From the Friars: Where are the Other Nine? One of the first things that most mothers will teach their children is to say thank you. It is a fundamental act of justice to acknowledge a gift or favor from another and express gratitude. This is rooted in the life of God Himself where the Second…
On October 7, 1571 a greatly outnumbered Christian fleet defeated the naval forces of the Ottoman Empire, effectively saving Christian Europe from imminent invasion by the Turkish Muslims. Prior to the battle, Pope St. Pius V, himself a Dominican friar, had called for all the faithful to pray the Rosary, asking Our Lady’s powerful intercession…
From the Friars: Lord Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace The Prayer of St. Francis was a constant companion throughout my college years. It spoke to me. It became my constant desire and my Rule of Life, especially since I needed order in my life during those years! I have always seen St. Francis…
All are invited to join us for the celebration the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from this world into Heaven at 7pm on Monday, October 3, 2022 at Holy Rosary Shrine. This traditional ceremony is not a Mass but a recalling of the life and death of our founder with drama, readings and songs.…
From the Friars: Woe to the Complacent So says the prophet Amos in the first reading today, and this is the gist of the message of Jesus in his parable about the rich man and Lazarus. One definition of complacent is “showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.” The rich man is…
From the Friars: The One Mediator Our Protestant brothers and sisters often accuse Catholics of disobeying the Bible by praying to Our Blessed Mother or to the Saints. They will especially quote St. Paul from today’s second reading where he says, “There is one mediator between God and Men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1Tm2:5) This…
From the Friars: Patriotism Is a Virtue It is the filial piety one holds in one’s heart toward one’s country, as a loyal son or daughter. The Latin word for “father” is pater, and the Latin word for “country” is patria, or the “fatherland.” The United States observes Patriot Day today (September 11th), in remembrance…
From the Friars: Calculating the Cost Before I was a friar I worked in construction and sometimes I had to do cost estimating. It is a challenge to consider all the factors necessary to complete a project. This very week there are several contractors who are working on bids for the new friary/office building for…
One Saturday night years ago I went out to a bar for a good time in Belmar, NJ. It was a place not unlike the one that sometimes keeps me up at night these days. This is God’s sense of humor. But this particular night I finally hit bottom after many years of living a…
From the Friars: The Lowest Place Francesco Bernadone was a very ambitious man. He was rich, popular, and longed for greatness in the eyes of the world. His goal was to earn knighthood by heroism in battle, which was the only way to become a knight in those days if you were not of the…