The Oblates of the Precious Blood Pay a Visit to the Handmaids and St. Maximilian Kolbe's Shrine

A little community of Oblates of the Precious Blood has been springing up in Milwaukee-we now number five!  So a visit to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood was certainly in order!  Plans were made and a date set and off we went!  My husband, Paul, had lovingly taken our car in for a tune-up, gave it a good cleaning and sweetly placed flowers in the pocket of the door for me as his way of wishing me love and safety on our drive to the Lake Villa, Illinois Priory.  A loving husband is a blessing from God! Although the sprig of Bridal Wreath carries no fragrance, a scent of love and goodness was definitely in the air!

When we arrived at the priory we were warmly welcomed by Sister Maristella and all of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood.  The first thing that Fr. Paul Schneider, one of our traveling companions, did upon our arrival, was to say Mass for all of us.  During his homily he spoke about Martha and Mary and Mary's better choice to sit at the feet of Christ .  He told us, "When we have a little bit of Jesus, we want more.  We want more.  We want more."  And he reminded us to "always hold close to the Mother of Christ, to put our hands in hers, and she will never fail to lead us to Jesus."

A Handmaid of the Precious Blood at prayer

Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv. with the Handmaids of the Precious Blood

It was clear that the Handmaids were thrilled to see their dear friend Fr. Paul who is one of the original Oblates of the Precious Blood, having made his Solemn Resolution of Love nearly 30 years ago.  The Handmaids are cloistered nuns and yet we were able to visit with them without having to stay behind an enclosed grille, and, although they are committed to perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, a friend from the local community who comes to adore Christ each day at noon while the sisters take lunch, watched over Jesus in the chapel so that we could have a few precious minutes to visit with all of the small community of Handmaids in Lake Villa.  Each time I visit the Handmaids I marvel at the sweet joy that emanates from their souls.  They are, without a doubt, the warmest and most welcoming women, truly touched by the Heart of Christ and spreading that warm welcome to others so easily.

The conversation freely flowed with talk of the Handmaid's daily schedule, their garden, the upcoming Corpus Christi Procession that they will be hosting, their favorite recreational activities and games, as well as talk about the move coming up for the Handmaids at the Motherhouse in Tennessee.  The life of a Handmaid of the Precious Blood is busy and full, that's certain!  The moments of the day that surround the hours of prayer are never wasted!

The Handmaids had the honor of hosting an exhibit on the Shroud of Turin in one of their buildings and we were fortunate to be visiting them while the display was still on hand.  One of the most moving parts of the display was a crucifix that was created based upon the image on the Shroud.  Because it was so large, it didn't fit in the building with the rest of the Shroud exhibit and was displayed in the Handmaid's chapel.  It was impossible not to be moved by the depth of Our Lord's suffering while gazing upon the crucifix.

Crucifix based upon the image on the Shroud of Turin.

What love He has for us!

To learn more about the Handmaids and Oblates of the Precious Blood, visit this link.  And please remember the Handmaids of the Precious Blood in your prayers, and pray for an increase in vocations to their order, especially this June as prayer for vocations is Pope Francis' evangelization intention for the month.

Following our visit to the Handmaids, we traveled to Marytown, The National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe where Fr. Paul gave us a beautiful history lesson on St. Maximilian, who was martyred in Auschwitz during World War II, offering to take the place of a prisoner who was spared for his family.    Fr. Paul explained that St. Maximilian was the last of ten prisoners in his starvation cell who was still living, and his joyful, hope-filled attitude despite his starvation made the Nazis furious, so they hastened his death with an injection of carbolic acid.  Because of that injection with a deadly drug, St. Maximilian is known as the patron saint of those who are chemically addicted.

A replica of the cell that St. Maximilian Kolbe and nine other prisoners were held in while being starved to death.

Following the fatal injection, St. Maximilian was cremated so there were no bones available from which to create relics.  So how is it that Marytown has a relic of St. Maximilian?  Fr. Paul shared a fascinating story about a barber, a fellow Conventual Franciscan, who was certain that the holy Fr. Maximilian was destined for sainthood, and so, when he finished cutting Fr. Maximilian's hair following his time as a missionary in Japan, he swept it into a bag to save it.  When Fr. Maximilian learned that the barber was saving his hair, he told him to throw it out, but the barber disobeyed, and because of his disobedience, we have relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe's hair.

St. Maximilian Kolbe relic and barbed wire from Auschwitz

Strands of St. Maximilian Kolbe's hair.

To learn more about St. Maximilian Kolbe, visit the Marytown link here.  Hover over the name "Kolbe" to find additional links.

3 Reasons I Love Catholicism Vol. 5

Here I am at this wickedly late hour,  joining Micaela at California to Korea and sharing three of my favorite things about my beloved Catholic faith that are resonating within my soul this month...

1.  Confession and Forgiveness:  They go together, don't they?  That day when my daughter and I did battle over teenage fashion like mothers and daughters sometimes do, we were both left feeling emotionally raw from anger and sorrow and poor judgment.  Twelve-year-olds aren't the only ones who suffer from growing pains and the struggle to mature.

So the next night when Dad took the boys to the baseball game, mother and daughter headed downtown to Gesu's dark basement church for confession, and we stood in line, waiting to beg forgiveness from our Lord.  Ancient Fr. Herian came creaking around the corner in his cassock that hung limply from his bony frame and we each took our turn in the box.  I love that Fr. Herian.  He spoke of how confession is for encouragement and told me to spend the month of August praying for courage.  Then he pointed out the crucifix hanging on the wall above my head.  He asked me to look long and hard at Jesus suffering and dying there and to repeat after him three times, and together we prayed, "Jesus, crucified for me, have mercy on me, a sinner.  Jesus, crucified for me, have mercy on me, a sinner.  Jesus, crucified for me, have mercy on me, a sinner."  I left the confessional with a smile on my face to find my daughter who was silently kneeling as she offered her penance.  We embraced and sighed with contentment and peace.

Then we headed over to Cempazuchi, my favorite Mexican restaurant on Brady Street, part of "The Fashionable East Side", and we sat outside and ate and talked and laughed and prayed with the Angelus Bells ringing at St. Hedwig's across the street and watched the people walk past and we had a lovely time. The best mother/daughter time ever.  And all is forgiven.  And the mercy of our loving God warmed our souls and we relaxed in His love which embraces us both.

 2.  Processions:  There are times when this is not exactly on my favorites list.  There are times when processions cause me too much stress and worry and I fail to trust in the Lord thinking that I have to control everything.  That's because I'm the procession planner for Roses for Our Lady and the devil hates it when Catholics gather by the hundreds and bring the Eucharist out into the street and pray the rosary on a loudspeaker to draw attention to our beautiful faith.  So that evil one makes sure he gives me all he's got to try to keep me from getting my job done.  But he always fails because Our Lady's love is so much stronger than his ugly hatred.  She crushes his head every time.  So there are always difficulties and challenges when planning our Eucharistic Rosary Processions, but when the pieces finally fall together, it is a beautiful sight to behold, and I will do it again and again for the joy that it brings to my Mother who continually suffers from the sins of this world.

Roses for Our Lady's May Crowning Eucharistic Rosary Procession

Bishop Hying, Fr. Tim Kitzke, Fr. Enrique Hernandez, Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv. (just before his ordination)

Fr. Matthew Widder with Our Lord

If you are in the Milwaukee area, you will want to join Roses for Our Lady and Bishop Donald Hying at our September 8th procession in honor of the Blessed Mother's Birthday and on October 6th in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary.   They will both be equally beautiful celebrations!  Details can be found here.

3.  Homilies:  A good homily is food for the soul. It has the power to nurture and inspire me to joyfully live my faith and will often remain in my thoughts throughout the upcoming week.  Of course, I've never heard anyone say that they love a dull, uninspiring homily, so I know I'm not alone in my love for a good homily.

The thing about a homily that makes it so special is that it's the breaking open of the Gospel reading, not simply a sermon about any topic that happens to be on the pastor's heart at the present moment.  Through the homily, we learn and understand a bit more about the Gospel and how we are called to live it in our daily lives. We are given a glimpse into the very heart of Jesus through the words of the priest.

What are three of your reasons for loving Catholicism?  List them in the comments or join Micaela and write your own blog post about them!

Rich Ordination Photos

You read about his ordination in this post; now enjoy these rich pictures of the ordination of Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv. by Stephen Pontus, OFS.

Bishop Callahan lays hands on Deacon Paul ordaining him a priest

Fr. Paul lays prostrate during the Litany of the Saints

Bishop Callahan's ring

Fr. Michael Glastetter OFM Conv, pastor and rector of the Basilica of St. Josaphat, lays hands on Fr. Paul

Fr. Alejandro Lopez OFM Conv, parochial vicar at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, lays hands on Fr. Paul.

Fr. Robert Joseph Switanowski OFM Conv lays hands on Fr. Paul. Fr. Robert Joseph was the parochial Vicar at St Josaphat’s when Bishop Callahan was the rector and pastor at the Basilica

The newly ordained Fr. Paul Schneider OFM Conv imparts his first priestly blessing upon Bishop Callahan.

The Ordination of Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv.

The Basilica of St. Josephat  (for more photos visit this link)

Heaven came down to earth this past weekend, of that I am certain.  My friend, Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv. was ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of St. Josephat by Bishop William Callahan and it was one of the most perfect, magnificent, holy and beautiful experiences I have ever known.  There is nothing more beautiful than watching a man lay down his life for the Lord, but to witness an ordination in the grandeur of the Basilica, with a choir of what sounded like angels accompanied by trumpets and strings and drums, praying in the company of the sweetest, most wonderful and most joyful of all nuns-The Handmaids of the Precious Blood, whose purpose is to pray for priests, and watching the new priest, in beautiful Marian vestments shed tears of joy while celebrating his first Mass and presenting his mother with a long-awaited maniturgia (Fr. Paul is a late vocation),  all amounted to holy perfection, and I was so blessed to be a humble witness and participant of it all.  I smiled until I thought my face would break and cried until I thought my heart would melt-it was all so incredibly wondrous.

Fr. Paul and I met in the noon hour confessional line at the Church of the Gesu in downtown Milwaukee  in November of 2011.  I had recognized him from my visits to St. Francis de Sales Seminary where he had spent some time studying, and so I introduced myself.  He told me that he had less than two years left before ordination to the priesthood and he asked me to pray for him.  What he didn't know was that very night I was to be enrolled as a candidate for the Oblates of the Precious Blood and would be committing my life to praying for priests along with the Handmaids of the Precious Blood.  I took his request for prayer as a sign from God that what I was about to do was indeed His will for me.  The next month, in a Christmas letter from the Handmaids, I discovered Fr. Paul's picture and learned that he, too, was an Oblate of the Precious Blood!  Since then, Fr. Paul has been a wonderful friend, helping with events for Roses for Our Lady, an organization with which I am involved, and being a confidant and advisor in some of my personal faith issues as well.  Being invited to his ordination was a joy of the greatest magnitude.

Every single part of Fr. Paul's ordination-from the lovely image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the invitation, the order of worship and his holy card, the quiet prayerfulness of the holy hour on the eve of ordination (see Fr. Alejandro Castro's fabulous priestly reflection with personal stories of Fr. Paul's life based on Luke 9 below), having the opportunity to sit next to and pray with the Handmaids of the Precious Blood,  who, although they are cloistered,  were given special permission to attend his ordination,  and the joyful smile and easy approachability of Bishop Callahan, who had formerly been the rector and pastor of the Basilica and who was the bishop who ordained Fr. Paul, to the choir resounding magnificent hymns of praise (a video follows-or visit this link- not of the actual choir but a perfect likeness in sound of the offertory song, Let All the World), to the sweet sight of Fr. Paul bringing flowers to the altar of Our Lady during the Ave Maria-every moment was a treasure I will never forget.

Fr. Paul with my husband and I from my Solemn Resolution of Love as an Oblate of the Precious Blood last October

I praise God for Fr. Paul Schneider, OFM Conv. and I pray that the love and joy that filled his heart on his ordination day and during his beautiful first Mass will remain with him forever as he journeys to his first assignment in Peoria, Illinois, and wherever the Lord may call him to serve in the years to come.

**********************************************

Enjoy this touching reflection on the priesthood based on Luke 9, graciously shared by Fr. Alejandro Lopez OFM Conv.:

Perhaps it was the preaching

of a particularly inspiring, Cuban priest.

            Or a documentary on Mother Teresa or St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Or a rerun on EWTN

of some mutton-chop, side-burned fellow

on fire for the Lord.

Or a pilgrimage or two, to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe…

            Whatever…the Lord uses the moment to kick-started your vocation.

Kick you in the rear.

And suddenly…all those reasons why you’re “not enough”

            don’t seem to amount to a hill of beans.

And you think maybe he does want me!

Maybe he really does want me!

         As incredible as that may seem!

And off you go running…as if in love for the first time!

But then…there’s a stumble.

A trip up that comes…perhaps many years later.

When in the midst of your studies. Or as a deacon.

            After years of running well.

When the old, familiar doubts creep back in

like a homeless Gila monster.

 “I’m not smart enough.”

“I can’t sing well enough!”

“I’m certainly not holy enough.”

“I tried before and it didn’t work out.”

            “I’m too old, now.”

And you admit to Jesus in prayer,

            “Dismiss the crowds,

for it’s a deserted place here.”

What you’re saying is what you think you know:

            “I don’t have enough for so many!

            I barely have enough for myself!”

But Jesus challenges,

“Give them some food, yourself.”

And this will be your vocation.

As a deacon, you already know this.

As a deacon you’ve already been “preparing meals.”

Not from some “five ingredient”

crockpot cookbook!

But in and through the Holy Spirit.

            At work in and through your life.

Helping you to break open the Word.

            And feed crowds at Mass!

To be an instrument of peace in your friary.

To open doors in the dark

and be a brother to a stranger

whose mind swims with his own alcohol-fed fears.

Tomorrow, and for the rest of your life,

            Jesus will encourage you to make him present to others:

“Give them some food yourself.”

And his command may haunt you!

            If you take your vocation seriously,

I think it must scare you at some time in your priesthood!

For you will fear

that God’s people will go hungry.

            Because you failed to find them some food!

“But five loaves and two fish are all I have!”

Thankfully, Jesus understands!

And he has a plan!

A plan that includes poor priests and their poverty!

That takes into account our pitiful and small humanity

and makes it part of the Feast!

He teaches us by example that life isn’t a solo act.

Insisting that his disciples help.

And in today’s Gospel, the Lord takes what they bring

and gives it right back…to them…to us.

Tonight I’m thinking how he gives us, priests,

the Food that will nourish.

How our consecrated lives are part of the meal.

As our Lord takes us and blesses us.

And allows even our doubts and fears to break us open.

            And then gives our lives away.

All the while letting us have the places of honor!

            Letting us appear to be heroes!

Humbly letting folk imagine

we walk a tightrope gloriously without a net.

 (The secret is we don’t!)

For each, alone, is never enough to feed so many!

Yet neither were we, priests, meant to be the meal!

Not by ourselves.

We’re served, by the Grace of God,

            with his Body and Blood!

And we must never forget that!

            Father Paul, you must never forget that!

Each and every day of your life, as a priest,

the Lord will remind you

that you are not the main course!

At this altar…but also in the nursing home…

Or in a parishioner’s home…

Or in your office…or friary.

Or in the back of church after Mass.

As the People of God, the Body of Christ,

lift you up when you are down,

like a consecrated Host!

Helping make your priestly vocation holy!

And when you are proud,

whenever you imagine you can feed them by yourself,

the People of God, the Body of Christ,

will humble you, too.

Helping make your priestly vocation holy!

Paul, tonight we gather with the Lord,

            to pray for you.

Not because we know your musical skills.

            Or how old you are.

Or how much you like “Fiddle Faddle,”

or a trip to Leon’s every now and then.

We pray for you because we know you’re human.

            And we know you are called

to a special role in his Church!

We know that Christ plans to make of you

something new and wonderful…and holy.

And we pray for you because we know

God answers every prayer.

            And will help you…even in your fears.

Way back in the beginning of Genesis

            God beat back the first fear.

The Lord told Adam, wounded by sin,  

            “Who told you that you were naked?”

In other words, “Enough with ‘not enough!’”

And maybe that’s what he says to us.

As we gaze upon him.

            And adore him in the Eucharist.

Mysteriously appearing

in his Glorified, Risen Body and Blood

as something so lowly as a piece of bread.

Something that to our senses seems

“not enough” to satisfy even one little child!

By his Grace…By the power of his Holy Spirit…

By His Glorified, Risen and Ascended Body and Blood

present in the Eucharist…

You, and every other priest called to follow him,

will be more than enough!

Tonight we gaze upon the Sacrament of the Mystery of God’s Love.

            In the silence we pray that it will transform you!

See what you are…become what you receive!

            Allow the Lord to consecrate you in your priesthood

as his Body and Blood for the salvation of all the World!