All Saints and the Faithful Departed

Note: This post, though late, is in honor of All Saints and as testimony of love and prayers for the all the faithful departed especially those who are dear to us.

Eastern Icons of All Saints


The Litany of Saints

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.	Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, one God,	have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, All you Holy Angels and Archangels, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, All you Holy Patriarchs and Prophets,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. James, St. John, St. Thomas, St. James, St. Philip, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Simon, St. Jude, St. Matthias, St. Barnabas, St. Luke, St. Mark, All you holy Apostles and Evangelists, All you holy Disciples of the Lord, All you holy Innocents,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, St. Vincent, Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, Sts. John and Paul, Sts. Cosmos and Damian, All you holy Martyrs,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Sylvester, St. Gregory, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Martin, St. Nicholas, All you holy Bishops and Confessors, All you holy Doctors,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Anthony, St. Benedict, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, St. Francis, All you holy Priests and Levites, All you holy Monks and Hermits,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalene, St. Agatha, St. Lucy, St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, St. Anastasia, St. Catherine, St. Clare, All you holy Virgins and Widows, All you holy Saints of God,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
Lord, be merciful, From all evil, From all sin, From your wrath, From a sudden and unprovided death, From the snares of the devil, From anger, hatred, and all ill-will, From the spirit of uncleanness, From lightning and tempest, From the scourge of earthquake, From plague, famine, and war, From everlasting death,	Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people.
By the mystery of your holy Incarnation, By your Coming, By your Birth, By your Baptism and holy fasting, By your Cross and Passion, By your Death and Burial, By your holy Resurrection, By your wonderful Ascension, By the coming of the Holy Spirit, On the day of judgment,	Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people.
Be merciful to us sinners,	Lord, hear our prayer.
That you will spare us, That you will pardon us, That it may please you to bring us to true penance, Guide and protect your holy Church, Preserve in holy religion the Pope, and all those in holy Orders, Humble the enemies of holy Church, Give peace and unity to the whole Christian people, Bring back to the unity of the Church all those who are straying, and bring all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel, Strengthen and preserve us in your holy service, Raise our minds to desire the things of heaven, Reward all our benefactors with eternal blessings, Deliver our souls from eternal damnation, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors, Give and preserve the fruits of the earth, Grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, That it may please You to hear and heed us, Jesus, Son of the Living God,	Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,	Spare us, O Lord! Graciously hear us, O Lord! Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us, Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.	Christ, graciously hear us Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

Image by the Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls

This prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours is graced with a partial indulgence for souls in purgatory.

REQUIEM aeternam dona ei (eis), Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei (eis). Requiescat (-ant) in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her (them). May he/she (they) rest in peace. Amen.

Saint Jude Thaddeus

Note: I know. It is more than a week late after the Feast of Saint Jude Thaddeus (with Saint Simon, both Apostles, October 28). But still, better late than never, so I am posting some pictures of this beloved saint of mine to honor him.

From the Patrons Saints Index:

Who Is St. Jude?

Probably no saint, after the Blessed Mother, has drawn such enthusiastic followers down through the centuries as St. Jude Thaddeus. He was one of the chosen 12 Apostles; his brother was James the Less. Not too much is actually recorded about his life: it seems his big popularity began after his death.

Through history, legend and tradition, however, we can construct some detailsconcerning this powerful intercessor and close friend of the Divine Master. St. Jude comes from the line of David and is a cousin of Jesus Christ. The Jewish people, proud of their lineage, kept exact records of their ancestors, and we see that St. Jude's father, Cleophas, was the brother of St. Joseph. St. Jude's mother, Mary of Cleophas, was a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary: their mothers were sisters.

In the Gospel, Mary of Cleophas is identified as the "sister" who has the courage to stand beneath the Cross of Christ along with the Virgin Mary and St. John. In the Hebrew language, the word "sister" was often used to include the cousins.

St. Jude's Epistle

The Fathers of the Church; such men as St. Ambrose, St. Bernard, St. Jerome and others, gave us more insight into this great man's character by their commentaries on the Epistle of St. Jude. St. Jerome in his work, applies the name "zealot" to St. Jude. St. Bernard of Clairvaux tells us that St. Jude was courageous because of his virginal purity and the courage he used to protect it.

St. Jude most probable came from farming people, for the tribe of Juda from which he came was of that occupation. After he became an Apostle, he always manifested an intense interest in the salvation of the Gentiles. So at the Last Supper, when Christ said, "yet a little while and the world no longer sees me. But you shall se me, for I live and you shall live;" (John 14, 19) it was St. Jude who then exclaimed, "Lord, how is it that You are to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" St. Jude was asking in effect, how Christ's message was to be made known to the Gentiles.

After the Ascension of Christ, St. Jude headed for his beloved people--the Gentiles. Many stories come down to us: his miraculous cure of King Abagaro, ruler of Edessa, a city in Mesopotamia...while in Persia with St. Simon, he effected an unexpected peace for King Varardach--and won over the king and his entire court to the Catholic faith.

Death of St. Jude

For many more years, St. Jude made missionary journeys, preaching, dispensing the Sacraments throughout Mesopotamia, Armenia, and even southern Russia.

One day an enraged pagan mob fell upon the gentle and good man, and bludgeoned him to death. That is one reason why St. Jude is today pictured holding a club--in memory of his martyrdom. The bodies of St. Jude and St. Simon have laid in St. Peter's in Rome for many centuries. St. Jude was a tireless worker--he tried--he dared to try the impossible; and he was successful. Steadfastly pure in body and soul, Jude gave of himself not only in life but in death as well.

I try my best to at least visit Saint Jude Thaddeus Parish in nearby Trece Martires City during the Feast of their patron saint (titular solemnity in their case). I'm not claiming for any miracle-recognition but my mother was sick before and was not able to sleep in the night without medication for almost forty nights but was healed, thanks to Saint Jude to whom she made a novena. Here is the huge image of the saint in the parish church:

St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many. But the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of difficult and desperate cases. Pray for me who am so miserable. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly -- (here make your request) -- and that I may praise God with you and all the elect throughout all eternity.

I promise you, 0 blessed JUDE, to be ever mindful of this great favor. I will honor you as my special and powerful patron and encourage devotion to you.

St. Jude, pray for us and for all who honor and invoke your aid.


O glorious apostle, SAINT JUDE THADDEUS, true relative of Jesus and Mary, I salute you through the most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Through this Heart I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed upon you. Humbly prostrate before you, I implore you through this Heart to look down upon me with compassion. Oh, despise not my poor prayer; let not my trust be confounded! To you God has granted the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Oh, come to my aid that I may praise the mercies of God! All my life I will be grateful to you and will be your faithful client until I can thank you in heaven. Amen.

On Blogging

Fr. Guy Sylvester's posted his "Bye!" post in Shouts in the Piazza. I have been following his blog for some time especially for his posts on heraldry and the liturgy.

His last post made me think of how I myself 'blog'. Why do I blog? is the question. Do I consider myself a "Catholic blogger"? If yes, do my posts reflect the Church's mission: evangelization in whatever way? Or do I belong to those "Catholic blogs" who keep seeing the faults of Church leaders or what is what is wrong with the Church in my opinion, etc.? Does my blog gives off "more heat than light"?

I am not as busy as Fr. Sylvester except from being a student, some service to the Church (which includes managing a blog for both our Parish and our parish Antioch Community / Youth Ministry) however, at some point, I thought of stopping this blog because I don't think anybody follows of reads this. I only add a few interesting news and images for myself as well as maintaining a list of my favorite blogs.

Blogging indeed is another medium for Catholics to express their opinions but being Catholics, should it also, first and foremost be a medium to spread the Gospel, of light rather than heat?

God bless us all!

Mass Could End With More Than "Go in Peace"

Holy See Approves 3 Alternative Closing Messages

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See has approved three alternatives to "Ite, missa est," the final words said by the priest at Mass.Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, today notified the participants in the synod of bishops on the word of God about the new alternatives. The final message is currently rendered in English: "The Mass is ended, go in peace."

Benedict XVI has approved the alternatives, which were requested at the 2005 synod on the Eucharist to express the missionary spirit that should follow from the celebration of Mass.

According to Cardinal Arinze, the Pope had asked for suggestions to be presented. The congregation received 72, from which they prepared nine proposals. The Holy Father has chosen three.

The alternatives are in the revised third "editio typica" of the Roman Missal, which was printed last week, the cardinal said.

The alternatives are:

--"Ite ad Evangelium Domini nuntiandum"
--"Ite in pace, glorificando vita vestra Dominum"
--"Ite in pace" with "alleluia, alleluia" added during Easter season.

In English, these could be rendered along the lines of "go to announce the Gospel of the Lord"; "go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your lives"; and simply, "go in peace (alleluia, alleluia)."

The original Latin final message, "Ite, missa est," has not been modified.

Eucharistic compendium

Cardinal Arinze also announced that a Eucharistic compendium, also suggested by the '05 synod on the Eucharist, is nearly finished.

The book will define Eucharistic doctrine, benediction, Eucharistic holy hours, adoration, and prayers before and after Mass, he explained.

The cardinal further said that the Holy See, at the request of the Pope and the 2005 synod, is studying the most adequate moment during the Mass for the sign of peace.

The Holy Father indicated that episcopal conferences should consider two options: either before the "Agnus Dei" or after the Prayers of the Faithful. Each bishops' conference is to respond by the end of October, though there is a three-week grace period for late responses. The proposals will then be presented to the Holy Father, who will make a decision on the matter.

Finally, Cardinal Arinze announced that his congregation is preparing a volume with thematic materials for homily, with the aim of assisting and supporting priests throughout the world with their preaching.

A Blogging Benedict XVI?

Chinese Laywoman Makes Proposal at Synod

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- One of the auditors at the world Synod of Bishops has suggested that Benedict XVI opens a blog to explain the word of God in an attractive way.

The proposal was made today by Agnes Lam, president of the Catholic Biblical Association of Hong Kong.

Among her suggestions to promote the word of God so that the faithful can come to know Christ, she included the blog proposal, bringing smiles from many of the bishops.

She invited "the Holy Father to open a multi-language blog to shepherd today's world: [a] daily scriptural verse with [a] simple reflection, brief text and plentiful images."

Lam also suggested other means for spreading knowledge of the Bible.

Above all, she recommended simple methods of meditation in a complex world. As examples, she suggested reciting verses of the Bible and lectio divina.

"Reading the Bible is like eating," Lam said, "a homemade soup prepared with love and time is delicious, while fast food is tasteless."

The glory continues

The papal throne used by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI for the Mass for Pope Pius XII.

Orbis Catholicvs (from where I got these images) comments:

Change is in the air, friends, and this time change is good!

Anybody in the Rome network under forty just loves to hear these words: "Come era richiesto per l'occasione dal protocollo!"

And here we have it again, the papal throne. Those who yesterday watched the Papal Mass noticed a bit of a change and here it is.

Many of us last saw this old papal treasure in the Lateran Palace museum - with the arms of Pius X on it. But Benedict brought it back and now you can see the new stemma (coat-of-arms) of the current Pontiff, now gloriously reigning.

Thank you, Msgr. Guido, and friends and long may you reign, Holy Father!

La Naval de Manila

I had the privilege of visiting the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (La Naval de Manila) or commonly called Santo Domingo Church yesterday during the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary and the fifth day of the La Naval novena. (This year, the feast of the La Naval falls on October 12.) The sanctuary arrangement is astounding. The music during the 6:15 celebration of the Holy Mass (which I attended) is wonderful and awe-inspiring especially the "Despedida a la Virgen".

The following are some pictures from various online sources.

Regina Sacratissimi Rosarii, ora pro nobis!