Thousands Attend NC Mass for Life in Nation's Capital

From the Diocese of Raleigh website:

Several thousand Catholics from North Carolina braved cold drizzle Monday, January 23, 2012, to take part in the National Right to Life March in Washington, D.C. The annual event marks the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Roe v. Wade Decision, which allows abortion on demand.

Prior to joining the march, the faithful from the Diocese of Raleigh and the Diocese of Charlotte attended a North Carolina Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge was Principal Celebrant and Homilist. Concelebrating were Priests from both dioceses. Also in attendance were deacons and seminarians from Raleigh and Charlotte.

The theme of Bishop Burbidge’s homily focused on all that is possible. Giving words of encouragement, Bishop Burbidge said it is possible to replace “‘a culture of death” with the “Gospel of Life.”

“It is possible to change the hearts of elected officials,” Bishop Burbidge said, “so that their decisions, actions and votes ensure a society in which all people are treated equally and never denied the right to be born and to live with dignity and respect.”

Noting how the shared hopes and prayers of the faithful are rooted in The Truth, which is Jesus, Bishop Burbidge said, “His mandate is that life from the moment of conception to natural death must be revered, defended and protected.” The Bishop added, “and that respect and dignity are shown to all of His people, especially the unborn, weak, vulnerable, the needy and those whose rights and freedom are violated.”

The Washington Basilica:

Entrance procession of servers, seminarians, deacons, priests, and Bishop Burbidge:

At the March for Life the following day, I ran into my good Mercedarian friends, Fr. James and Brother David:

Visit to France, Part 1

I was able to spend 12 days of Winter break in France with Fr. Cusick. Here is part one of some photos of what we visited.

First we spent a few days in Paris. We stayed with the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament near the Champs Elysees, which was lit up at night and full of people:

I'm not sure why there was a petting zoo with donkeys, but this photo is for Fr. George (his favorite animal is the donkey, which carried Christ!). Visit his website and support him in his apostolate of praying for the Church as a hermit!

Fr. Cusick and I went to Rue de Bac in Paris for Mass - the site where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure and revealed the Miraculous Medal to her.

Warning to priests - it took us over an hour to get permission to offer the Extraordinary Form in a side chapel. If you visit, you might want to take a copy of Summorum Pontificum with you, as the priest-in-charge initially told us it was "not possible" to offer Mass in Latin at his shrine.

A beautiful day overlooking the Seine River:

We visited Sainte Chapelle, which was build by King Louis to house the relic of the Crown of Thorns. The Sainte Chapelle is now a part of the French Parliament building, and I believe the relics have been moved to Notre Dame:

The inside of Sainte Chapelle:

The original reliquary:

Notre Dame Cathedral:

We made a quick stop to the convent in Nevers to see St. Bernadette:

This is the actual statue (Our Lady of the Waters) that Saint Bernadette loved to visit each day:

The Cathedral of Nevers:

We stopped at the Cathedral of Orleans....

And then visited Chartres with a friend from the Institute of the Good Shepherd. A great restaurant in Chartres:

Buying food for our New Year's celebration that night:

The Cathedral of Chartres:

A very famous statue of Mary from the 1500's in the Cathedral of Chartres:

Up next, New Years celebration in Courtalain with the Institute of the Good Shepherd, and a tour of the Brittany region of France...

Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas F. Price

From the Diocese of Raleigh website:

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge has announced the diocesan phase of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas Frederick Price will open March 9, 2012. Father Price, who was born in Wilmington, NC, on August 19, 1860, was the first native North Carolinian to be ordained to the Priesthood.

At the time of his ordination, some 800 people in the state identified themselves as Catholic. Father Price was committed to converting all residents of North Carolina to Catholicism. The January/February 2011 edition of the NC Catholics profiled Father Price in a cover story.

Read the news release issued January 17, 2012 (PDF), regarding the diocesan phase of the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of Father Price.

“Asinus Es, Sed Christum Portas!"

“Asinus Es, Sed Christum Portas!" ("You are a donkey, but you carry Christ!") - Saint Augustine

“Oh blessed perseverance of the donkey that turns the water-wheel.” - St. Josemaria Escriva

Oh blessed perseverance of the donkey that turns the water-wheel! Always the same pace. Always the same circles. One day after another: everyday the same. Without that, there would be no ripeness in the fruit, nor blossom in the orchard, nor scent of flowers in the garden. Carry this thought to your interior life. And what is the secret of perseverance? Love. Fall in Love, and you will not leave him. (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 998-999)

You want to know on what our faithfulness is founded? I would say, in broad outline, that it is based on loving God, which makes us overcome all kinds of obstacles: selfishness, pride, tiredness, impatience... A man in love tramples on his own self. He is aware that even when he is loving with all his soul, he isn't yet loving enough. (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, 532)

'Never Give Up': Heartbreak as Brave 12-year-old Cancer Blogger Loses Battle to Brain Tumor

Please add the soul of this brave young girl to your prayers:

Just days before Jessica Joy Rees lost her heartbreaking battle with brain tumors, her parents wrote on their blog about how they were excited for a great 2012.

They were confident that the 12-year-old girl would reach her goal of making 50,000 of her 'Joy Jars' which were filled with candy and toys for sick children. They were exploring other medical treatments in Europe and out of reach of the FDA. They continued to pray and encouraged others to do the same.
Unfortunately, their prayers were answered differently than they hoped. 'We have prayed and prayed and prayed for sweet Jessie to be healed here on earth but God's plan was to use heaven for healing,' they wrote on Facebook when Jessie died on Thursday....

The Orange County seventh-grader, called 'Jessie' by family and friends, began her blog and Facebook page after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March [2011]. A second tumor was discovered in September. While some of her posts discussed her struggles as she underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments, others urged readers in dozens of countries to support pediatric cancer research and to pray for other children with the illness. She always signed her posts with the acronym 'NEGU', short for 'never ever give up.'

Also, she and her parents started The NEGU Foundation, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness of pediatric cancer, support sufferers and raise money for research. The foundation sold and provided thousands of 'JoyJars' stuffed with candy and toys to sick children. More than 3,000 were sold and distributed in 27 states last year, according to the NEGU website.

Jessica wrote on Facebook that her mission was 'to encourage kids fighting cancer to Never Ever Give Up by spreading hope, joy and love. A cheerful heart is great medicine.' After a particularly hard day in November, Jessica took to her website, jessicajoyrees.com, to admonish her pain and focus on her love for all that she did still have in her life.

'I love spreading joy to kids with our JoyJars. I love reading all of the posts on Facebook. I love having so many people praying for me. I love that people are supporting NEGU and allowing us to help kids. I love my family and all of my new friends,' the 12-year-old wrote.

Her funeral was held last Wednesday in her local town, where her father is a pastor. Let's keep her soul and her family in our prayers!

Taken from Daily Mail Reporter

Au Revoir, Paris

After a great vacation, I will be returning to North Carolina tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for safe travels, and I will post photos as soon as I can!