SYMBOLON THE CATHOLIC FAITH EXPLAINED Mini-Series

The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette Welcomes...

SYMBOLON

THE CATHOLIC FAITH EXPLAINED

Symbolon is a series of 10 episodes by the AUGUSTINE INSTITUTE "that opens up the "big picture" of the Catholic faith in a way that helps us know it, live it and articulate it to others."

You are invited to come to view and discuss the last 5 episodes with Jon and Denise Swedberg Wednesday nights beginning january 7, 2015 from 7:15 - 8:30pm in the Welcome Center.

                        January 7                         The paschal mystery

                        January 14                       the holy spirit and the life of grace

                        January 21                       why do I need the church

                        January 28                       mary and the saints

                              

                                february 4                       the last things

947 Park Street - Attleboro, MA 02703-5115 - Tel: (508) 22-5410 -  www.lasalette-shrine.org

                        

Sunday, January 11, 2015 Feast of Baptism of Our Lord Jesus

Baptism of the Lord – 11 January, 2015

Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17

Among the millions of Jews imprisoned by the Nazis in the death camps of the '30's & '40's was Victor Frankl. In spite of the horrors and the odds, he survived. Around him, next to him, each day of his ordeal, dozens, hundreds, thousands of fellow-Jews and others died. Most of them died in the ovens, of course, but there were others who died simply because they gave up hope and lost heart, overwhelmed by horror and fear and hopelessness. Frankl survived, he said, because two forces sustained him: one was the certainty of his wife's love. The other was an inner drive to rewrite the manuscript of a book he had completed after years of labor -- which the Nazis had destroyed. Frankl's imprisonment was lightened by daily imaginary conversations with his wife and by scrawling notes for his book on all the bits and scraps of paper he could find. Now Frank has written eloquently of these two insights to cope with life: first, the discovery and certainty of being loved, and, second, having a clear and controlling purpose in life. Both are the messages we receive in Christian Baptism.

The Christmas season, celebrating the Self-revelation of God through Jesus, comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Christmas is the feast of God’s Self-revelation to the Jews, and Epiphany celebrates God’s Self-revelation to the Gentiles. At his Baptism in the Jordan, Christ reveals himself to repentant sinners. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus is the great event celebrated by the Eastern churches on the feast of Epiphany because it is the occasion of the first public revelation of all the Three Persons in the Holy Trinity, and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father.  It is also an event described by all four Gospels, and it marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.  The liturgical season of Christmas comes to a conclusion this Sunday with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. 

Neither John nor Jesus invented baptism.  It had been practiced for centuries among the Jews as a ritual equivalent to our Confession.  Until the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D., it was common for Jewish people to use a special pool called a Mikveh -- literally a "collection of water" – as a means of spiritual cleansing, to remove spiritual impurity and sin.  Men took this bath weekly on the eve of the Sabbath; women, monthly.  Converts were also expected to take this bath before entering Judaism.  The Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. John preached that such a bath was a necessary preparation for the cataclysm that would be wrought by the coming Messiah.  Jesus transformed this continuing ritual into the one single, definitive act by which we begin our life of faith.  In effect, He fused His Divine Essence with the water and the ceremony.

A couple of questions: 1) Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, receive the "baptism of repentance" meant for sinners?  2) Why did Jesus wait for thirty years to begin his public ministry?  The strange answer for the first question given by the apocryphal book, "The Gospel according to the Hebrews," is that Jesus received the baptism of John to please his mother and relatives.  In this humble submission, we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death upon the cross.  Jesus’ baptism by John was the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant.  He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners.  Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s will.  Out of love, He consented to His baptism of death for the remission of our sins.  Many Fathers of the Church explain that Jesus received baptism to identify himself with his people, who, as a result of John's preaching, for the first time in Jewish history became aware of their sins and of their need for repentance.  The Jews had the traditional belief that only the Gentiles who embraced Jewish religion needed the baptism of repentance, for, as God's chosen people, the Jewish race was holy.  Jesus might have been waiting for this most opportune moment to begin his public ministry.  The Fathers of the Church point out that the words which the Voice of the Heavenly Father speaks are similar to Psalm 2:17, revealing Jesus’ identity ("This is my beloved Son") and to Isaiah 42:1 referring to the "suffering servant" ("with whom I am well pleased"), revealing Jesus’ mission of saving mankind by His suffering and death.  

The turning point: Jesus’ baptism by John was a mystical experience that Jesus felt deep within his soul at the crucial turning point of his life. The opening of the Heavens with Holy Spirit, descending as a dove upon Jesus, and the Voice declaring of Him, "This is My beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased," are God's revelation to mankind the Mystery that He is Triune.  The presence of the Triune God at this baptism, reveals Jesus’ true identity and mission. The Heavens’ opening also indicates that this was a moment of God’s powerful intervention in human history and in the life of His Son. His baptism by John was a very important event in the life of Jesus.  First, it was a moment of decision.  It marked the end of Jesus' private life which had prepared him for his public ministry.  Second, it was a moment of identification with his people in their God-ward movement initiated by John the Baptist (quality of a good leader).  Third, it was a moment of approval.  Jesus might have been waiting for a signal of approval from his Heavenly Father, and during his baptism Jesus got this approval of Himself as the Father's "beloved Son."  Fourth, it was a moment of conviction.  At this baptism, Jesus received certainties (assurances) from heaven about His identity and the nature of His mission: a) He was the "Chosen One" and the "beloved Son of God"; b) his mission of saving mankind would be fulfilled, not by conquering the Romans, but by becoming the "suffering servant" of God, i.e., by the cross.  Fifth, it was a moment of equipment.  When He descended on Jesus in the form of a dove (symbol of gentleness), the Holy Spirit equipped Jesus with the power of preaching the "Good News" (that God is a loving Father, Who wants to save all human beings from their sins through His Son Jesus), in contrast to the "axe" and "fire" preaching of John the Baptist about an angry God's judgment on sinners. 

The 13th century king of France, St. Louis IX insisted that the grand celebration of his birthday should be held on the day of his Baptism, and not on his birthday proper.  His argument was that Baptism was the beginning of a life that would continue for eternity in the everlasting glory of Heaven. 

Life messages: 1) The baptism of Jesus reminds us of our identity and mission.  First, it reminds us of who we are and Whose we are.  By Baptism we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his Church, heirs of Heaven and temples of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, "Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213).  Most of us dipped the fingers of our right hands into the holy water font and blessed ourselves when we came into church today.  Why?  This blessing is supposed to remind us of our Baptism.  And so when I bless myself with Holy Water, I should be thinking of the fact that I am a child of God; that I have been redeemed by the Cross of Christ; that I have been made a member of God’s family and that I have been washed, forgiven, cleansed and purified by the Blood of the Lamb. 

Second, Jesus’ baptism reminds us of our mission:  a) to experience the presence of God within us, to acknowledge our own dignity as God’s children, and to appreciate the Divine Presence in others by honoring them, loving them and serving them in all humility; b) to live as the children of God in thought, word and action so that our Heavenly Father may say to each one of us what He said to Jesus: "You are my beloved son/daughter with whom I am well pleased"; c) to lead a holy and transparent Christian life and not to desecrate  our bodies (the temples of the Holy Spirit and members of Jesus' Body) by impurity, injustice, intolerance, jealousy or hatred; d) to accept both the good and the bad experiences of life as the gifts of a loving Heavenly Father for our growth in holiness; e) to grow daily in intimacy with God by personal and family prayers, by reading the Word of God, by participating in the Holy Mass, and by frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation; f) to be co-creators with God in building up the “Kingdom of God” on earth, a  Kingdom of compassion, justice and love, and to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  

2) This is the day for us to remember the graces we have received in Baptism and to renew our Baptismal promises: On the day of our baptism, as Pope John Paul II explains, "We were anointed with the Oil of Catechumens, the sign of Christ's gentle strength, to fight against evil.  Blessed water was poured over us, an effective sign of interior purification through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We were then anointed with Chrism to show that we were thus consecrated in the image of Jesus, the Father's Anointed One.  The candle lighted from the Paschal Candle was a symbol of the light of faith which our parents and godparents must have continually safeguarded and nourished with the life-giving grace of the Spirit."  This is also a day for us to renew our Baptismal promises, consecrating ourselves to the Holy Trinity and “rejecting Satan and all his empty promises," which our profane world is constantly offering us through its mass-media of communication.  Let us ask Our Lord today to make us faithful to our Baptismal promises.  Let us thank Him for the privilege of being joined to His mission of preaching the "Good News" by our transparent Christian lives of love, mercy, service and forgiveness.

When leprosy broke out among the people of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the 19th century, the government authorities responded by establishing a leper colony on the remote island of Molokai. The victims were snatched by force from their families and sent to this island to perish. However, moved by their terrible plight, a young Belgian priest, Damien De Veuster, asked permission from his superiors to minister to them. Straightaway he realized that there was only one effective way to do this, and that was to go and live among them. Having got permission, he went to Molokai. At first, he tried to minister to the lepers while maintaining a certain distance. But he soon realized that he had to live among them in order to gain their trust. As a result he contracted leprosy himself. The reaction of the lepers was immediate and wholehearted. They embraced him and took him to their hearts. He was now one of them. There was no need, no point any more, in keeping his distance. The lepers had someone who could talk with authority about leprosy, about brokenness, about rejection and public shame. Today’s gospel tells us how, by receiving the baptism of repentance, Jesus became identified with the sinners whom he had come to save.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Tony Kadavil) Taken from Pope Francis Vatican Radio Daily Readings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj66EpKDo-4

Daily Readings for:January 11, 2015 
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe into me Holy Spirit, That all my thoughts may be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT:Spirit of wisdom and understanding, enlighten our minds to perceive the mysteries of the universe in relation to eternity. Spirit of right judgment and courage, guide us and make us firm in our baptismal decision to follow Jesus' way of love. Spirit of knowledge and reverence, help us to see the lasting value of justice and mercy in our everyday dealings with one another. May we respect life as we work to solve problems of family and nation, economy and ecology. Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love into new action each day. Fill our lives with wonder and awe in your presence which penetrates all creation. Amen.

Remembering a dear friend sister of our beloved Al Lapierre, Mrs. Alice R Lapierre Carlson

 

We, the La Salette Family extends their heartfelt condolences

 to the Lapierre, Donahue and Carlson Families

 

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Her O Lord,

And Let  Perpetual

Light

Shine Upon Her!

Amen.

 

 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Celebrating St. André Bessette!

 

Saint André Bessette

 

 

 

 

 

 January 6

Beatified By: Pope John Paul II
Canonized By: October 17, 2010, Saint Peter's Square, Rome, by Pope Benedict XVI

On Oct. 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Holy Cross’ first saint, Br. André Bessette, C.S.C. St. André — who battled sickness for much of his own life — humbly devoted his life to prayer, serving the Lord and comforting the sick and afflicted. Through his intercession prayers to St. Joseph, many received God’s healing graces.

Born Alfred Bessette in Quebec in 1845, he was orphaned by the time he was 12. With little-to-no formal education, he became a Holy Cross brother and because of his sickly nature, was assigned as the doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, a post he held for nearly 40 years. It was in this role as a porter that St. André was able to minister to the sick.

He prayed with them to God and St. Joseph, as an intercessor. Hundreds credit their healing to St. André’s prayers. The walls of  St. Joseph’s Oratory are lined with crutches of those who were healed, but St. André always gave credit to God and St. Joseph’s intercession as Jesus’ earthly father.

As he became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal,” St. André was later assigned full-time as the caretaker of the church that he built to honor St. Joseph. He spent his days seeing healing the sick. By the 1920s, the Oratory hosted more than a million pilgrims annually, and hundreds of cures were attributed to his prayers every year.

St. André Bessette died in Montreal on Jan. 6, 1937. It is estimated that more than a million people made the pilgrimage to the Oratory to say their good-byes to their beloved Brother André. He was beatified on May 23, 1982, and canonized in October 2010, becoming the Congregation of Holy Cross’ first saint. Worldwide the Congregation of Holy Cross community observes St. André’s Feast Day on Jan. 7, because the Vatican and many nations observe the feast of Epiphany on Jan. 6.

 

http://www.saint-joseph.org/en/shrine/saint-brother-andre/biography-saint-brother-andre

http://www.hoban.org/s/1098/index.aspx?pgid=840

http://www.saint-joseph.org/en/activities-calendar/liturgical-feast-saint-andre-bessette-csc

 

Remembering our beloved Father Gerard J. Boulanger,M.S. Gone to Jesus on January 2, 2015

Remembering  our Beloved Father Gerard J.  Boulanger, M.S.
                     
                          Gone to Jesus  on January 2, 2015
 
                                            St. Basil The Great Feast Day!

Dear Friends and Intercessors of Our Lady of La Salette,

Thank you for your precious prayers for Father Boulanger while he was so sick...may we all now pray for the repose of his soul and for comfort to his family.

 

Father Boulanger is a sweet, kind, compassionate listener and merciful in times of strife.

May the angels bring him home and may St. Basil the Great greet him with Jesus at the gates of heaven.

Wake

 Friday, January 9, 2015

 from 5:00 pm - 8:00  pm

Shrine Church 

Funeral - Mass of Christian Burial  

Saturday at 10:30 pm

Shrine Church.

In Jesus and Our Lady  we remain in the spirit of prayer.

 

​La Salette Family

 

 

Sunday, January 4, 2015 Happy Epiphany Feast Day!

Feast of Epiphany – January 4, 2015

Feast of Epiphany

Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2- 3a, 5-6; Mt. 2:1-12

There was once a holy monk who lived in Egypt. One day a young man came to visit him. 

The young man asked: "Oh, holy man, I want to know how to find God." The monk was muscular and burly. 

He said: "Do you really want to find God?" The young man answered: "Oh, but I do." 

So the monk took the young man down to the river. Suddenly, the monk grabbed the young man by the neck and held his head under water. At first the young man thought the monk was giving him a special baptism. But when after one minute the monk didn’t let go, the young man began struggling. Still the monk wouldn’t release him. Second by second, the young man fought harder and harder. 

After three minutes, the monk pulled the young man out of the water and said: "When you desire God as much as you desired air, you will have the epiphany of God."

Introduction: 
The Greek word Epiphany (επιφάνεια), which means appearance or manifestation or showing forth, is used to describe   Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles.

"Epiphany" refers to God’s Self-revelation as well as to the revelation of Jesus as His Son.  

Epiphany is an older celebration than the feast of Christmas, having originated in the East in the late second century.  

In Italy and Spain, the gifts traditionally associated with the Christmas season are exchanged today, on the feast of the Epiphany. Among Italians, it is believed that the gifts are brought by the old woman, Befana (from Epiphany), whereas Spanish custom attributes the gifts to the Kings or Magi. The feast commemorates the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the Western Church. 

In the Eastern Church, the feast also commemorates the baptism of Christ. The angels revealed Jesus to the shepherds, and the star revealed him to the Magi, who had already received hints of Him from Jewish scriptures.  Later, God the Father revealed   Jesus' identity to Israel at his baptism in the Jordan.  In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus revealed himself as the promised Messiah.   These multiple revelations are all suggested by the Feast of the Epiphany.      

Today’s Old Testament reading, Isaiah 60:1-6, is chosen partly because it mentions non-Jews bringing gifts in homage to the God of Israel. 

The passage also celebrates the Divine Light emanating from Jerusalem and foresees all the nations acknowledging and enjoying that Light and walking by it. 

Today’s Psalm (72) declares that all the kings of the earth will pay homage to and serve the God of Israel and His Messiah. Thus, these two readings express hope for a time when “the people of God” will embrace all nations. As a privileged recipient of divine “epiphany”, Saint Paul reveals God’s “secret plan” that the Gentiles also have a part with the Jews in divine blessings. Hence in the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus extended membership in his Church, making it available to all peoples. Thus, the Jews and the Gentiles have become “coheirs, members of the same Body and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Hence, there are no second class members.  

Today’s Gospel teaches us how Christ enriches those who bring Him their hearts.  Since the Magi came with joy in their hearts to visit the Christ Child, God allowed them to see wondrous things. At the same time, today’s Gospel hints at different reactions to the news of Jesus’ birth, foreshadowing his passion and death, as well as the risen Jesus’ mandate to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).

The Magi and the star: The Magi were not Kings, but a caste of Persian priests who served Kings using their skills in interpreting dreams and watching movements of stars. The sixth century Italian tradition that there were three Magi, Casper, Balthazar, and Melchior, is based on the fact that three gifts are mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel:  gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Magi may actually have been Persian priests or Babylonian astronomers or Nabataean spice-traders. Eventually, however, they were pictured as representatives of different peoples and races.  

The Orthodox Church holds that the Magi consisted of twelve Kings, corresponding in number to the twelve tribes of Israel.   Commentary on the Torah by Jewish rabbis suggested that a star appeared in the sky at the births of Abraham, Isaac and Moses.  Likewise, in the Book of Numbers, the prophet Balaam speaks of "a star that shall come out of Jacob."  Stars were believed to be signs from God, announcing important events.   Thus, the brightness of the Light to which kings were drawn was made visible in the star they followed.

The gifts:  Gold, frankincense and myrrh may be thought of as prophesying Jesus’ future.  Gold was a gift for  Kings;  frankincense (an ancient air purifier and perfume), was  offered to God in Temple worship (Ex. 30:37);  and myrrh (an oriental remedy for intestinal worms in  infants), was used by the High Priest as an anointing oil (Ex. 30:23), and to prepare bodies for burial.  These gifts were not only expensive but portable.  Perhaps Joseph sold the gifts to finance the Holy Family’s trip to Egypt.   The gifts might have been God’s way of providing for the journey that lay ahead.  

The triple reactions: The Epiphany can be looked on as a symbol for our pilgrimage through life to Christ.   The feast invites us to see ourselves as images of the Magi, a people on a journey to Christ.     Today’s Gospel also tells us the story of the Magi’s encounter with the evil King Herod.   This encounter symbolizes three reactions to Jesus’ birth:  hatred, indifference, and adoration. a) A group of people headed by Herod planned to destroy Jesus.   b) Another group, composed of priests and scribes, ignored Jesus.   c) The members of a third group -- shepherds and the magi -- adored Jesus and offered themselves to Him.

A) The destructive group:  King Herod considered Jesus a potential threat to his kingship.  Herod the Great was a cruel and selfish king who murdered his mother-in-law, wife, two brothers-in-law and three children on suspicion that they had plotted against him. Later, the scribes and Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus because he had criticized them and tried to reform some of their practices. Today, many oppose Christ and his Church because of their selfish motives, evil ways and unjust lives. Children still have Herods to fear. In the United States alone, one and a half million innocent, unborn children are aborted annually.

B) The group that ignored Christ:  The scribes,  the Pharisees and the Jewish priests knew that there were nearly 500 prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah.  They were able to tell Herod the exact time and place of Jesus’ birth.   They were in the habit of concluding their reading from the prophets on the Sabbath day by saying, “We shall now pray for the speedy arrival of the Messiah.”   Unfortunately, they were more interested in their own selfish gains than in discovering the truth. Hence, they refused to go and see the child Jesus -- even though Bethlehem was quite close to Jerusalem.  Today, many Christians remind us of this group.   They practice their religion from selfish motives, such as to gain political power, prestige and recognition by society.   They ignore Jesus' teachings in their private lives.

C) The group that adored Jesus and offered Him gifts:  This group was composed of the shepherds and the Magi.  The shepherds offered the only gifts they had: love, tears of joy, and probably woolen clothes and milk from their sheep.  The Magi offered gold, in recognition of Jesus as the King of the Jews; frankincense, in acknowledgment that He was God, and myrrh as a symbol of His human nature.

Life Messages: (1) Let us make sure that we belong to the third group. a) Let us worship Jesus at Mass, every day if we can, with the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility and the frankincense of our adoration.  Let us offer God our very selves, promising Him that we will use His blessings to do good for our fellow men.   b) Let us plot a better path for our lives.  Just as the Magi chose another route to return to their homes, let us choose a better way of life, abstaining from proud and impure thoughts, evil habits and selfish behavior.  c)  Let us become the Star,  leading others to Jesus, as the star led the Magi to Him.   We can remove or lessen the darkness of the evil around us by being, if not like stars, at least like candles, radiating Jesus’ love by selfless service, unconditional forgiveness and compassionate care.

(2) Like the Magi, let us offer Jesus our gifts on this feast of Epiphany.

(a) The first gift might be friendship with God.  After all, the whole point of Christmas is that God’s Son became one of us to redeem us and call us friends. God wants our friendship in the form of wholehearted love and devotion. 

 (b)  A second gift might be friendship with others. This kind of friendship can be costly.   The price it exacts is vulnerability and openness to others.   The good news, however, is that, in offering friendship to others, we will receive back many blessings. 

  (c)  A third gift might be the gift of reconciliation.    This gift repairs damaged relationships.   It requires honesty, humility, understanding, forgiveness and patience.  

 (d)   The fourth gift of this season is the gift of peace:  seeking God’s peace in our own lives through prayer, the Sacramental life and daily meditation on the Word of God. It is out of humble gratitude that we give Him from the heart our gifts of worship, prayer, singing, possessions, and time.

As we give our insignificant, little gifts to God, the good news is that God accepts them! Like the Magi offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we offer what we have, from the heart, in response to what that Child has given to us - Himself.

Let us conclude with a 19th century English carol, Christina Rosetti’s A Christmas Carol, which begins, “In the bleak midwinter.” The carol sums up, in its last stanza, the nature of "giving to the Christ Child.”

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I could give a Lamb.

If I were a wise man, I could do my part.

What I can I give Him?  Give Him my heart!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R58Ao0toK-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTCU9qgzHi0#t=63

Sunday, January 4, 2015 ... Our Last Day of Christmas Festival of Lights... Please drive carefully...

Dear Friends of Our Lady of La Salette:

We wish to extend our love and gratitude for your visiting us!

Please remember to come and pray with us during this 

New Year and let us together keep focusing on

  'JESUS' "LIGHT OF LIFE"

Happy New Year! 

We begin the New Year always with the solemnity of Mary Mother of God. The readings 

that have been provided to us for the feast give us two models for emulation. The shepherds received the good 

news from the angels that a savior is born among them. They immediately left their sheep and went in search 

of the newborn baby. Looking up, searching eagerly and finding God in the manger in the midst of their own 

business was important to the shepherds. They never lost the sense of wonder.

 Another year is ending and a new year begins. The attitude of the shepherds is crucial for a successful year 

for all of us that we never stop seeking out this God of surprises who wish to bring light and life into our lives. 

May this New Year be one in which we will actively search for that God in the midst of our busy lives and 

having found God we may adore and worship with our minds and hearts. Mary “pondered all these things in her

heart” says the evangelist. The divine son Jesus, the Word made flesh, was constantly becoming ‘food for 

thought’ for Mary. Amazing things were happening in her life through the intervention of God from the 

annunciation to visit of her cousin Elizabeth, to journey to Bethlehem, to birth in the manger, and now to the visit

of the shepherds.

Let the Word become ‘food for our life’ during this New Year. Let us never stop ‘pondering’ about all that 

God is doing in our lives now and in the New Year.

Pope Francis calls us to be new evangelizers and Mary is the star of evangelization. How did she do it? It is by 

constantly opening her mind and heart to God and God’s activity in her life and surrendering to the will of God 

that she remained a faithful disciple of Christ. Let us turn to the examples of the shepherds and to Mary for a 

holy year 2015.

At the conclusion of the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) of Pope Francis, we  read this beautiful prayer:

“Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the Word of Life in the depths of 

your humble faith:

As you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own "Yes" to the urgent call, as 

pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Filled with Christ’s presence, you brought joy to John the Baptist, making him exult in the womb of his mother.

Brimming over with joy, you sang of the great things done by God. Standing at the foot of the cross with 

unyielding faith, you received the joyful comfort of the Resurrection and joined the disciples in awaiting the 

Spirit, so that the evangelizing Church might be born.

Obtain for us now a new ardor born of the Resurrection that we may bring to all the “Gospel of Life”, which 

triumphs over death.

Give us a holy courage to seek new paths, that the gift of unfading beauty may reach every man and woman.

Virgin of listening and contemplation, Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast, pray for the Church, 

whose pure icon you are, that she may never be closed in on herself or lose her passion for establishing God’s 

Kingdom.

Star of the New Evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous 

faith, justice and love of the poor, which the joy of the Gospel may reach to the ends of the earth, illuminating 

even the fringes of our world.

Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us. Amen. Alleluia!”

A WORD OF THANKS...

On behalf of the La Salette Missionaries, the priests, brothers, sisters and lay associates, I wish to express 

my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to all the employees, volunteers and friends who gave their time and 

talent for a successful and joyful season of the Festival of lights. We have been immensely blessed with great 

weather and large crowds throughout the season. We thank Mary our Mother for her powerful intercession 

in watching over us during this special season. We thank you for your prayers and support for all our 

ministries here at the Shrine. For everyone who worked hard to make this mission possible we say

 THANK YOU.

May God bless you in the New Year 2015!

         Fr. Cyriac, M.S. Fr. Flavio, M.S. and Fr. Pat, M.S.

We, the La Salette Family, await your presence here at 

the Altar of Our Lord Jesus 

where together we will share 

His Most Precious Body and His Precious Blood

 in the 

Most Holy Eucharist! 

We return to our regular Services Schedule:

MASSES:

Monday - Friday:12:10 pm & 6:30 pm

Saturday Vigil Mass - 4:30 pm

Sunday Mass - 12:10 pm

Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confessions:

Monday - Friday  - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Wednesday evening 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm 

Saturday and Sunday - 1:00 - 4:00 pm

(Reconciliation Chapel)

Located inside the Shrine Church

COME PRAY THE ROSARY WITH US 

FOR WORLD PEACE 

Half Hour before each Mass

Our Lady calls us to prayer.

at La Salette in France on September 19, 1846 She appeared to two shepherd children

weeping she asked the children:

"Do you pray well, my children?

Our Lady today asks us 

the same question in our hearts:

Do you pray well my children?

Let us begin this New Year

bringing Joy to Our Lady

May each rosary

wipe away 

Our Lady's tears.

Fr.Joseph Whalen,M.S. video

 Our Lady of La Salette Story and Memorare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZjzNTRV6fQ

Fr.Joseph Whalen,M.S. video on Healing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zel81pJnmhM