Podcast appearances and mentions of gerard majella

There is a fascinating history surrounding today's Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. The magnificent church is just down the street from our Redemptorist headquarters and our own beautiful church of San Alfonso. The Basilica of St. John Lateran was built on land donated to Emperor Constantine by the Lateran family and given to the Church in the fourth century. It was dedicated to the Christ the Savior in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. It was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I on November 9, 324 and is still considered the Pope's cathedral today. The structure has survived the ravages of war, earthquake, fire, and schism. When the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon, France in 1378, the church and the adjoining palace were in ruins. Pope Innocent X commissioned the work that has made St. John Lateran one of the most imposing churches in Rome. The front of the church has 15 towering statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and 12 doctors of the Church. Inside the basilica, there is a simple wooden table in the sanctuary where tradition holds that St. Peter himself celebrated Mass. The church stands as a monument to God and all the work done for God through the Church. This is also a special day for the Redemptorists. On Saturday, November 9, 1732, inspired by God and guided by the Holy Spirit, our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori and his companions, gathered around a simple altar in the nun's convent in Scala, Italy and dedicated their lives to follow Jesus the Redeemer by preaching the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned. We Redemptorists celebrate this day as the founding of our congregation and try to continue this mission today. It was not an easy decision for Alphonsus. He had to leave everything behind. He was well known and respected in Naples; a lawyer of civil and canon law, a sought after preacher, and close to his parents and six siblings. Yet, the goat herders living high above the city of Scala on the Amalfi coast of Italy had stolen his heard. They were even poorer than the street children he evangelized in Naples. He placed his sword before a statue of Our Lady of Ransom and left the city on the back of a donkey. He met his companions in Scala. They did not stay in the Cathedral of Scala, but in a convent, praying intensely for God's will to be done. The three days prior to November 9th, they had a Eucharistic Triduum with the sisters in their small monastery church. They were given the grace by God of seeing in the Eucharistic Host a figure of Christ holding his cross. They took this as a sign of heavenly approval and, with the authority of Bishop Falcoia who was with them, they took the name of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior, a name that linked them to the dedication of the Pope's Cathedral in Rome. The name was soon changed by Rome to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.  Today, we give thanks to God for our vocations. We renew our commitment to continue this mission as prophetic witnesses to the Redeemer, who continues to call men and women to share in the charism of the Redemptorist family. May our Mother of Perpetual Help, St. Alphonsus, St. Gerard Majella, St. Clement Hofbauer, St. John Neumann, and all Redemptorist saints and blesseds pray for us. May we continue the work they began with love and perseverance. Blessings,Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

We're live with Fr. Tat Hoang, pastor at St. Gerard Majella in Baton Rouge talks about upcoming Blue Mass, Alan Migliorato, co-author of Failing Forward: Leadership Lessons for Catholic Teens Today talks about talking to our teens about alcohol and Tom Carroll, president of Catholic Talent Project, talks about their initiative.

októbra slávime liturgickú spomienku nášho svätého spolubrata Gerarda Majellu. Jeho túžbu po svätosti a po plnení Božej vôle nám približuje P. Václav Hypius CSsR, ktorý je predstaveným komunity redemptoristov v Bratislave na Kramároch.

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Gerard Majella, Patron Saint of all Mothers | October 16     Why a young lay brother is principally proclaimed patron of mothers, expectant mothers and childbirth is a real puzzle. Why not a female saint, but the life story of our saint today, St. Gerard Majella will tell us why. Gerard, the youngest son of five children, was born in Muro, southern Italy on April 6, 1726. Being frail, he was immediately taken to the church for Baptism after his birth. He grew up to be a very prayerful boy and even when he was just five, he would pray daily in a small chapel near his home. Often, he would bring home a loaf of bread. Asked where the bread came from, he would say that “a most beautiful boy” gave it to him. When his sister secretly followed him to the chapel one day, she saw him praying before the statue of Mary holding the Child Jesus. After a short while, Jesus went down and played with Gerard, then gave him a loaf of bread and sent him home. When Gerard was twelve years old his father, who was a tailor, died and to help the family, his mother sent him to his uncle so as to teach him the work of his father. Though the foreman was abusive, Gerard kept silent but when his uncle knew about it he was told to  resign.  Then, he became a houseboy in the Bishop's house. When the Bishop died, Gerard tried to work on his own and the money he earned he gave half to his mother, gave some to the poor and offered Masses for the souls in Purgatory. He entered the Capuchin Order two times but he did not persevere due to his poor health. In 1749, he joined the Redemptorists and after three years he became a lay brother. He professed the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and stayed close with the poor. He worked in the community as a gardener, sacristan, infirmarian, tailor, porter, cook, carpenter and foreman on a building construction. He was often called to minister to the sick. And he graciously accepted any call by saying he was available to “do the will of God.” His charity, service, obedience, prayerful life, and penances made him a perfect model for lay brothers.  At 27, he was falsely accused by a girl, saying he was the father of the child she was carrying. The superior general, St. Alphonsus, reprimanded him, denied him the privilege of receiving Holy Communion and prohibited him from having contact with outsiders. Gerard bore with patience this calumny and doubled his penances and prayer. But when the girl got seriously ill and no remedy was available to heal her, she retracted and wrote St. Alphonsus that she had lied. Although he was vindicated, Gerard did not show any self-complacency. He just thanked God for saving him from such a terrible trial. The life of Gerard was replete with miraculous events. He often fell into ecstasy while in prayer. He had also the gift of levitation and bi-location. His apostolate for mothers began when the handkerchief he left in a certain house was afterwards instrumental in curing a woman giving birth. Gerard was always frail in health. In 1755, he had a strong hemorrhage but his superior commanded him to get up. He got up and was well for a month, yet he knew he was dying. He died in the morning of October 15, 1755 at 29 years old. He was beatified on January 29,1895 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on December 11, 1904 by Pope Pius X. He was proclaimed patron of mothers, expectant mothers, child birth, falsely accused, unborn children. Virtue: piety, humility, patience, obedience, charity, integrity, forgiveness and contentment Prayer: “St. Gerard, please pray for the conversion of those who calumniate others.”                

We're live with Fr. Tat Hoang, pastor of St. Gerard Majella in Baton Rouge, David Dawson Jr., Director of the Office of Parish Support of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and Kathleen Higgins, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Lent Speaker Series 2020 / Speaker: Mrs. Kathy Blaze / My Journey Home Back to the Catholic Church / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2020.03.11 - Mrs. Kathy Blaze - Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Lent Speaker Series 2019 / Speaker: Bishop Hermann / Accepting the Present Moment as a Manifestation of God's Will / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2019.04.15 - Bishop Hermann - Monday, April 15, 2019

Lent Speaker Series 2020 / Speaker: Mrs. Kathy Blaze / My Journey Home Back to the Catholic Church / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2020.03.11 - Mrs. Kathy Blaze - Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Msgr. Matthew Mitas / Has Christ's Coming Made a Difference? / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.17 - Msgr. Matthew Mitas - Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Rebeca McKelvey / From Nicaraguan Refuge to an Associate Judge / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.24 - Rebeca McKelvey - Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Sr. Anne Kelly / St. Joseph as Pilgrim: A Call to Listen and Respond / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.31 - Sr. Anne Kelly - Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Fr. Cassian Koenemann, OSB / Grace of Nothingness / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.09 - Fr. Cassian Koenemann, OSB - Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Michael Burke / Waiting to Die, Running to Live, and Hope for the Future / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.16 - Michael Burke - Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Robert Gannon / Never Give Up / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.23 - Robert Gannon - Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Diane Gerard / Choosing Heaven / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.04.06 - Diane Gerard - Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2019 / Speaker: Bishop Hermann / Accepting the Present Moment as a Manifestation of God's Will / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2019.04.15 - Bishop Hermann - Monday, April 15, 2019

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Msgr. Matthew Mitas / Has Christ's Coming Made a Difference? / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.17 - Msgr. Matthew Mitas - Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Rebeca McKelvey / From Nicaraguan Refuge to an Associate Judge / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.24 - Rebeca McKelvey - Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2021 / Speaker: Sr. Anne Kelly / St. Joseph as Pilgrim: A Call to Listen and Respond / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2021.03.31 - Sr. Anne Kelly - Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Fr. Cassian Koenemann, OSB / Grace of Nothingness / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.09 - Fr. Cassian Koenemann, OSB - Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Michael Burke / Waiting to Die, Running to Live, and Hope for the Future / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.16 - Michael Burke - Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Robert Gannon / Never Give Up / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.03.23 - Robert Gannon - Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Lent Speaker Series 2022 / Speaker: Diane Gerard / Choosing Heaven / St. Gerard Majella, Kirkwood, MO / 2022.04.06 - Diane Gerard - Wednesday, April 6, 2022

We're live with Peter Finney, Editor and General Manager with the Clarion Herald, the official Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans updates us on what you'll find in this week's issue, Dina Dow, Director of Evangelization and Catechesis with the Diocese of Baton Rouge talks about Evangelizing through Prayer during Lent: Inviting others to Prayer and Reconciliation and Fr. Tat Hoang, pastor at St. Gerard Majella in Baton Rouge talks about their upcoming Messengers of Hope Gala.

ST. GERARD MAJELLA l Patron of mothers, expectant mothers and childbirth Feast Day : October 16 Why a young lay brother is principally proclaimed patron of mothers, expectant mothers and childbirth is a real puzzle. Why not a female saint, but the life story of our saint today, St. Gerard Majella will tell us why. Gerard, the youngest son of five children, was born in Muro, southern Italy on April 6, 1726. Being frail, he was immediately taken to the church for Baptism after his birth. He grew up to be a very prayerful boy and even when he was just five, he would pray daily in a small chapel near his home. Often, he would bring home a loaf of bread. Asked where the bread came from, he would say that “a most beautiful boy” gave it to him. When his sister secretly followed him to the chapel one day, she saw him praying before the statue of Mary holding the Child Jesus. After a short while, Jesus went down and played with Gerard, then gave him a loaf of bread and sent him home. · Voice: When Gerard was twelve years old his father, who was a tailor, died and to help the family, his mother sent him to his uncle so as to teach him the work of his father. Though the foreman was abusive, Gerard kept silent but when his uncle knew about it he was told to resign. Then, he became a houseboy in the Bishop's house. When the Bishop died, Gerard tried to work on his own and the money he earned he gave half to his mother, gave some to the poor and offered Masses for the souls in Purgatory. He entered the Capuchin Order two times but he did not persevere due to his poor health. In 1749, he joined the Redemptorists and after three years he became a lay brother. He professed the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and stayed close with the poor. He worked in the community as a gardener, sacristan, infirmarian, tailor, porter, cook, carpenter and foreman on a building construction. He was often called to minister to the sick. And he graciously accepted any call by saying he was available to “do the will of God.” Voice: His charity, service, obedience, prayerful life, and penances made him a perfect model for lay brothers. At 27, he was falsely accused by a girl, saying he was the father of the child she was carrying. The superior general, St. Alphonsus, reprimanded him, denied him the privilege of receiving Holy Communion and prohibited him from having contact with outsiders. Gerard bore with patience this calumny and doubled his penances and prayer. But when the girl got seriously ill and no remedy was available to heal her, she retracted and wrote St. Alphonsus that she had lied. Although he was vindicated, Gerard did not show any self-complacency. He just thanked God for saving him from such a terrible trial. · The life of Gerard was replete with miraculous events. He often fell into ecstasy while in prayer. He had also the gift of levitation and bi-location. His apostolate for mothers began when the handkerchief he left in a certain house was afterwards instrumental in curing a woman giving birth. Gerard was always frail in health. In 1755, he had a strong hemorrhage but his superior commanded him to get up. He got up and was well for a month, yet he knew he was dying. He died in the morning of October 15, 1755 at 29 years old. He was beatified on January 29,1895 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on December 11, 1904 by Pope Pius X. He was proclaimed patron of mothers, expectant mothers, child birth, falsely accused, unborn children. · Prayer: “St. Gerard, please pray for the conversion of those who calumniate others.” · Reflection:Am I inclined to accuse and malign other people for my own advantage?

Saint Of The Day With Mike Roberts!

IN THIS PODCAST: As the Church celebrated the feast St. Gerard Majella, fondly known as the 'Family Saint', Fr. Juventius and reflected on his life in the light of the gospel of John 12:23-32. Especially, if you are struggling to conceive, fertility problems, trouble making a good confession, addictions and other ailments; let us seek his intercession. St. Gerard, pray for us. This homily was preached by Rev. Fr. Juventius Andrade, C.Ss.R. on 16th Oct. 2021.  Let us reflect and pray to the Lord.

Listen along with Angela Sealana as she leads you on an audio pilgrimage to the first church dedicated to St. Gerard Majella in the United States, located in San Antonio. Her family has had connections to this parish for generations. During our journey, you will: Enjoy an audio walk-through of the church building Hear about its unique story of founding, and over 100 years of history Learn about its namesake, Gerardo Maiella (Gerard Majella) …and much more! Click here to see photos and a map view of St. Gerard Catholic Church in San Antonio, TX!  Jewel for the Journey: “It is possible to live always in serenity, knowing well that in God's plan lies our happiness and fulfillment.” – St. Gerard Majella Learn more at PilgrimCenterOfHope.org/Journeys Help us spread hope! PilgrimCenterOfHope.org/Donate

Welcome to Socials with the Saints, Pilgrim Center of Hope's companion podcast to our video series of the same name. Listen in as Mary Jane Fox, Co-Founder of Pilgrim Center of Hope, and Jason Nunez, PCH's Media Production Assistant, discuss how St. Gerard Majella can inspire us in our daily life.  Have you seen our video presentation on the life of St. Gerard Majella? You most certainly want to watch it before listening to this episode. You can watch the video presentation here. Get free saint quote cards, a pamphlet & a phone wallpaper of St. Gerard Majella here, and share them with friends! We are so grateful to this month's sponsor, Joyce Ullrich, who made this podcast episode possible. Send us your feedback to join the conversation by email, ministry@pilgrimcenterofhope.org The official Socials with the Saints theme song is “Hero's Ascent” by Chris Haugen. Used with permission. Thanks for listening and remember, you are never alone in the communion of the saints!

Saint Gerard Majella is a saint for mothers and unborn babies. For pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, Lulu takes you to meet her good friend from Italy, who is the perfect saint to pray to for all things motherhood. Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram @Lulu_meets_the_saints and to like, share and review the podcast! Thanks for listening, and as always, we love you Lulu! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time; Feast Day for St. Gerard Majella

Episode 142If you're from St. Louis, then you probably already know who Zip Rzeppa is. For those of you who don't know who he is, Zip had a career in Sports Broadcasting and was known as the zaniest guy in the business, but then his faith happened. ResourcesIn an effort to provide you with the best, most helpful experience we can, any resource mentioned in The Cantankerous Catholic podcast will always be listed in this section. Register for our next free Sharing the Catholic Faith webinar: https://webinar.getresponse.com/BhGUM/the-trinity-angels--man (The Trinity, Angels & Man). (There will be a video recording for those who can't attend the live event, but you must register to get the link.) https://app.getresponse.com/survey.html?u=BhGUM&survey_id=1647905 (PODCAST SURVEY) https://wwb.gr8.com/ (Sixpack System Bulletin Inserts) Zip Rzeppa https://amzn.to/3zXCGIS (For A Greater Purpose) by this week's guest Zip Rzeppa. https://amzn.to/3DYhAwI (My Rock & Salvation), a novel by this week's guest Zip Rzeppa. http://catholicmarriageday.com (Catholic Marriage Today) http://matermedia.org (Mater Media) The Wanderer Catholic Newspaper. Get one month for one dollar by texting the word “news” to 830-331-5729. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=85YEDSUJHVN42&source=url (Help Keep the Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy Apostolate Alive) FOR CHECKS: make checks payable to Cassock Media, P.O. Box 41, Villa Ridge, Missouri 63089 https://app.getresponse.com/site2/joe_sixpack_answers/?u=BhGUM&webforms_id=YZQe (I Want To Learn More About The Catholic Church!) https://mariancatechist.com/product/basic-catholic-catechism-course/ (Marian Catechist Apostolate Basic Course) https://www.avoicelikebutter.com/ (Rick Stender)—Official Voice of The Cantankerous Catholic SubscribeMake sure you never miss an episode of The Cantankerous Catholic by subscribing through one of these links, or wherever else you get your podcasts. https://thecantankerouscatholic.captivate.fm/listen (Subscribe to The Cantankerous Catholic here) Catholic News Notes#5 https://www.dailywire.com/news/key-democrat-senator-wants-to-nuke-voting-on-bidens-colossal-3-5-trillion-wish-list-bill (Key Democrat Senator Wants To Nuke Voting On Biden's Colossal $3.5 Trillion Wish List Bill) #4 https://www.dailywire.com/news/big-blow-to-biden-senate-parliamentarian-rules-citizenship-path-for-illegals-cannot-be-in-3-5-trillion-bill-report-says (‘Big Blow To Biden': Senate Parliamentarian Rules Citizenship Path For Illegals Cannot Be In $3.5 Trillion Bill, Report Says) #3 https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress-house-plans-vote-on-spending-and-infrastructure (House schedules votes on government funding, abortion access, and Biden infrastructure package) #2 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-joint-chiefs-of-staff-chair-kabul-airstrike-accountability (Former Obama Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman calls for accountability for botched drone strike) #1 https://catholicvote.org/outrage-over-viral-video-of-unwilling-toddler-forced-to-wear-mask/ (Outrage over Viral Video of Unwilling Toddler Forced to Wear Mask) Catholic BootcampThis week Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy's Catholic Bootcamp is titled Domestic Prophet, Priest & King. Catholic QuotesThis week's quote is from St. Gerard Majella. Catholic StoriesThis episode features a story about a Jamaican teenager. Joe Sixpack's Stuffhttps://www.joesixpackanswers.com/ (JoeSixpackAnswers.com) https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/secrets-of-the-catholic-faith/ (Secrets of the Catholic Faith) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-lay-evangelists-handbook-how-any-catholic-can-evangelize-anyone/ (The Lay Evangelist's Handbook) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-best-of-what-we-believe-why-we-believe-it-volume-one/ (The Best of What We... Support this podcast

Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. (Content Credits: www.catholic.org) #SaintlySunday

SHOW NOTES: Matthew 28:19-20 CCC 2272 Code of Canon Law: 977, 1318, 1329, 1364, 1367, 1370, 1378, 1382, 1388, 1398, 1438, 1443, 1445, 1447, 1450, 1451, 1454, 1460, 1461. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship  St. Gerard Majella, pray for us! St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us! See you in the Eucharist! www.mannafoodforthought.com @mannafoodforthought

Summary of today's show: This Sunday is World Mission Sunday and Fr. Rodney Copp, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston, joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to talk about the work of supporting the missions—especially Mass cards and stipends—and how it is the duty of every Catholic to be a missionary, even if you never leave home. One way to be a missionary is to engage the work of the New Evangelization and invite a friend or family member to go to Mass with you some week. Scot, Fr. Chris, and Fr. Copp also discuss Fr. Copp's parishes he serves—St. Charles Borromeo in Waltham and St. Gerard Majella in Canton—as well as his work as the Promoter of Justice in the Archdiocese of Boston. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Fr. Rodney Copp Links from today's show: Today's topics: Fr. Rodney Copp and World Mission Sunday 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Chris O'Connor to the show and he said that this week the political campaign season has picked up. He asked Fr. Chris how the debate-watching goes at the seminary. The faculty usually gather to watch together. He said that he typically is the one yelling at the TV. Scot said there's lots of talk about what moderator Candy Crowley will be doing during the debate. She has said she will do what she wants. Fr. Chris said she's a force to be reckoned with. Fr. Chris attended the St. James Society dinner this past Sunday. The seminary often takes seminarians to their missions in Peru to show how and why the diocesan priest can be involved in the life of the missions. He said Fr. Peter Quinn at St. Catherine in Westford was honored for his support of the society. He said we all must play some role in spreading the Gospel throughout the universal church. Scot said that the Pontifical Mission Society does that as well. He said this weekend is World Mission Sunday and the following Sunday, Cardinal Seán will speak to all Catholic parishioners on Question 2. Joining us next will be Fr. Rodney Copp, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris discussed an ad for the Committee Against Physician-Assisted Suicide that just aired. Scot welcomed Fr. Rodney Copp to the show. He's the pastor of St. Gerard Majella in Canton and administrator of St. Charles Borromeo in Waltham. They discussed how he's been moving from Waltham to Canton. He's still attached to Waltham because the parish had just started an increased offertory program so he agreed to stay on for six more months. He said the staff in Canton have been helpful to him as well. He was in Waltham for 15 years. He said St. Gerard's is a big parish with 1,000 kids in CCD. He said being pastor there would be a full-time job alone, but the great staff there has been a great gift. He said there were 7 pastors in 100 years in Waltham and 5 pastors in 50 years in Canton and he's known all of the pastors in Canton. Scot asked how he balances the three jobs he has now. Fr. Copp said he's also Promoter of Justice for the Archdiocese in the Tribunal. He said that most of what he does is in Braintree at the Pastoral Center. He's in the parishes nights and weekend. Fr. Chris asked about the Tribunal work. Fr. Copp said he was a judge in the Tribunal for 10 years and worked a lot in marriages and then in the clergy sex abuse trials. He said most of what they deal with is very old cases. He said part of the job of Promoter of Justice is to participate in canonizations. He's currently working on a case for an Opus Dei priest, Fr. Joseph Muzquiz. He said he was a holy man, humble and much concerned with others. He's buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury. His job is to look at the evidence and find any objections there might to present a balanced brief when sending the case to the COngregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. Fr. Copp has been at St. Gerard since the end of August. He said they're heavily committed to the social justice teachings. Part of that was due to Fr. Bernard McLaughlin. He knew Fr. McLaughlin when he was newly ordained in 1959 and came to St. John's in Peabody when Fr. Copp was in grade school. He later served in East Boston, where he gained his desire to work for the poor. St. Gerard also has high Mass attendance and its 1,000 kids in religious education puts among the top 15 parishes in the archdiocese. They're getting the kids involved in the Missionary Childhood Association from the Pontifical Mission Societies. The mission societies' primary focus is to bring the Gospel message to bear in places where people have never heard the name of Jesus. There are four mission societies: Society for the Propagation of the Faith; Society of St. Peter the Apostle (for seminaries and religious in missionary countries); Missionary Childhood (which used to be Holy Childhood); and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious, which provides spiritual support. World Mission Sunday is this upcoming Sunday. It promotes all the mission societies. It started in 1926 by Pope Pius XI to renew the commitment to the spread of the Gospel. October is mission month to coincide with Columbus bringing the faith to the New World. It's appropriate that the Year of Faith begins in October. Scot asks why it's the third or fourth Sunday and Fr. Copp said it's always the second-to-last Sunday in October just so that people would know when it is every year. The primary purpose is to educate about the missions and to take up a collection for the support of mission activities all over the world. Last year, World Mission Sunday in Boston produced $428,000 for the missions. They also brought in $650,000 in a missionary cooperative program that brings missionaries to parishes to speak throughout the year. He said Mass stipends have been decreasing, which support priests in many mission dioceses. They also send a great number of Mass stipends to the St. James Society. Fr. Copp said you can make an offering for Mass for someone who's living, for someone who's recently deceased or who passed a long time ago. He said many parishes support them this way, but people can also contact the Pontifical Mission Societies directly or talk to their pastor and see if he's willing to do that. Fr. Copp said he's been on the job two years and he has't been able to go to the missions yet because of his work as a pastor. He said some give by going and some go by giving. You don't actually have to go to the missions to be a missionary. Fr. Copp said they send a clergy guide out to pastors for Mission Sunday, with suggestions for prayers of the faithful, suggestions for including ethnic groups in music, readings, and more. Scot asked why Boston is such a big supporter of missions. Fr. Copp said Archbishop Walsh was founder of the Maryknoll Society and so it's part of our long history. In many ways the Archdiocese of Boston has always been an immigrant church, with special welcome for each wave of immigrants. Cardinal Cushing put the missions on the map. He wanted to be a missionary priest and Cardinal O'Connell assigned him to the Pontifical Mission Societies. Fr. Chris related a story that Cardinal Cushing tendered his resignation to Pope John XXIII on the opening say of the Second Vatican Council in order to go to the mission and was denied by the Pope. Scot said a large number of people give a standard amount to every second collection. What would Fr. Copp say to encourage a little bit larger donation? Fr. Copp said it's a varied ministry in the missions but the Gospel comes with many good things like clean water or more food. Fr. Chris told a story of St. James Society priests about how a MAryknoll priest confronted the president of Peru about the lack of water in a poor town and how the water was then brought to the village. The poor of these countries often rely on missionaries to speak for them. 3rd segment: Scot reminded listeners that the fall fund drive for WQOM and the Stations of the Cross will take place Wednesday through Friday. He asked listeners to support Catholic radio in the Archdiocese of Boston. Scot asked Fr. Copp to explain the difference between evangelization and the new evangelization. Fr. Copp said in the Second Vatican Council we find the means of expressing the truths of the faith by means that are better understood by people in the 21st century. New evangelization is about a renewed effort to reach out to those who may have stepped away from the practice of their faith, whether in Boston or in mission countries. In Boston only 17% of Catholics attend Mass on a regular basis. In some mission countries, people walk miles or even days to go to Mass once per month. Here was have a luxury of parishes. In Waltham there are five parishes, in Canton, two. He said Boston has numerous missionary communities within its border and they remind people of their missionary duty by virtue of their baptism. He said we pay little attention to sharing the faith because we presume we live in an archdiocese where the faith already exists. He challenged people in his parish to bring one person to Mass with them and double the number of people in their church. He also encourages people not to be afraid to talk about their faith. He remembers living at St. Patrick's in Watertown and hearing from a parishioner how he mentioned going to Mass on a Sunday and how that affected a co-worker who didn't realize he was Catholic. Scot has learned that so much of the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies is to ensure that people around the world know that Jesus loves them and wants to be with them forever. In Massachusetts, nearly everyone has heard the name of Jesus. So many who have been baptized just know Jesus like he's a historical figure. They don't have a relationship with him. The New Evangelization is a reintroduction of people to this Person who wants to change their life on a moment by moment basis. The New Evangelization it the conversion of ourselves. Fr. Chris said part of that is to have a tangible joy in ourselves because the Lord is present in our lives. People should see by the peace and joy that we know Christ and he is present to us. Scot said many of the people in the missions have next to nothing but yet respond with so much joy and generosity of spirit when brought to a relationship with Christ. Fr. Copp said no one comes to the Church from a vacuum, but almost always come in because someone invited them and shepherded them. Scot said the “each one reach one” allows us to take to prayer for a week or two the question of whom the Lord is calling me to invite to our parish. It's one particular person, couple or family. You don't have to teach them the Catechism. You just have to tell them that you get so much out of the Mass, invite them to come as your guest, and maybe go out for coffee afterward. Fr. Copp said he met a women last year who said she didn't know the prayers, but he told her that the missal was changing and everyone would be in the same boat. Scot said you can control whether you're willing to make an invitation. He tells the Holy Spirit that their response is up to him. When people say they don't know the prayers or actions at Mass, he refers to the story of the Prodigal Son. When the son returns the loving father runs out to greet the son. That's how the Church celebrates and no one is concerned with whether they know the responses. Fr. Copp said parishes do have to be willing to say hello and recognize that someone new is there. Scot noted that a lot of people say they don't go to church anymore because someone was rude to them in Mass. On our best day, maybe we can be the reason for someone to give the Church a second chance. Fr. Chris and Fr. Copp both said to never let another human being get in the way of your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Summary of today's show: Our regular Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy discussed the week's headlines including the annual Co-Workers in the Vineyard conference; Emily Stimpson's new book that gives hope to single Catholic women; keeping your kids Catholic during vacation; Clergy assignments; and concrete steps that parishes can take to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: 1st segment: Scot and Susan caught up on their week and Susan said it's been a difficult week for her as she's been to the funerals of three people close to her. She talked about the hope and consolation of her faith. They also talked about the Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference and spoke about encountering listeners to the show. Scot also discussed his recent work preparing for the next phase of the educational campaign for the effort against legalized physician-assisted suicide in the Commonwealth. He recorded some talks that will be posted on the campaign's website . 2nd segment: Scot said the there is an annual conference in the spring for clergy and the laity called Co-Workers in the Vineyard. Susan said what's impressive is that whole parish staffs come to the conference together. She said the theme was excellence in pastoral leadership. The keynote speaker was Fr. Michael Keating and Msgr William Fay gave an update on the pastoral planning process. Cardinal Seán began the day with Mass. Janet Benestad gave a talk on physician-assisted suicide. Scot said that presentation will be available in a different format on the assisted suicide education website. Susan said there was a panel discussion as well with a number of pastors. They discussed what it was like to enter a parish as a new pastor and to bring parishes together. Scot said a number of ministries support and sponsor this event. Greg tracy said they put this story on the front page because they want to raise awareness of the event and increase attendance at these types of events. It can be easy to get focused on your day to day work. Scot mentioned that there are two seminars next week on the same topic, one for clergy and the other for laity. The topic is the book Women, Sex, and the Church: The Case for Catholic Teaching. Fr. Roger said they have a large article in The Anchor about the book “The Catholic Girl's Survival Guide for the Single Years” because he often hears from young faithful Catholic women on their despair at finding a good husband and remaining single in those years. He found the book to be a great book and he said Emily is a tremendous writer. Fr. Roger said any young woman listening to the show and is in this situation would find this book to be a great help. He said parents, friends, and priests could also read the book to understand how to help support women in these circumstances because a lot of the time we inadvertently cause pain to those in these circumstances by what we say, even when well meaning. While working on a story featuring vocations, Stimpson had spent some time talking to nuns, priests and married couples. She listened to them say, “The vocation fills the desires of your hear!.” Well. she would counter, “God never drags you kicking and screaming into any vocation you don't wont to go into, so why would being single be called a vocation?” “We don't want to be single; this isn't filling the desires of my heart,” said Stimpson. Few ever cry about becoming a nun or priest or being married, she added. It wasn't until she talked to a priest who was the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Denver that she got her answer. “He said there is no single vocation,” said Stimpson, meaning there is no vocation that does not involve the consecration of one's self as a gift to God and others. “That was helpful in that I'm not imagining things - that makes sense to me. There's not a lot out there explaining why it's not a vocation.” ”There are millions of single people around going, ‘Hey! What about us?'” continued Stimpson. “So even though it's been made clear that there is no single vocation, no one had really developed why that was the case. That's when I realized how there was so much imprecision in how people talked about vocation. Sometimes they're talking about vocations to holiness, or how my job is a vocation - all are using these words but not in the same way. We need to sit down and take 3 step back and define our terms, so that's what I try to do in the first chapter.” “Women want a faithful spouse who won't ask us to commit a mortal sin before or after marriage, and those guys are not easy to come by. We have to own the situation,” she said. “that we've made this choice and made the decision to shop from this very small pool of eligible men. So when you see it and own it, and there's an explanation, that's what helps. Being told to console ourselves for this made-up primary vocation doesn't help women.” Susan thought the distinction that there is no vocation to the single life to be very interesting. She said she sympathizes with how difficult it is to me someone today. Fr. Roger said there will be another article next week in which she talks about practical ways women can deal with this situation and can continue to enjoy life and take advantage of their free time to do good, to focus on what they have, and make themselves attractive to potential suitors. In the Pilot, this week, Susan has a column writing about Faith Formation during vocation. The primary place for faith development is in the family where parents are their children's first and most long-lasting religious education teachers. Parents are not alone in this work - parishes partner with parents in the faith formation of youngsters. During the summer months, when children and teenagers are not in school, families have a special opportunity to nurture the faith in family life. She had six concrete suggestions for families. She said first that we continue to go to Mass every Sunday. We don't take a vacation from worshipping God. They can also take time to pray with their children, even if they begin with something simple like asking God to bless the dinner. They can share books on the faith and she suggested people could go to the Daughters of St. Paul store in Dedham or the Carmelite book shop in Peabody. They can go to confession together as a family. On long car rides, have a time when the electronics are off and have a conversation. She also said there are great feast days for saints in the summer. Find out the saint of the day online and talk about it. Scot further suggested taking a family day trip to a beautiful church or shrine or retreat center. Greg concurred that some of the best conversations he's had with his kids have been on car rides, whether long or short. Susan said it's a captive audience and Greg said it's often one of the few times that you can be alone with the child and speak heart to heart. Fr. Roger said Susan has all the main thoughts there. He added that people might want to attend daily Mass when they can as well. He added that as families travel that they should enjoy the beauty of God's creation because it reminds us of the Creator who has done all this for us and to thank Him for it. Scot said in the Pilot this week also was a new official announcement that Fr. John L. Sullivan was leaving as Pastor of St. Gerard Majella in Canton as of June 5 and will be accepting a new pastoral assignment. There was also the official announcement that Fr. Kevin Sepe will leave St. Francis in Braintree to become Secretary for Pastoral Life and Leadership. Also in the newspaper are four profiles of priests who will be accepting senior priest/retirement status: Fr. Richard Crowley, Fr. Henry Jennings, Fr. James Rafferty, and Fr. Francis Daley. Fr. Jennings has been at St. Joseph Parish in Somerville for 45 years, since 1966. They also note that Fr. James Rafferty was ordained in his home parish of Holy Name in Roxbury because there were 5 men from the same parish being ordained together. 3rd segment: Scot said Fr. Roger's editorial this week is on how parishes can help promote vocations as we look forward to Good Shepherd Sunday. Fr. Roger said we need to pray for vocations first. One of the reasons for the shortage of priestly vocations is because we haven't been praying as insistently as we ought to for the gift of new priests. The second thing we need to do is invite young people to consider it. He remembers at his home parish of St. Michael's in Lowell, how women would approach him at 5 years old and encourage him to consider it. The third stage is to encourage our own families. There's a tremendous example of this type of vocational soil in a superb prayer booklet published in 2007 by the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy. Entitled “Adoration, Reparation and Spiritual Motherhood for Priests,” it lifted up as a model of the type of prayer to the Lord of the harvest that was done in the tiny village of Lu Monferrato in northern Italy. In 1881, when secularism and virulent anti-clericalism were becoming increasingly pronounced, the mothers of this tiny village of a few thousand inhabitants, conscious of the need for priestly vocations, began to gather each Tuesday afternoon for eucharistic adoration to ask the Harvest Master to send priestly laborers. They would together make the following prayer: “O God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest! I myself want to live as a good Christian and want to guide my children always to do what is right, so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed to give You a holy priest!” That prayer, their fervent desire for vocations, and their home's and parish's great awareness of the love of God in the blessing of priestly vocations, bore more fruit than any of them could have ever imagined. In the span of a few decades, this one village parish smaller than many parishes in the Diocese of Fall River - produced 152 priestly vocations and 171 religious women to 41 different congregations. Then Fr. Roger said we'd never have a shortage of priests in any diocese if one young man from each parish entered the seminary every eight years. Many of the seminarians who start don't get ordained so we'd have a new priest from each parish every 12 years. If a parish has 100 boys, then you'd have one vocation to the priesthood out of every 100. Scot said he has advocated in the pastoral planning process that if a parish produces regular vocations to the priesthood or religious life that should be part of the weighting of the vibrancy and strength of the parish. Scot said there's been a lot of coverage of the Vatican's decision on a leading leadership of women's religious. Fr. Roger said the mainstream media has framed the story as old men clamping down on all religious sisters. He said he hopes it will eventually become clear that this is about ensuring the Catholicity of certain groups of religious sisters. He said this isn't about all women religious, but the leadership of the LCWR, which has done some things in recent decades that leads many bishops wondering whether they support the Church's teachings, including abortion, priestly ordination, healthcare, moral theology, and more. He said the great sisters who have served us over the course of time will eventually be heard and will say that this reform is what they want too. Scot said his sense is that you have the typical liberal newspapers talking a story narrative for this which is “Conservative organization continuing the ‘War on Women'”. The Church is the most pro-woman organization there is, but part of this the normal election cycle of 2012 where pro-Obama columnists stirring up sentiment against the Church. Scot believes that the request for reform probably came from women within the orders being led by the women who've been saying these questionable things. Greg said it's true that this is being driven by an election year agenda framing it as a wedge issue. One way or the other, many of these pundits see the Church as anti-woman and oppressive. He said the secular press comes to the issue without a full understanding and this shows why we need a diocesan newspaper. The Pilot's slogan is “Read the Pilot and be fully informed.” You're not going to get the full perspective on the Church from the secular media. Similarly Greg could write an article about Wall Street, but he's not an expert. Scot then mentioned an article in the Pilot about the rise in the number of people saying that they are atheists or nonbelievers. Under the age of 29, 25% believe themselves atheist, agnostic, or nonbeliever. Susan said she just wants to ask them how they can live without the hope that faith gives them. Scot said it's his experience that your life won't be fulfilled without acknowledging the fuller life of faith that extends from this world to the next.