Marist Messenger

By Fr John Kelly ocso
It should be fairly obvious that community prayer has got to be planned ahead of time, so as to get all the participants co-operating together in the liturgy. There has to be agreement regarding time, place and the various roles of the of different people etc.
But do we also need to structure and regulate our personal prayer? We certainly do! Read more »

By Fr. Brian O’Connell
In recent weeks there have been a number of 70th war anniversaries remembered in Europe. Read more »

Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney George Pell has for 8 years written a weekly column for the Sunday Telegraph (circ. 600,000 readership 1.8 million). His column comments on all aspects of life such as the Blake Art prize winners and global warming. It is the second most popular column in the paper. Agree with him or not, it is quite an extraordinary outreach for a Catholic prelate. Read more »

17 SEP 2009 (VIS) – This morning in Castelgandolfo the Holy Father received a group of prelates who had just completed their ‘ad limina’ visit.
Highlighting the functions of the various members of the Church, the Pope explained how “the particular identity of priests and laity must be seen in the light of the essential difference between priestly ministry and the ‘common priesthood’. Hence it is important to avoid the secularisation of clergy and the ‘clericalisation’ of the laity”. Read more »

Sixty five years ago, on 1 November, 1944, 733 Polish Children, along with their 102 caregivers, disembarked in Wellington aboard the General Randall.
Read more »

Polish Orphan: Born 15 July 1936

The Polish Orphans Association are celebrating 65 years since NZ wartime Prime Minister Peter Fraser accepted 733 Polish Orphans in 1944. One of those children was Genia Mills, a Messenger reader with a wonderful story to tell.< Read more »

The Marist Family Newsletter Champagnat “an International Marist Journal of Education and Charism” was awarded the Bishop Phillip Kennedy Memorial Prize at the ACPA annual Conference in Sydney. Read more »

by a Special Correspondent
“St. Teresa [of Avila] always in touch with God, said, “Lord, why this?” He answered, “That is the way I treat my friends.” Teresa came back, “Then no wonder You have so few! …”

My grandson Peter died on Thursday 26 July, the Feast of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He was sixteen weeks old, a perfect little boy. He was as long as his mother’s hand, and died as soon as he was born. I am dating his life, of course, from his conception. Read more »

Every eight years the Society of Mary convokes a General Chapter of delegates from every province in the world to chart the course of ministry for the future, and elect a new leadership for the next four years although the Superior General is elected for an eight year term. Read more »

Malachy O’More was born in 1095 in Armagh, Ireland, and ordained at age 25. In 1123, Malachy became abbot of Bangor, which he set about restoring. In 1125, he was chosen Bishop of Connor and Down, many of whose people were Christian in name only. Read more »

Assunta Pallotta was born in Force, Italy, in 1878 to a poor labouring family. From age eleven, as her chronically unemployed father had left to seek his fortune, she helped keep the house, raise her younger brothers and work to support the family. At an early age she showed signs of an extraordinary piety, carrying her rosary always and being overjoyed when allowed to receive her First Communion.
In her late teens, Assunta joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, where she became a model of humility and exact observance of the rule. Read more »

Catherine was a noble virgin of Alexandria, born in the fourth century. She had a very active intelligence, and undertook the study of philosophy and theology at an excellent school in that city. She made great progress and became able to sustain the truths of our religion against even very subtle sophists. Read more »

Feast of Dedication Nov 9
St John Lateran is the official church of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) and was first dedicated in 324. Located just outside the Vatican walls, it’s full title is Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Sts. John Baptist and John Evangelist in the Lateran. It was destroyed and rebuilt in the 14th Century. The current design was by Borromini in 1646-1649, with the façade being remodelled in 1735. Read more »

© By Bill Farrelly
IT’S RAINING here in Missabotti and it feels as if it will never stop. Who am I to complain. Am I deaf to the suffering of the latest tsunami victims? Have I already forgotten those poor suffering souls in the Victorian bushfires and their fellow Australians who for weeks battled raging floodwaters in Queensland? Read more »

by Elizabeth Isichei
The Huns are learning the Psalter, and the frosts of Scythia (a Greek name for the steppes of central Asia) are warmed by the fire of faith.” Saint Jerome in 403
It is one of the mysteries of Christian history that some churches have seen Christ’s command to preach to all nations as an absolute imperative, while others have virtually ignored it.
The Christians of what are now Iraq and Iran did much to carry the Christian message further. Read more »

by Fr Peter Healy sm
“We’ve done those things which we ought not to have done and we’ve left undone those things which we ought to have done.”
I guess most of you have noticed the large amount of material in the news media on climate change. What I often wonder about is just how seriously people take this moment in time and the critical nature of it. Read more »

A man in London walked into the produce section of his local Tesco’s supermarket and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy working in that department told him that they only sold whole heads of lettuce. Read more »

The Time of Waiting
Like the seasons of the years life goes through the stages of living from birth to death. Recently when out for afternoon tea with some friends I listened to two mothers who between them had eleven children. They talked of their dreams for their families. They spoke about tomorrow and what they were planning and hoping for their family and for each child. In other words they had these wonderful dreams of what the future would bring. Read more »

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Holy Mass is offered each month by the Editor for those whose names occur in this list. To add a name, simply write to the Editor
Recently Deceased: Len Peffers, Jack Howard, Tom Sims, Helen Moriarty, T Hirini, Kath Hendrikse, Bob Emett
In Memoriam: Nov1st: Doris Donnellan, Hugh Francis Mills, Morice Walsh, Eleanor Curran, Fr Phil McCormack, David de Caires. Read more »