Time to Remember

A new friend reminded me of this approaching anniversary. Recollecting that the date still brings me to pause, and I reminded myself to remember, how important it is not to forget.

Back to the Hospital

So close and yet so far...let's help pray this mommy and her daughter home!

Travelers' Prayer

For The Boy (and his mom) as he spreads his wings for the first time and heads out of state for the long weekend...

O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially
from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Urgent Prayer Request

This prayer request is for the pastor of Beulah's and Hannah's parish school. He is a Catholic convert from the Baptist faith and is a tremendous gift to us! He brings to his preaching a solid knowledge of Church teaching infused with a love and deep understanding of Sacred Scripture.

Here is the email I received with the news today:

It was announced today at mass that Father had a blood clot in his brain and surgery was successful. He is at Provena St. Joe's in Joliet in the ICU unit. I know that mom has told people that he cannot have any flowers or any gifts. Cards can be sent to St. Peter's rectory and those will be given to him by another priest.

Please pray for this holy man of God.

Rough Seas

By the grace of God, the severe weather that attacked Chicagoland yesterday narrowly avoided the Ark. Our Southside neighbors weren't so lucky. Please keep them in your prayers.

We Remember

In memory of the soldiers and families whose selfless sacrifice protects our freedom.

Want to do more? Check out ThankThem4:

By combining the powerful images of our beloved military men and women with your own photos, ThankThem4 provides everyone with a simple yet meaningful way to personally thank the troops for their tremendous sacrifices.

Just go to ThankThem4 to create and send your message of thanks. You can also embed your message on your blog or Web site. It only takes a few minutes and, remember, it’s FREE.

So click on over and help them reach their goal of 50,000 tributes by Memorial Day.

Grieving

Even if you're not an adoptive parent, chances are you've heard about the tragic accident that befell the family of Steven Curtis Chapman.

If you don't know his story, he and his wife are the parents of six children, including three beautiful girls adopted from China. Through their story, they felt called to share the blessing of adoption with others through the foundation of Shaohannah's Hope.

From the website:

Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, founded Shaohannah’s Hope to reach the church with God’s call to care for orphans and to help more experience the miracle of adoption by reducing the financial barriers, primarily through awarding adoption grants. We are not an adoption agency, but we are dedicated to empowering the church to reflect God’s heart for orphans and embrace them with His love.

Today, as we grieve the loss of their precious child with them, let's not forget that God will make good on his promises. He will bring joy from this sorrow. Please consider making a donation to the special fund created in their daughter's name. To make possible the miracle of adoption, the permanence of a "forever family", for others; who might one day know the story of this special family whose heart for adoption reached far beyond the walls of their home.

To simply leave a prayer or message for the family, visit the blog set-up In Memory of Maria.

Looking for Laura

I have a few things from the Mass of Angels that I thought you might like to have as keepsakes. Please email me at patjrsmom at yahoo dot com and I'd be happy to send them out with the other care packages from that Mass.

God Bless,
Jane

Memorial Mass of Angels

Sorry about the late notice, but here's an important FYI-

Our parish's Elizabeth Ministry is holding its annual Memorial Mass of Angels on Tues. April, 22nd at 7pm. I wanted to make sure the word got out to people who might find peace and healing in this Mass.

This is open to anyone (you need not be Catholic to attend) who has been touched by the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, SIDS, and infant or child death. (*In cases of miscarriage, there is an eloquently written prayer and blessing for parents over at EWTN*) A reception will follow. All friends and family are invited to share in the support and fellowship of these loved ones.

Please forward this invitation to anyone whom you think might be interested.

For those who would like to have a candle lighted in their child's name, but are unable to attend, please feel free to email me at patjrsmom at yahoo dot com with the name of the child and the date on which he or she was born into eternity. Today is the last day for submitting information.

Prayer Request

For the victims and their families, including the shooter, of this unspeakable tragedy that happened in our own backyard yesterday.

A Prayer for an end to Violence

God of life,

Every act of violence in our world, in our communities, between myself and others, destroys a part of your creation.

Stir in my heart a renewed sense of reverence for all life.

Give me the vision to recognise your spirit in every human being, however they behave towards me.

Make possible the impossible by cultivating in me the fertile seed of healing love.

May I play my part in breaking the cycle of violence by realising that peace begins with me.

St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace London 7 July 2005

Please pray...

for the repose of the soul of David Eversole, who together with his wife owned and operated the amazing Catholic Christian store On A Wing And A Prayer. Their store has blessed many families in our community and the outreach that Dave's Daniel's Den provided was second to none. His family and friends and the Catholic Christian community at large will miss him greatly.

Also pray that their store's ministry and evangelization continues. Dave will be smiling from heaven to see that even in death, the work he began continues to bring others closer to Christ.

Prayers needed

We received a phone call yesterday that an individual at The Boy's school has contracted the MRSA or "superbug" that has been plaguing schools across the country. Please pray for complete healing for this individual and for the health and safety of the others in the school.

Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones.
Bless your dying ones.
Soothe your suffering ones.
Pity your afflicted ones.
Shield your joyous ones.
And for all your love's sake. Amen.

Saint Augustine

Prayers for World Peace



The ladies over at View from the Pews have started an initiative to encourage prayers for peace in our world. To get involved, simply commit to a prayer once a week (any day will do) on your blog. As the Boy was studying this prayer last night, here's our prayer for peace from the Ark:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
-St. Francis of Assisi

Literally

The ark my family has been building, and in the process living on, is a figurative one only.

You knew that, right?

No one really thinks we're constructing an enormous gopherwood vessel on our one acre of prairie land in Illinois.

Of course they don't.

But after last night, I'm thinking we might want to start.

This is the street, or at least it used to be, in front of our house covered in water.

Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of people in the Chicagoland metro area who are without power today, whose basements are flooded and who are expecting more rain before the day is done.