LELEAVES Website for September-October 2004 issue

Excerpted from "Leaflets" Column

    The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease. (Dominicae cenae, 3)

The Eucharist is so incredibly awesome, yet we sometimes forget its significance. We should be mindful always that it is truly Jesus whom we meet in this sacrament. This being the case, do we prepare as carefully as we ought? Perhaps we might avail ourselves more often of Confession to better ready our souls for the most precious gift of Christ in the Eucharist. This would show our respect for the Eucharist in a very definite way.

Elsewhere in this issue are ideas for celebrating the Year of the Eucharist. Look over the list and try something new. Do something that you haven't done before. Most of all, commit to making this a year of increased honor and reverence in our celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

May God grant you abundant blessings always - Father Thomas Heier, C.M.M.

Excerpted from "Our Family Album"

    Paschal and Lydia Alexander renewed their marriage vows in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. Their nine living children are their "treasures from God." God and His holy Mother has been with them in joys and sorrows and many blessings. The children are: Theresa, Anne Marie, Gertrude, Genevieve and Annette, John, Dermot, Mark and Brian. In memory are: Mary, Vincent, Paschal Junior. They have nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren - L.A.

A Shower of Roses

My oldest daughter, married eight years, had been trying to have a baby all that time. I started a novena to St. Therese and St. Joseph last year on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. I prayed that by Mother's Day she would be expecting, and I wanted St. Therese to send me a white rose. Well, she didn't send me one, but dozens of them!

One day in April, I was at work when a lady came into my office with a beautiful white rose, and I asked her whom it was for and she said, "You." Of course I started to cry and told her that I was saying a novena to St. Therese. I had asked that she would send me a white rose, telling me that my daughter was finally going to have a baby.

In the middle of that month I went to the funeral of a dear friend of mine. On the way back from the grave I looked down, and there at my feet was a single white rose. I picked it up and said to my niece, "Do you think this is a sign from St. Therese that my daughter will have a baby?" She was as surprised as I was that the flower was real and perfect in shape.

A few weeks later I went to another funeral. At the cemetery my husband and I visited the graves of my mother and father. On the way back to the car, I found another white rose.

Near the end of June my daughter told me, "Mom, I am going to have a baby!" I could not believe it. All I could say was, "Thank you, St. Therese."

A few weeks later I went to a third funeral. When I was going into the church, my purse hit a stand with flowers on it. When it started to tip, I grabbed the stand and there was a bouquet of about 12 white roses. At my retirement dinner in May, I was given a corsage of three white roses.

My daughter gave birth to a healthy boy on March 1. Thank you, St. Joseph and St. Therese. Prayers to them did get answered, even if it took eight years – A Grateful Grammie.

ADD THREE LEAVES

The Pumpkin

I received a copy of "The Pumpkin" from a nun I correspond with in New York. I like it so much I want to share it with as many people as possible - M.L.A.

The Pumpkin

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?" The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you up from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt off. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. and then carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see."

Excerpted from Father Engelmar Testimonies

There is now available a booklet of the novena to Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce, currently 37 cents), self-addressed envelope to us at:

LEAVES
P.O. Box 87
Dearborn, MI 48121-0087

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I would like to report that the day after I received the novena in honor of Fr. Engelmar I started it because my son was out of a job and had no place to live. He was sleeping on the floor at my daughter's very small apartment infested with roaches and rats. I had only been doing the novena for three days when they called my son to work, and that same week, he was offered an apartment with low rent because he would fix it up. I want to thank God for hearing my prayers to Fr. Engelmar and to St. Anne and I will continue to pray to him in time of need - A.C.

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The favor we received was a happy, healthy little boy Jacob who was born in March. Thank you for the novena and thank you to St. Jude and St. Therese - J.W.

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One of our prayers was answered by praying the novena to Fr. Engelmar and to St. Therese. We have a few more favors to ask of him - Mrs. J.P.

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I passed out copies of Fr. Engelmar's biography and people were so very happy to have them after reading the contents. The novena is helpful; however, I think the biography gives a clear picture to those who are not blessed to be Catholic and don't quite understand Catholic things. I have made some 8 x 10 enlargements of Fr. Engelmar so thoughts of him and prayer come to mind. The more prayers, the better and the sooner beatification will be - J. G.

Popa's Rosary

Tonight as I sat at my window / And gazed at the stars up above / A million memories came to me / Of the years that have passed     one by one.

          By Marie MacDonald

The Year of
The Eucharist

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, announced that from October 2004 to October 2005 there will be a Year of the Eucharist, culminating in a Synod of Bishops meeting on the theme of the Eucharist. He noted that this special year "is within the framework of the pastoral project that I laid out in the Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte where I asked the faithful 'to start out from Christ'."

Stating that "the Eucharist is at the heart of the life of the Church," the Holy Father said he would entrust the Year of the Eucharist "to Our Lady, 'the Eucharistic woman,'...she who, in the Year of the Rosary, helped us to contemplate Christ with her glance and her heart."

All Catholics should take advantage of this special Year of the Eucharist by concentrating on activities and devotions honoring the Holy Eucharist. Individuals and families all should participate.

Ways to Celebrate
the Year of the Eucharist:

*Participate in Eucharistic Adoration. (If possible, observe one hour per week.)
*Pray before and after receiving Communion.
*Read the writings of the saints on the Eucharist.
*Study what the Catechism says about the Eucharist.
*Offer your Communion on behalf of others.
*Better prepare for Mass by reviewing the Readings beforehand.
*Celebrate the sacrament of Confession.
*Attend Mass during the week.
*When unable to attend Mass, celebrate a Spiritual Communion.