Pinoy Knights at the 127th KofC Supreme Convention

Proudly Pinoy!

Little known but beautiful prayers

"O my Jesus for give us our sins..."

We all know this prayer.  We say this after each decade of the Rosary.  We usually call this the Fatima Prayer after an angel of the Lord appeared to the three visionaries and taught them this prayer.  But there are other prayers the angel taught the children that we do not pray.  These are beautiful prayers which I personally pray when I visit the Lord in the Adoration Chapel.

Here are the prayers.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

MOST HOLY TRINITY, I adore you! My God, My God,
I love You in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
(3 times)

PARDON PRAYER

MY GOD, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee!
I ask pardon for for those who do not believe,
do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee.
(3 times)

SACRIFICE PRAYER

O JESUS, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners,
and in reparation for the sins committed against
the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

ANGEL'S PRAYER

MOST Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity
of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,
in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference
by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit
of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
(3 times) 

What a cardinal, after a consistory, would have worn...

Do you want to see the princes of the Church dressed like this again?  Tell us what you think?

St. Cory Aquino?

Sainthood for Cory 
By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Blessed Corazon. Santa Cory. Saint Cory Aquino of the Philippines. Filipinos will have to get used to the sound of it.

The renewed groundswell of adulation and fervor directed toward former President Corazon C. Aquino who died on Aug. 1 could point to a new direction: Rome. Already, many people, Church leaders among them, are putting religious significance in the manner, time and timeliness of her death.  (Even TIME Magazine acclaimed her the "saint of people power."

It will not be farfetched if many Filipinos begin to consider Cory a candidate for canonization, or at least for beatification by the Roman Catholic Church. I, for one, think she could be a candidate. (Count me in also.)

A clamor could grow and begin a process toward officially proclaiming her a “servant of God,” then a “blessed” and, finally, a canonized saint with a capital “S.”

If such a process is initiated, Cory will not be the first national leader to be considered for beatification that could lead to canonization. Julius Nyerere (1922-1999), first president of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika), a republic in Africa, is the object of a beatification process initiated by the Catholic bishops of Tanzania. (Oops...Blessed Charles of Austria was a national leader who was recently beatified.)

There is already one Aquino in the roster of saints: the great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274).

If sainthood is officially conferred on Cory, she would be the first modern-day Filipino, and a woman and president at that, to be given the sacred honor. It could be argued that Cory’s practice of her faith in all aspects of her life—as a Filipino patriot, national leader, wife, widow, mother—was widely known and documented. (It was her faith that influenced her and showed the whole world what a true Christian leader should be.)

Pope Benedict XVI called Cory a woman of deep unwavering faith. It was her display of courage after her husband Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated in 1983 and when she was called upon to lead an oppressed nation that showed the kind of woman she was. The spiritual overtones of the 1986 People Power that ended the Marcos dictatorship were due in part to Cory’s spiritual charisma.

Thrown into public life, this housewife born to a wealthy family became a national leader, a recognized world figure whose religious faith influenced her actions and pervaded her personal life.

Journalist Malou Mangahas who covered the Aquino presidency wrote: “As president, Cory took her oath of office before the Constitution, but defined her politics by the canons of her faith, the heavenly virtues of charity, diligence, patience, kindness, temperance and humility. If politics were a test of sainthood, we can count by the fingers of one hand the Filipino politicians who would make the grade. In my book, as a journalist who had covered Cory then and now, even with sometimes testy results, Cory would be in top running.”

Cory died on Aug. 1, a first Saturday of the month dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Testimonials about her deep religious faith even while she held the most powerful position in the land have been heaped on her. Cory attended Catholic schools in the Philippines and the United States and was known to be a very devout Catholic. She was a known Marian devotee. She had her faults, she was the first to admit.

Canonization, it has to be stressed, does not turn a person into a saint. It works the other way around. The person has to have had the qualities of a saint to begin with. Canonization is an official affirmation by the Church of a person’s saintly life or holy martyrdom, but it is a very long, arduous and costly process. It can take years, decades and even centuries.

But Pope John Paul II made sweeping changes to make the process faster. He canonized several persons who had lived during his own lifetime. Among them was Carmelite nun Sr. Teresa Benedicta (the scholarly Edith Stein) who died in the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz. Mother Teresa of Calcutta who died in 1997 was beatified in 2003 by the ailing JPII. He canonized persons who lived exemplary lives and died heroic deaths in the modern age and who were part of a historical process. JPII, who died in 2006, is himself now the object of a beatification process.

The process begins with the opening of the cause of a candidate for sainthood. The bishop of the region where the candidate lived assigns a postulator or advocate for the cause to examine the life of the candidate. An extraordinary life of holiness and outstanding virtue, or heroic martyrdom must be proven by eyewitness accounts. The candidate could then be categorized as “servant of God.”

The candidate’s life and writings must reveal a life consistent with authentic holiness and heroic love of God and neighbor. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints is charged with the canonization process. Once a study commission is formed, the candidate for sainthood is granted the title “Venerable.” This means the person’s qualities are deemed worthy of reverence and emulation.

The next step is beatification. Miracles related to the candidate are closely scrutinized. In cases of martyrdom proven miracles may be waived. But two proven miracles are required as evidence of extraordinary holiness. In case of doubt, two or more miracles may be needed.

After the requirements are fulfilled, the candidate is beatified in official ceremonies and given the title of “Blessed.” Two more miracles are required before the candidate can move on to the last stage.

Canonization formalizes the declaration of sainthood. This raises the person as one worthy of public veneration by the universal Church, a model for imitation and a powerful intercessor for all.

No one becomes a saint—with a big “S” or a small “s”—on one’s own merits. Canonized or not, saints—warts and all and despite their weaknesses—are God’s own making.

Tell me what you think.

Send feedback to cerespd@gmail.com

Words of Wisdom from St. John Marie Vianney

"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master." 

"When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other."

St. John Marie Vianney

Guess What this is: Final Answer

I asked our dear TPC readers what this picture is in a recent post.  The sculptor Jonathan Monaghan calls this "Monstrance".

If he intended this to be used really as a monstrance, God forbid that it be used as such.

If he just gave the name and not intended it to be used as such, then it is a bad choice of a name.

God have mercy on us!

Kudos to +JMJ+ and Lonnie for identifying this... uhm... art?

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If they call that monstrance, then this is a Glorious Monstrance, fit for THE KING!

TLM Requiem Mass for President Corazon Aquino

from Pro Deo et Patria blog

A sung requiem mass according to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (Traditional/Tridentine Latin Mass) for President Corazon (Tita Cory) Aquino will be offered by Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 1:30 PM at the Parish of the Lord of the Divine Mercy, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City.

UPDATE: Cory Aquino Funeral

Cory Aquino's wake will be at the Manila Cathedral also known as the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  She is the first politician, lay, and woman to be accorded such honor as only archbishops of Manila were given that privelege.  As outgoing CBCP president Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said that "eternal gratitude is due them (Ninoy and Cory Aquino) for proving that the 'Filipino is worth dying for'".

Corazon Aquino: A Philippine Saint?

Beautiful article of Time about the late president Corazon Aquino.

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People Power's Philippine Saint: Corazon Aquino

The arc of Corazon Aquino's life lent itself to maxims, but two hard-nosed ones seem particularly worth pointing out. First, political sainthood is a gift from heaven with a Cinderella deadline — once past midnight, you are a pumpkin. Second, personal virtues are never a guarantee of effective or successful governance. What was truly shocking about Aquino's tumultuous six-year term as President of the Philippines was that those maxims proved untrue. Midnight always threatened Aquino but never struck; and she was a good woman whose goodness alone, at the very end, was what proved enough, if only by an iota, to save her country.

The exact opposite was foretold by the husband whose murder she vowed to avenge and whose political legacy she promised to preserve. Anyone who succeeded Ferdinand Marcos, Benigno Aquino declared, would smell like horse manure six months after taking power. The residual effects of the dictatorship of Marcos and his wife Imelda, he said, could guarantee no success — only disaster, despair and failure.

But after a popular rebellion in 1986 overthrew Marcos and proclaimed her President in his stead, Benigno Aquino's widow lasted more than six months; indeed, she lasted her entire six-year term. Furthermore, she retained a whiff of sanctity even as her government rotted, even as Filipinos worked hard to prove George Orwell's aphorism that saints are guilty until proven innocent. As Aquino ruled, every month seemed to diminish the political miracle of her astonishing rise to power, but she survived. And her survival guaranteed the continuation of democracy in her homeland.

The Philippines is still a raucous political hothouse. And every now and then it seems to return to the brink. But the dire days of deadly coup plots are over. Corazon Aquino died a revered figure, after an excruciating struggle with colon cancer, in a hospital in the Philippines.

Corazon Cojuangco was born into one of the wealthiest families in the islands. Fated to be married off in one dynastic match or the other, she was courted by and fell in love with Benigno Aquino Jr., a brilliant and ambitious journalist turned politician whose own family was as illustrious though not quite as wealthy as her baronial clan. The marriage would help propel Benigno's career even as "Cory" was a cipher at his side, the high-born wife whose social ministrations at smoke-filled political sessions flattered her husband's supporters. Benigno's popularity soon challenged Ferdinand Marcos, who had been elected President in 1965. And so, when Marcos assumed dictatorial power in 1972, he threw his rival into jail. Corazon then became her husband's instrument, smuggling messages out of prison and raising funds for the opposition. But as long as he lived, she was merely an extension of Benigno Aquino.

All that changed on Aug. 21, 1983, when Benigno Aquino returned to the Philippines after three years of exile in the U.S. only to be shot dead even before he could set foot on the tarmac of Manila's international airport. Filipinos were outraged, and suspicion immediately fell on Marcos. At Benigno's funeral, mourners transformed Corazon into a symbol. 

The devout and stoic Roman Catholic widow became the incarnation of a pious nation that had itself suffered silently through more than a decade of autocratic rule. Millions lined the funeral route and repeated her nickname as if saying the rosary: "Cory, Cory, Cory." If she had agreed to let the massive demonstrations of outrage pass in front of Malacañang Palace, said Vicente Paterno, a Marcos official who would later be her ally, "that could have toppled Marcos." But it would be nearly three years before she would learn to take advantage of her power. Instead, she concentrated on the fractious opposition, using her moral influence to help it choose a leader to oppose Marcos.

Filipinos saw her as that leader, but she declined the role until November 1985. It was then that a Marcos-controlled court acquitted the military men accused of killing Benigno. Marcos then decided to hold a snap presidential election to reaffirm his mandate.

Though hampered by the government's near monopoly of the media, the Aquino campaign attracted millions of fervent supporters, all decked out in yellow, the reluctant candidate's favorite color. And when Marcos cheated her of victory in the February 1986 vote, the outcry was tremendous — and his doom was sealed. Bearing witness to their political allegiance, the millions who crammed the streets to protect reformist soldiers who had mutinied against Marcos chanted the now familiar mantra: "Cory, Cory, Cory." Nuns armed only with rosaries knelt in front of tanks, stopping them in their tracks.

By way of 24-hour cable news, the world witnessed four days of the military-civilian rebellion, a preview of similar uprisings that would later shake out the autocracies of Asia, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And then, in a sweep of U.S. helicopters, Marcos was whisked off to exile in Hawaii and Aquino was proclaimed President of the Philippines. It was a most astonishing political story. TIME named her Woman of the Year at the end of 1986, the first female to hold TIME's annual distinction on her own since the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth in 1952.

To govern the Philippines, she would need all the good will she could muster. The country was one breath away from the economic morgue, while Manila's brand of democracy was built on reeds. Aquino survived eight coup attempts by plotters who hoped to head off her liberal constitution and the return of a bicameral Congress. She took pride in her fortitude. "I have to project my confidence even more than some men do," she said early in her presidency. "No one can say that Cory did not give it her all."

Aquino was convinced that her presidency was divinely inspired, even as her political foes mocked her piety. "If the country needs me," she said, "God will spare me." And miracle of miracles, she proved God right and her critics wrong. She would be succeeded by a democratically elected general — the first to be at her side as Marcos threatened to mow down her supporters in the streets. She anointed him despite the opposition of her church. Indeed, Fidel Ramos would be the first Protestant to lead the overwhelmingly Catholic country. And he would give the islands a taste of stability and economic prosperity that she was unable to deliver. But without her withstanding the enemies of freedom, he would never have had the chance.

After the presidency, she ran a think tank and center on nonviolence that carried her husband's name. She also every so often led public protests opposing the policies of her successors, if not her successors themselves. She led demonstrations to remind Ramos that she had promised to dismantle America's bases in the Philippines. He complied. She joined crowds that led to the overthrow of the inept and corrupt government of the actor-politician Joseph Estrada. She also led protests against her former ally, the second woman President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the wake of corruption charges against Arroyo and her husband. Whenever the country appeared to be in a crisis, Cory Aquino rose above the bureaucratic procrastination that had always bogged it down, reminding her people that they once astonished the world with their bravery — and that they could do it again. But Filipinos must now take stock. Whom will they march with now that their saint has gone to meet her God? 

Dizzy....

I feel like I had been on a very long flight.  Jet lag!  The last time I had this feeling was my first airplane flight which lasted an hour and a half.  I have never been out of the country so I can imagine how it must have felt if I had taken an international flight.

I literally feel the world spinning around me.  I am only 33 and I do not suffer from high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol.  I took the advise of my brother and had a long night sleep.  I woke up feeling better this morning.  But after arriving at the office, things were spinning again.  I think it's my eyeglasses.

I need to see my opthalmologist.

Know more about the Knights of Columbus

Watch this beautiful video about the brotherhood of which I am a proud member of.

The entry here is about why Catholic men should be Knights and not Masons. Beautiful post from "The Catholic Knight"

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The Knights of Columbus, of which I am a 4th degree member, is a fraternal Catholic order with a membership of some 1.7 million men. It is designed primarily to serve the Catholic Church, and secondarily the men who are members, by providing a means and conduit through which they may help each other, their families, the Church and third-party charities. The Knights of Columbus also provides life insurance policies to it's members and uses the proceeds to benefit the Catholic Church in various ways.

The Knights of Columbus was founded by The Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut on August 2, 1881. His primary motivation was to organize a mutual benefit society to assist widows and orphans of families who had lost their primary bread winner. Life in the late 1800s was extremely harsh for Catholic immigrant families in the United States. During that time discrimination made it difficult for a Catholic man to get a good job. Catholics were regularly excluded from labor unions. Local charities and benefit organizations also frequently excluded Catholics. Catholics were also disenfranchised politically, as it was nearly impossible to get a Catholic elected to government office. Most Catholic men were forced to work in coal mines, sweat shops and ship yards, where they were subjected to harsh labor, poor working conditions, and less then minimum wage. As a result, many Catholic husbands and fathers lived short lives. The one organization well established in America, which could potentially help them, was Freemasonry. Unfortunately, Freemasonry had a strong religious/occult element that challenged the Catholic Church's claim of absolute truth revealed through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Because of this, Freemasonry was soundly condemned by the Catholic Church. In addition to that, the Church also had significant political problems with Freemasonry in Europe.

These things prohibited Catholic men from joining the Freemasons under penalty of excommunication. In the late 1800s, this put many Catholic men in the terrible situation of having to choose between the Church and the welfare of their families. The Venerable Father McGivney sought to create a Catholic men's organization that would allow men to pool their resources, talents and energies for the common good and for the sake of their families, but he sought to do so without the religious/occult element that earned Freemasonry the scorn of the Catholic Church.

So the Knights of Columbus was formed under the ancient precepts of medieval chivalry, paralleling in some ways the degree programs used by the Freemasons, but without the unchristian oaths and occult rituals. The Vatican prohibition against Freemasonry remains today, and the reasons for this are fully explained by Catholic apologist John Salza (learn more here). According to the New Code of Canon Law (1983), this prohibition remains in effect under penalty of interdict.

The Venerable Father McGivney initially authored three degrees though which the Knights of Columbus would receive their initiation into the order.

Now if you looking to know the secrets of the degree rites, you won't find them here. 'The Catholic Knight' has taken a pledge not to reveal them on my honor. However, I should point out here that what I have taken is a pledge, not an oath, and there is a significant difference. A pledge is a promise. That is all. It is based on one's honor. Nothing is sworn, and there are no penalties if the pledge is broken. All that is lost is the honor of the man who broke the pledge, simple because he did not keep his promise. When I took my degree rites, I pledged not to tell what goes on there based entirely on my honor as a practicing Catholic man. No threats were made, and no penalties were warned. If I tell the secrets, nobody is going to slit my throat or cut my heart out. Nobody is going to kill me or harm me. Nobody is going to seek retribution against my family or business. I'll still be able to get a good job. I'll still be able to do business. I might even still be allowed to keep my membership in the Knights of Columbus. However, I will have lost my honor. I made a promise, and I would not have keep it. That prospect alone, is enough to keep me quiet. For I wish to be an honorable man. That's why you won't find the degree rite secrets here.

In addition to that, these pledges are made with the explicit exception to religious or civil duty. So for example, if my priest or bishop needed to know something about my knowledge of the degree rites, I could reveal that to them even if they were not members of the Knights of Columbus, without breaking my pledge. Furthermore, if an officer of the law, judge or courtroom attorney needed to know my knowledge of the degree rites, again, I could reveal that information without breaking my pledge. That's because these exceptions of civil and religious duty are explicitly written into the pledges. I could take it a step further, and some of my brother knights may take issue with this, but so be it. If my wife, whom I am sacramentally bound to in matrimony, for some reason needed to know my knowledge of the degree rites, again citing religious duty to honor this holy sacrament of matrimony, I could reveal that information without breaking my pledge.

When I took my pledges, I did not swear on anything. I did not call curses upon myself. I did not use the Lord's name in vain. I simply made a promise. That is a pledge. Unlike an oath, which frequently involves swearing, calling down curses upon one's self if the oath is broken, and often invokes the name of someone holy (like God for example) to bind one to the oath. Freemason's do take oaths, and that is very much a part of their degree rites. In contrast, Knights of Columbus do not take oaths. It is not part of our degree rites. And this is because the Scriptures are very clear... "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." - Exodus 20:7

"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." - Matthew 5:33-37

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." - James 5:12
Now as for the degree rites themselves, this is what I can tell you without breaking my pledge...
They are based on (1st degree) Charity, (2nd degree) Unity and (3rd degree) Fraternity. There is of course the optional 4th degree of Patriotism which was developed later. But these first three degree rites were crafted by The Venerable Father McGivney himself.   Everything taught in these rites is 100% Biblical. There is no occult or "secret knowledge" conveyed in the Knights of Columbus. You could just as easily find the lessons of these degree rites in a Sunday homily or Scripture reading.   Lessons are best remembered when emotion is attached to them. For example, when you get a good scare, you are far more likely to remember the lesson associated with it. A similar thing could be said for positive emotions as well, such as relief and joy.
The degree rites are specifically designed to evoke emotion on the part of the candidate who is taking the rite.   Because the degree rites are designed with the intent of evoking emotion, they MUST be kept secret, so as not to spoil the surprise for the candidate. The candidate must be unaware of what will happen, lest it spoil the intended emotional response, and the lesson of the degree rite be lost to mundane procedure, failing to leave an indelible mark on the candidates heart and mind.  There is no ritual hazing in the Knights of Columbus, and nothing is ever done that would undermine the dignity of a Catholic man.

Degree candidates are not ever asked to divulge deep dark secrets about themselves, nor say anything that would compromise their integrity, nor put themselves into a compromised position.

Alcohol is never used, and is not permitted, during degree rites.

Knights and candidates are exhorted to be good Catholic Christians, and to show no partiality between members and non-members. As Catholic Christians, knights do not look down upon non-members, nor are they permitted to consider themselves "better Catholics" simply because they are knights.

Priests are permitted to audit and observe degree rites, nothing within the order is kept secret from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. This is one reason why the Church has historically supported the Knights of Columbus and is currently considering the order's founder, The Venerable Father Michael McGivney, for canonization as a Saint. 

While the Knights of Columbus offers quality life insurance to it's members, at a reasonable price, no member is required to buy it. Nor is any member "pressured" to buy it. The insurance plans are simply offered as a benefit.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus has many other benefits besides life insurance.
I'm afraid that's all you'll learn from me. Some might say I've already said too much. If so, I apologize, but I do not believe I have revealed any of the secrets of the order, nor do I believe I have violated my pledge to keep the elements of the degree rites secret. Personally, I have found my experience with the Knights of Columbus to be a rewarding one. Simultaneously, I have taken time away from the Knights of Columbus as well, so as to attend to family matters, in which my brother knights have always been very understanding and assured me that family comes first. They have also been quick to offer assistance whenever I was faced with personal and business difficulties.

If your a Catholic man who would like to learn more about the Knights of Columbus contact your local chapter. Personally, I would encourage getting involved in a knights council that is directly attached to a particular parish. This helps coordinate parish and knight activities in such a way that they become mutually beneficial.

In Memoriam: Corazon C. Aquino (RIP)

For fighting off a dictator to restore our freedom and democracy...

For fighting off seven coup attempts to help us keep that democracy...

For being a model public servant, a woman of integrity and priciples...

For making us Filipinos regain the pride and honor we lost during the dictatorship...

For being a role model of courage and strength, faith in the Lord and in our Lady.

For being a role model of what a true Pinoy Catholic should be...

MARAMING, MARAMING, MARAMING SALAMAT PO!  

AMING MAHAL NA TITA CORY!

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For more about former President Cory Aquino who passed away this morning at 3:18 from a year-long battle with colon cancer, click here and here.

 

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Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
  et lux perpetua luceat eis.
  Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion,
  et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem.
  Exaudi orationem meam;
  ad te omnis caro veniet.
  Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
  et lux perpetua luceat eis.

  In paradisum deducant te Angeli:
  in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
  et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
  Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,
  et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.