Our Lady of Perpetual Help -- Financial Aid

A prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help for financial assitance...

Realizing, dearest Mother of Perpetual Help, that thou art our perpetual help not only in spiritual but also in temporal necessities, we approach thee with submissive and humble hearts because we have a child-like and affectionate trust in thy power and goodness, beseeching thee to assist us in our present financial worry. Owing to untoward circumstances which have arisen in our lives, we are in dire want and pecuniary embarrassment, being unable to meet our honest debts.

We are not asking, dearest Mother, for wealth, if the possession of it is not in accordance with the holy will of God. We merely beg of thee that assistance which will enable us to satisfy our most pressing obligations. We believe, dear Mother of God, that thou art the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and as such, the instrument and special dispenser of thy divine Son's graces; that thou hast acquired by virtue of thy wonderful dignity, a sweet jurisdiction over all creation. We believe that thou art not only rich and bountiful, but extremely kind and generous to all thy loving and devoted children. We plead with thee, therefore, dear Mother, to obtain for us the help we so urgently need in our present financial difficulty. We thank thee, glories of thy miraculous picture. Amen.

Help a future friar!

My buddy Andrew has committed his life to the Lord (to become a Franciscan friar) but can't enter until he reduces his debt. He's hoping to raise about $75,000 by August of 2009 and is keeping us all updated on his efforts at his new blog: Help A Future Friar. Stop by and check him out! As always, prayers are requested first and foremost and then your financial assistance, if you are able.

Thanks and God bless you, my friends!

Josiah, requiescat in pace, ora pro nobis.

Matt, from the school of Mary, twin brother of Nick at phatcatholic apologetics, is asking for prayers for Amy, author of The "Refusal to Grasp", and her husband Duston. I haven't kept up with Amy in a while and so I missed her post about losing their first child, Josiah, to miscarriage. It is a beautiful post and definitely worth the read. The story is amazing and their faith, awe-inspiring. May the good Lord bless them and keep them, shower His every grace upon them, and may the Holy Spirit descend in this time of great suffering, to be with them and give them His peace.

Matt also provides this link for reading on the name Josiah.

Please pray for the peace of this family. Josiah, requiescat in pace, ora pro nobis.

For Baby Matthew

From Wheelbarrow Manor:

Please pray for church friends Cecilia and Calvin and their sweet baby Matthew who will go to to live in Jesus' sweet arms in Heaven today. Their twin babies were born last Monday at 24 weeks. A girl, Sophia and a boy, Matthew. Matthew has suffered a major brain hemorrhage and the decision has been made to remove him from extraordinary life support. My dad sent out this beautiful email and words it better than I can in the midst of my tears and sadness at this time.

It is with a heavy heart that I ask for your prayers this afternoon.

Please pray for the rest of the afternoon, especially around 5:00, for Calvin and Cecilia Colbert as they have made the very difficult decision to remove extraordinary life support from their little boy, Matthew. Through the doctors’ advice and spiritual counseling, they are now able to place Matthew in the hands of the Lord, who is the giver of all life. If God chooses to take Matthew home, which is the almost inevitable outcome, they are now able to accept that as the best thing for Matthew. Theirs is the eternal mixture of sadness and hope.

We pray that Mary, who with great sorrow watched her own son die, will be with Calvin and Cecilia, and we ask the Lord to receive Matthew into His loving arms.

The little girl seems to be doing fine for now but has a tough road ahead and will surely miss her brother.

Cecilia was one of the two coordinators of our nursery program this past year provided such good care to our babies each Sunday. I wish I could do something for her babies at this time but for the moment my prayers are all I can offer.

I ask that anyone who reads this offer a prayer for them as well.

Please keep everyone (family, friends, and really, the whole parish) in your prayers as everyone deals with this loss. Really, a loss like this affects the whole community. So many have lost young ones (as is evident in the Children's Garden) and it is a tragedy every time. But God's will is perfect and He alone knows 'why'. Our job is to pray. Please do.

On the road again..

Please pray for Elizabeth, Hill and I as we set out for Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos in celebration of Elizabeth's 19 years of life! (As if we needed a reason to go.. but I do say it's a pretty awesome reason!) It'll be a lot of driving so it's a good thing I really like these gals! Please pray that we remain safe and make good time! Also, please keep in your prayers J and her family as they travel to Florida to visit Disney World! +Lord keep them safe in their travels and adventures.

Thanks to all and don't forget to pray for the babies tomorrow!
(Yes, I'll be making Mass and adoration tomorrow morning before I leave.)

Been Busy Again

Sorry for my lack of posting again lately. I'm sure most people understand the 'post what you can, when you can' situation and that's definitely me. My schedule has been so solid for the past couple of weeks that sitting down to type something out for a blog post just hasn't been possible. In fact, it's not really something that even passed through my mind. Between work and friends and rehearsals and book club and babysitting and Mass and confession and family and the occassional breather (TV), I've just been exhausted!

Anyway, please keep me in your prayers while I am away. This is a year of a lot of change for me! Not only is it a 'big birthday' year, I have plans to move out on my own and start back to school again. Because I pretty much stink at 'dealing' with change, I'll need all the spiritual support I can get! On the one hand, change is very exciting. It's fun to have new things in your life. But even with that I have a hard time 'coping' with it. It's all too new and too different. I'll get better eventually but for now.. just pray! Haha.


God bless you all richly! Be holy!

The Entrance Countdown Has Begun!

No, not for me, silly! For this young lady. I hadn't swung by her blog in some time (it's a big blogsphere and I don't have all that much time to surf!) but this morning I decided to go there and to make her my morning reading. I'm so glad I did! She's just over one week away from her entrance.

Please keep her in your prayers as she prepares to take this next step! +May God reward your generosity.

For these, we pray.

For Ava, the four-year-old who passed away Monday...
For Matt, who recently received the ministry of acolyte...
For miseremi, who gave birth to a baby girl (Lucia Picar) on Tuesday...
For Angela, whose birthday has just passed, in this new year of life...
For Sebastian and Pilar, who are struggling with terrible twos...
For M, in her search for a new job (and all who are seeking work)...

Lord, you made the heavens and the earth. You aligned the stars and gave light to the world. You are the Almighty. Look kindly on your children and hear us in our time of need. In your mercy, Lord, heal the sick, comfort the afflicted and give faith to the doubter.

In Christ's name we pray... amen.

If you would like your intentions to be offered in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. I include intentions as time permits here.

Please pray: No job, no insurance, no family, no place to go...

Yes, this describes a dear friend of mine. She has struggled with an addiction to prescription pain meds for some time. She is nine months clean and sober but Lord knows it has been a rough time getting to this point. And things seem to be getting worse.

When she first admitted her problem and sought help, she checked herself into an adult rehab program. Her family was already being affected but it was more so while she was gone since this left her husband responsible for everything around the house and with their son. As could be expected, it also created a bit of tension at work.

My dear friend also suffers from depression and is on meds for that. Given her history, her doctor thought it would be wise to be readmitted to the hospital as he adjusted her medication levels. He wanted her to be monitored for any changes during this time.

When she told her husband, he told her he wanted a divorce.

On top of this, she had to deal with telling work that she would again be admitted to the hospital. Her boss was suspicious and my friend knew that she might be fired. But she also knew that she needed to take care of herself. So she entered the hospital.

The next day her husband showed up with a letter from her work saying that she had been laid off. Included with this letter was her last check. In the same visit, her husband informed her that he had filed for divorce.

Needless to say, she was more than devastated.

She is now without a job, without insurance to pay for her medication, without a husband, and with no place to go...

Thankfully she is able to live at home for now - until she is ready to move out. As I'm sure you can imagine, this isn't a comfortable situation. (I can only imagine the levels of anxiety that plague that place.)

Please, if you can, offer up some prayers for my friend. She is in need. She is one of the most faithful, strong, vibrant Catholics I know. She is so in love with our Lord and wishes to do what is good and pleasing in His sight. She has not lost her faith through this. If anything, I think she has become more grounded in it. Even in the midst of all that is happening, she can smile and be proud of her nine month achievement. I am very proud of her and support her in all things. I ask that you too support her with prayer. I pray that if ever I am faced with such challenges, I might handle them with as much grace as she has.

Thank you in advance. Know of the deep appreciation for all that you can offer..

Prayers for the New Year

I will be adoring Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist as we ring in the New Year. As is always the case, I am open to bringing intentions to Christ for anyone who would wish me to do so. If you want me to simply bring your name and a prayer for all intentions (or something like a prosperous new year), just comment. If you have private intentions, you can email me at the email listed to the right.

As we enter the new year, may we all resolve to draw closer to our Lord. May we ask Him to bring to fulfillment what it is He wills in each our lives. May He take our hands and work through them; take our lips and speak through them; take our hearts and set them on fire! (Amen.)

Lord, hear our prayer!

+ for the holy souls in purgatory
+ for the suffering and hopeless
+ for those with no one to pray for them
+ for the sick, dying, and our beloved dead
+ for our troops everywhere
+ for a peaceful end to abortion, euthanasia, artificial birth control and capital punishment
+ for our priests and other clergy, especially throughout the United States
+ four our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and all of his intentions
+ for Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Corsicana
+ for the upcoming confirmation retreat and the apostolate members working on that
+ for my talk at the upcoming retreat on our call to holiness
+ for the lock-in for life and remnant cd release party
+ for the holiness of my family
+ for the intentions of all the Friars and Sisters
+ for my vocational discernment
+ for all those whom I've promised to pray

--originally posted at Requesting Thine Aid--

Requesting Thine Aid - A reminder!

Just a little reminder about my other blog: Requesting Thine Aid - a prayer journal of sorts. There have been a few new entries since I last reminded everyone about it. Please take a look and pray for those mentioned. If you have any prayer requests, feel free to email me or to comment. Thank you in advance for any prayers you may offer. May the Lord bless you in your generosity.

Family Member in Iraq Seriously Injured - Please pray!

I don't have a lot of time to post this right now but it is important. My cousin Jack was on a special forces unit with the Marines in Iraq. He came for a visit this summer so his face is still fresh in my mind. He is a great guy, a real buddy.

He was in a Hum-V (or however you spell it) and drove over a land mine. He was severely injured and will be brought back to the States some time this week. They don't know how long he will be in recovery - it could be weeks or it could be months. It's very bad.

My aunt called last night so I am just hearing the news (with my brother and sister) this morning. My grandmother, who had not seen him in nearly 15 years until this summer, is not taking it well at all. Who would expect her to?

Please, I am begging, keep Jack and our whole family in your prayers. I ask especially for prayers for (him of course,) his mother and step father, his three brothers (Ted, Damien, and Nick), and our grandmother.

Thank you.

Let us pray.

COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING ARCHBISHOP EMMANUEL MILINGO

VATICAN CITY, SEP 26, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released a communique concerning the present ecclesial position of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo. The text of the communique is given below:

"With great concern, the Holy See has followed the recent activities of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, emeritus of Lusaka, Zambia, with his new association of married priests, spreading division and confusion among the faithful.

"Church representatives of various levels have tried in vain to contact Archbishop Milingo in order to dissuade him from persisting in actions that provoke scandal, especially among the faithful who followed his pastoral ministry in favor of the poor and the sick.

"Bearing in mind the understanding shown, also recently, by Peter's Successor towards this aged pastor of the Church, the Holy See has awaited with vigilant patience the evolution of events which, unfortunately, have led Archbishop Milingo to a position of irregularity and of progressively open rupture of communion with the Church, first with his attempted marriage and then with the ordination of four bishops on Sunday, September 24, in Washington D.C., U.S.A.

"For this public act both Archbishop Milingo and the four ordinands have incurred excommunication 'latae sententiae,' as laid down in Canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. Moreover, the Church does not recognize, nor does she intend to recognize in the future, these ordinations and all ordinations deriving from them; and she considers the canonical status of the four supposed-bishops as being that they held prior to this ordination.

The Apostolic See, attentive to the unity and peace of the flock of Christ, had hoped that the fraternal influence of people close to Archbishop Milingo would cause him to rethink and return to full communion with the Pope. Unfortunately the latest developments have made these hopes more unlikely.

"At times of ecclesial suffering such as these, may prayers intensify among all the community of the faithful."

a suffering family needs your prayers

After already struggling with a daughter suffering from serious depression (with a whole handful of troubles of her own), MRSannie writes this:

Dear Pham--

Our family has suffered a terrible incident.

Our 13 yr old autistic son was exposed to some horrific pornography this summer.

Without our knowlege, he acted out with his very young cousins (ages 3 & 5) during a visit to our home.

A couple of weeks later the children mentioned it to their mother, who called us.

She is understandably totally upset, had to report it, is devastated (as we are also). She cannot understand our son, who she thinks (and says) is a monster.

Our son is not fully aware of what he did and its impact, and yet knows NOW it was wrong--but he himself was unable to process what he saw, and is mentally not fully capable of socially appropriate behavior. He is a sweet, kind, loving boy, but is mentally younger than his age.

We are so very horrified at it all.

Our son is in counseling, being evaluated by a specialist who deals with child offenders.

another painful part is the mother of the young ones is a)an atheist, b) a survivior herself of an assault as an adult and c) my sister who has stopped all communication with us without explanation (although I do not blame her, I am unable to help her in any way and am so very sorry for all this)

Our hearts are so broken, we are so sad that this has occurred.

Please phamily, pray for us.

This family has definitely been in my prayers since the first request several months ago (regarding their daughter). I feel though that they could use all of the spiritual support they can get. Even one of these situations is so hard on a family and to know that both of these things are going on at the same time... well I just can't even imagine. So please, keep them in your prayers.

Please pray!

A friend of mine had her father-in-law pass away suddenly two or three days ago. He was cleaning a gun and it accidentally went off. (It's one of those things you think will never happen to you. It's shockingly horrific.)

+Lord, remember your son, whom you called from this world into your prescence. In baptism he died with Christ: may he also share his resurrection, when Christ will raise our mortal bodies and make them like his own in glory. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

+Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

investiture in the night...

a super cool investiture of this franciscan community - it's icing on the cake!

July 26, 2005

On August 1st, at Vespers in the midst of our Eucharistic Holy Hour, Alexis Sabo of Los Angeles, California, postulant of our community, will be invested in the Holy Habit of Saint Francis. She will receive the gray tunic, the cord with 3 knots symbolizing the vows, a wooden rosary made by one of the friars, and the white veil of the Novice. Her hair will be cut and she will receive a new name.

This will be a private ceremony for the Sisters and Friars reminiscent of Palm Sunday in the year 1212 when Saint Clare of Assisi left her family home in the dark of night to meet her spiritual father, Saint Francis, and his early followers. They gathered in the little chapel of Our Lady of the Angels where Saint Francis cut Saint Clare’s long hair – an offering to symbolize the life that she was giving up, and where he invested her in the Habit – the poor, rough tunic symbolizing the life she was embracing, the Gospel life, the Way of the Cross.

So, too, our sister Alexis is choosing to give up many things and to embrace a serious living of the Gospel in as close an imitation of Jesus as possible. Investiture will begin her two-year novitiate in preparation for first vows.

Please pray for her as she takes this step! God bless you!

Sr. Clare Marie Matthiass, CFR

...found here...

Update on prayer request from this morning...

My dears thank you so much. Muchos hugs. I love you all.

I'm still in some pain but they gave me a lot of drugs. I have to tell you I have just had the worst hospital/clinic experience I have ever had in my entire life. Let me tell you something about the British NHS system. It is great for smaller conditions and ailments. But when you have larger serious problems it's awful -- they try to put off any substantial diagnosis methods like xray or mri unless it's a last resort. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gotten supplemental private insurance prior to coming here to the U.K.

All they did was give me some drugs and as soon as I was able to walk again they just sent me home, basically kicked me out without any instructions as to when I would be good to go home, and what medications i should be taking when after being given truckloads of medication. They also either lost my cell phone or it somehow got stolen. I was hobbling out of the clinic with a crutch and still crying because of the pain and they basically told me I would have to figure out my own way to get home, and asked me if I had any money or my purse on me... and I said "are you kidding me? I was in BED, and brought here by ambulance!" and they told me to wait (which I had been doing ALL DAY) and of course after waiting I was completely ignored (like usual) and I couldn't get a friend to pick me up because they lost my phone!!!!

With the exception of one doctor and a couple of the nurses, several of the people I saw were really rude and not very compassionate. At the end of it all I said 'FORGET THIS, I'VE HAD IT. I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO WALK HOME!!"

I didn't have to walk all the way home, I hopped on the bus, and thanks be to God there were no ticket people demanding valid bus passes. The whole experience left me feeling very dejected, very alone, like I was a nuisance for even being there and crying for... oh I'm sorry... being in severe pain. I did try offering up the pain with a series of hail marys for souls and loved ones around me.

I think it was a bad flare up or spasm of some kind that hopefully will subside, as I'm not screaming in pain anymore and more or less I can move a little easier. The test comes when I get up to make some oatmeal in a minute or two.

But I have to wait until Friday to call my doctor and have them schedule an MRI, and when I asked the doctor how long that would take they said it was "up to the system"

The kicker here is that the company that I *really* want to work for most called me this afternoon and they want to interview me. They contacted me first a little over a month ago, which is a really good sign. I sent them promotional materials and indicated that I really liked their company, their work, and was theirs for the taking. I honestly think this is my best chance at getting the job I need, and most of all this is a job that I really want.

I don't know how this back problem will figure into this and how much I should tell them. Plus, how I should be scheduling the interview depending on when I am supposed to get an MRI done.

Should I just interview with them, stay positive, and not say anything about the back thing, or mention it off hand and if they ask tell them that they don't think it's really serious? (they did say they didn't think it was a serious neurological issue -- because they said I had really good leg strength and a lot of it is the result of muscle spasm)

Obviously being whiny or desperate is not going to get me a job, so I'm not going to give them a big sob story.

Again thanks for your prayers, please continue to pray that if it's God's will he may lighten my cross a little, maybe cure me, heal me some, but most of all be my guide during this critical time.

So I'll take my cue from ash: please continue to pray that if it's God's will He may lighten her cross a little, maybe cure her, heal her some, but most of all be her guide during this critical time.

Please pray... now.

Please pray for Ash who writes:

Please pray for me, I am having a spasm in my backside due to my disc problem it is so bad I cannot get out of bed, and the only way I was able to call the doctor and emergency was by using Skype from my computer because my phone is turned off and on the desk and I can't get to it. Hopefully they will come and help soon, this is probably the worst pain i've ever experienced in my life, and I've broken an arm and a leg before

i am just trying to stay calm. No neighbors are home and I have been screaming for help... please please pray ... this is not a joke, I don't joke about these things and i am not looking for any attention, just your urgent prayers

Hoax? No. A friend in pain and definitely in need of some prayers. Storm heaven; hook her up.