September 27, 2009
September 25, 2009
Fr. Kingsley
His story:
He is a diocesan priest in Nigeria who received his masters in philosophy in rome this past year and is headed back fro a two year program to get his doctorate. his mother died when he was 13mos old and slept with him in the church one night about a week before her death. She was a very holy woman and it is believed by his village that she consecrated him to the Lord on that night. So he entered minor seminary.. found it too hard after 3 yrs... left for a year... came back and re-joined his class. Went on with his studies and became very sick. Had a very back case of sinusitis and had a growth inside one of his nostrils which blocked his breathing and was continually bleeding. He took a break from seminary to have a total of 5 surgeries.. all the same performed by different doctors and nothing worked... tried to come to the US or go to Australia for the surgery but was neglected a visa. He finally said to the Lord after 2.5 yrs of this that if God wanted him to be a priest he would just have to help him and he asked to go back to the seminary. His bishop told him he could either take the backlog of exams and join his own class for the last semester or join the class two years behind and do it at a normal pace. He decided to take the backlog of exams and in this, the last semester of classes he took all the exams from the past 5 semesters he missed, then ended with the present exams and the overall exams at the end of seminary. The Lord showered him with His grace as he ended up coming out as the highest grades of his whole class and was able to be ordained with them.
His mission right now is in helping widows in his country. When a woman's husband dies, the fault is placed upon the woman and she is then ostracized and often banished from society.. her children are taken away and put under the care of one of her husbands brothers or family and there are often very challenging customs the woman must endure such as being made to sleep in the same room with her dead husband's body for a few days or even one that water is poured into the coffin, over the corpse and she is made to drink this water. So, these women are left w/o a job, a house, money, or even family in many cases and are dying of hunger and depression. Fr. Kingsley swore to take care of these women and would give most of his monthly stipend to these women when he was over there as a parish priest for his first 3 yrs of priesthood but is now trying to start a foundation which will not only give them money for food, but also provide them with loans to help create a business and be able to sustain themselves.
He is a diocesan priest in Nigeria who received his masters in philosophy in rome this past year and is headed back fro a two year program to get his doctorate. his mother died when he was 13mos old and slept with him in the church one night about a week before her death. She was a very holy woman and it is believed by his village that she consecrated him to the Lord on that night. So he entered minor seminary.. found it too hard after 3 yrs... left for a year... came back and re-joined his class. Went on with his studies and became very sick. Had a very back case of sinusitis and had a growth inside one of his nostrils which blocked his breathing and was continually bleeding. He took a break from seminary to have a total of 5 surgeries.. all the same performed by different doctors and nothing worked... tried to come to the US or go to Australia for the surgery but was neglected a visa. He finally said to the Lord after 2.5 yrs of this that if God wanted him to be a priest he would just have to help him and he asked to go back to the seminary. His bishop told him he could either take the backlog of exams and join his own class for the last semester or join the class two years behind and do it at a normal pace. He decided to take the backlog of exams and in this, the last semester of classes he took all the exams from the past 5 semesters he missed, then ended with the present exams and the overall exams at the end of seminary. The Lord showered him with His grace as he ended up coming out as the highest grades of his whole class and was able to be ordained with them.
His mission right now is in helping widows in his country. When a woman's husband dies, the fault is placed upon the woman and she is then ostracized and often banished from society.. her children are taken away and put under the care of one of her husbands brothers or family and there are often very challenging customs the woman must endure such as being made to sleep in the same room with her dead husband's body for a few days or even one that water is poured into the coffin, over the corpse and she is made to drink this water. So, these women are left w/o a job, a house, money, or even family in many cases and are dying of hunger and depression. Fr. Kingsley swore to take care of these women and would give most of his monthly stipend to these women when he was over there as a parish priest for his first 3 yrs of priesthood but is now trying to start a foundation which will not only give them money for food, but also provide them with loans to help create a business and be able to sustain themselves.
September 24, 2009
A Gift from God
I was on my first train from Springfield to New Haven where I would transfer in order to get on the train to Philadelphia. I read for a little while and my exhaustion convinced me to just rest my eyes for a half hour, setting a timer so as not to sleep too long and miss my stop. I was unable to sleep, but simply sat resting my body and soul listening to the hustle and bustle around me. We paused to pick up passengers at one of the stations... Hartford I believe it was and a man say behind me. He was quite loud coming in and my seat got knocked a few times as he tried to settle himself. I fought the temptation to be quite upset at this "rudeness".
He began speaking on the phone and as I just lay there I overheard... "Mass...I can say Mass at the place I live or I can say it at St. Peter's because where I live is very close to the Vatican..." I thought, oh wow! A priest! Praise God! So, as a typical American who "respects the individuality of each person" I did not want to disturb him and told the Lord... well my Lord if you want us to speak, then let us transfer at the same station. New Haven arrived and he followed me off the train. Still unsure I said, ok Lord, I am going to stop in this area where there is room for him also to pause and await the next train but if he should go in any other direction (of which there were a few other viable options) I will not "bother" him. So, he stopped and put his bags down next to mine and placed his phone into his pocket.
He was not wearing his collar and was just in simple street clothes, so I tapped him n the shoulder and asked,
"Excuse me. Are you a priest? I would like to pray for you".
Shocked, he turned and said, "How did you know I was a priest?"
"I overheard your conversation on the train that you could say Mass where you live or at the basilica and I thought, 'Oh! he must be a priest! SAY Mass???'"
"My name is Fr. Kingsley"
"I am Joanna, I just came from visiting some nuns"
"May I call you Sr. Joanna?"
And so we began talking and ended up talking for the next 4 hours to Philadelphia!
He began speaking on the phone and as I just lay there I overheard... "Mass...I can say Mass at the place I live or I can say it at St. Peter's because where I live is very close to the Vatican..." I thought, oh wow! A priest! Praise God! So, as a typical American who "respects the individuality of each person" I did not want to disturb him and told the Lord... well my Lord if you want us to speak, then let us transfer at the same station. New Haven arrived and he followed me off the train. Still unsure I said, ok Lord, I am going to stop in this area where there is room for him also to pause and await the next train but if he should go in any other direction (of which there were a few other viable options) I will not "bother" him. So, he stopped and put his bags down next to mine and placed his phone into his pocket.
He was not wearing his collar and was just in simple street clothes, so I tapped him n the shoulder and asked,
"Excuse me. Are you a priest? I would like to pray for you".
Shocked, he turned and said, "How did you know I was a priest?"
"I overheard your conversation on the train that you could say Mass where you live or at the basilica and I thought, 'Oh! he must be a priest! SAY Mass???'"
"My name is Fr. Kingsley"
"I am Joanna, I just came from visiting some nuns"
"May I call you Sr. Joanna?"
And so we began talking and ended up talking for the next 4 hours to Philadelphia!
September 09, 2009
My Everything
The other day the versatility of the Lord and His gentleness with us overwhelmed and calmed me. After a tiring day at work and a feeling that I would never get this chill out of my system, a scare with my father's health and the reassurance that he was ok, emotions ran high and I did not even know what I was feeling. My fear was masked by my will to be a happy face for the residents and my sorrow placed into no mans land. It was only as our priest announced my dad's name at Mass that I felt myself tear up and realized I was scared. I had shoved it so far down that i had no idea what I was even feeling. The Lord shows us what we need to see.. even within ourselves
After the relief that everything was ok, I ran to the chapel to say my prayers and thank the Lord, but instead i could not control my tears. I sat sobbing and just gazing at the Tabernacle wondering what I was crying for, He knew i needed to release and He was there to be the shoulder I could rely on. The comforting embrace which makes me feel I can be vulnerable and cry. I am not alone and He is there for me.. to be exactly what I need.
He led me into prayer and comforted me in this prayer of the Church (Liturgy of the Hours). Holding me in His gentle embrace, He reminded me how much He loves me and is there for me, of the people He has given me to support me, but most of all He helped to to again view my love for Him. How amazing He is... to be Our Embrace, Our Comfort, Our Shelter, Our Grace, Our Knight in Shining Armor, Our Lover, Beloved. Yes, it always returns to this term... Beloved.
I am my Beloved's and He is mine! AMEN
After the relief that everything was ok, I ran to the chapel to say my prayers and thank the Lord, but instead i could not control my tears. I sat sobbing and just gazing at the Tabernacle wondering what I was crying for, He knew i needed to release and He was there to be the shoulder I could rely on. The comforting embrace which makes me feel I can be vulnerable and cry. I am not alone and He is there for me.. to be exactly what I need.
He led me into prayer and comforted me in this prayer of the Church (Liturgy of the Hours). Holding me in His gentle embrace, He reminded me how much He loves me and is there for me, of the people He has given me to support me, but most of all He helped to to again view my love for Him. How amazing He is... to be Our Embrace, Our Comfort, Our Shelter, Our Grace, Our Knight in Shining Armor, Our Lover, Beloved. Yes, it always returns to this term... Beloved.
I am my Beloved's and He is mine! AMEN
September 07, 2009
To Belong
What does it mean to belong and why does it seem we all strive to feel this way here on Earth. There is a very real sense in which we all do belong down here and that we each have a place that Our Father finds most suitable for us, and to which we belong. Yet, will we, as Christians, as Catholics, ever truly belong down here? Will we ever be fulfilled and retain a sense of right placement? I don't know
All I can tell you is that all my life I have striven to feel as if I belong.
In grade school it is the striving to be part of the big group. Part of the "cool" crowd. Someone other people want to invite to their house and have over after school.
High school becomes more of a niche atmosphere with each person trying to figure out who they are and why they want to be so as to pick the right college to get on the right track... and yet with all these personal things going on, there are still the various cliches... the jocks, the brainiacs, the cheerleaders, football players, swimmers, goths, punks, preps, geeks, dorks, nerds, crewies, artists, etc, etc.
Then you finally get to college. The big leagues, your catapult into the world. Yet even there as you prepare for a completely new world (or so you are told), you are still trying to find a group. Some mixture of people with whom you can say you are a part, you belong. It is different at each college and for each person, an internal struggle and yet just part of the human condition. You find people to study with, people to play with, and people to live with. but do you feel as though you belong?
Then into the world you go. Off as a lone ranger once more to figure out a place to belong. Perhaps this is the search for our entire worldly existence. Perhaps it is only a search for a few. But I believe that even for those who feel content and have their place pretty well figured out, there is still somewhere deep inside a sense that they do not belong. For we belong to God. We are here on Earth in order to prepare us for our Heavenly Home. We are on a journey, not yet at our final destination. The challenge is... Joy in the journey. SO, find joy and embrace it. Celebrate that you are on a spectacular journey to and even more spectacular place.
All I can tell you is that all my life I have striven to feel as if I belong.
In grade school it is the striving to be part of the big group. Part of the "cool" crowd. Someone other people want to invite to their house and have over after school.
High school becomes more of a niche atmosphere with each person trying to figure out who they are and why they want to be so as to pick the right college to get on the right track... and yet with all these personal things going on, there are still the various cliches... the jocks, the brainiacs, the cheerleaders, football players, swimmers, goths, punks, preps, geeks, dorks, nerds, crewies, artists, etc, etc.
Then you finally get to college. The big leagues, your catapult into the world. Yet even there as you prepare for a completely new world (or so you are told), you are still trying to find a group. Some mixture of people with whom you can say you are a part, you belong. It is different at each college and for each person, an internal struggle and yet just part of the human condition. You find people to study with, people to play with, and people to live with. but do you feel as though you belong?
Then into the world you go. Off as a lone ranger once more to figure out a place to belong. Perhaps this is the search for our entire worldly existence. Perhaps it is only a search for a few. But I believe that even for those who feel content and have their place pretty well figured out, there is still somewhere deep inside a sense that they do not belong. For we belong to God. We are here on Earth in order to prepare us for our Heavenly Home. We are on a journey, not yet at our final destination. The challenge is... Joy in the journey. SO, find joy and embrace it. Celebrate that you are on a spectacular journey to and even more spectacular place.
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