, or did not pay of his life. Societies in the United States, I attention to a small girl praying at would like to thank you for your the back of the church who saw If this frail, little girl could give prayers, sacrifices and financial everything that had happened. That testimony and witness to the world, support for the missions. night the girl came back. Slipping concerning the real and wonderful past the guard at the priest’s house, presence of her Savior in the **************************** she went inside the church. There , then Bishop Before his death, Bishop Fulton she made the holy hour of prayer, Sheen was absolutely bound by all Sheen was interviewed on national an act of love to make up for the that was right and true to do the television. One of the questions acts of hatred. same. His sole desire from then on was this: “Bishop Sheen, you have was to bring the world to the inspired millions of people in the After the holy hour, she went to the burning Heart of Jesus in the world. Who inspired you? Was it a sanctuary, knelt down and bent Blessed Sacrament. Pope?” over, and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy , since it The little girl showed Bishop Bishop Sheen responded that it was not permissible for laymen to Sheen what true courage and zeal was not a Pope, a cardinal, or touch the Sacred Host with their really is; how faith could overcome another bishop, or even a priest or hands. fear, how true love for Jesus in the a nun. It was a little Chinese girl of , transcend life eleven years of age. The girl continued to come back itself. each night to make her Holy Hour He explained that when the and received Jesus in Holy What is hidden in the Host is the communists took over China, they Communion on her tongue. On the glory of His love. The sun in the imprisoned a priest in his own thirty-second night, after she sky is symbolic of the Son of God rectory near the Church. After they consumed the last thirty-second in the Blessed Sacrament. This is locked him up in his house, the host, she accidentally made a noise why most ’s are in a priest was horrified to look out his and woke the guard who was form of a sunburst. As the sun is window and see the communists sleeping. He ran after her and beat the source of all energy, the proceed into the church, where her to death with the butt of his Blessed Sacrament is the they went into the sanctuary and rifle. This act of heroic martyrdom supernatural source of all grace broke into the tabernacle. In an act was witnessed by the priest, as he and love. The Blessed Sacrament is of hateful desecration, they took watched grief-stricken from his Jesus, the Light of the world. June is dedicated to the Most Redemptor the value of the support for the mission work of the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion to the Sacred Heart. Church - for your kindness and generosity. The years I have spent This dedication has its origin in the Three Catholic practices in the Missions Office are the most appearance of Christ made to Saint that were developed by rewarding years in my life. For that, I praise the Lord. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French three young women from religious sister. different eras May God bless you and your loved After joining the Visitation ones. Farewell and thank you. Among the most beautiful of all Convent at Paray-le-Monial, Catholic practices are the **************************** France, in 1671, she began in 1673 of the Most Holy Body to receive visions revealing the Pope Francis’ June and , the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was Prayer Intention: Sacred Heart of Jesus and the rebuffed by her superior and by celebration of Divine Mercy. They The Way of the Heart: theologians for a time, about the are part of the Church’s liturgical We pray that all those who suffer validity of the visions, but she calendar because God graced three may find their way in life, allowing remained humble, obedient and young women, in different eras, to themselves to be touched by the charitable to them. be his instruments in the Heart of Jesus. development and implementation Christ gave her the task to teach **************************** and to encourage the devotion to of these special devotions. His Sacred Heart. It was based on A joke a priest can tell… Juliana of Cornillon (1192-1258), this Christly inspiration that Saint A minister died and went to heaven Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647- Margaret Mary was moved to and ahead of him at the Pearly Gate 90) and (1905- establish the Holy Hour and the was a guy in sunglasses and a 38) were holy women, and though Sacred Heart Devotion in the leather jacket and the guy said to originally unknown to many, were modern form. Saint Peter, not unknown to God. Each of them Prior to this time, there was a claimed to have received visions “I'm Joe Nestorenko, cab driver of devotion to the love of Jesus and to and messages from Jesus. While Las Vegas.” Saint Peter gave him a wounded heart of Christ, but not the Church does not ask us to golden robe and golden staff. established as the devotion is today. believe personal revelations, the results of their visions and impact And then it was the minister's turn. The practice encouraged by Saint on the Catholic faith are “I am Elmer Lundberg, of Margaret Mary, at the guidance of undeniable. Christ, included the Holy Hour on Zion Lutheran for forty five years.” Thursdays, to share the mortal Through the divinely inspired Saint Peter gave him a cotton robe sadness He endured when revelations of these three young and wooden staff. abandoned by His Apostles in His nuns, Holy Mother Church offers “But that man was a taxi driver? prayers, practices, and special agony, and to receive Holy and he gets a golden robe? And a Communion on the first Friday of celebrations that elevate us above golden staff?" Saint Peter said, every month. worldly things, and calls us to the “Up here, we go by results. While loving heart of Jesus, to his body you preached, people slept; while Additionally, He appointed through and blood, to his Divine Mercy. Saint Margaret Mary for the Friday he drove, people prayed.” after the of the feast of Goodbye and Thank You **************************** Corpus Christi to be the Leandro (Lany) Tapay, Director of the Sacred Heart. I have decided to retire as the Director of the Diocesan Missions Gina Sergio, Program Coordinator Saint Margaret Mary was Office effective June 22. It is more Visit us on the web at canonized in 1920 by Pope important now for me to be able to www.columbuscatholic.org Benedict XV and then in 1928, spend time with my wife, who has Follow us on Twitter Pope Pius XI reiterated in his been in frail health for quite awhile. Like us on Facebook encyclical Miserentissimus I would like to thank you for your Follow us on Pinterest