Sadly, our friend, Bob Walsh, died Tuesday night of complications stemming from his 10-month battle with cancer.  According to his son, Liam, he died in peace and without pain.  Leah and Kevin were able to visit Bob for about 10 minutes that night and prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet with him and his family, who were at his bedside throughout the past week. 

On a personal note, we would like to say that we feel privileged to have known Bob. He was a smart man, a kind man, a family man, a Godly man. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was interiorly a man of great strength and conviction. We ask all of you to pray for the repose of his soul and the perseverance of his family. We know that Bob will continue to pray for us and for our churches.

The viewing will be at Kelley Funeral Home in Pitman (125 Pitman Ave) from 7 - 9 pm Friday, Oct. 30th and again from 9:30 - 10:30 am Saturday, Oct. 31st.  Mass will be at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Pitman at 11 am  Saturday.  Burial will be at Manahath Cemetery in Glassboro.

Robert John Walsh, age 60 died on October 27, 2009. Born in Philadelphia, he lived in Pitman since 1980. He formerly worked for Liteway in Bristol, PA and Mobil Oil. For the past two years he worked as an IT Consultant for J and R Consulting in Williamsport, MD. Bob was a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Pitman where he was a 7th grade CCD teacher. He was also a member and past president of the Commodore John Barry Division I, Ancient Order of Hibernians.

He was the son of the late John Charles William Walsh and Dorothy Rose Keenan Walsh and predeceased by his sister Geraldine Marie Walsh. He is survived by his sons Liam Patrick Séan Walsh of New York, NY, Collin Michael Thomas Walsh of Pitman, brother John of FL, sisters Carol Marazzi of FL, Eileen Jack of Wenonah and close friends Kathryn Yurchak and Charlotte Ryan.

Bob continually strove for peace and justice and a United Ireland. 

In case you couldn't tell, I'm constantly reading children's books. We go to the library a lot. This last weekend I attended a Catholic homeschool conference with a friend of mine and found so many wonderful books. Some of the true gems, such as the great readers from the 40s and 50s, are books that are no longer in print. I'm sometimes asked what some good titles are for parents wanting to immerse their children in the Faith. Here are some I could not resist this weekend:

The Story of God's Love: My Bible by Melissa Wright. This is an excellent children's Bible. I've been looking for a good one for a long time. This one, I'd say, is ideal for kids 5-8. It is published by Pauline books and Media (the Pauline Sisters are sisters who publish various media and I recommend their materials highly, particularly their coloring books). $25 (The Pauline site is down so here's a link to the title.)

A Catholic Child's Picture Dictionary by Ruth Hannon. This is a beautifully illustrated picture dictionary, primarily on Catholic terms. Originally published in 1956, it is now put out by the wonderful Angelus Press: www.angeluspress.org. $20

A Child's Rule of Life by Robert Hugh Benson. This is a gorgeous, black-and-white book published by Neumann Press. It takes you through a child's day, including the Holy Mass. This book is indescribably beautiful. Perhaps I'll have time to post a picture and excerpt in the future. $20. Sold by Keller Books: www.kellerbooks.com (However I didn't have luck with Keller's search function, so here's a link to the title.)

Mary by Demi. This is a beautifully illustrated book all about the life of the Blessed Mother of God. It must be seen to be believed. Each page has a different scene from her life and Bible excerpt. Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books in 2006. $20 Also purchased from Keller Books. (However, no picture on the Keller site, so here's a link.)

A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families by Monica McConkey. This book is a spiral bound activity book that takes you through the Church year and gives activities for various saint days and holidays. I was happy to meet Mrs. McConkey at the conference. Trained as an architect, she has many really great items available. Check them out at www.armadei.com $22

Make Your Own Noah's Ark by Clare Beaton. "Stand-up Noah's Ark scene. Figures for cutting out, coloring, and playing." A great book with readymade activity! Published and sold by the Paulines: www.pauline.org.$10 (By the way, the Daughters of St. Paul have a Books & Media Center in Northeast Philadelphia, well worth a visit.)

Though these aren't books, you simply must check out Jody's Hands On Learning. Jody, who I met at the conference, is a homeschooling mother who was simply trying to help her kids memorize their prayers and catechism lessons. She wound up inventing this neat system of games, devices, and activities. I hope to show them to our pastor soon. They are good for training altar servers, teachings kids their prayers, you name it. If your child is a kinesthetic learner (as most are) or if you prefer a fun, Montessouri-style approach to learning, check out her stuff!

Although I haven't yet tried it out, I subscribed to a year of CD-roms that will be sent to my house through the mail from Nippert & Company, also known as Catholic Art Works. I purchased the Teacher's Helper CDs. The idea is that I will receive them every month or so and there are many countless Catholic art activites able to be printed out from my computer, from art sheets to holy cards and beyond. I tell you the man's work is beautiful and I can't wait to try them out. The year of CDs, which can be used over and over again (unlike online subscriptions can be) cost $42. One of the projects he had displayed that impressed me was of a little altar the child could color, cut, and construct, and a priest. But if you turn the priest around, you instead see Jesus Himself. It is meant to teach that the priest stands in persona Christi. How clever.

Well, that's all for now, but it doesn't even scratch the surface of all we saw. If you would like more information on any of these titles and cannot find them through the webistes above, I'd be happy to talk more about them. Just let us know. Remember, these homeschool conferences aren't just for homeschoolers. Any Catholic can go and explore the wealth of materials available. Plus, there are excellent talks given and confessions heard, too. The one in Virginia was totally free, but more locally CHAPLET, a South Jersey homeschooling group, hosts one each spring at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, NJ that is equally good.

We know that there are those of you who have expressed interest in how things are going at St. Mary's generally and so here's a brief update.

We had quite a number of young people confirmed recently [by Fr. Namiotka]--32 if I counted correctly--and this was a joyous occasion for all, followed by a little party in the basement and in people's private homes, too.

Rosary Garden
The Rosary Garden looks beautiful as usual, thanks to God and to our hard-working parishioner, Charlie. Today when I visited I noticed that the roses were in bloom and their sweet fragrance was in the air! I recommend you visit, and maybe even bring a picnic or snack, a rosary and spiritual reading.

Mass
Sunday morning/Saturday evening mass times remain the same (5:00, 8:30 & 11:30), and we continue to pray the beautiful consecration prayer in which we consecrate our parish and our families to the Sacred Heard of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Following mass, we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Of course, all are welcome. Don't forget, we also have Latin (low) mass on the last Sunday of each month at 6pm, presided over by Fr. Romanowski.

Feast Planning
Plans for the Feast of the Assumption in August are just in their beginning stages. We are sure it will be a beautiful and festive time! If you have any ideas for the Feast or would like to help plan it, contact us or call the rectory (856-694-2576).

Sunday School
CCD is done until the Fall, but of course St. Mary's families continue in the religious education of their children all year long, as the Church teaches that the primary educators of the child are his parents. My kindergartner loves CCD at St. Mary's, I think in large part due to its intimate atmosphere. It is very different from the CCD program of which I was a part when I was a child, one that was a lot larger and, well, colder. The littlest children at St. Mary's have CCD in the shrine room, surrounded by the saints and even relics. The older kids have CCD in the church itself, which is wonderful and beautiful. We have, to the best of our knowledge, never had a shortage of catechism teachers, thanks be to God. There is no shortage of generosity at St. Mary's, to be sure. We wish all parishes have the blessing of so solid a CCD program as we've been fortunate enough to have. Thank you to all the CCD instructors!

Fr. Namiotka
We pray our new pastor, Fr. Namiotka, is settling in well and maybe even getting to like us, despite our quirkiness! (He is not living at St. Mary's, though.) He delivered a wonderful sermon today on consecrating our lives to God and we look forward to getting to know him better.

Be a Servant of God by Serving St. Mary's!
Most recently Fr. Namiotka is helping to better organize various parish functions such as ushers, lectors, etc. and will be holding a meeting for all interested people this Tuesday night at 7:00 in the Shrine Room (in the rectory). Luckily at St. Mary's we barely need any "Extraordinary Ministers" for holy mass since we are a small church and most wish to receive the Blessed Eucharist from the hands of the parish priest. However, in the bulletin Fr. Namiotka says his goal "is to have each and every sick or homebound parishioner visited and brought Holy Communion weekly." (Emphasis his.) An Extraordinary Minister needs to be "living a life in union with Church teachings." This is a laudable goal and one which we ought to help with.

Certainly there are so many ways in which you may offer your time as a gift to God through our parish, St. Mary's. Please be sure to attend the meeting if you have an interest in participating in any way! Well, just about every way. Father Namiotka says he will be organizing the altar boys at a later time. If you have any questions call Fr. Namiotka via the St. Mary's rectory or Queen of Angels (856-697-1450).

Fr. Romanowski
Our much loved Fr. Romanowski, pastor emeritus, is still settling in at his house but will be back, we understand, for the Latin mass on the final Sunday evening of each month--that would be next week--at 6pm. Fr. is also very busy with the various events and masses around the region having to do with the Holy Name Society. We hope to publish a list of the dates and locations very soon.

Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary continues to regularly meet, as well as the Junior Legion. At both, new members are always welcome. The Junior Legion meets Thursdays from 4-5:00pm and the Adult Praesidium meets Thursdays from 7-8:00pm.

Choir
Both the Junior and Adult Choir also continue to practice and sing at mass. News singers are always welcome there as well. Call Angela, our parish secretary, at 856-694-2576 with any questions you may have. Regular choir practices from 7:30-9:00pm on Tuesdays, Junior choir rehearses Tuesdays from 7-8:00.

Happy Mother's Day! On this day we are especially reminded of our "true," Heavenly Mother and God's goodness in giving us so great an advocate. Both Fr. Romanowski and Fr. Namiotka reminded us of this in their sermons today.

This weekend (as well as tomorrow morning) Fr. Romanowski said the traditional Latin Mass at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin and a bunch of us went there for mass and to see him. It was wonderful and as always, Father did an excellent job. We were fortunate to be able to speak with him after mass. He seemed very happy. He is also extremely busy unpacking, particularly the 50 boxes of books. (I'm not joking.) It goes without saying that everyone at St. Mary's wishes Fr. Pasley, rector of Mater Ecclesiae, a good rest and speedy recovery. He is in our prayers.

Meanwhile, back at St. Mary's, Fr. Namiotka presided over a little crowning ceremony in honor of our Blessed Mother today, as is his custom on Mother's Day. I snapped a few pictures but since my three-year-old was very wiggly by this point and of course there was action involved, they turned out a little fuzzy. It was a special blessing to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet, consecration prayer, and St. Michael prayer after 11:30 mass this afternoon. We are united in our desire to implore God's mercy and protection of St. Mary's.

You will also see that there is a white mantle that is currently on the statue of the Blessed Mother inside the church. On it is sewn the names of this year's First Holy Communicants as a special blessing. Truly she looks over our little church!



Created with flickr slideshow.

We have been asked quite frequently of late "what is going on" with Fr. Romanowski. He is officially retired and is now residing at his house in Elm (near Hammonton). Hopefully he'll be getting some much deserved rest, but knowing Fr. Romanowski, he'll be busy as ever!

It is our understanding that he will be returning to St. Mary's for the traditional Latin mass. In addition, he will be helping to fill in over at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin (the traditional Roman Rite mission church in the Diocese of Camden) on a temporary basis.

We at St. Mary's Shrine Parish would like to thank Fr. Romanowski with all of our hearts for his dedication to the Church and to our church in particular. Now would be a very good time to mention just a few of the things that Fr. Romanowski has done for our little parish.

When Fr. Romanowski first came, the lot adjacent to the rectory was just that--an empty lot. The Rosary Garden was his idea. Many parishioners stepped up to the plate, with the grace of God of course, to help make that idea into a reality.

• Father has been a steadfast supporter and participant in the Legion of Mary. We now have two adult Praesidia (groups) as well as the Junior Praesidium.
• He reinstated the Holy Name Society that had been discontinued by a previous pastor.
  
• Father is the spiritual director for the Promoters of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Of course it was Fr. Romanowski who instituted the two-and-a-half (and now three days) of Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary's. This is no small task for so small a parish, but there is no shortage of graces received!
• We have the traditional Latin mass at our parish now.
• Father has never been known to turn away a soul in need of help, and has always been available for the sacrament of Confession. In a time when other churches have seen a decline in Confession, I know that I personally have been around when Fr. Romanowski has commented about the abundance of Confessions heard at St. Mary's--and not just at the appointed times, either. Even when he was tired after a long day, Father has heard my Confession. I know I don't need to tell you that not all priests are as accessible as this.
• Father has made the Divine Mercy Chaplet a post-mass tradition at St. Mary's.
• He has instituted countless devotions, novenas, special prayers, and has been vigilant in praying for certain special intentions (for example, pro-life, reverence at mass, an increase in attendance at mass, etc.).
• Father is also extremely committed to visiting the sick and homebound.
• He also serves the spiritual needs of the Catholics at the Veteran's Home in Vineland.

On a personal level, those of us who know Fr. Romanowski--myself included--deeply appreciate not only his sincerity but most especially the fact that we never have to doubt his spiritual counsel. He teaches only what Holy Mother Church teaches. Good spiritual guidance is worth more than all the gold in the world.

We at St. Mary's cannot even begin to thank Fr. Romanowski for all he's done for us over the past twelve years. Now our task is to live up to all he's given us, and never take for granted the wonderful parish community he has helped to forge.

I have been wanting to publish this prayer on Save St. Mary's for a year now but didn't know where to find it. I finally learned today that it is in a prayer book that has been sitting on my shelf at home the whole time. The prayer book is not one that I personally have used all that often thus far. It was given to me by a very kind man and Knight of Columbus, a member of the Promoters of the Blessed Sacrament, about a year ago. It is the popular "Pieta" prayerbook published by the "MLOR" (Miraculous Lady of Roses) group. You can obtain this prayerbook at your local Catholic bookstore (locally you can get it at The Littlest Angel on Landis Avenue across from Sacred Heart Church in Vineland) or by calling MLOR at 269-731-4490.

I am told that this is a very powerful prayer. In the book it says, "Say for nine consecutive mornings for anything you may desire. It has seldom been known to fail." So it may also be used as a novena. Following the prayer it gives a brief history:

This prayer was found in the fiftieth year of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the 1500s it was sent by the pope to Emperor Charles when he was going into battle. Whoever reads this prayer or hears it or carries it will never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, nor will poison take effect on them. They will not fall into the hands of the enemy nor be burned in any fire, nor will they be defeated in battle. Make this prayer known everywhere. -Imprimatur Most Rev. Geourge W. Ahr, Bishop of Trenton

Wow, those are some very interesting promises. Considering the "poisons" with which the Catholic Christian faithful are now being fed and the battle we face, I think this is a prayer of which we should avail ourselves!

Coincidentally we are currently praying a novena to St. Joseph in our family--not this particular one, but now that I have it, we will pray this one. The reason I wanted to post this prayer is because it is very popular at St. Mary's Malaga. By "popular" I don't mean "trendy" or "superficial." I mean that there is a deeply personal, widespread devotion to St. Josph at St. Mary's, the likes of which I have not seen before. This prayer is prayed publicly after Mass, as part of Rosary prayers, after the Divine Mercy Chaplet, at special events and feasts, etc. We implore St. Joseph's powerful intercession as the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus, as well as protector of the Universal Church to protect our own little corner of the Universal Church, St. Mary's. In this way, St. Joseph is so very dear to our hearts.

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

St. Joseph, ora pro nobis!

Divine Mercy Sunday was a full day at St. Mary's. It was kicked off, of course, with Saturday afternoon confessions and Saturday evening anticipated mass. But on Sunday there was CCD, the two normal masses, and an additional mass at 3:00pm, the hour of mercy. We were blessed to have Fr. Romanowski saying all of the masses (he must be exhausted!). After 11:30 mass, we sang one of my favorite hymns, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" and then prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, as usual. (We had been praying the Novena of Divine Mercy over the past days as well.) Following that, there was a baptism! What a grace it is to see so many babies at St. Mary's. I just happened to be lingering, taking pictures around the church after mass and got to see the sweet little girl and her family gathering for the blessed event. We are truly blessed at St. Mary's to have such a variety of people of all ages and backgrounds, even people originally from different places or who travel a distance to attend St. Mary's. There are also not an insubstantial number of converts and "reverts," and I believe this is a testament to how Our Lady draws souls to the Church by using St. Mary's. After the baptism confessions were heard by our wonderful Fr. Gannon (if you have not met Fr. Gannon you must!) and Fr. Romanowski and there was Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament until 3:00pm mass.

Below you can view a little slideshow of St. Mary's. These are just a few pictures from around and within the church on Divine Mercy Sunday. You may wonder why I included a few pictures of the parking lot and street. That was just to show that despite having four masses, our small church still has full attendance. Though I only attended the 11:30 mass this weekend, I heard that the other three masses were full as well.

You will also see that in one of the pictures Fr. Romanowski is kneeling beside the altar. This was during our consecration prayer. After every mass we say a special prayer in which we consecrate ourselves, our families, and our parish St. Mary's to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray that we are under the protection of the Two Hearts! We are so privileged to have a priest as committed as Fr. Romanowski who gives so much to us and to Our Lord every single day.


Created with flickr slideshow.

The essential parts of the Divine Mercy devotion are (1) the Chaplet, (2) the Portrait, and (3) the Feast of Divine Mercy. Like all legitimate devotion, there is a daily obligation and reminder of it, similar to the devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary. The portrait enables us to keep in mind the Presence of Our Lord and His mercy flowing from the water and blood flowing from His body during his horrendous death on the cross. The Feast of Divine Mercy gives us more graces and makes our souls and hearts pure as on the day of our baptism. What wonders are in God's merciful love.

Remember, also, what we have received at St. Mary's due only to the merciful grace of God:

During the second mass, I turned to our Holy Mother, telling her that it was difficult for me to separate myself from this Congregation "which enjoys such special protection, O Mary." Then I saw the Blessed Virgin, unspeakably beautiful. She came down from the altar to my kneeler, held me close to herself and said to me, "I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable mercy of God. Most pleasing to me is that soul which faithfully carries out the will of God." She gave me to understand that I had faithfully fulfilled the will of God and had thus far found favor in His eyes. "Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the passion of my Son, and in this way you will be victorious." -August 5, 1935, The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. From the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (or Divine Mercy In My Soul), pg. 198-199.

This revelation is given to everyone at St. Mary's because we know we are to do God's will and follow His Way because He is The Truth and the Life.

Praised be Jesus Christ!
Now and Forever!
Fr. Romanowski