EWTN's Joan Lewis #5 In the Footsteps of St. Paul TURKEY: Ephesus

Joan Lewis Reoprts.  Fri. Feb, 27, 2009 Ephesus: St. John's Basilica and the Council Church.

EWTN's Joan Lewis # 4 In the Footsteps of St. Paul TURKEY: Ephesus

Joan Lewis reports.  Wed, Feb 25, 2009

EWTN's Joan Lewis # 3 In the Footsteps of St. Paul TURKEY : Ephesus

Joan Lewis Reports.  Tues, Feb 24, 2009

EWTN's Joan Lewis #2 - In the Footsteps of St. Paul TURKEY

Recall that Joan Lewis of EWTN took a pilgrimage In the Footsteps of St. Paul last week. She had some techinical difficulties reporting while on the road but today she continues where she left off last week. This post on her blog, Joan's Rome, tells of Ephesus and Mary's House. The photos are beautiful and bring back so many memories for me. Enjoy! Thank you Joan!

Children of Fatima: Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto - Feb 20

Today our Church celebrates the memory of little Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

About 20 years ago, Erin and I were pilgrims at Fatima together. The Blessed Mother was calling us and Erin encouraged me to trust in God and join her. Thank you Erin! We left our then combined five little boys at home with their daddies. We had our husband's complete blessing, God bless them! I was expecting my fourth child at the time. It was a total leap of faith for me to go. It changed my whole life.

From that time on, I took seriously Our Lady's request to pray the Rosary every day. It has been my life line ever since through all the joys and sufferings of life and motherhood.

Read about Blessed Jacinta and Francisco here. See video about them here.

Dearest Blessed Jacinta,

please pray for all of our daughters.

Dearest Blessed Francisco,

please pray for all of our sons.

Amen.

+JMJ+

EWTN'S Joan Lewis #1 - In the Footsteps of St. Paul TURKEY

It's very exciting to report that Joan Lewis, EWTN's Rome Bureau Chief and author of EWTN's weblog Joan's Rome, is taking a pilgrimage In the Footsteps of St. Paul and will be reporting daily throughout her trip! What better way to enjoy learning about St. Paul's journeys bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the early Christian world in Asia Minor than with Joan Lewis from EWTN? Join us as we follow her weblog to enjoy first hand reporting of her impressions of her journey including and especially her visit to Mary's House and her reflections of Sister Marie. Today she gives a general introduction and includes much information about our dear Sister Marie! She begins today's weblog, Day One, with this:

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. PAUL: DAY ONE

As I write these words, I am preparing to leave for Turkey on a pilgrimage "in the footsteps of St. Paul" with many of my friends from Santa Susanna and Marymount International School with whom I shared the joy of last year's trip to the Holy Land.

Our itinerary is full and we'll be covering a lot of miles in a relatively short period of time. Tomorrow, Monday, we fly from Rome to Istanbul to Izmir on the Turkish coast where we will travel by to Kusadasi to spend the night before we visit Ephesus on Tuesday. In coming days we will also visit Laodicea, one of the seven churches of Revelation, Pamukkale, Antioch in Pisida where Paul went with Barnabas on his first missionary journey, Konya, Cappadocia, the Land of Three Saints (Basil the Great, his brother Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus), Tarsus, where Saul/Paul was born and Antioch the cradle of gentile Christianity.

READ THE REST at Joan's Rome!

I'll post a link each day as she shares her thoughts and impressions during this pilgrimage. I'm so excited to relive my pilgrimage to Ephesus of last October! Thank you Joan!

+JMJ+

I am the Immaculate Conception

O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from thy sublime height turn upon thine eyes of pity. Filled with confidence in thy goodness and knowing full well thy power, I beseech Thee to extend to me thine assistance in the journey of life, which is so full of dangers for my soul. And in order that I may never be the slave of the devil through sin, but may ever live with my heart humble and pure, I entrust myself wholly to thee. I consecrate my heart to thee forever, my only desire being to love thy Divine Son, Jesus. Mary, none of thy devout servants has ever perished; may I too be saved. Amen. (Roman Missal)

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Entrust your cares to Sister Marie.

~

Sister Marie, pray for us.

Here she prays

before the first altar at Mary's House long ago.

As you ask for her powerful intercessory help,

please also join us in petition

at the Throne of God the Father that

the cause for the beatification of

Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey

will soon be opened

and that one day she will be raised

to the Altar of Saints!

~

*Print out the prayer card and pray with us.*

+JMJ+

Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus

Kansas City, Missouri

Taken from the Home Page of their beautiful website:

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles is a traditional monastic community of women who desire to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary in the giving of herself to God to fulfill His Will, especially in her role of assistance by prayer and work to the Apostles, first priests of the Catholic Church.Society in these latter days is in obvious dire need of re-evangelization and sanctification through the ministry in particular of the sacred priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. Although times have changed, the divine mission committed to the first Apostles, as well as the needs of those to whom they were sent, have not. It is our ideal to imitate Our Lady's retirement from the world in quiet seclusion, as well as her apostolic charity. Consecrated entirely to her and filled with her spirit, which is none other than the Holy Spirit of God, we aspire to be, to the successors of the Apostles in our times, what she was to them in the beginning: behind-the-scenes encouragement, assistance and support.

Our charism, therefore, is to be united at the foot of the Cross with Our Lady who receives the mercy and grace, that blood and water which Our Lord's Heart cannot contain, for His priests in the person of St. John. We are simply vessels in her hands; she fills us, and only to pour us out again. This explains our joy! With the sacred contents, she nourishes and strengthens the priest in his spiritual life, washes him from the contagion of the world, and quenches his thirst after preaching the Word. Being sent to bring God's mercy and His life to the nations, they are a "light shining in the darkness".

As the sisters describe, it is at the foot of the Cross where it begins. The Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus is a house of prayer inspired by Our Lady's last days spent in her little house in Ephesus. Visit this link to read about the early history of Ephesus and the sister's deep devotion to Our Lady of Ephesus.

Consider supporting the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles by purchasing their beautiful CD Echoes of Ephesus.


+JMJ+