3 PM Prayers for the Crew of Columbia, their families, and the USA - ALL INVITED TO PRAY

divinemercy ^ | J+M+J the First of February A.D. 2003 | Siobhan O'Halloran

[DoughtyOne]

Here is a screen saver I made this morning.  It is sized 800x600 and 1024x768.
Right click down download for 800 x 600.
Left click, then right click download for 1024x768.

[EternalVigilance]

Reaching Higher Ground

Descending, only to rise!
Leaving pull
Of God's green Earth
In a blaze of fire!

Worldly friction didn't win
Every trouble fades
On that heavenly high

Pushing out further
Than man has ever been
On the frontier
Of the deep dark night

Pushing the limits
Of this mortal life
We will never know
Unless we strive

The brave live forever
Seared into our hearts
Not knowing they were heroes
Just doing their part

But they'll not be forgotten
In the troubled times ahead
By courageous example
They have forever led

Elijah's chariot
Came to carry them away
To their eternal home
In God's eternal sky

EV

Dedicated to the crew of Columbia - 2/1/03

[Coleus]

Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for Them, their families and for Us, thank you.

JOSEPH of Cupertino

Also known as

Joseph of Copertino; the Gaper (derogatory term from his childhood); the Flying Friar; Joseph Desa

Memorial

18 September

Profile

Joseph's father, Felice Desa was a poor carpenter who died before Joseph was born. Creditors drove his mother, Francesca Panara, from her home, and Joseph was born in a stable. Starting at age 8, Joseph received ecstatic visions that left him gaping and staring into space. He had a hot temper, which his strict mother worked to overcome.

Apprenticed to a shoemaker, at 17 Joseph applied for admittance to the Friars Minor Conventuals, but was refused due to his lack of education. He applied to the Capuchins, was accepted as a lay-brother in 1620, but his ecstasies made him unsuitable for work, and he was dismissed. Abused by his family, he continued his prayers, and was accepted as an oblate at the Franciscan convent near Cupertino. His virtues were such that he became a cleric at 22, a priest at 25. Joseph still had little education, could barely read or write, but received such a gift of spiritual knowledge and discernment that he could solve intricate questions.

His life became a series of visions and ecstasies, which could be triggered any time or place by the sound of a church bell, church music, the mention of the name of God or of the Blessed Virgin or of a saint, any event in the life of Christ, the sacred Passion, a holy picture, the thought of the glory in heaven, etc. Yelling, beating, pinching, burning, piercing with needles - none of this would bring him from his trances, but he would return to the world on hearing the voice of his superior in the order. He would often levitate and float (which led to his patronage of people involved in air travel), and could hear heavenly music.

Even in the 17th century, there was interest in the unusual, and Joseph's ecstasies in public caused both admiration and disturbance in the community. For 35 years he was not allowed to attend choir, go to the common refectory, walk in procession, or say Mass in church. To prevent making a spectacle, he was ordered to remain in his room with a private chapel. He was brought before the Inquisition, and sent from one Capuchin or Franciscan house to another. But Joseph retained his joyous spirit, submitting to Divine Providence, keeping seven Lents of 40 days each year, never letting his faith be shaken.

Born

17 June 1603 as Joseph Desa at Cupertino, diocese of Nardo, near Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples

Died

18 September 1663 at Ossimo of a rapidly developed but severe fever; body is in the church there

Beatified

1753 by Pope Benedict XIV

Canonized

16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII

Patronage

air crews, air travellers, aircraft pilots, astronauts, aviators, flyers

Prayers

Prayer to...

Storefront

Commercial Links related to Saint Joseph [2 books]

Additional Information

Open Directory Project
Matins of the feast of Saint Joseph
Catholic Online
Catholics in the Military
Saint: A Concise Biography, by John Coulson
Saints for Sinners, by Alban Goodier, SJ
Catholic Encyclopedia

Print References

Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate

Reading

Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession.

-Saint Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary

 

Prayer to Saint Joseph of Cupertino

Dear ecstatic Conventual Saint who patiently bore calumnies, your secret was Christ the crucified Savior who said: "When I will be lifted up I will draw all peoples to myself." You were always spiritually lifted up. Give aviators courage and protection, and may they always keep in mind your greatly uplifting example. Amen.

[fatima]

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the ping. Thank you for posting the prayer I wrote. I try to write to my elderly mother on a frequent basis. In each letter I close with a prayer. I wanted to offer her prayer today to you and all my friends here.

My heartfelt prayers are certainly with the souls of our 7 heroes and with their families and loved ones.

[FormerLib]

[crazykatz]

Memory eternal.

We were in church this morning and lit candles and said our prayers for the crew.

[Wordsmith]

Into Thy hands, O Lord Jesus Christ my God, do I commend their spirits. Do Thou bless them, have mercy on them, and grant them eternal life.

[Siobhan]

Bless you and thank you for posting the Kaddish for him.

[Siobhan]

What a beautiful prayer! Amen and Amen.

[Siobhan]

Welcome to FR and thank you for adding your prayers here.

[Siobhan]

Eternal rest grant unto them, O, Lord
And let eternal light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Continuing prayers.

[Pyro7480]

I prayed two Divine Mercy Chaplets in a row, starting right before 3 pm EST. I was at CPAC since Thursday, and this morning, right after Brett Schundler finished his speech, the emcee at the time came in and told us the dreadful news. One of my first thoughts was to pray the Chaplet, but in the bustle of the hotel and in my rush to find a TV, I didn't get to it until then. I have been an avid space "junkie" since I was 4 or 5, and I've been reading a lot about the shuttle and space exploration since then. When the emcee said that shuttle had crashed near Dallas, everyone in the ballroom was in shock. I couldn't believe what I was feeling. I thought that was too general of a statement, and possibly slightly inaccurate. Given how the shuttle reenters the atmosphere, the only thing I could think of was that it broke up before it reached Florida. When I heard somewhere that people saw multiple sonic booms when it passed overhead, it sort of confirmed my first thoughts. The only way that can happens is if the shuttle broke up, and more than one object was causing shock waves.

I went to FR sometime later that morning, and I saw your thread Siobhan, and I was glad that someone had a similar idea. I went around the main convention area, trying to find people to pray the Chaplet with me. A lot of the Catholic priests and students that I had seen during the past several days had probably left already. I talked to people at the Tradition, Family, Property and Catholic University of America tables, but they couldn't leave their tables. The person at the CUA table, who was a seminarian about to become a priest, said he would try to join me at least spiritually. I found that he was devoted to St. Faustina.

Since I had already checked out of the room, the only semi-quiet place I could think of was in the sitting areas on the lobby level, so I went there. I was disturbed several times by people walking by and coming off the nearby elevators, but I tried my best to keep focus on my prayers. I prayed the Chaplet twice because I was doing a novena to the Divine Mercy, because I didn't get to say it on Friday. I had started to in the Crypt Church at the Basilica of the Divine Mercy, which I had gone to by Metro for daily Mass, but I forgot that they do benediction right before the 5:15 Mass, so I joined in that. The monstance was on the altar, but I didn't realize that until I was knelt down and the organist start playing the introduction to Tantum ergo.

This past day was a tragic day for our nation and the whole world. But we can honor their souls by praying for them to the Lord our God. May angels lead them into Paradise.

RIP, STS-107 Crew - Commander USAF Colonel Rick Husband, Pilot USN Commander William McCool, Payload commander USAF Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist USN Captain David Brown, Mission Specialist USN Commander Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist IDF Colonel Ilan Ramon.

"...I never said thank you for that.
Now I'll never get a chance."

"May angels lead you in
Hear You me my friends
on sleepless roads, the sleepless go
may angels lead you in"
Jimmy Eat World - "Hear You Me"

[Alamo-Girl]

Amen!

[Siobhan]

Beautiful witness, Pyro. I hope CPAC was a good experience for you.

May St. Faustina pray for us all and especially for those who perished and their families.

In the last year the Chaplet of Divine Mercy has been so important to me -- through so much sadness, a chain of hope by which I have held on to God.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Prayed at 3PM a St. Michael The Archangel with all the nuns at my work.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]