THE SAINT MONICA SODALITY of MICHIGAN
email stmonicasodality@hotmail.com
May 2013

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The next monthly Mass is at Ss. Cyril & Methodius, and is the fourth Sunday of the month, May 26th at 1:30 P.M. Assumption Grotto Church will have their next monthly Mass, First Saturday, May 4th at 4 P.M.
Saint Monica Sodality prays for dear souls to return to the Catholic Faith, and for conversion of sinners.
HOW CAN WE BRING THEM TO JESUS? As parents come to the altar during Mass to receive Communion and bring their infants and toddlers to be blessed by the priest, so too, can we bring to the altar, spiritually, those we are praying to return to the Catholic Faith and return to union with us, their family. The Holy Mass is the most powerful prayer given to us by God. So let us bring all our needs and intentions and unite them with Jesus who offers Himself to the Father. The ways we can bring them to Jesus along with the Holy Mass is to recite the Saint Monica Sodality Prayer every day, to say the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet for their intention, and by writing their names on the petitions slips found at the Petition Box near St. Michael statue at the church entrance. These petition slips will be placed in a covered album and brought to the altar during the monthly Mass which is offered for the intention of the St. Monica Sodality. And, when possible, we can ask them to attend Mass with us.
WHO CAN WE BRING TO JESUS? Jesus healed the paralytic because He saw the faith of those who brought him. We assume they are his friends, but they could easily have been family, or even strangers who took pity on him. At first, we generally ask the intercession of St. Monica and St. Augustine for a person we love most dearly. Soon, we begin to pray for family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. And each time we pray the St. Monica Sodality Prayer, we are also praying for total strangers on whom we can take pity because we know their only true happiness is to be united with God, the Catholic Church and their loved ones who are also praying the St. Monica Sodality Prayer.
God creates us out of love, we return His love in our acts of mercy. Each act offered for love of another strengthens us to persevere and increases the depth of our love.
HOW CAN WE PREPARE OURSELVES TO RECEIVE JESUS?
We can prepare ourselves for
Easter and each Holy Communion through good and frequent
Confessions. And during Lent, to ask God to enlighten our souls to
see what we need to give up and what
we need to add each day to our
spiritual lives. Springtime is soon to come, let us clean out the
cobwebs and all the things we've hidden, even from ourselves.
THE SAINT MONICA SODALITY PRAYER
Please recite this prayer DAILY for your intentions and in union with all those also saying this prayer:
Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifested in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son Augustine. Inspired by boundless confidence in Your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer. I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in my prayer for [name(s)] who no longer share(s) in the intimate life of Your Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness that (he/she/they) may be open to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, and return to loving union with Your Church. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for You alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. Printed with Diocesan Approval, Diocese of Cleveland 1986
THE BEGINNING of the ST. MONICA SODALITY in Michigan
The Saint Monica Sodality of Michigan, at this time, consists of two local chapters of the St. Monica Sodality, the international organization that was formed in 1995 out of St. John Cantius Roman Catholic Church in Chicago, IL. Fr. C. Frank Phillips, C.R. is the director of the Sodality, as well as pastor of St. John Cantius. THE LOCATION OF THE TWO LOCAL CHAPTERS IN THE DETROIT METROPOLITAN AREA THAT OFFER MONTHLY MASSES ARE:
The Assumption Grotto Roman Catholic Church, a national shrine, located in Detroit (directions). This first chapter started in November of 2003 with encouragement from the pastor, Fr. Eduard Perrone. The monthly Mass for the Sodality's intention is First Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The person of contact is Mary (313) 885-6910 St. Monica Sodality at Assumption Grotto is First Saturday of each month at 4:00 P.M.
The second chapter started in January of 2004 at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Roman Catholic Slovak Church in Sterling Heights (directions) was welcomed by the pastor, Fr. Ben Kosnac. Their monthly Mass for the intention of the Sodality is the Fourth Sunday of the month at 1:30 p.m. St. Monica Sodality at St. Cyril, is the fourth Sunday of each month at 1:30 P.M. The person of contact is Jerry (586) 883-1721 St. Monica Sodality at St. Cyril
Both churches offer Confession and recitation of the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the St. Monica Sodality Prayer. During Mass a covered album, with petition lists and photos for those being prayed, is brought to the altar where your petitions are united with the most sacred offering of Christ.
On a table near the entrance, both churches have Petition Slips at the St. Monica Sodality Petition Box to write the names of those who are no longer practicing the faith. Just place the slip in the box and take a St. Monica Sodality Prayer Card.
WHO are St. MONICA and St. AUGUSTINE?
St. Monica was born of devout parents who educated her in the Catholic Faith in Tagaste, North Africa (now known as Algeria) around 332 A.D. She was given in marriage to Patricius, a pagan Roman official of violent temper. Their first child was Augustine born in 354. They also had another son, Navigius and a daughter, Perpetua. In time, her pagan mother-in-law would come to live with them. St. Monica exercised much patience and prudence in dealing with her husband and his mother. They, and Augustine, would convert through her virtuous life which gave them a living example of the Way of Christ.
Even as a child Augustine showed signs of possessing a great intellect so he was sent to the best schools to train him in the disciplines necessary for a promising career. His search for knowledge and truth took him down many different paths, most were scandalous to his virtuous mother and brought her great sorrow. She continually offered prayers and tears for her son to find his way to the Truth he was so desperately seeking.
For years she begged clergy to convince him to turn away from his way of life. She was told by one bishop that "the heart of this young man is at present too stubborn, but God's time will come". When she persisted the bishop dismissed her with the words, "Go now, I beg of you; it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish".
And so it was to be, to the joy of St. Monica who would witness St. Augustine's baptism in answer to her years of prayer, fasting and tears. This was the second birth of her son, and the most important for it brought Life to his eternal soul. In 387, she could now rest from her labors and await him in their Heavenly home.
Her perseverence in prayer and sacrifice won for him the grace of conversion. This is why we have her as our intercessor with God for all those who have gone astray. If her life of prayer brought about the conversion of her son, who became a priest, bishop and Doctor of the Church, how much more powerful are St. Monica and St. Augustine's prayers for us today!
August 27 is Saint Monica's feastday, August 28 is Saint Augustine.
PRAYER to SAINT AUGUSTINE Written by JOHN PAUL II In November 2004 Pope John Paul II received the relics of St. Augustine at the Vatican. The initiative marked the celebration of the 1,650th anniversary of the birth of the bishop, philosopher and theologian, as well as one of the most influential Fathers of the Church of the West. The Holy Father was so moved when viewing the relics that he composed this prayer to St. Augustine:
"Great Augustine, our
father and teacher, knowledgeable in the luminous ways of God and also in the
tortuous paths of men; we admire the wonders that divine grace wrought in you,
making you a passionate witness of truth and goodness, at the service of
brothers. Started 2007 Copy written by Louise Hand email stmonicasodality@hotmail.com Questions or problems with the website
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