Inside - companionscross.org · and fill them with water. When they brought them back, they were filled with wine. It was his first miracle, and gives us a little hint of something

Spring 2011

Inside“Do Whatever

He Tells You”Consecration to MaryRecipe for Suffering

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CreditsPublisherThe Companions of the Cross

Editors-in-ChiefFr. Scott McCaig, ModeratorFr. Rick Jaworski, Vice-Moderator

Managing EditorChristine Labrosse

Graphic DesignDyann BernardPigs Can Fly [email protected]

The Companions of the Cross is a quarterly publication designed to encourage spiritual growth and to share about God’s movement within a new community of Catholic priests, and candidates for the priesthood. The Companions’ ministries are made possible by the prayerful generosity of its supporters, to whom we are most grateful.

The editorial team welcomes your comments and inquiries.Mailing Address:199 Bayswater AvenueOttawa, Ontario, Canada K1Y 2G5Office: (613) 728-3175Fax: (613) 725-15901-866-885-8824 (toll free in Canada)1-866-724-6073 (toll free in USA)Web site: www.companionscross.orgE-mail: [email protected] Mail Agreement #: 40016244

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“Do Whatever He Tells You”

Mary: Ark of the New Covenant

Fr. Terry’s Picks – Our Lady

What to Make of Suffering

Break Down Dividing Walls

Lay Associates in Action – Nazareth Family Retreats

RCIA – An Ancient Rite Reborn

Testimony – Deacon Jim Lowe

Time With Fr. Bob

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Community News & Notes

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With joy and thanksgiving

Mary Lowe

Together with the Companions of the Cross

invite you to celebrate

the Ordination to the Priesthood

of their son and brother

James William Lowe

�e Sacrament of Holy Orders will be conferred

through the laying on of hands

and the invocation of the Holy Spirit

by the Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, SJ

Archbishop of Ottawa

on Saturday June the eleventh

two thousand and eleven

at ten o’clock in the morning

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica

385 Sussex Drive

Ottawa, Ontario

Reception to follow in the hall of the Basilica

Celebrate with us!ORDINATION 2011

MASSES OF THANKSGIVING( First Masses)

Sunday June 12, 2011 | 11:00amSt. Mary’s Parish100 Young Street | Ottawa, ON K1Y 3P7

Sunday June 19, 2011 | 11:00amSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish280 East Square Lake RoadTroy, MI 48085

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This article is adapted from a talk given by Fr. Bob Bedard at the Companions Lay Conference in 2002.

Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). This line, this word, this sentence, this command was spoken by Our Lady. These were her words. I’d like to situate them in the context in

which they were spoken.

Jesus was just beginning his public ministry. He was doing the work of a carpenter in his hometown of Nazareth where he grew up, and he wasn’t of any great note around the countryside. That’s evident from other words of the Gospel (Mt 13:54-55): “Who does this fellow think he is? Where is he from? He’s just the son of the carpenter isn’t he? Aren’t his brothers and sisters here? Don’t we know them all?” So he lived a very ordinary life – a hidden life. By the time he moved out into a public setting, on this occasion of the wedding in Cana, he was about 30 we’re told. And he hadn’t married, which was quite unusual for Jewish men of the time. Men would be married in their early 20’s. He was 30.

Jesus was the man of the house, helping his mother manage the household, as Joseph probably had died by that time. We’re told in Matthew 13:55-56 about Jesus’ brothers (James, Joses, Simon and Jude) and sisters – not offspring of Mary and Joseph, but prob-ably nephews and nieces of Joseph. One of the things that a pious Jewish man would do at that time would be to bring into his own household his brother’s children and his brother’s wife and take care of them upon the occasion of his brother’s death. These are probably first cousins of Jesus. Their mother’s name likewise, was Mary. There were two Marys in the household, and she is the one who is referred to as “the other Mary” (Mt 27:61, Mk 15:47). The Mary is Jesus’ mother; the other Mary is her sister-in-law, some-times referred to as her sister.

We’re told in the Gospel that “his brothers did not believe in him” (Jn 7:5). Some of the brothers took his mother to see him because they were convinced that he had lost his mind (Mk 3:21, 31-32). His mother wasn’t convinced of that of course, but they were. That was a trial for him, an early cross that his own kin did not accept him for who he really was. That came out when he said, “A prophet is honoured, except… in his own town, among his own kin and in his own house” (Mark 6:4).

In John 2, there was a wedding in Cana, “And the Mother of Jesus was there” (Jn 2:1). In the Gospel of John, Mary appears here at the wedding and she appears at the Cross, but in neither place is she named Mary. She is referred to as the Mother of Jesus. John himself is not named either. He calls himself “the disciple that Jesus loved” or “the beloved disciple.” There is a withholding of names on his part for him and for Mary. No names, just roles.

Jesus had many disciples, but this one he loved more than all the others. We might think, “It’s not fair to love one more than the oth-ers, is it?” The key to understanding this is that there are two things involved in love: you give it, and somebody else receives it. You might give all of your love to everybody, but the recipients may not have an equal degree of openness. In order to receive somebody’s love, to be loved by somebody, you have to give the person oppor-tunity to love you. If you don’t, if you avoid the person’s company for the most part, if you go off in another direction, if you don’t spend a lot of time with the person who is loving you, well, you’re not as open to receive. You can’t receive as much of his love as those who are with him all the time, those that want to go where he goes. John is the disciple who tagged after Jesus continually. At the Last Supper, he was right beside Jesus so that if he simply turned over, his head would rest on Jesus’ chest (Jn 13:25).

When Mary noticed that the wine was running low, she came to Jesus and said very simply, “They are running out of wine.” She didn’t ask him to do anything; she just reported the situation to him. And Jesus says to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). It sounds like a rude

“Do Whatever He Tells You”

f e a t u r eby Fr. Bob Bedard CC

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response, but it’s not rude. We have to understand the customs of the language. Literally it says, “What to you and to me?” In other words, “What does that have to do with you or what does it have to do with me?” Mary doesn’t answer that, she simply turns to the servants, the stewards and says, “Do whatever He tells you.” And as you know, he told the stewards to take the large stone jars and fill them with water. When they brought them back, they were filled with wine. It was his first miracle, and gives us a little hint of something else that he would do with bread and wine, later on.

“My hour has not yet come.” The hour that Jesus was referring to is the hour of the cross. At the cross, something was going to hap-pen besides his suffering and death that would involve his mother. He would draw his mother into some kind of ministry that would involve more than what she was all about right now. “So my hour hasn’t come yet. You’re asking me to do something now, and I’m going to do it. But at the Cross, I will actually be appointing you to do this. I will be appointing you to many things that you haven’t done and aren’t yet aware of. My hour hasn’t yet come, but, since you ask, let it be done.” And it was done.

This is the crux of the whole business: the Father’s will. For you to come to the point in your life to say to God, “I want to do your will. I don’t want to do anything else.” Now, that’s radical. There is nothing more radical than being willing to give up your own pref-erence to God, not knowing what God perhaps will ask you to do. I know in talking to people over the years, this is what people are afraid of. “Yes, I’d like to do the Father’s will, but what would he ask me to do?” My response, “I don’t know, I haven’t got a clue.” “Might he ask me to do this or that or this or that?” “Sure, yeah.” “Well I don’t know if I could do that.” But the Lord wants more from us than simply what we’ve already agreed to do. We can’t move up the scale without answering this question in some kind of affirmative way: “I will do the will of the Lord.”

Now, Mary is right here in the thick of it. When the angel Gabriel came to her, to announce that she was to be the mother of the Son of God, she says, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). That’s how she started off on this journey with the Lord: saying to the angel, “Whatever his will is, I will do.” That was a huge leap of faith and trust. She had no idea what was going to happen. She didn’t know that this son of hers would one day head out and start challenging the whole society, drawing down upon himself the wrath of those in political power, and would eventually be arrested and beaten up. If you’re a mother, can you imagine that kind of thing happening to your child? Would you be willing to say, “OK,” if God wanted it? We need to come to the point where we can say, “Lord, whatever you want, that I will do.”

Speaking personally, I have come to that point. I don’t know when that happened, but I know it happened. Every day I start off, I say, “Lord, do whatever you will. I will do whatever you say. Just make it clear. I’ll do it whatever it is.” I presume that’s one of the reasons why the Lord looked down one day and said, “Ha, ha. There’s a

guy that I think I can talk into this. I want a new community of priests.” “You do? Oh, that’s nice. Do you want me to join it?” “No, I want you to found it!” That is what is required: for us to make a total act of abandonment to the Lord. Have you done that? Would you be willing to do anything he says?

“My food,” Jesus says, “is to do the will of him who sent me” (Jn 4:34). When he was in the garden, having received the revelation from his Father that he was to have a painful, agonizing, shameful death, he said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39). That was the follow through on a decision that he had made some time before that.

The only thing worth doing is the will of God. If it isn’t the will of God, it’s not worth doing. That’s the only thing that works anyway. The Lord wants to be part of the decisions in our life. In fact, he wants to tell you what decision he’d like you to make: what you’re going to do with your life, your vocation, your educational deci-sions, your work, your schedule, your holidays, your plans. Are we ready, can we say, “Lord, I’ll do anything you say”? The Lord will give you a deep conviction about what it is he wants you to do. If we could simply, in our own lives, come to the point where the Father’s will is always being done; we would be amazed at how he would bless us. It is not without the cross, but the road to fulfill-ment and happiness is the will of God.

But we’re afraid of it. We’re afraid of what he’ll ask. We do not trust God. We think he’s going to ask us to do things that we can’t do. Here are two principles:

1. God never asks of us anything beyond our capacity to do. He will supply his power, yes. But if it’s beyond our capacity to do it, he will not ask us to do it. So what are we worried about?

2. God will never ask us to do something that we don’t want to do. If it happens that the thing he has in mind for you right now, you don’t want to do it, but you’re telling him you’ll do it if he wants, he will change your heart to the point where you want to do it. You will find out that you want to do something now that you did not want to do before. He’s done that to me. I became a diocesan priest, instead of an Oblate, precisely because I did not want to teach! Three years ordained, the Archbishop says, “I’d like you to teach.” I taught high school for 20 years. But my heart changed. I got to love teaching.

The word from the Lord is this, “You will have what you need when you need it.” The Father’s will is the Holy Spirit’s work. If the Father wants it, He will give the instructions to the Holy Spirit who will get it working. We need to be in that kind of relationship with the Lord, our Father, who loves us so much and would never ask us to do something we can’t do or don’t want to do. It’s the best deal you could possibly find. And I recommend it to you with all my heart.

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The Four Pillars of our Spirituality

EU

CHAR

ISTIC MARIAN

CH

AR ISMAT IC MAGIS

TER

IAL

Called to the Priesthood? Come join the Companions of the Cross on a Come & See Live-in Experience Contact Fr. Allan MacDonald, CC for details: [email protected] | 613.728.1736 WWW.COMPANIONSCROSS.ORG

The world needs holy priests!

Are you Ready? “Come, and you will see” — John 1:39

Contact Sr. Anna Chan, SC for details: [email protected] | 613.729.8710 WWW.SERVANTSOFTHECROSS.CA

The heart of our mission – Evangelization

Come and See weekends offeredContact us for more details!

Sisterhood is our Gift!


T here is a very helpful maxim for un-derstanding the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Tes-

tament: “The Old Testament is contained in the New and the New is revealed in the Old.” This is very true of the identity and mission of the Blessed Virgin Mary because delving deeper into the Old Testament un-locks the full meaning of Mary in the New Testament. Her true significance is revealed in a remarkable manner. There are many examples of this, but one of the most com-pelling is the way that the Scriptures reveal Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant!

As we know God commanded Moses that the Ark of the Old Covenant be built, and we also know that it played an important role in the history of God’s people. It was a beau-tiful box, made of acacia wood, covered in gold, and overshadowed by carved statues of cherubim. It contained the most prized possessions of Israel: the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron (the sym-bol of his high priesthood) that miraculously came back to life, and some of the manna provided by God to Israel in the desert. Above it was the ‘Mercy Seat’, an incred-ibly privileged place of encounter with the Most High God. In fact it became the dwell-ing place of God! (Ex 40: 34-35) It was placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem and, in fact, the entire temple was built to house the Ark! Tragically it was lost during the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile during the time of the prophet Jeremiah. To the Jewish people its loss was a tragedy hardly to be measured.

Imagine the anticipation in the hearts of the first century Jewish Christians as they read the scroll containing the Apocalypse of St. John for the first time: “Then the sanctu-

ary of God in heaven opened, and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside it” (Rv 11:19). What must have been going through their minds and hearts at that moment? You can almost feel them strain-ing to see what St. John saw and how he would describe the Ark in heaven. Would he describe the beauty of the golden box and the intricate carved statues? Maybe there would be something to reveal where it was so that they could recover it? They didn’t have to wait long because they came to the climax of the passage in the very next verse (remember that chapter verses were added centuries later): “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child… She gave birth to a male child, who is destined to rule all na-tions” (Rv 12:1, 5). Perhaps there was mo-mentary confusion, and then it dawned on them: of course! They see a woman bearing the Messiah because Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant! John sees Mary body and soul in heaven because her body literally carried the Messiah – the New Covenant in the flesh! How could an ancient relic containing a few artifacts, precious though they were, compare with her – the Queen Mother of the Messiah who carried him into the world for our salvation! How they must have admired the divine plan when they realized that God had given them something incomparably greater!

The closer we look at the Scriptures the clearer this theme emerges. Whereas the Old Covenant Ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the high priestly rod of Aaron that came to life, and manna from the desert - Mary carries in her womb the very Word of God become flesh (Jn 1:1), our Great High Priest himself (Heb

5:14) who died and rose again gloriously from the dead, and the true Bread of Life who came down from heaven (Jn 6:38-51). She carried Jesus!

Many Scripture scholars have noted that the Gospel of Luke in particular points to even further similarities between Mary and the Ark of the Old Covenant. In fact, it seems he is making a deliberate compari-son so that we can recognize that Mary is indeed the New Covenant Ark:

Just as the Old Covenant Ark is cov-ered by God’s presence and indwelt by it: “Then the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling” (Ex 40:34-35), so too Mary is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35).

The words we hear from Elizabeth as Mary greets her, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Lk 1:39-41) sound almost exactly the same as those of David as the Ark en-ters Jerusalem, “How could the Ark of the Lord come to me?” (2 S 6:9).

Elizabeth describes how at the mo-ment that Mary’s greeting reached her ears, “the infant in my womb leaped

f e a t u r eby Fr. Scott McCaig CC

Mary: Ark of the New Covenant

for joy” (Lk 1:44). John the Baptist is responding the same as David who “danced before the Lord with aban-don, as he and all the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy…” (2 S 6:14-15).

Even Mary’s stay with Elizabeth seems to echo the Old Testament de-scription of the Ark, for “Mary re-mained with her about three months and then returned to her home” (Luke 1:56), just as “The Ark stayed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months…” (2 Sam 6:11).

What do all these similarities signify? Sim-ply that the Old Covenant Ark was a fore-shadowing of Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. Mary is the fulfillment of all that the Old Covenant Ark represented. Mary herself became the dwelling place of God through the Incarnation and carried the Lord Jesus into the world. Just as the Ark was a privileged place of encounter with the Lord in the Old Testament, so Mary is the “safest, surest, most perfect way” to Jesus (St. Louis de Montfort). And just as the Ark was placed at the head of the armies of Israel, Mary goes before us to “crush the head of the serpent” (Gn 3:15) and shield us with her love and prayers as we seek to serve her divine Son.

It is true that there are not an abundance of Scripture passages that deal with Mary in the New Testament, but each of them is rich with Old Testament imagery. Delving into them reveals a depth and beauty that we would have otherwise missed. What a gift God has given us in Mary!

We may not have the golden box of the Old Testament any more, but we have some-thing much better. We have an even more privileged place of encounter with Jesus and a protectress that goes before us in the spiritual battle. We have the Ark of the New Covenant. We have Mary!

Fr. Scott McCaig is the Moderator of the Companions of the Cross. He was ordained in 1995.

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fat h e r te r ry ’ s p i C k s

Our LadyAll Generations Shall Call Me Blessed – Biblical Mariology by Stefano M. Manelli, F.I.Scriptural synthesis of Marian theology: figures & symbols of Mary from Genesis to Revelation. marymediatrix.com

Mary of Nazareth by Frederico SuarezTheological and spiritual reflections on the Hidden life of Mary, Annunciation, Visitation, Presentation, Cana, and Mother of Sorrows. www.scepterpub.org

True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de MontfortClassic of Marian spirituality, covers Consecration to Jesus through Mary, mo-tives, effects and practices of this devotion. www.montfortmissionaries.com/publications/

Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de MontfortCollection of prayers and readings from Scripture, the Imitation of Christ, and the writings of St. Louis de Montfort for the 33 days of preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. www.montfortmissionaries.com/publications/

Mary, Mother of the Son by Mark SheaMarian Apologetics in 3 detailed volumes: covering Biblical, Apostolic and patristic roots of Marian doctrines, their modern relevance, devotions, and private revelation. www.mark-shea.com/books.html

A Still Small Voice: A Practical Guide on Reported Revelations by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFRA brilliant, readable and concise work on how the Church evaluates claims of private revelation. www.ignatius.com

The Miracle HunterExtensive list of claimed apparitions, status of Church approval, criteria for discernment, with official Church statements on particular apparitions. www.miraclehunter.com

Apparitions of Jesus and MaryAn older site, no longer updated, available in archive: http://replay.wayback-machine.org/20081024202050/http://www.apparitions.org/


R C

E

Have you ever wondered what to make of the sufferings you

experience in life? You know instinctively that it is not part

of the original plan. Everything in you wants to avoid it;

to run from it; to attempt to mask it somehow. You are not

alone. All of humanity shares this common frustration; this

common burden; this common enemy. Since suffering is in-

evitable, what do we do? Put simply, life will certainly give

us lemons, so how do we make lemonade? Jesus shares

with us his amazing recipe.

Suffering is R - Redemptive; E - Evangelistic; C - Christ-Centered; I - Identifying us with others; P - Purifying for our motives; E - Eucharistic.

Redemptive

Did you know that you became a mystic when you were bap-tized? It is true. This means that when you suffer; because you are united with Jesus; and because his suffering is redemptive; your suffering now has the power to save souls. Jesus’ suffer-ing is enough for everyone. Our personal suffering is void of all value apart from him. Yet, when it is united with Christ, it becomes part of his sacrifice “once for all” (Heb7:27). The Holy Spirit ennobles and enables us to “Make up in our own bodies what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his Body, the Church” (Col 1:24). This is truly something to ponder. Imag-ine, thinking that your sufferings, from a simple paper cut to be-coming a burn patient; from being misunderstood, to the loss of a loved one, and all other imaginable suffering besides, can be

united with the one redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. As we make the choice to give this suffering to Jesus, time and time again throughout our lives, we can be instrumental in varied and wonderful miracles. Maybe it is the conversion of a dying person in danger of going to hell, or the freeing of a soul in purgatory into the unfathomable delights of life in heaven, or the cure of someone who is sick, etc. The sky is the limit with what God can do with your suffering when you give it to him. Remember, make no mistake, you are a mystic! Please don’t waste suffering by not uniting it with Christ. When you offer it up, it has power; real, life-changing power. One needs only to read the lives of the saints to encounter the powerful effect of redemptive suffering in action. Think of Saint Padre Pio. Many souls were brought to deep conversion because he allowed God to unite his sufferings with those of Jesus.

Evangelistic

Because of the joy of mystically uniting our sufferings with Jesus, we now have a peace in our hearts, and maybe even a twinkle in our eyes, despite and in spite of our suffering. This will raise some questions in people’s hearts. They will wonder how you can still have inner peace, joy and gratitude. It won’t seem natural. Quite right. It is supernatural (remember, we are mystics). Now you may have an opportunity to “give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pe 3:15). Think upon Pope John Paul II’s witness to Jesus in the suffering of his final years on this earth. This is how suffering can draw souls to Jesus.

Christ-centred

Jesus suffered, died and is risen. As his followers, we must like-wise accompany him on this threefold journey. Have you ever wished you could just join him in risen life in heaven, skipping the suffering and death parts? Bring on the glory! This cannot be the way, however. Well, we may then desire to at least skip the suffering and go straight to death. Beam me up Jesus! For hence we can move right along to the risen life. But no, we must partake in all three sequential stages in imitation of Jesus, the “author and perfecter of faith” (Heb12:2). Sometimes suffering can seem like the only part of life’s journey. Thanks be to God, we now understand that we are certain to experience a final end to suffering, through our death; and, at long last, exist in the full-ness of risen life in heaven.

E

f e a t u r eby Fr. Tim Devine CC

What to Make Of Suffering: A ReflecTion P

I


E

We invite you to check out our new YouTube channel. You can access the YouTube channel with the link below or through our website. www.youtube.com/user/CompanionsCross

Vocations Seriesof Testimonies

During Youthfest 2010 a series of testimonies were given by men and women living out their different vo-cations. They are now available on YouTube in the ‘Vocations’ playlist.

• Vocation to the Single Life • Vocation to Marriage • Vocation to the Religious Life• Discerning a Vocation

to the Priesthood• Vocation to the Priesthood

Companions YouTube channel now launched!

Developing an Evangelical HeartWe invite you to delve deeper into the heart of Jesus, and to share his heart with the people around you. Follow our theme each month at www.companionscross.org

P

IIdentifying us with others

I have been blind since birth. I once asked the Lord, in prayer, if he really understood what it is like to be blind. I heard that Jesus can relate to all of our sufferings, and I was trying to discover how this could be true in my case. I opened my Braille Bible randomly and my fingers fell on the verse, “Some began to spit at him, and to blindfold him, and to beat him with their fists, and to say to him ‘Prophesy!’” (Mk 14:65). I felt shocked that I was led to this exact verse. I immediately put the Bible down and worshipped Jesus for his ability to identify with all of our sufferings. When we suffer, we grow in our personal capacity to relate with others. Our compassion, empathy and understanding are heightened. The poor and afflicted should find in us welcome friends.

Purifying for our motives

How do we know that Jesus loves us? When we look at a crucifix, or watch Mel Gib-son’s The Passion of the Christ, we understand that Jesus couldn’t have given us more of himself. He gave us every last possible drop of his precious blood. He evidently was so willing to endure so much for us, we cannot question his motives. His sacrifice was totally for us. Pure love! How do we know that we love Jesus? When we suffer with love, we know our love is pure. If love doesn’t cost anything, is it really love? Suffering, then, is the only measure of the purity of our motives. Jesus didn’t complain or resent his suffer-ings because, by them, he was expressing purest love. May we always have the grace to offer our suffering in the context of being a loving sacrifice for the Lord. Let’s give it all away for him who gave everything for us.

Eucharistic

Finally, suffering is Eucharistic. Jesus was broken and poured out for us. As we witness the bread being broken, and the wine being poured out, we know by faith that it is not bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of Jesus. Moreover, we see represented on the altar of sacrifice, our own daily experiences of being broken and poured out, united with the one, perfect sacrifice of Christ. Then, Jesus, and us along with him, are offered to the Father. What a miracle! The Holy Spirit somehow collects all of our sufferings since the previous Mass. Then, he transports us, as though by a time machine, to Calvary, so long ago; and likewise, makes Calvary present to us, now, in 2011. This is the one moment when the value of all of our sufferings is realized. Put in worldly terms, when someone wins a lot of tokens at a casino, he or she cannot simply spend those tokens at the corner store. The chips must be cashed in. When we suffer, we are accumulating tokens of grace. It is when we attend Holy Mass that we cash in our chips and exchange the currency of suffering into saving power for souls.

To conclude this article, I invite you to try out this recipe, and so, by God’s grace, trans-form your suffering into salvation. One day, I pray you will see with wonder, the ways in which your ingredients contributed to the heavenly banquet. When it has all been said and done, at the end of your life, may you testify that it was all worth it. What you sow in tears, may you reap in joy (cf. Ps 126:5). May Almighty God bless you richly now and always in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Fr. Tim Devine is the Associate Pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Ottawa, Ontario........................................................................................


i had the opportunity to spend three years in Belfast, Northern Ireland working and living in an ecumenical covenant commu-nity whose mission was to bring spiritual unity to the Body of

Christ in an area of the world known for terrorism, bombings, big-otry, hatred between the churches, assassinations and Freemasonry whose principles are fundamentally contrary to the Catholic faith and explicitly deny key tenets of Christianity. These problems were mostly rooted in political and religious intolerance between Catholics and Protestants.

Upon my return to the United States I had the opportunity to at-tend a Promise Keepers conference in Pontiac Michigan with over 70,000 men of different colour, religious persuasion and ethnic grouping. We gathered together and sang the above mentioned song. There was an incredible sense of the anointing presence of the Holy Spirit that swept through the stadium and this has re-mained with me to this day.

In 1999, I was asked by the Companions of the Cross commu-nity, along with a few other brothers, to come to Houston, Texas and work at the Catholic Charismatic Center. I witnessed people being healed and having their lives turned upside down by the Holy Spirit. It was truly a time of blessing for me and for the many wonderful people that crossed my path who I now consider dear friends.

Last year I sensed the Lord leading me in a different direction. I began to study the various approved Marian apparitions over the last 100 years and many Scripture references that seemed to sup-port these messages. I connected this to what I perceived was an escalation of hatred toward Christianity in general and Catholi-cism in particular. This also was coupled by the many statements of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

I then contacted a few Christian minister friends of mine in North Carolina and shared my concerns with them. We were of one mind as we discussed our thoughts on the moral, spiritual and politi-cal decline that was spreading throughout the world as well as the cataclysmic events of nature. I then approached Fr. Scott McCaig, Moderator of the Companions of the Cross, and Bishop Michael Burbridge of the Raleigh diocese in North Carolina and requested to spend some time working in the movement toward spiritual unity between the churches. I knew that a divided church was a weakened church and that we needed to stand together as one.

I began to visit various churches to attend their services and share the vision of unity. For the most part there was an opening to come together to pray and discuss the possibilities. We addressed those issues that separate us and know they need to be worked through with respective leaders of the various denominations; however,

Break Dividing WallsBy David Ruis

There is a place of commanded blessing,where brethren in unity dwell,

a place where anointed oil is flowingwhere we live as one.

You have called us to be a Body,You have called us as friends,

joined us together in the bond of the Spirit, unto the end.

Father we’re joined with the prayer of Jesus, as You are so let us be one, joined together in unity and purpose,

all for the love of Your Son.

We will break dividing wallsWe will break dividing walls

We will break dividing walls in the name of Your Son.We will break dividing walls

and we will be one.

Between the north and the south,between the east and the west,

those walls they’re coming down.Between the black and the white

and the orange and the green, those walls, they’re coming down.

Between the fathers and sons, between the brothers and sisters,those walls they’re coming down,

between the young and the oldand traditions grown cold, those walls,

they’re coming down.

f e a t u r eby Fr. Ed Wade CC

Break Down Dividing Walls

we concluded that we were a grass roots movement and that we needed to learn how to love one another despite our differences and stress and focus on common beliefs.

We found that we needed to learn how to love one another. This is the key ingredient to unity and without this basic foundation it is impossible to establish anything. Our first outreach was to go to various churches to praise and worship and have a healing service. The response has been positive and the Holy Spirit stopped by to visit us. The Holy Spirit is faithful.

A group of business people from Washington, D.C who are in-volved in telecommunications visited us recently and are interested in our work and want to develop a media center of Judeo Christian spirituality in the North Carolina area. We are presently discussing the possibilities of this project and are looking to buy some land to launch this vision. Only time will tell if this will come about but we are living in faith and hope and asking Our Lady and the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Seeking spiritual unity is critical to what I truly believe the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church in these days:

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their words; I pray that they all may be one, as you are in me and I am in you; that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:20-21).

“For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, who has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph 2:14-15).

On November 20, 2009 the Manhattan Declaration was released where 140 leaders of Evangelical, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and other protestant denominations issued a joint statement on the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom. The lines were being drawn in the sand in the cultural war.

It has been estimated that there over 22,000 different Christian de-nominations in the world. I believe that the world looks upon us with great amusement and I can also see the devil cheering us on and widening the walls that separate us. How do we expect the world to believe when we are in such a state of confusion and con-tinue to attack one another?

We, in the power of the Holy Spirit, become a formidable foe to the prince of this world when we become as Saint Paul says, “one new man”.

God is our treasure. And yet few people embark on the adventure of seeking God.

Scripture promises that if we seek the Lord we will find him.

These booklets are a 40-day challenge to pray 10 minutes a day.

Treasure in Heaven Prayer Guide“This booklet is a prayer guide that will lead you into a per-sonal relationship with the Holy Trinity. My hope is that through this booklet you will acquire the discipline

of daily prayer and that this discipline will remain with you for the rest of your life.” Fr. Mark Goring CC Price: $1.00 each

Here I Am Lord, Send Me! Prayer Guide“This booklet is a prayer guide that will help you discern God’s call for your life. I hope this prayer booket helps you say, ‘Here I am Lord, send me’.” Fr. Allan MacDonald CC Price: $2.50 each

Discounted pricing is available when you purchase larger quantities of these booklets.

To order please call our office 1-866-885-8824 (Toll free)

Order copies online: www.companionscross.org (Books and more)

Send your requests with your address by mail to: Companions of the Cross, 199 Bayswater Ave.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Y 2G5.


L a y a s s o C i a t e s i n a C t i o nby Cheryl and David Darwent

i t was the Labour Day weekend of 2000 (the Jubilee Year), that Fr. Yves Mar-childon wanted to put on a Nazareth

weekend for the families of our parish, St. Edith Stein. He had asked us along with two other families to run the retreat. What he didn’t know was that we were going through a very difficult time in our mar-riage. We had never taken a Nazareth re-treat and felt ill prepared. We looked for a family that had experience with Nazareth retreats to “take over”. None of the fami-lies we contacted were available to bail us out. It was left up to us along with our two other inexperienced families, to “run the show”. Fr. Yves believed it would be a light weekend where he could play games with his parishioners. We were all in for a big surprise.

That first weekend was the beginning of deep healing for us, and Fr. Yves spent most of his free time in the confessional, and not on the volleyball court. Obviously we were not the only ones being challenged and converted. The weekend was so pow-erful and touching, that the leadership team which runs the retreat centre called Domi-nus Vobiscum near St. Gabriel de Bran-don in Quebec asked us if we would run a week-long Nazareth Retreat the follow-ing summer. We did. The summer retreats have been running ever since, now offering families a choice of four weeks.

Right from the beginning, and especially in the early years, the Companions of the Cross were a big support to our Nazareth Retreats. There have been many Com-

panion priests and seminarians who have blessed us with their presence, and wit-nessed family life in a retreat setting. Late-ly, Madonna House priests have been sup-porting the Nazareth Family Retreats.

The Nazareth Retreat is a legacy of Don and Rosalie (“Posie”) McPhee, converts to Catholicism. They began the Nazareth Family Apostolate in the early 1980’s as a response to God’s call to restore Cath-olic families to Christ, modelled on the hidden life of the Holy Family. The apos-tolate began as a series of family retreats given at a retreat centre in Combermere, Ontario, under the direction and inspira-tion of the Madonna House Community, and the Bee herself (Catherine Doherty). They were inspired to produce a series of

NazareTh FamiLy reTreaTs


videotapes entitled Restoring the Family to Christ.

These same video tapes along with per-sonal sharing are the foundation used with all new families to Nazareth. Returning families continue to hear teaching and testi-monials based on the video teachings: The Domestic Church, Prayer and Celebration in the Family, Discipline and the Raising of Children, the gift of Fertility, Purity, and Forgiveness. But perhaps the most wonder-ful thing about Nazareth is that it is a place where families can be real. It is a place where families can allow the Lord and his light to shine in areas in need of healing. As we have lived these Nazareth retreats over the last 10 years our marriage and family life have been transformed in ways we nev-er dreamt possible. It is also a gift to share our lives with other Catholic families and know that we are not alone on this journey toward holiness.

Nazareth family retreats take place at the Dominus Vobiscum Retreat Centre located

near beautiful St. Gabriel, Quebec on the shores of Lac Maskinonge. A choice of four one week retreats is offered for new and returning families. Each year, more families become part of the Nazareth Fam-ily as it is a deeply moving and extremely fun time for all involved.

We are blessed to have a priest in residence for the entire week. Each day begins with the celebration of the Eucharist, and there are opportunities for the Sacrament of Rec-onciliation during the week. Each evening there is some form of community prayer – the rosary, praise and worship, or adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

After Mass the children are involved in ac-tivities such as arts and crafts, Catechism and sports. The children are in different age groups led by a wonderful group of youth volunteers. At this same time the adults have their session.

Afternoons are free for family time and recreation. There is basketball, beach vol-

leyball, soccer and of course beach time and water games as well as socializing in the shade.

Each family is assigned a private cabin. There are six twin cabins, each with private space for two families with a common, adjoining area featuring two bathrooms, one for each family. You also have a bath and shower in your cabin. The main lodge, features a beautiful chapel, kitchen – fully equipped, games room, toy/play room for little ones and sitting areas.

Each family is responsible for prepar-ing their own breakfast and supper while a wonderful group of volunteers prepares lunch for all. Nazareth family retreats have been a tre-mendous blessing for countless couples, their children, our priests, and the youth volunteers and cooks. If you are interested in being a part of this experience either as a volunteer or a family please contact us at www.nazarethfamily.com.

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W orking in the secular environment of a Universi-ty can be challenging but I’ve seen some beauti-ful fruit in my chaplaincy ministry at Dalhou-

sie and St. Mary’s Universities in Halifax. To develop an evangelical heart on campus is to develop an open mind and a patient heart. I have found that the most fruitful form of evangelism on campus happens through building trust-ing relationships with students. At St. Mary’s University this happens through our chaplaincy office which acts as a drop-in centre for students. We are located in one of the academic buildings, just down the hall from the Tim Hor-ton’s, definitely a prime location. Students enjoy the com-fortable environment, and people on ‘the fringe’ find out that these Catholics are ‘normal’ people.

Sunday evenings, students gather for Mass at St. Mary’s Ba-silica Cathedral a short distance from the two universities. Mass is celebrated with the whole community, with students taking responsibility for music and other liturgical roles. Din-

ner is offered to the 40 to 50 students after Mass, followed by a time of formation and discussion. This semester we’re studying Christopher West’s videos on John Paul II’s Theol-ogy of the Body. Since there is a trust and community built up among the students they feel very comfortable inviting friends who often are not Catholic or involved in their faith. Once students feel this comfort, they are drawn into circles of friendship, where they’re invited to attend other events such as Faith Studies sponsored by CCO, Retreats, Pro-life groups, and outreach to the poor and marginalized.

I was happily surprised the other day, as I was passing through the Cathedral Parish hall on a Wednesday afternoon where I encountered three of our students serving at a drop-in time for people off the street where they’re served food, provided with clothes, books, and have their dignity restored. These young people had developed evangelical hearts, and felt drawn to this service after encountering God in a deeper way in our chaplaincy community.

Developing an evangelical heart on Campus

by Fr. Randy Hendriks CC


T here is a delight in working with committed and caring peo-ple, who show Christian love in the way they give of them-selves to others. That is my normal experience of those who

work with me in the current RCIA program at St. Maurice Parish. Heather and John Brunet, Gladys and Roger Guevarra, together with my wife, Rosemary and I, are joined by our Pastoral team of Fr. Simon Lobo, Fr. Francis Ching and Seminarian Lawrence Hyginus, to provide instruction and guidance to a wonderful group of 13 persons seeking initiation in the Catholic Church. About four years ago, when Fr. Yves Marchildon asked me to co-ordinate an RCIA team for St. Maurice parish, I saw the challenge, but eagerly looked forward to the task and was happy to learn the Brunet’s and Guevarra’s were joining us. I was also drawn by the historical significance of the ministry itself.

One decision of the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965) for which it will likely be remembered for ages to come, is the restora-tion of the ancient catechumenate. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, paragraph 64, states, “The catechumenate for adults........is to be restored...” To fulfill this directive, the Church developed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), promulgated in 1972. If you love history, there’s a special feeling about working in something from the early Church that has been revived, mostly in its original form, after so long a time.

In the ancient Church, a catechumen was a person preparing for initiation. The Church early understood the need of instruction for converts, to maintain their initial enthusiasm and assist them to live their faith. When persecution began, the Church felt the need for careful intellectual and moral preparation of catechumens, to help them cope with pagan philosophy and stand strong in face of possible martyrdom. The catechumenate became one of the first institutions the Church structured and it flourished in full form in the third and fourth centuries. Early in the fourth century persecu-tion ceased, Christianity became legal and in time was the religion of the empire. Need for the catechumenate lessened. Christian families became the majority and infant Baptism the norm. The catechumenate gradually fell into disuse and by the sixth century had all but faded. In recent centuries, worldwide missionary ac-

tivity raised the need to again have a formal system of initiation and by the twentieth century, missionaries in some areas began reviving structures of the catechumenal process. When Vatican II was announced, the Church investigated the need and at the Council the bishops voted almost unanimously for the reinstate-ment of the catechumenate.

The ancient catechumenate took three years or more to complete and consisted of three stages, with catechetical and liturgical ex-ercises for each. The first was simply an inquiry stage with pre-liminary instruction, but inquirers could attend the first part of the

R C I A

f e a t u r eby Kevin Burke

From top: Fr. Simon speaks to catechumens; Kevin Burke speaking to catechumen; St. Maurice RCIA group

– An Ancient Rite Reborn

Mass. The second stage was the rank of “catechumens”. They were called “Christians”, but not yet members of the “faithful”. They could attend Mass up to the end of the sermon. That first part of the Mass came to be called the “Mass of the catechumens” and the remainder, the “Mass of the faithful”. In the third stage, the cat-echumens’ names were inscribed among those seeking Baptism. This period covered the season of Lent. There were extensive rites, culminating in initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) at the Easter Mass. On the following Sunday, after further instruction, they were counted among the “faithful”.

The RCIA follows a similar structure to the ancient catechume-nate, though done in a shorter time; also the catechumen may attend the entire Mass. Now, as then, instructions and liturgical exercises continue through the various steps: preliminary, catechu-men, election or enrollment of names and then the three sacra-ments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. RCIA has a post baptismal period, called “mystagogy”, where any remaining catechesis is completed. It also has an aspect that the ancient catechumenate would not have. Most of the above steps have an adapted version for baptized persons, called “candidates”, who wish to be received into the full communion of the Church, or Catholics seeking to complete there initiation in the Church.

At St. Maurice the thrust of the RCIA program is not to simply provide catechesis but to try and develop a sense of how our belief is lived. At each session, we first gather around the word of God. The Gospel for the following Sunday is chosen and read three times and the listeners are invited to reveal a word or phrase that strikes them and share why. After the third reading, they may be asked to say what impact their insights, just shared, will have on them, or, as we are doing this year, spend a few minutes in silence reflecting on these thoughts. In this exercise I am ever impressed by the insights from our catechumens and candidates. It is good to let the word of God work its own converting influ-ence. The catechesis then follows after which all are invited to ask questions, written or spoken. This usually becomes another valued learning time.

Another aim of the program is to build a sense of community. Our team works on reaching out and bonding with our aspiring con-verts and their sponsors. It is heartening to see the new people feel part of the group and want to give of themselves. The Church is one and these are signs of our unity. This year the RCIA has been opened up to the parish and the presence of the larger group has expanded that sense of community.

In RCIA we touch lives, but we are only God’s instruments. The Holy Spirit does the converting. We are simply guides showing them the path to walk. This ancient rite served the Church well in an earlier hostile time. In today’s secular world where the Church is often ignored, or under attack, God has brought back this rite to serve it once again. Let us thank God for it. $20.00 plus shipping and handling.

Available through the office.

“Fr. Bob Bedard has played a

significant role in the life of the church

in Ottawa and far beyond.

These memoirs are a testament to his

profound openness to the Holy Spirit.

It is inspiring to see what the Lord Jesus

can accomplish in the life of someone

who is wholeheartedly surrendered to

him. It’s important – even for priests –

to ‘give God permission’!”

Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, SJ,

Archbishop of Ottawa


“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain . . .” (Jn 15:16). This verse perfectly describes my journey towards the priesthood! The priesthood is not a career or a profession that I have cho-sen for myself, it is a vocation that God has chosen for me. I have freely chosen to accept this vocation. In fact, it is with great joy and anticipation that I look forward to my day of ordination! On that day, I will receive the most incredible gift I could ever receive, the gift of the priesthood. The priesthood is a gift from Jesus Christ himself! When the bishop calls upon the power of the Holy Spirit and lays his hands on my head, Christ will become more in-timately united with me than ever before. From that point forward, Christ will use my hands and voice to change ordinary bread and wine into His very own Body and Blood! Jesus himself will be present in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to those who come to him broken and downtrodden with the burden of sin as he speaks through me the words: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. What a tre-mendous gift! It is not a gift that will be given to me, but a gift that will be given through me to be shared with others! It will be given to all those who through the sacraments of the Church will be led into a healing encounter with the living God, Je-sus himself! It is Jesus as High Priest who works in and through every priest.

The Lord began to call me to the priesthood when I was 19 years old. It was not the right timing. I chose a different path. I truly be-lieve, however, that God knew I was not ready to answer such a radical call at that point in my life. He had other plans for me. He began to prepare my heart through oth-er means. Every job I chose was related to serving others. I was a waiter, a ticket taker and usher, a cook, a D.J., a social worker, and a youth minister. All these jobs were invaluable preparation for the priesthood. All of them required placing the needs of

those whom I served before my own. In the Gospel of John, Jesus commands his disci-ples to “love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” (Jn 15:12-13). Jesus is challenging his disciples to follow in his footsteps. The same challenge ap-plies to all who answer his call to follow him. As a priest, I will literally lay down my life as a sacrifice of love for all whom Christ places in my path. I will have to get out of the way and let Christ do what he does best in me and through me. This is the ultimate service to others.

When I finally entered the seminary when I was 29, it was difficult to leave the life I had become accustomed to living. But Christ knew what he was doing. He was bringing me to a place of formation. He was bringing me to a place where I could not only learn about him and his Church, but learn how to imitate him. The forma-tion continued well beyond my first year in rural Ontario. Aside from academic formation, he allowed me to experience joys, new friendships, healing, and most importantly, what it means not only to live in community, but to be community. He

also allowed me to experience disappoint-ments, hurts, pains, and suffering. Why? Because Christ himself experienced all these things. How could I ever expect to imitate Christ if I am not willing to experi-ence all the aspects of life that will make me fully human? Jesus was fully human and fully divine. When I consider the tremendous respon-sibility of the priesthood, to lead as many souls into an encounter with Christ as pos-sible, sometimes I get a little nervous. But then I am reminded by the Lord in prayer, “Jim, remember, it is not your priesthood, it is my priesthood”. God knows, I have prepared well, studied hard, and remained faithful. The rest is up to the Lord. All I have to do is get out of his way and let him do what he does best…be God! After all, God is God and I am not.

Lord, Jesus, thank you for the gift of the priesthood. Grant all priests the grace to faithfully lay down their lives out of love for you and others! Amen.

Deacon Jim Lowe will be ordained to the priest-hood on June 11, 2011 in Ottawa, Ontario.

t e s t i m o n yby Deacon Jim Lowe CC

The Priesthood as a gift…

..........................................

Consecration of the Companions of the Crossto Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin mary

O Blessed Virgin Mary, You are the first and perfect companion of the Cross, and so we, [the Lay Associates of] the Companions of the Cross, desire to be totally yours. We conse-crate ourselves completely to Jesus through you. Take all that we have and all that we are as your possession and property. Dispose of us entirely according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of Christ and His Holy Cross.

We accept you as a precious gift from our Saviour Jesus Christ as He gave His life for us on the Cross. O Mother of the Lord, with all our love we receive you as our own Mother. We venerate and honour you as our Queen, and desire to imitate you as our model of Chris-tian discipleship.

O maternal Advocate, we entrust to your Immaculate Heart all our needs and intentions. Graciously present them to your Son. Be our strong defence against the unclean spirit and all enemies of the Cross. Keep us under the total Lordship of Jesus Christ, and help us to live out this commitment in conscious daily submission to Him as Saviour and Lord.

O Mother of God and Mother of priests, teach us to humble ourselves and willingly em-brace the Cross as our inspiration and rallying point:

O Mother of fraternal love, who stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross with that first community of disciples - stand with us, preserve our unity, and keep us faithful to our common life.

O Mother of the Church, strengthen our fidelity to Holy Church, the Bride of your Son, born from His side as He slept the sleep of death on the Cross.

O Mother of the Word made flesh, instill in us a profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist, the perpetuation of the sacrifice of the Cross.

O Spouse of the Holy Spirit, who lovingly consented to the sacrifice of Jesus as He ‘gave up His Spirit’ on the Cross, guide us in the life of the Spirit. Teach us how to live in total reliance on God’s power and God’s wisdom.

O Star of the New Evangelization, inflame our hearts with zeal to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, who, lifted high on the Cross, draws all mankind to Himself.

Finally, O loving Mother, keep us steadfast in our mission and ever deepen our love for Christ and His Holy Cross, the sign and instrument of our salvation. Renew our deter-mination to take up our cross daily and follow the Lord, uniting ourselves to His Passion and work of redemption. Strengthened and nourished by the Cross, may we rejoice in its triumph, now and forever! Amen.

IMPRIMATUR, +Marcel Gervais, Archbishop of Ottawa, April 4, 2003

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marian entrustmentof the Companions of the Cross

O Blessed Virgin Mary,

Mother of God and our Mother,

model of Christian discipleship,

our Queen,

we give ourselves completely to Jesus through you.

Be our Advocate and strong defence this day.

Preserve our unity and fidelity to Holy Church.

Guide us in the life of the Spirit.

Keep us steadfast in our mission,

and ever deepen our love

for Christ and His Holy Cross.

V. Lead us, O Mother of Priests

R. To perfectly glorify

Jesus Christ and the Father

in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

IMPRIMATUR, +Marcel Gervais, Archbishop of Ottawa, April 4, 2003


Farewell From Del Andison

It is with much gratitude that I bid farewell to the Fathers and friends of the Companions of the Cross. The past three and a half years have fled in one of those swirls of time we later identify as life changing. I ar-rived in Ottawa in the summer of 2007 to be with my daugh-ter’s family for the birth of their second child. I also intended to track down a priest I’d met at a charismatic rally years earlier – the lanky and laconic Fr. Bob Bedard. To this day, my belong-ings remain in storage in Palm Springs, California … but that’s another story. What I want to say now is a heartfelt “Thank You!” To each of the Compan-ions – it has been a joy and an honour to work with you and to witness the Holy Spirit moving in your midst and mission. To the dedicated colleagues with whom I spent my days – thank you for your friendship – we won’t lose touch. To the many donors I came to know – thank you for the great model and inspiration you’ve been to me. May God continue to shower his abundant blessings upon each of you in your mission and service to him!

ti m e w i t h

Fr. Bob...Our visits are usually simple; sharing with Fr. Bob the

latest news about our community, the current weather updates, and the different happenings within the diocese. We read him his mail. We pray a decade of the rosary with him. And once in awhile, one of his brothers from out of town asks that we pass a little message of their love (we posted a fun photo of Fr. David riding a camel in Jerusa-lem on Fr. Bob’s bulletin board). The updates are usually limited because it is easy for Fr. Bob to doze back into a sleep. But there have been many treasured moments and we realize that amidst his suffering Fr. Bob enjoys the little things of life.

We were recounting a story that we thought he would enjoy. Fr. Jerry was preparing a homily on Fr. Bob’s memoirs Give God Permission. As Fr. Jerry was leaving the house for Mass, he said to Fr. Tim, “Give Bob Permis-sion!” As Fr. Bob was listening to the short story, he in-stantaneously heard the slip and his face lit up and stayed lit for a good minute. It was beautiful to witness Fr. Bob happy and joyful. And the moment was priceless.

As his spiritual daughters, we enjoy lavishing our affec-tion on Fr. Bob. We introduced him to the ‘zerbert’ or also known as a ‘raspberry’. (If you are familiar with the Cosby Show, Mr. Huxtable always gave his youngest daughter, Rudy, a zerbert on the forehead. And the reaction? It’s usually a giggle or two.) One day, Sr. Melinda asked Sr. Anna to give Fr. Bob a big zerbert on the forehead. When she asked Fr. Bob if he would be okay with the idea he asked, “What’s a zerbert?” Sr. Anna said, “I’ll show you.” Sure enough, the reaction was like slow motion but imme-diate; a big grin slowly lit his face. The moment captured a sense of his joy amidst his suffering.

We praise the Lord for every moment we share with Fr. Bob. The moments may seem ordinary but they become extra-ordinary when they are filled with joy!

Servants of the Cross


f or the past year and a half I have been involved in an exciting approach to the catechesis of young children

known as the Catechesis of the Good Shep-herd. This Montessori-based methodology uses hands-on materials to facilitate the spiritual development of young children, beginning at the tender age of three years old. Those involved with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd believe in the profound religious potential of young children, and

their ability to understand that which is hidden from the wise and learned (Luke 10:21). I currently teach children ages 3-10 in a Catholic school.

After returning from Christmas break, I wanted to celebrate the great gift of the Incarnation with my students. After being bombarded with all the stress and materi-alism of Christmas in our Western culture, it is difficult for children and adults alike

to find the time to offer thanks to our in-fant Saviour bringing salvation to us and the whole world. In order to celebrate this great gift, we read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospel of Luke. We then pro-cessed, like the shepherds, to the place where Jesus was born, making the journey from our classroom to the nativity scene in the church.

We all gathered around the nativity scene,

f e a t u r eby Amelia Galiunas

Out of the Mouth of Babes:

Experiencing Spontaneous Praise With Pre-Schoolers


and, after singing “O Come let us adore him”, I told my students that I wanted each of them to imagine what they would have said to the newborn Christ if they had re-ally been invited to his birth. With the rest of my classes, I had each of them come up one at a time and offer their worship to the infant Christ, either with their words or in their heart. I was privileged to witness many heartfelt and profound expressions of love and devotion, but most of them were so intimate that they uttered their praise in the silence of their hearts. However, with one class of four year olds, I experienced something more unexpected. While my students were thinking to them-selves what they would like to say to the newborn King, a minor crisis occurred (as often happens with young children) and we were no longer able to remain in the Church. When I asked my students to

stand up so we could leave the church, they all looked at me with faces of desperation and said, “But we didn’t get to tell Jesus what we wanted to say!” I could not deny them this opportunity for prayer, so I told them that instead of going one at a time, they would all have to approach the nativ-ity scene at once and offer their praise.

As soon as those words left my mouth, all 20 of my four year olds reverently ap-proached the Christ child and broke out in the most beautiful and pure form of spon-taneous praise I have ever witnessed. They all stood there, eyes fixed on their newborn King, with the utmost seriousness, and ut-tered their thanksgiving to Jesus simultane-ously, totally oblivious to their classmates beside them and immersed in that mo-ment of adoration. “We love you Jesus.” “Thank you, Jesus.” “Jesus, you are the Son of God.” “Jesus, you are the light of

the world.” “We adore you Jesus.” “Thank you for watching over us Jesus.” “I am so happy you were born Jesus.” “I love you so much Jesus.”

I just stood there in awe of their praise, drinking in that moment. I have never seen such a raw and passionate expression of de-votion. The mystery of the love these chil-dren have for Christ is deeper than I will ever know. May our own expressions of de-votion to the Incarnate Saviour be as full of passion, love, and sincerity. All glory and praise to our God, the Word made flesh, who draws us into an intimate relationship with him, regardless of age!

Amelia Galiunas is a resident (quite literally!) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Houston, Texas. She and nine other Catholic school teachers live above the parish life center as the unruly tenants of Fr Sean Wenger, CC.

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This drawing was done by a boy in Grade 2. It is a person praying before the tabernacle. Inside the tabernacle, on the right, is the Blessed Sacrament. To the left is the sanctuary light.


Community news & notesby Fr. Rick Jaworski CC

The Visitation

Hand in hand, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we’re working together to build up the Kingdom of God. So, our men are going out to assist others with their gifts, and others are coming in to as-sist us with theirs. Thus, speaking of the Holy Spirit’s gifts, Fr. Michael Fones, OP of the Catherine of Siena Institute put on a Called and Gifted seminar in Halifax. Fr. Jamie Utronkie worked before, during, and after on this initiative. There were over a hundred people, and the feedback was ex-cellent. St. Mary’s in Ottawa put on their own spiritual gifts seminar.

On the pro-life scene, Fr. Michael Scher-rey was bringing in Cardinal Burke from

Rome for a pro-life event at the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston. Speaking of which, the CCC had the number one walker, Scott Esparza, in the Walk for Life that was held to raise money for a mobile center to park by Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic and out of which to give free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds (ul-trasound machine courtesy of the Knights of Columbus). Teamwork for the win!

Getting the children a little older… on the youth scene, quite a few of our men (Frs. David Bergeron, Francis Donnelly, Mark Goring, Randy Hendriks, Allan MacDon-ald to name those I remember) were at the university ministry Catholic Christian Out-reach’s Rise Up conference in Montreal. A number of our priests also attended CCO’s

annual banquet in Ottawa, and the pres-ence of a good number of priests was ap-preciated and commented upon. Fr. Jerry Gauvreau hosted a CCO Summit meeting at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish.

Besides having a youth group at the CCC, Fr. Michael Minifie was lined up for a youth retreat in Dickinson TX. Fr. Simon Lobo was involved in another Challenge retreat. (Challenge is the youth version of Cursillo.) Fr. Charles Orchard had the National Evangelization Teams (NET) minister to 130 Grade 8 students in To-ronto. And Lawrence Hyginus of St. Mau-rice Parish went out to schools (e.g. an Ash Wednesday service in an elementary school, an evangelistic trip to St. Pius X High School). Frs. Randy, Mark Goring,

CCO’s Rise Up 2010/2011 in Montreal.


and Daren Bryk continued their outreach to the university students in Halifax and Toronto (retreats, Eucharistic adoration, praise & worship).

And now for the lightning round: The Catholic Charismatic Center brought in Jeff Cavins for Bible classes; Christian musicians for concerts; Fr. Dario Betan-court for preaching; and held courses on evangelization, and Mary to name a few.

Fr. Mark Goring spoke on St. Joseph at a men’s breakfast; Fr. Jerry Gauvreau was bringing in Martha Shepherd of Ma-donna House for a women’s breakfast. St. Timothy’s Parish in Toronto had Fr. Peter Coughlin come in for a mission; Fr. Fran-cis Frankovich went out for a mission in Honduras. Veteran speakers Frs. Terry Do-

nahue, Dennis Hayes, and Allan MacDon-ald put on missions in Halifax and Ottawa; Fr. Yves Marchildon was having his first mission ever at Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Halifax. Fr. Christian Riesbeck, new Chancellor for the Archdio-cese of Ottawa, took on extra Sunday min-istry at the Civic Hospital and then the Ca-thedral; Queen of Peace Parish in Houston exercised hospitality for some non-Catho-lic ministers in town for the International Sea Chaplains conference. And more.

The Presentation in the Temple

Frs. Allan and Dennis held a retreat at Assumption Farm for 11 men interested

in joining the Companions of the Cross. (Others have visited before and after.) Lawrence led the music. Seminarians Bryan and Paul-Rémi also lent a hand. Fr. Allan delivered a talk on vocation to the priesthood, gave his personal testimony, and showed the Fishers of Men video. Fr. Dennis also gave his personal testimony and spoke on the history of the Compan-ions of the Cross, how we got our name and so forth. Fr. Mark Goring spoke on our charismatic dimension (openness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit), and led a holy hour with praise and worship. We may have up to seven new men this Fall!

In Toronto, seminarian Bryan Sabourin re-ceived the ministries of lector and acolyte, and Kenneth Lao received the ministry of acolyte. Our Moderator Fr. Scott McCaig

Fr. Scott McCaig presiding at Ministries Mass in Toronto at York University.


was in town for the liturgical service which was so moving that some said it almost felt like an ordination.

This year we will be celebrating many anniversaries in August: Fr. Dennis Hayes 25 years; Fr. Yves Marchildon 15 years; Fr. Chris-tian Riesbeck 15 years; Fr. Galen Bank 10 years; Fr. John Fletcher 10 years; Fr. Jerry Gauvreau 10 years; and Fr. Ben St. Croix 10 years. Please book Monday August 29th 2011 for a Mass and reception at St. Maurice Parish. Further details to follow.

Our beloved Founder, Fr. Bob Bedard, has weathered more trials in this period of his life with grace. He had a bout with scabies, and entered the hospital because of an infection due to an organ-ic growth on a heart valve. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Thank you, and God bless.

Fr. Rick Jaworski has a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifi-cal Biblical Institute in Rome. He was ordained in 1990.

Fr. Christian Riesbeck CC (new Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Ottawa with Archbishop Terrence Prendergast SJ (on left) and Msgr Kevin Beach (Vicar General) followiing his Profession of Faith January 7, 2011.

...............................................................From top: Fr. Scott McCaig and Kenneth Lao at Ministries Mass in Toronto at York University; choir at Ministries Mass; Fr. Scott McCaig and Bryan Sabourin at Ministries Mass.

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N e w s F l a s h e s

Fr. David Bergeron at Food Pantry outreach in Houston.

Bryan Sabourin at Assumption Farm.

Fr. Sean Wenger with “Richard” the sheep belonging to the members of the Gulf Religion Academy for Catholic Educators (GRACE).

Sr. Vicky, SC at CCO’s Rise Up Conference in Montreal.

Fr. Scott presiding at Ministries Mass at York University Chaplaincy in Toronto.

Fr. David Bergeron at the Queen of Peace Spring Festival in Houston.

Primrose household at Winterlude festivities in Ottawa in February.

Fr. Allan MacDonald with Winterlude mascot in Ottawa.

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Inside - companionscross.org · and fill them with water. When they brought them back, they were filled with wine. It was his first miracle, and gives us a little hint of something