Letter from the Editor in Honor of Our Lady of the Rosary

Transcription

1 Vol. 9, No. 10 Letter from the Editor in Honor of Our Lady of the Rosary Greetings for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7 th marks the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Pius V commemorated the victory of the Battle of Lepanto by celebrating Our Lady, whose rosaries were prayed to save Europe from the conquest of Islam. While the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the month of October is specifically devoted to the Rosary. Rosaries are beautiful, not only as an arrangement of beads, but as devotion. Many rosaries come with a story: they were given as gifts, they were handed down generation to generation, they were handmade, or they have special meaning, for one reason or another. So it is with several of mine. My favorite rosary story is how Blessed M. Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., came to bless my rosary. Last year during June 2012, I was blessed to attend the beatification of the Apostle of Prisons. I had brought with me several rosaries to be placed on Father Lataste s grave. I thought these rosaries would be unique souvenirs for my friends. Friday, I had visited the monastery of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany, which Father Lataste founded. I saw the new chapel that was built. I prayed at Father Lataste s tomb. The next day was the beatification Mass. When I saw the Master General of the Order of Preachers, Father Bruno Cadoré, process in, I remembered the rosaries, and my heart dropped to my stomach. I remembered that I had promised a few people that I would touch Pere Lataste s grave with the rosaries. I had broken my promise. I was at the tomb of Pere Lataste, yesterday, and could have easily placed the rosaries on his tomb, and prayed Editor s Rosary Letter 1 Region VI Retreat Flyer 3 Te Deum 4 Catholic Social Thought 5 Around the Province 6 De Profundis 7 Brother Tonto & Cappa 7 In This Issue Bl. M. Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P. Links of Interest 7 Classic Crossword Puzzle 8 Magnificat Day Flyer 9 Contemplare Corner 10 Mt. Pocono Retreat Flyer 11 OP Moment 12 CREDITS 12 Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 1

2 for his blessing, or ask the Master s blessing. But I didn't give my friends a thought--not a second! How could I have been so self-absorbed, so self-centered, selfish, so-so-so stupid! I had blown my chance with my thoughtlessness. I was such a ninny. I hated myself. The splendor of the Mass of Beatification overcame my berating. It was such a joyous occasion. During the recession from the Mass, my eye caught sight of one of my group, Ms. Ruth Raichele, O.P. running in the opposite direction. Why? My eyes followed her. She ran up to the spot where the reliquary was placed and dropped to her knees. The reliquary. The reliquary! THE RELIQUARY!!!!!!! Of course, Father Lataste s relics are contained in the reliquary. I took off like a shot for the reliquary. I took out my bag of rosaries and placed them one by one on the reliquary. Then I prayed for Father Lataste to ask for God s blessings on these rosaries. Do you know what these rosaries are now? They are third class relics because they touched the reliquary containing some of Father Lataste s bones and habit. That s not the end of the story. Walking away from the reliquary in blissful thanksgiving, I ran smack into the Master, Father Bruno. He saw the rosaries in my hand. And he proceeded to do what all Dominican friars do best. He blessed them! If you saw these rosaries, you would never know how special they are. They re not even pretty beads. I was traveling so I brought the lightest weight rosaries I could find--corded rosaries. Another special rosary I have, is this one made by my cloistered brother, Moses. He made it out of material he works with at his job, in MCI Norfolk. It s for the recitation of the Dominican Rosary. There s no beads between the crucifix and the middle medallion knot. Of course, there s my rosary that Brother Vito Martinez, O.F.M. Cap., made for my habit. That story was posted on his blog. What is your favorite rosary? Write and tell me about your rosary; I d love to read about it. In SPND, Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P. elumened@verizon.net P.S. The Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany still has the rosary Father Lataste wore on his habit. He gave it to his co-foundress, Mother Henri-Dominique, O.P., of the Dominican Bethany Sisters, in It s been handed down from prioress to prioress. We pilgrims to his beatification were blessed to pray a rosary with it with grateful thanks to the prioresses who were this rosary s keepers. Bl. Jean-Joseph Lataste Rosary Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 2

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4 Congratulations to the following pro chapters who were recommended to full chapter status by the Lay Provincial Council and the Prior Provincial, Very Rev. Brian Mulcahy, O.P.: Pius V #508, Catonsville, MD Our Lady of Guadalupe #507, Front Royal, VA Sacred Heart #513, Manassas, VA Mother of Mercy #107, Providence, RI St. Louis de Montfort #406, Bath, PA and Bishop Fenwick #609, Cincinnati, OH, We now await the final approval of the respective local ordinaries in accordance with canon law. New Promoter General Welcome to the new Promoter General for the Laity, Very Rev. Rui Carlos Antunes e Almeida Lopes, O.P. The Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré has appointed Fr. Rui Lopes as the new Promoter General for the Laity. He is from the Province of Portugal. His appointment is for six years. Fr. Rui who was born at Harare, Zimbabwe, made his first religious profession in the Order in 1981 and was ordained to the priesthood in He has a PhD in the Science of Documentation and Archives. Before his appointment, he has been the Archivist and the Promoter of the Dominican Laity in his province. He was also a Military Chaplain, chaplain of the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Secular Institute of Caritas Christi. Fr. Rui succeeds Fr. David Kammler, who after serving in the office for six years, will be returning to his home Province of Teutonia. He is going to continue to serve as the Assistant Promoter of the Dominican Family in his province. On behalf of the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré and the entire General Curia, we wish Fr. David the best in his future endeavor. (09 September 2013) See: rui lopesnew promoter laity #sthash.ubq3teit.dpuf On September 19, 2013, Our Lady of the Assumption Chapter, New York, N.Y., celebrated the reception of John DʹOnofrio (Anthony Joseph), Cynthia Smith (Teresa Dominic) and John Stehn (Humbert Thomas) into the Order. Also, Ms. Isabel Harther, O.P., was presented with a certificate honoring the 50th anniversary of her Final Promise. Dr. Robert F. Cuervo, O. P., and Fr. Juan Diego Brunetta, O.P., presided. Pictured left to right: Dr. Robert F. Cuervo, President; Isabel Harther, Fr. Juan-Diego Brunetta, O.P., John Stehn, Cynthia Smith, and John D'Onofrio. Contemplare Corner Continued from page doing it well; itʹs far more a matter of doing it or not. God will handle the expertise. All we have to do is to take a little step, a babystep of obedience. Read the word. Ask Mary for her help. If you find that you really donʹt want to be obedient, thatʹs okay! Ask for the desire, or for the desire for the desire! It springs like water from the temple, from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, beating, as it does beneath the wounded heart of his Mother. Fiat nobis secundum verbum suum. May it be done to us according to his word. Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 4

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6 AROUND THE PROVINCE news you can use REGION 1 A Day to Honor Our Blessed Mother Where: St. Thomas Aquinas Priory Providence College When: October 19, :30 AM to 1:15 PM Cost: Free unless you want lunch price is $12.00 per person Contact: Miss Catherine Perrotti, O.P. at (401) Sponsor: Our Lady of Divine Providence/St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter On Saturday November 9th, there will be a Region 1 regional meeting sponsored by the St. Martin de Porres Chapter. It will be held in St. Patrick s Church Hall, in Natick, Mass. Conference on Social Dartmouth College Can politics and holiness go together? November 2, 2013 We have reserved a block of rooms at the Days Inn in Lebanon, NH (10 minutes from the conference). We reserving a room please say it's for the "Aquinas House Conference" The phone number is: See page 5 for details. REGION 2 On Saturday, November 16th, Region 2 will hold a regional meeting at St. Vincent Ferrer Church Hall, New York City, N.Y. The meeting will begin at 9:30 am. Please make an effort to attend as we are having election of new Council members. See your chapter presidents for details. REGION 3 Saturday, October 12th is the date scheduled for the Region Three regional meeting. It will be held at the Dominican Monastery in Elmira, N.Y. The meeting will begin at 10:00 AM. REGION 4 Magnificat Day in Philadelphia, PA. November 9, 2013 See page 9 for details and registration. The Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic Annual Retreat in the Poconos is scheduled for November 22 24, See page 11 for details and registration. REGION 5 On Saturday, November 2nd, Region 5 will hold its regional meeting sponsored by the Immaculate Conception chapter at the Dominican House of Studies. This will be an election meeting and we encourage all chapters in the Region to participate. We will begin with Mass in the chapel at 9 am. Tough Questions Lecture Can you avoid cooperating with the sins of Big Business and Big Government? Are you allowed to work for a company that makes money from dishonest business practices? Do you have to stop paying taxes when the government uses tax money to provide abortive morning-after pills? How far must we go to avoid cooperating with sin? St. Pius V chapter Continued on page 7 Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 6

7 Brother Tonto & Cappa One of the nice traditions in the Dominican Family is our regular prayers for our dead. Please have a Mass celebrated for all the deceased members of the Dominican Laity in the Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A., and in particular for our brothers below. I also ask everyone to pray one Rosary for all our deceased members: Name: Mr. John Keegan, O.P. Religious Name: Bro. Paul of Mary Chapter: Our Lady of Mercy #110 Location: MCI Norfolk, MA Final Promise: October 2012 Date of Death: August 28, 2013 Name: Ms. Joan Derrick, O.P. Chapter: St. Thomas Aquinas/Our Lady of Divine Providence #105 Location: Providence, RI Final Promise: May 19, 1996 Date of Death: September 3, 2013 Name: Mrs. Grace Read Berry, O.P. Chapter: St. Martin de Porres #101 Location: Natick, MA Final Promise: May Date of Death: September 18, 2013 Please remember our brother, John, and sisters, Joan and Grace, who died in Christ with the hope of rising with Him. Send the names and dates of members who have died to your Regional Editor, so that they can be included in our continued prayers for the dead. Sorrowful Mother, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us. Holy Father Dominic, pray for us. Links of Interest LINKS OF INTEREST The Breviary 20Doctors%20of%20the%20Church On line Bible study Dominican Reflections: dominic-and-the-living-word/? See OP Moment for details. Around the Province Continued from page 6 is hosting a free lecture by Fr. John Corbett, O.P.,?Not Cooperating With Sin: Tough Questions? on Saturday, October 19, at 10:00 AM at Mt. de Sales Academy, Catonsville, MD. Light fare will follow. For more information, visit our website at or call Rich Hauf at REGION 6 Region 6 is sponsoring an Annual Retreat in October to be held at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. See page 3 for details and registration. Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 7

8 Classic Crossword for October Pray the Rosary Daily Answers are in this issue Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 8

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10 Contemplare Corner Monthly Musings for Spiritual Edification By Mr. Harold Koenig, O.P. Acts 26:16, Obedient to the vision, Part II ʺWhy,ʺ my daughter asked, ʺdo we pray, ʹThy will be done,ʹ when itʹs going to be done anyway?ʺ Augustine answered this in his Letter to Proba: ʺWhen we say, ʹYour will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,ʹ we are asking him for obedience for ourselves, that his will may be done in us as it is done by his angels in heaven.ʺ In other words, just to make the petition is to declare our obedience or, at least, our desire for obedience. We are surrounded, one might even say pestered, by good words concerning obedience. Here are a few more: In the Paradiso, in the lowest sphere of Heaven, Piccarda tells Dante that since God gives charity to all in heaven, they find,ʺ in his will is our peace.ʺ Blessed Humbert of Romans, quoting St. Benedict says, ʺThe disciple must offer obedience with a good spirit For if he is grudging he is still not acceptable to God, because God sees the heart. (This is a good reason to take refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus until he makes our hearts like his.) Eckhart in the discourses he gave at collation says, wonderfully, ʺIf I deny my own will, putting it in the hands of my superior, and want nothing for myself, then God must want it for me, ʺ So, what do we do with all these good words? If youʹre like me, mostly we squirm in our seats. We see that it is good to hand over our wills to God. It makes perfect sense to us that his will would be our peace. And of course, a grudging obedience can be as forward and contrary as a slap in the face, not real obedience at all. But, longing for peace, we resist the clear path leading us toward it. Desiring to think ourselves genial and cooperative, we dig in our heels, sometimes without noticing, at the least prompting to tip toe the teeniest bit out of our ways and habits. I write the day after our chapter meeting. Yesterday, if there was a grumbling of thunder in Virginia, it was me muttering and grousing because I always get anxious when I have to set up the coffee and whatnot for the meeting. ʺIn his will is our peace.ʺ Thatʹs all very well, but in the percolator? Really? We read the Rule and in my chapter, the Particular Directory and then we are careful to point out that, well, as you know, for Dominicans, obedience is to the Constitutions and the Rule, not to anybody who might actually impinge on our autonomy. And somehow the peace for which we long evades us. Our hearts could scarcely stand up to the Divine scrutiny, and if God is doing my willing for me, thatʹs news to me. Who will deliver me from my self will? And then comes a quiet voice, yet a great one, from a city of Galilee called Nazareth. ʺBehold the handmaid of the Lord; let it happen to me according to your word.ʺ (Luke 1:38) And thus two of the many great gifts of our life spring into focus. How better to learn at least to desire obedience than by the study of the word of God, the Holy Scriptures? Who better to guide us to obedience than she whose will was so perfectly united to Godʹs? And for us, when we turn to the Scripture and when beg the assistance of our blessed Mother, we are already being obedient to the charism of our order! And that, as in prayer, getting started in obedience is not a matter of Continued on page 1 Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Page 10

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12 OP MOMENT St. Dominic was known to be very compassionate. In one well known instance, he sold his books (which were very dear in the thirteenth century), in order to alleviate the suffering of the poor in Palencia, Spain. He always seemed to be conscious of the needs of all those suffering. If you would like to receive Dominican reflections, like this one, please sign up to be on the Aquinas College list. Go to then click on the menu at the top, NEWS. This will bring you to Popular Stories, located in the left margin. The reflections are called Dominic and the Living Word. Click on Dominic and the Living Word, and you ll be brought to their sign up area, because: In a desire to share our Dominican Charism of preaching, you will have the opportunity to receive an each Tuesday which will give a Dominican Reflection on the Gospel of the Day. These will simply be called Dominic and the Living Word. Tuesdays were selected because in the Order, this has always been the day in honor of St. Dominic in thanksgiving for any blessings received. This is our way of sharing our blessings with you. - See more at: -the-living-word/#sthash.8zxctdch.dpuf EXTRA, EXTRA, Read All About IT!!!! Please send Notices of Advancements, Obituaries, and Events of interest to Lay Dominicans, to your Regional Editors (see below). elumen Credits Ms. Marianne T. Jablonski, O.P. veritas18@verizon.net Provincial Council President Editorial Staff: Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P., Managing Editor elumened@verizon.net Mrs. Helen Tice, O.P., Layout/Design prouille_1216@comcast.net Ms. Louise A. Mitchell, O.P., Copy Editor lamitchell99@hotmail.com Ms. Amy Strickland, O.P., Calendar canonlaw@hotmail.com Mr. Pedro Saavedra, O.P., Crossword psaavedr@catholic.org Reg. 1 Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P. elumened@verizon.net Reg. 2 Mr. Anthony Tallini, O.P. veritas922@aol.com Reg. 3 Mr. Louis Pizzuti, O.P. loupizzuti@yahoo.com Reg. 4 Mr. Donald Wacker, O.P. angelicdoctor@msn.com Reg. 5 Ms. Ann Devine, O.P. Anndeliasd@aol.com Reg. 6 Regional Editor Needed Contributing Writer: Mr. Harold Koenig, O.P., Contemplare Corner hkoenig@earthlink.net The Internet Newsletter of the Province of St. Joseph is published monthly and sent to subscribers via . To subscribe, please contact prouille_1216@comcast.net Copyright 2013.The Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. All rights reserved Permission to reprint is granted provided that citation is made to elumen with the volume, issue, and year, and to the author and title of specific articles. Puzzle is in this edition of elumen. Newsletter of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, Province of St. Joseph, U.S.A. Last Page Page 12