Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

When ever you visit Paris we encourage you to stop by to see the St. Vincent de Paul Church.    A wax likeness of St. Vincent de Paul is in the church in Paris just around the corner from the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal.  It is a beautiful peaceful church and well worth the visit. The church is located at 95, rue de Sevres.

Born in 1580, Vincent was captured by Turkish pirates in the year 1605 and was taken to Tunis. He was maltreated and eventually sold as a slave; but he escaped two years later with his master, a renegade whom he eventually converted to Catholicism. Vincent dedicated his life to the practice of spiritual and corporal works of charity. He set up many poor houses for the crippled and sick and personally cared for the patients who had the most contagious diseases. He would dress their wounds and nurse them back to health; indeed there wasn’t a poor man that didn’t know of Vincent’s kindness.

Vincent died at the age of eighty, having faithfully served God throughout his whole life. On August 13, 1729, Vincent was declared a Blessed by Benedict XIII; and on June 16, 1737, he was canonized by Clement XII. He is, of course, founder of the Vincentian Order and the St. Vincent de Paul Society continues to do excellent charitable works throughout the world.  He also helped to found another religious order:  The Daughters of Charity.  St. Vincent de Paul's incorrupt heart is kept in a glass reliquary at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris.

The Relics of Saint John Bosco coming to the U.S.

The Relics of Saint John Bosco coming to the U.S.

An Addition to our Medjugorje Pilgrimages

We have added a little something extra to our Medjugorje pilgrimages. One of the difficulties of flying back from Medjugorje is that you either have to get up around 2:00 a.m. to get to Split for the 6:00 a.m. flight or overnight in some city such as Frankfurt which adds $150 or so to the cost.  To get around this and to give you a taste of Croatia, we travel to the town of Sinj on our last day and then overnight there.  Sinj is a city with an interesting history and we invite you to learn about it.

The history of the Catholic church in Croatia is fascinating and worth a further look.  We plan to explore the shrines of Croatia with a pilgrimage next year that includes not only Medjugorje, but Sinj and other places where the faith has been so strong.  If you have any interest in exploring Croatia with us please be sure to let us know.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by Mercy Tours on 09/08/10

Today we celebrate the Nativity of Our Blessed Mother, but there is also devotion to Our Lady as a child.  A waxen image image of Maria Bambina was made prior to 1730 by a Franciscan nun.  She eventually came into the care of the Sisters of Charity at Lovere, Italy. In 1856 these Sisters of Charity were asked to take over the management of the Hospital of Ciceri in Milan and in 1876 this waxen image was carried to their Mother House there at Via S. Sofia 13, where She has remained ever since. The beautiful image of the Maria Bambina was exposed for veneration only on the 8th of September, the Feast of Mary's Nativity. In 1884, those who were devoted to the Maria Bambina received a reward for their devotion. Due to paralysis in her arms and feet, Sister Josephine Woinovich was bedridden and in unbearable pain. On the 8th of September she begged the Mother General to get Maria Bambina and leave the image near her overnight. The following morning the Mother General was inspired to take the image, so old, worn and grayish colored to the other sick Sisters in the infirmary so they could kiss Her. There was in the infirmary a good novice, Giulia Macario, who was unable to move because of her serious illness, but who, overcome by her ardent faith, took the image into her arms and pleaded with Her in tender and loving words for the Grace for her recovery. She was immediately and miraculously cured, for such Faith moves mountains. And at the same time this image itself underwent an amazing transformation from the former dull gray color to the warm flesh hues it has today, as can be seen, where She is enshrined in the Sanctuary of the Mother House in Milan.

The Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero

by Mercy Tours on 09/10/10

As we approach the anniversary of 9/11, it is interesting to note that St. Joseph's Chapel, located near ground zero on the ground floor of a seven-story apartment building in lower Manhattan's Battery Park City, has been renovated and designated as the Catholic memorial.

Visitors to ground zero will be able to walk a few steps toward the Hudson River and enter an environment keyed to the same theme but designed to encourage prayer and meditation.

In the homily at the dedication Mass on May 22, 2005, Cardinal Egan said the grace of God had "its own way of taking over," and could have an impact even on casual visitors to the renovated chapel. 
After more than 30 artists submitted proposals, John Collier of Dallas was chosen to produce four statues as memorials to groups affected by the tragedy: St. Joseph, patron of construction workers; St. Michael the Archangel, patron of police; St. Florian, patron of firefighters, and St. Mary Magdalene, first witness to the Resurrection and "apostle to the apostles."
Other artistic works commissioned to portray themes of the memorial included a terra cotta rendering of Our Lady of Guadalupe as patroness of the Americas by Brett Slavin of Ryebrook; an icon of Sts. John and Paul, Roman soldiers martyred together and patrons of Cardinal Egan's titular church in Rome, by Sister Cecelia of the Nuns of New Skete in Cambridge; stained-glass "Windows of Life and Renewal" by Guy Kemper of Louisville, Ky.; a translucent glass wall with abstract designs behind the altar, by Christopher Cosma of Brooklyn; and two works by Polish immigrant Wiktor Szostalo -- a sculptured torso of Christ and a glass rendering of the vision in the second chapter of Isaiah of swords beaten into plowshares.

St. Joseph's is a chapel of St. Peter Parish, the first Catholic parish established in New York.

Previously on the site cleared for the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, the chapel again found its life disrupted in its new location by the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

All the residents of the area had to leave for a time, and the chapel was used first by government relief agencies as their command station and later by construction workers, police and others as a place for rest and counseling.

Cardinal Egan noted that although "everything was ruined" in the chapel it was back in operation a year later.

Since then, the congregation that gathers there has been developing the chapel as the Catholic memorial to Sept. 11. The cardinal described it as "a gift to New York and a gift to the nation."

For more information:

http://www.mercytours.com/CatholicMemorialatGroundZero.html

40 Days for Life

by Mercy Tours on 09/20/10

Beginning September 22 through October 31 you have the opportunity to help make a difference.  40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion in America.

The 40-day campaign tracks Biblical history, where God used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities ... and the entire world. From Noah in the flood to Moses on the mountain to the disciples after Christ's resurrection, it is clear that God sees the transformative value of His people accepting and meeting a 40-day challenge.This year promises to be the largest turnout ever as more and more people realize the scourge of abortion in our country.

For details check out  http://40daysforlife.com/about.cfm

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