Feast of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr
The Fifth Day of Christmas – Feast of St. Thomas Becket, Martyr
St. Thomas Becket is the OTHER St. Thomas, martyred for the Catholic Faith in England by a king named Henry over matters of Church governance.
Thomas was born in London on the 21st of December in either 1117 or 1118 to Gilbert Becket and Matilda Roheise. His parents were buried in Old St. Paul's Cathedral.
When Thomas was 10 he learned to read at the Merton Priory in England and then traveled to the Mainland for further studies of canon and civil law in Paris, Bologna and Auxerre.
After his studies were concluded he returned to England around 1141 where he gained the attention of Theobold, Archbishop of Canterbury who sent him on several missions to Rome and ordained him a deacon in 1154. Soon after he was named Archdeacon of Canterbury.
About this same time King Stephen died leaving Henry the II as the new king. At Archbishop Theobold's urging, King Henry named Thomas the Lord High Chancellor of England. Thomas and King Henry were close friends and both spent a good deal of time “living it up.”
Thomas was so zealous in carrying out his duties as chancellor that many of the English clergy distrusted him. His loyalty to Henry, a Norman, was also seen by some as treachery since Thomas was a Saxon and should have been protecting the Saxons from the reaching of the Norman king.
When Archbishop Theobold died in 1161, King Henry thought that naming Thomas the new Archbishop of Canterbury would solidify his position as sole head of England; something that had long been opposed by Archbishop Theobold.
Thomas warned the King that if he were to become the Archbishop, he would do his duty as zealously for the Church as he had as chancellor for England. The King insisted, even obtaining a dispensation from the Pope for Thomas to hold both positions. In 1162 Thomas was named Archbishop of Canterbury and immediately the conflicts that he had warned King Henry about began.
He resigned as Chancellor, excommunicated one of the nobles, successfully opposed a new land tax by the king and within two years fled to France in exile after more fighting with the king over the Constitutions of Clarendon which were an attempt by the king to clearly define the various spheres of authority between church and state.
King Louis VII of France welcomed Thomas and let him stay at the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny for two years until threats by King Henry forced him to move. During this time, Thomas was in constant contact with Pope Alexander III who sympathized but wanted to try a more diplomatic approach to resolving the crisis than Thomas.
In 1166 the pope granted Thomas permission to take what measures he saw fit to try and bring the matter to a close. Thomas immediately excommunicated several of the king's councellors. In 1167 the pope appointed arbiters to try and peacefully resolve the authority disputes but Thomas refused to compromise. In 1169 Thomas excommunicated two bishops loyal to King Henry. In 1170 King Henry had himself crowned king by the Archbishop of York and the pope threatened to excommunicate all of Britain unless the king agreed to work out a compromise with Thomas.
Thomas returned to England in November of 1170 and immediately declared the Constitutions of Clarendon null and void. Henry, in a rage said “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” or similar words and four of his knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton, taking this as a clear command from the king, murdered Thomas during vespers in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29th, 1170.
Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173. On July 12th, 1174, in an attempt to calm a revolt, King Henry II did public penance at Thomas' tomb.
In 1538, three years after having St. Thomas More beheaded for opposing the rule of the Catholic Church by the king, King Henry VIII had the shrine of St. Thomas Becket destroyed in an act of vengeance. He also had Thomas' relics destroyed and any mention of his name obliterated.

Here’s St. Cyril of Alexandria:
Therefore He became like us, that is, a human being,
that we might become like Him, I mean gods and sons.
On the one hand He accepts what belongs to us, taking it to Himself as His own, and on the other He gives us in exchange what belongs to Him.

What are the Twelve Days of Christmas?

The twelve days of Christmas, also called Christmastide, start on the evening of Christmas Day and end on the morning of Epiphany (January 6th).
The Feast of Epiphany appears to have been established very early in the Church with St. Clement of Alexandria mentioning its celebration on January 6th in the third century.
While the date of Christmas moved many times in the early Church, by the 300's all calendars in the Western Church marked the date as December 25th.
During the Middle Ages the twelve days of Christmas were considered a time for celebration culminating with Twelfth Night which became the subject of one of Shakespeare's plays.
In the United States it appears that the custom of making Christmas wreaths developed with the wreath being made on Christmas Day and then hung on the front door until Epiphany.
The various feasts celebrated during the Twelve Days of Christmas include:
Christmas (December 25th)
St. Stephen (December 26th) - celebrated in the UK as Boxing Day.
St. John the Evangelist (December 27th)
Holy Innocents (December 28th)
St. Thomas Beckett (December 29th)
Holy Family (December 30th)
St. Sylvester (December 31st)
Solemnity of Mary (January 1st) - formerly the Feast of the Circumcision
St. Basil (January 2nd)
Holy Name of Jesus (January 3rd)
St. Elizabeth Anne Seton (January 4th) - in the United States
St. John Neumann (January 5th) - in the United States
Epiphany (January 6th) - moved to the nearest Sunday in some countries
It is traditionally considered bad luck to take down your ornaments and tree after Epiphany but you can avoid any such problems by keeping your ornaments and tree up until the following Christmas. You may end up experiencing the Johnny Cash spoof "Burning Tree of Fire" if you do, though.

Website

Dear Kingman Readers,
My sister is visiting me for Christmas. She is going to make some changes to the parish website.
I need your recommendations to make the site better.
Send me an e-mail at frweldon@stpatskingman.org
Here is a link to the work she has done so far.
http://stpats.web.aplus.net/

Abundant Life

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Why did God do this? The answer to this question is very simple. We read it in John 10:10
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

What does it mean to have abundant life?
St. Paul compares two types of lives in his letter to the Galatians.
The first is the life of the flesh.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality,
impurity,
licentiousness,
idolatry,
sorcery,
hatreds,
rivalry,
jealousy,
outbursts of fury,
acts of selfishness,
dissensions,
factions,
occasions of envy,
drinking bouts,
orgies,

The second is the life of the spirit.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
generosity,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.

Compare these two types of lives. Which is the life that you prefer?
Jesus came to give us the life of the Spirit. As we celebrate this Christmas our true joy will only be found in the gift of the Spirit.

Here is a nice article if you have time to read it.

http://www.catholicexchange.com/en/node/64129

Don't forget to feed your soul as well as your body.

Parish offices

The parish offices have been moved out of the rectory and into the convent.
when you call 532-5440 the phone will ring in the convent.

Elaine is in the office from 8:00 - 4:00 each day.
She often attends morning Mass.
On Fridays she leaves at around 3:00.

If you want something in the bulletin you need to tell her by 4:00 on Wednesday.

Faith

The virtue of faith allows the intellect to recognize truths that are beyond our natural power. We receive information from the senses. These things are put into the mind and we think about them. Birds, music, the cold air, trees and everything else that we percieve comes from the senses. There are truths which are beyond our nature. Faith is given to us so that we can go beyond the limitations of our senses. It as if a bird is trapped in a glass house. It keeps running into the wall. Our mind is confined by the senses. Faith opens up the glass ceiling so that mind can assent to the truth about God.

The object of faith is God.
The material object of faith is the revelation of God.
Practically, we place our faith in God as he reveals himself through the Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church.
God revealed himself in many ways throughout the Old Testament.
He revealed himself fully in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father. 1 John 1:1-4

Theological Virtues

The three theological virtues are faith, hope and love. These virtues are infused as opposed to acquired virtues which we gain by practice. A person receives these virtues at baptism as part of the gift of sanctifying grace. When we reach the age of reason then we must begin to act upon these virtues. So, having received the gift of faith, a person then makes an act of faith.
It is similar to a natural talent that a person is born with. Perhaps a child has a musical talent. At the appropriate time the child must practice and put that talent into action.
Perhaps I was supposed to be great guitarist, but I watched several thousand hours of television as a child instead of practicing. That talent has gone to waste.
In baptism we have been given the gifts of faith, hope, and love. If these are not put into action then they we lose them.

Here is a link to more information about the Golden Comapass.
Is this important to anybody?

http://newshub.cnslis.com/2007/12/10/usccb-withdraws-review-of-the-golden-compass/

Movie

Regarding the Golden Compass:
I have not read the books. I need to read them. It seems that the 3rd volume is extremely antogonistic to the faith. I have only read quotes. I'll have to get back to you on this.

Movie

I saw the movie Bella last week. It was very good. It is a story about friendship and overcoming fear. It is playing in Wichita at the 13th street Warren. I highly recommend it to high school age and up.

St. Therese of Lisieux says:
"Lord, send me a humiliation every time I set my self above another person."
This prayer is only for the strong of heart.

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

Golden Compass

BE INFORMED THE GOLDEN COMPASS, a new movie targeted at children, will bereleased December 7, 2007.
This movie is based on a the first book of atrilogy by atheist Philip Pullman.
In the final book a boy and girl killGod so they can do as they please.
Pullman left little doubt about hisintentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "My books are aboutkilling God."
The movie is a watered down version of the first book and isdesigned to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents willtake their children to see the movie and that the children will wantthe books for Christmas.
The movie has a well known cast, including Nicole Kidman, KevinBacon, and Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid thismovie.
You can research this for yourself.
Start with this article on Snopes.com, then go to Google.

Dreams

I am having strange dreams. I think they are related to our building project. Tuesday night I was riding a motorcycle very fast and having a good time and then I realized I don't know how to ride a motorcycle at high speed.

Wednesday night: I am at a restaurant filled with kids. They are all on the lower level, and I am on a type of balcony overlooking them. As I walk along it suddenly becomes very narrow as if I am walking across a balance beam. I have to be careful so as not to fall on the kids below.

Am I crazy?

I believe in God.

There are implications to our belief in God.
1. It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty. As rational creatures we should come to know our creator.
2. It means living in thanksgiving. Everything comes from God. Our existence and all that we have is a free gift from God. The natural response is to give thanks.
3. It means recognizing the dignity and unity of all people. Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God. We should honor and respect the life of each person.
4. It means making good use of created things. God gave us the world for our own good. We should the things of creation in ways that will sustain us. the earth is fruitful. It should not be destroyed.

Things Catholics should know

The third commandment is: Keep Holy the Lord's Day.

Every Christian expresses his love for God by keeping the Lord's Day Holy.
It is a mortal sin not to attend mass on Sunday. Those who choose not to attend mass on Sunday should not receive Holy Communion until they have confessed this sin in the sacrament of reconciliation.

A person can miss Sunday mass if he is sick or taking care of a sick person (especially a child).
Attending a sporting event, hunting, or a rodeo are not good reasons to miss mass.

Each Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection gives us victory over sin and death. Giving an hour of prayer and adoration to God is the least we can do for all that he has done for us. Even if the priest is boring, the music is poor, or the child in front of you is noisy, you still receive grace for making the effort.

The commitment to attend mass every Sunday flows from a persons faith. Sunday Mass should be a rule for our lives, like being faithful to our spouse.

Things every Catholic should know

What is a genflection?
Genuflection means literally, to bend the knee. When we enter a Catholic Church we genuflect, putting the right knee to ground, before we enter the pew.

Why do we genuflect?
We genuflect as an act of adoration to Jesus, who is present in the Eucharist in the tabernacle. Philippians 2:10 says that every knee will bend at the name of Jesus. We bend our knee to the ground out of reverence and love to Jesus.
We do not genuflect to the cross or any statue.

O my God, teach me to be generous:
to serve you as you deserve to be served;
to give without counting the cost;
to fight without fear of being wounded;
to work without seeking rest;
and to spend myself without expecting any reward,
but the knowledge that I am doing your holy will.
St. Ignatius of Loyola

Here is the second reading for December 2.
These are good words for all of us to follow.

Romans 13:11-14
Brothers and sisters:You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darknessand put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,not in orgies and drunkenness,not in promiscuity and lust,not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Here is a list all the priests that have served at St. Patrick.
Please remember them in your prayers.
Pastors of St. Patrick Parish
1885-1887 James J O’Connor
1887 G. M. Kelley
1888 John Begley
1888 M. J. Walsh
No resident pastor. Pastoral care
provided by the following:
John Begley
John McGee
P. J. McCullough
Jeremiah Lenehan
P. J. Nagle
P. J. Maloney
Wm. L. Rice
A.H. Walsh
1919-1936 Wm. Chawke
1936-1950 Patrick J. O’Leary
1950-1961 Edward J. Albers
1961-1967 Quinton J. Malone
1967-1973 Sean O’Shea
1973-1984 Patrick Larkin
1984 Steve Scheier
1984-1986 Paul Oborny
1986-1998 John Reinkemeyer
1998-2002 Daryl Befort
2002-2005 Joseph C. Tatro
2005 James F. Weldon

Assistants
David O’Leary Charles Regan
John Faust Leroy Linnebur
John Reinkemeyer Donald Hanley
Philip J. Allen Eugene Grabner
Gerald Rowan Joseph Donohoe

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent.
Do you have an Advent Wreath?
Do you have an Advent Calendar?
Do you have a plan for daily prayer?
When are you going to confession?
A little fasting and abstinence will help you enjoy the Christmas season even more.
Remember, Christmas starts on December 25 and ends on January 6.
In order to receive God's gifts we must have the proper disposition. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will empty us out and dispose our hearts to receive God's presence more fully.

Today's second reading is very powerful. From it we learn who Christ is, what he did for us, and the nature of the Church. I read it every week. Take some time to meditate on it.

Col 1:12-20Brothers and sisters:Let us give thanks to the Father,
who has made you fit to sharein the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross through him,
whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Mark Your Calendar

Sunday, December 2, 2007

The Facility Committee Informational Meetings will be held at the School Gymnasium after the 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Masses.

Building plans will be unveiled!

Come check them out and receive additional information.

This coming Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King.

Below is the preface for the Mass. It is very beautiful and will help you appreceiate what it means to live in his kingdom.

You anointed Jesus Christ, your only Son, with the oil of gladness, as the eternal priest and universal king.

As priest he offered his life on the altar of the cross and redeemed the human race by this one perfect sacrifice of peace.

As king he claims dominion over all creation,

that he may present to you, his almighty Father,

an eternal and universal kingdom:

a kingdom of truth and life,

a kingdom of holiness and grace,

a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.

And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise.

To pass through toil and sweat, and to arrive at a good end, namely life, is sufficient solace to those who undergo these struggles.
Sailors can make light of storms in the hope of reaching harbor.
Soldiers can make light of wounds in the hope of victory.
Much more should the Christian laugh in the face of this worlds pains and sufferings,
since he looks forward to heaven, which Christ promised to those who persevere.

I just finished my Friday morning Holy Hour. It is such a great time to pray. My mind is silent and I can be a lot more receptive before the Lord.
I'm sorry for not posting for a while. This blog thing is not my #1 priority. I do enjoy putting my thoughts out there in the world. I hope somebody will read this stuff. When I read other blogs I often think it is a bit bold to presume that others would want to read my thoughts about reality. I try to quote liberally from the saints and scripture. That way you can be sure that these thoughts are more than my own.

Sorrow for sin

Three things ought to turn us away from the sin of pride.
1. it disorders a person towards God.
2. it disorders a person towards other people.
3. it dis orders a person towards himself.

Mark 4:19

Today is the Feast of a Church: St. John Lateran. This Church is the cathedral of Rome. The palace that is attached to the Church was the residence of the popes from the 4th century until 1307 when the popes moved to Avignon, France.

Following is the preface for the dedication of a church. It is very beautiful and nourishing to the soul who meditates upon it.

We thank you for this house of prayer

in which you bless your family

as we come to you on our pilgrimage.

Here you reveal your presence by sacramental signs,

and make us one with you through the unseen bond of grace.

Here you build your temple of living stones,

and bring the Church to its full stature as the body of Christ throughout the world,

to reach its perfection at last in the heavenly Jerusalem,

which is the vision of your peace.

In communion with all the angels and saints

we bless and praise your greatness in the temple of your glory.

The Church is the body of Christ. We nourished from his riches which he never fails to pour out upon the Church.

St. Thomas says

" It belongs to perseverance to persevere to the end of the virtuous work, for instance that a soldier persevere to the end of the fight, and the magnificent man until his work be accomplished. There are, however, some virtues whose acts must endure throughout the whole of life, such as faith, hope and charity, since they regard the last end of the entire life of man."

Only the person who perseveres can achieve great things. The greatest thing is eternal life. To achieve eternal life requires the greatest amount of perseverance.

Happy All Souls Day.
It is good to remember that we are not perfect, and that in heaven we will be. Therefore it is necessary for our imperfections to be purified. We must be tested in fire so that only that which is configured to Christ remains. Thank God for the merciful gift of purgatory.

The Preface of All Saints is especially beautiful. As a priest I was able to say it 3 times yesterday. I'm sure the average person in the pews doesn't hear it very clearly. Here it is for you to meditate upon.

Today we keep the festival of your holy city,
the heavenly Jerusalem, our mother.
Around your throne the saints, our brothers and sisters, sing your praise forever.
Their glory fills us with joy,
and their communion with us in your Church gives us inspiration and strength
as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith, eager to meet them.
With their great company and all the angels we praise your glory as we cry out with one voice.

This would be great to read each day to remind us that we are marching off to battle in a great army under a great King.

Happy All Saints Day!

Heaven is the communion of the blessed. Nothing is more important than going to heaven. Every other kingdom will pass away, but only God's kingdom will endure. As we wander through the world searching for happiness do not forget that the only happiness which will can both satisfy and endure is the happiness of the vision of God in heaven.

peace

A found this great quote yesterday from St. Thomas Aquinas.

"Humilty orders your relationship with God.
Justice orders your relationship with others.
Purity orders your relationship to yourself."

If you have no peace in your own heart how can you be a peacemaker for others.

Ephesians 4:29-32
No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:54

St. Thomas Aquinas says, "The Lord feeds his faithful ones, that they may not fail in the way of righteousness; but in their strength they may come to the table of heavenly glory."

The Eucharist strenghtens us on the journey to heaven. Just as the Israelites were given manna in the desert so God gives himself to us in the Eucharist. The good life is not one of pleasure but the life that is leading to our ultimate good which is life with God in heaven. In the Eucharist we become one with Jesus in his suffering, in his death, and in his victory over death.
When we participate fully in the mass we enter into the life of Jesus, we receive his grace into our lives and we receive a pledge of future glory. The Eucharist brings the past and the future into our lives in the present moment.

I just returned from our clergy conference. It was a lot better than I anticipated. I work hard to cover it, but I am a pessimist.

Six of us played pitch Monday evening. My parter and I were ahead 29 to 0. The other team shot the moon, scored 10 twice and then 7. So the score was 32 to 47. They came back from being totally out of the game. They thought they were going to win and then I shot the moon. It was great! We won 52 - 47. They were so dejected. Hahahahaha! What a great birthday present. I turned 36 on the 22nd.

The conference was about the liturgy. We, priests, are supposed to help people enter into the reality of the Mass and the other sacraments. i hope to comment on this for the next couple of days. The sacraments are the source of our life. If we cut off from the source then we will surely die.

More later,
Fr. Weldon

It is early Sunday morning. I can't sleep. It is 4:30 AM. Why are there so many fallen away Catholics? Is there anything I can do to help them?

I am leaving today for the week. I am going to my sisters for a birthday party and to celebrate her husband being home from Iraq. He has to go back in a couple of days. Lord, Please bring him home safely.

Monday -Thursday I'll be at a clergy conference. It will be goood to be with all the priests. I'll post agin on Thursday.

Have a good week.

I just ran across this great website. It has good articles on how to think like a Catholic. It is important to study the faith. The world is constantly teaching us how to think in a secular way, to live as if there is no God and no heaven or hell. When we embrace the faith and feed our intelligence with the truths of the faith it keeps our eyes on what truly matters. Truth is the food of our souls. If we do not feed the soul it will die.

http://www.catholicculture.org/

I hope you enjoy it.

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT
In WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England , its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America . If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time(8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens and for peace in the world. If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along.

"The center of every man's existence is a dream. Death, disease, insanity, are merely material accidents, like a toothache or a twisted ankle. That these brutal forces always besiege and often capture the citadel does not prove that they are the citadel."

For more profound quotes from G.K. Chesterton go to: http://www.chesterton.org/acs/quotes.htm

St. Ignatius of Antioch
Today's saint is very important. He wrote several letters before the year 110 AD. These letters reveal the faith of the Christians in the time immediately after the apostles. Ignatius is believed to have been a convert and disciple of St. John the Apostle.

His letters show that the Christianshave believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the authority of Bishops to teach the faith, and the celebration of the Mass, since the year 100. This is so close to the time of the Apostles that Ignatius and the Christians of his generation must have received these teachings from the Apostles.

For more information go to: http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/IGNATIUS.htm

The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.
G. K. Chesterton

There are no boring subjects there are only bores who are not interested in learning more.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa (virgin and Doctor) was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515 and was raised in a warm and loving family. She was personally known for her engaging personality: She was beautiful, outgoing, enthusiastic and courageous.
At the age of twenty, though reluctant to give up family life, she entered the Carmelite convent in Avila. For a time she became seriously ill, but she persevered in her vocation and over the years she had many deep mystical experiences. Teresa was capable of very deep meditation and she did much writing on the subject, but she remained a very practical, down-to-earth person.
The Carmelite Order had originally followed a very strict rule, but it had gradually fallen away from this. Teresa, encouraged by St. Peter Alcantara and others, resolved to establish a new branch of the order and to observe the original rule. After many difficulties, a convent was opened in Avila in 1562.
Teresa and her followers became known as "Discalced" (barefooted) Carmelites, as they observed the rule's original prohibition against shoes. Teresa established other convents and promoted religious reform. She managed to unite a life of deep spirituality and prayer with constant activity and writings.
The best known of St. Teresa's writings is The Interior Castle, in which she describes different stages of spiritual growth. Teresa was canonized forty years after her death in 1582. In 1970, along with St. Catherine of Siena, she became one of the first two women to be declared a Doctor (an eminent and reliable teacher) of the Church.

Why is the Church hated?

Why should men love the Church?
Why should they love her laws?
She tells them of Life and Death, and of all that they would forget.
She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft.
She tells them of Evil and Sin, and other unpleasant facts.
They constantly try to escape
From the darkness outside and within
By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.
But the man that is will shadow
The man that pretends to be.

–T. S. Eliot, “Choruses from ‘The Rock’”

What is a mortal sin?
A mortal sin has 3 qualities.
1. Grave matter: the act or omission must be serious matter. A violation of the ten commandments is considered to be grave matter. The grey area is when does stealing become a mortal sin, or gossip against one's neighbor. I will treat these specific questions in later posts.
2. Knowledge: the person must know that the action is grave matter. A person's ignorance can lessen his or her guilt.
3. Freedom: the person must freely choose to commit the gravely wrong act. If someone is coerced to do something this lessens their guilt. If the coercion is very strong the person might have no guilt at all. A child is not responsible for misding mass on Sunday if his parents fail to take him. The child has no freedom in the matter.

Did you know that the Catholic Church has 7 sacraments? One of those sacraments is called reconciliation. It is more commonly known as confession. In this sacrament a person confesses his sins to a priest. The priest gives the person a penance and prays the words of absolution. Catholics believe that confession is necessary for all mortal sins committed after baptism. A Catholic who does not believe this is like an American citizen who does not believe that Texas is a state. You might not like that it is a state; you may not want to admit it; but no amount of wishful thinking will change the fact that Texas is one of the 50 states. You may not like confession; you may not think that it is necessary to go to confession. However, no amount of wishful thinking will change the fact confession is the necessary and normal way for a person to receive the forgiveness of sins.
St. Patrick Catholic Church offers the Sacrament of Confession 30 minutes before each weekday mass and from 4:30 to 5:30 every Saturday.

The three enemies of our spiritual life are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

1. The world consists of those who attack the faith and make fun of those who believe and practice the faith. Jesus assured us that the world would hate us for following him. "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness sake." "Where I am there also will my servent be." Jesus was mocked and killed; his followers should expect the same.
2. The flesh is the weakness that each one of us esperiences in our own souls. We want to do good, but we find ourselves doing what is wrong. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Self-denial and penance are the best ways to overcome the flesh. It is the soul that gives life to the body not the other way around. The soul should always govern the body.
3. The devil exists. Many people deny the existence of the devil, but all the great evils in the world indicate otherwise. Pretending he doesn't exist will not make him go away. Jesus told Peter, "The devil has asked to sift you all like wheat, but I have prayed so that your faith may not fail." Jesus has conquered the evil one. as long as we place our trust in Jesus we can have victory over the devil.

We have nothing to fear from these three enemies of our journey towards God if we keep our eyes on Jesus (Faith) if we always trust that God will be faithful (Hope) if we delight in God with all of our soul and strength (Love).

Battle of Lepanto
On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.
What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.
The Rosary
At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!
The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).

Today the Knights of Columbus (Council 1269) celebrate 1oo years of service and fraternity in the city of Kingman. The Knights provide a great way for men to come together in friendship and service. I became a Knight in 1997. The people of our parish are very grateful for all the work they do for our parish and the whole community. May God grant them another 100 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Knights of Columbus go to the following link. http://www.kofc.org/un/index.cfm

St. Francis is worth writing about for two days. When I had been a priest for about two years I was at my mom's house and when it was time to go I said, "I need to get home." I could tell by the look on her face that she was not pleased that I referred to the rectory as home and not the place where I grew up. This happens to most people. It makes me think about the meaning of home. St. Francis left his father's housein a very radical way. As much as he loved his family his true home was in heaven and his true father was our heavenly Father. For the rest of his life he was a mendicant, one who travels from place to place calling no place home. We are not all called to this form of life, but it is an excellent reminder that our true home is in heaven and we are on a journey. Francis always strove to live a life of poverty so that he would never be tied down to any earthly thing. This gave him the freedom to always be moving forward to his true home. While we all struggle against hunger and the needs of the body we should always remember that these things are passing away.
Fr. Jim

Today is the feast of St. Francis! He was born in Assisi in 1182 . After a carefree youth, he renounced his paternal wealth and committed himself to God. He led a life of poverty and preached the love of God to all. He established a rule which a number of his companions followed and which gained the approval of Pope Innocent III. He also founded an order of nuns with his friend St. Clare. He died in 1226.