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Sunday, 1 January 2012

Hymn To The Mother Of God - John Taverner


"In You, O Woman full of Grace,
The angelic choirs and the human race,
All creation rejoices!

O sanctified Temple,
Mystical Paradise, and glory of Virgins.

In You, O Woman full of Grace,
All creation rejoices.
All praise be to You!"

Friday, 23 December 2011

The Radiant Vision Of St Cajetan On Christmas Eve


St Cajetan receives the newly born Christ Child from the hands of his spotless Mother.

At the very hour of his most holy birth, I drew close to the crib, and given strength by my beloved father, Blessed Jerome, who was devoted to the holy crib, and with the confidence that he gave to me, I received from the hands of the spotless Virgin, my protectress, who had recently become a mother,
the Holy Infant, Word Incarnate. 
The fact that my heart did not stop and melt, pierced through by divine love is a sign that it must be as hard and unfeeling as a diamond. 
(from a letter from St Cajetan to Sister Laura Mignani 28th January 1528)
 
 

Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Saint Cajetan, Helper in Difficulties


As Christians we have a father in God, a Mother in the Blessed Virgin
and friends in all God's Holy Saints.

Let us have recourse to these heavenly friends in
our times of trouble since they are so anxious to help us.

The World is in trouble because for too long money has been its only god and the only place to which it has looked for help. Where then charity, mercy, love and hope?
These all can be found in the examples of the Saints
who we are called to emulate in our daily lives.
Imagine a world where charity, mercy, love and hope ruled
instead of greed and self-interest, what a paradise of peace!

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

Friday, 7 October 2011

7 Monthly Commemoration of St Cajetan/Conmemoracion mensual de San Cayetano 7


Our Lady Of The Rosary Pray For Us!


St Cajetan Pray For Us!


On the 7th October 1571 at Lepanto, a Christian fleet faced the overwhelmingly superior fleet of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans were at the peak of their naval power in the Mediterranean and threatened to overrun Christian Europe and in this extremity Pope Pius V formed a league against them. The Christian fleet, furnished by Venice, Genoa, and Spain was commanded by Don Juan of Austria.
As early as September 17, Pope Pius enjoined the recitation of the Rosary on all Christendom for the success of the Christian arms. He had ordered all the churches to have the Forty Hours Devotion, with public processions and recitation of the Rosary. On that fateful October 7th, he himself spent the entire night in prayer.
Before moving to the attack at Lepanto the Christian sailors devoutly recited the Rosary while the Papal Legate gave the Apostolic Benediction to them. For three hours, the sixty-five thousand men, all of whom had received Holy Communion that morning, continued to recite the Rosary. Then on each ship general absolution was given for the last time by one of the chaplains. The attack began. The wind which had been against the Christians, suddenly dropped. The battle raged until late in the afternoon, when the Turks gave way. The victory gave the naval power of the enemy a blow from which it never recovered and ended their threat in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ever since the 7th October has been celebrated as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in gratitude for that victory.


So faced by huge odds the Chrsitian army knelt in prayer, confident in God's loving Providence, and then fought  with tremendous courage and with an unshakeable trust and faith that God would help them. It must be remembered that courage is not the absence of fear, far from it, it is in fact the overcoming of fear and the tackling of any given problem despite that fear.
So we are provided with an example of men who faced with overwhelmingly massive odds and gripped by fear, fought for what they prayed for.
Today we are faced by massive odds as well, we perhaps feel powerless against a world situation which seems to get bleaker by the day and it is very difficult not to feel unsettled. BUT we should follow the example of those men at Lepanto and have courage, pray and then go to work with a strong will and a faith in God's Holy Providence. Because if everyone pulled together and boldly redoubled their efforts to work their way out of the present situation then that situation will indeed diminish and eventually disappear through sheer hard work. On the other hand if we allow ourselves to be paralysed by fear then the situation will only get worse.
St Cajetan on his monthly day of commemoration asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears.


O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

Paolo Veronese
"The Holy Virgin interceding for the Christian fleet at Lepanto"




Saturday, 24 September 2011

Our Lady Of Guadalupe



Listen, put it into your heart, most little of my sons:
Let nothing frighten or grieve you,
let not your heart be disturbed,
do not fear any sickness or anguish.
Am I not here, who am your Mother?
Are you not under my protection?
Am I not your health?
Are you not happily within the folds of my mantle,
held safely in my arms?
Do you need anything more?
Let nothing else worry you, disturb you
.

The words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St Juan Diego
December 1531

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

A Supplication

O San Cayetano, Padre de Providencia
Otorganos a diario tu milagrosa asistencia
Oh God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; when I have work, help me remember the jobless; when I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless; when I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer; and in remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion. Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Conmemoracion mensual de San Cayetano/Monthly commemoration of St Cajetan


Glorioso San Cayetano, Padre de Providencia
Otorganos a diario tu milagrosa asistencia!



"Dios, todopoderoso y eterno, que diste a san Cayetano una admirable confianza en tu Providencia, un total desasimiento de las cosas de la tierra y una abundancia de dones del cielo, concede a los que hoy veneramos su memoria, sentir la ayuda de tu Providencia y tender, sin desmayo, a las realidades del cielo. Amén."

All powerful & eternal God, who gave St Cajetan a wonderful confidence in your Providence, a total rejection of the things of the world and an abundance of heavenly gifts, permit us who today venerate his memory, to feel the help of your Divine Providence, and to cling to the things of heaven without faltering. Amen

On the 7th day of every month is celebrated a mini feast of St Cajetan, a feast of faith and hope in Divine Providence. A day for special reflection in which we can think and give thanks for all that we DO have in our lives rather than all we don't have.