Blessed Mother,
Saint Augustine, the bright light of doctors, contemplated you,
and you appeared to him so fair and beautiful,
that he called you the countenance of God,
and it did not seem to him adulation.
Your devout son Albert the Great contemplated you,
and to him it seemed that all the graces and gifts
November 10, 2019
November 9, 2019
I live alone, dear Lord.
Stay by my side,
in all my daily needs be my guide.
Grant me good health,
for that indeed, I pray,
to carry on my work from day to day.
Keep pure my heart, my thought, my every deed,
let me be kind and unselfish in my neighbor's need.
Spare me from fire, from flood, malicious tongues,
November 8, 2019
Almighty God, I thank You for your past blessings.
Today I offer myself - whatever I do, say, or think -
to Your loving care.
Continue to bless me, Lord.
I make this morning offering in union
with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ
who offers himself daily in the holy sacrifice of the Mass,
and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother,
November 7, 2019
As we near the end of this Year,
when you, O Mother, have offered us Jesus anew,
the blessed fruit of your womb most pure,
the Word made flesh, the world's Redeemer,
we hear more clearly the sweet echo of his words
entrusting us to you, making you our Mother:
When he entrusted to you the Apostle John,
November 6, 2019
Situated close to the center of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Fatima House is operated by the Birmingham Archdiocese and the Columban Fathers and offers shelter for women asylum seekers.
November 6, 2019
O Mother, you know the sufferings
and hopes of the Church and the world:
come to the aid of your children in the daily trials
which life brings to each one,
and grant that, thanks to the efforts of all,
the darkness will not prevail over the light.
To you, Dawn of Salvation, we commit
our journey through the new Millennium,
so that with you as guide
November 5, 2019
O Mary, more beautiful than all creatures,
lovely after Jesus above all loves,
more dear than all created things,
gracious above every grace,
pity this miserable heart of mine;
miserable because it does not love you;
and it ought to love you.
Inflame my heart with your holy love.
Turn, O Mary, your loving eyes upon me;
November 4, 2019
It was a great privilege to have had the opportunity to visit Myanmar (formerly Burma) this year. As a Columban missionary it is a country that has always fascinated me. Due to the tensions between Pakistan and India because of the incursion into Pakistan territory by India, I was forced to reroute my flight from Karachi to Dubai and then on to Bangkok and finally to Mandalay, Myanmar.
November 4, 2019
Almighty God, You have generously made known to human beings
the mysteries of Your life
through Jesus Christ Your Son in the Holy Spirit.
Enlighten my mind to know these mysteries
which Your Church treasures and teaches.
Move my heart to love them
and my will to live according to them.
Give me the ability to teach this Faith to others without pride,
November 3, 2019
Eternal God,
Bless Your Church with holy and faithful priests,
deacons, brothers and sisters.
Give those You have called to the married state
and those You have chosen to live as single persons in the world,
the special graces that their lives require.
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.