Our Lady of Holy Hope!

Today, Passionists throughout the world celebrate Mary under the title of Our Lady of Holy Hope.  This is particularly special to our diocese here in Mandeville, as it was this day 20 years ago that Bishop Boyle, our Founder, was ordained bishop and installed as the first Apostolic Vicar of the newly erected Vicariate of Mandeville, which would later become the diocese it is today.  So, at St. Vincent Strambi, we celebrated this today in a special way with a solemn Mass and potluck lunch afterwards.  (On the left, you see in front of the altar, the photo of Bishop Boyle and just beside him, the image of our Lady of Holy Hope - one can also see the pectoral cross Bishop Boyle wore the day of his ordination).  Below, you will see some of the children from the Children's Home.  3 of them helped me out with the music today - 2 played conga drums and another played another African instrument (I don't even know the name of the instrument, but I love the sound it makes - goes well with Caribbean rhythms!)  The names of the children are Brittania, Jaheel (sister and brother), and Lamoya and Samoya (quite obviously twins).

Britannia

Samoya

Lamoya

Jaheel

St. Maria Goretti

Back in Jamaica!!!

I have been back in my beloved Jamaica now for almost two weeks.  That is very difficult to believe, but true!  I left Rome and spent 3 lovely days with a great friend of mine and his lovely wife in Washington, DC.  They were recently married (May) and it was wonderful to spend some time with them.  They were terrific hosts and I am already looking forward to when I might be able to visit them again... hopefully, with a child in the house!

I made it back to Jamaica just in time for our school's graduation.  It was wonderfully prepared and went well as usual.  Several of our Jamaican teachers prepare all of our graduating students for this special day and they were all beaming as usual.  Two of the children from the Children's Home that Fr. Roland directs graduated this year (Romario and Sabrina).  Sabrina was one of the first children at Our Lady of Hope Children's Home.  She was so tiny the first time I saw her, and now she is 18 and graduated from high school.  Boy, time flies!

I recently made an acquisition of a new cell phone that allows me to take photos, so I can finally start to post a few pictures eventually.

Please keep one of my goddaughters in your prayers... her birthday is tomorrow (feast of St. Maria Goretti) and she is expecting a child any day now.  So, please keep the both of them in your prayers!

I hope to be going home for a few days this summer.  It will be great to see my family and spend some quality time with them.  I promise to try to be more faithful to my blogging this summer... at least with an occasional photo or two!

Please keep this poor brother in your prayers!  He needs them so much!!!!!

Thanks, thanks and more thanks!

It is not possible to thank God enough for all the wonders He does for us!  However, I wish to extend a great "thank you" to him at this time, as I finished my exams for my 3rd and final year of theological studies.  Praised be Jesus Christ!  It is only thanks to the prayers of many that I have been able to finish these three beautiful, yet challenging, years of my life.  I must thank them as well!  Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank all the benefactors who made it possible for me to study in Rome over the past three years.  I am so grateful to all of the above!

Even though these have been beautiful years, I am ready to head back to Jamaica.  Before that, I will stopping over in DC to visit a very good friend of mine along with his newly wedded wife.  I am looking forward to spending a few days with them before heading off to the Caribbean.  What is in the future for me?  God only knows.  I just hope and pray that He will give me the strength and courage to do whatever He may ask of me in the upcoming months.  I leave it all in His hands.  May God be praised now and forever!!!!  Amen!

In my previous post, I remarked (four months ago!) that I might not have much time during the semester to do much blogging.  That was perhaps the truest thing I have ever written!

Two Brothers

Although many in the world celebrate St. Valentine, the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the great apostles to the Slavs. When you study Church history a bit, it is very interesting to notice that these two brothers were very innovative, basically precursors to Vatican II in what concerns the use of the vernacular in the liturgies. They already accomplished this, with papal approval nonetheless, in the 9th century! I remember our history teacher telling us, "If there had been a few more Cyril and Methodius's around, maybe there never would have been the separation of the Eastern Church from the Western." That is certainly something upon which one can meditate. In his encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Pope JPII states that he named these 2 brothers as co-patrons of Europe (along with St. Benedict) to try to bring the East and West back together again, so that the Church can bring from its 2 lungs. Just last Friday (since I had already finished exams) I went to the crypt of St. Clement's here in Rome. That is where St. Cyril is buried! It is really remarkable because you can see the whole outline of the basilica (underneath the existing one) that was there from about the 10th or 11th century, plus going further down, one can see some ruins of 1st century Roman houses and streets!

Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this last semester. I will tons of reading to do this semester, so I imagine that my blogging will be very sporadic during this term. Even when I am unable to write anything here, know that I appreciate everyone's prayers and that I keep all of you in mine.

Happy St. Valentine's Day and Happy Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day!!!

Te Deum Laudamus!

We praise you, O Lord!  I have finally finished my exams!!!  Thanks be to God!

I missed out on a number of occasions in which I could have written in my blog, but I was quite preoccupied with my exams over the past month.  I had one written paper to finish, one to do, and six exams to complete.  All in all, I think they went fairly well thanks to the prayers of many persons.  THANK YOU!  One of my courses this past semester was justice and its allied virtues... one of those allied virtues is gratitude, so I extend that to all those praying for me.

I will try to be more faithful to my blog this next semester....  we'll see how things go.  There won't be much rest time as we already begin next semester on Monday, but I will try to recuperate a little these next couple of days, as well as do a bit of sightseeing around Rome.

Our Lady and the Word

It has been ages since I last blogged.  This is partly my fault and partly beyond my control.  Anyway, since I last blogged I visited Sicily for a week for the first time.  It was certainly a new experience, but ended up not being a very pleasant one as I was sick for 5 days.  However, I was able to see some beautiful Sicilian countryside and one magnificent church... the Duomo of Monreale.  The interior is a masterpiece of the 12th century, combining Arab, Byzantine and Norman cultures in one church (those were the cultures present in Sicily in that period of history)... breathtaking is all I can say.  The bottom half of the cathedral is all Arab mosaics with geometric shapes and patterns (yes, the mathematician in me was pleased with that!), while the upper half of the naves and the entire transept are mosaics taken from Holy Scripture.  The entire church is one big catechism lesson... from Adam and Eve in the garden, to Christ, to the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles.  There is just so much to see and yet one doesn't have the impression that the builders were trying to put too much in too little space... everything seems to fit right where it belongs.  This cathedral ranks very high on my list as one of the most beautiful churches (at least on the interior... the exterior is fairly plain).

Today, the Universal Church celebrates the divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I can't help but think, though, of her maternity over all of us.  She is mother of the Church and our mother as well!  And she is a splendid example of what a true Christian should be and how he/she should listen to the Word of God.  "All who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary kept all these words, meditating on them in her heart".  Everyone marveled, while Mary kept these words and meditated on them.  Isn't that what we as Christians are supposed to do daily?  Is that not the itinerary of every Christian... meditation on the Word?

God, our Father,

since you gave mankind a saviour through blessed Mary, virgin and mother,

grant that we may feel the power of her intercession 

when she pleads for us with Jesus Christ, your Son, the author of life,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.