Ave Maria!

We are happy to announce that ten Franciscans of the Immaculate were ordained to the priesthood through the imposition of the hands of His Eminence Crescenzio Card. Sepe, Archbishop of Napoli on March 24, 2007 in the Church of St. Theresa of the Discalced, Naples. This is an incredible blessing to the order and the Church. As the saintly Don Donlindo Ruotolo put it, “The priest is a flower that has bloomed in the magnificence of the love of Jesus Christ … that shines in the splendor of his dignity and excels all others … a rose from the Immaculate Heart of Mary”

There were no Americans ordained this year but one of the ordained, Fra Agnelus from England, made his postulancy and novitiate here in America and several American seminarians were in the Church and are anxiously awaiting their ordination in just a few short years, after which they will be able come back and minster to us here.

Fra Bonaventure from Cameroon was ordained as well. Generous benefactors from the US paid for the plane tickets for his family to come and see his ordination. All those who contributed will be glad to see that they were, in fact, able to come. They stand out in their beautiful traditional African clothes, captured here in some of the slides.

The beautiful church is staffed by the FI sisters who also sang magnificently for the ceremony. Thank you, Jesus and Mary!!

Ave Maria!

The post Video – FiNews #11: Ten Franciscans of the Immaculate Ordained to the Priesthood first appeared on AirMaria.com.

In his 1986 Holy Thursday Letter to Priests, Pope John Paul II wrote:

The Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort of his priestly life. He took great care, despite the crowds of penitents, to spend more than a quarter of an hour in silent preparation. He celebrated with recollection, clearly expressing his adoration at the consecration and communion. He accurately remarked: “The cause of priestly laxity is not paying attention to the Mass!”

The Curé of Ars was particularly mindful of the permanence of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. It was generally before the tabernacle that he spent long hours in adoration, before daybreak or in the evening; it was towards the tabernacle that he often turned during his homilies, saying with emotion: “He is there!”

It was also for this reason that he, so poor in his presbytery, did not hesitate to spend large sums on embellishing his church. The appreciable result was that his parishioners quickly took up the habit of coming to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, discovering, through the attitude of their pastor, the grandeur of the mystery of faith.

Dear brother priests, the example of the Curé of Ars invites us to a serious examination of conscience: what place do we give to the Mass in our daily lives? Is it, as on the day of our Ordination — it was our first act as priests! — the principle of our apostolic work and personal sanctification? What care do we take in preparing for it? And in celebrating it? In prayng before the Blessed Sacrament? In encouraging our faithful people to do the same? In making our churches the House of God to which the divine presence attracts the people of our time who too often have the impression of a a world empty of God.

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Roving Reporter #120 – First Holy Mass of 4 New FI Priests, celebrated at Assisi ( 13min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

This is the first Holy Mass celebrated by the newly-ordained FI priests, Fr. Alan Bernardino Wharton (USA), Fr. Vincent Michael Egbu (Nigeria), Fr. Giles Joseph Mary Atherton (Australia), and Fr. Vincent d’Elia (Italy). Our new priests had the privilege of celebrating at the Sanctuary of the Portziuncola in Assisi in the same edifice in which Saint Francis himself entrusted the Order of the Friars Minor into the hands of Our Lady some 800 years ago. The Mass was celebrated on March 26, 2011, the day after their holy ordinations at Tarquinia in Italy, and we ask that you remember these new servants of our Lord in your prayers.

note: The Holy Mass was celebrated in the ordinary form (Mass of Paul VI) in Italian, and, as you’ll note in the video, a good number of the friars studying at the FI philosophical and theological seminary, the Seminarium Theologicum Immaculata Mediatrix (S.T.I.M.), were in attendance. At this time, all the FI students of philosophy are studying here on the outskirts of Rome (approx. 40 minutes away from the Vatican by car…depending on the traffic) while those in theological studies are situated in the city of Cassino, home of the famous monastery of St. Benedict – bombed (and then rebuilt) by the US during WWII, as the Italians like to remind us. We’re currently seeking a new convent/seminary of studies here in Rome, so we ask you for your prayers in this regard as well. All the American friars in priestly formation – Fra. Anthony Servium, Fra Josemaria (Canada), Fra Ephriam, Fra Pio Maximillian, and Fra Terrance – send their greetings to everyone and, as always, we ask for your prayers.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Conferences #198 – ( 43min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Fr. Ben Luedtke gives the second talk for the Priest’s Retreat at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center in Bloomington, IN.

First, recapping his first conference of how the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice is made present in the mass. He then covers the many questions people, and priests, have about the priesthood.

• Why is Christ still on the Cross on Catholic Crucifixes?
• Why crucifixes instead of “Resurectcifixes”
• Why priests wear black
• Why priests wear a white collars
• Why confession is so important
• Why forgiveness of others is merciful to ourselves
• Why forgiveness does not involve feelings
• Why we are not called to like our enemies
• Why happiness depends on simply choosing to be so
• Why going to heaven or hell is a matter of choice
• Why Hell is an expression of God’s mercy
• Why priests are celibate
• Why priests should always show Christ’s mercy in confession
• Why Priests should avoid political correctness like the plague
• Why priests need to find out where their parishioners are “at” first
• Why priests need to talk at their parishioner’s level
• Why sacrifice and prayer is most important for conversion
• Why priests should frequently reflect on the first day of their ordination
• Why keeping death in front of our eyes will make us happy
• Why feelings of unworthiness should not discourage priests
• Why mystical experiences are not important for salvation

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Conferences #198: Priests Retreat 2012 Pt2, Fr. Ben Luetdke, The Whys of Priests first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

While we were busy with our commemorative event of the 100th Anniversary of Fatima on Saturday, on the other side of the globe Fra Josemaria was being ordained to the priesthood in Manila, Philippines.  He is now Father Josemaria Barbin, F.I. and will be returning to our Bloomington friary here shortly. This is a very well done video of this momentous event. Please keep him in your prayers. Deo Gratias!

From the YouTube description:

This is a short video montage of the Ordination to the Priesthood of Rev. Fr. Josemaria M. Barbin, FI at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) in the Philippines. It took place on October 7, 2017, Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary and the ordaining prelate was His Excellency Most Rev. Antonio Tobias, JCL, D.D.

Go to YouTube for original video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUpF1kLDgVA

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Ave Maria!

Our friar Terrance Chartier will be ordained to the priesthood this Saturday. It will be in Our Lady’s Chapel that we staff in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This is very fitting since he was born and raised in New Bedford. This is a great moment for the FIs in the US since it is the second ordination in as many weeks after Fr. Josemaria was ordained on October 7th. Deo Gratias!

Please keep Friar Terrance in your prayers.

Below is an article from South Coast Today, the local paper:

NEW BEDFORD — Franciscan Friar Terrance (Karl Michael) Chartier will be ordained a priest at Our Lady’s Chapel at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, by the Bishop of Fall River, the Most Rev. Edgar Da Cunha.

Friar Terrance was born in New Bedford on June 16, 1978 to Nancy L. Chartier and Carl Corras. He was baptized at St. Julie Billiart Church in North Dartmouth. Raised by his grandparents Philip E. and Winifred M. Chartier, he lived on County Street and was a parishioner at St. Lawrence Parish. At the age of 13, he and his family moved to Fairhaven. He graduated from Holy Family Holy Name grammar school in 1992, Bishop Stang High School in 1996, and Northeastern University in Boston in 2002, studying architecture and working in the architectural field in the Boston area during and after his schooling for a number of years.

After discerning a call to religious life, he spent five months as a Jesuit novice in 2003 in upstate New York near Le Monye College. He was called out of the Jesuits by Our Lady, as he says, and in 2007 he entered the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate after getting to know the friars at their chapel in downtown New Bedford.

He spent time in formation to the Franciscan way of life again in upstate New York near Syracuse and in Connecticut. In 2009, Chartier was sent to Italy to pursue studies for the priesthood. He completed theological studies in Rome in June of 2017, graduating from the Salesian Pontifical University, and has been sent back to New Bedford to be ordained a priest.

Source: Friar Terrance Chartier to be ordained

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Fr. Ignatius gives the homily at the first public mass in Bloomington of the newly ordained Fr. Josemaria. Fr. Ignatius explains the indelible mark that ordination confers onto a soul and all the graces this bestows on him to carry out the many onerous duties that comes with being a priest.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Luke the Evangelist – Feast
Readings: 
1st: 2ti 4:9-17
Resp: psa 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18 0
Gsp: luk 10:1-9

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In the homily for the Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (May 14, 2019), Fr. Andre encourages the laity to promote vocations, and young men to respond to the call of ordained priesthood. “A man who is over 25 and still single is likely being called.”

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Matthias the Apostle – Feast
Readings: 
1st: Act 1:15-17, 20-26
Resp: Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Gsp: John 15:9-17

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1072, http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051419.cfm

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At a special Mass honoring the Silver Jubilee of Fr. Joachim’s Ordination to the Priesthood, Fr. Jacinto M. Chapin offers a reflection on the priesthood. The actual date of Fr. Joachim’s ordination was May 31, 1997, on the Feast of the Visitation. For practical reasons of scheduling a reception after Mass, the Jubilee Mass was celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 29.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Monday 7th Week of Easter – Wkdy
Readings:  – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052922-ascension.cfm

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/S1mkLDsCF1s

The post Silver Jubilee of Fr. Joachim Mary Mudd: 25 Years, Priest – May 29 – Homily – Fr Jacinto first appeared on AirMaria.com.