Speaking Presentation & Holy Relics Pilgrim Visit, 2/29/2020: Sacred Heart Church

The Sacred Heart Church in Waianae held a “Day of Recollection” at their parish; a half-day spiritual retreat for the benefit of their parishioners. Approximately 75 individuals attended… and I had the privilege of faith-sharing with them along with another guest speaker.  Our topic was the Eucharist.

My portion of the program centered on devotion to the Blessed Sacrament as exemplified in the lives of our Saints… and heavenly confirmation of Christ’s True Presence in the Eucharist, via approved Eucharistic Miracles from around the world.

 

Parishioners of Sacred Heart Church paying

respect to the relics brought into their church.

With alarming statistics pointing to less and less belief in the Eucharist by members of our own Church, I was happy to be a part of this event… and I even enlisted the intercession of a small team of Saints and a Servant of God to be prayer warriors for the organizers and for the audience. This spiritual A-Team was comprised of the following holy persons, represented at the event by their respective relics brought by my ministry: St. Anthony of Padua; St. John Marie Vianney; Servant of God Louise Lateau; St. Juliana Falconieri; St. Padre Pio; and St. Teresa of Calcutta.  I highlighted their lives as worthy examples of Eucharistic Devotion.

If the enthusiasm and positive feedback expressed by the Sacred Heart parishioners were any indication, their Day of Recollection was a great success.  Faith-seeds were definitely sown today, which I hope will bear much good fruit in this wonderful parish.  God bless them.

Fine flakes of Escarchas that manifested on
my hands after getting home from this event.

A sign of grace and anointing for Waianae?

Monthly Messages from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: February 2020

Our Lady's Monthly Message to the World on February 25th (given through Marija):

   “Dear children! In this time of grace, I desire to see your faces transformed in prayer. You are so flooded by earthly concerns, you do not even feel that spring is at the threshold. You are called, little children, to penance and prayer. As nature fights in silence for new life, also you are called to open yourselves in prayer to God, in Whom you will find peace and warmth of the spring sun in your hearts.  Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Our Lady's Special Message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on February 2nd:

   “Dear children, by the act of the decision and love of God, I am chosen to be the Mother of God and your mother. But also by my will and my immeasurable love for the Heavenly Father and my complete trust in Him, my body was the chalice of the God-man. I was in the service of truth, love and salvation, as I am now among you to call you, my children, apostles of my love, to be carriers of truth; to call you to spread His words, the words of salvation, by your will and love for my Son: that with your actions you may show, to all those who have not come to know my Son, His love. You will find strength in the Eucharist - my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood. My children, fold your hands [in prayer] and look at the Cross in silence. In this way, you are drawing faith to be able to transmit it; you are drawing truth to be able to discern; you are drawing love that you may know to love truly. My children, apostles of my love, fold your hands [in prayer], look at the Cross.  Only in the Cross is salvation.  Thank you.”

Psalm 91: A Prayer of Protection (Updated 11/18/2023)

With today's growing concern over the spread of war and pestilence (i.e. the Coronavirus), I felt inspired - strongly compelled, in fact - to post this Psalm for readers to recite.  It has been particularly valued for centuries by Jews and Christians, alike, as a prayer of deliverance and protection; I was surprised by how it fit the pandemic situation perfectly... so ARM AND SHIELD YOURSELVES SPIRITUALLY BY PRAYING IT DAILY.

PSALM 91

He who dwells in the secret

place of the Most High will rest in

the shadow of the Almighty. I will

say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and

my fortress; my God, in whom

I trust.”

For he will deliver you from

the snare of the fowler and from

the deadly pestilence. He will

cover you with his feathers. Under

his wings you will take refuge.

His faithfulness is your

shield and rampart.

You shall not be afraid of

the terror by night, nor of the

arrow that flies by day, nor of

the pestilence that walks in

darkness, nor of the destruction

that wastes at noonday. A thousand

may fall at your side and ten

thousand at your right hand; but

it will not come near you. You

will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of

the wicked.

Because you have made Yahweh

your refuge, and the Most High

your dwelling place, no evil shall

happen to you, neither shall any

plague come near your dwelling. For

he will put his angels in charge

of you to guard you in all your

ways.  They will bear you up in

their hands so that you won’t dash

your foot against a stone. You will

tread on the lion and cobra. You

will trample the young lion

and the serpent underfoot.

“Because he has set his love

on me, therefore I will deliver

him. I will set him on high because

he has known my name. He will call

on me and I will answer him. I will

be with him in trouble. I will

deliver him and honor him. I will

satisfy  him with long life and

show him my salvation.”

To view additional spiritual weapons against pandemics and other dangers, click here.

Saints of the Month - February 2020: The 7 Holy Servite Founders

The Seven Holy Founders

of the Servite Order

Feast ~ February 17th

The Friar Servants of Mary, also popularly known as the "Servites", is an illustrious Order that was inspired into being in the Thirteenth Century, by the Madonna, herself... and it has maintained and promoted devotion to her ever since, particularly under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows.

It all began circa 1233, with seven merchants from Florence, Italy. These men, despite their wealth and status, were highly devout members of a lay association dedicated to honoring the Blessed Virgin. According to several accounts, while praying together in church, they were collectively privileged with an apparition of Mary, who directed them to forego the world for lives of prayer, penance, and meditation. Following this decisive experience, the group unanimously decided to withdraw together in solitude away from the distractions of their former lives. They settled their affairs, distributed their personal belongings to the poor, and bid farewell to their respective families before retiring to a place called Villa Camarzia in the outskirts of Florence. There, under the direction of a priest, they lived in poverty, relying on charity to feed themselves; following a strict program of spiritual discipline and prayer. 

Not surprisingly, the departure of the seven caused a major sensation in Florence and the surrounding region. Some derided the men as lunatics but, more so, many came to regard them as living saints because of the austere and penitential lives they led. Soon, many were flocking to Villa Camarzia, seeking out the group for prayer requests, counsel, or to join them.  It proved to be a growing disruption to their humble mode of life. 

In 1234 the original members and their aspirants relocated to the top of a remote mountain - Monte Senario - where they hoped to enjoy more peace and quiet. They built a complex of small individual hermitages around a chapel dedicated to Our Lady… but the move proved to be futile.  Rumors of their new whereabouts spread rapidly and the visits from outsiders resumed.

The Servite Monastery on the mountain

of Monte Senario.

Another heavenly visit from the Mother of Christ in 1240 provided the group with further guidance - Mary instructed the founders to adopt the Augustinian Rule, while showing them a black habit that she wished them all to wear, moving forward.  Again, the seven complied, and their subsequent actions led to the formal establishment of the Order of the Friar Servants of Mary, aka the Servites. 

The Servite Order grew quickly and realizing that it was impossible to completely detach themselves from the world, they expanded their work to include charitable service to the poor and the sick in nearby cities and hamlets, as well as conducted preaching missions (to combat the errors spread by the Cathari and other heretical sects).  The Order was officially approved by Pope Alexander IV in 1256. 

In the meantime, while the Order blossomed and thrived, the Servite Founders occupied the rest of their lives with continued practice of virtue, enriched by extraordinary charism bestowed by the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Spirit. Several served in leadership capacity while others fired up the fledgling community by their service and faith-examples. The seven died between the years 1262 and 1310.  Below are their names and a brief summary of their attributes: 

Our Lady, herself, bestowed the black habit

of the Servites to the Seven Founders.

+ ST. BONFIGLIO MONALDI was the original leader of the lay association to which the seven first belonged to. As such, he was nominated as the first Prior of the budding Order of the Servites, a role he fulfilled admirably.  He died on January 1, 1262.

+ ST. BARTOLOMEO AMIDEI was known for his exceptional charity and fervent love for God, which inspired all he came into contact with. It was a fitting attribute since his family name in English translates to “Love God”.  His death occurred on April 18, 1266. 

+ ST. GIOVANNI BONAGIUNTA was known for his strict austerity towards himself, but was affable towards his brethren. He was elected Prior between 1256 and 1257 and served the position worthily.  He died on August 31, 1267. 

+ ST. MANETTO ANTELLA also once served as the Order’s Prior. Under his wise and capable leadership, the Servites were successfully established in France.  His death occurred on August 20, 1268. 

+ ST. GHERARDINO SOSTEGNO & ST. RICOVERO UGUCCIONI were particularly close - the embodiment of spiritual brotherhood. Through their friendship, they encouraged and supported each other, along with the rest of the Servites, in their ascent to the heights of sanctity.  Both reportedly died, hours apart, on the same date - May 3, 1282. 

+ ST. ALESSIO FALCONIERI was celebrated for his outstanding spirit of purity and humility. He reportedly declined the opportunity to become a priest in order to remain a simple brother in service of his brethren. He is also the paternal uncle to St. Juliana Falconieri, the foundress of the female branch of the Servites.  St. Alessio was the last of the seven to die on February 17, 1310 at nearly 110-years-old. 

Pope Leo VIII collectively canonized these great holy men in 1888. Their relics are enshrined together in the main church of their Order on Monte Senario.  May they pray for our individual needs and for the needs of our Catholic Church.

The First Saturday Rosary... and a Signal Grace from the Mediatrix of All Grace

It's been quite a while since I posted about it, but it's still going on.  I'm referring to the First Saturday Rosary for Peace at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua where we're still holding it every month... and blessings continue to be poured out - sometimes visibly.  In fact, at today's meeting, we were surprised by a manifestation of a familiar signal grace - escarchas.  I haven't posted about escarchas for some time, too, but the phenomenon is still occurring, although intermittently.

A few of us regulars at today's First

Saturday Rosary Meeting.

So this afternoon our parishioners met again to pray the Holy Rosary - about 15 of us, despite cold rainy weather today.  Other than the profound sense of peace that descended into the Day Chapel during our prayer, there were no other tangible indications of a divine presence... but after we finished, things took a turn for the extraordinary.

Mary, the "Mediatrix of

All Grace" of Lipa

For this month's gathering, I had brought my recently acquired Marian statue to the meeting - a likeness of Mary, the Mediatrix of all Grace from Lipa, Philippines -  and a friend who was seeing the statue for the first time approached it to get a closer view. As I watched her admiring it, she nonchalantly said, "There's glitter on the Blessed Mother's face." Me and another remaining participant immediately went to look at the image, ourselves, and sure enough, the statue's left cheek was sparkling with tiny silver flakes. I knew right away they were escarchas because the statue isn't decorated with any type of glitter.

Furthermore, as we three looked on, the escarchas multiplied and spread to the right cheek... then to the forehead... down the neck... and onto the Holy Mother's gown. It goes without saying we were awestruck. If I didn't witness it with my own eyes, I think I would be skeptical... but I now know from personal experiences this particular sign really does occur... and it's beautiful! The escarchas were mostly very fine speckles so they were difficult to capture on film, but a few of the larger ones are visible in these two videos...

Some of the escarchas on the

statue's cheek can clearly be seen in

the videos above and below.

I left the Church extra grateful and excited tonight. I encountered Mary through the Rosary in the Day Chapel... then encountered Jesus through the Eucharist during the Mass in the main church.  It was more than a good day!

     

Still-photos capturing just a few of the many

escarchas on the image's cheeks and neck.

PRAY THE ROSARY!