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Issue 4; November 2007 |
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Issue 4; November 2007 |
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| Welcome to the fourth issue of the Holy Souls Crusade
Newsletter. The aim of the Holy Souls Crusade (HSC) is to promote the
needs of the Souls in Purgatory through Masses, Eucharistic Adoration,
Rosaries and prayers all year and not just during November. More
recently that promotion has expanded into pilgrimages. This issue looks at Pilgrimage and reports on two of the three pilgrimages organised by the HSC during 2007. Pilgrimage has been defined as: “A long journey; especially, a journey to a shrine or other sacred place.” This quote from Answers.com expands on the definition of Christian Pilgrimage: “Pilgrimages were first made to
sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land
date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church
fathers like Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome
and other sites associated with the Apostles, Saints and Christian
martyrs, as well as to places where there have been apparitions of the
Virgin Mary. The crusades to the holy land are also considered to be
mass armed pilgrimages.
The second largest single
pilgrimage in the history of Christendom was to the Funeral of Pope
John Paul II after his death on April 2, 2005. An estimated four
million people travelled to Vatican City, in addition to the almost
three million people already living in Rome, to see the body of Pope
John Paul II lie in state.
World Youth Day is a major
Catholic Pilgrimage, specifically for people aged 16-35. It is held
internationally every 2-3 years. In 2005, young Catholics visited
Cologne, Germany. In 1995, the largest gathering of all time was to
World Youth Day in Manila, Philippines, where four million people from
all over the world attended.”
Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, undertook pilgrimages to the Holy Land in the 4th century and was instrumental in the building of many of the early churches associated with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. She also brought many relics from the Holy Land to Rome. Her finding of the True Cross is memorialised every 14 September in a Feast that began in Jerusalem, and then later spread out to Constantinople and Rome -- the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Popular devotions arose as an idea of pilgrimage when the Franciscans erected Stations of the Cross in their monasteries for pilgrims unable to travel to the Holy Land because of Muslim invasion and occupation of the Holy Sites around Jerusalem. But pilgrimage, as we know it, began in Old Testament times. In the Book of Deuteronomy we read of instructions given to our Hebrew forebears who were commanded by God to journey to the Temple: “Three
times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in
the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, in
the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. No one shall
appear with his hands empty before the Lord: But every one shall offer
according to what he hath, according to the blessing of the Lord his
God, which he shall give him.” (Deuteronomy 16:16-17)
They also made pilgrimages to the tomb of Rachel, and to places like Mt. Carmel, sacred to Israel even before Elias proved God’s existence to the worshipers of Baal when he invoked God to burn his sacrificial offering while they failed to see theirs ignite. (III Kings 18). We in the HSC see those for whom we pray as being on another type of ‘pilgrimage’. Our earthly lives are but a short journey on our way to Paradise. For most of us the next part of our journey to God will be as a ‘pilgrimage of perfection’, passing through purgatory to be cleansed of all traces of imperfection or shadow of sin. Few and far between are those who make that final journey directly to our Heavenly Father. That can only be achieved by leading a life of growth in holiness and our mentors can be found in our Blessed Mother and the lives of the Saints. Their lives, lived within the same social, financial and external constraints as we live ours, were based on prayer, obedience and submission to the will of God, as well as charitable works - they are our models for holiness. One consoling thought for us here on earth is the power we have in our own hands through the power of prayer. We are told that the concept of time is an earthly one – minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years – but in eternity there is no time, just the ‘eternal now’. Our prayers of today can be effective for all those who have gone before us and for all who are to come after us. This is particularly significant for us living in a period of time devoted to the loving mercy of God – the Divine Mercy. Our first journey, in November 2006, to that place where our Blessed Lord spoke of His Mercy to His Apostle of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina, has opened the door for HSC pilgrimages to the Shrine of Divine Mercy just outside of Krakow in Poland. It brought us to the home place of the great pilgrim Pope – John Paul II - as we travelled in his footsteps. We gained a deeper understanding of how powerful the Divine Mercy prayers are, of how closely linked they are to our work for the Holy Souls and of the need we all have to promote this prayer form. It is a prayer for conversion of hearts, - for our own and those of our families and friends, for those on their deathbed and most in need of God’s Mercy, for those who are contemplating or who have committed suicide, for governments and decision-makers, for leaders in society - the list is endless. Those souls converted and saved from eternal damnation by the Divine Mercy prayers could also be the souls we then pray for in purgatory. We have much work to do! And much praying to do! Life
as Christian Pilgrimage
By Andrew Marmion Several Christian mystics have described the spiritual life in terms of a journey. Perhaps the most striking example is that of St. John of the Cross. His works, my favourite being The Ascent of Mount Carmel, talk of the necessary purgation of both the senses and the soul if one is to arrive at perfect union with God. The ecclesiology (the theology of the Church, its nature and what it is about) of Vatican II adopted an understanding of the Church as a pilgrim people demonstrated in the document Lumen Gentium: this augments the view of the Church as the Body of Christ. Significantly, this idea enunciates the fact that the Church is not static, but rather, is moving, set on a course through history, guided by the Holy Spirit, and is advancing towards its culmination with the Second Coming of Christ. Therefore the Church has cried out through the ages and continues to cry out: Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! Simultaneously, the Church declares that Christ is Risen, salvation is available for all who will embrace Him. The Carmelite spirituality reflects this notion of Pilgrim People, teaching that the spiritual life too should be something alive and active; we are meant to grow in the likeness of Christ as we journey through life until we hear him calling us to our heavenly homeland. Likewise, the climb of Mount Carmel can be paralleled to that of Calvary where we are to meet our Crucified Saviour. Bathed in the rays of His forgiveness and healing coming from the cross, and as we advance ever upward, we are gradually transformed into the perfect image of Christ and thus, rendered more pleasing to our Heavenly Father. We are not to look down at the path we are climbing, which will only weigh us down, and neither are we to consider the height that must be reached, which will only serve to discourage us. Rather, we are to look away from ourselves and the hazards of the journey up to our Crucified Lord of Glory. Faith in him will ensure that we do not trip; we will not be led astray. This is synonymous with St. John of the Cross’ understanding of the spiritual path as “night” since the soul journeys by faith. This imagery informs us that living our life in Christ is not easy, but we are granted the necessary graces and more besides to live out our daily conversion, whereby we slowly detach ourselves from our idols, turn away from all that is unholy towards God whose face shines upon us, bidding us move forward to a greater union with Him. It is not only renunciation that plays its part, prayer and the reception of the sacraments are food for the journey, the means by which we are enabled to listen to the still, small voice of God and enabled to respond to him. So, the Pilgrim Church, that is, its faithful disciples, are called to move away from a sinful existence and, stripped of their self-centredness, are to travel more freely towards their heavenly homeland while keeping their gaze fixed on their ultimate goal. This calls to mind St. Luke’s Gospel (9:1-6), when Jesus sends out the Twelve Apostles to the neighbouring
villages He himself is to visit. He tells them to take nothing for the
journey,
no staff, no sack, no money, no food. They were to have complete trust
in God
that their needs would be met. Their entire focus was to be on God and
the
preaching of the Good News. We too are called to be witnesses to the
Gospel
and, as we unburden ourselves of our sins and evil inclinations through
prayer
and sacrifice, keeping our eyes fixed on God, our witness becomes more
real,
more effective. However, our journey to the
Beatific Vision does not necessarily end with our death. Many of us
will
continue our travels to the Blessed Trinity via Purgatory.
Interestingly, an
American mystic, Patricia Devlin, was taken to Purgatory by her
Guardian Angel,
and describes it in a way I have never read before. She saw the
suffering souls
as on a journey towards heaven and they had many obstacles which they
had to
overcome - steep hills, rocks and the like. Every so often, Patricia
would come
across a soul lying prostrate before large boulders they had to climb
over, or
before deep gullies they had to descend in order to confront
themselves, unable
to carry on the journey. Her Guardian Angel explained that these souls
did not
have the willingness to comprehend or accept the responsibility for
their sins
and were in need of our prayers to help them. The pilgrimages that the
Holy Souls Crusade organise to Garabandal in Spain and to Poland are
microcosms
of the pilgrimage of life. We are called there not only for spiritual
refreshment
and healing, but also to practice penance and prayer that will bring us
that
bit closer to Heaven. Likewise, each pilgrimage is dedicated to the
Holy Souls
to help them reach their eternal homeland and thus, our pilgrimage of
life and
our particular pilgrimages to holy places are linked to that of the
pilgrimage
of the suffering souls in Purgatory. We pray for them to help them on
their way
just as they assist us with their prayers. This is made possible as we
are all
part of the Pilgrim Church: we are the Church militant and they the
Church
Suffering. May we help each other to reach Heaven, the Church
Triumphant where
our Heavenly Father awaits us with outstretched arms. “Heavenly
Father, grant us the grace to keep our eyes fixed on you. May we
co-operate
with the graces you give us so that we may reach our heavenly homeland
where
you long to embrace us, where we find our completion. Grant that our
journey
through life, our prayers and penance, be of assistance to our
suffering
brothers and sisters in Purgatory. Have mercy on them and hasten their
purgation that they may sing Your praises for eternity. Amen.”
The
Call of Auschwitz
By Mary Mullins During the summer of 2006 two of us were drawn to visit Auschwitz in southern Poland. The ‘pull’ was to visit and pray for the souls of those who had committed or taken part in the atrocities of that place. We arrived on a clear November day and went on to spend three hours facing the reality of mans inhumanity to man! Auschwitz I was originally a Polish army camp. Prisoner population quickly rose and Auschwitz II–Birkenau, 3km away, was built in 1941, becoming the infamous ‘factory of death’. Efficiency in the ‘extermination process’ had been scientifically developed – how much Zyclon-B was required in a specific floor area to gain maximum deaths. It resulted in 2,000 souls gassed in just 15-20 minutes in each of the 4 Birkenau gas chambers. The Angelus bell greeting our arrival, and passing through each block, our sense of shock, sadness, and revulsion increased. Blocks 4-6 house display cases with lists of names, photographs, artificial limbs, walking sticks and crutches, spectacles, clothes, shoes, suitcases, Jewish Prayer Shawls and items for religious worship, empty Zyclon-B canisters, and human hair! Nothing was wasted! In 1945 liberators found warehouses stacked with these items, and 7 tons of human hair, bagged and awaiting sale in Germany for weaving into tailor’s lining! In Block 10 SS doctors Mengeles and Clauberg used inmates for their genetic experiments, anthropological research, sterilisations and testing of toxic substances. In Block 11, the ‘Death Block’, prisoners were sentenced to death for any reason and none. Here we saw the cell of Saint Maximillian Kolbe! We prayed the Chaplet for the Holy Souls at the ‘Death Wall’ joining Blocks 10 and 11 and left some prayer leaflets, the only tangible offering we had with us to add to the wreaths and candles left by pilgrim Israeli soldiers. We prayed at the original gas chamber and crematorium, at the portable gallows where prisoners were hung en-masse, and we finished our tour of Auschwitz I praying before the gallows used to execute SS Commandant Rudolph Höss. As we walked from block to block in Auschwitz I and stood beside the gas chambers of Auschwitz II we saw at first-hand man’s capability of absolute evil and two big questions came to my mind – how could it have happened, and what would I have done had I been in these circumstances? No question of WHY? There is no answer to the why of absolute evil – we know where it comes from and its purpose. Our feelings of revulsion, seeing what happened in this terrible place, left us wondering how we could pray for the souls of those who carried out these awful deeds? It was but a fleeting moment of doubt. Always was the thought that no child is born evil, each is born in the image and likeness of God and much loved by Him. The cry went out after its discovery – ‘NEVER AGAIN’ – yet history repeats itself, just as it has from the beginning! Auschwitz is a symbol for many other places and times in history –Stalin’s Siberia & the Gulags; Pol Pot’s Killing Fields in Cambodia; Rawanda; Kosova; Dafur; etc. and every other place of genocide since the beginning of time, also infanticide through abortion and embryonic stem-cell experimentation, research and cloning. We need to remember each and every ungodly situation and event in prayer. We also must remember all those who die through hunger and poverty and who were and continue to be persecuted and murdered for their faith. November brings darkness at 4pm and our visit to Auschwitz I had taken 3 hours. A lovely taxi-driver brought us to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. He showed us the ghostly remains of the IG-Farben factory, two of the original railway carriages used to transport French Jews, and the ‘Judenrampe’ where the trains disgorged their human traffic. He showed us the ruins of the 4 large gas chambers and crematoria, pointed out the pond filled in with human ashes and stood with us at the memorial monument erected in 2005. Dangling our Rosary beads, we asked him to wait as we ended our day standing beside one of the gas chambers praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. He stood and watched and on the way back spoke of his own ancestors, some of whom had survived. We spoke about our apostolate for the Holy Souls and gave him some prayer leaflets for his English-speaking passengers. He gave us a business card and later we discovered our ‘guide’ was Jewish. Auschwitz had ‘marked’ Aidan and I and we spent the following day in the beautiful Monastery of Kalwaria discussing our experiences and wishing to organise Holy Souls pilgrimages to this place, especially aiming to bring young people. For them Auschwitz is just a place name in a history book, soon to be discarded from UK history books – the reality is unbelievable. Our future leaders in society need to experience this place too. We came to understand that we now live in a time of ‘man depending on man’ for solutions that are outside of his full sphere of comprehension; or that are deliberately orchestrated as means to an end in power struggles of ownership and control of the world’s resources; or of population control through enforced sterilisation, abortion and euthanasia; or scientific experimentation on early human life to find cures, and the ultimate evil - to create life - the one thing that satan has not been able to do until now through cloning – Godless decisions made by many Godless men and women, men and women who listen to the call of the world. Yet these men and women have that tiny glimmer of the light of God in their souls and prayer for them can ignite it. This is where we are called into action. Jesus needs His troops on this battlefield too – the battlefield for souls - souls from long ago, souls of today and the souls of tomorrow. We need to pray the Divine Mercy 3 o’clock prayer, the Chaplet and the Novena, for God’s Mercy to pour out and flow through the hearts of mankind. Then the cry from Auschwitz of ‘NEVER AGAIN’ will be heard and answered in the only place where it can be answered – the heavenly sphere. The First of Many Pilgrimages to
Poland – With God’s Good
Help!
In August 2007 our first
pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in southern Poland saw 62
pilgrims
gather from all over Ireland, both north and south. Four lovely nights
were
spent at the Pastoral Lodge, built for visiting pilgrims in 2003 under
the
instruction of the Bishop of Krakow. The remaining three nights were
spent in
the Centre for Dialogue & Prayer in Auschwitz. We were blessed to have
three wonderful Priests travelling with us, two of them pilgrims and
Fr.
Alphonsus Cullinan as our Spiritual Director - Chaplain to Limerick
Institute
of Technology and a Youth 2000 Priest. Our pilgrims’ ages ranged from
20 years
old to 91 years young! Eight married couples graced us with their
presence and
witness to the holy Sacrament of Marriage through their commitment to
each
other. By mid-week this group of ‘strangers’ had become a ‘family’,
completely
comfortable with each other and forging friendships that may well last
a very
long time. Our week was one of prayer
from start to finish and yet it was filled with fun and laughter as we
basked
in the beautiful Polish sunshine of late summer. Daily Mass laid the
foundation
for the day’s journeys and nightly Eucharistic Adoration laid the
foundation
for peaceful nightly slumber (not withstanding the ‘snoring beauties’!). Sunday started with Mass at
the Shrine and was then spent visiting the beautiful city of Krakow,
with first
port of call to Wawel Cathedral. The rest of the day saw many of us
lounging in
outdoor cafés watching the many young families enjoy their
Sunday together.
Churches were full to capacity for all Sunday Masses and again for the
3
o’clock Divine Mercy prayers, such a joy to behold and long may it
continue.
Krakow has to be one of Europe’s most beautiful cities!  The Cloth Hall in Krakow's city centre square, Rynek Glowny
Wednesday was the day we made our way to the ultimate focus of our pilgrimage – our visit to Auschwitz. We said farewell to our marvellous, friendly and welcoming hosts at the Shrine, vowing to return again.
Our journey to Auschwitz brought us first to the Franciscan monastery in Kalwaria where we were privileged to be able to have our Mass in the Basilica. It was the only day of rain for the whole week and it scuppered the plans of the younger ones to hike through the woods and the hills to visit the many tiny chapels around a 6K walk, all dedicated to the life of Our Lord and Our Lady, to His Passion and Death, and to various Biblical events. Instead we prayed the Stations of the Cross for the Holy Souls as a group around the inner quadrangle of the Monastery. We moved from Kalwaria on to
the lovely little city of Wadowice, home place of Pope John Paul II in
his
early years. Again we experienced a church filled to capacity for Mass
and
spent some time looking around the place where he must have spent many,
many
hours in prayer as a child. Eucharistic Adoration was present in a
lovely
little chapel at the back of the church. The former home of JPII has
been
turned into a museum and offers great insight to the various stages of
his life
- from boyhood, through Priesthood to his years as Bishop, Archbishop,
Cardinal
and finally as one of the greatest Popes the Catholic Church has ever
known!
We arrived in Auschwitz
tired and hungry and welcomed the fine dinner awaiting us. Next door to
the
Centre for Dialogue & Prayer sits the Carmelite Convent and Church
which
was to be our location for Mass each morning and Eucharistic Adoration
each
evening before dinner. Thursday morning and our
first visit to the infamous ‘death camp’! Our pilgrims faced a place of
absolute evil, saw all we had seen the previous year, prayed at the
same spots
we had prayed and felt the same emotions we had felt – anger,
revulsion, lack
of understanding at how any human being could do what was done to
another human
being! A cloud of sadness descended on them!
 John lays a wreath at the
‘Death Wall’
John, our youngest pilgrim
laid a wreath at the ‘death wall’ and this for him was the most
touching and
poignant event of his whole week, so much so that this quiet, shy lad
stood up
and spoke about it at our final dinner on the Friday night before
returning
home. It was an experience he will never forget! It was a quiet bus that
returned to the Centre for lunch that day. In the afternoon we were
given a
talk by the Programme Director of the Centre, Fr. Manfred Deselears, a
German
Jesuit who felt called to return to this place after his own first
visit. Such
were the feelings of us all that I’m afraid many of us nodded off! We
were all
emotionally and physically drained! Before dinner we spent an hour in
quiet and
reflective Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Carmelite Church
and after
dinner our three blessed Priests held a service of prayer and
reconciliation,
hearing confessions for more than an hour. Friday morning saw us making
our way to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, a short bus drive just 3kms away.
This visit
turned out to be very peaceful and healing after the assault to our
senses from
the day before, despite this being the place where the most deaths took
place. We prayed the Rosary down the
avenue to the Monument, the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the Monument where
our
oldest pilgrim, Michael, laid another wreath, and moved over to the
side of the
ruins of one of the gas chambers and crematoria to pray the Chaplet for
the
Holy Souls. Our group had quite a few folk from Northern Ireland and
one of the
girls led us in a Rosary for Life and for an end to the slaughter of
the
modern-day holy innocents through abortion.
Before dinner that night our
Eucharistic Adoration was an unusual one. We ‘kept Jesus company in the
Garden
of Gethsemane’ and then ‘walked His Calvary with Him’ as we prayed and
meditated on a Stations of the Cross for Auschwitz composed by Fr.
Manfred that
included reflections from some survivors of the concentration camp. It
brought
into focus the terrible emotional and psychological suffering Jesus
must have
endured in the Garden, knowing in His Divine heart that evil would
continue to
be manifested throughout time in places like Siberia, Auschwitz,
Cambodia,
Kosova; and across Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East; and
through
terrorism, civil wars and genocide; and in the abuse of innocent
children
through abortion, child prostitution, paedophilia; and through the arms
trade,
the drugs trade and human trafficking! The list goes on and on! And so we left this lovely
land with its haunting memories with just one solution to the evils of
the
world, the only solution – PRAYER - and especially the prayers of
Divine Mercy
for conversion of hearts. It is up to each one of us to set out to save
souls
and the only way we can do it is one soul at a time! Jesus gave St.
Faustina
this powerful prayer form in the early part of the last century and the
Divine
Mercy is indeed a prayer for our times! We will be back, we will
promote, we
will never forget! Returning to Garabandal
In the summer of 1961
it is reported that, following eight preparatory visits by an angel,
said to be
St. Michael the Archangel, Our Blessed Mother appeared as Our Lady of
Mount
Carmel to four young girls in the tiny village of San Sebastian de
Garabandal
in northern Spain. These apparitions were to continue over a four-year
period
and numbered about 2,000 visits. On October 18th Our Lady
gave Her
first formal message to the world: "
We must make many sacrifices, perform much penance and visit the
Blessed
Sacrament frequently. But first, we must lead good lives. Over the four years She appeared all over the village, giving Her Heavenly Mother’s blessing at the church, in the homes and at the cemetery, and kissing religious objects such as rosaries, crucifixes, medals and particularly wedding rings. On Our Lady`s last visit to Garabandal, she told visionary Conchita Gonzalez "Through the kiss I have bestowed on these objects, my Son will perform prodigies..." . This promise has been and continues to be fulfilled in numerous physical cures and spiritual conversions reported around the world. The children continually asked Our Lady to give the visiting crowds proof of Her presence in the village and on July 18th 1962 the ‘Miracle of the Host’ occurred. As the crowd pressed around Conchita, she put out her tongue and there immediately appeared on it a brilliant white Host. One witness, who was just inches away, quickly dispelled any notions of trickery and stated that,.... " It did not seem to have been deposited there but might be described rather as having materialised there, faster than the human eye could see." Although an amateur with a movie camera and with the aid of only flashlight illumination, he was able to film the last few moments of the Miracle. In October 1965 Our Lady gave the world Her second and final formal message:"As my
message of October 18 has not been complied with and has not been made
known to
the world, I am advising you that this is the last one. Before, the cup
was
filling up. Now it is flowing over. Many Cardinals, many Bishops and
many
Priests are on the road to perdition and are taking many souls with
them. Less and less
importance is being given to the Eucharist. You should turn the wrath
of God
away from yourselves by your efforts. If you ask His forgiveness with
sincere
hearts, He will pardon you. I, your Mother, through the intercession of
St.
Michael the Archangel, ask you to amend your lives. You are now
receiving the
last warnings. I love you very much and do not want your condemnation .
Pray to
Us with sincerity and We will grant your requests. You should make more
sacrifices. Think about the Passion of Jesus”
In 2004 twelve of us
travelled to Garabandal, the ‘forgotten Marian apparition site’ in the
Cantabrian Mountains in Northern Spain. This was to be the first
‘organised
pilgrimage’ for the Holy Souls. Such was the peace experienced during
that week
that the visit was repeated in 2005 when seven of us returned again. On
reaching home it was agreed to bring a larger group on pilgrimage
specifically
for the Holy Souls. In 2006 over one hundred pilgrims ‘descended’ on
this tiny
village up in the mountains where ‘time has stood still’. In October 2007 our second large pilgrimage experienced a most prayerful, peaceful and fun-filled week. 54 pilgrims enjoyed the beauty of this place, both within the village itself and on our day trips out. If there was only one
word to describe this place it is PEACE – prayerful peace, meditative
peace,
relaxing peace, healing peace!
Fr. Thomas Kiernan,
our Spiritual Director, gave us a definite theme for the week. His
teachings
were Sacramental and Eucharistic with a focus on the Suffering Christ
upon the
Cross and the need for reconciliation. Most days started with morning
Mass and
ended with a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Our
liturgies
fitted in with those of the parish and on occasions Mass was later in
the
evening. On the evening of our arrival we gathered together for Mass
after
dinner. After Mass and
breakfast on Sunday, our first day in the village, we climbed to the
Pines
praying the Stations of the Cross, and after lunch we prayed the 3
o’clock
Divine Mercy prayers in the church, recited the Rosary through the
village to
the cemetery, and the Chaplet for the Holy Souls outside the cemetery
gates. In 2002 Pope John Paul II
introduced the Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light, and the
villagers
erected a Rosary path all the way up the mountain with each of the 20
decades
of the four mysteries. Monday was spent up the mountain starting with
the
Stations of the Cross, a lunch break at the pines and the full Rosary
all the
way to the top. Imagine telling others that six hours were spent
praying all
the way up a mountain! What a lovely way to spend a sunny autumn day as
a
community!
This lovely
little place of
San Sebastian de Garabandal has had a centuries-old tradition of
devotions for
the holy Souls with a local lady ringing a hand-bell every evening
reminding
villagers to pray for the souls in Purgatory. During the apparition
years Our
Lady ‘brought’ the children to the cemetery numerous times asking them
to pray
for their dead. A pilgrimage here boosts both the spiritual and the
physical
‘batteries’ and the peace of this place seeps into the heart and soul
of the
pilgrim. PRAYER DAYS & PILGRIMAGES 2008NIGHT VIGIL FOR THE HOLY SOULS<>Night Vigil for the Holy Souls, 9pm-1am on Saturday 10th May through Sunday 11th May, 2008 at Knock Shrine. Starting with the Stations of the Cross (outside if the weather is fine, inside the Parish Church if not). Introduction, Eucharistic Adoration, Confessions, Holy Mass, HSC updates. Celebrating Priest: Fr. Denis O'Sullivan SMAAFTERNOON
OF PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS
An afternoon of prayer for
the Holy Souls, 2pm – 6 pm on Sunday 9th November at Knock
Shrine.
Starting with the Stations of the Cross (outside if the weather is
fine, inside
the Parish Church if not). Introduction, Eucharistic Adoration,
Confessions,
Holy Mass, HSC updates. Celebrating Priest to be confirmed. For details please contact Aidan at 091-876737 PILGRIMAGES
DIVINE MERCY SHRINE & AUSCHWITZ – MAY 2008Saturday May 17th
– Saturday May 24th 2008. Ex. Dublin to Krakow. 4 nights
half board
(B&B + evening dinner) at the Pastoral Lodge, Divine Mercy Shrine,
Łagiewniki, Krakow; 3 nights full board (B&B, lunch & dinner)
at the
Centre for Dialogue & Prayer, Auschwitz. Only 50 places available
(this
pilgrimage is already more than half booked!) Spiritual Director: Fr.
Sean
Kilcoyne €600 – including
trips to Jasna Gora Monastery in Częstochowa – home of the
Black Madonna - Krakow, Kalwaria, Wadowice & Auschwitz Deposit: €250. Insurance not
included DIVINE MERCY SHRINE & AUSCHWITZ – JUNE 2008Saturday June 21st
– Saturday June 28th 2008. Ex. Dublin to Krakow. 4 nights
half board
(B&B + evening dinner) at the Pastoral Lodge, Divine Mercy Shrine,
Łagiewniki, Krakow; 3 nights full board (B&B, lunch & dinner)
at the
Centre for Dialogue & Prayer, Auschwitz. Only 50 places available
(this
pilgrimage is already more than half booked!) Spiritual Director: Fr.
Sean
Kilcoyne €600 – including
trips to Jasna Gora Monastery in Częstochowa – home of the
Black Madonna - Krakow, Kalwaria, Wadowice & Auschwitz DIVINE MERCY SHRINE & AUSCHWITZ – SEPTEMBER 2008Saturday September 13th
– Saturday September 20th 2008. Ex. Dublin to Krakow. 5 nights half board (B&B
+ evening dinner) at the Pastoral Lodge, Divine Mercy Shrine,
Łagiewniki,
Krakow; 2 nights full board (B&B, lunch & dinner) at the Centre
for
Dialogue & Prayer, Auschwitz. Only 50 places available (this
pilgrimage is
almost one third booked!) Spiritual Director: To be confirmed €600 – including
trips to Jasna Gora Monastery in Częstochowa – home of the
Black Madonna - Krakow, Kalwaria, Wadowice & Auschwitz Deposit: €250. Insurance not
included. GARABANDAL – OCTOBER 2008Saturday 11th
October – Saturday 18th October 2008. Ex Dublin to Bilbao. 7 nights full board.
Spiritual Director: To be confirmed €600 –
including trips to Oviedo – home of the Sudarium, Covadonga – a Marian
Shrine,
Santo Toribio - home of the largest relic of the True Cross, and Potes. Deposit:
€250. Insurance not included. For details please contact Mary at 091-798407 or 087-2255739The Holy Souls Crusade has been placed under the intercessory care of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Pio, St. Gertrude, St. Nicholas of Tolentine – Patron Saint of the Souls in Purgatory, Saint Faustina, Pope John Paul II and Archdeacon Cavanagh of Knock. Following our Garabandal pilgrimage in October 2007 we have also placed the HSC under the care and protection of Archangel Raphael, patron of travellers, meetings, joy, marriage and health. Prayer to St. Raphael, Patron of the HSC Pilgrimages O Holy Archangel Raphael, gift of the Divine Mercy of Jesus and friend, dear to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, remember the Holy Souls Crusade, all those who travel with us through life, especially those who journey with us on our pilgrimages. Protect and save our venture from the malice of the enemy, keep our pilgrims safe. May our meetings be happy meetings, may the times we share at holy shrines be filled with joy. St. Raphael, ‘Healing Hand of God’ touch all our pilgrims’ hearts and minister to us in our needs, that we may experience God’s Healing Love through your loving intercession. Bless also our married pilgrims and pray for an increase in their love and commitment towards each other. St. Raphael, enfold your wings around our going out and our coming in. Tread on the stiff neck of the foe and let nothing prevent us from growing in the love of God. Amen Angels of The Divine Mercy Angels of love and mercy, mirrors of the Divine Mercy of Jesus, help me in my time of need, deflect the attacks of satan and his hordes, and come shield me from their malicious temptations. Angels of goodness, those who adore the Blessed Trinity in spirit and in truth, defend me and those I love, save all souls and protect the unwary from the malice of the enemy. Guide me and mine, protect us, love us, show us the way to go so that every footstep accomplishes the Divine Will and bring us closer to our heavenly homeland. Amen How You Can Help the Souls in Purgatory 1. Attend Masses offering them up for the Holy Souls. Have Masses said for them. 2. Dedicate Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration for the Holy Souls 3. Pray the Rosary for the Holy Souls 4. Pray the Chaplet of the Holy Souls 5. Pray the Stations of the Cross for the Holy Souls 6. Offer up personal suffering for the Holy Souls. 7. Whisper little prayers throughout the day – ‘Jesus & Mary I love You, Save Souls’. 8. Include prayers for the Holy Souls in your prayer meetings and parish Rosaries. 9. Increase devotion to the Holy Souls within the parish and diocese. 10. Promote the needs of the Holy Souls to others. Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen (Our Lord
promised to release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time this prayer
was recited piously)
2008
Night Vigil of Prayer for the Holy Souls
9pm Saturday May 10th – 1am Sunday May 11th 2008 Old Parish Church, Knock Shrine, County Mayo, Ireland Introduction, Confessions, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass. Fr. Denis O’Sullivan SMA – main celebrant and speaker. Concelebrating priests for Mass (and confessions) most welcome. ************************************************** Please send us details of your special Masses, prayer groups or Adoration groups for the Holy Souls in your area. Below is just a start to this column, with your help it will grow and as it does we hope to start a country-by-country and parish-by-parish list on the website showing Masses, Rosaries, Prayer Groups etc. dedicated for the Holy Souls. Please send us your information and we will include it: Ireland: St. Cornan’s Church, Kilcornan, Clarinbridge, County Galway Every Thursday at 3pm – Fr. Martin Keane Healing the Family Tree Mass and Eucharistic Adoration Eucharistic Adoration for the Holy Souls in the Adoration Chapel, Athenry, Co. Galway every Sunday evening from 5-6pm. Contact Bernie at 091-844573 Eucharistic Adoration for the Holy Souls in the Adoration Chapel near St. Peter’s Church, Castle St., Athlone, Co. Westmeath. On the last Saturday of every month from 4-5pm. Contact Maureen at 087-2985144 Healing the Family Tree Mass in Abbey Parish, Loughrea on the third Thursday of the month at 8pm – Contact Fr. Cathal Stanley 0909-745217 Northern Ireland: Monthly Rosary and Prayers for the Holy Souls St. Bridget’s Church, Carnhill, Derry – 1st Sunday of the month at 5pm Longtower Church, Derry – 1st Sunday of the month at 5pm Contact Matt, Ph: 00353 74 9368014 **************************************************** CONTACTS Founders: Aidan & Carolyn Bond, 45 Dunard, Craughwell, Co. Galway Ph: +353 91-876737 Treasurer: Carolyn Bond, 45 Dunard, Craughwell, Co. Galway Ph: +353 91-876737 Secretary, Mary Mullins, Cregmore, Claregalway, Co. Galway Ph: +353 91 798407 Email: Website: http://www.holysoulscrusade.org |
