We spent the whole day on the mountaintop with the Lord in the Mystery of His Sacred Heart. Challenging day for me pastorally as a retreat master and the only confessor available for today. Thanks be to God, everything went as planned, people attended very well the second day of the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in the parish.
An hour of constant confessions, four spiritual talks, the Stations of the Way of the Cross, the Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, the Liturgy of Hours which we prayed together, then the solemn Mass of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Divine Mercy chaplet, the procession from the shrine to St. Gemma Galgani convent where we prayed the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the prayer of consecration of the world and our parish to the Sacred Heart. At the end I imparted a blessing on all present. Then sisters, our seminarian and myself carried the Cross to the sisters' chapel, prayed a little and left the sisters with their Very Important Guest. I am happy that we planned this way the whole program that sisters were the first to receive the Jubilee Cross as the Patron Saint of the convent, Saint Gemma Galgani wore stigmata in her body, thus being closest to the Passion of the Lord. It was right to honor her this way - bringing the Jubilee Cross first to her house.
Tomorrow, the regular morning Mass in the shrine, then office matters with remaining parents wishing to baptize their children during the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in the parish, plus a meeting with couples who will bless their marriage in this period and other people who did penance according to the pardon given by the bishop on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Centenary of Christianity in the diocese - for parents who sold their children into customary marriage without the sacrament of the marriage.
So, it seems I will have a lot of work on my hands tomorrow till lunch time, then the preparations for the evening Mass at sisters convent as the conclusion of their time with Jesus in the sign of His infinite Love and Mercy proved on the Cross...
After the Mass at sisters' the Cross will return to the shrine for the all night vigil before the Sunday's Parochial Feast - the 14th anniversary of the dedication of the shrine.
I pray all the time for you and for all your intentions and I ask humbly all of you for your kind prayers for me, for my health and strength so I can serve as best till the end and for the abundant fruit of this spiritual exercise in our parish. God bless us all!
Here are some pictures from today's celebrations:
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| The Jubilee Cross in the shrine today |
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| During the penitential service in the shrine |
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| Member of the Sacred Heart Association in the parish carrying the cross |
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| Holy Childhood children throwing flower petals at the feet of the Cross |
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| Praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the convent |
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| You have redeemed people (the writing on the floor) |
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| The sisters and the Jubilee Cross in their chapel |
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