Friday 22 September 2017

The Little Known Exorcisms Performed by Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI at the Vatican



From http://www.ucatholic.com by Billy Ryan:-

The sacramental practice in the Catholic Church of expelling demons from the body of a person who is possessed is termed exorcism. While some may think of the 1973 critically acclaimed film The Exorcist when they hear about exorcisms, the practice is, in fact, a well-defined and procedural process through which clergy members must take specific steps to successfully perform the ritual.



However, the Church regards genuine demonic possession as an extremely rare phenomenon and requires extensive testing to rule out the possibility of mental or physical illness.
Most don’t know that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI performed exorcisms inside the Vatican.

“When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism” – Catechism of the Catholic Church
According to the late Father Gabriele Amorth, who was the exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, Pope Saint John Paul II performed his first exorcism as Pope in the Vatican on March 27, 1982. Bishop Ottorino Alberti of the town of Spoleto, Italy brought a young woman by the name of Francesca Fabrizi to the pope asking for his aid. Immediately after he met the young woman, she starting writhing uncontrollably on the ground, sobbing, despite John Paul II’s interventions. She only calmed when he said “Tomorrow I will say mass for you.”

A few years later after the successful exorcism, a happy and peaceful Francesca Fabrizi visited with her husband and children to meet once again with the pope. In the private memoirs of Jacques-Paul Martin, the Prefect of the Papal Household during John Paul II’s papacy, he wrote that the pope said that “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It was a biblical scene.”

Pope John Paul II performed another exorcism in Saint Peter’s Square during a weekly audience in 2000. A woman by the name of Sabrina was brought to the Vatican, and as soon as she entered the square she immediately began to yell and tried to lunge at the pope, requiring ten people to hold her down. She started drooling and yelling blasphemies. After finishing his weekly address, John Paul II asked to meet with Sabrina. According to Father Amorth, as soon as she got close to the pope her eyes glazed over and her head was thrown back and she yelled “No, leave me alone!” John Paul II performed an exorcism on the spot, blessing her several times. The initial attempt, however, failed to completely exorcise her and Father Amorth was required to perform several more exorcisms with Sabrina to completely rid her of demons.

While Father Amorth considered Pope John Paul II to be one of the most powerful exorcists in his time, he considered Pope Benedict XVI to be even more feared by the Devil.

In May of 2009, Father Amorth brought two men to Saint Peter’s Square during one of Benedict XVI’s weekly audiences. The two men, Giovanni and Marco, began to tremble and chatter their teeth as the pope approached them. When he exited the popemobile, both men flung themselves to the ground and began to bang their heads on the ground and howl. From a distance, Benedict XVI raised his arm and blessed the two men. Father Amorth says the two were thrown ten feet backwards and began to sob from being rid of their demons.

Today, Pope Francis has emphasized the presence of the Devil in our world and the need to stay vigilant and not stray or be led into temptation. In March, he urged confessors to be open to referring penitents to exorcists, while saying discernment is needed to differentiate between true spiritual disturbances and possible health disorders.

H/t to http://www.ucatholic.com/blog/little-known-exorcisms-performed-at-the-vatican-by-pope-john-paul-ii-and-benedict-xvi/ .

Thursday 21 September 2017

Monday 18 September 2017

5 Reasons You Need to Go On A Catholic Retreat





From:- http://www.catholicretreats.net/:-
"You need to find a Catholic retreat center near you (or far away!) and spend some time on a spiritual retreat. Here are five reasons why:
1. Get Away From Busy-ness and Stress
We have too many meetings and sports commitments and emails and voice mails and bills and chores. It is draining. Get away from everyday life completely and spend a day or two days or a week or a month on retreat filling up what has been drained away.
2. Be Quiet and Listen to God
It is a noisy world. God is always talking to us, but it can be difficult to hear what He is saying. The opportunities for quiet reflection in our day-to-day life are usually filled with music or podcasts or texting others or surfing the internet. Technology makes life easier and helps us to communicate more effectively with people we don’t see as much as we would like to, but it steals some of that communication time from God.
Go on retreat. Leave the phone, iPod, and computer at home. Spend some time talking to God and really listening to Him. A Catholic retreat is usually going to have time set aside to celebrate the Mass each day, and most often there will also be the opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration. What better way to listen to God than by spending an hour sitting with Him in prayer?
Don’t wait to communicate with God only at Mass and Adoration, though. By leaving the technology at home and really focusing your time on silence and prayer during a Catholic retreat you are able to more effectively hear God’s voice throughout your entire day.
3. Be around other Catholics
Every time I go on a guided retreat I rediscover what a joy it is to be around a group of Catholics trying to deepen their prayer life and live out their faith. Much of the time in everyday life we are not afforded the setting or the company to comfortably talk about our prayer life and our faith with others who share similar views and aspirations. On a retreat you will find others from all different walks of life, and sometimes from many different corners of the world, who are trying to escape the monotony of the day-to-day and improve their prayer life. Being in a group like this is truly a pleasure and will fill you with a joy that you can carry with you after retreat to fuel the motivation to keep your prayer life strong.
4. Or, Be Alone
Going on a directed retreat with others is a great experience, but once in a while we also need to just get away from everybody. Taking a private retreat at a hermitage or monastery is one of the great ways to refresh the soul. A private retreat affords you time for silence, prayer, holy reading, and reflection. Many places will also make the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and confession available to those on private retreat.
5. Jesus did it
Jesus spent forty days in the desert fasting and praying. You may only have the time to get away for one or two days, but the example has been set and we need to follow it.
Find a good Catholic retreat center, commit to a time, and go. It will do things for your relationship with God that you could have never imagined.

Sunday 17 September 2017

Event: Fatima conference at Buckfast Abbey with Cardinal Burke


Fatima 100 Year Anniversary Conference at Buckfast Abbey

Thu 12th & Fri 13th Oct | £15 per day - excluding meals
In collaboration with the School of the Annunciation at Buckfast Abbey. 12th and 13th of October 2017

Fatima 100 Years Later. A Marian Call for the Whole Church.
A two day conference with various world renowned speakers on Fatima. For more information on this event, or to book your place, please call: 01364 645532 or visit https://www.buckfast.org.uk/fatimaconference


Just a Handfull of Places Left at the 2017 Young Catholic Adults Weekend 20-22nd Oct





There are just a few places left for the Young Catholic Adults 2017 Douai Abbey weekend in the COTTAGES only, the Guesthouse rooms are all sold out:-

What are the Cottages?


  • The Cottages accommodate groups of up to 15 young persons in simple 'hostel' type rooms.
  • Self-catering facilities include a kitchen, dining room and scullery.
  • Two other rooms provide a lounge, and the whole building is centrally heated.
  • The facilities available include the Abbey Church which provides a peaceful, prayerful space for worship. Guests are free to join in all the community services and to enjoy the spacious Abbey grounds.
  • Lying deep in the Berkshire countryside overlooking the beautiful Kennet valley to the distant Hampshire downs, the Cottages provide an ideal place for a group retreat for all who seek the refreshment of peace and quiet.
  •  
    Please note to guarantee your place this year Douai Abbey have requested that everyone books in 3 weeks before the start of the weekend i.e.29th Sept 2017.
    Prices start from £18.50 per person per night.

    More information: http://www.youngcatholicadults.co.uk/


    To book go to: - https://v1.bookwhen.com/youngcatholicadults-douai2017

    Friday 15 September 2017

    Ordinariate Solemn High Mass and Procession St. Agatha's Church Portsmouth

    This was received in the YCA inbox:-

    Dear Young Catholic Adults,

    I have been asked by Father Maunder of St Agatha's, Portsmouth to invite you to the following Mass in honour of Our Lady of Walsingham. Refreshments follow. You are most welcome to forward this message to your supporters.

    Solemn High Mass and Procession. According to the Divine Worship Missal -
    Saturday 30th September.

    St Agatha's, Market Way, Portsmouth,
    For Sat Nav's please use postcode PO1 4RN.

    Celebrant: Father John Maunder (OLW)
    Guest Preacher: Fr John Saward.Mass Setting: Byrd's Mass for Four Voices.

    For Further Information:
    Fr John Maunder
    johnmaunder@icloud.com
    07454 815968


    Website: stagathaschurch.co.uk

    Twitter: @stagathaschurch

    Thursday 7 September 2017

    Dubia signer Cardinal Caffarra dies awaiting Pope’s clarification

     
     Par Sesquipedale sur Wikipedia italien, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18047753
    "September 6, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) -- Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, one of the four cardinals who sent Pope Francis the dubia asking for clarity on Amoris Laetitia, died at 79, the Vatican confirmed. 
    He is the second dubia cardinal to die in the last two months. German Cardinal Joachim Meisner died peacefully in his sleep in July, holding his breviary and preparing to offer Mass. 
    The two remaining dubia signers are Cardinals Raymond Burke, 69, and Walter Brandmuller, 88.
    Cardinal Caffarra, former archbishop of Bologna, was tasked by Saint Pope John Paul II more than three decades ago with founding an institute to study marriage and the family. He has been a respected leader in reinvigorating the life and family movement within the Church.
    Along with a doctorate in canon law, he was a specialist in moral theology. In his early priesthood he was a professor of moral theology to seminarians, giving special attention to the Church's doctrine on marriage and the ethics of procreation. He later taught medical ethics in Rome.
    He was nominated an expert at the Synod of Bishops on Matrimony and the Family in 1980, and the following year, was appointed by John Paul II to as founder and president of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. From 1983-88 he held the position of Consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
    The cardinal served as a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Pontifical Council for the Family, and the Pontifical Academy for Life.
    In 2008, Caffarra gave an interview in which he spoke about a letter he had received from the last Fatima seer, Sister Lucia dos Santos, concerning the final battle between God and Satan. When the cardinal wrote to Sister Lucia 36 years ago asking for her prayers as he began the process of founding the institute, he never expected a reply. Instead, the seer responded with a message of profound significance.
    Caffarra explained:
    In [her letter] we find written: ‘The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid,’ she added, ‘because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.’ And then she concluded: ‘However, Our Lady has already crushed its head.’"

    For the full story see:- https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/dubia-signer-cardinal-caffarra-dies-at-age-79.

    English bishops move Epiphany, Ascension back to traditional days

    Over ten years after transferring the celebration of Epiphany and the Ascension to the nearest Sunday, the bishops of England and Wales have decided to restore them to their traditional dates. The Vatican has confirmed the decision.
    For the whole story see:-
    https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/09/04/english-bishops-move-epiphany-ascension-back-traditional-days/
    te
    Over ten years after transferring the celebration of Epiphany and the Ascension to the nearest Sunday, the bishops of England and Wales have decided to restore them to their traditional dates. The Vatican has confirmed the decision.
    r transferring the celebration of Epiphany and the Ascension to the nearest Sunday, the bishops of England and Wales have decided to restore them to their traditional dates. The Vatican has confirmed the decision.

    Tuesday 5 September 2017

    September 2017 Cheltenham Young Catholic Adult Events

    September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

    Wednesday 6th Sept at 7pm - Low Mass, (EF) at St. Gregory's Church, Cheltenham (GL50 3PR), preceeded by  confessions - ( the serving is organised by Cheltenham Young Catholic Adults).

    Saturday 16th September 6-7pm.

    Catechesis/Devotions. Drinks (provided) followed by "A Crash Course in Catholicism Dvd" in the ground floor room of the Old Priory (attached to St. Gregory's Church). All welcome - including children!

    Don't forget that the annual Young Catholic Adult weekend is coming up 20th-22nd Oct - it's almost fully booked already!

     https://v1.bookwhen.com/youngcatholicadults-douai2017


    To reserve your place goto:-
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