May 2009 Breakfast meeting - Saturday 05/09/09

All men and women of the parish are invited on Saturday, May 9, to help us celebrate Monsignor Bill O'Keefe's 50th anniversary of the priesthood. 

Monsignor Bill is a native of Portarlington, County Offaly, Ireland.  He completed his seminary studies at St. Patrick's College in Carlow, Ireland and was ordained to the priesthood in 1959 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  In his years of priestly ministry, Monsignor Bill served in the following parishes  - St. Didacus in Sylmar, St. Barnabas in Long Beach, St. Louis of France in Bassett, St. Mel's in Woodland Hills and St. Margaret Mary in Lomita.  Monsignor Bill came to Our Lady of Refuge in Long Beach in 1980, and became its pastor in 1981.  In July of 2008, Monsignor Bill retired as active pastor of Our Lady of Refuge, but he remains in residence and continues all aspects of his priestly work except parish administration. 

We would ask you to invite family and friends as we share stories and fellowship of our dear friend and inspiration in Christ, Fr. Bill. We will start with an 8 am Mass followed by breakfast and celebration in the School Cafeteria. 

For more information please  email olrcmenf@ourladyofrefuge.org.

Crossing the Goal Ministries Special on EWTN - the 2009 Columbus Men's Conference

EWTN will broadcast a special episode of the series Crossing the Goal Ministries featuring the 2009 Columbus Men's Conference, which was held on March 7 of this year. The episode will air this Sunday, April 26 at 6 pm.  Crossing the Goal was created by Danny Abramowicz, former NFL all-pro wide receiver and coach, along with the EWTN Global Catholic Network. Other team members include Peter Herbeck, Vice President, Renewal Ministries; Curtis Martin, Founder of Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS); and professional broadcaster, Brian Patrick.  Crossing the Goal uses a sports show format to encourage men to get into spiritual shape. This is a program that you will not want to miss.  Check the EWTN television broadcast schedule for more information.

Papal Audience Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 22 April 2009

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to speak about the writings of a little-known author from the eighth century - the Benedictine monk and abbot Ambrose Autpert. The turbulence of the times in which he lived affected life within the monasteries, and many of Autpert's writings summon his brethren to rekindle the fervour of their monastic vocation. One of his most widely-read works is his Conflict between the vices and the virtues, designed to assist his monks in their daily spiritual struggle. For each of twenty-four vices threatening the soul, he indicated the corresponding virtue that would help the Christian to overcome temptation. Observing the widespread thirst for power and wealth in society of that time, he taught that greed is the root of all vices, and he urged his contemporaries to seek the narrow gate that leads to life. In his extensive commentary on the Book of Revelation, viewed as a treatise on the Church, Autpert taught that Christ must "be born, die and rise again every day in us, his body". Hence the Virgin Mary serves as a model of the Church. Indeed, Autpert is considered the first great Marian theologian in the West, and he writes with an almost mystical love for the Blessed Virgin. Love, he says, is the key to our knowledge of God. Intellectual study may point the way, but only when we love God do we truly know him. Following Autpert's teaching, let us strive to grow daily in our love for God."

Pope Benedict XVI

Keep up with Pope Benedict XVI. Find his Papal Audience addresses, homilies, and other words of counsel direct from St. Peter's Square at fromthebalcone.somcmedia.com.

Culture Unplugged Video

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Being Men of Prayer

"I would like to speak to you about the call to prayer.

We have meditated on these words of Jesus: “Pray that you may have strength... to stand before the Son of man.” And we welcome again today the call to prayer that comes from Christ himself to each of us and to the whole Church. The call to prayer places the Church’s full commitment in the proper perspective. In 1976, Paul VI. speaking of the “call to commitment,” declared that “In the tradition of the Church every call to action is first of all a call to prayer.” These words have great significance today, too. They are a stimulus for the Church everywhere in the world.

The universal Church of Christ, and hence every particular church, exists for prayer. In prayer the individual expresses his nature; the community expresses its vocation; the Church approaches God. In prayer the Church enters into communion with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. In prayer the Church expresses her Trinitarian Life, because it is directed to the Father, is subjected to the action of the Holy Spirit, and lives fully the relationship with Christ. Indeed, it is experienced as the Body of Christ, as mystical Christ." John Paul II The Church Exists for Prayer

Prayer, then, is the true stimulus package, the source of our hope, the engine of our faith. Prayer is not an accessory to the Christian walk, but the essence of the walk itself. We can not be men for Christ if we are not first men of prayer. How then do we pray?

Prayer at it's core should be intuitive. Prayer is a "built-in" feature, a capacity created into us. Unfortunately, most of us have not exercised this natural ability to anywhere near it potential. Fortunately for us, our God is tenacious in his will to relate with us. Our first prayer can be "Lord, teach me to pray."

Types of prayer - The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines prayer as "a surge of the heart . . . a simple look turned toward heaven, . . . a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." When our heart "surges" and looks "toward heaven" the occasion of the prayer defines it's type. The Catechism lists five types of prayer: blessing & adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, & praise. For a compact consideration of these types of prayer, check out the article on prayer at Cyberfaith.

CatholicMenToday.org has a podcast by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR Ed.D. titled The Art of Prayer. Click Here for the link.

To read Why Men Don't Pray by Fr. Thomas D. Williams, LC, Click Here.

Just Do It. Pray now. Pray alone and pray in community. The following links provide opportunites online to submit your own prayer intentions or to join your prayers to the intentions of others:

catholicmen.org

National Fellowship of Catholic Men

Catholic Online

St. Anthony Shrine

Our Lady of Refuge parish holds a weekly prayer meeting. Find information on time and location Here.

Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Men's Fellowship also has a prayer outreach. For information, or to request prayer support from our ministry, email olrcmenf@ourladyofrefuge.org.

Divine Mercy Sunday

"I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of my mercy”. This day we are invited to approach the throne of Mercy and cry out with St. Thomas: "My Lord and My God" (Jn 20:28). Thus does Deacon Keith Fournier begin his reflection on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, which can be read in it's entirety at Catholic Online. In his reflection, Deacon Fournier links Sunday's Gospel narrative of Thomas, the doubting apostle, with the Feast Day of Divine Mercy. He quotes a homily given by Pope St. Gregory the Great who said:

“Surely it was not by chance that this chosen disciple was missing in the first place? Or that on his return he heard, that hearing he doubted, that doubting he touched, and that touching he believed? It was by divine dispensation and not by chance that things so fell out. God’s Mercy worked wonderfully, for when that doubting disciple touched his Master’s wounded flesh he cured the wound of our disbelief… So this doubting disciple, who actually touched, became a witness to the reality of the resurrection”

Please see Deacon Fourniers complete article for an inspiring look into both Divine Mercy Sunday and the witness of St. Thomas the Apostle.

To learn more about the origins of Divine Mercy Sunday, and Pope John Paull II's role in it's establishment as a Church Feast Day, visit DivineMercy.org . To learn more about St. Faustina visit Faustina.org and AmericanCatholic.org .

If you would like information on how to pray the Chaplette of Divine Mercy, visit Catholocity.com.

Finally, enjoy the following video by Matthew Baute, "It is Mercy."