Excerpted from “Leaflets” column

 

 

     Easter Masses see many come to our churches who attend only then and at Christmas. As you look around you on Easter Sunday this year, try to identify some of these people. Either at the Sign of Peace or after Mass make a special effort to let them know that you are glad that they joined us. Introduce yourself. Extend a gentle invitation saying you hope to see them again soon.

Whenever you see unfamiliar faces at Mass, offer up a silent prayer on their behalf. Ask the good Lord to touch their hearts with the gift of Faith. If they have fallen-away, pray that the Holy Spirit will help guide them back to a full and regular celebration of the Faith. If they are searching for a faith to join, pray that the Lord will make them feel at home in our Church.

Set a loving, happy example for others. We are an Easter people, filled with joy! Our celebration of the Faith should reflect that in the enthusiasm with which we participate in the sacraments. We don’t just attend Mass - we celebrate it!

How much more effective would an invitation be to come back to something that is dynamic and life-changing than to something dull and boring. Christ our Lord overcame the power of death. It is simple to remember: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. What we celebrate at Easter is not just a one day event. This is the hinge on which our Faith is built.

Each Sunday we remember the sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord. It is our past, our present and our future. Easter is the Sunday of Sundays, the Supreme Sunday. The history of humanity was forever changed, so surely our celebration should be on a grand scale.

Don’t forget our new Catholics who join the Church during the Easter vigil. Welcome them. Pray for them. Get to know them. Encourage them with some token of your gladness that they are one with us now. Maybe a short note or some small gift might be in order. Share with them a favorite prayer. In fact - why not share with them an issue of LEAVES.

May the remaining days of your Lenten journey be fruitful and may your Easter be filled with joyous Alleluias. May the Risen Lord bless you in great abundance at Easter and always - Fr. Thomas Heier, C.M.M.

 

 

 

 

Excerpted from “Our Family Album”

 

 

 

Gall Bladder

Problem Solved

 

For 12 years our son suffered from intestinal problems. After most meals he would get pains and often diarrhea, which severely limited his freedom in school and social situations. Doctors—and we saw several—simply stated it was Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). There is no cure, only ways to reduce its effects, but the medication prescribed for our son was ineffective. It devastated our son and us. To avoid diarrhea, he would not eat. He was thin as a rail.

We prayed for him and for a cure. I invoked the help of Fr. Engelmar, said some novenas, and our answer eventually came in a peculiar way, as often happens. While watching TV, my wife saw a program describing health problems a woman experienced that were identical to my son’s, but there was a difference. This woman found a doctor who identified the problem not as IBS, but rather as Habba Syndrome, which is related to a dysfunctional gall bladder.

Our son, now in his late 20s, was tested and presently leads a normal life by simply taking some pills to overcome his faulty gall bladder. I suspect other members of the LEAVES family have or know someone who suffers this way. Look up Habba Syndrome on the Internet to see if this is your problem. It has totally changed our son’s disposition and his life.

Praise to God the Father and the Son and thanks to Fr. Engelmar and to Dr. Habba. I hope sharing this may help someone else - Name Withheld.

 

 

 

St. Therese

Blesses Life

 

More than 40 years ago I was granted a wish from St. Therese. I was a teenager and my mother needed a kidney operation. There was a high risk factor at the time and her doctor had only performed several other operations of this type.

My neighbor gave me a prayer card of St. Therese. She told me that she worked miracles with God. The day of the operation I made the novena to St. Therese. On an hourly basis, I prayed for health and recovery of my mom. I told St. Therese that, if she granted me this special favor, I would name my first-born daughter after her.

Needless to say, my mother recovered beautifully and today I have a daughter named Therese. From that day on I have been blessed in my life through the intercession of St. Therese. I thank her and Jesus for their daily blessings.

I love you, St. Therese, and will continue my devotion for all the days of my life - Name Withheld.

 

 

Son Helped by St. John Neumann

 

In 1992 I received the most precious gift a mother could receive, the return to normal life of my son Julio. He suffered a brain hemorrhage and was in a coma for five months at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. I received lots of help from the Shrine of St. John Neumann. Prayers were said and two wonderful priests came to the hospital to bless Julio with the relic of St. John Neumann.

When Julio woke up, he told us about playing with a boy named John. It’s a miracle! A television show told the story of this great miracle. Julio is 30 years old and is married with two beautiful children. Thank you, God and St. John Neumann - Anna Maria Correia.

 

 

 

 

Excerpted from Father Engelmar Testimonies

 

There is now available a booklet of the life of Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce, currently 44 cents), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.

 

 

Venerable

Father Engelmar

 

In July 2009 Pope Benedict promulgated a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of four Servants of God, and among them was our Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig. It means that now he has merited the title “Venerable” and deserves to be venerated with it.

The next title he may earn is Blessed, but to attain this, there must be an authentic miracle from God obtained through Fr. Engelmar’s intercession. Two apparent miracles have already been reported and submitted to the Holy See, and it will decide if one of them is truly authentic.

Once he is Blessed, he may earn the highest title of all: Saint. To attain this, there must be a second authentic miracle. Continue to pray to God that, if it is His will, Fr. Engelmar may eventually be declared a saint.

 

 

I wish to thank Fr. Engelmar for prayers answered. He is one of my favorite saints and has never failed me. I lost my jade necklace one day. I did not know where I lost it, either at my daughter’s place or at the bus terminal. I had been looking for it all over the place. I prayed to Fr. Engelmar to help me find it. This jade necklace was a gift given to me 40 years ago. One afternoon I took my bath and washed the shower curtain. I did not see anything in the bathtub. After the shower I noticed that I had lost my jade necklace. I tried my best, but I could not find it at all. Then my husband came into the bathroom to take a sponge from the bathtub. The jade necklace was sitting beside the sponge. My husband asked me why I had put the necklace on the edge of the tub. I had not done it, of course.

In fact, I was saying my prayers to Fr. Engelmar at that moment my husband shouted out to me. It was a miracle indeed. I want to thank Fr. Engelmar for answering my prayers so soon. I am so grateful - M.C.

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Thanksgiving to Fr. Engelmar for answering my prayers in finding a good job for my grandson-in-law. Please pray for him to be converted as he has never been baptized. Please pray for my family and me and for those who have gone away from our faith - C.R.

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My donation is for favors received through Fr. Engelmar’s novena - L.L.

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In January 2009 my husband and I started saying the novena in honor of Fr. Engelmar. Our two sons and I were all looking for jobs. We decided we would just keep saying the novena continuously until all of us had found jobs. Both of our sons found excellent jobs in March. And in May I was offered a job that I was really hoping and praying for. We are sure that Fr. Engelmar had a great deal to do with this. At a time when so many people are losing their jobs and the economy was at its lowest in decades, the three of us found wonderful jobs. We just want to publicly thank Fr. Engelmar and also report these favors. We’re hoping he’ll be numbered among the canonized saints very soon - G.& P.McK.

 

 

Novena in Honor of

Abbot Francis Pfanner

 

Abbot Francis Pfanner founded the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill 100 years ago. Abbot Francis was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped ($0.61 for 2 oz.), self-addressed, large (no. 10) envelope to: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.

 

 

The Bird’s Prayer

By Janet Collins

 

God made the robin

And the crow,

And many other

Birds we know.

 

Although I’ve never

Seen one pray,

Each praises Him

In its own way.

 

The tweet and trill

Or caw and chant,

Their sounds bring joy,

Their songs enchant.

 

In bush and tree

And through the air

Their music makes

A lovely prayer.

 

 

 

The Cross

By Judy DeJean

 

I look up and there You are

Upon the cross so high.

What have I done to You?

Cheat, steal and lie!

 

My heart feels so heavy;

Sorrow fills my heart.

Tears slide down my face

For what I am seeing.

 

I see so much from that cross -

Loneliness, sadness, pain,

Obedience, love, forgiveness.

I have everything to gain.

 

I love You, dear Jesus.

You have given life to me -

Hope, dreams, happiness.

Thank You for what I see.

 

 

 

Prayer to St. Joseph in

Any Great Necessity

 

 O most faithful guardian of Jesus and spouse of Mary, you see the anguish of my heart. I am disturbed and perplexed. Obtain for me the light of the Holy Spirit and all the helps I need to enable me in all times and in all things to fulfill the adorable will of God. I choose you this day, in the presence of Jesus and Mary, as my angel of good counsel to direct me in all my necessities (here name the intentions). Guide me, I entreat you, by the many bitter dolors which rent your tender heart during the course of your mortal pilgrimage. Amen.