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THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,* HELP OF CHRISTIANS May 24th Memorial
The Church has often experienced the powerful help of the Mother of God in times of trials and persecutions. Pope Pius VII established this feast when he returned to Rome on 24 May 1814 after a period of imprisonment and captivity. His safe release and return were attributed to the intercession of Mary, help of Christians. Pope Francis: Call to prayer for the Church in China Pope Francis has called Christians worldwide to prayer this Friday for our brothers and sisters in China. Speaking at the end of his general audience in Italian, the Holy Father noted that Friday, May 24th, is the day dedicated to the liturgical memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.

He said: "I urge all Catholics around the world to join in prayer with our brothers and sisters who are in China, to implore from God the grace to proclaim with humility and joy Christ, who died and rose again; to be faithful to His Church and the Successor of Peter and to live everyday life in service to their country and their fellow citizens in a way that is consistent with the faith they profess.

Making our own a few words of prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan, together with you I would like to invoke Mary: " Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus".

Mary, Virgin most faithful, support Chinese Catholics, render their commitments, which are not easy, more and more precious in the eyes of the Lord, and nurture the affection and the participation of the Church in China in the journey of the Universal Church".

In May 2008 Pope-emeritus, Benedict XVI, composed a special prayer for the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians (May 24), venerated at the shrine of Sheshan, near Shanghai. He also designated May 24 as the yearly World Day of Prayer for China and asked that we recite this prayer.

Below we publish the full text of the prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,
venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians", the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.

We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,
standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and forever.
Amen!

Source: 2013-05-22 Vatican Radio

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OUR LADY OF FATIMA May 13th Optional memorial
In 1917 Our Lady appeared to three children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, in Fatima, a small village in Portugal. The apparitions occurred six times, from May 13 to October 13, and the message of Our Lady to the children and to the Christian community can be summarized in the call to prayer and conversion. Source: The Daily Missal, Paulines Publications Africa

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OUR LADY, MOTHER OF AFRICA April 30th Feast
On this day, together with the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, we celebrate the memorial of Mary, Mother of Africa. This celebration encourages us to turn to Mary in order to experience her maternal intercession and assistance in our daily life.

This feast introduces us to the month of May, a month dedicated to Mary.

PRAYER

Lord, as we honour the glorious memory of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Africa, we ask that by the help of her prayers, we too may come to share the fullness of your grace and live in harmony and peace as one family.
Amen

Parents, in particular, should encourage Marian devotion in their children, since the non-Catholic Christians they encounter today often downplay (if not belittle) the role that the Blessed Virgin played in our salvation through her fiat – her joyous "Yes" to the will of God, first at the Annunciation and then throughout her life.

Source: The Daily Missal, Paulines Publications Africa

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THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD April 8th Solemnity
Today's feast fills our hearts with joy and gratitude, as we contemplate how much God loves us. We rejoice also to see that the total, unconditional and complete availability of Mary sets in motion the events of our salvation. Her 'yes', pronounced with faith, becomes the word that changes everything: God can now enter our human story and in the mystery of the incarnation we see the way in which God deals with us, making use of all that is familiar to us, in order to communicate his divine life and grace. With Mary and all the saints let us rejoice and sing the Magnificat. Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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ST JOSEPH, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary March 19th Solemnity
Foster father of Jesus, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patron of the universal church, St Joseph enjoys widespread devotion all over the world. He was chosen to play an important role in the history of salvation and even though the Gospels do not record any word spoken by him, he is revered as a just man, the one who places God at the centre of his life and responds to every situation in obedience to God's will. Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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THE SEE OF ST PETER THE APOSTLE February 22nd Feast
The feast of the See of St Peter has been celebrated since the fourth century in Rome to recall how Christ named the Galilean fisherman the shepherd of his flock. The chair symbolizes the seat of authority and its universal celebration underlines the service of authority and the leadership in charity of Peter and his successors down through the ages. Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER February 17th Optional Memorial
Today's memorial recalls how seven businessmen of Florence (Italy) decided to leave their families and possessions in order to embrace a life of prayer and penance, especially venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their choice was a clear condemnation of the internal feuding, the love of money and the immoral behaviour that plagued society at the beginning of the 14th century. By devoting themselves to spiritual renewal, prayer and penance, they not only attracted new members but also helped the Church to be a beacon of hope and renewal. Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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LENT February 13th 2013 Lent is the season of preparation before Easter for Christians. In the Catholic Church, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and is celebrated 40 days before Easter. It is a time given to us by the Church to renew our lives. In Lent, more than at any other time of the year, God invites us to change our ways. There are three ways to spend this time of lent: fasting, repentance and prayer.

By fasting, we must deny ourselves from what we like most, and avoid sinning. Fasting is not just denying oneself from food or from what one likes, but a denial from one's likings in order to give to those in need. We are also called to do spiritual and corporal works of mercy. By repentance, we are called to turn away from our sins which mean conversion. By prayer, we are given a time set aside to reflect deeply on the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During this season of Lent, the Catholic Church observes fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting (please read above) and abstinence means no meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. What we save on these days, we can share with those in need.

Let us help each other to live this season of Lent in a more profitable way, renewing our lives in Christ as we live this Year of Faith. Let us continue to pray for peace among ourselves, peace in our country, and peace throughout the World. Peace cannot be obtained without justice and reconciliation. Let us be reconciled with God by reconciling with our brothers and sisters.

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OUR LADY OF LOURDES February 11th 2013 Optional Memorial
Today's celebration recalls the first apparition of Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, a small village in France, in 1858. Since then, thousands of Christians flock to Lourdes every year in order to experience a deep call to prayer and conversion and also to witness to Mary's concern for us, as it finds expression in the healing of the sick. This is the day to remember all our brothers and sisters who suffer and to place them in the hands of Mary, health of the sick.

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ST JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, virgin February 8th 2013 Optional Memorial
Josephine Bakhita was born near Jebel Agilere in the South Darfur region (Sudan). Kidnapped when still very young, she experienced the cruelty of slavery as she was sold several times in slave markets of Africa. Finally she was rescued by an Italian family and brought to Italy where she not only became a Christian but also felt the call to consecrate her life to God as a sister. She joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity and lived the rest of her life at Schio, a small village near Vicenza. She died on 8 February, 1947.

Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa BAKHITA The Diary

Authors: Pia Deromedi and Maria Teresa Stefini (Eds.) Canossian Sisters - Schio

This book is about the diary of St. Bakhita. She said, "I am carrying two suitcases: one with my sins, the other with the merits of Jesus Christ. I will cover my ugly suitcase with the merits of Mary, then I will open the other one, show the merits of Jesus and say to the eternal Father: 'Judge what you see.' I am sure I will not be rejected."

ISBN: 9966-08-692-7
Pages: 48 -|- Publication: 2012
Price US$1.80 / Kshs.150/=

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THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD February 2nd 2013 Feast
Forty days after the celebration of Christmas, in accordance with the Jewish tradition, the Church remembers the presentation of the newborn Jesus to the Temple. Joseph and Mary make the journey from Bethlehem to Jerusalem in order to fulfill the Law. There in the Temple they meet Simeon and Anna, the representatives of those who were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. These two holy Israelites recognize in the infant Jesus the Saviour and light of all nations.
Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL 25th Jan 2013 Today the whole Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. This feast is celebrated not only by the Catholic Church, but also by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran Churches. This feast is celebrated at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an International Christian Ecumenical Observance that began in 1908. Celebrating the Feast of Paul's Conversion, Pope Benedict XVI is inviting all the faithful to join him in spirit, when he will preside at Vespers in the Basilica of St Paul-Outside-the-Walls in the presence of representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities.

Paul, then known as Saul was born early in the first century A.D. He was taught by the famous Pharisee, Gamaliel and became a zealous follower of Mosaic Law. Before his conversion, he was persecuting the Disciples of Christ and those who follow the Way – Christ. He did not understand the new religion, until on his way to Damascus to pursue the believers of Christ, he encountered the risen Christ who appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, and heard the voice calling him. Not seeing Jesus speaking to him, Paul had his dialogue with him. And Jesus told him, "I am Jesus the one you are persecuting", and instructed him what to do. At that moment, he had an instant reverse of his life. He realised that "all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted".

From then on he used his zeal preaching that Jesus of Nazareth is the risen Christ, the Son of God. Paul who was once a great persecutor of the Church became a great Apostle of Christ to the Gentiles and to the whole world.

(To know more about St Paul, you may read the Acts of the Apostles and The Letters of St. Paul especially the Letters to the Galatians.)
Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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ST FABIAN, pope and martyr 20th Jan 2013 Optional Memorial
Fabian was pope for 14 years, from 236 until 250 when he suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Decius. He led the Church in a wise manner and showed himself to be a good and zealous pastor, involved in the spreading of the Christian faith.
Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS 3rd Jan 2013 Optional Memorial
This celebration of the Holy name of Jesus, during the Christmas Season, is an invitation for us to contemplate the salvation that God brings to us through the incarnation of his Son. The name Jesus, announced by the archangel Gabriel, means "God saves" and indeed, there is no other name under which we can be saved. The missionary activity of the Church is rooted in the desire to let all peoples of the world encounter Christ, so that every tongue may confess the lordship of Jesus to the glory and praise of the Father.
Source: Saints of The Liturgical Year, Paulines Publications Africa

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THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 25th Dec 2012 Happy Christmas to all!
In this season of Advent let us thank God for the grace he continuously gives us to sustain us. By baptism, we bear the name of Christ, therefore we become his followers who are to be his witnesses. We see the suffering world today and Christ is calling us especially during this season of Advent and Christmas where the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen everyday because of greed and selfishness.

As we celebrate the birth of the Child Jesus, let us give our response to God for giving us his Son, also by sharing what we have to others with a joyful heart. Then even in the midst of poverty, we can say: we are not alone because we have Jesus.
Source: PaulinesAfrica.org

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