07 Sep Vocation Newsletter Issue 49
Author: James Foerster
13 May GoFundMe Campaign for Mother of Sorrows Statue
Posted at 07:52h
in News
Located in west transept of Chicago’s historic Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows, the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows is justly regarded as one of the finest small altars in the country. Of white Carrara and variegated marbles, its main feature includes the column raised, domed, arched, and cross-topped canopy housing a beautiful statue of the Mother of Sorrows. The altar was consecrated in 1914.
The statue of the Mother of Sorrows is in a declining state of repair. The surface of the statue is experiencing paint flaking and large areas of paint loss. At some point in its history, it had undergone a complete repainting, most likely to cover numerous losses in the paint. At least 50% of the surface area of the statue shows damage to the paint layer. Since it is nearly impossible to remove a layer or layers of repaint to unveil the original paint layer, it seems unreasonable to try to save damaged repaint. The proposed treatment includes cleaning the surface of dirt, dust and flaking paint, filling areas of paint and plaster loss, testing to determine the original colors, and a complete repainting of the surface.
Cost estimate is between $10,000 and $11,000.
Please consider a donation to restore this notable and historic work, that it may continue to welcome and inspire pilgrims seeking the compassionate intercession of the Mother of Sorrows for the next 107 years and beyond.
04 May Prayer for the Feast of St. Peregrine
Posted at 10:30h
in Prayers for Various Occasions
A New Prayer written by the St. Peregrine ministers for the 2021 Feast of St Peregrine Laziosi, OSM
Brother Jesus, risen to new life, we joyfully celebrate Your Easter victory over sin and death, after You humbly shared with us the pain and joy, the fragility and wonder, of life lived in human flesh. You truly are our hope and promise, as we continue to face a global health crisis, and individual illness, whether our own or that of someone we love. As we also celebrate the feast of St Peregrine, patron of persons with cancer and other serious illness, we open our hearts to express three essential prayers: “Help! Thanks! Wow!”
Help! Lord of mercy, You have heard this word often. It may be our most frequent prayer, especially when we are sick, or when we care for and support someone who is ill. Confident in Your constant and compassionate love for us, we continue to petition for health and wholeness, and for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, for all people throughout the world.
Thanks! How can we ever forget, gracious Jesus, to express our gratitude for Your gifts of healing! Though we have not always received exactly what we desired, You have surprised us with deeper and longer-lasting kinds of healing: of a relationship, an attitude, a memory, or our struggle to trust and depend on You. We are thankful for progress toward ending this plague, and for the first-responders, healthcare professionals, essential workers, researchers and those who administer the vaccine, care-givers, family and friends who have been with us and cared for us during our times of greatest need.
Wow! And sometimes, Your Spirit has amazed us with incredible miracles, beyond our expectations, as you did with St Peregrine! You cure us, bring us out of isolation and loneliness and quarantine, and gift us with precisely what we ask for! And more! Wow! We praise You for Your faithful and powerful love, which delights and energizes us, and which transforms us, and our world, even a little at a time.
We pray all this through the intercession of St Peregrine Laziosi, as we celebrate his feast with the hope and joy of Easter, and with continued petition, thanks and praise! Amen.
04 May 2021 Novena in Honor of St. Peregrine
Posted at 06:36h
in Prayers for Various Occasions
Day 9 – Prayer for Peace
Phil 4:4-7
Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful. Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
O God of mercy, in your endless love you sent your Son, the Prince of Peace, to teach us the way of mercy, peace, and gentleness. We thank you for those daily moments of peace which are your gift to us – moments of your loving presence. We ask that you continue keep us in your peace in times when we are hard-pressed, anxious, and suffering. Put a new Spirit in us, we pray, that angry and chaotic ways vanish so that peace and harmony may reign among your people. With your peace in our hearts, may we always be ready to serve others with mercy.
Our Father, who art in heaven…
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you….
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…
Dear St. Peregrine, brother and friend, faithful Servant of Mary, kindly listen to our plea. From being an angry youth, you received the grace of conversion: from being violent you became meek in spirit, bowing to seek God’s forgiveness. Call on the Lord for us all, we implore, to give us a conversion that is heartfelt and deep that we too may live in genuine peace and serve our brothers and sisters with a generous heart. Dear St. Peregrine, ask the Lord to pour over us the peace which is beyond all understanding.
May God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose holiness shines forth in you, St. Peregrine, receive all honor and glory forever. Amen.
St. Peregrine, pray for us.
03 May 2021 Novena in Honor of St. Peregrine
Posted at 07:43h
in Prayers for Various Occasions
Day 8 – Prayer for Joy
Zeph 3: 17-19
The Lord your God is there with you, the warrior-Savior. He will rejoice over you with happy song, he will renew you by his love, he will dance with shouts of joy for you, as on a day of festival. I have taken away your misfortune, no longer need you bear the disgrace of it. I am taking action here and now against your oppressors. When that time comes I will rescue the lame, and gather the strays, and I will win them praise and renown when I restore their fortunes.
Great and merciful God, we thank you for the joy and peace that you bestow upon your people through your presence and your Word. Many times on our journey of faith, we run into difficulties and suffering that disturb us and rob us of joy. In those times, help us to remember that we have never experienced a night that wasn’t followed by the light of day. Be merciful and grant us the joy of your presence that sustains us through the dark times as we move into your own wonderful and healing light.
Our Father, who art in heaven…
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you….
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…
Dear St. Peregrine, brother and friend, faithful Servant of Mary, kindly listen to our plea. In your own life, you knew suffering and confusion, followed eventually by serenity and joy as the Lord’s grace guided your steps. Your trust and faith was so strong that it sustained you through your illness to the great joy of your healing. Intercede for us we pray, that we may receive God’s joy and share it with others in good times and bad.
May God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose holiness shines forth in you, St. Peregrine, receive all honor and glory forever. Amen.
St. Peregrine, pray for us.
02 May 2021 Novena in Honor of St. Peregrine
Posted at 11:47h
in Prayers for Various Occasions
Day 7 – Prayer for Love
1 Cor 13:4-8; 13
Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth. It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. Love never comes to an end. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will fall silent; and if knowledge, it will be done away with. As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.
Lord Jesus, you are the source of life and love. Your love for us was so great that you underwent suffering and death that we might be saved. We thank you for your sacrifice and love. We thank you for all the special people in our lives. When our lives grow burdensome with illness or other cares, pour out your great love upon us – a love with the power to heal. Help us to remember that we are loved and cared for by others also. This is your gift to us and may we share that gift of love with others.
Our Father, who art in heaven…
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you….
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…
Dear St. Peregrine, brother and friend, faithful Servant of Mary, kindly listen to our plea. The example and love of St. Philip turned you from a youth of anger and rebellion to a new life of love, humility, and service. When struck with illness, your great love of God allowed you to place your trust in him for healing and your prayer was heard. Following your example and praying for your intercession, may God’s healing love also convert us to new ways of living, thinking, and acting.
May God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose holiness shines forth in you, St. Peregrine, receive all honor and glory forever. Amen.
St. Peregrine, pray for us.