O Holy Mother of God, Make Our Efforts for You Blossom: Thursday, October 31, 2019
J.M.J.
A humble contribution, The Hope That Is In You: Reflections About Our Catholic Life, is now available in a Kindle edition on Amazon (www.amazon.com).
Many thanks to Mrs. Carla Haiar for her excellent technical assistance.
O Mary, Queen of Heaven, We Thank You for Saint Thorlak!: Wednesday, October 30, 2019
J.M.J.
Thorlak of Iceland: Who Rose Above Autism to Become Patron
Saint of His People by Aimee O’Connell. Illustrated by Sigurbjorg
Eyjolfsdottir. San
Jose, California: Chaos to Order Publishing, 2018. Paperback. Large Print.
xviii + 251. $19.95.
Another time and place, to be sure. But,
oh, so relevant for our era!
This is how one could rightly sum up the
milieu of Saint Thorlak of Iceland (1133-1193). Canonized on January 14, 1984
by Saint John Paul II (1978-2005), Saint Thorlak is remembered for his
outstanding personal holiness and apostolic contributions, both of which are a
marvel to consider.
Sanctity and a concern for those who
suffer are always in vogue. Although in a location and century much different
from ours, at least in part, Saint Thorlak, the Patron Saint of Iceland, gives
witness to the perennial values that never become outdated regardless of
surroundings or epoch.
Steeped in God’s grace, this humble man,
who was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at the age of eighteen, did not allow
the challenges of autism to frustrate his generous response to the Lord. He
embraced his Catholic Faith and sought the Grace that comes only from Jesus
Christ through Mary, His Mother.
Many intricate details of the life of
Saint Thorlak, whose Feast is December 23rd, have been lost to
history. Nevertheless, we have what is required: sufficient knowledge to
appreciate what the Creator accomplished through this priest and bishop. His
tireless service edifies almost 900 years later.
I am grateful for a look at some
biographical data about the authoress of this book that is provided on the
Amazon author’s page: “Aimee
O’Connell is the founder of the Mission of Saint Thorlak, an online apostolate
inspired by its namesake ‘to understand, recognize, address and prevent
spiritual starvation, letting people with autism lead us on our way.’ Aimee
brings many perspectives to her writing: she is a Third Order Carmelite, a
certified school psychologist, a wife and mother of three, and a person herself
who has autism. She has worked in school and day treatment settings as a
therapist, psychologist, advocate and consultant, and has authored several
articles on autism and spirituality. Aimee currently devotes her days to the
continuous discoveries and adventures of homeschooling with her children.”
I join my voice to the many who have thanked
and congratulated Mrs. O’Connell on her patience and dogged research. In an age
that desperately needs good examples and unfailing outreach to those with
autism and all who carry the heavy Cross of Christ, Thorlak of Iceland: Who Rose
Above Autism to Become Patron Saint
of His People offers hope to all of us.
V. Saint Thorlak of Iceland.
R. Pray for us.
Marian Cooperation with God--A Pattern for Ours: Tuesday, October 29, 2019
J.M.J.
On the cusp of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, we read from Chapter 7, “The Communion of
Saints,” in Karl Adam’s The Spirit of
Catholicism. Our Lady is the Queen of those who have left this earth doing
God’s will.
“And so the wonderful fact that God is not alone in the work
of redemption, but that creatures too, in their measure, truly share in that
work, is illustrated nowhere more clearly than in Mary. It is true that the
fact that Mary had such privilege was due to grace alone, that she was called
from eternity to be the Mother of God and was from the beginning immersed in
Christ’s redeeming grace, so that she was conceived Immaculate, without stain
of original sin. It was grace too, and grace alone, which gave her heart its
ardent and complete devotion to the Savior and its maiden resolution, so that
she ‘knew no man’ (Lk. i, 34) and as ‘Virgin of virgins’ was that closed door ‘through
which no man shall pass, because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by
it’ (cf. Ezech. xliv, 2). Yet the grace of God does not offer violence, but
would be freely accepted. And therefore, however infinitely small Mary’s own
activity may appear in comparison with the activity of God, there remains a
human strand in the divine robe of our salvation, the ‘Be it done unto me’ of
Mary.
“And the
Catholic exalts Mary above all angels and saints (hyperdulia), because it has
pleased God to give her decisive words this effective position in the work of
redemption. The Fathers from the time of St. Justin Martyr continually urge
this importance of Mary in the history of salvation, and contrast it with the
sin of the first woman. Just as Eve’s consent to the serpent’s temptation brought
sin and ruin, so did Mary’s consent to the angel’s message introduce
redemption. So Mary possesses not only a personal relation to the Son of God
and her personal salvation, but also a relation to the ‘many’ who are redeemed
by her Son. She is mother not of the Redeemer alone, but also of the redeemed;
and so she is the mother of the faithful. The Catholic acknowledges in heaven
not only a Father, but also a mother. Though by her human nature she is
infinitely distant from the Father, yet her special graces have raised her to a
wonderful nearness to God, and as mother of the Redeemer she reflects God’s
goodness and bounty with an inwardness and a truth that are possible to no
other creature. When the Catholic speaks of his Heavenly Mother, his heart is
full with all the strength of feeling that is contained in that word. Mary is
as it were a gracious revelation of certain ineffable and ultimate traits in
the nature of God, which are too fine and too delicate to be grasped otherwise
than as reflected in the mirror of a mother. Ave Maria!”
A Son of God and Son of Mary: The 102nd Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, Sunday, October 13, 2019
J.M.J.
The Radiance of Christ: The Priesthood of Monsignor Kenneth W.
Roeltgen. Inspiration for Priests,
Religious and Laity by Margaret Ann Fiore. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Christian
Faith Publishing, Inc., 2019. Paperback. 148 pages. $19.95.
This work is a heartfelt tribute to the
late Monsignor Roeltgen, whose priesthood is measured not so much in years
(less than twenty-five) but rather in fervor as well as in souls encountered
and fortified.
The pages herein trace the life and vocation—first,
religious, and later, priestly—of Kenneth William Roeltgen, who was born on
December 22, 1947. A devout boy from an observant Catholic family in New
Jersey, Ken was a faithful son, student, altar boy and athlete, not to mention
a kind youth towards his neighbors, particularly the elderly. He was indebted
to his beloved parents, siblings and the Sisters of Notre Dame at Saint Leo
Catholic School for a solid Catholic formation.
He answered God’s call to the Consecrated
Life. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 1965,
he received the religious Habit of the Congregation of Saint Francis Xavier,
also called the Xaverian Brothers. His name was “Meric.” From 1971 until 1976,
Brother Meric, C.F.X., taught at Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury,
Massachusetts.
Discerning a divine summons to the Holy
Priesthood, Brother Meric, now known again as Kenneth Roeltgen, in 1976 began
his studies as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington, initially at
Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and subsequently at the
Pontifical North American College in Rome. His Eminence William Wakefield
Cardinal Baum, the Archbishop of Washington, ordained him to the Sacred
Priesthood on May 19, 1979. The next day, Father Roeltgen offered his First
Holy Mass in Saint Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Whether as the Associate Pastor of Little
Flower Parish in Bethesda, Maryland, the Vocation Director of the Archdiocese
of Washington, the Director of Continuing Education for the Clergy or a
Procurator-Advocate in the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal, Father Roeltgen
exercised a dynamic priestly ministry, springing from the virtues of charity
and humility. The joy of Christ, which would become a hallmark of who Father
Roeltgen was and what he did, was already observed by those whom he met.
Full disclosure: I was a newly-ordained
deacon at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary when Father Roeltgen began his term as
the Rector on July 1, 1988. The goodness, cheerfulness, welcoming spirit, approachability
and hope in Jesus Christ expressed by Father Roeltgen to me and my brother seminarians
called forth from us both confidence and love. We really trusted that our
Rector was leading us in the path indicated by Holy Mother Church for those who
were preparing to become priests.
My family and I were very thankful that
Father Roeltgen attended my Ordination to the Priesthood on June 29, 1989, the
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in Saint Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls,
South Dakota.
The years as the Rector of “The Mount”
were full for Father Roeltgen. He cooperated with the administration of Mount
Saint Mary’s University in a plethora of projects. His good will, affability
and competency were noted and appreciated.
Of course, his delight was to be hospitable
to the seminarians and the visitors who often came to the Seminary. In December
of 1995, Mother M. Teresa of Kolkata was one such guest.
In 1997, Monsignor Roeltgen left Mount
Saint Mary’s Seminary to become the Pastor of Saint Stephen Martyr Parish,
which is located in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington, D.C. Again, much
activity, always rooted in the Sacraments, resulted. This would be Monsignor
Roeltgen’s last assignment before the painful illness to which he freely and
fully submitted and his death at the age of 54 on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7,
2002.
Margaret Ann Fiore, whose life significantly
intersected with that of Monsignor Roeltgen’s, has written a beautiful encomium
that is filled with gratitude for this holy priest and his Christ-like efforts;
however, the notable professional accomplishments of the authoress, who serves
on the Rector’s Council of Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary and was the third
president of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, play second
fiddle to the considerable spiritual riches that she received from the personal
example of Monsignor Roeltgen and his sagacious words.
Generously sprinkling this text with a
helpful chronology, pictures, historical facts and testimonies of those who
knew the subject, Miss Fiore presents various characteristics that Monsignor
Roeltgen demonstrated throughout his years as a priest: ardent love for the
Most Blessed Sacrament as evidenced in the daily celebration of the Mass and
the daily Eucharistic Holy Hour; tender affection for Our Blessed Lady as seen
in his daily recitation of the Most Holy Rosary and his poignant homilies that
encouraged Marian veneration; abiding awareness of our Guardian Angels and the
Poor Souls in Purgatory; genuine care for the sick and the dying; sincere
esteem for the Holy Priesthood.
I happily recommend this volume, and I
hope that its readership is wide and its influence even greater.
O Blessed Lady, Please Send More Nicholas Gilroys to Us: The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Extraordinary Form), Friday, October 11, 2019
J.M.J.
Nicholas Gilroy: Viva
Christo Rey by Father Stephen Gemme and Deacon George O’Connor Middle-town, Delaware, 2019.
Paperback. 177 pages.
This present work, composed of twenty-two
short chapters, is the second book in the Nicholas Gilroy Series. Nicholas Gilroy: Viva Christo Rey follows the inaugural
volume, Nicholas Gilroy: Our Lady and the Guardian. Both are available on Amazon (www.amazon.com).
Young Nicholas is a seminarian who returns
for his second year in Saint Peter’s High School Seminary in Baltimore. He is a
devout, studious and athletic sophomore, and he seeks to be a good example to his
fellow seminarians, 140 in all, including his close friends, Jose, Luke and
Adam Marshall, who is a former gang member.
Father Stephen Reynolds, the Seminary’s respected
Vice Rector, is the instructor of a course about the Sacraments. Nicholas has
eagerly awaited this class. The information imparted is very useful and
absolutely necessary for the future of these seminarians. Father Reynolds
concludes the first class by leading his students in the “Renunciation of Sin
and Profession of Faith,” a liturgical text that comes from the Mass on Easter
Sunday.
The Rector of the Seminary, Father David
Kelly, introduces the seminarians to the first three-day Retreat of the
academic year. Father Reynolds then offers a powerful meditation, presenting
the seminarians with the figure of Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio, a fifteen
year-old martyr during the Cristero War in Mexico. The Retreat ends with the
Mass celebrated by Cardinal Daniel Patrick Murphy, the Archbishop of Baltimore,
and a sumptuous banquet.
After the delicious meal, Father Reynolds
informs Nicholas and Jose that they are invited to accompany him to Saint Juan
Diego High School Seminary in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, for a student
exchange program during the current school year. Although the boys are not
obliged to accept, they unhesitatingly agree.
Having arrived in Mexico, the trio, met by
Father Enrique Ramirez, the Rector of Saint Juan Diego High School Seminary, go
to their new place. They are aware that they are in the land visited by Our Blessed
Lady in 1531 during the famous apparitions to Saint Juan Diego.
Nicholas
and Jose concur to perform some apostolic work at the Home of the Holy Family,
an orphanage for about one hundred boys, ages one to seventeen, which is
operated by the Missionaries of Charity, the Religious Institute founded by
Mother M. Teresa of Kolkata. The two seminarians meet Javier Santiago, a senior
at Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy, which is a private Catholic high school in San
Miguel de Allende. Hailing from a wealthy family, Javier confides in Nicholas
and Jose that he longs to become a priest.
When not receiving
the Sacraments, praying, studying or playing soccer, Nicholas, Jose and Javier
work at the Home of the Holy Family and quickly become soccer coaches for the
orphaned boys.
On December
12th, Father Reynolds, Nicholas and Jose, chauffeured by Pablo, the
caretaker of the Home of the Holy Family, make the three-hour trip to the
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to attend Mass there on the
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The devotion of the Mexican people on this
special day is particularly palpable.
Although
Christmas Day is different for Nicholas because he is apart from his family, he
is grateful for the opportunity to attend, with Jose, the Christmas Mass
celebrated by Father Reynolds in the Home of the Holy Family. And during the
Christmas recess at the Seminary, Father Reynolds encourages the two boys to
begin a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, complete with daily Eucharistic
Adoration, the recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Benediction of the Most
Blessed Sacrament. The trio, along with Miguel, an orphan at the Home of the
Holy Family, visit the home of Javier on January 6th, the Feast of Los Reyes Magos—the Three Kings. Mr. and
Mrs. Santiago and their four children heartily welcome Father Reynolds,
Nicholas and Jose. But Mr. Santiago forthrightly expresses his desire to Father
Reynolds: his son, Javier, must not become a priest.
Candlemas
Day, February 2nd, dawns. Mr. Santiago arranges a soccer match
between the boys of the Home of the Holy Family and the students of Saint
Sebastian High School in San Miguel de Allende, followed by a tamales party.
Father
Reynolds schedules a pilgrimage for the spring break, with Pablo as the guide,
for Nicholas, Jose and Javier to the Shrine of San Jose Sanchez del Rio in
Saint James the Apostle Church in Sahuayo. The boys even walk to the town’s Cemetery
where Saint Jose was martyred.
The final
four chapters of Nicholas Gilroy: Viva Christo Rey are filled with
excitement and intrigue. Perhaps it would be best for this reviewer to stop
here so to allow each reader the thrill of the last thirty-three pages. (And
Chapter 1 has its share of mystery that will also engage the reader.)
Father
Gemme and Deacon O’Connor weave a well-crafted story that is sure to edify. The
two authors liberally sprinkle the text with helpful references to Catholic
theology and spirituality. Let us hope that there will be a third volume.
Nicholas
Gilroy is a pious, idealistic young man who is not unlike seminarians
throughout the decades. We pray for many more of them.
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