You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church

The Holy Father arrives tomorrow! Let's open our hearts and minds to the message he brings us!

"Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: “Christ our hope”. Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfilment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community."

Greater love hath no man ...

than to lay down his life for his friends. The following story moved me a great deal when I caught it on CNN. So many people today cannot believe that anyone - even Our Lord - could possibly do anything so selfless - so unselfish - as to lay down their life for others. This account reminds us it's TRUE.

Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony at the White House April 8, 2008. He will receive the award for his actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. On that day, Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers. An insurgent closed in and threw a fragmentation grenade into the overwatch position. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest before falling to the ground. Positioned next to the single exit, Monsoor was the only one who could have escaped harm. Instead, he dropped onto the grenade to shield the others from the blast. Monsoor died approximately 30 minutes later from wounds sustained from the blast. Because of Petty Officer Monsoor’s actions, he saved the lives of his 3 teammates and the IA soldiers. Monsoor also received the Silver Star for his actions during the same deployment in May 2006, when he exposed himself to heavy enemy fire to rescue and treat an injured teammate.

greater love hath no nun ...

A British tabloid newspaper is reporting the following from Italy (and yes it's true ...)

A NUN saved a burning man from death by jumping on him - then smothering the flames with her habit. Brave Sister Donatella Ciucciumei, 51, saw the elderly man douse himself in petrol in a street in San Severino Marche, in Italy. She ran towards the 71-year-old as he raised a lit match to his body. And as he was engulfed in flames, she jumped on top of him, spreading her habit to douse the flames. The nun was unhurt and the man is recovering after sustaining second degree burns to most of his body. Sister Donatella has visited daily to offer him counselling. Police said he was depressed because his wife left him.

10 days and counting ....

Pope Benedict XVI visit to the U.S. is almost here!

Food for thought ....

If you wnat to see this close up or even order a print go here

The Future Leaders of America

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently but March is a very busy month this year and of course we are now in the Triduum so life is very busy indeed - but wonderful too. We had a great time in DC with the Seniors. Girls and Guys THANKYOU for showing what great people you are - people always comment on how mature and polite our students are - and it was true again this year. Thanks too for the FUN. It was a blast and I know I am going to miss all of you next year. I wonder which one of you will end up living in this big white house?

Fr B

couldn't resist posting this

It's late but I'm tanked on coffee after a delicious meal at parishioners tonight (thank you Patti!) and can't sleep so I went blogging again ....

Our friend over at American Papist has posted this wonderful picture of the Holy Father with an (as always) witty comment but this time I am amending it to one of my own

Just like Fr Bob and the seniors at NC the Pope always gets to jump to the front at lunch

.... and quite right too!

I've now added American Papist to the side bar so you can check out his daily pic on a regular basis - enjoy and see you at lunch seniors!