The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Peace be with you! This week we'll be taking a look a Fr. Michael J. McGivney. In the 1800s, Fr. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus. The Knights were founded to create a fraternal unity of men in a parish as well as help provide financial assistance to parish families in need. To this day, the Knights of Columbus continue to serve the community through disaster relief and with their excellenet life insurance policies. Here is a biography about the Knights founder, Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney. Michael Joseph McGivney was born on August 12, 1852, the first child of Irish immigrant parents in Waterbury, Connecticut. His parents went on to have 12 other children, half of whom died either as young children or infants due to their harsh living conditions. Michael left school at age 13 to work alongside his father and help support the family, but at age 16 he decided to enter the seminary. He studied in Quebec, Canada as well as in New York until he was called home to help work to support his family once more due to the death of his father. Michael eventually returned to his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was ordained into the diocese of Hartford, Connecticut in 1877. Fr. McGivney’s first assignment was to St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven. While there, he quickly became very active in the community. Alongside his priestly duties, he served as director of public plays and community fairs. He even volunteered to foster a child whose father had passed away, leaving the boy’s family in poverty and unable to care for him. It was during this time that McGivney envisioned the need for a Catholic mutual aid society. His intention was to create an institution where Catholic men could provide financial security to families in need who had lost their primary breadwinner. At that time in the U.S., Catholics were often discriminated against and denied membership into labor unions as well as being barred from joining the popular fraternal organizations of the day. In some cases, such as with Freemasonry, the Catholic Church forbade their membership. It was plain to see the charitable advantage of these fraternal organizations so, while formulating his plan to start a mutual aid program, Fr. McGivney began to research similar Catholic-founded societies elsewhere in the USA. He researched two organizations which both provided family insurance benefits to members of their churches in need — the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters and the Catholic Benevolent League. Originally, he considered starting a chapter of the Foresters for the men at St. Mary’s but ran into obstacles because their charter didn’t allow for groups outside of their region. As an answer, he decided to form a committee of men at home and, together, they designed an original Catholic fraternal organization that could provide for families in need but also had membership rituals that could compete with the excitement of the other popular secret societies of the time. On February 6, 1882, Fr. McGivney and his men launched the Knights of Columbus. Immediately after its launch, Fr. McGivney started spreading the word to invite men into membership and sent a letter appealing for new members to every priest in the diocese. The order, whose founding principles were charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism, grew rapidly. The Knights appealed to college campuses and, eventually, churches throughout the entire United States. By the early 1900s there were thousands upon thousands of Knights across the U.S. and councils being established worldwide. There are now 16,000+ local councils and over two million members who donate hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of millions of volunteer hours yearly to benefit charities worldwide. Membership is still restricted to practicing Catholic men, although women may participate through the Columbiettes, an auxiliary for Catholic women. Fr. McGivney fell ill with the flu during the 1889 pandemic, contracted tuberculosis, and, subsequently, pneumonia. He passed away at age 38 on August 14 of the next year. He’s remembered by those who knew him as being friendly and cheerful, a champion for the poor, and loyal to and fond of his community. In 2008, Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. Official Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Michael McGivney Founder of the Knights of Columbus God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, You called Your priest, Blessed Michael McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue, may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of Your servant prompt us to greater confidence in Your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify Blessed Michael McGivney on earth according to the design of Your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer Source: https://www.fathermcgivney.org/) © LPi  Totus Tuus! Corpus Christi-St. Bernard's Communications Team

Peace be with you! This week the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the story we hear how Peter, James, and John catch a glimpse of Heaven as they see Moses and Elijah before them and hear the voice of the Father. May our hearing this story allow us to see the glimpses of Heaven in our daily lives and spur us to share the message of Christ to the world. Everyday Stewardship There are times in our lives that we get the chance to see a glimpse of heaven. It may be through the love of another, loved one or stranger. Sometimes it may even be an event that seems unexplainable, perhaps even supernatural. These occurrences may be the answer to prayer or they may surprise us by coming out of nowhere. But no matter their nature or origin, they give us hope and strength to carry on through life. When we journey on a pathway of stewardship, we are bound to experience moments of grace where we see even the smallest seeds we planted grow into something amazing. At these moments, we are reminded that God is real and that our stewardship is not in vain. The giving of our gifts and talents is not just a response to God's calling. The giving is one way that God breaks through into the lives of others. As we use what God has given us for his glory, he uses us as instruments of grace to be truly present to others. The greatest example of this occurs at the Mass. Through the hands of an ordained priest taking the gifts of bread and wine, God is really present with us. When we then take Christ into our bodies, we accept the offer to take him into the world to others. The world cannot see Jesus in us with human eyes, but through our works of stewardship, they can see Jesus in us. One could say they even have a chance to see a glimpse of heaven. Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS © Liturgical Publications Totus Tuus! Corpus Christi-St. Bernard's Communications Team 

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Peace be with you! This week we celebrate the Feast of St. James the Greater. A few months ago, we celebrated the Feast of St. James the Lesser. A mini-biography can be found in previous blog emails we have sent out! Here is a brief biography of St. James the Greater. This week, let us continue to invite the Lord into our summer rest and ask Him to give rest to all who need it.

This week we hear the Gospel talk about seeds being planted in different types of soil. Here is a reflection from Colleen Dorman about soil condition. May her reflection help us share the message of Christ to those who need to hear it.

Peace be with you! As we welcome the summer weather, we look forward to all of the fun activities we may have personally planned to take advantage of the warmth. Although we are still months away from the Season of Creation, we can still start preparing for the coming season in September when we show extra care for God's Creation. This year's theme is Peace and Justice are Flowing Like a Mighty River. Here is a prayer that the Season of Creation group has given us to use as we draw closer. This week in prayer let us remember in a special way God's Creation and ask Him to show us how to better use it to share His Glory.

Peace be with you! The Road to Emmaus is a powerful story about how we can encounter Christ in the midst of our everyday lives. It's a story about how messy discipleship can be and how we can fail to recognize Christ on the road. This week, let us take some time in meditative prayer on the Road to Emmaus story and imagine what it would be like on the road with the disciples. Here are some guiding questions that can lead us in prayer: What's the weather like? Is it a sunny day or is it cloudy? What is the terrain like on the road from Jerusalem? What are the disciples wearing? Really imagine the design of their clothes. What do the disciples look like? Do they look distraught? Saddened? Anxious? What changes when they meet the man (Jesus) on the road? How do they interact with the man (Jesus) when He opens the Scriptures for them? Do you think the disciples started to better understand that the Messiah had to suffer but that He would rise? Or do you think they were still confused about the Messiah? Why do you think they invited the man (Jesus) to stay with them? What does the dinner exchange look like? Why does the man (Jesus) say the blessing rather than the disciples? How do the disciples react when they finally recognize Jesus? How do they leave the home to return to Jerusalem? Do they leave everything behind and sprint back to Jerusalem? Do the disciples show courage by returning to Jerusalem in the evening/night after they asked Jesus to stay with them because it was getting late? These questions are just helpful guides in prayer. If a particular question sticks more than others, stay with it and invite the Lord to reveal why. He will provide an answer in His time. May our time praying with the Road to Emmaus give us the strength to bring Christ to all we meet on the road. Totus Tuus! Corpus Christi-St. Bernard's Communications Team 

Peace be with you!

Peace be with you!