A Solemn Resolution of Love

"Christ lives in a special way in His Priests in whom He has engraved, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a special likeness of Himself. Any time you strengthen a Priest, you strengthen the very Hand of Christ, the Heart of Christ, the Lips of Christ, the Eyes of Christ.  And in strengthening the Priest you strengthen the whole Church and everything in the Church.

Now this is your vocation, this is your contribution-and it is impossible for one human mind to visualize its ramifications, for when you strengthen a Priest then you share in all the good that he does for the rest of his life."

~Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP

It was a little over a year ago when I found the website of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood through a fellow blogger, Joe, at Defend Us In Battle.  The Handmaids of the Precious Blood are cloistered nuns who offer all of their prayers and sacrifices for the sanctity of priests.  As someone who had already been committed to praying for priests and had established the Monthly Prayer Request for Priests in Milwaukee, I was immediately convinced that God was calling me to further my prayer by joining in the prayers of the Handmaids, so I applied to become an Oblate of the Precious Blood.  The application process included answering several questions about my faith and family life and obtaining references from three people who knew me through my parish, my family and my work. Upon acceptance for the year of formation, I began my candidacy with an enrollment ceremony within a Mass which was presided over by my friend Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ and was held in the intimacy of my living room with my immediate family and a close friend in attendance.

Following the enrollment ceremony I began to receive monthly lessons from Mother Marietta, HPB, from which I gained a deeper knowledge for the Catholic faith, the spirituality of Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sP, the founder of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, and the importance of prayer for priests.  Each month I would eagerly read through the lessons from Mother Marietta and then re-read them prayerfully to garner a deeper understanding of their meaning in my life.  Then I would answer a few questions which concluded each lesson and send my response to Mother Marietta.  She, in turn, would respond to my reflection and then send the next lesson to me.  It was a time of great spiritual growth.  Finally, this past August, I completed my final lesson and then asked for Mother Marietta's permission to become an Oblate of the Precious Blood.  Mother Marietta approved of my request.

the ceremony

On Saturday, October 6th, in the presence of my husband and our five children, as well as several close friends and family members, Bishop Donald Hying received my Solemn Resolution of Love.  I chose the Day Chapel of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Milwaukee because it is my favorite place to pray, and I have enjoyed attending an early morning daily Mass there with Bishop Hying for the past six months.  Bishop Hying had been the first person I told of my desire to begin the Monthly Prayer Request for Priests apostolate and to apply to become an Oblate of the Precious Blood and he had been very helpful and supportive to me throughout my religious endeavors, so I was very pleased that he was able to take some time out of his busy schedule to receive my Solemn Resolution of Love. 

Signing the Certificate

The ceremony was very simple, yet deeply beautiful and moving.  Bishop Hying said Mass, and immediately following the homily, I knelt before him and prayed the words that would forever unite me to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood and all of their prayers and sacrifices.  The Bishop presented me with the Oblates insignia and the Handmaids prayer book and then we both signed a Certificate which states that I am now an Oblate of the Precious Blood.

As Bishop Hying handed me the insignia and prayer book of the Oblates of the Precious Blood he said:

"Recall Fr. Gerald's words, "What a privilege it is to be dedicated to the Blood of Jesus!  Try never to get accustomed to the beautiful grace of being dedicated to Jesus Christ, to the Blood of His Heart."

insignia

I am filled with peace and joy to be an Oblate of the Precious Blood and to offer all of my prayers and sacrifices for the sanctification of priests.  I am so grateful that the Lord has called me to this vocation.

You can read some of my previous posts about the Oblates of the Precious Blood here.  For more information about the Handmaids of the Precious Blood and to learn how you can join them in praying for priests, click here.

congratulations

My family and I with Bishop Hying

Between two Pauls!  My husband is on the right and Friar Paul Schneider, OFM, Conv. who is also an Oblate of the Precious Blood, is on my left.  Friar Paul will be ordained to the priesthood this May.  Please hold him in your prayers.

Prayer of the Oblate:  O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I thank You for the desire to make my life a total return of love to the Adorable Trinity.  I wish to be united with You always in Your love.  Thank You for the graces of my time in formation, for its lights, and its insights.  Above all, thank You for Your Presence in the Holy Eucharist and for Your Priests who bring You to me.

Thank You for every Mass, every Holy Communion from the Last Supper until the end of time.  Thank You for Your availability in the Tabernacles of the whole world, for all the Sacraments made fruitful by Your Precious Blood, for Your friendship and companionship to all who seek You, and for Mary, Mother of the Church.

O Mary, my Mother, I ask and I trust that you will take all I do for the love of God and will improve each action with your Motherly touch and make it more acceptable, more beautiful, for the glory of the Blessed Trinity.  Amen.  ~from the Ceremony of Solemn Resolution as an Oblate of the Precious Blood

I Won't Give Up

I had thought of my parish as a sanctuary where I could flee from the problems of life.  I had hoped to find comfort and solace in that environment.  Instead I found the cross.

I wanted to shake the dust from my sandals, thinking that I needed to break free from a big part of who I am; I wanted to leave my parish where my family and I have been members for 20 years.  It's the only parish my children have ever known.   I was filled with frustration and anger and resentment and hurt and I wanted out. Things were said that didn't sit well with me and I thought that the only answer to my anger and hurt was to leave and start over fresh somewhere new, someplace where I wouldn't have to face any difficulties over differences from the way I believe, from the way that I thought everyone should believe.  I wanted to belong to a church where everyone believed and spoke just like me.  The thought of leaving felt like a divorce or a death.  My husband and children and I were grieving and we really didn't want to leave.  But I was stubborn and leaving was the only solution, in my opinion. We began to visit other parishes and schools to find someplace new to call home.  It seemed so strange to be in this position because so often in the past I was the one begging others to stay and I was the one mourning over the loss of friends who have left the parish.

As we started to sever the ties by trying to disentangle ourselves from the various ministries and activities to which we were deeply involved, others reached out to us.  We heard from parish staff and parish members who asked us not to leave.  We heard words of love and understanding as well as offers of assistance to face our concerns.  One of my dearest and longest friends said, "I'm praying for you.  I'm not praying so that you stay at the parish; I'm praying so that you will be happy wherever you are."  It felt so good to know that we are loved unconditionally and that if we would leave we would be missed.  I learned that life at a parish is so much more than just the ideologies of a few but instead it's about the love of the many.  A parish is a home and its members are a family no matter how different we all may be.  But learning to get along with others involves some pain-it involves the cross.

As with all things in life, I gave my worry to God, asking Him to show us His will in this matter. And He spoke through my husband who decided that a meeting with our pastor was in order.  So we made an appointment and shared our concerns and he listened in love.  And he told us that everyone is important in a parish and that our differences are what makes a parish rich.  He reminded us of how dull life would be if everyone were the same.  He said that every piece of a puzzle needs to be in place to make a complete picture and he agreed to address the concerns that had hurt my heart.  And his words satisfied us.

So we are staying at our home parish where we belong, where we sit by side with our fellow Catholics at whatever stage of belief we happen to be in and we pray to our One God with whom we are all deeply in love.

I had thought of my parish as a sanctuary where I could flee from the problems of life.  I had hoped to find comfort and solace in that environment.  Instead I found the cross-which is just as it should be.

 Every once in a while a song touches me where no words on their own, without music, can. I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz speaks so eloquently to the importance of holding on, of persevering in loving others, no matter how difficult life can become. These words in particular spoke to me as I prayed through this situation:
 
I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am


I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
Still looking up.


I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)

You can listen to the entire song at this link.

Spoon Under My Pillow

"They say that these are not the best of times
But they're the only times I've ever known
And I believe there is a time for meditation
In cathedrals of our own
Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lovers' eyes
I can only stand apart and sympathize
For we are always what our situations hand us
It's either sadness or euphoria"
Billy Joel- Summer, Highland Falls

How disappointing it is to work so hard for something only to see it slip through your fingers and escape your grasp. We've been getting a bit of snow here lately and my children were desperately wanting a snow day. An interesting story began to spread around the school and was inevitably acted out in our home. It was told that if they wore their pajamas backwards and inside out, placed a white crayon in the freezer, flushed an ice cube down the toilet and placed a spoon under their pillow before going to bed for the night, school would be canceled the next day due to excessive snow.

Can you imagine the excitement in my home when my two youngest heard this tale and decided to follow the directions? What great hope they held that they might be able to sleep in and avoid school the following day! But, when daybreak arrived and all of the snow had been shoveled and plowed away, the looks of disappointment on their faces made me want to cry right along with them!












Spoon Under My Pillow

For don't we all know
that deep disappointment,
that crushing of dreams, the letting go of our desires?

We want so badly to have control
of our little lives, but God
always sends surprises and we must humbly accept

And we find a place of comfort
deep within our hearts
where we can release our sorrow if only for a moment

We fall to our knees
bury our brokenness in our hands
and release the tears until numbness takes their place

But somehow we must hold on
to the hope that tomorrow offers
believing that God will carry us through to a new day

And so we place a spoon under our pillow,
a relic in our palm, a seed within the garden
and faithfully carry on

We trudge on through the snow
we pray and work our normal day
believing that tomorrow new joys will come our way