Nov. 30: Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

St. Andrew, pray for us.

Becoming Ourselves

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become.” ~C.S. Lewis

Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday please prayerfully consider making a financial contribution of any amount to a monastery, convent or hermitage of your choice.

Our financial support is a way of saying “Thank You!” to those who pray, hidden in the silence of solitude, for the glory of God, the good of the Church, the salvation of the world and our personal intentions.

Be At Peace

“Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering, or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped. He is not only with me, but in me, and I in him.'” ~St. Francis de Sales

November 26: Feast of Christ the King

 
Almighty, ever-living God, it is your will to unite the entire universe under your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the King of heaven and earth. Grant freedom to the whole of creation, and let it praise and serve your majesty for ever. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

 

God’s Love is Greater

I think I would rather live on the verge of falling and let my security be in the all-sufficiency of the grace of God than to live in some pietistic illusion of moral excellence. Not that I don’t want to be morally excellent but my faith isn’t in the idea that I’m more moral than anybody else. My faith is in the idea that God and His love are greater than whatever sins any of us commit. ~Rich Mullins

Nov 23: Thanksgiving Day (USA)

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Nov. 22: St. Cecilia

O God, who dost gladden us with the annual feast of blessed Cecilia, thy virgin and martyr, grant that, as we venerate her in our liturgy, we may also follow her example in godly living. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

St. Cecilia, pray for us.

Nov 21: World Day of Cloistered Life

Catholics throughout the world are encouraged to support the cloistered, monastic and eremitic life on the World Day of Cloistered Life — Tuesday, November 21. Traditionally known as Pro Orantibus Day (“For Those Who Pray”), Pope Pius XII instituted the World Day of Cloistered Life to support both spiritually and materially the gift of the cloistered contemplative life. As Pope Francis reminds us, “It is an opportune occasion to thank the Lord for the gift of so many people who, in monasteries and hermitages, dedicate themselves to God in prayer and in silent work.”

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A Prayer in Support of the Cloistered Life

Eternal Father, We praise and thank you for those sisters and brothers who have embraced the gift of the cloistered, monastic and eremitic life. Their prayerful presence is indispensable to the Church’s life and mission, and is the foundation of the New Evangelization.

As we celebrate World Day of Cloistered life, let us honor the holiness and glory of the Blessed Virgin. May she, who was presented in the Temple, intercede so that many young people might dedicate themselves entirely to Your divine service by hidden lives of contemplative prayer and selfless sacrifice.

May all of us be mindful of the spiritual and material needs of those who commit their lives to seeking God by fixing their gaze on those things which are eternal.

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Nov. 20: St. Edmund the Martyr, (d. 870AD)

O God, who by the precious blood of your Martyrs nourishes the faith of the Church, graciously grant that, by their intercession, the flourishing harvest of Christians may everywhere and always be increased. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and forever. Amen.
 
St. Edmund, pray for us.