In addition to looking at the Scripture and the Catechism, this series will make use of the life stories and first-hand wisdom of ancient and contemporary “heroes of hope” to show how this important virtue can bring healing in the face of pain, strength in moments of temptation, comfort in the midst of sorrow, and clarity in times of doubt.

Talks will be on Monday evenings from February 20 through April 2 in Saint Francis Xavier School, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.  Admission is free.  For a list of topics, click on the poster image above.

Saint John Bosco was born in 1815 in a small village about 12½ miles from Turin in northern Italy, at a time when the Napoleonic wars had left the countryside and whole communities devastated.  He dedicated his priesthood to caring for orphans, street children, juvenile delinquents and other young people whom the rest of society had given up on.  He faced serious opposition to his work — including several attempts on his life — but his compassionate way of dealing with his children attracted many co-workers as well, and led to the foundation of a world-wide religious Order that still carries out his ministry.  He died on this date (now his feast day) in 1888.

As always, you and yours are in the prayers of all of us here at the Oratory . . . don’t forget to say some for us when you can.  We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

You probably are aware that many saints are traditionally invoked for protection against or healing from various illnesses of the body.  But did you know that there are patron saints for emotional and mental illness as well?  Some of them suffered in their own lives, and others took care of family members, friends or neighbors who were in pain; they all testify to the power of Christ to heal and strengthen both body and spirit.  Anthony will talk tonight about the lives of three of them: Saint Dymphna (Ireland, 7th century); Saint Giles (Greece and France, 650-710); and Saint Christina the Astonishing (Belgium, 1150-1224).  I hope you will be able to join us tonight, to learn about these powerful intercessor-saints, and their inspiring stories.

Also, we will be starting tonight to put together our schedule of talks and events for the next few months (February through May).  If you would like to volunteer to give a talk or organize an activity, bring your idea tonight, or let me know by email what date and topic you have in mind.  I’d like to have the new calendar finalized by the 25th of this month.

Also, Beth Riordan has asked me to let you know that the Women’s Bible Study group, which we let you know about a few weeks ago, is getting underway this month.  The group will meet at Beth’s house on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, from January 26 through May 24.  For directions and more information, please contact Beth directly at bethriordan@yahoo.com.

All the best to you and yours for a blessed, joyous new year.  Hope to see you soon!

As a young person learning about these traditions in Catholic school, I remember thinking only one thing — you’re not supposed to have candles near a Christmas tree!  Didn’t the news run story after story every year about how a Christmas tree can go up in flames in eight-point-something seconds, and take the whole house with it?  How could these people be so reckless as to wear candles on their heads and walk around the room?  And put dozens of candles on their trees?  And why was Sister making us color in pictures of this every December as if it were something to admire?

Of course, life in late 20th-century metropolitan America is a lot different from these old traditional celebrations.  Our Christmas trees come from farms dozens or scores or, more likely, hundreds of miles away from the lots where we buy them.  They’ve been cut down, stacked, re-stacked on trucks, driven cross-country, re-stacked in the parking lot, bought and stored in the garage, and finally put up in a dry living room a few weeks before Christmas (because we forget about Advent).  In some cases, that “evergreen” tree has been dead for months by the time it makes it home.  It’s a much different situation than the Scandinavian family that can literally walk to the forest at the edge of the village, to cut the branches that are needed to celebrate St Lucy’s Day, or the tree that will be part of the Christmas celebration.  Those greens were connected to their source of life until just before they were needed, and so they are still fresh and strong enough to withstand the heat of the candles.  Our trees, which have been cut off for so long, are dried out and dead, and go up like fireworks at the first little spark.

I think there is a parable here for our spiritual life.  It is impossible for us to live on our own, separated from God, who is our source of life.  When we become isolated from him, by selfishness, pride, shame, guilt, fear — in short, by sin — then we quickly begin to “dry up” spiritually, and become susceptible to all sorts of temptations.  The teaching of the Church calls this “concupiscence” — the “kindling” or “tinder” of sin which is our common inheritance from the Original Sin, and which makes us liable to sin again.  We could say that it makes us “flammable” to the sparks of temptation that the Enemy throws our way.  He doesn’t have to work very hard at it, if we’ve become spiritually isolated and dried out — if our souls are in a flammable state, any little spark of gluttony, lust, greed, envy, anger, sadness or pride will light the fire.  What we need to do is the stay connected to our source of life, to put down deep roots so that the healing, soothing waters of the Holy Spirit can fill us and keep us fresh and healthy.  With grace flowing through us, we are well protected against the sparks that come from outside.

Tonight at Secular Oratory, we will be celebrating an Advent Penance Service.  Father Robert Byrne (who has been visiting us from the Oxford Oratory) will lead the prayer service and give the homily, and he and the other four of us will be available for individual confessions.  I hope that you will take this opportunity to reconnect with the source of grace, to put down roots again and to let the Holy Spirit pour healing, soothing water on those parts of your life that may have been singed a bit by the sparks of sin.  Not one of us can survive on our own, apart from the One who gives us strength, and the longer we try to do so, the more we realize this fact, from hard experience.  When we turn again to him, we learn — also from experience — how good it is to have his life, his love, and his Spirit, living in us.

The Penance Service begins at 7:30.  Hope to see you there.

Born in what is now the Czech Republic, John Nepomucene Neumann spent most of his life serving his fellow immigrants in the United States of America, first as a missionary in upstate New York and then as a Redemptorist priest in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.  When he was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia in 1851, his pastoral zeal, his commitment to education, and, above all, his obvious holiness, made the “little bishop” beloved during his short tenure in the City of Brotherly Love.  His lasting impact on the life of our local Church, where his mortal remains are still enshrined (at the Redemptorist parish of Saint Peter the Apostle at Fifth Street and Girard Avenue) eventually led to his being the first male American citizen to be canonized, in 1977.

Nicole’s talk will follow our regular Scripture sharing, which begins in church at 7:30 pm.  Since St John came from the Pilsen region of Bohemia (indeed, in the Diocese of Budweis), Nicole has graciously offered to provide some of the special refreshments so dear to the pilseners for after the talk.

Hope to see you tonight!

An awareness of our need for God’s love and mercy, and taking time to recognize how abundantly He responds to our needs, makes such a difference in our life of faith.  Every day must be a response of thanksgiving to the gifts of grace we have received from Him . . . so be sure to make time for Him tomorrow amid the feasting and football, and give praise and thanks for the blessings in your life.

I wanted to let you know about an initiative that Beth Riordan is organizing for young women in our area.  She wants to start a prayer and study group that will focus on the dignity and vocation of women, by considering the teaching of the Church in the light of Sacred Scripture and the writings of the popes.  Discussions will also include the lives of the Blessed mother and other women saints, and bring out the particular gifts of what Blessed Pope John Paul II called the “feminine genius”.  In the process, as Beth recently wrote to me, the group will “provide a place for women to come to know who they are in the image and likeness of God”, with the ultimate goal “to undo the influence of the culture of death, and encourage one another to accept the beautiful truth of femininity.”

As you can see, the group is still in planning stages, and meeting days and times will be finalized over the coming weeks.  To get in on the planning, and for more information, contact Beth directly at bethriordan@yahoo.com.

I strongly encourage the women of Secular Oratory to consider taking part in this prayer and study group.  And I am asking the men of Secular Oratory to join me in praying alongside this group for its success.  As Blessed John Paul once wrote, if Christian men are going to learn how to love like Christ, it will be because strong Christian women teach them (cf. Christifideles laici, no. 51).  We are all in this together, and we depend on one another.

Don’t forget, Mass on Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated at 9:00 am at Saint Francis Xavier Church.  All the best for a blessed, joyful celebration for you and those you love.

Tonight’s devotions will begin at 7:30 and will conclude, weather permitting, with a procession to the Convent of Divine Love (22nd and Green Streets) for Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.  After this we will return to the Oratory for a social.  I look forward to seeing you there.

I also wanted to draw your attention to a special Pro-Life celebration sponsored by the Catholic Medical Association that is being held this coming Sunday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm at the World Café, 3025 Chestnut Street, near Penn and Drexel in West Philadelphia.  Called “Born This Way?  Made This Way . . . Wonderfully!”, it will be “a day of prayer, reflection and song” featuring several nationally known artists and speakers.  Admission is free; more information is available at http://bornformore.eventbrite.com/.

Remember that, even if you are not able to make it for the prayers and benediction tonight, the church will be open and the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed all day.  Feel free to stop in when your schedule permits . . . and say a prayer for me when you do!  Know that I am doing the same for you.

I will be giving a talk tonight to introduce the new translation, and to review the changes in the Order of Mass, the part of the prayers that are the same in every celebration.  In addition to pointing out what’s changing, I hope to be able to give you some insights into the rationale — both practical and theological — behind the choices that were made in putting together the new texts.

I hope you will be able to attend this talk, and to prepare for this important step in our life of faith and worship.  As usual, the presentation will begin following the Scripture sharing in church, which starts at 7:30.

Helen’s talk will follow our regular Scripture sharing, which begins in church at 7:30 pm.