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My Call to Carmel |
BY LAURA & JOSÉ DA SILVA |
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José & Laura da Silva,
T.O. Carm. |
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My name is José
Barbosa da Silva. I
was born on the island of
São Miguel, Azores,
Portugal, where my wife
Laura Maria Neves Pereira
da Silva (shortened name,
Laura Maria da Silva) also
was born.
We were both raised
Catholic, having been baptized,
confirmed and married
in the Catholic
Church. At that time, my
religious upbringing was
limited to catechism, mass
on Sundays and holy days
of obligation, some confessions
and communion. I
was the youngest of eight
brothers and sisters. When
I was six years old, my
mother died. I missed her
very much.
Laura was the fifth of ten
brothers and sisters from a
very religious family. She
had an uncle who was a
priest and a sister who
became a nun. She attended
Catholic elementary
and high school.
After I finished elementary
school, I had to leave my
family and village and go
to the city to attend high
school. It was at that time
that I met Laura.
[Read the entire article...]
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ADVENT:
A time of waiting,
longing
& watching in prayer |
COLLECTED BY
JOHN CASSIDY |
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The word Advent derives
from the Latin word meaning
coming.
THE LORD
IS COMING.
Advent is marked by a spirit
of expectation, of anticipation,
of preparation, of
longing. Meditate on the following quotes and allow the Lord to prepare your heart for his coming.
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“Arise, shine; For you light
has come! And the glory of
the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness
shall cover the earth, And
deep darkness the people
But the Lord will arise over
you, And His glory will be
seen upon you.”
Isaiah 60:1-3
“In those days, John the
Baptist appeared in the
wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,
'Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has
come now.' ”
Matthew 3:1-2
“And the ransomed of the
LORD will return. They will
enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown
their gladness and joy will
overtake them, and sorrow
and sighing will flee away.”
Isaiah 35:10
[More quotes...]
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Glory to God in the Highest |
BY SAINT GREGORY NAZIANZEN |
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St. Gregory Nazianzen is a Doctor of the Church and is known in the Christian East as St. Gregory the Theologian.
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The Son of God, older than
the ages, the invisible, the
incomprehensible, the incorporeal,
the beginning of
beginning, the light of light,
the fountain of life and
immortality, the image of the
archetype, the immovable
seal, the perfect likeness, the
definition and word of the
Father: he it is who comes to his
own image and takes our
nature for the good of our
nature, and unites himself to an
intelligent soul for the good of
my soul, to purify like by like.
He takes to himself all that is
human, except for sin. He was
conceived by the Virgin Mary,
who had been first prepared in
soul and body by the Spirit; his
coming to birth had to be treated
with honor, virginity had to
receive new honor. He comes
forth as God, in the human
nature he has taken, one being,
made of two contrary elements,
flesh and spirit. Spirit gave
divinity, flesh received it.
[Read more...]
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St. John of the Cross:
An Advent Saint |
BY FRANK DAGOSTINO |
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On Dec. 14th we celebrate his feast day.
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John was born in
Fontiveros, Spain, he
had known the deprivation
of poverty. He was raised by
a widowed mother so poor
that an earlier son may have
died of malnutrition. Richer
relatives rejected this little
family when their father
died, because he had loved
and married a woman far
below his social status.
A youth of twenty years,
John entered the Carmelite
order. He studied at the
University of Salamanca,
was ordained, and later
joined Teresa of Avila in initiating
the Discalced Reform
John was declared a doctor
of the church in 1926 and in
1952 was honored in his
native land as the patron of
Spanish poets.
[Read more...]
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COMMUNITY MEETINGS
2008 |
January 20
February 17
March 16
April 20
May 18
June 22
July 20
August 17
September 21
October 19
November 16
December 21
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Questions
from the stream
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PRAYER REQUESTS
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In your daily prayers, please pray for...
The Holy Father’s Intentions
for December
General: That human society may
be solicitous in the care of all those
stricken with AIDS, especially children
and women, and that the
Church may make them feel the
Lord's love.
Mission: That the incarnation of
the Son of God, which the Church
celebrates solemnly at Christmas,
may help the peoples of the Asiatic
Continent to recognize God's
Envoy, the only Savior of the
world, in Jesus.
Our Community’s Intentions
- ...John’s soul, the son of John &
Marilyn Cassidy, who passed
away on Sept. 3
- ...Ame and her two little
children. —Pat E.
- ...my
daughter's physical and emotional healing.
—Bernadette G.
- ...all those incarcerated.
- ...the complete physical healing of my father, Thomas M. —Karen O.
- ...me and family, especially please pray for Aniano R. F. to fulfill his dreams in life. —Ting F.
Send us your prayer requests....
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