St. Damien De Veuster, Part II of II

The blog posts for May 9th and 10th will be about Saint Damien De Veuster, known for decades as “Father Damien of Molokai". Saint Damien was canonized on October 11, 2009.


The feast of Saint Damien De Veuster is celebrated today. Usually a saint’s feast day is the date of his or her death, but as April 15th often falls in Lent, the choice was made instead for May 10th. According to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, that date was picked because it marks a significant event in his life, a day on which he performed a particular act of supreme charity and selflessness that would ultimately lead to his canonization. On May 10, 1873 he stepped onto the island of Molokai and made it both his life’s work and eventual place of death. The opening prayer of the feast day Mass reads in part, “Father of mercy, in Saint Damien you have given us a shining witness of love for the poorest and most abandoned. Grant that by his intercession, as faithful witnesses of the heart of your Son Jesus, we too may be servants of the most needy and rejected.”


Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

St. Damien De Veuster, Part I of II

The blog posts for May 9th and 10th will be about Saint Damien De Veuster, known for decades as “Father Damien of Molokai". Saint Damien was canonized on October 11, 2009.


Joseph De Veuster was born in Belgium January 3, 1840. In 1859 he entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and took the name Damien. Arriving in Honolulu in March 1864, he was ordained for service as a “country missionary” in Hawaii. When the Hawaiian Government deported anyone infected by leprosy, then thought to be an incurable disease, to the island of Molokai, Bishop Louis Maigret asked for priest volunteers to take turns visiting the island. In 1873, Damien was the first to go and then, “at his own request and that of the lepers, he remained on Molokai” for the rest of his life.

When he contracted the disease in 1885, Damien, using the expression “we lepers,” found his strength in the Eucharist. He died on April 15, 1889, having served sixteen years among the lepers.

In 1938 the process for his beatification was introduced in Belgium. Pope Paul VI signed the Decree on the “heroicity of his virtues” in July 1977. In July 1995, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.


Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

Remembrances from Sr. Josephine

The following quotations are from a small handwritten collection made by Sister Josephine Di Biase (1930-2013) and found after her death in her room:

“The education of children depends less on the spoken word than on the living examples set by the teachers themselves.” Thomas Merton

“Be patient with everyone but above all with yourself.” Saint Francis de Sales

“The opportunity to do great things for God does not come very often, but at every moment we can do little things with great love.” Saint Francis de Sales

“Love is our reason for living. Love is our reason for giving.” (not identified)

Photo of Sr. Josephine with Michelle, a nurse in our infirmary.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

More thoughts about Sr. Mary Josephine

Last week we shared a message on two days about Sister Mary Josephine DiBiase, VHM. Sister died in our infirmary on April 25th and her funeral was held in our chapel on April 30th, enabling family members to be present. Sister Josephine, born in Fairmont WV in 1930, was a graduate of Fairmont State University. For 11 years she taught in an elementary school in Loudon County VA. In 1963 she became a member of the Georgetown Visitation community and in 1968 transferred to a Visitation community where there was an elementary program for boys and girls: De Sales Heights Academy in Parkersburg WV. Noted for her skill in teaching reading, she taught there for 23 years. Most recently she was a member of the Visitation community in Wheeling WV for five years and since 2010 has been here at Georgetown. The following is an excerpt from the homily given by Father Charles Currie, SJ, at her funeral:

“Teaching little children is so important, especially in the earliest years when their precious spontaneity and creativity need both channeling and nourish- ing... Teaching reading is a special vocation in itself...What a gift, for a child or an adult, to be able to read, to have the excitement of words bouncing off a page... Sister Josephine made that kind of revelation possible for children for 23 years in Parkersburg WV. Think of what so many women and men today owe to her.”

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

Let Peace Fill My Heart

Many years ago, I learned about a prayer card entitled "Let Peace Fill My Heart - Prayers for a Peaceful World." A prayer is given for each day of the week, including three from non-Christian sources. The following is one of these prayers:

Keep us, O God,
from all pettiness.
Let us be large in thought,
          in word, in deed.
          Let us be done
          with fault-finding
and leave off all self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense
and meet each other face to face,
          without self-pity
          and without prejudice.
Grant that we may realize that
it is the little things of life that
create differences, that in the
big things of life we are as one.
          And, O God,
let us not forget to be kind.

          Mary Stewart

--------------------------------------------------------
From "Let Peace Fill My Heart":

Lead me from death to life,
          from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
          from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
          from war to peace.
Let peace fill my heart,
          my world, my universe. Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------
Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

Night four from the "bean queen"

All week long we have published photos from the night Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M., found the Epiphany bean in the fruit cake and became the queen for 2013. The original post is here. This is the last day of the photos. Happy New Year!

Night three from the "bean queen"

All week long we'll publish photos from the night Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M., found the Epiphany bean in the fruit cake and became the queen for 2013. The original post is here.

Night two of photos from the "bean queen"

All week long we'll publish photos from the night Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M., found the Epiphany bean in the fruit cake and became the queen for 2013. The original post is here.

A blushing new "bean queen"

Last night the Epiphany Queen (Bean Queen) came to light:  Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M., one of our sisters from the closed monastery in West Virginia, was the recipient.  She got the slice of fruit cake with the bean in it and is, therefore, the designated Queen for 2013. It will be her privilege to decide on special trips and treats for the sisters throughout the year. We'll post photos all week long!

Feast of St. John Neumann, post from Sr. Joanne Gonter

In the United States, the feast of Saint John Neumann (1811-1860) is celebrated on January 5th. In the present day Czech republic where he was born, it is March 5th.

Because the bishop in his diocese had determined not to ordain priests because there were more than were needed at that time, John, having learned English while working in a factory, wrote to American bishops to request ordination. Bishop John Dubois, S.S., whose diocese included all of New York and New Jersey, ordained him in New York City in 1836. John spent most of his time traveling from village to village, visiting the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and celebrating Mass at kitchen tables. In 1840 he received permission from the bishop to join the Redemptorist Fathers, entering their novitiate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1852 he was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia. As the first United States bishop to organize a Catholic school system, he increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from two to 100. As part of that effort, he invited many communities of teaching sisters and the Christian Brothers into the diocese, founded a congregation called the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia, and intervened to save the Oblate Sisters of Providence, a congregation of African-American women, from dissolution.

Already fluent in German and English, he also learned Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch in order to hear confessions in the languages of his people. When Irish immigration began, he learned Gaelic so well that one Irish woman remarked, "Isn't it grand that we have an Irish bishop!"

On January 5, 1860, when he was only 48 years old, he died suddenly on a city street due to a stroke. Declared venerable by Benedict XV in 1921, Pope Paul VI beatified him in 1963 and canonized him in 1977. After his canonization, the National Shrine of Saint John Neumann was constructed at the parish of Saint Peter the Apostle in Philadelphia.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M.

The first U.S. saint, Elizabeth Seton

On January 4th, we celebrate the feast of the first canonized saint born in the United States, Elizabeth Ann Bailey Seton (1774-1821). Born in New York City, she was a devout Episcopalian. Married in 1794 to William Magee Seton, Elizabeth and his sister Rebecca became known as the "Protestant Sisters of Charity" because of their missions of mercy.

William's poor health led to a doctor's suggestion that a warmer climate might be beneficial. William, Elizabeth and their eldest daughter sailed in 1803 to Italy where business friends named Filicchi resided. After William's death in December 1803, Elizabeth and her daughter remained with their friends until June 1804 when Antonio Filicchi accompanied them on their return to New York.

The story of Elizabeth's reception into the Catholic Church in 1805 includes attempts by family and friends to dissuade her from doing so, but she cited three basic points that led to her conversion: belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ.

Elizabeth opened a school in the Baltimore area with women who eventually joined her in establishing a religious community, Sisters of Charity, in 1809. To her sisters, she gave this advice: "The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will."

To learn more about the life of this remarkable woman, I suggest visiting the website below:

www.emmitsburg.net/setonshrine

Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M.

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

January 3rd we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. This feast originated toward the end of the 15th century. Two promoters of this feast were Saint Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) and his disciple Saint John Capistrano (1386-1456). Bernardine, a Franciscan, placed great emphasis on the Holy Name of Jesus and associated it with the IHS Christogram. He used the devotion as a way of overcoming bitter struggles and family rivalries in Italian city-states. Franciscan, Dominican, and, beginning in the 16th century, Jesuit preachers spread the devotion.

In the book SAINT OF THE DAY edited by Leonard Foley, OFM, and revised by Pat McCloskey, OFM, the following story is related:

"At Bologna, Bernardine preached mightily against the evils of gambling. As was the custom, a huge bonfire was made in the public square, to be a holocaust consuming all the instruments of the vice - playing cards, dice and the like. A manufacturer of playing cards complained that Bernardine was taking away his livelihood. The saint told him to start making the symbol IHS and he made more money than ever before."

Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M.

New Year's Day post from Sr. Joanne Gonter

On New Year's Day, the octave day of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. This is the oldest feast of Mary celebrated by the Catholic Church. The title, Theotokos, Mother of God, was popular in Christian piety as early as the 3rd century A.D. and was officially given to Mary at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. By 1914 the feast was being celebrated in some countries on October 11th, and it became a universal feast in 1931.

After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI changed what had been the feast on January 1st, Jesus' Circumcision, to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. He wrote: "In the revised arrangement of the Christmas season, we should all turn with one mind to the restored solemnity of the Mother of God. This feast was entered into the calendar in the liturgy of the city of Rome for the first day of January. The purpose of the celebration is to honor the role of Mary in the mystery of salvation and at the same time to sing the praises of the unique dignity thus coming to 'the Holy Mother...through whom we have been given the gift of the Author of life.'

This same solemnity also offers an excellent opportunity to renew the adoration rightfully to be shown to the newborn Prince of Peace, as we once again hear the good tidings of great joy and pray to God through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, for the priceless gift of peace. Because of these considerations and the fact that the octave of Christmas coincides with a day of hope, New Year's Day, we have assigned to it the observance of the World Day of Peace."

Sharing the above has brought to mind a personal recollection, the challenge to world leaders by Pope Paul VI when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York in October, 1965: "No more war, war never again." 47 years later, that challenge remains, to leaders and their people and to each individual who earnestly prays for peace.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M.

Feast of the Holy Family, a post from Sr. Joanne Gonter

Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Blessed Francois de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec. The Feast of the Holy Family was instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 on the Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany. In 1969 the feast was moved to the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas. The gospel of the feast, Luke 2:41-52, relates what is referred to as the Finding in the Temple or the Disputations, the usual names in art.

In December 2011 at a weekly audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the Holy Family. Here is a short excerpt:

"The house of Nazareth is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where from their infancy, children learn to perceive God thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. An authentically Christian education cannot neglect the experience of prayer. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth."

Sr. Joanne Gonter, V.H.M.

From Sr. Joanne, re a member of the Don Bosco Salesians

After introducing Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, a member of the Don Bosco Salesians yesterday, I am offering another quotation from the article about him in the Fall 2012 issue of The Holy Land Review.

When asked about his expectations for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, the cardinal replied: 

These are brilliant, formidable initiatives!  There are many who criticize these because they only see the surface, the spectacular aspect, and they don't see the deep effects stimulated by these great catechetical events.  In Spain, for example, there were 400,000 youths who after the event became apostles.  And this for me is an authentic catholicity.  It is a universal dimension which caused these youths, who had little idea of the Gospel, to become inspired and united by Christian ideals, open to other cultures , other nations, desirous of living in the faith.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

From Sr. Joanne, about the Don Bosco Salesians

A few days ago, I was reading the Fall Review of The Holy Land Review and discovered an article about a very interesting person, Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  I recently met a native of Honduras, and I copied the article to send to him.

Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga is a member of the Don Bosco Salesians, the religious congregation which staffs schools throughout the world, including the Don Bosco Cristo Rey school in Takoma Park, Maryland. The original name of the Don Bosco Salesians, founded in Italy in 1873, was the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, whose gentleness and humility and concern for others was chosen as an inspiration by Don Bosco and his followers.

Manuela Borraccino, author of the article I read, wrote about the Cardinal:  He has been a teacher of mathematics, physics and chemistry in middle schools, plays the saxophone and taught sacred music for 13 years.  He had entered the Salesians at 19 and was ordained a priest in 1970 and a bishop in 1978.  He was named a cardinal in 2001 and has been president of Caritas International since 2007.

In this blog post,  I will offer two quotations from the cardinal and a few more in succeeding posts.

In all the Middle East countries, Caritas is present with programs for social development, micro credit, housing and employment directed at the neediest persons, independent of religious, ethnic or community affiliations.  In Morocco, for example, the director is Christian but all the employees and collaborators are Muslims and they work in a climate of authentic fraternity.

Caritas, with its 165 national organizations, is a sign of the 'globalization of love' and it is a motive of great joy and hope for me to see how it represents a concrete model and response going beyond national barriers when faced with suffering.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

Concluding post this week from Sr. Joanne

Here at Georgetown Visitation as in other Visitation communities throughout the world, the monastery library has many, many books either about Saint Francis de Sales or containing his own writings.  One of the books here, printed in 1884 in London and in New York, is part of a set entitled Library of St. Francis de Sales.  The title is LETTERS TO PERSONS IN THE WORLD.  The following is taken from a letter St. Francis de Sales wrote “To a Lady” – he addresses her as “Madam my dear sister”: 

Persevere in thoroughly conquering yourself in the small daily contradictions you receive; know that God wishes nothing from you at present but that.  Busy not yourself then in doing anything else:  do not sow your desires in another’s garden, but cultivate well your own.  Do not desire not to be what you are, but desire to be very well what you are. .. What is the use of building castles in Spain when we have to live in France? It is my old lesson and you know it well.

And the sentences below are from a letter written to “a Young Married Lady”: 

Be very gentle; do not live by humors and inclinations, but by reason and devotion.  Love your husband tenderly, as having been given to you by the hand of our Lord.  You must take great care to bring your spirit to peace and tranquility.  If you could stir the deep part of your soul to love the practice of gentleness and true humility, you would be admirable; but it is necessary to often think about it.

 
Sister Joanne Gonter, VHM

A new post from Sr. Joanne

A book I have often recommended to persons interested in Saint Francis de Sales is one that was written in Germany by Dr. Michael Muller in 1933. It was published in the United States in 1937 and in India in 1984. The following is one of my favorite excerpts:

Francis, in his direction of souls and n his own life, works on the assumption that perfect indifference and affectionate love can and should go hand in hand.  There is one more question, however:  How is an outlet formed for this psychical experience in which the heart frees itself from all creatures and nevertheless returns to a warm love for the same creatures?

At first the soul concentrates all its forces, without any exception or any reservation, on God, the unique goal of its being.  Freely it soars up to that highest peak of perfection where God alone stands in overpowering greatness before its eyes.  There the earth disappears from sight, earthly goods have no more charm, and the heart has become indifferent with regard to all earthly things.  But man finds in God the creator of all true, good, and beautiful things in the world, the creator of his own being, Who has ordered human inclinations towards created values.  Hence the soul descends once more the Jacob’s ladder of love.  Once again it loves home, forests, flowers, family, friends, art and science, but with a new love – no longer because the earthly ego hankers and then enjoys selfish satisfaction, but rather for the will of the most beloved Father in Heaven Who has created all these good things and now wills that His child should have joy in them.

Sister Joanne Gonter, VHM

More devotions from the sisters

This year the world marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. The person who was inspired to call the Council, Pope John XXIII, became a much beloved "father" to millions throughout the world. When I read the JOURNAL OF A SOUL, published in 1964, a year after his death, I learned something I have never forgotten: his great love for Saint Francis de Sales, speaking of him in a number of entries as "my Saint Francis de Sales." The following is an entry from January 29, 1903, when he was a seminarian:

Today was a perfect feast; I spent it in the company of St. Francis de Sales, my gentlest of saints. What a magnificent figure of a man, priest and Bishop! I love to let my thoughts dwell on him, on his goodness and on his teaching. I have read his life so many times! His counsels are so acceptable to my heart. By the light of his example I feel more inclined towards humility, gentleness and calm. My life, so the Lord tells me, must be a perfect copy of that of St. Francis de Sales if I wish it to bear good fruits. Nothing extraordinary in me or in my behavior, except my way of doing ordinary things: 'all ordinary things but done in no ordinary way.' A great, a burning love for Jesus Christ and his Church: unalterable serenity of mind, wonderful gentleness with my fellow men, that is all.

O my loving saint, as I kneel before you at this moment, there is so much I could say to you! I love you tenderly and I will always remember you and look to you for help. O St. Francis, I can say no more; you can see into my heart, give me what I need to become like you.

 Sister Joanne Gonter, VHM