|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fall Newsletter 2010 Volume 10 No. 10
 Greetings!
God who is mighty is doing great things and holy is His Name!
Welcome to our new Email newsletter. We hope you like it as much as we do. As I read it, I thought of this passage from Isaiah 42:9, 10 "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing to the Lord a new song."
Your Sister in Christ,
Marilyn Quirk, Coordinator Central Service Team To print a copy of the Newsletter, click File then Print  ______________________________________________________ |
|
BE NOT AFRAID,
I GO BEFORE YOU ALWAYS!
by Donna Ross,
Communications Ministry Coordinator
Pope Benedict XVI recently
compared the web to "a digital sea," asking Catholics to utilize it for the
sake of the gospel. The Holy Father, in
a recent address in Rome
at a Congress called "Digital Witnesses", made this savvy appeal: Let us set sail on the digital sea
fearlessly, confronting open
navigation with the same enthusiasm that has steered the Barque of the
Church for 2,000 years.
In response to the Holy Father's directive to
all Catholics, our Central Service Team (CST) is courageously moving forward in
this area. A new ministry has been
established to address the challenging and ever changing world of
communications and how that pertains to Magnificat. This encompasses everything from the written
word, to the Website, Teleconferencing, Standardized E-mail materials, Radio
and Television and other electronic digital platforms (i.e. YouTube, Podcasts,
etc.).
Those on the core team of this
Communications ministry are Kathy MacInnis, Donna Ross, Teri Thompson and Carolyn
Wright. Considering
the scope of this endeavor, the team is initially focusing on the following
three modes of communication: Teleconferencing for Long Distance meetings, the
Website and E-mail.
This on-line newsletter is a
result of your input! Through the
services of Constant Contact, we conducted a survey among all of the Service
Teams last May. Your immediate and overwhelming responses resulted in 92% of you
saying YES, we are open and ready to try an electronic newsletter format. You indicated it would be easy to make the
newsletter available via e-mail to your Advisory Team and larger chapter
membership. For those on your Service & Advisory Teams who do not have
Internet access, you assured us that a hard copy can be made available to them.
Of course, even those with Internet access always have the option to print out
a paper copy, if that's their preference.
We really appreciate your response to the survey and will continue to
seek your input in the future.
In addition to now having a
beautiful, full color newsletter that is accessible to more Magnificat women
than ever before, this change will have significant financial savings for the
ministry due to the elimination of printing costs, postal fees and labor. It is our hope and our goal to develop
effective communication tools that are beneficial to the entire ministry. One last thought...we are in the process of doing an "extreme makeover" on our current Magnificat website. If any of you have expertise in Web design, and the Lord places it on your heart to help in this area (or any of those mentioned above) please e-mail the CST at magnificatcst@aol.com .
__________________________________________________________________________________
|
FR. KEVIN'S KORNER
"THE PAX "
by Father Kevin Scallon, C.M.
Magnificat CST Service Team Spiritual Advisor
A
little understood gesture in the liturgy is the offering of the sign of peace. You can hardly find anyone who really
understands its true significance. In
many places, it is simply ignored by the priest, in others, it is the mandatory
Sunday morning parish hug accompanied by kindly remarks and little jokes. It is a nice moment of little or no
significance.
And
yet, the sign of peace or "the
pax", as some of us older people might know it, is a very important liturgical
gesture as old as the gospel itself. "Therefore, if
you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother
has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First
go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." [Matthew 5:23-24]
Taught
by the Holy Spirit, the Church has included this important instruction of
Christ in the liturgy at the moment when we are preparing to receive Christ
himself in the Eucharist. She does this to remind us of these words of the Lord,
so that we may offer the gift [of ourselves] to the Father, only after we have
first been reconciled with all our brothers and sisters.
The
sign of peace, far from being an
empty gesture, is in fact a solemn matter which we should take to heart. So if Aunt Mary Jane hasn't spoken to her
daughter since she got married in the registry office twenty years ago, she
really has to do something about it. Similarly, with Patrick Goodcatholic who
refuses to forgive his neighbor over some never-to-be forgotten incident that
could have been settled long ago over a beer.
The "pax" then is a gesture of peace, and if it is not a true
gesture, we really ought to think hard about it, maybe as preparation for a
good searching general confession.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
NEW CHAPTER WELCOME! OUR LADY'S GARDEN IS GROWING.
We send a holy hug and welcome to our new chapter and
service teams represented below:
Servants of the
Immaculata, Walnut Creek, CA
Mary Johnstone, Coordinator
Felice Santos, Asst. Coordinator
Veronica Brown, Secretary
Arcilla Petersen, Historian
Rev. Jerry Brown, Spiritual Advisor
Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop of Oakland
Chapters in Formation Review
These chapters are making excellent progress at this time:
Savannah, GA, Raleigh, NC, Detroit, MI,
Wheeling, WV, Portland,
ME, San Angelo, TX,
Denver, CO, Palm Beach, FL #2, Rio Rancho, NM, Orlando, FL, Arlington, TX
Aruba and Curacao in the Dutch West Indies.
Houston Chapter is re-forming at this time.
We also have 3 inquiries about forming Spanish Chapters
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
THE WORLD NEEDS OUR PRAYERS
by Marilyn Quirk
It is no accident that Magnificat began on the Feast of the
Holy Rosary. In following Bishop Ott's suggestion that Magnificat begin on or
around a feast of Our Lady, those of us involved in the beginning merely chose
October 7 because it was a convenient Marian feast day. However, we have come
to realize that to God this was a divine appointment as a prophetic call to us
for "a time such as this."
There is no question
that the world is in a crisis. Today there is a great attack against the
Church, our Country, Life, Marriage, and Family. We watch in horror as so many live in fear
and suffering. We find it hard to understand the mentality of those who teach
their children that to use their bodies as weapons to kill is good. It is hard
to believe that their homes are often used as an arsenal to house missiles and
weapons and their roofs as launch pads. We wonder where are the women? How can
they tolerate this in their family and homes? Do they have a choice or a vote?
There are no human answers to all of this except a divine intervention "for our
battle is not against flesh and blood..."( Eph.6)
The feast of the Holy Rosary was established by Pope Pius V
in 1572 to commemorate the great victory won by the out-numbered Christian
Crusaders who defeated hostile Turkish Muslims who threatened to take over and
conquer Christendom in Europe. The rosary was recited throughout Europe, and
the decisive victory of Lepanto was attributed to Our Lady's intercession.
Today perhaps a greater battle ensues. A new crusade-a
crusade of prayer is needed to retake the ground the enemy has taken and to war
against those forces of evil in our midst.
 The late Bishop Fulton Sheen stated, "I believe that the
Blessed Virgin chose to be known by the name of Fatima (the name of Mohammed's
daughter) because she came for the conversion of Islam, without which there
could not be an era of peace for mankind."
"The Rosary is an effective spiritual weapon against the evils
affecting society. The grave challenges confronting the world at the start of
the new millennium lead us to think that only an intervention from on High,
capable of guiding the hearts of those living in situations of conflict and
those governing the destinies of nations, can give reason to hope for a
brighter future." (Pope John Paul II, Apostolic letter on the Rosary.)
Magnificat began on the feast of the Holy Rosary-not by
accident-but by divine appointment for a purpose. We must take up this charge
and respond. As we conclude our 54 day
Rosary Novena with Mary, let us pray.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
 "THE ARCHBISHOP WORE COMBAT BOOTS"
Archbishop
Philip M. Hannan, 97, recently released his autobiography, "The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots:
Memoir of an Extraordinary Life," and has been dutifully
making appearances around the Archdiocese
of New Orleans
to meet the people
he served from 1965 to 1988 as the 11th Archbishop of New Orleans.
Archbishop
Hannan was a secret confidant of President
John F. Kennedy
in his rise
to the White House and gave the eulogy at
JFK's funeral Mass. As a young priest,
he served during WWII as a paratroop chaplain
for the 82nd Airborne and participated
in the Battle of the Bulge and in the freeing of
prisoners of war inside
Germany. He is the only living U.S. bishop to have attended all four sessions
of the Second Vatican Council as a bishop. Archbishop
Hannan was a champion
of civil rights in New Orleans and built affordable, secure housing for the
elderly and poor. The highlight of his tenure as archbishop was the 1987 visit
to New Orleans of Pope John Paul II. Autographed copies of
"The Archbishop Wore
Combat Boots" can be obtained by calling the Clarion Herald at (504) 596-3035 or by e-mailing abphannan@clarionherald.org.
Signed books are $25 each (plus
additional postage).
______________________________________________________________________________
|
PRAISE REPORT!
Vocation Discernment: "The
Lord touched my heart this morning because I am pregnant with my first child
& I realized the kind of woman, wife, & mother He is calling me to
be. I know now He wants me to pray hard
& work hard for the well-being of my husband's & children's souls -
& I am filled with excitement & zeal as I answer His call."
Emotional Healing: "Diane's
testimony was exactly what God wanted me to hear! Diane's testimony could be my testimony with
a 21 yr. old daughter who is MR, CP. I
have devoted my life to her and my family. Usually God's grace is so abundant, but when I don't tap into that grace
I become desperate. Yesterday was a
desperate day. God is good all the time."
|
CHAPTER CHAT:
FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION
by Staci Thibodaux
On June 6, 2010, The Feast of Corpus Christi, the Spiritual
Advisor to the Lake Charles, LA Chapter, Fr. Rommel Tolentino, hosted a
Eucharistic Procession. The stated purpose of the event was to "thank Almighty
God for the graces of the Year of the
Priest, and to beseech Him for a peaceful
hurricane season this year". He especially requested the participation of
the Magnificat Ministry in this blessed event.
Following Holy Communion and the incensing of the Blessed
Sacrament, we prayed the "Feast of Corpus Christi Litany", prayer of safety
in the hurricane season, and then the outdoor
procession began. Once the route was completed, we returned to the church for
Solemn Benediction. The Eucharistic Procession was a unique opportunity for
grace. Those from our Service Team used this time to pray for our local Chapter
of Magnificat as well as the entire Magnificat Ministry.The public act of worship through the streets of this community was a great witness to our
faith and a truly profound spiritual experience to all who participated. As a
result of my own participation, I can now testify to the truth expressed by
Pope John Paul II in his encyclical on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia," The devout participation of the faithful
in the Eucharistic Procession on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
is a grace from the Lord which yearly brings joy to those who take part." (EE,10)
I am thankful for Fr. Rommel's willingness to step out in
faith and plan such an event. I am encouraged by the Magnificat women who took
part, and I look forward to the fruit that this event will bear in our own
chapter of Magnificat and in the entire Magnificat Ministry.
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
 NEW! MAGNIFICAT PIN & PENDANT
Show and share your devotion to Our Lady with this beautiful new "Visitation" pin designed exclusively for Magnificat. This unique design, crafted in Sterling silver, may also be worn as a pendant.
Just in time for Christmas gift shopping. Treat yourself to one for our upcoming International Conference or as a Speaker's Gift.
David Pierson Jewelry Design
226 Lee Lane, Covington, LA 70433, Phone 985-871-0457
$50.00 plus shipping and handling
LA residents only: $4.38 tax $5.25 shipping
United States: $5.25 shipping only, no tax www.davidpiersonjewelry.com
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
MARY'S ROLE IN THE HEALING AND DELIVERANCE MINISTRY OF JESUS
by Kathleen Beckman
The book of Revelation states that
Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Rev
12:11). Mary's entire being and mission is
a perpetual testimony to the sovereignty of the Most Holy Trinity. When Mary proclaims the greatness of the
Lord, she is proclaiming His "once and for all", perpetual victory over sin and
evil. This flies in the face of Satan's
kingdom of darkness. Demons are
tormented in hell and they want to torment God's people because they aim to rob
God of the companionship of his creatures in the eternal paradise that awaits
his faithful disciples. Satan wages war
against the offspring of the Woman crowned with twelve stars and clothed with
the brilliance of the sun (Rev.12:13). Why? Satan's downfall was pride. Everything about Mary exemplifies the opposite of pride, namely,
humility. Mary's humility was
"incarnate" in her entire character. There was no pride in her at all since she is preserved from original
sin.
Mary's exalted hymn of praise, the
Magnificat (which is at the core of our identity as Magnificat, A Ministry to
Catholic Women), states, "He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the
arrogant of mind and heart, He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones,
but lifted up the lowly (Luke 1:51-52)." Satan and his cohorts are perpetually enraged by the "lowliness" of Mary
because through her virginal womb The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among
us. The Incarnation of the Word of God
in a lowly creation is precisely what drove the most intelligent and beautiful
angel called Lucifer out of heaven. Lucifer could not accept this! His rebellious intelligence is now cast
to the netherworld never to enjoy what he once enjoyed near God. Satan will never get over rebelling against
God's plan of salvation; rebelling against the thought that lowly created
things, namely "persons", could enjoy abiding unity with the Trinitarian Lord
of the universe.
For the past three years I have
attended the International Conference on Healing and Deliverance at Mundelein
Seminary near Chicago. Dr. Margarett
Schlientz is the conference director and she's given her delightful testimony
at the Orange Diocese Magnificat Chapter. Her testimony also aired on our
Magnificat Proclaims EWTN radio program. The conference is aimed at the formation of Bishops, priests (many of
whom are exorcists) in the ever growing and necessary healing and deliverance
ministry. Laity may attend with written
permission of their bishop if they serve on a team to aid the diocesan exorcist
or priest team. I was invited several
years ago to assist priests in their process of discernment, healing and deliverance
of persons suffering from demonic influences.
This is not a part of Magnificat ministry
rather it is part of the diocesan priest effort to care for souls in need of
healing and deliverance. Yet I believe that my Magnificat membership has
empowered me for this ministry in the same way Magnificat empowers me to be a
better wife, mother, daughter and servant leader. How? When we step into Magnificat we enter into a
canonically erected, ecclesial approved community of women who strive to live
Mary's virtues by perpetuating the Visitation Scene in Luke's Gospel. What does this mean? Several things: Like Mary we are obedient daughters of the
Church. Is this important in healing and
deliverance? You bet! When I was working on a particularly difficult
case of near-possession, the demons knew who on the deliverance team had the
proper authority. Read Acts 19:13-16
about the Jewish exorcists, the seven sons of Sceva. Demons know when a person has the authority
of Jesus (by sacramental baptism) and the authority of the Church (by ecclesial
approval). Otherwise they say, "Who are you?"
In the case I refer to above, the
demons knew that upstairs there was a woman praying the rosary. The mother of
the lady we were ministering to was praying the rosary for her troubled
daughter and the team. The Evil One screamed, "Stop that woman from praying
those beads!"
Mary's role in the healing and
deliverance ministry of Jesus is well stated by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort,
"In these latter times, Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, power
and grace. In power, to combat the
enemies of God who will rise up menacingly to seduce and crush by promises and
threats all those who oppose them. She must shine forth in grace to inspire and
support the valiant soldiers and loyal servants of Jesus Christ, who are
fighting for his cause." She continues to birth Jesus in His people. Mary
perpetually "beholds" the sons and daughters of God as her own offspring. As Jesus liberates, Mary co-liberates us. Mary's heel continues to crush the head of
the serpent. Mary is always part of the
Lord's healing and deliverance team. I
believe the praying family of Magnificat acts as a fulcrum to press down Mary's
heel to crush Satan's plan. Mary, pray
for us. Amen.
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Office of Readings
Second Reading
From the writings of St. Rose of Lima, virgin
Our Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with
incomparable majesty: "Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let
them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the
height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the
struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the
only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to
climb to heaven."
When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and
seemed to place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud
voice to people of every age, sex and status: "Hear, O people; hear, O nations.
I am warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from
his own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap
trouble upon trouble to obtain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory
of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul."
That same force strongly urged me to proclaim the beauty of
divine grace. It pressed me so that my breath came slow and forced me to sweat
and pant. I felt as if my soul could no longer be kept in the prison of the
body, but that it had burst its chains and was free and alone and was going
very swiftly through the whole world saying: "If only mortals would learn how
great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious.
How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! Without
doubt they would devote all their care and concern to winning for themselves
pains and afflictions. All men throughout the world would seek trouble,
infirmities and torments, instead of good fortune, in order to attain the
unfathomable treasure of grace. This is the reward and the final gain of
patience. No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may
happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed
when they are distributed to men."
If you would like more information about Liturgy of The Hours, visit www.divineoffice.org
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
INSPIRATION FOR EVANGELIZATION:
THE CATHOLIC NEW MEDIA CONFERENCE 2010
CAROLYN WRIGHT and OLGA MYERS GO TO BOSTON
by Paulette Renaudin
We know the Lord always goes before us, as we carry out His
plans, but never was it more evident with the attendance of our energetic and
enthusiastic Magnificat sisters, with a passion for Catholic media, to attend
the Catholic New Media Conference 2010 in Boston last month. We thank God for
calling Olga Myers and Carolyn Wright, true soul sisters, to be in that number
to soak up all the new information our ministry requires to set sail on the digital sea as Pope Benedict XIV, 83
years young, has been exhorting us to
do.
New media technologies are changing the way we live and
work. People are searching online for God. The Magnificat Ministry is one of
the only Catholic Charismatic Movements in the heart of the Church for women
in the world. We need to be prepared to lead the way in cyberspace for this new
wave of evangelization. As Magnificat
sisters, we can form friendships through the internet family. We can live out
our first "Objective" - to live out the mystery of Mary's visit to
Elizabeth. Olga said, "Mary continues to run in haste to serve her
daughters through Magnifcat, but is able to go much quicker and reach more
women through the Internet. We feel the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into
the deeper waters of this new technology." Another wonderful aspect of the
conference, Olga told us, was forming
relationships with many young couples who have been called to be that light in the darkness and are very
committed to bringing Christ into the world.
God beckoned Olga and Carolyn to come and see and they went,
representing all of us, and saw the need to learn more about podcasting and
blogging. They also learned about the strategy of SQPN, Star Quest Production
Network- whose mission statement is "creating engaging media that serves the
Church, evangelizes the world, and forms authentic community." This should be
an encouragement for our Communications Ministry who are working diligently to
launch our new e-Newsletter and also performing a complete makeover on our
present website.
___________________________________________________________________________
|
BP OIL SPILL: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED AT GROUND ZERO
by Paulette Renaudin
2 Corinthians 4:8 We suffer all kinds of affliction and yet
are not overcome.
On Wednesday, July 7, 2010, the CST had all planned to go to
the Gulf Coast, but circumstances prevented this from happening. Carol Dazzio and I drove to Grand Isle, LA to
complete the mission or confirm the divine appointment entrusted to us by so
many of you who called and e-mailed for the CST to go to the beach and pray
over the Gulf of Mexico. Weeks ago while praying, Barbara Ann Moore saw
Magnificat women praying on the beach and declaring the authority of the blood
of Jesus and the power of His name over the oil spill. Carol graciously lent
her beach house and we spent the night. Early the next morning, we got up to
toss Our Lady of Prompt Succor medals and a Miraculous medal supplied by Joan
Lococo in the angry waters, and also to pour in water and salt blessed for
exorcism by Fr. Corapi.
We were standing on the deserted beach which should have
been the backdrop for many families enjoying the lazy days of summer. The scene
reminded us both of Katrina with the trucks delivering supplies for the
National Guard and the workers, as we witnessed Black Hawk helicopters flying
by. We climbed over the yellow tape and plastic sand berms preventing anyone
from going to the beach. Grand Isle was virtually a ghost town except for the
workers. Judy Zelden called us with a prayer Olga had given her years ago which
we prayed. So many contributed to the prayers offered that day, you were the
great cloud of witnesses accompanying us. We felt we could hear the Lord's
voice in the roar of the waves and the pounding sea, we know the Lord is the
only authority in this enormous disaster. We begged protection on the workers
laboring to clean up the oil, and hope for the residents who needed to get back
to work. We entreated the Lord to give
light to those scientists seeking a solution, courage for the pastor of Our
Lady of the Isle Church, and peace to our nation as it becomes embroiled
watching the unfolding drama. We also asked the Creator to keep His hand over
the waters to protect the wildlife and aquatic life, the wetlands and the
marshes which are the crown jewels of the South. We prayed all four Mysteries
of the Rosary, the Seven Sorrows Rosary, and the Divine Mercy. We also begged
for mercy over the impending hurricane season approaching. 2 Corinthians 4:8 "We suffer all kinds of
affliction and yet are not overcome."
Barbara Ann said, "I know the Blessed Mother and St.
Elizabeth are cheering this divine visitation on the Gulf, confident that
nothing is impossible with God." ______________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
We hope you have enjoyed our Magnificat e-Newsletter and will share its message on the wings of the Holy Spirit to friends near and far. Website and article links are independent of our Magnificat ministry and may prove helpful in
your search for additional information faithful to the Magisterium of the
Church.
Yours in Christ,
Marilyn Quirk, Coordinator Central Service Team
Magnificat, A Ministry To Catholic Women |
|
|
|
|
|
