NOVENA: PREPARATION FOR TRAVEL, DAY 3 WE PRAY TOGETHER

Hello again.  Allow me to share some news with you about the La Salette Missionaries in the Philippines.  They have missions in Hawaii and in Southern California on the mainland of the USA.  Father Joven Junio sent us this little newsnote after yesterday's Blog Item:
Thank you...the Novena is prayed and offered for you and Belle (+all those praparing for the long journey.)
Fr. Maurice's 2nd operation has been moved to the 27th...he seems to be in good spirits...The Community went out for a dinner last night: it was to celebrate our Feastday and the 30th year of Foundation as a Province, Mother of Hope.
******************************************
3.   The hammer and pincers
      Deuteronomy, chapter 30, verses 19 and 20, [¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.]
      Do I in the way that I distribute my time, of the way that I eat or the        
      way that I relate to people?


MEMORARE TO OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE
Remember, Our Lady of La Salette,
true Mother of Sorrows,
the tears you shed for us on Calvary. 
Remember also the care you have taken
to keep us faithful to Christ, your Son.
Having done so much for your children,
you will not now abandon us.
Comforted by this consoling thought,
we come to you pleading,
despite our infidelities and ingratitude. 
Virgin of Reconciliation,
do not reject our prayers, but intercede for us,
obtain for us the grace
to love Jesus above all else.
May we console you by a holy life
and so come to share the eternal life
Christ gained by his cross.  Amen.


Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of sinners
Pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to thee.








******************************************
AY, YAY, YA - YAY, canta y no llores porque cantando se alegran, cielito lindo, los corazones 
Sing it even if it means you made a mistake.  Yesterday I wrote that we were leaving our residence on September 27 ...NO, no --           AUGUST 27
Thanks to Father Joven Junio, MS, Regional Superior and Pastor of St. Christopher Parish.  He is the Missionary welcoming us all to Moreno Valley for the September 17, 2011 event.

NOVENA: PREPARATION FOR TRAVEL, DAY 2 WE PRAY TOGETHER

Good morning:  We present you with the theme and the details of day two of the novena dedicated to the safe travel of the Lay Associates Community members on the way to La Salette in France.


2.    
        Matthew's Gospel, chapter 6, verses 7 to 13 -- When you pray, say Our Father...
        What are my moments of personal prayer like?  Do I manage to make my entire 
        day a kind of extended prayer, listening to God's voice in every event and person?



Memorare to Our Lady of La Salette:


Remember, Our Lady of La Salette,
true Mother of Sorrows,
the tears you shed for us on Calvary. 
Remember also the care you have taken
to keep us faithful to Christ, your Son.
Having done so much for your children,
you will not now abandon us.
Comforted by this consoling thought,
we come to you pleading,
despite our infidelities and ingratitude. 
Virgin of Reconciliation,
do not reject our prayers, but intercede for us,
obtain for us the grace
to love Jesus above all else.
May we console you by a holy life
and so come to share the eternal life
Christ gained by his cross.  Amen.


Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of Sinners
Pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.

LA SALETTE LAY ASSOCIATE COMMUNITY TRAVEL PREPARATIONS DAY 1

We start by inviting you to join all those La Salette Lay Associates who are preparing to travel from their home countries to La Salette in France in prayer.  Isabel Dion who is one of the representatives of the La Salette Lay Associate Community in North America is scheduled to begin her travel on August 28, USA West Coast time.  The entire community of participants in the meeting will be praying this novena to Our Holy Mother as they prepare to board the planes that are to take them to France.  Some will be traveling very long distances.  They will be leaving from Brasil, Argentina, Bolivia, Poland, Angola, Madagascar and of course, The United States of America.  Every day from now until Friday, August 26, 2011 you will receive the same prayers that the representatives will be offering for a safe journey and a successful convention.
                      xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Each day of the novena there is a theme, a Bible Reading and a question for personal reflection.  The theme of the day is taken from something the Virgin said to the children during the Apparition.
This is the first day.
1.  Do not be afraid.  Draw near.
     Luke's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 30  
     John's Gospel, chapter 16, verse 33  
     Do I believe in a God who controls and punishes us, or in a God of mercy and love?
After your personal reflection, recite the Memorare as is found just below.



Memorare to Our Lady of La Salette:


Remember, Our Lady of La Salette,
true Mother of Sorrows,
the tears you shed for us on Calvary. 
Remember also the care you have taken
to keep us faithful to Christ, your Son.
Having done so much for your children,
you will not now abandon us.
Comforted by this consoling thought,
we come to you pleading,
despite our infidelities and ingratitude. 
Virgin of Reconciliation,
do not reject our prayers, but intercede for us,
obtain for us the grace
to love Jesus above all else.
May we console you by a holy life
and so come to share the eternal life
Christ gained by his cross.  Amen.


Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of Sinners
Pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.

MAKE THIS KNOWN TO ALL MY PEOPLE

This unposed, "stolen" shot says a lot.  Left to right we see the Pastor of St. Christopher Parish, Moreno Valley, California, Fr. Joven Junio, MS.  Then there is Ronette, Cathy and Rosa  [ F - W - M ].  In true Filipino style, of course, we take his picture,and theirs, while it is time to eat.  He happens to be at the table where the culinary contributions of the African Americans are offered.  You'll notice that the African Americans are conspicuously absent from their own table.  Hmmm?  Actually, to be kind and fair about it, they were all gathered around the Mexican and Filipino fare.  Just as two Filipinos, a Caucasian and a Mexican are regaling themselves here.  What you are seeing here is the "show and tell" part of a reflection day that featured four 60 minutes - long presentations by people of four major culture groups in the Saint Christopher Parish Community.  It was the first of three importrant multi-cultural events scheduled for the formation in the faith of the faithful in this huge parish under the tutelage of the La Salette Missionaries.  Those of you who follow this blog already know that this is a very special year for "Salettinians."  This first event was but the beginning of about six or seven weeks of landmark events here and elsewhere to mark the 165th anniversary of the Apparition.  

The second large multi-cultural event will take place in Moreno Valley, on September 17, 2011, Saturday, when many of Our Mother's "People" will join to celebrate the 165th anniversary of her apparition to two young cowherds at La Salette in France.    This is an event to which all of you are invited.  This invitation also contains a challenge to everyone to invite a friend, of any religious conviction, to participate in the celebration.

There will be an added attraction during this day.  There will be a collection of pictures and statues of the Virgin that are especially meaningful to people from different parts of the world.  You are invited to bring your favorite for display.  Mark it well so that you can easily locate it before you return home.  The last time such an exhibit took place at Saint Christopher, it was the result of an inspiration given to Father Ronald de Guzman, MS,  some five years ago.  It was a booming success.  We have pictures to prove it!  So, good ideas are worth emulating.  Let's do it.

               <><><><><><><><><><>/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\<><><><><><><><><><><>

There are but two weeks left before the departure of the representatives of the lay associates of North America headed for the International Reunion of Lay La Salette Associates from around the world.  They will be gathered for two full weeks at the site of the Apparition itself, deep in the French Alps.  This blog, as well as the Newsletter from the official site which I encourage you all to visit and to bookmark is http://www.lasalette.org  will furnish you with updates from the meeting on a regular basis.  You will find many good La Salette things there from around the world. 

I personally am looking forward to meeting many La Salette Missionaries, some of whom  have not seen in fifty [yes, 50] years.  I think that I should make myself a name tag with an avatar.  What do you think?

Now it is time for Isabel's French lesson, so I'll drill her some more and get back to you a little bit down the road.

THE LAY SUMMIT IS OVER -- THE LAY SUMMIT CONTINUES

PREVENTION & RESCUE, CHILDREN & PARENTS WORKING TOGETHER

This is the season when a parish under the guidance of the La Salette Missionaries has its annual Ministry Fair.  It is a time when the church courtyard is prepared with tents to protect the leaders from the scorching Southern California sun.  They have tables, snack foods to sell and drinks.  They decorate the tent and the table with colorful pictures and have sign-up sheets for people to indicate that they want to join the community in the ministerial work that is represented by the people in the tent.  Besides the "usual" Catholic Parish fare, this parish has some ministerial outreaches that it thinks are unique and challenging.  Besides that, this year a new one is making an appearance.  About which, more later.  Here are the names of some of the work that our lay people do for the spiritual welfare of the St. Cristopher Parish [that's our name] faithful.
First is the Adult Sessions of religious formation that the parents of the children who are registered in the Faith Formation Program for children must attend.  This is an eight week program.  The first four weeks are consecutive and are offered for parents only.  The other four are divided into four other seasons during the normal school year.
Second is the Adult Faith Formation Program that has several components.  There are two six weeks programs that feature presentations on some basic doctrines of Catholicism, tailored for adults.
There is one entire week devoted to presenting topics tailored for the enlightenment of adults concerning Catholic Living.  A series of outside speakers is included in this program.  The other stuff is meat and potatoes that everyone else has, like Bible Study 101, Welcome Home and the RCIA.
There is also a Dramatization Ministry Community on campus.  Adults and children, of course.  Very active and very effective. 
We have what is called The Committee of Social Solidarity.  It deals with social issues like unemployment, job training, immigration and the education of people preparing to enter the work force.  Finally we have a ministry to those people who have been found eligible by the court for alternative sentencing.  All these things are apart from the run of the mill normal ministerial work that goes on universally.
Finally, this year, we are prepared to invite the members of our congregation to the La Salette Lay Associates Community.
There are many of the parishioners here who have been working side by side, shoulder to shoulder with the La Salette Missionary priests for many years.  These people are loyal to God, to our Weeping Mother Mary and to the Church.  We think that these faithful disciples should at least be introduced to the possibility of actively sharing the spirituality of the La Salette Missionaries.  In this area, we join the many La Salette guided parishes around the world.  We ask, therefore, that you think of us in your prayers.
Two important things are on the calendar for the La Salette mission here in Southern California.  One, there is a big celebration of the 165th anniversary of the Apparition that will take place in Moreno Valley, California on September 17th of this year.  This will take place on the St. Christopher church campus and last all day.  10:00 AM starts the day off with Mass and there will be many other activities that day.  You have all been invited to bring a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary that is special to you ar to your family and it will be displayed in the meeting hall.  During the afternoon the La Salette Lay Associates Community concept will be communicated to you and meaningful material will be distributed.
Two, Isabel Dion has been desigated as a representative of the La Salette Lay Associates Community at the International Meeting of La Salette Lay Associates at the site of the Apparition in France, from September 1 through September 10.  She will be back in town for the 165th anniversary celebration in Moreno Valley, to which all of you are invited.
I don't want to let you go without some souvenirs of the Ministry Fair.

THE COMMUNITY OF THIS ONE WAS SHY

ALICIA, BELLE, AURORA, JOE

It was a great day.  Our Lady of La Salette was very generous with her love on this day.

Several people asked about the process of joining the Lay Associates Community.  

There was a lot of food.  It's cultural.  The faithful of St. Christopher love to cook and prepare food to help one another.  There are people in the community who consider the preparation of food for events like this to be their calling.  They were out in force today.  They even came up with a new one on me.  Click here to find out about it.  

See what's in store for you on 9/17!  Don't miss this one.