"... And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manager."   (Luke 2:12)

He had been on the road for a little over an hour when something started to happen to his little Mazda car. The lights kept getting dimmer and dimmer. Suddenly they went out and the car stopped. All attempts to start it again failed. He still had a long drive ahead of him. It was the evening of Christmas day and he had not seen a car or a human being since he left Dublin. His old aunt had died the day before and was to be buried the next day. Her nephew, the priest, would celebrate her funeral Mass.

He was stranded on the side of the road at nine o'clock on Christmas night. By the light of the Christmas moon he saw a cottage on the far side of the road directly across from where he was parked. There was a light burning in the window. This was long before the age of the cell phone, so he decided to ask the people in the house for the use of their phone. He went through a little white wooden gate, up the path, and knocked on the door. After a moment, a young man with a beard opened the door. Looking past him into the house, the priest saw a young woman with a baby in her arms. She was holding the baby close to her cheek. She smiled at the priest who was telling the man what had happened. He asked if they had a phone. The man replied very gently, "No we don't have a phone, but if you walk back to the town there is a man with a bicycle shop. He will let you use his phone. You can't miss the house it is next to the supermarket. He will not mind if you wait there until someone comes to pick you up." The priest thanked the couple and wished them a Happy Christmas. "Will the car be alright there he asked the man?" "Oh yes, I'll see to that", he replied. On that bright moonlit night the priest walked back to town to look for the bicycle shop. He was distracted by his encounter with the couple and their baby, and by the strange aroma in the house. It was not an Irish smell. For some reason it reminded him of his recent visit to the Holy Land and why was the house only lit by candles?

The owner of the bicycle shop opened the door, and the priest told him about his predicament and what happened to his car. "Would you mind if I used your phone to call my nephew to come and pick me up?" he asked. The nephew promised he would be there within the hour. The bicycle-man's wife offered him tea and Christmas cake which he gladly accepted. She talked about the weather and how Christmas was so quiet this year, and how the price of everything seemed to be increasing all the time. She told him how their daughter phoned them from Australia, and how she had spent part of Christmas day at the beach. There were many families around here that had someone out foreign (overseas). "Sure Father, you must be exhausted after all your preparations 'for the Christmas'." The priest sighed in agreement. The woman talked while her husband peacefully smoked his pipe enjoying the warmth of the turf fire on his feet.

The nephew arrived within the hour. They said goodbye to the bicycle-man and his wife, and wished them a Happy Christmas once more. They stopped at the priest's stricken vehicle to discover that the fan belt was missing. They would return to take the car the next day.

When the funeral was over, they went with a local mechanic to fetch the car. Having had the repair work done, the priest turned to pay a visit to the young family across the road. As he headed for the little white gate, he could not find it. There was only the hedge row, and beyond it an open field. There was no house in sight.

On the return journey the nephew spoke incessantly. The priest never uttered a word. It was the Feast of the Holy Family.

Magnificat Meals

Through the testimonies at over 250 prayer meals this year alone, Magnificat continues to proclaim the greatness of the Lord to over 25,000 women at 77 Chapters around the globe with the oversight and support of the Central Service Team (CST).

We're growing!  With the help of the CST, many new Chapters are forming in places like Ireland, Aruba, Washington DC, Morgantown (WV), Portland (OR), Detroit, Denver, Phoenix, and Jamaica making it possible to bring the transforming power of the Lord to more women all over the world through Magnificat.

Magnificat Proclaims

While the Chapter meals serve thousands of women yearly, the Lord is opening the doors for the Magnificat CST to bring the Good News to millions of women, where no Chapter exists, through other communication platforms such as the "Magnificat Proclaims" Radio, TV and Book Series. Your prayers and contributions are needed to advance and support these exciting projects!

* Radio - Magnificat evangelizes millions of women through EWTN Radio. Look for it under the title "Top of the Week" which airs on some Sundays 10:00 am & 10 pm EST.  Check your local listing for details. "I cry every time the testimonies begin." reports one listener.   Thirty-five testimonies have been aired in over 80 countries worldwide .

* Book - The first book featuring a collection of Magnificat testimonies is in development.

* Television - In June, 2011, a TV pilot was produced for a possible series.  It featured Elyse O'Kane (Southeast Regional Team) giving her testimony & Donna Ross (CST Member) as host.    

Online Donations

Mary's Magnificat garden continues to grow, but it needs sunshine (your prayers), tilling (volunteers), and water (financial support).  To make supporting Magnificat easier, it is now possible to DONATE ONLINE using a credit/debit card. Just click on the "DONATE " link in the Newsletter or the navigation bar on the Magnificat Website at www.Magnificat-Ministry.org.  This Paypal payment service is secure and, as always, will respect your privacy.  There are options to donate one-time or to make a bigger impact with an ongoing commitment.  

This Christmas, please support Magnificat's Mission to proclaim the greatness of the Lord across the globe - Contribute Today and Make A Difference!

 Touch the Lives of Women Around the World!  

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Our Lady of the Lakes chapter is located in northern Minnesota in the Diocese of Duluth  Approximately two years ago, our new bishop, Most Reverend Paul Sirba, was installed.  He graciously accepted our invitation to speak to our Magnificat and to share his testimony with us. 

We began the morning with prayer, as we always do.  One of our team, Lorri Henning, was given a very special vision early in the morning which she shared with us during prayer.  It inspired all of us and  we  felt that it needed to be shared .  Lorri told us that years ago, she was a big fan of Elvis Presley.  Elvis had a hit record titled "Puppet on a String."  The night before our Magnificat breakfast, Lorri was dreaming and heard the words to the song.  When she awakened, she saw a white dove, which she knew was the Holy Spirit, hovering above our service team who appeared as puppets.  The dove had control of the strings on the puppets.  On her way to the Magnificat breakfast, Lorri turned on her radio and to her surprise, Elvis' "Puppet on a String" was playing!  Rosemary Ellis, our Regional Rep, asked to hear the words of the song.  All of us were amazed when Cathy Behrens, our music ministry leader, found them for us.  A portion of them follows:

"I become a puppet on a string.  You can do most anything to me.  All you do is touch my hand and your wish is my command.  I become a puppet on a string.  ...

Take my heart and please be fair. Handle it with loving care, for I'm just a puppet on a  string. You can do most anything to me."

We all felt that this was a special loving word from our beloved Holy Spirit reminding us to always yield to Him.

After prayer, we went into the dining room which was beautifully decorated and  were greeted by the glorious and anointed music of Cathy, her daughter and members of the Sacred Heart choir.  The room was filled with people, many attending Magnificat for the first time.  Betty Garoutte, our coordinator, introduced  Bishop Paul Sirba with a Scripture saying that God had given us a shepherd after His own heart.  We soon came to know the truth of the Scripture she had chosen.

Bishop Sirba, began by telling us the importance of our prayers and intercession for him as he shared that the week prior to the Magnificat, he had been walking near his home and encountered a large black bear!  He fled to a neighbor's house.  The neighbor informed

Darryle Carlson, Fr. George Zeck, Lorri Henning, Betty Garoutte, Bishop Paul Sirba, Rosemary Ellis, Jean Bauerly, Mary Rients

Bishop Sirba that the bear lives in the neighborhood and that she, too, had encountered it. 

Bishop Sirba's testimony and teaching was rooted in Christ, animated by the Holy Spirit, based on the teaching of the Church and the sacraments.  He spoke of the Eucharist and the presence of the fullness of God at each Mass.  He grieved over how many in the body of believers do not believe in the Real Presence. 

Bishop Sirba, whose motto is "fiat voluntas tua" or Thy will be done, shared about his call to the priesthood.  He also spoke about the call he received to become bishop of the Duluth diocese.  When he received the call from the Vatican, he asked the caller if he had the correct Father Sirba because his older brother is also a priest in the Duluth diocese.  The caller assured him that they had the correct brother.   Bishop Sirba said that from the beginning of his episcopate, he felt the grace of the Holy Spirit guiding him and that the prayers and support of his people sustain and strengthen him.  He emphasized that he was not operating on his own strength, but that it was the Body of Christ working together which makes his ministry possible. 

Upon completion of his testimony, Rosemary Ellis shared a Scripture from Zechariah 3:5 regarding Joshua's investiture as high priest..  "Take off his dirty clothes and clothe him in the splendid robes of state, and put a clean turban on his head.  They clothed him in splendid robes of state and put a clean turban on his head.  The angel of  the Lord was standing there and said to him, "Look, I have taken away your iniquity from you.  The angel of the Lord then proclaimed to Joshua, 'The Lord Sabaoth says this:  "If you walk in my ways and keep my ordinances,  you shall govern my house, you shall watch over my courts, and I will give you free access among those who stand here."