SCJ Philippine District

Father, eternal shepherd,
we thank you for your fidelity to your Church,
your pilgrim People of God.

We hold up to you our new Pope, Benedict XVI.
Through the work of your Holy Spirit,
he has been chosen to shepherd your people,
in your own heart, ensured by the promise of Jesus,
that he would never leave us orphaned,
and that the gates of hell would never prevail against us.

Guide Pope Benedict with the continuing presence
of your Spirit in these days ahead. Let him be the
"simple, humble worker in your vineyard."

Give him all the graces he will need to serve your people
and unite us in our work of building your Kingdom on earth.


Be gracious to us, O Lord, in the days ahead.
Heal our divisions and give us your own joy and peace.
Grace us to place our trust in you
and to serve one another in faith and in hope.
With Pope Benedict as our pastor,
may we follow the spirit of John Paul II
in proclaiming your Word,
in the defense of human dignity,
and uniting our brothers and sisters of every faith tradition
in the path of peace and justice in our world.

For those who have any fears,
within the Catholic community or around the world,
we ask the deepest blessing of your tender care
and confident trust in you.

We ask this with faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ,
and in union with your Holy Spirit,
now and forever.

Amen.

Congratulations! Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a longtime guardian of catholic doctrine, was elected the new pope Tuesday evening in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, the first German pope in centuries, served John Paul II since 1981 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Lord God,
you are our eternal shepherd and guide.
In your mercy grant your Church a shepherd
who will walk in your ways
and whose watchful care will bring us your blessing.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(From the Roman missal, "To elect a Pope or bishop")

Lord,
Your Vicar on Earth, John Paul
the Second, has gone home to you.

Please receive him with compassion
for all the things that he has suffered;
with mercy for all the things he may have done wrong;
and with love for all the beautiful work he has done
for you through the long years.

He was filled with a special love for this nation,
the Philippines;
And all of us Filipinos were filled
with a special love for him.

Please give us the grace to live according to
the beautiful d directives he gave to us:

* To live by the Gospel of Life,
and not to be overhelmed by the culture of death;

* To recognize that the poor are our brothers
and sisters, that we are all the children of God.

Grant us the grace to share with them
all that we have and all that we are.

Grant us the grace to reach out to our fellow Filipinos,
whether they are Muslim or Buddhist
or Hindu or Christian.

Give us the grace to live with them in a
state of reconcilliation, unity and peace.

AMEN

By James B. Reuter, SJ

Because of the death of the Holy Father John Paul II, the beatification of our founder Fr. Leo Dehon has been postponed. We will share the new date as soon as it is available.

There are no words able to express what the whole world feels after the death of the Holy Father who passed away on April 2, 2005 at 21:37 (Time in Rome). All members of the SCJ District in the Philippines join the whole world in mourning this one of the greatest people on the planet.

I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You".

Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this Chaplet ;the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognise My unfathomable Mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.

Say unceasingly this Chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.

When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Saviour.

On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.

On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls---none have I excluded!

The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.

Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.

Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy.

The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!

Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me......I wait for souls, and they are indifferent towards Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me.

I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me.You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it.

To pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, please click the link below

http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,
look kindly on John Paul II,
your vicar on earth,
and grant him relief from his sufferings.



To this herald who has bravely proclaimed your Gospel,
give the consolation of your word.
To this faithful guardian of your Church,
send an angel to shield and protect him.
To this Priest who comforted and anointed the sick,
now bring peace in his own time of trial.


Hear the prayers of those who trust in you,
O Risen Lord and Savior,
who are seated at the right hand of the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

According to the news, the Holy Father John Paul II is in a very serious condition. Let us join the worldwide prayer in his intention. May the Blessed Mother accompany him to the very last moment of his life. May the Lord bless him and be his strength. Amen