VOL. 3 NO. 9 PARISH NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER, 2015 ST . GREGORY THE GREAT September 3 . Gregory was born in 540 in Rome. His father was a senator. His mother is a saint, St St. Celia. Gregory studied philosophy and while still young, became governor of Rome. When is father died, Gregory turned his large house into a monastery. For several years he lived as a good and holy monk. Then Pope Pelagius made him one of the seven deacons of Rome. When the pope died, Gregory was chosen to take his place. He did not want that honor at all. He was so holy and wise, however, that everyone knew he would be a good pope. Gregory even disguised himself and hid in a cave, but he was found and made pope anyway. For fourteen years he ruled the Church. Even though he was always sick, Gregory was one of the greatest popes the Church has ever had. He wrote many books and was a wonderful, preacher. He cared for people all over the world. In fact, he considered himself the servant of all. He was the first pope to use the title “servant of the servants of God.” All the popes since have used this title. St. Gregory took special, loving care of poor people and strangers. Every day he used to feed them a good dinner. He was also very sensitive to the injustices people suffered. Once, when he was still a monk, he saw some blond boys up for sale in the slave market of Rome. He asked where they were from and was told that they were from England. The saint felt a great desire to go to England to bring the love of Jesus to those pagans. When he became pope, one of the first things he did was to send some of his best monks to convert the English to Christ. The last years of this holy pope’s life were filled with great sufferings, yet he continued working for his beloved Church until the very end. St. Gregory died on March 12, 604. Every morning we can decide to do at least one good deed of kindness during the day. ~ Saints For Young Readers for every day Volume 2 2 THE EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM 1370 here are five stained-glass windows gracing the side nave of the +++++++++ T cathedral which take us through the stages of this Eucharistic mira- cle. They were installed at various times from 1436 to 1870. The kings In the cathedral in Brussels of Belgium, Leopold I and Leopold II, presented the first windows on the there are many artistic lower level. The others were gifts from various noble families of the testimonies to a Eucharis- country. tic miracle which took place in 1370. Desecrators The first ten windows (eight on the right side of the nave, close to the stole some consecrated choir loft, and two below on the left side of the nave) represents the his- Hosts and pierced Them tory of the miracle as it came to Brussels in the middle of the 15th cen- with knives as an act of tury. The ancient document reads: “In 1369 a rich merchant from En- rebellion. From these ghien who hated the Catholic religion, had some consecrated Hosts sto- Hosts came a flow of len. He worked with a young man Louvain. The merchant was assassi- living Blood. This miracle nated mysteriously a few days later. His widow, surmising that this was venerated up until was a punishment from Heaven, immediately got rid of the hosts by giv- just a few decades ago. ing them to friends of her husband. These friends were also enemies of There are many reliquaries religion. of different eras which have been used to contain “On Good Friday 1370, the friends met in a private ceremony and be- the miraculous Hosts of gan to slash the hosts with knives, and the Hosts began to bleed! The the Miracle du Saint desecrators were badly frightened and in their turn entrusted the Hosts Sacrement. These reli- to a well-known Catholic merchant. quaries have been kept to this day in the museum “This merchant revealed the whole story to the curate of the Church of near the cathedral, in an Notre Dame de la Chappelle in Brussels. The curate took posses- ancient chapel of the sion of the Hosts and the desecrators were condemned to death by the Blessed Sacrament. There Duke of Brabant. The Hosts were taken in procession to the Cathedral are also 18th-century of St. Gudula”. tapestries representing the miraculous event. The Eucharistic miracle remains an important part of the traditions of Brussels and is something of a national symbol. +++++++++ ~ The Eucharistic Miracles of the world-Real Presence Eucharistic Education And Adoration Association, Inc. Publisher Rev. Arlindo Paul Da Silva Pastor Staff Editor email [email protected] Jeannette Horai Editor Sue Ellen Bibby The Newsletter will be published Roberta Maurer Pat Lorenc MONTHLY 3 We shouldn’t spend money on building fancy churches. Misconception #8 hat may be your view, but it hasn’t been the view of most Catholics through the centuries. The T Church has been around a long time and has been the recipient of the love and gifts of millions of Catholics. Take a look at an older church in your city. It’s probably ornate. The rich decorations were donated by members of the parish in praise of and in thanksgiving to God and in honor of the saints. Catholics believe there’s much sense in ecclesiastical art, so we’ve always been generous in underwrit- ing lovely churches-this was especially true of Catholics who lived some generations or centuries ago and who, though poor by today’s standards, took pride in making the house of God a real house, not just a barn. In the middle ages peasants contributed, as their means permitted, to the erection and maintenance of their cathedrals. Some labored in stone and brick, others hauled lumber, some prepared meals for the workers. The best architects and stonemasons compete for the honor of constructing magnificent churches. In many towns construction lasted decades, sometimes centuries, and much of the labor was donated. In this the people followed Scripture. Recall that God ordered the Jews to build a magnificent temple in Jerusalem (2 Sam 7:13). Jesus commended the poor widow for contributing to the upkeep of the temple (Lk 21:2). He rebuked Judas, who complained about using precious oil in Jesus’ honor instead of selling it and giving the proceeds to the poor (Jn 12:3-5). All this argues in favor of the churches some people criticize. Remember: Jesus is enhanced through magnificent surroundings. We’re spirit and body, and the body has senses, and it makes sense to make use of those senses in worship. One way to do that is to use finely appointed churches. I recall visiting the impressive parish church in Mount Angel, Oregon, a small town settled by immi- grants in the nineteenth century. They erected what may be the loveliest church on the West Coast. Its intricate wood carvings and stunning ceiling reminded me, as no bare-bones church could, that the greatest beauty found on Earth pales next to God’s own beauty. This little-known church, now protected from “renovation” by being designated a state historic site, did precisely what good architecture should do, it raised my mind to God. While praying there I was reminded how Paul Claudel, French poet, playwright, and diplomat, was brought back to the practice of the faith while visiting Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The beauty of the building and of the liturgy brought to his mind the beauty of God. In some inexplicable way a mental stumbling block was removed, and he became again a fervent and pious Catholic. Keep in mind that the construction of fine churches never seems to undermine contributions to the poor. In fact, the more generous people are toward God, and one way of being generous toward him is by praising him through great architecture, the more generous they are toward other people. Perhaps you have noticed that it’s almost exclusively the rich who complain about fancy churches, while it’s the un-rich who contribute to their building and upkeep, just as it is the un-rich who give the bulk of the funds which keep charitable causes afloat. The poor boxes in Catholic churches are filled mainly by the offerings of the poor. ~ What Catholics Really Believe - Karl Keating (52 Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic Faith Saint Anne, Pray for us! 4 Questions and Answers about the World Apostolate of Fatima and the Brown Scapular Q. What is the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA? The world Apostolate of Fatima, USA (WAF) is a worldwide movement of the faithful responding to the requests of the Mother of God made to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. In 206, the WAF was elevated to a Public Association of the Faithful by the Vatican and now serves as the only Fatima organization with that distinction. The Apostolate’s goal is to teach people how to live, learn and spread the Message of Fatima in their personal lives, in their local communities and throughout the world. Q. What happened at Fatima? Through a series of six apparitions from May 13 through October 13, the Blessed Virgin Mary invited all mankind to prayer, conversion, consecration and reparation as the sure means of obtaining world peace. Her message was validated by the Miracle of the Sun on October 13, 1917.