FANNING THE FLAME: Part 2

by Marilyn Quirk

Mary Consecration

Consecration to Jesus through the hands of Mary.

Most of all the Saints of the Church have had a deep devotion to the Mother of Our Lord. She is our Mother and Model in our journey to holiness. She is our fast track on the path to holiness. What a grace it is for us in Magnificat to be consecrated to her and to yearly renew this Consecration April 28-May 31. I daily renew this Consecration using the prayers as listed in our Treasury of Prayers.

John Paul II Speaking of Mary in 2001

"She is the privileged and sure way for an encounter with the Lord. It is she who prepares us to welcome His Words and make us persevering in prayers, in the expectation of the Spirit who inflames our hearts."

Living in Praise

St. Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 5:18-19 "be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and praying to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and in everything in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." Music is a great gift from the Lord. Putting a CD of "Living Praise" in our cars and in our homes keeps the flame alive in our hearts. I find myself often with a song in my heart from a praise CD, the Liturgy at Mass, or a Conference.

Meeting and Praying with other women

I believe it is so important for us to meet and pray with other women. It was through a woman's prayer group that the spiritual formation of Magnificat began. This is a way the gifts of the Spirit can be stirred and used. It is also a way for us to grow spiritually- to form bonds of friendship and support in our spiritual lives- to learn from one another- and to pray together.

West San  Fernando Valley, CA Magnificat Prayer Meal. Together in praise and worship

Use the gifts God has given to us

Jesus said, "the gift we have received give as a gift."

God has given each of us gifts to use in various ways. We must use them or lose them. See the parable of talents in Mt. 25. "Out of fear I buried them" is very common among us: We need to put away timidity and use them in faith and love- to lead a prayer group, to speak and teach, to pray with others, to give prophetic words, etc. (See 1 Peter 4: 9-11)   We must say yes to the Lord in giving our "loaves and fishes" to Him that He may multiply them and use them for His glory.

My sisters, the parable in Mt.25: 1-13 about the Ten Wise Virgins is a good one for us to reflect upon. When the Lord returns we want to have oil in our lamps and we want our hearts to be inflamed with love in the Holy Spirit. Let us daily pray:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.

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Published by the Apostolate of Prayer

August General Intention: World Youth Day  

That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ.

September General Intentions: Teachers

That all teachers may know how to communicate love of the truth and instill authentic moral and spiritual values.

October General Intention: The Terminally ill  

That the terminally ill may be supported by their faith in God and the love of their brothers and sisters.       

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 By Kathleen Beckman, Ministry Chair  

Kathleen Beckman Leadership Ministry Chair

At the Annunciation scene,  Mary's response to the Angel Gabriel's message was met with "wonderment" (not doubt) expressed in Mary's words, "How can this be?" Many of us who have been called to leadership in a Magnificat Chapter can relate to Mary's sense of "wonderment".

Twenty years have passed since I was invited to be one of the founding members of the Orange Diocese "Queen of Peace" Service Team. Yet, I remain in a state of "wonderment" about being a leader in the ever-growing ministry of Magnificat.   In my visits to many USA and European chapters, I find teams in a state of "wonderment" about the awesome call to make a difference in the local and universal Church through serving in Magnificat.  

We have been called to lead in imitation of Mary who made all the difference in the world by serving the Apostles and disciples, by giving birth to countless spiritual children throughout the ages. Our fiat is a perpetuation of Mary's fiat and it makes a difference in the spiritual realm.     

Judy Zelden

At the 2011 International Leaders Conference in New Orleans, the Central Service Team (CST) responded to the increasing challenges of the ministry by creating "CST Ministries".  As announced, the Leadership team is led by Marilyn Quirk and I, coupled with Judy Zelden and Dr. Carol Razza. Our goal is to provide you with tools to develop  leadership qualities that mirror Mary's role in the Church. We want to provide leadership formation with a Marian character, create a practical resource library or tools to aid you to answer the universal call to holiness so that, in turn, you foster spiritual maternity of souls through the vehicle of Magnificat, a ministry at the service of the universal Church.

Dr. Carol Razza

To that end, over many years, Marilyn Quirk, prompted by the Holy Spirit, has written outlines on leadership that can comprise a leadership  handbook. The rest of the Leadership team seeks to augment Marilyn's work that includes articles on "Servant Leadership", "The Genius of  Woman, and  Authentic Femininity" with a Magnificat Bible Study for Women (Judy Zelden), Magnificat Healing Your Feminine Identity (Dr. Carol Razza) and Magnificat's Eucharistic Vocation, and Discernment of Spirits according to Ignatius, (Kathleen Beckman).   

This is a very exciting time for Magnificat, a time of unprecedented development. Through your fiat to Magnificat you have been called and gifted for such a time as this-a time pregnant with new life. It seems the whole world has become a mission field, starting with our own beloved country that is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. It is with the Virgin Mary that we stand as co-workers in the Lord's vineyard.  Mary is our model of feminine genius and virtuous leadership. As children of the Immaculate Heart we develop expectant faith, selfless charity, a spirit of sacrifice, endless zeal, heavenly wisdom, abundant joy and constant hope.    

Let us pray for one another that we can respond fully to the call to make a difference in the world just as Mary did. May we each develop a spirit of leadership that radiates the character and sanctity of the united Sacred and Immaculate Hearts!  That you feel unworthy and ill equipped for a leadership role is probably the best indication that you are in the Lord's will and not your own. Consider this quote from a book entitled, Virtuous Leadership by Elexandre Havard (Scepter):

 Because leaders must be virtuous to be real leaders, and because virtue is a habit acquired through practice, we say "leaders are not born, they are trained." Leadership is a question of character, not temperament.  

We freely choose to be the kind of men and women we become.  If we choose virtue, we will be men and women of character; if we choose vice, we will lead lives of sin; if we split the difference, as many do, we will be merely mediocre.

In this quote the word "mediocre" convicts many of us;  but it is a word that has absolutely nothing to do with Mary. We need role models, and Mary is our mentor in how to give oneself in totality to the service of God and souls. We contemplate the life of Mary who shows us how to "do whatever He tells you." Let us learn together the way of Marian virtuous leadership and become "other Mary's" impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel.  

Saint Louis de Montfort said, "The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity never took flesh, still our human word 'spouse' is far too weak to express the reality of the relationship between the Immaculata and the Holy Spirit." If Magnificat is called to infuse the world with true Marian character, we must constantly and unreservedly open ourselves to the Person of the Holy Spirit.     

Be not afraid to acknowledge and develop your leadership role in Magnificat following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit who is our divine leader. Leaders know their weaknesses, have humility, and learn from their mistakes. They are utterly dependent upon God. Each time I go to the podium, I have a habit of saying, "Jesus, I can't do this, so you will have to do it please! These folks don't need to hear from me, they need to hear from you!"

In my opinion, Magnificat Virtuous Leadership 101 is simply: Be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led obedient daughters of the Church. By the grace of God we strive to be wise servant leaders alongside Mary who walks with the Church. May Mary's attitude of wonderment and gratitude be ours as we open ourselves fully to her Divine Spouse!   

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The Magnificat Chapters have always been referred to as flowers in Our Lady's garden. A warm, welcome to our three new chapters!

Augusta, Georgia -  Mary, Our Mother Chapter Service Team: Jane Cordell, Coordinator, Betty Gill, Asst. Coordinator and Treasurer, Catherine Kennedy, Secretary, Theresa McNamara Berman, Historian, and Fr. Edward Frank, Spiritual Advisor.

Morgantown, West Virginia -  Our Lady of Grace Chapter Service Team: Pat Higginbotham, Coordinator, Carolyn Miller, Asst. Coordinator, Lynn Marlin, Secretary, Darlene Pallay, Treasurer, Katie Huffman, Historian and Fr. Bekeh Utietiang, Spiritual Advisor.

Indio, California Chapter, This Spanish Chapter has chosen the Marian Name: "Maria Reina de la Paz" - translation: Mary Queen of Peace. Service Team: Gloria Gomez, Coordinator, Claudia Castorena, Asst. Coordinator, Graciela T. Sanchez, Secretary, Amelia Rios, Treasurer, Anna Maria Gonzalez, Historian,  Fr. Mike Barry and Fr. Gerardo Mendoza, Spiritual Advisors. They are the second Chapter to form in the Diocese of San Bernardino, CA, and they completed the Formation Process in a record-breaking 10 months!

Chapters Forming:

Four of our Chapters in Formation are making steady progress: They are Denver, CO, under the leadership of Mary Lou Alexander, Detroit, MI, being led by Ginny Shaffer and Dublin, IRELAND, under the leadership of Patricia Agnes Mitchel.  Aruba, DUTCH WEST INDIES under the able leadership of Cordilia Fun-Jagershoek.

Contact Person Named:

Cindi Schabb has been named our Contact Person for the chapter forming in Portland, ME.

Inquiries:

Inquiries have come from: Parma, Ohio, Washington, D.C., Delta, Province of British Columbia, CANADA, Lehighton, PA, Minneapolis, MN, Rosemont, IL, Visalia, CA, Glendora, NJ, Sioux City, IA.

Fr. Charlie Cortinovis, Washington D.C. Archdiocese and Kathleen Beckman, CST Leadership Team and Western Regional Rep,  prayed for the United States of America in front of the White House. Under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, may the White House and all it represents to America be pleasing to God. Mary, pray for us sinners who have recourse to you. Amen.

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Hello CST,

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BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, OUR CATHOLIC INHERITANCE   

By Puddin Mc Namara, Joal Kuebel, and Jane Duggan  

Our God is a LIVING God! He is continually renewing His people and building His Church, His Mystical Body here on earth! This was our recurring thought as we traced the ever evolving workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of His followers.

Bishop Sam Jacobs, speaking at our International Conference, quoted St. Gregory Nazianzen . "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal. We call it Baptism because sin is buried in the water, gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own, grace because it is given even to the guilty, anointing because it is priestly and royal, enlightenment because it radiates light, clothing because it veils our shame, bath because it washes us clean, seal because it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship." We wonder to ourselves, with all of this abundance, could there possibly be more? And the answer is YES! There IS more!

The Magnificat Ministry wants you to know about the development of the Life in the Spirit Seminar and encourages the use of Magnificat - A Guide for Presenting the Life in the Spirit Seminar."

"One aspect of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is personal sanctification, and the other is empowerment for mission," says, Bishop Sam. In 1967, our own Patti Gallagher Mansfield experienced the powerful presence of God in a way she never felt before at a retreat she was on at Duquesne University. All the students experienced some gift of the Holy Spirit that night on retreat. Word spread to Notre Dame, Ann Arbor...Fr. Cohen S.J. was prayed with and he said, "Nothing happened, but EVERYTHING CHANGED." He was renewed and started the prayer meetings at Loyola University and then in various churches in the area. In 1969, the Bishops of the US, in observing the Charismatic Movement, felt that it had a strong base in Scripture and should be allowed to develop with proper supervision. Participants were claiming to receive certain Charismatic gifts, and had the evidence to prove it.

Marilyn Heap was asked by the Charismatic Renewal in

Marilyn Heap, Treasurer, CST

New Orleans in the late '70's to give the Life in the Spirit Seminar to several Catholic women groups in New Orleans, and began to realize the need to bring in more of a Catholic dimension. In the meantime, the community in Ann Arbor published a Catholic Edition of the LSS.

In 1981, Marilyn Quirk said YES to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and MAGNIFICAT was born!  What a tremendous grace for Catholic women!  Eventually, the first Service Team of the Mother Chapter in Metairie, LA, felt it was time to begin offering the LSS Seminar. Some had difficulty committing to the 7 week format, so Marilyn Heap adapted it to be given in two days.

Marilyn Heap says,  Magnificat -  A Guide for Presenting the Life in The Spirit Seminar is an adaptation of the original Team Manual for the Life in the Spirit Seminars, which is the fruit of the pastoral leaders of the Word of God Community in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1971. The original community in Ann Arbor began to realize that if a person had not been properly prepared by teaching and sharing, problems would arise. It was not a one time experience, but a doorway to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit into a LIFE in the Spirit. Their explanation and instruction became the parents of the LSS. The original manual was edited by Stephen Clark." Marilyn also said, "The purpose of Magnificat - A Guide for Presenting the LSS is to be exactly that, especially for those with little or no experience in preparing talks for presentation to a group. Hopefully, the simple outline format, with visual aids and directions for starting and administering the seminar, will provide the courage to embark on leading the seminar and the confidence needed for giving the talks." The CST recommends each chapter sponsor a LSS at least once a year.

Those of us on the Metairie Chapter LSS team have found bringing the basic Gospel messages including the Sacramental Life of the Church, has been very helpful to lukewarm Catholics, and to those who were baptized Catholic but had never practiced their faith. The Holy Spirit rekindles their love and ours for the Holy Eucharist, our Blessed Mother, the Rosary, and devotion to the Saints.

Cardinal Suenens, who had been the Pope's liaison for the Charismatic Renewal, has said,"It is a movement like no other, having no founder...he called it a current of grace that the Lord Himself is bestowing..."  Pope John Paul II has said, "We are called to be saints and missionaries."  We need to encounter the living God in order to witness to Him. The Life in the Spirit Seminar has been given to us as an excellent way to nurture that call, the universal call to love God and to love one another.

Let us go out to all the world & tell the good news!

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Beloved son of God, Beloved son of Mary, Crusader of the Holy Spirit!

By Pat Turbitt, Coordinator  

Fr. John's great desire was to make Our Blessed Mother Mary and the Holy Spirit known to the world.  During these last two difficult years battling cancer,  Fr. John often said, "If the Lord heals me, I will spend the rest of my life being a crusader for the Holy Spirit."

Forty one years ago, my husband Don and I were blessed to be prayed over for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Fr. John Randall. His life has been a powerful witness to us and to many others of the role of the Holy Spirit in our times and in the Church.

Because of the Communion of Saints, we definitely experience his presence, his guidance, and even his answers to our prayers. His wake and funeral Mass were such  beautiful, honorable, and holy tributes to our beloved Fr. John.  Fifty-two priests, five bishops, and two Deacons were present on the altar celebrating his entry into his eternal home. The praise and worship and standing ovation for him were absolutely glorious!  It filled us with such hope and assurance of our own destinies.

The evening before the funeral Mass his body had been placed in an open coffin at the foot of the altar at St. Charles Borromeo Church, Wonsocket, Rhode Island  where he faithfully served for over twenty years. The church was packed.  Before Mass began, many people came forward to pay their last respects and to take pictures of him. My husband and I personally saw the results of two of those pictures. One of them revealed a very clear and well defined image of the Holy Spirit as a beautiful white dove with His wings fully spread across the lower half of Fr. John's body. The second picture was of a large, pure white "host" just above his chest. He loved saying Mass and he loved the Holy Spirit. He often told us that the first time he said Mass after being baptized in the Holy Spirit, he experienced Christ on the altar in such a powerful way that it profoundly impacted his entire priesthood.

My husband and I had the great privilege of being at his side as he was dying. His sister, Sr. Mary Randall, S.J.,  was also present as well as three of his close friends. We were all praying the rosary around him as he was approaching death.

The fruit of his passing and answers to so many prayers is becoming more and more evident. One faithful member of his prayer group had been praying for years for her son to return to the Church. She prayed to Fr .John right after he passed and within a week her son came to her and told her that he had gone to confession for the first time in many, many, years. Praise God!

Fr. John frequently said that he wanted to die with his "boots on" and that is exactly what he did. June 11 he came to our Pentecost Retreat Day celebration and powerfully spoke on the Holy Spirit and the Church. He publically said, "This is the best Pentecost of my life."

We are deeply saddened by his passing, but we rejoice that at last he is safely home. We continue to ask his intercession for us and are expecting more and more answers to prayers.

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From Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.

This summer, we have had a few changes in personnel in  

(l-r) Patricia McKinney, Sr. Paulette Paile O.P.

our Magnificat office. Our beloved Patricia McKinney and Sr. Paulette Paille O.P. have retired. They have both served this ministry well over the past nine years. We will miss them very much. The service they have rendered has reflected this Gospel passage from John 15:8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. They were very faithful in all their tasks and carried us through many seasons in the ministry.

(f) Carolyn Bonck (b) Jane Margavio

The Lord has blessed us with a lovely woman named Carolyn Bonck to replace Sister and Patricia.   Carolyn, a New Orleans native and graduate of the University of New Orleans, comes to us with 30 years of office management experience including 20 years of computer programming and working with software applications. She is trained in Microsoft Programs through the advanced levels and is thrilled to be working in a Christian environment. We welcome you Carolyn!

We give thanks for Jane Margavio and her continued service to the Ministry.  She is a multi-tasker and multi-talented person. Jane is an extremely faithful servant to Magnificat and we are indeed blessed to have her with us.    

Beryl Kinney

We have had a very loyal Regional Rep/Advisor retire this summer.  Beryl Kinney, from Rochester, N.Y. started as the Coordinator of the Rochester Chapter and then became Regional Rep/Advisor for Region 7, The Northeast and Canada in 1998. Beryl is an awesome evangelizer, in season and out of season! Her warm, friendly, smile attracts many people to Beryl, and God uses her to draw many souls into the Kingdom. We thank Beryl for her Spirit-filled years of service in the garden of Magnificat and ask God to bless her abundantly in her retirement.

Angela Rizzo

We welcome Angela Rizzo, who is presently Coordinator of the Rockville Centre Magnificat Chapter in New York. Angela will now be a Regional Rep/Advisor, replacing Beryl Kinney. We are happy she will be representing Magnificat in her Region and pray many blessings on Angela as her ministry begins to grow in a new direction. Welcome Angela to the team!

We congratulate Mary Harper, the founding Coordinator of the

Mary Harper

Lincoln, NE Chapter for her 16 years of faithful service. She has been coordinator since 1996 and was inspired to start the Morningstar Chapter after watching a program she saw on EWTN. She was the last original member of their Service Team and has truly been a servant leader. We thank Mary for her vigilance in Our Lady's ministry and ask God to bless her abundantly in her retirement.

We wish our old and new friends God's choicest blessings as they continue to journey with the Lord.