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Institute of the Apostolic OblatesSowers of Hope Monthly NotesFebruary 2002 – Special Pro Sanctity Family Issue
11002 N. 204th St. Elkhorn, NE 68022 * 402-289-2670 * psm@prosanctity.org |
Vigil of the Celebration of the Feast of the Presentation
Celebration of Consecrated Life
Our Vocation: On Feb. 2, the Feast of the Lord's Presentation in the Temple, the Catholic Church will celebrate the sixth annual Day of Consecrated Life. According to a Sept. 29 statement of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, there are about 1 million consecrated persons, 700,000 of whom are women. John Paul II will participate in a solemn celebration of this Day in St. Peter's Basilica. The Office of Pontifical Celebrations reported that the Holy Father will deliver the homily during the Mass and will preside over a thanksgiving ceremony for the gift of consecrated life. The Mass itself will be presided over by Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life. The motto for the day is "Consecrated Men and Women, Witnesses of Hope and Mercy."
National Moderators in Rome met from January 8-13, 2002. Teresa reports the following: It was a wonderful, life giving, inspiring experience. The National Moderators had their meetings and then, Lilly from India, Luisa from Belgium and fromUSA met with Oblates, Internal, External and Cooperatives from all over Italy, Belgium, India, Malta, and Latvia. The meetings were very motivating and informative. Here are just a few things I learned and took on as areas to develop:
Notes from the National Moderators Meeting in Rome 2002
1. The year 2004 is the 10th anniversary of our Founder’s death. We are beginning to plan and dream of ways to celebrate his life! In Rome, they plan to officially open the cause for his canonization!
2. We have all been invited to promote awareness of our Founder and pray for his intercession. See “Project Founder” below.
3. The Institutes and the Movement are all doing well around the world: financially, apostolically, and spiritually…but we need vocations! We are invited to pray, promote and invite for vocations! It is our greatest task.
4. The country of Latvia has become a mission for us. We are slowly but surelyestablishing ourselves with apostolic and vocational activities. We currently have several vocations that have already come out of this mission. Let us pray for them and keep in touch. Rita from Rome and Liliane from Belgium will be returning to Latvia in March.
5. Our mission in India is also growing. They have received several “miracles of healing” among our Oblates who were very sick. They prayed to our Founder to help them begin the Pro Sanctity Movement in India and it has begun! They are so excited. Let us pray in thanksgiving and support for them.
6. The General Counsel greatly appreciates our fidelity to the annual personal, communal, apostolic and financial reports. We are now preparing for the General Assembly of 2004. We are invited to continue the good work begun. In particular let us not forget the Community Diary that should be kept by the secretary or designated person.
7. Please join all of us in congratulating Mariakutty who has been appointed Secretary of the Queen of Apostles Bethany in Omaha!
8. Our contemplative life is the foundation of everything. It is the source of strength and energy for all of us to be “prophets of God’s marvelous love” in our world.
9. Giuliana left with Lilly for India on January 23 and Graziella left with Project India on January 28. They were to meet in Bombay and then travel to our different Centers looking after all their needs.
Project Founder
The time is NOW to do the following in preparation for the canonization of Bishop Giaquinta. Palmira Tafani, our National Secretary, will be overseeing “Project Founder” Please address all correspondence and questions to her:
1. Palmira is going to send us sometime in February a letter of introduction and questionnaire that all members of the Pro Sanctity Family must fill out.
2. This same questionnaire will also be given to anyone and everyone who knew Bishop Giaquinta and to those who feels that they were touched by his life and virtue.
3. Any personal correspondence with Bishop Giaquinta, notes, holy cards, outlines of thought of his that are tucked away in our Centers and in our personal journals, should be sent to Palmira or directly to Rome.
4. Personal testimonies of received graces and miracles due to our Founder’s intercession should be written out and sent to Palmira. She is sending us the format. Do not be shy about this. It does not have to be a healing; a grace or incentive to live more fully our call to holiness should also be written out.
5. The deadline for our questionnaires and the collecting of personal items from the Founder is AUGUST 2002.
6. Report everything to Palmira Tafani: 205 S. Pine Drive, Fullerton, CA. 92833 or 714-956-1020 – or PalmiraAO@aol.com
Pray for the Miracle of Vocations! One of the decisions we made in Rome is to give more attention to our vocational issues. We were invited to pray for the intercession of our founder for a miracle: the miracle of vocations. The Pro Sanctity Family is highly encouraged to pray the prayer for our Founder’s intercession specifically for this intention. Pray and then invite. Invite people to know Pro Sanctity and the three Institutes associated with the Movement.
Vocations in the Pro Sanctity Family
Apostolic Sodales Priests - submitted by Fr. Mike Murphy – National Brother:
The Apostolic Sodales continue to live their priestly ministry in service to God’s people in their various parishes and ministries.
Fr. Mark Bridgman, of the Archdiocese of Omaha, reports that he is currently involved in parish, grade school and high school ministries. Parish ministries include daily and Sunday Mass, most weddings, meetings with couples preparing for weddings and some funerals. His ministry includes communion calls, hospital visits three times a week as well as an occasional Mass at a nursing home in his parish. Fr. Mark also includes in his days visits to the parish grade school. He visits the classrooms to speak with the children as well as celebrates Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the children. He is also in charge of organizing and training the altar servers. He is also on call at the high school to substitute as a religion teacher when needed. Along with this, he organizes three Reconciliation Services every year and visits the classrooms when needed.
Fr. Thomas Weisbecker is currently serving as Administrator of St. Bonaventure parish in the Archdiocese of Omaha. According to Fr. Tom, he engages in the daily ministerial activities of priests as well as several other tasks. He visits the classrooms at the parish school as well as coordinates the RCIA in his parish. Hospital visits are a regular part of his ministry as well as preparing couples for marriage and training local liturgical ministers. Fr. Tom is in great demand as a chaplain in his parish. Among the organizations he serves are: Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters, Secular Franciscans, the Separated, Widowed and Divorced groups, the Legion of Mary and the Boy Scouts. Both Fr. Mark and Fr. Tom are looking forward to making their commitment in the Apostolic Sodales in April.
Fr. Michael Murphy, the National Brother of the Apostolic Sodales,
(pastor@sacredheartcor.org) is the Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Coronado (Diocese of San Diego). Like Fr. Mark and Fr. Tom, his pastoral duties are extensive. Fr. Mike is also Director of the Office for Priests, of the Diocese of San Diego. His responsibilities include the continuing education for the priests of his diocese: planning and organizing the annual priest retreat and Advent and Lenten Assembly of Priests. He also sets up workshops for newly ordained priests, retired priests and study days of Scriptural and theological topics. An important part of his ministry to priests is pastoral care. If a priest is in crisis or experiencing problems, Fr. Mike helps to facilitate a solution to the crisis or needs and appropriate care for the priest. The other Sodales priests serving the people of God in the United States continue to be hard working and faith-filled. Please pray for them, as well as the priests and bishops of your dioceses.
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Please make note and mark your calendar:Fr. Paul Cardona, the General Brother of the Apostolic Sodales, will be coming to the USA on April 2, 2002. He will preside over the Commitment Ceremony, April 4, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. at the new St. Patrick’s Church in Fremont, Nebraska. The following priests will be making their first profession: Fr. Carl Zoucha (Nebraska), Fr. Mark Bridgman (Nebraska), Fr. Gregor Gorsic (Illinois), Fr. Tom Weisbecker (Nebraska). Please pray for these priests, especially in thanksgiving for their generous availability to God’s plan of holiness for our world.
During this same ceremony we welcome Susan Miller (Nebraska) who will be making her first profession of vows as an Internal Oblate!
Social Animators:Simon Ommachen, National Brother of Social Animators
We had a wonderful special presentation during the social animators January Meeting. Fr. Tom Weisbecker gave the presentation on "The spirit of chastity". Father Tom spoke on practicing chastity in married life as well as in religious life. A good number of people attended the meeting besides social animators. We will be planning a mini-retreat and another presentation during the gathering in the month of March.
Details will be announcedlater. Our meetings give good opportunity for everybody to discuss and study on universal brotherhood and social justice which are important issues of the present. ==== While in Rome, Teresa had a chance to visit with the First General Brother Fausto Sirovich faustosirovich@libero.it. He sends greetings to Simon Ommachen, National Brother for the Social Animators along with a special greeting to Dr. Tom Hejkal, Mike Montag, Dr. James Seberger, and David Hain who will be making their first profession of promises on April 4th 2002 with the Sodales and the Apostolic Oblates. In Rome, India and the USA the Social Animators are growing in number and in their commitment “To be always and everywhere a manifestation of that spirit of holiness, brotherhood, service and sacrifice to which all Christians are called” (Bishop Giaquinta).
Cooperative Oblates
We have so many joining us at this moment and making commitments this spring in almost all the Nations where the Apostolic Oblates are present that it is hard to count them and name them! We have women finishing formation and beginning formation both in California and Nebraska. Because we want to introduce you to each of them properly, next month there will be a special section just on the Cooperatives. In the mean time, please pray for them and pray in thanksgiving for their generous availability!
Repeat! The Annual Retreat…Please take note of the following:
- Monday evening supper, July 30 to Friday after breakfast, August 3, 2002
- Updating will be held in Fullerton until August 7 or 8th. Moderators will meet a few days before the retreat and few days after. Details later.
- Place: Prince of Peace Abbey, 650 Benet Hill Road, Oceanside, CA 92054
- Cost: $50.00 a day, $200 for the whole retreat. Please add $50.00 for the retreat director and materials. Send to Agnes Rus, 205 S. Pine Dr., Fullerton, CA. 92833
- Retreat Director: Rev. Andrew Vaccari, Chancellor of the Brooklyn Diocese
- Theme: “Holiness in Daily Life for the Apostolic Oblate”
Prayers and Intentions:
· The mother of Angela Di Paola has been very ill. Angela went home for a short time to visit and assist her.
· MaryLou Coleman is hoping to move to San Pedro, or a location like this one, where she will get the special health care that she needs– Continue to keep her in your prayers.
· Margie Weis, Cooperative Oblate living in the State of Washington, asks prayers for her sister Susan who recently had a stroke.
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Monthly News: Thanks again for everyone’s input into the Monthly News for Apostolic Oblates. Please remember it goes out every month, and every three months we include the Apostolic Sodales and Social Animators.
The March 2002 issue will highlight the vocation of the Cooperative Oblate. Any news, please send to me, a few days before the lst of each month. Thanks! On the Sunday before Ash Wednesday we will be united in prayers for trust as we celebrate Our Lady of Trust Feast Day. Let us be united with her in moving forward in holiness as we strive to live our call to holiness in our daily lives.
Teresa Monaghen
“We as members of God’s family must feel a childlike love for our Mother. In the pursuit of our ideals, we are constantly encouraged by her presence and her example, so much so that we call her our Mother of Trust” (Bishop Giaquinta).