201807 July 2018 Padre Pio Prayer Group Newsletter.Pub
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THE PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP St. Padre Pio Prayer of Cleveland Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Edward J. Janoch Group Newsletter Chaplain: VOLUME 6, ISSUE 7 Rev. Fr. William E. Browne J U L Y 2 0 1 8 Group Leader: Cindy Russo The Rosary and the Brown Scapular The Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of The Dominican tradition holds that the Blessed Mount Carmel on July 16. Pious tradition maintains Virgin Mary made 15 specific promises to those who UPCOMING that both the rosary and the brown scapular of Our pray the rosary. The promises range from protec- E V E N T S : Lady of Mount Carmel were given by the Virgin tion to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven. Mary to Saints Dominic and Simon Stock respec- Aug 4 - tively during the 13th The scapular has remained for Carmelites century. Historical re- a sign of Mary’s motherly protection and Padre Pio Prayer cords document their commitment to follow Jesus in the foot- Group Gathering growth during the 16th steps of His Mother. In 1251 the Virgin beginning with and 17th centuries. By the Mary made the "Scapular Promise" to St. Rosary at 8:00 AM 20th century they had Simon Stock regarding the Scapular of Our and Mass at 8:30 AM, gained a strong following Lady of Mount Carmel, namely: "whoever St. Barnabas Church, among Catholics world- dies clothed in this habit shall not suffer 9451 Brandywine wide. Josef Hilgers, writing the fires of Hell." This is understood to in the Catholic Encyclope- mean that anyone who remains faithful to Rd., Northfield dia of 1914, stated: "Like the meaning of the brown scapular until Aug 10-19 - the rosary, the brown death will be granted the grace of final scapular has become the perseverance. Padre Pio Prayer badge of the devout Group Pilgrimage to Catholic." In the 19th century, the reported Marian Ireland apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes gath- Since the Second Vatican ered significant attention and provided Oct 21-23 - Council, the more appro- momentum for the spread of the rosary. Padre Pio Prayer priate term for these The spread of the devotion to both the items is "devotional arti- rosary and the scapular was influenced by Group Pilgrimage to cles", in order to distin- Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima National Shrine of guish them from liturgical actions and items used reported by three Portuguese children in 1917. The the Immaculate therewith, such as candles, chrism, or holy water. Fatima messages placed emphasis on the rosary and Conception, St. John The sacramental related to them would be the rite in them the Virgin Mary reportedly identified herself Paul II and Mother of blessing, rather than the object blessed. They as The Lady of the Rosary. The visions and messages Seton have been supported, encouraged and linked by a also encouraged the wearing of the brown scapular. number of saints and cardinals. Specific indulgences In the final Fatima appearance on October 13, 1917, Jan 8-18, 2019 - have been associated with each of them. the Virgin Mary had a brown scapular in Padre Pio Prayer The rosary and the scapular are important one hand and a Group Pilgrimage to expressions of popular piety in the Roman rosary in the other. the Holy Land Catholic Church. Sister Lucia from Fatima stated “The rosary and the scapular are in- Through the grace separable”. In order to obtain the graces and of God, our Padre promises received from wearing the scapular, Pio Prayer Group Check the online one should wear it devoutly. In other words, started a ministry Community Bulletin under the usual conditions, i.e. state of grace of making rosary Board on our (Go to Confession regularly), be properly scapulars. They are invested/enrolled by a Catholic priest, pray either a sign of Marian Spirituality, the loving presence of website to view the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or five Our Blessed Mother. We have two Padre Pio devo- upcoming events decades of the Most Holy Rosary daily. Novenas to tees, Karen and Juliann Stoklas, who are working in the area Our Lady of Mt. Carmel are optional but highly endlessly making hundreds of brown corded rosary recommended to show Mother that we are unde- scapulars. Priests have requested them and they serving servants, and have faith in Her most power- have been shipped across the world. Thank you ful protection and intercession. Karen and Juliann for your generous time you have donated to the rosary scapular! P A G E 2 Dear Spiritual Brothers and Sisters of St. Padre Pio, It is with great honor to inform you that the Formal Dioce- san Investigation for the Cause of Beatification and Can- onization of the Servant of God Rhoda Wise will close on July 6, 2018. The Acts of the Case will be pre- sented and sealed for transport to Rome at a 10:00 am Mass to be held at St. Peter’s in Canton, Ohio on July 7, 2018, the 70th anniver- sary of her death. The main celebrant will be Monsignor Robert Sif- frin, Vicar General of the Diocese. The cele- bration will continue Servant of God Rhoda Wise with a Eucharistic holy hour, recitation of the Rosary, and the opportunity for Confession after Mass. Rhoda Wise House and Grotto will open to the public at 1pm-5pm that day. Thank you for all our faithful prayer warriors praying for her cause and volunteering at the house. Our relics of St. Padre Pio have been traveling this month. Some of the locations they have been were in churches and visiting the sick in Beirut Lebanon, Bradley Beach NJ, Chi- cago IL, and Libertyville IL. I had the pleasure to meet and speak at a Padre Pio Prayer Group at St. Fran- cis Borgia Church in Chicago, Illinois. They had a beautiful mass in Italian and a procession around the neighborhood including a marching Italian band. I felt I was in San Giovanni Ro- tondo, Italy! It sometimes gets a little over- whelming with the distance of traveling with the relics, but I know what graces and blessings are received through St. Pio’s intercession. Brother Don Thielson, OFM from The National Shrine of Maximillian Kolbe sends his love and prayers to all of you. REFLECTIONSSPIRITUAL FOR OURDIRECTION Also, a special thank you to Mary Dye for coordinating the Canonization Anniversary Mass and the hourly Rosary Rally at the St. Barnabas parish festival. Sincerely, CINDY RUSSO, GROUP LEADER/SPIRITUAL DAUGHTER OF ST. P I O J U L Y 2 0 1 8 P A G E 3 What Is My Purpose in Life? July is the month dedicated to honoring the precious pushing their agenda is that they are seeking acceptance blood of Jesus. In the movie “The Passion of the and respect. Having forsaken looking for God's blessing Christ”, there is a very touching scene of our Blessed for the meaning and purpose for life, they are seeking Mother wiping up with a towel the blood of her son “the blessing” of society. Christians already know we after his horrific scourging. So much suffering and for are blessed. what good? For what purpose? Why was Jesus hated so much? Jesus could only persevere through all this Some thoughts for reflection: shedding of his blood on the cross because He was liv- • Do I keep my identity and purpose uppermost in ing out his identity, the saint of saints through love. my mind -- to become a saint throughout the day? “God is love”, sums up His being and His method. Love • Do I evaluate all my actions in terms of doing them is a noun (God) and a verb (His activity). with love rather than getting my own way, etc.? • Do I look upon myself as a pilgrim, only passing In our media-driven age, we have many voices telling us through this life on my way to a much better land? how to act, think, spend our money, vote, etc. To clear • When setbacks come, do I have the attitude in the confusion and focus correctly we can call to mind mind which Padre Pio Prayer Group members on the dictum: “The main thing is to keep the main thing, pilgrimage are reminded of: ”It's not a vacation, it's the main thing.” If Jesus, who is love, is our head, and a pilgrimage!” Let's offer it up. we are the members of his body, then we are to live • Do I value Jesus living in my soul, sanctifying grace, out our identity, that is, saints who love. It's that sim- as my greatest joy which is to give me “peace which ple. It's the answer to life. surpasses all under- standing?” As Americans we complicate this • When tempted to simple message terribly. We are a give into anxiety, do I very wealthy and advanced culture put my earthly con- and have much unhappiness. Visi- cerns in the hands of tors to African nations are im- God who is right now pressed with the happiness of the preparing a place for African people. They have so little me in heaven? This materially, yet they have one an- puts earthly concerns other and love one another. Per- into perspective. haps this is one of the main reasons • Do I really try to why the Christian faith is growing limit my exposure to by leaps and bounds in Africa. They the media which so are already doing the action part. often is like the voices The Gospel simply deepens their identity as saints in of the Tower of Babel which keep me from having a the making.