Praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

 

Praying for Pope Benedict.🙏 

In Christ, 

Julie 

Update...on my health

After 15 days in the hospital I am now home recovering from gall bladder surgery. 

Ate solid food for the first time yesterday since July! 

Was so weak couldn't focus my eyes and was difficult to even speak! 

Lost well over 30+ pounds. 

I want to thank each and every single one of you for the prayers, novena's and daily thoughts on my well being. You just don't know how much I appreciate those prayers and how much you all have touched my heart. And thank you to Mary Katherine for posting some updates in the comments.

Thank you and God bless each and every one of you. 🙏

In Christ,

Julie 

Last chance for Charlie! You can help save his life!

This is it. The parents of Charlie Gard are looking to get 1 MILLION signatures before tomorrow to save Charlie's life.

Please, take a moment...just seconds, to do what you can to help save this baby's life. They need MORE signatures! Please add your name! 

PETITION TO: GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL

Petition to Save Charlie Gard: 10-month-old sentenced to death at London hospital
Save Charlie Gard
Great Ormond Street Hospital,
I implore you to allow Charlie Gard’s parents to use their personal funds to transport him to the United States to receive treatment.
It is unacceptable that you have refused to follow the wishes of his parents and have instead decided to remove his life support, which will kill him.
Please save Charlie Gard! Do not remove his life support. This decision should remain where it belongs, with his loving parents. It is not the purview of the state or the hospital to make these decisions for his parents.
I, and the entire international community, will be outraged if you kill Charlie Gard.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Source: http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/71800-petition-save-charlie-gard-10-month-old-sentenced-death-london-hospital



In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Still kicking in 2017

I'm back. 

Sorry to have disappeared for so long, the truth is I've been worn out. 

Spiritually, mentally and even physically. 

This past year (thank you dear Lord, it's over!) has been horrendous and draining, as I am sure many of you will agree. 

After the truly inspiring defeat of Hillary Clinton, I just needed the down time to thank the Good Lord for the answer to this prayer. 

That still left the biggest prayer so far unanswered. 

Pope Francis. 

When I read of the four Cardinals Dubia I was filled with joy and hope. I am still clinging to that. 

It is my hope and belief that in 2017 we will see an enormous change in the Church- a change for the better. 

I have a ... sort of peace about it, you could say. I believe its going to get very ugly for a time, but before the end of 2017 I believe it will be sorted out.  Either with Pope Francis accepting correction and turning from his heretical views or...with a new pope. 

Either way, I believe the Holy Spirit is about to bring great changes to our beloved Church. 

Hopefully, next year we won't have Islamic songs sung in our Cathedral's or Virgin Mary nativity scenes with the Mother of God wearing a burka or priests refusing to put up nativity scenes because a Muslim might be offended by it. (See here) 

I'm still praying for my local parish (not much has changed since I wrote "Parish life in 2014...dismal at best" post)...that the folk music, hands in the air mini priests, hand holding during the Our Father, eating in the pews, talking during the consecration and "children's mass" would all disappear with the appearance of a new holy reverent priest.  Please dear God, give us a new holy priest this year! 

There's one more thing that has 2017 looking better for me. This Easter, my children and I will celebrate 10 years being Catholic. :) 

For that, I am truly thankful.  


In Christ, 

Julie 


P.S.  Thank you to so many of you have sent me emails and tweets wondering where I've been and how I've been. God bless you all. 



https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9716/christian-clergy-islam

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/four-cardinals-formally-ask-pope-for-clarity-on-amoris-laetitia

http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2014/12/parish-life-in-2014dismal-at-best.html 

All Souls' Day: Praying for the Dead

Today is “All Souls Day” in the Catholic Church.  The purpose of All Soul’s Day is to commemorate the faithful departed.  Most specifically those who have died in the last year.

We commemorate them with prayers and Mass -though these things should NOT be limited to All Soul’s Day alone.  We should continue to pray for our dead and have Masses said for them year round to help them should they be in Purgatory.  The Jewish people have prayed for their dead (Kaddishor Kadis) for thousands of years- long before the Catholic Church existed.  So this is not something the Catholic Church made up, nor is it a pagan practice.

Why pray for the dead?

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be freed from sins.” (IIMach. 12:46)

Because it helps those in Purgatory who at this point can no longer pray for themselves.  They are in need of prayers and Masses being said for them to complete their purgatory time.

Purgatory is a process (and often considered a place) which the departed on their way to heaven (if you are going the Other Direction you don’t go to Purgatory) are purged of venial sin.  If you have Mortal Sin on your soul at the time of your death… well it’s called “Mortal” for a reason.

Purgatory PURGES and PURIFIES your soul before you can enter Heaven, because as the Sacred Scriptures declare NOTHING impure can enter into Heaven. 

Rev. 21: “ ²⁷ There shall not enter into it anything defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb.”

All must be cleansed and will be purified with fire according to Sacred Scripture: Mark 9:49 “For everyone shall be salted with fire.”

There is even a Purgatory Museum in Rome of artifacts touched by those suffering in Purgatory.

Many misinformed protestants will snarl “Jesus already paid for our sin!” yes He did and that opened the door to Heaven for us.  To enter through the door Jesus opened WE must be pure.  If we have ANY sin on us, we are NOT pure and must be purified.  THAT is Purgatory.

Picture the gates of Heaven open with Jesus in the doorway with His arms wide open.  Between you and Jesus is a fire you must walk through.  Along that walk all the filth of sin is burnt off you and when you walk out on the other side you are like refined gold walking straight into Jesus’ arms.  You’ve just been purified by Purgatory.

Now some people walk through the flames of Purgatory quickly because they have fewer sins on their soul.  Others have many sins and the purifying fires take longer to cleanse them.  While they are “suffering” in Purgatory YOUR prayers and Masses being said actually help them along the way closer to Jesus.  They can’t pray for themselves while in the process of purification, so they depend on the living and Saints in Heaven to REMEMBER them and PRAY for them.  These prayers and Masses said are like bringing them an icy cold drink of water in the heat of the purifying flames.

How do we know these things about Purgatory?  The Saints!  Jesus gave visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory to numerous Saints who wrote down what they were shown.  Mary the Mother of God Incarnate herself spoke of Purgatory to the children at Fatima.  Saint Catherine of Genoa talked about the beauty of Purgatory because it was a means God created for people to reach Him with pure cleansed souls and how the suffering in Purgatory are happy to suffer it because of love for God.

Many Catholic mystics (some Saints, some Blessed) also talk about seeing the “ghosts” of Purgatory- or the souls of those in Purgatory.  These can often be the “ghosts” people believe they see- or they can be demon’s set out to trick people, so don’t believe all you THINK you see.

Sister Maria Anna Lindmayr and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and Saint Gertrude the Great, to name a few, explain that those they’ve seen in Purgatory are often suffering in a specific way for a specific sin.  For instance if in life you were a glutton- eating and drinking excessively into actual sin, the soul was shown to have a nail through his/her mouth while in Purgatory.

 

I read a story several years ago (wish I could recall what book it was in) about a parish cemetery and the “ghost” of a woman who stood in tattered grave clothes with messy hair upon her grave. She was tethered to that spot as part of her Purgatory suffering.  I believe it was a priest who noticed her and asked what she was doing there.  She told him she was serving her Purgatory in such a state just outside of her parish Church because in life, she had been a vain woman.  When she attended Mass, she would dress in the finest clothes and spend a great deal of time fixing her hair and face to draw attention to herself.  She had caused many to be distracted in her parish Church.  The priest said he would pray for her and he did.  The next time he saw her she had moved from above her grave to the gates of the cemetery.   The priest stopped to speak with her again.  She thanked him for his prayers and asked for more because they had helped her get closer to God in the Church.  The priest agreed and again prayed for her.  The next time he saw her, her hair was tidy and her clothes were no longer tattered but still filthy.  She begged the priest to pray for her and have a Mass said for her.  He agreed.  He then saw that woman one last time, smiling and glowing as she finally stepped over the threshold of the parish Church and disappeared having been relieved of her Purgatory suffering by the prayers and Mass said by the priest.

If the priest hadn’t noticed her or had ignored her, she would still be tethered there because she could not pray for herself and she had been forgotten by everyone else.  There was no one to think of her, to pray for her or to have Masses said for her.  The length of her suffering was shortened because someone prayed for her and had Masses said for her.

This is why we MUST pray for the dead and have Masses said for them!  They need us!  They suffer and will continue to suffer in days, months and years when we neglect to pray for them.

So today and throughout the year PRAY FOR THE DEAD and don’t neglect to have Masses said for them!

Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of:

My dear parents and grandparents,
My brothers and sisters and other near relatives,
My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation,
My spiritual and temporal benefactors,
My friends and neighbors,
All for whom love or duty bids me pray,
Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me,
Those who have offended me,
Those whose release is near at hand,
Those who desire most to be united to Thee,
Those who endure the greatest sufferings,
Those whose release is most remote,
Those who are least remembered
Those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church,
The rich, who are now the most destitute,
The mighty, who are now powerless,
The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly
The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness,
The poor who did not seek the treasures of heaven,
The tepid who devoted little time to prayer,
The indolent who neglected to perform good works,
Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments,
The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace,
Parents who failed to watch over their children,
Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them,
Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasures,
The worldly minded, who failed to use their wealth and talent for the service of God,
Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own,
Those who did not provide for the life hereafter,
Those whose sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them,
The popes, kings, and rulers,
The bishops and their counselors,
My teachers and spiritual advisors,
The priests and religious of the Catholic Church,
The defenders of the Holy Faith,
Those who died on the battlefield,
Those who fought for their country,
Those who were buried in the sea,
Those who died of apoplexy,
Those who died of heart attacks,
Those who suffered and died of cancer,
Those who died suddenly in accidents,
Those who died without the last rites of the Church,
Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours,
My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: For evermore with Thy Saints, because Thou art gracious.
May the prayer of Thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of Thy departed servants and handmaids: that Thou mayest both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of Thy redemption. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine on them. Amen.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

To learn more about Purgatory, I highly recommend the following books:

-"The Life of Anne Catherine Emmerich (Volumes 1 and 2)" by the Very Reverend Carl E. Schmoger, C.SS.R.

-"Hungry Souls: Supernatural Visits, Messages and Warnings from Purgatory" by Gerard J.M. Van Den Aardweg

-"Visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory" by Bob and Penny Lord

And anything with the writings of St. Catherine of Genoa or Saint Gertrude the Great.

Link: http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer/kaddish.htm

Link: http://www.olrl.org/pray/porsouls.shtml

Link: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kaddish.html

Protestant vs Catholic issue? I think not.

I truly welcome all emails, whether you are Catholic or nonCatholic, whether you agree with me or disagree with me. But some of you who write to me to purge yourselves of your immense hatred of the Catholic faith are wearing blinders. I can't begin to count the number of emails my blog has received over the years from Protestants who gleefully point their fingers at the Catholic Church portrayed in the media as an evil entity out to assault children and degrade women by not allowing them to be priests. Some of you actually manage to cackle in your emails! No easy task I am sure, but you some how manage.

While I don't disagree with your outrage over the sexual abuse scandals that have tarnished the Church's reputation and destroyed countless lives, I do have to wonder at your seemingly enjoyment of hearing horrid news. Does it really bring you such joy? Do you not weep for the victims instead of taking pleasure in any and all attacks against the Catholic Church?

There are several things I'd like to address today concerning scandals and these gleeful emails. First up, do you think assorted abuses don't happen in Protestant churches? Do you think that less abuse is happening in Protestant churches?? I know from your emails that many of you blame celibacy in the Latin Rite to be the reason for sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, but statistics say you're wrong.

Since you've got your crooked fingers pointing at the Catholic Church, let me point my finger at some facts and Protestant clergy in the news just to keep things fair.

Recently a protestant Youth Minister in CA decided to make up a game that including POURING HONEY on teenage girls then while they tried to shower off the honey the minister video taped them. The four girls were 15 and 17 years old. Will he get jail time?? Probably not because the statue of limitation for such a crime is only THREE years and the offense occurred in 2007.

For the full story go HERE.

But sex abuse isn't the only crimes happening in protestant churches, there is also violence. At a Baptist church in Alabama a minister fired the choir minister, Simone Moore (who by the way ran for the senate in 2010). The choir minister Moore wasn't happy with his severance pay so he whipped out a taser gun and tased his minister! A brawl ensued in which one of the church's deacon's decided to STAB the choir minister's MOTHER!
What kind of church is it that people carry around taser guns and knives?! What kind of message is being preached that teaches you to taser or stab people when you disagree with something?

For the full story go HERE.

How about those new fangled Baptist prayers?? Let's not forget about "smokin' hot" wives and fast cars when we pray to our Lord! Boogity, boogity, boogity amen!!



Let's hear that put to music, shall we?



So that's just what's happening in Protestant news recently. Now let's look at statistics and facts.
I've posted reports from Catholic sources and Protestant sources and secular sources on sexual abuse by clergy in the past. But I think the short and to the point statistics article published by "StopBapistPredators.com" is one of the best because it includes ALL clergy and compares the "Catholic Scandal" to what is really happening in Protestant churches that the media doesn't report.

Quote:

"A Baptist-published brochure states that 35% of ministers surveyed "had engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior." It also states that Protestant clergy are "sexually exploiting their parishioners at twice the rate of secular therapists." (Broken Trust, published by the Christian Life Commission of the BGCT)
Other studies "have shown no differences" in the frequency of clergy sexual abuse "by denomination, region, theology, or institutional structure." Thus, "the problem of clergy sexual abuse is not just a Catholic issue - the problem extends to Protestant denominations as well." (Ministerial Ethics at 162*) Penn State professor Philip Jenkens reported that between 2 to 3 percent of Protestant clergy are pedophiles. His same study reported that less than 1.7 percent of Catholic priests are pedophiles. There is simply no reason to think that clergy child molesters are solely a Catholic problem.

Insurance companies receive from Protestant churches each year about 260 reports involving allegations of sexual abuse committed against minors. This is LESS than the annual number of 228 abuse incidents reported against Catholic priests. That reality is particularly noteworthy because Catholics keep track of even "credible accusations," which Southern Baptists don't even bother to determine or keep records on."

Sexual abuse of ANYONE is a heinous crime, especially of our innocent children. They are to be protected and cared for. ANY clergy who harms them should be locked up for life with NO chance of getting out in my personal opinion. The Catholic Church's handling of abuse in the past is disgusting, with no question about it. But it was not our current Pope's blame, as many of you who've written me have declared (by the way, if you call my Pope "Rat" you will not get a response from me publicly or in email). Almost all of these cases happened years before Pope Benedict XVI was pope, and documents prove that while our current Pope was a Cardinal, he tried to make positive changes to help put a stop to abuse and remove guilty clergy. For the story on that go HERE and HERE.

Thankfully, there are new strict policies in place now to put an end to the abuses like we've seen happen in the past. As a convert to the Catholic Church, I can't help but wonder WHY the parents of abused children didn't go directly to the police? I would not leave it to the Church alone to deal with. I would inform the Church AND the police then let them handle the situation, thus making sure pressure would be put on both the Church and the police to investigate quickly, responsibly and above all else protecting other children.

I hear from my cradle Catholic family and friends "that just wasn't done back then" as if they truly believed going to the police rather than the Church would have been a sin. Perhaps they truly believed or felt that. I think maybe many parents just wanted to protect their children from having to expose themselves to questioning by police and a possible court trial where the child would have to relive the horror in front of numerous strangers, thus causing the child more pain. I can understand that.

Parents want to protect their children, but we must never forget that keeping silent only protects the abuser and makes more victims. Child abuse in any form is NOT a Protestant vs Catholic issue. The issue is the child and protecting them while punishing the guilty.

I have other emails about female priests (as if), the Eucharist and infant baptism that I will tackle soon. Until then I thank you for your comments and look forward to your emails.

God bless...

Catholic Mother's Prayer Manual

I have a Catholic Mother's Manual Prayer book dated 1941 by A. Francis Coomes, S.J. once owned by my great grandmother and gifted to me after she had passed away. It's a small prayer book designed especially for Catholic Mother's and full of prayers on parenting, children and motherhood in general. It also includes blessings and feast information and quotes from saints. As so many children (and their parents) are now preparing for their First Communion this spring, I thought I would share a few of the prayers for children.

For Protection of the Child

I put my little babe under your protection Mary, my Mother. Make its tiny mind grow up to love the truths of faith; consecrate its will to the service of God; fill its heart with love for its Creator. Fashion its little body in all perfection; let its organs be sound, its sense acute, all its members strong and healthy. You can obtain this favor for me and my child, most powerful Mother. I put my trust in you. Amen.

Consecration of a child to Mary

Holy Mary, Mother of God and Mother of all faithful. I place my little child under your mothering protection. To you I completely consecrate it- body and soul. Take it under your care and keep it always. Protect it in its infancy and keep it sound in body and mind. Guard over its youth and keep its heart pure, its thoughts ever holy and directed to God and spiritual things. Protect it always throughout life- in its joys and sorrows, in its dealings with others. Always and in all things be a true Mother to it, Mary, and preserve it. I commend it entirely to you. Remember Mother Mary, that through this act of consecration it is by a special claim your child as well as mine; guard it and keep it as your property and possession. Amen.

For a Child’s Vocation

Dear Lord Jesus, You have entrusted this child to my keeping. He [she] is growing older now and must soon decide upon a future state of life. Please help him [her], and help me to help my child to make the decisions You want. I would be very proud and happy if You called him [her] to make a complete consecration to his [her] life to You, but You know best. Whatever are Your designs, just let my child know and follow them. Amen.