Reflections from the Triduum Retreat

Dear Father Fred,
 

I Just wanted to thank you for one of the most rewarding weekends of my life. This year has been a long and challenging year for me. These difficulties have caused me to rely more on the cross and turning more to Jesus throughout my daily life. I went on this retreat because I figured it would help deepen my faith in the Lord. What the retreat actually did was completely change my faith in the lord. The retreat helped me relax and find peace in my hectic life. It has given me ideas for prayer and shown how powerful just sitting in quiet and listening to the Lord can be. Thank you again for the room and the food your monastery provided me this weekend. But most of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn more about Christ and how to rely on him.

Signed,
A Triduum Retreatant

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

1) Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

2) Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

3) On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

4) Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Please consider offering the chaplet for vocations (both your own and for your fellow brothers discerning the call)

Great Links for more about Divine Mercy: EWTN, Divine Mercy Sunday, The Shrine

Divine Mercy Sunday

Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened". (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church.

Jesus promised that "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."(Diary 699) He went on to say "I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy." (Diary 1109)

We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy "Divine Mercy Sunday". We want you to benefit fully from these promises, and we also want you to notify all of your family and friends about them too and urge them to return to the practice of their faith!

The Image of The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord requested to be solemnly blessed and venerated on this day, will be on display in our church. Pope John Paul II said that the image portrays the Risen Jesus Christ bringing Mercy to the whole world. Our Lord said "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish". (Diary 341, 48) Please take the time to visit with this Image of The Divine Mercy and venerate Jesus.

Jesus said to St. Faustina "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You". (Diary 327) "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299)

 

About the feastday "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy". (Diary 699)

Our Lord said "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul…" and "Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy" (1602) Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is… only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession to Me, and I will fill it with My light." (1725)

It is required of all Catholics to confess their serious sins at least once every year. If you haven’t yet met this obligation then take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to receive an outpouring of an ocean of graces that Jesus promises on this day. Those who have already confessed their sins should make room for others.

The Church allows for one to go to Confession for up to about 20 days, before or after Divine Mercy Sunday.

Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina, copyright 1987 Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge MA., USA

Over 20 young men attend Tiduum Retreat

 
Over 20 young men attended our annual Holy Week Retreat held at St. Vincent Archabbey. The men were able to pray and relax with the monks during the holiest days of the liturgical year. I think it is safe to say that all of the guys had a wonderful and deeply prayerful time at the Abbey as together we celebrated the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Risen King!!!

The Easter Vigil

Here are some pictures from the the 2008 Easter Vigil at St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica.

The Blessing of the Fire

The Chanting of the Exultant

Archabbot Douglas incensing the Altar and Paschal Candle

Reverencing the Holy Altar

The Sacrament of Baptism