Book Includes Novena's to This Week's Saints

As far as I know, my prayer book The Church's Most Powerful Novenas is the only one that includes novenas to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton whose Feast is January 4th, St. John Neumann whose feast is on January 5th and Blessed Andre Bessette's (Feast day January 6th) novena to Saint Joseph.

No Church Funeral for Right-to-Die Advocate in Italy

From the CWNs:

The Rome diocese declined to allow a Catholic funeral for Piergiorgio Welby, the Italian activist who died on December 21 after his doctor disconnected his respirator.
The Rome diocese explained that during his life, Welby had “placed himself at odds with Church doctrine” by his outspoken advocacy of assisted suicide. Having been a leading advocate of the “right to die,” Welby-- who suffered from muscular dystrophy-- became the center of a heated public debate on that issue when he asked his doctors to remove the respirator that was keeping him alive.

Happy New Year!!!

2007

"O Mary,

you who have given birth to Jesus

help us to welcome the gift of peace from Him

and aid us in becoming sincere and courageous builders of peace!

-Pope Benedict XVI (January 1, 2007, Angelus)

Goodbye 2006

Feast of the Holy Family

Pope Benedict's Angelus as reported in Asia News Italy:

All the values of family life – obedience, social and religious education, mutual dedication – are found in the Holy Family. “In the life spent in Nazareth, Jesus honoured the Virgin Mary and the just Joseph, submitting to their authority for all the time of his childhood and adolescence (cfr Lk 2:51-52). In this way, he highlighted the primary value of the family in the education of the person. Jesus was introduced to the religious community by Mary and Joseph, going to the synagogue of Nazareth. With them, he learned to undertake the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as narrated by the gospel passage proposed by today’s liturgy for our meditation. When he was 12, he stayed in the Temple and his parents took three days to find him. With this gesture, he made them understand that he had to ‘tend to his Father’s business’, that is, the mission entrusted to him by God (cfr Lk 2:41-52).”

Taking his cue from the gospel passage, Benedict XVI underlined that the family should take great care in “accompanying each of its members in the journey of discovery of God and in the plan He has in his or her regard. Mary and Joseph educated Jesus above all by their example: in his Parents, He knew all the beauty of faith, of love for God and for his Law, as well as for the demands of justice that find fulfillment in love (cfr Rm 13:10). From them, he learned in the first place that God’s will be done and that spiritual ties are worth more than blood ties.”

The pope added: “The Holy Family of Nazareth is truly the ‘prototype’ of each Christian family which, united in the Sacrament of marriage and fed by the Word and by the Eucharist, is called to realize the stupendous vocation and mission of being a living cell not only of society but of the Church, a sign and instrument of unity for all mankind.”

The pontiff said: “Let us invoke the protection of the most Holy Mary and St Joseph for each family, especially for those in difficulties. May they support them so that they will be able to resist the prompting towards disintegration of certain [traits of] modern culture that undermines the very basis of the institution of the family. May they help Christian families to be, in every part of the world, a living image of the love of God.”

New Design for the New Year

We Have a Winner!

The Fort Wayne Jaguars are my fantasy football league...from NFL.Com:

CHAMPION!

Fort Wayne Jaguars won the MICHIGAN BUCCANEERS LEAGUE Championship by a score of 75 to 70 over Michigan Madcows. Shaun Alexander led the team in scoring in the championship round and Drew Brees led the team in scoring for the season. Congrats once again to Fort Wayne Jaguars on a terrific Fantasy football Season. Hope to see you all next year!...