May Procession & Crowning

Below is the picture and caption that was placed in the May 12 issue of Today's Catholic.  It was a beautiful day for a May Procession and Crowning in downtown Fort Wayne.  I know the Blessed Mother was pleased with those who joined us.  Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Pray for Us.

MAY CROWNING AND PROCESSION IN FORT WAYNE



Ellen Reidy, 8, of Our Lady of Good Hope Parish in Fort Wayne a second-grade student at St. Charles Borromeo School, places flowers on the Blessed Mother statue at St. Mary Church in Fort Wayne. Father James Bromwich and Father Daniel Whelan of the Sons of St. Philip Neri organized a May Crowning that began with Mass and then a procession to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and back to St. Mary Church on Saturday, May 4

Happenings with the Sons

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of April!  Where does the time go?  Scripture is correct when it says that life is like a flower which blooms in the morning and withers in the evening.  We have to daily live our lives for God, for one does not know the day nor the hour.

Over the last couple of weeks the Sons of Saint Philip Neri have been involved in various beginnings and endings.  Fr. Daniel celebrated his last Mass for the semester at IPFW.  A couple of weeks ago, he and the Newman Catholic Fellowship had adoration on campus, followed by a procession on the campus grounds, praying for all the students who attend.  Everyone is excited about next year and how we can be more active in evangelizing the student body. 

Processing with the Eucharist at IPFW

In addition, he spoke at the monthly Theology on Tap about "so-called" same-sex marriage and how young adults need to engage the culture in charity and truth as this push for same-sex marriage continues.



Men praying Divine Mercy Chaplet at Retreat

A couple of days later, Fr. Daniel led a men's retreat in southern Indiana at the St. Joseph's Holy Family, encouraging the men to truly live out their manly call to be true leaders and disciples of Christ in this world, in particular taking St. Joseph as their model.  What beautiful grounds on which to have the retreat!   One could definitely see how a person could be close to God surrounded by such beauty.  Lastly, Fr. Daniel will soon become pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Wayne.  The Sons are excited about imbuing this parish with the charisma of St. Philip Neri.

Beautiful Grounds of St. Joseph's Holy Family.

 

Fr. James is ending the spring semester at the University of St. Francis where he has been teaching Medical Ethics, a very appropriate subject in light of what our society is facing.  This emphasis on the human person and his dignity is very dear to all our hearts.  In particular, Fr. James is striving to bring to light this dignity in all its various stages as he continues to develop the Neri Institute.  In a few weeks, his first film on the dignity of the human person will be completed.  It is called M:25 Bless the Children,  and it features three families with their disabled children.   At the beginning of May, the Neri Institute will have its first Board of Advisors meeting where we will be able to put our heads together in order to aid Fr. James and the Neri Institute as it seeks to promote respect for every human person and advance right reasoning and a language by which we can build a culture of life and a civilization of truth and love.  Please keep this important apostolate of the Sons in your prayers.

 

In the last few weeks, we have had several men express interests in the Sons of Saint Philip Neri, some of them spending time with us in prayer, community life, and in some of our apostolates.  Please pray for vocations to our community.

Institute on Religious Life



Mundelein Seminary

The Sons of Saint Philip had a faith-filled time last weekend as we were present at the annual Institute on Religious Life conference held at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago.  It is so encouraging to be surrounded by men and women religious who have a great love for the Catholic faith.  Although religious life has dwindled greatly in the USA in the past 50 years, when one attends these conferences, one can see that it is definitely not dead and in small, yet strong, ways, it is beginning to grow.

 



Banquet
 

We were able to meet up with friends whom we have met at past conferences, in particular the Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Divine Teacher from Davenport, IA.  As we have done in the past, we ate with them at the banquet on Saturday evening.  Our table knows how to have an enjoyable and fun time.  We even had our server laughing.






On Sunday morning (Divine Mercy Sunday) we chanted the Divine Mercy Chaplet and were able to venerate a first class relic of St. Faustina.  I always love to be around relics.  I'm like a kid in a candy shop.  They remind you of what we are called to be one day: saints with God in heaven above.

Veneration of Relic of St. Faustina

Please keep all religious in your prayers that they will be witnesses to the world of God's loving present in our lives, pointing us to the goal of eternal life.

Retreat with the Franciscans

Viva il Papa!  Last week, the Church received a new Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis.  We rejoice that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Bride of Christ in the 21st century.  While the conclave was progressing, I, Fr. Daniel, was the retreat master in Lacon, IL for two Franciscan communities:

(1) Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi (the American Province) whose Motherhouse is in Lacon, IL and who operate St. Joseph Nursing Home in Lacon and St. John's St. Francis Hospital, a small rural hospital in Mountain View, MO.


Fr. Daniel with Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi

(2) Franciscan Sisters of the Christ the Divine Teacher, a new community located in Davenport, IA, who are involved in education and parish apostolic works.

Fr. Daniel with Francisan Sisters of the Christ, the Divine Teacher
 



Retreatants Adoring the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

Besides the main focus of the retreat: prayer, adoration, confession, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we examined the stages of the spiritual life according to the Saints of the Church, in particular St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis de Sales, St. Catherine of Sienna, and St. Therese of Lisieux.  I discussed the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of the spiritual life that all of us, priests, religious, and laity, are called to pursue.  With God's grace, all things are possible.  Even though there will be struggles and trials, we must have, in the words of St. Therese, a "joyful resignation", that God will be there to pick us up, help us to learn from these trials, and use them for our spiritual benefit so that we may become perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

It was a beautiful week, and we were all blessed to have received a new pope during this time, and the communities were extra joyous of the name he took: Francis, after their founder. We also broke the silence that evening for dinner and broke out a coupe of bottles of wine and had ice cream for dessert to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Religious know all to have fun and celebrate.

Daily pray for our holy Father, Pope Francis, and please keep these two communities in your prayers that God may send them vocations so they may continue to do the work He has called them to embrace.  To find out more about these communites, please visit their websites by clicking the links below:

Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi

Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Divine Teacher

A Week of Missions and Adoration

The Sons of Saint Philip Neri were busy last week with various apostolates.



Christ the Teacher University Parish in DeKalb, IL

From Sunday evening to Wednesday evening, Fr. James conducted a four day parish mission at Christ the Teacher University Parish, which also serves as the Newman Catholic Student Center, at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. A good friend of his, Fr. Matt McMorrow, is the administrator of the parish. Each evening Fr. James spoke to the college students and families about the importance of prayer in one's life, for without it, we are, in the words of St. Philip Neri, "...an animal without the use of reason."



On Tuesday, Fr. Daniel was the mission speaker at a four day mission at St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Wayne. His talk was also on the importance of prayer in one's life. He talked about the need for incorporating all the aspects of prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. On Tuesday evening, Fr. Daniel began a six week series called, "Theology of the Body for Young Adults" at IPFW. There were about 30 students present (some from other colleges) to watch a DVD presentation by Christopher West. Following the presentation, there was a good discussion. We prayer that the students will continue to come to these Tuesday evening classes.

Students of IPFW Adoring the Lord on Campus

The week ended with both Fr. James and Fr. Daniel leading adoration. Fr. James, who is the chaplain for the local chapter of the Catholic Medical Association, led adoration at St. John the Baptist for doctors and nurses and their spouses. Afterwards, he hosted a reception in the Community House.




Students at IPFW Adoring the Lord on Campus

At the same time, Fr. Daniel led adoration at IPFW. It was a quiet hour filled with chants and hymns.







May God abundantly bless the ministries in which the Sons of St. Philip Neri are involved

Sisters of Life on the Campus of IPFW



Sisters of Life "tabling" with Newman Catholic Fellowship

What a blessing to have the Sisters of Life on the campus of IPFW this past week.  The Newman Catholic Fellowship (Fr. Daniel is chaplain) and the Students for Life hosted four Sisters of Life to be on campus for a couple of days, witnessing to the students the profound gift of our life in faith, which is liberating and joyful.  From celebrating Mass with us on Tuesday, to sharing fellowship, to walking around the campus praying for the students, to setting up a table on campus answering questions students may have, to giving a talk one evening on the power of God's grace to free us in order to walk the pathway of love without fear, these Sisters exhuded a peace that so many young people are yearning for and not receiving in this culture.

Joyful Sisters of Life

The Sister of Life were founded by the Servant of God, John Cardinal O'Connor of New York, in 1991 to live a life of prayer and apostolic work for the sanctity of all human life.  From their hours in prayer to their hours working in assisting women in difficult pregnancies and helping post-abortive women find healing, these Brides of Christ show God's compassion, truth, and love. 




Yes, we all recognize that we are going through some rather tumultuous times as more and more people scoff at the notion of Christ and His Church.  Yet, rather than simply wallowing in self-pity or always complaining, these Sisters of Life show us that it is, indeed, much better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. 

The Sons of Saint Philip Neri pray for the Sisters of Life in their life of prayer and apostolic work. 

For more information on the Sisters of Life, go to www.sistersoflife.org

Holy Father's Announcement of Resignation

By now, most have heard of Pope Benedict XVI's announcement of his resignation as the Bishop of Rome, effective on February 28 of this year.  This is quite a surprise for us.  After all, it has been 600 years since a pope resigned.  Of course, there are many in the secular world who will put all sorts of "spins" on this announcement.  I could list them here but why bother?

We, as Catholics, are called to trust in the decision of our Holy Father.  After Bl. John Paul II died, many wondered, "Who could fill his shoes?"  I can assert that Pope Benedict XVI has indeed accomplished this.  The Holy Spirit gives us who we need at the present time.  Pope Benedict XVI is a scholar, par excellence, and while he may not have had the charisma that Bl. John Paul II had, his holiness and love for the people is obviously seen.  Look at the throngs that have seen him: the crowds at the World Youth Days have not grown any smaller.  I remember seeing Pope Benedict XVI in Washington, DC.  As he processed by us at the start of Mass, an overwhelming feeling came upon me and with the tears in my eyes, I remember saying to myself, "There is the Vicar of Christ, and I love him, and I will give my life for him."

Pope Benedict XVI, you have served as well as the Vicar of Christ.  While you may be resigning from the Petrine Office, we know that your prayers and sacrifices will still be offered for the universal Church.  And we will continue to daily prayer for you: our Pope Emeritus.

WE LOVE YOU!

Below are videos of the Pope's announcement.  The first is the original in Latin and the second is the translation.