Blessed Priest who visted St. Vincent Archabbey on road to Sainthood

From the National Shrine of Blessed Seelos:

 

On September 25, 2010, the official Diocesan Inquiry into an alleged extraordinary healing through the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was finalized. Baltimore Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien convoked the Diocesan Inquiry Phase in May 2009. 

The fact-finding Inquiry Panel investigated the case and heard the testimony of Mary Ellen Heibel, her primary physician and nurse, and other key witnesses, concerning Heibel’s cure of metastasized esophageal cancer. Heibel, a devout Catholic and parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, MD, had  been cancer-free since January 2005, even though the disease had spread to her liver, lungs, back, and sternum, and medical treatment had failed. The cancer disappeared one week after she helped begin a weekly Seelos novena in her parish.

On October 11, 2010, the Redemptorist Postulator General, Rev. Antonio Marrazzo, submitted the results of this investigation to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican. With the Diocesan Phase of the canonization process now complete, Marrazzo’s formal petition for the Decree of Unsealing the Acts effectively begins the Roman Phase. 

At some point in the near future, the case will undergo proper scrutiny by Vatican authorities who will determine if the cure meets the criteria for the one miracle needed in Seelos’ canonization.

DE PROFUNDIS

Out of the depths I call to you, LORD; Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, LORD, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered. I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word. My soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak, let Israel look for the LORD, For with the LORD is kindness, with him is full redemption, And God will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Let us pray.
 

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplication they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired; who lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.

Saint Benedict Education Foundation Hosts Noted Liturgical Scholar: Bishop J. Peter Sartain

The Saint Benedict Education Foundation will host a lecture by Bishop J. Peter Sartain on Friday, October 29, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fred M. Rogers Center on the campus of Saint Vincent College.

The Most Reverend J. Peter Sartain is the bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illi. On September 16, 2010, he was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Seattle by Pope Benedict XVI. Sartain's lecture, which is free and open to the public, will discuss "The Sacred Liturgy and the New Evangelization."

Prior to the lecture, a reception and dinner will offer donors the opportunity to meet and mingle with the Archbishop-elect. For more information about the dinner and reception contact the Saint Benedict Education Foundation at 724-805-2890. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the students and programs of Sant' Anselmo, the Benedictine College in Rome.

Bishop Sartain is an authority among the American Catholic Bishops on matters of liturgy and sacramental theology. He was born on June 6, 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee. On July 15, 1978 he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Memphis. He was appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock on January 4, 2000 and was ordained on March 6, 2000. He was named Bishop of Joliet on May 16, 2006, and was installed on June 27, 2006.

Bishop Sartain attended St. Meinrad College in Indiana, studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, and earned a licentiate of sacred theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant Anselmo in Rome in 1979.

In addition to his pastoral experience as a parochial vicar and as a pastor, Bishop Sartain also has considerable administrative experience, having served as Director of Vocations, Chancellor, Moderator of the Curia, Vicar for Clergy, and Vicar General. He has also been a chaplain, academic dean for the permanent diaconate formation program, and a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Priestly Formation.

He currently is a member of the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Saint Benedict Education Foundation, located on the campus of Saint Vincent College, is charged with raising funds to assist Sant' Anselmo, the only Pontifical University in Rome operated by Benedictine monks. Established by Pope Leo XIII in 1887, it is the focal point for Benedictine education in Rome and offers degrees in theology, philosophy, and liturgy. Sant' Anselmo has contributed significantly to the life of the Universal Church through its continuing work on the Liturgy of the Church as well as the education of Church leaders.

The Saint Benedict Education Foundation was organized in May 2006 at the direction of the Abbot Primate of the worldwide Benedictine Confederation to expand and continue fundraising efforts to assist Sant' Anselmo. The Foundation has initiated the Abbot Anscar Vonier Chair in Eucharistic Theology, the Cardinal Mayer Chair in Sacramental Theology, and the Saint Scholastica Scholarship for Benedictine Women, and has raised funds to assist Sant' Anselmo and its students.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To make reservations for the lecture only, call 724-532-5030. For more information about the dinner or the Saint Benedict Education Foundation, contact the Foundation at 724-805-2890.

Saints Simon and Jude

However meagre in details is the history of these glorious apostles, we learn from their brief legend how amply they contributed to this great work of generating sons of God. Without any repose, and even to the shedding of their blood, they "edified the body of Christ"; and the grateful Church thus prays to our Lord today: "O God, through the work of the apostles you have spoken your Word of love, your Son, into our world's deafness. Open our ears to hear; open our hearts to heed; open our will to obey, that we may proclaim the good news with our lives."

St. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: being nephew, by his father Cleophas or Alpheus, to St. Joseph, and legal cousin to the Man-God, Jude was one of those called by their compatriots the brethren of the carpenter's Son. We may gather from St. John's Gospel another precious detail concerning him. In the admirable discourse at the close of the last Supper, our Lord said: "He that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him." Then Jude asked Him: "Lord, how is it, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?" And he received from Jesus this reply: "If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My word. And the word which you have heard is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."

The churches of St. Peter in Rome and Saint-Sernin at Toulouse dispute the honor of possessing the greater part of their holy remains.

Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Monk Art Show at St. Vincent

Artisans of the Monastery Exhibit October 21 to November 6 at Saint Vincent Gristmill

Saint Vincent Gristmill Museum, Beatty Road, Unity Township, will host an exhibit, “Artisans of the Monastery,” October 21 through November 6. The show will feature multimedia art by monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey. 

The exhibit will feature artwork including painting, stained glass, hand weaving, calligraphy and bookbinding. Among those participating are Father Sebastian Samay, O.S.B., Father Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B., Brother Mark Floreanini, O.S.B., Brother Michael Antonacci, O.S.B., Brother Albert Gahr, O.S.B., and Brother Isaac Hayweiser, O.S.B.

Their pieces, along with others by monks of Saint Vincent Monastery, will be on display. Some items will be for sale.

Father Sebastian A. Samay, O.S.B., a native of Pécöl, Hungary is the coordinator of Formation Programs at Saint Vincent Archabbey and professor emeritus at Saint Vincent College. Father Sebastian will be exhibiting weavings.

Father Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B., of Avonmore, is a weaver and the assistant director of the Saint Vincent Gristmill and Gristmill General Store. Father Thomas is also director of the Monastery Artisans.

Brother Mark Floreanini, O.S.B., of Alliance, Ohio, earned a master of fine arts degree from the Savannah College of Arts and Designs, and was appointed to the Saint Vincent College faculty in 2005. Brother Mark creates stained glass windows, paints, and does various other forms of art for Monastery Artisans, including spinning wool and crocheting.

Brother Michael Antonacci, O.S.B., of Jeanette, is assistant miller at the Saint Vincent Gristmill, and a teaching assistant for the Saint Vincent College Physics. Brother Michael works in a variety of mediums including weaving, calligraphy and bookbinding.

Brother Albert Gahr,O.S.B., of Kersey, is socius of novices and a teaching assistant in the Biology Department of Saint Vincent College. Brother Albert will be exhibiting weavings and bookbinding.

Brother Isaac Haywiser, O.S.B., of Bethel Park, is assistant to the manager, Gristmill General Store; assistant, summer retreat program; and assistant director, Archabbey guests and guest facilities. His work in stained glass will be shown.