• Home
  • Mary Immaculate
    • Novena of the Immaculate Conception
  • Oblates
  • Blog
fatherdaniel
dd text

Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity - Homily

5/31/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
A few weeks ago I was in the city, here in Melbourne, and as I was walking a young man joined me. He was wearing a white shirt and a tie. However it wasn’t his outfit that got my intention. He wanted to talk to me about Jesus. Do you think that he was a Catholic? Probably most of us would say: Impossible, we Catholics don’t talk to people in the middle of the city about Jesus. However would you believe me that he was a Catholic? At least he was a Catholic to me. He was born to a Catholic family. He was baptised in the Roman Catholic Church. He has received the other sacraments in the Catholic Church but now he is a Mormon. That’s what he says, though to me he was like a lost brother. What hurt me most was what he said about the Holy Trinity. He insisted that he Holy Trinity was a theory made up a few centuries after Jesus, so it is false.

            My Dear Sisters and Brothers!

            A number of times I have been approached by Mormons, but that encounter from Lonsdale St. has left me deeply distressed as I realised that our brother, though he calls himself an elder now, has walked away from a chance to live his life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

            As we listen to the Gospel for this Sunday we hear Jesus talk about Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one breath because you cannot divide them. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read: “Christians are baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit; the Most Holy Trinity.” There are lot of passages in the Holy Scriptures that reveal that there is one God in three persons but let me use only one quotation today, from the Frist Letter of John, chapter 4 verse 8: “God is love.” It means that even before heaven and earth were created with choirs of angels in the spiritual realm and people inhabiting our blue planet God wasn’t a lonely ranger but He was the communion of three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How could you apply the word LOVE to someone who doesn’t have another person to love?

            My Dear Friends what I want to proclaim today is what I said to that lost brother of ours I met in the CBD: the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is not a human invention but it is the loving communion of Divine Persons from whom comes our own ability of loving even to the point of laying down one’s life for his friends.

            Have you seen a baptism? It is such a calming celebration. The water flowing on the person’s head and these words given by Jesus: “I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” But don’t be misled by the calming circumstances of baptism because it is a very violent, dramatic and dynamic moment. “In the name” means dragging someone into the relationship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John we read: “No one can come to me unless the Father draws them.” When Jesus sent his Apostles on the mission of making disciples of all nations he revealed that with his Father and the Holy Spirit he wants people to be “dragged”, drawn into the most profound relationship with the Holy Trinity. Of course no once can force another person to love and that the painful choice some people make. However those who make their choice to believe, to love God, will need others to approach God. As no one can baptise himself or herself as no one can get closer to God without another person ‘dragging’ him or her.

            To conclude this homily I would like to invite you to join me to pray for this lost brother of ours. Let’s raise our empty hands the Holy Trinity for him:

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shell be world without end. Amen.


0 Comments

Renewal of vows

5/30/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureThe Word of the Lord has been addressed to me...
On the fest of our Oblate missionary Blessed Joseph Gerard Oblates form Victoria gathered for the monthly retreat. Every month we reserve a day when we can pray together and support each other. Even if we live in small communities most of the time we value the times when we can gather as religious. The format of the retreat reflects what the core of our mission and community is – it is Jesus Christ. That’s why for most of the retreat the Blessed Sacrament is exposed so that we can strengthen our friendships in the light of the friendship we all share, our friendship with Jesus. What always brings new joy to me is the realisation that Jesus is an integral part of our mission and our friendships with each other as Oblates. His presence flows from the chapel into our sharing of joys and sorrows, successes and failures. It is always such a blessed time to breathe again our Oblate spirit made evident as we gather in the name of Jesus.

This time the retreat day was marked by renewal of vows by Br Casmir and Anthony. Every year until young Oblates made their final vows for life they renew their vows for one year as they continue their vocation discernment journey. The young brothers must be on the right track as the commitment they were renewing made them glow with excitement and happiness. One shouldn’t be surprised as relationship with Jesus who invites us to share his love with others gives more excitement and happiness then the heart can contain, that’s why such a person glows.

0 Comments

The man who loved the people and proved it

5/29/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Blessed Joseph Gerard OMI
The icon depicts Father Joseph Gerard as a young missionary in Southern Africa. He wears his black cassock, the distinctive Oblate crucifix and wire-rimmed glasses. His dark eyes gaze directly and unwaveringly at the viewer. His ears are exaggerated denoting one who listens for God’s voice. Physically, he is strong and sturdy and with very powerful hands for doing the Lord’s work. A prayerful and holy man, his left hand holds his prayer book close to his heart. His right hand is extended to the viewer, even protruding into the border and cradled in his palm is a single Protea, the national flower of South Africa. The flower represents a baptized soul, offered in love to the Father and perhaps will challenge viewers to ponder our own offerings and witness.
0 Comments

Blessed Joseph Gerard OMI

5/29/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureBlessed Joseph Gerard
I wander what people thought when they saw a 83-year-old man riding a horse through the mountains of Lesotho in April 1914. Some could describe him as a madman but those who knew him called him their father. Although his eyes were dimed and his strength was gone Blessed Joseph Gerard was out there to serve the people as he had done for 61 years of his missionary work in South Africa and particularly in Lesotho. On May 29, the Lord Jesus called him to the eternal kingdom. However the month of May also marks Fr Joseph’s departure from his home country of France. He was only 22 when St Eugene de Mazenod ordained him a deacon and appointed him to South Africa. Fr Joseph left his parents, family and friends that May in 1853 and he never saw them again. His folks in France lost their son, brother and friend but the people of Lesotho found in him their committed father. That conviction was passed to the next generations after Fr Joseph’s death.

That’s how a visitor who came to the country sometime after Fr Joseph’s death recorded his impressions:

“It was a Sunday afternoon at the mission of Roma, Lesotho. Our Christians, having shared a meal together under shade trees, were preparing to return to their villages. However, some went to visit to the tombs of their favourite saints, Father Joseph Gerard, their first missionary, and Bp Emmanuel ’Mabathoana, their first native bishop. From the grave of Father Gerard our Christians gathered up little pieces of soil and placed them carefully in small bags that hung from their necks. “Asking people about why they have such a great love for Fr. Gerard and Bishop Emmanuel ’Mabathoana, “you really don’t know?” they ask, “but surely you must realize that these two Oblates are our Fathers in the faith”. It struck me at the moment that the word “Fathers” was used by these Christians not simply out of habit but from a true sense of veneration and love.”

 After Fr Joseph Gerard died he was described in this way: “Fr. Gérard was a man who, you might say, did not eat food but fed himself on prayer, and if prayer is something with which one can feed the people, then he has fed us too for a very long time”.

His favourite saying was:  “THE WORLD BELONGS TO THE PERSON WHO LOVES IT MOST, AND PROVES IT” he did love his people and they saw his love for them in his committed service.

 

Let us pray:

God, Source of peace and giver of rain and abundance,

Who called Blessed Joseph Gerard, your priest,

To bring the light of the Gospel

To the peoples of Southern Africa;

Grant that through his intercession

We may share his love for the poor

And work for peace and reconciliation in the world.

0 Comments

Our Lady Help of Christians and a walking miracle

5/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Our Blessed Lord is most generous by putting so many people on my way, who take my breath away by their faith, love, determination etc. Our Lady is such a person. As we honour her as Help of Christian, recently I have experienced her help once again in order to grow in my faith and love for Christ. A couple of days ago I was asked to celebrate Eucharist for a big crowd of people belonging to the Living Rosary groups. At the Mass there was a priest who looked very ill. He struggled to walk and overall looked very fragile. After the Mass I found out that he came all the way from Poland to talk about ministering to the dying and to collect funds for the hospice he established some years ago, where people can die with dignity while being cared and loved at the same time. Fr John is dying of brain cancer himself. Three years ago he was given six months to live. However it didn’t stop him from spreading the Gospel and looking after the home for the dying. He is still undergoing his chemotherapy that’s why he had only two weeks here in Australia. He left Poland immediately after a treatment and was returning to have another treatment a day after he arrives home. What a commitment to serve Christ and the people in need! As I was observing him I couldn’t stop thinking that he is a walking miracle, not because he is healing as there is no healing happening at all in his case, but because in spite of his illness and fragility he is still able to step out of his own worries and limitations to tell Good News and to work to ensure the hospice can continue its ministry.

               During the lunch after the Mass he spoke to us and I am still under the powerful words he started his talk with: “Dying is as natural as you eating this lunch right now.” I was also overwhelmed by his persistence to give blessings to the people. I am not sure whether the cancer makes him not hungry or it is his desire to bring something good into the lives of others, but he didn’t spend much time at table eating. Instead he spent most of the time blessing people who approached him and a few hundreds did. Where does his strength come from? From the body being eaten by the cancer? I am sure that it is from Christ who stands next to him. Please say a prayer for Fr John as he doesn’t focus on himself. He is too busy to pray and bless others.

               When, as a young man, he discerned he was drawn to the idea of becoming a priest he surprised his bishop who saw a teenager with very poor eyesight and with a semiparalysed left arm. The initial reaction the bishop was: “You will not be able to undertake the demanding regime of formation for the priesthood.” I believe that the Holy Spirit must have been working very hard on the bishop as he allowed John to begin his seminary formation in spite of the reservation he had. It was a spot on decision of the bishop. Fr John not only completed his seminary studies but he went on and obtained a PhD in Moral Theology. How he managed to read so much material for his doctorate I have no idea. When I saw him reading a piece of paper at the lunch, I thought he smelt it as he held it so close to his face. This fragile man also founded a hospice which he built from scratch. I can only think about the verse for the Second Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians where the Apostle recalls the words Christ spoke to him: “My power is strongest when you are weak.” That’s how you feel when you are around Fr John; you do feel the power of Christ manifesting itself.

0 Comments

Solemnity of Pentecost - Homily

5/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
            What are we celebrating today? Descend of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Virgin Mary. Can you still remember our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles about the wind in the room though all windows and doors were locked, or the fire coming from above though the ceiling wasn’t on fire? Those were powerful signs of the Holy Spirit descending upon those gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem.

            However let me ask you another question: why did the Holy Spirit have to come upon them AGAIN? Are you confused about what I mean by: AGAIN? A couple of examples may help us to go deeper into this message as the Holy Spirit always goes deeper in us when he comes upon us. The Holy Spirit doesn’t stay on the surface of our skin but he penetrates our inmost being with his mighty power.

So let us go to those promised examples. The first is taken from the Gospel of Luke where we read: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will comer you with its shadow. And so the child you will conceive will be holy and will be called to the Son of God.” Who said that and to whom? The archangel Gabriel spoke those words to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation and as we say in the Angelus three times a day, at least those who pray it say it, “And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.”  So why did the Virgin Mary have to receive the Holy Spirit AGAIN on the Pentecost Sunday if she had already received him? Think about this question.

            The second example is taken from the Gospel of John. Listen to that: “Jesus breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit, for those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven, for those whose sins you retain they are retained.” Can you remember when it happened and to whom Jesus said those words? On the evening of Easter Sunday Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to his Apostles in the same upper room. Why did they have to receive the Holy Spirit AGAIN if they had already received him? Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit on Easter Sunday, 50 days before the Pentecost.

If you are struggling now to answer my questions don’t hide under the chair in order not to be selected to speak up but maybe answer me another question. When did you take a breath last time? Are you planning to take another breath? Why are you going to do it AGAIN? Because you would be dead if you didn’t take a breath.

            My Dear Sisters and Brothers gathered to celebrate this Pentecost Solemnity.

            The Holy Spirit is not a one off event. But he is as necessary to us as the air is. In the same Acts of the Apostles we read: “In God we live and move and have our being.” This living, moving and having our being is being transmitted to us by continues coming of the Holy Spirit. That’s why when I am asked why Catholics should come to Mass every Sunday, why they should go to confession regularly, why they need to pray daily, why they need to do all these things AGAIN and AGAIN I answer with the question I have asked you before: Why do you take a breath AGAIN and AGAIN? The answer to those church questions and the breathing question is the same: To be alive. The Psalm 103 we prayed between readings summarised it this way: “Lord, you take back your spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came. You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.”

            Every time at Mass we hear: “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down you Spirit upon them like the dewfall.” AGAIN? Or when we go to confess our sins we hear: “God the Father of mercies… sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. I absolve you from your sins...” The Holy Spirit is coming AGAIN. He is coming because we are not a rock to be sculptured. We are living beings. Today we are different to who we were yesterday, the last Sunday, 50 days ago, last year etc. We need the Holy Spirit to shape us to saints in today’s circumstances, in today’s joys and sorrows, in today’s successes and failures. So, is the question: “Why does the Holy Spirit need to come again appropriate?”? We should rather profess: “Thank God that the Holy Spirit is coming again as in him we live, move and have our being.

            A sinner needs the Holy Spirit to be able to return to the Lord through repentance. A saint needs the Holy Spirit to persevere on the path of holiness.

0 Comments

Solemnity of St Eugene de Mazenod OMI

5/21/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureSaint Eugene, drawn to Christ during life and in his death
154 years ago the old bishop of Marseille was reaching the end of his earthly pilgrimage. There is an account from his final days. A priest came to visit Bp Eugene de Mazenod who said to him: “You still have much time left, but I – I have reached the top of the mountain.”

“We are all praying for you Bishop.”

“Thank you. I need it. I am about to give an account of my stewardship. I am counting very much on God’s mercy and very little on my own merits.”

“Bishop, you will be judged by One you have always loved.”

At these words, the bishop’s face brightened.

“Yes, I have loved him,” he replied, “and have laboured to have him loved. Whenever I prsided the Divine Office, it always delighted me to see the canons, pastors, and vicars passing back and forth in front of the Blessed Sacrament and bowing to it. Yes, that always gladdened me. But the Blessed Sacrament deserves more than that.”

During those fervent words, two large tears rolled down his face.

“Jesus is even more beautiful in heaven,” said the visiting priest.

“Ah, yes! But after such a long episcopate, the way to heaven will be long. I hope my children and my friends come to my assistance.”

 
A couple of days later after giving his Oblates a last blessing a Marian hymn of Salver Regina was sang and at the last words: “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.” The heart of the Bishop stopped beating, the heart which was described to be as big as the world he wanted to tell about Jesus.


Let us pray:

O God in your mercy you blessed your bishop, Saint Eugene de Mazenod with the zeal of an apostle to preach the Good News to the nations. Grant that by his intercession we may be filled with the same spirit and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to the service of the Church and the salvation of all. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.

Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

 

 

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To thee to we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this, our exile,

show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
0 Comments

Visit from a bishop

5/20/2015

0 Comments

 
The Ascension Sunday concluded in a fraternal way in our scholasticate this year, as our brand new bishop, Rev Mark Edwards OMI joined us for dinner and story sharing. We began with Vespers during which Bishop Mark blessed three volumes of Divine Office for Br Sayyane. In a few weeks when Br Sayyane is ordained a deacon it will be his privilege and duty to pray five times a day canonical hours prescribed for various times of the day and night to sanctify the time. The Divine Office, or Breviary as it is also called, is not a simple prayer book but it is Liturgy of the Church. Our Pope, bishops, priests and deacons pray those prayers not as their privet prayers but as the worship of the whole Church. It is worth remembering that the ministry of our clergy isn’t limited to their work we can observe, but in their presbyteries or religious houses, whether they are at home or travelling, they pray in the name of the Church and for the Church continually. We can be sure that this act of worship never cease. There is always somewhere in the world, a bishop, a priest or a deacon praying for those who toil for God’s glory. Before a bishop ordains a new deacon he asks the man to promise to pray the Divine Office daily for the rest of his life. If you attend ordination one day I would encourage you to pay attention to this promise made by a candidate to the priesthood. It is not a burden placed upon him but it is something you can rely on, that the ministers of the Church keep praying for you too. It is such a serious business that without that promise, to fulfil this prayer duty faithfully every day, one cannot be ordained.

Later after dinner Bishop Mark fed us with so many stories of his episcopate. He had just returned from his first Bishop Conference in the Shrine of St Mary MacKillop in Sydney and was so enthused by the great example of prayerfulness and commitment of our Australian Bishops. He told us that every session bishops held began with praying together the Divine Office. As I was listening I was trying to imagine this inspiring and supportive picture of the shepherds of our Church not only discussing urgent issues the Church is facing but praying for us. They had also Adorations of the Blessed Sacrament which I believe was like what we can read of in the Bible – the Apostles gathered around the Lord Jesus.

0 Comments

Ascension of the Lord - Homily

5/16/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
            If you think that I have got the feasts wrong today by having with me a Baby Jesus you are wrong. I have this statue as it reminds us that Jesus’ way to heaven didn’t start when he was being lifted up on the day of the Ascension. Jesus’ ascension to heaven began with his birth or to be more precise with the day of the Annunciation when he was conceived in the womb of his Immaculate Mother as we recite in the creed: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.” That what he told his Apostles at the Last Supper: “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” His whole life on the earth was orientated towards this one destination.

            Sometimes when we walk we can be absent minded and find ourselves in a place by accident. Jesus’ presence on the mount of Ascension wasn’t the result of his absent-mindedness. He didn’t end up there by accident either. Before he was taken up to heaven in glory of his divinity he walked humanly rough terrains of Palestine, he dealt with tough situations and he loved difficult people. Before he was taken up in glory to heaven for 33 years he committed himself to walking to that place we heard of in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles and in the Gospel of Mark.

            My Dear Sisters and Brothers! As you can see this statue of the Infant Jesus isn’t heavy. Easily I can hold him in my stretched arm. Would you be able to hold him in your stretched hand? Do you say it is easy? What if I asked you to hold him in your hand for next 24 hours?... 48 hours?... 72 hours?... Do you expect it to be more difficult? Do you expect a miracle, that this statue would become heavier tomorrow and grow even weightier day after tomorrow? We know that the statue wouldn’t become heavier but simply our arm would grow tired under the constant weight of this little statue. What could you do if your arms grow tired holding Jesus? You could always press him against your heart as an act of your love for him. That’s what it means to be his disciple as we hear in the first reading: “You will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my disciples to the ends of the earth.”

            I’ve heard peoples say that believing stoped being fun and thrill to them. Fun and thrill naturally wear off, like your arm wears off after some time of holding an object, but then it is an opportunity to employ commitment into faith. “Then you will be my disciples” says the Lord.

            I have heard people say that believing stoped being novelty and became plain and boring to them. Novelty naturally wears off, like your arm wears off after some time of holding an object, but then it is an opportunity to employ in-depth approach, not to stay on the surface but to go deeper in believing. “Then you will be my disciples” says the Lord.

            I have heard people say that they get nothing from coming to church. Jesus said: “There is more joy in giving then in receiving.” Focus on receiving will wear you off, like your arm wears off after some time of holding an object, but then it will become an opportunity to occupy yourself with thinking how you can contribute to your Church community to make your it holier, stronger, more missionary, “Then you are my disciples” says the Lord.

            My Dear Friends! In Jerusalem, in the Old City, there is a gate called a Beautiful Gate. According to the tradition going back to the Old Testament the Messiah was to enter the city through this gate. When the Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 1541 they sealed off the Beautiful Gate to prevent Messiah’s entrance. However our Christian tradition holds that the Messiah, our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, has already used the gate. Do you know when? On Palm Sunday. That sealed gate is now a spiritual challenge for us, we can never get discouraged by obstacles we face to spread the Good News, whether the obstacles are in our own personalities or in external circumstances. If there is a physical or spiritual wall erected before us we should dig a tunnel under it to pass it. Determination for spreading the Gospel is a distinctive factor of those whom Jesus calls his disciples.


Picture
How long would you manage to hold him in your hand? 24 hours?... 48 hours?... 72 hours?... Press him against your heart instead!
Picture
Sealed Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem
0 Comments

May 13 - Triple feast day

5/14/2015

1 Comment

 
For 15 years now 13th of May has been a triple feast day for me. Why a triple feast day? On 13th of May we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima as on the day we recall the first apparition of Our Blessed Mother to the three children in Portugal in 1917. As an Oblate I love any day which is a celebration of our heavenly Mother. On 13th of May we also remember the day when Saint John Paul II was shot at the Vatican Square in 1981. When Pope John Paul II visited Mehmet Ali Agca, his would-be killer in jail, the man asked him: “Why didn’t you die? I know that my aim was true and I know that the bullet was very powerful and mortal.” The Pope responded: “One hand fired the shot. Another (the hand of the Virgin Mary) guided it.” Some years later the Pope reflecting on the event which took place in Saint Peter's Square on May 13, 1981 said: “At that time I experienced mortal danger and suffering, but also the great mercy of God. By the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima my life was given back to me.” Although years pass on but I am always moved by how John Paul II saw the providential hand of God in the events of his life and in the events of the world.

In our Provincial House, here in Melbourne, where I am stationed now, there is a precious relict we treasure; it is a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1950 the statue was sent to the Oblates by Sister Lucia who spoke with Our Lady at Fatima. The statue was carved and painted by Jose Thedim who carved the statue in the Chapel of Apparitions, and also, under the personal direction of Sister Lucia, the statue of the Pilgrim Virgin of which this is a small replica. I have a devotion to Sister Lucia who not simply heard Mary but who listened to what Mary said. Of course the Apparitions in Fatima are classified as private apparitions and one doesn’t need to follow them. However I find it very humbling that Our Blessed Mother came in such humility that she doesn’t force anyone to accept her message. I do accept it out of love for her who loves Jesus so much.

Picture
Replica of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima donated to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate by Sister Lucia
Another (third) reason contributing to the triple uniqueness of this day is that on this the anniversary of death of Fr Joseph Kubiaczyk, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate who died in 1998, occurs. The Oblate cross I put on my cassock now, belonged to Fr Joseph. In our Religious Congregation the sign that an Oblate has taken perpetual vows is the Oblate cross he carries. An Oblate who is going to take such vows can request to be given a brand new cross or a cross of an Oblate who has died. When we die the cross isn’t buried with us but it is placed in the archives so that it can be passed onto the next generation as a sign of unity of our life and mission over centuries.
I was doing my second year of studies when Fr Joseph died at the age of 47 and was buried at the Oblate cemetery attached to our Scholasticate. When I was attending his funeral and later when every Sunday our whole community would go to pray for the deceased Oblates at the seminary, I didn’t know yet how closely Fr Joseph's path and mine would cross. Literally speaking our paths have been joined in the Oblate cross he received at his final vows in 1974 and carried it until his death in 1998 and the same cross I was given in 2000. When I put the cross on I think of Fr Joseph and the many graces given to the people through his ministry which the cross was a silent witness and a powerful contributor. For me it is an expression of what they Church teaches on “the communion of Saints”.

Picture
The Oblate cross which belonged to Fr Joseph Kubiaczyk OMI and now is my faithful companion.
1 Comment
<<Previous

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Fr Daniel OMI

    An Oblate Priest

    Categories

    All
    Holy Land
    Homilies
    St Eugene De Mazenod

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.