Transalpine Redemptorist Deacons

On 30th March our two Subdeacons, Br Martin Mary and Br Peter Mary we ordained to the Diaconate in a beautiful ceremony at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary where they have both been studying.  They were ordained along with seven other seminarians of the Fraternity of Saint Peter.

 The Ordinandi wait pensively for the procession into the church to begin.

 Fr Magdala Maria, F.SS.R. was present representing the Transalpine Redemptorists.  He was Deacon for the ceremony.

His excellency Bishop Joseph Perry conferred the Diaconate.  Fr Magdala Maria takes his place to the bishop's left.

 Having been called forward, the nine Subdeacons kneel and are addressed by the bishop.

They then prostrate themselves before the altar while the Litany of the Saints is chanted.

 Having risen, the bishop prays for them, and blesses them.

Accipe Spiritum sanctum...

Receive the Holy Ghost...

 The Matter of the Sacrament: Bishop Perry lays his right hand upon the head of each candidate...

Accipe Spiritum sanctum...

Receive the Holy Ghost...

Emitte in eos, quaesumus Domine, Spiritum sanctum...

Send forth the Holy Ghost upon them we beseech Thee O Lord...

...and he pronounces the Form of the Sacrament over all while extending his hand.  At this moment the Church was given nine new Deacons, and the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer got two of them!

 

Accipe stolam candidam de manu Dei...

Receive the shining stole from the hand of God... 

The newly ordained Deacon is presented his stole to kiss...

 ...and is then clothed in it by the bishop.

Induat te Dominus indumento salutis...

May the Lord cloth thee with the garment of salvation...

He receives the Dalmatic.

 Accipe stolam candidam de manu Dei...

Receive the shining stole from the hand of God...

 Induat te Dominus indumento salutis...

May the Lord cloth thee with the garment of salvation...

 

Accipe potestatem legendi Evangelium in Ecclesia Dei...

Receive the power of reading the Gospel in the Church of God...

Each Deacon in turn places his hand upon the Evangelarium, the book containing the Gospels of each Mass, from which it is now his duty to chant the Gospel and a solemn Mass.

 Br Peter Mary and Br Martin Mary offer their candles to Bishop Perry.

 Br Peter Mary receives the Pax from Bishop Perry during Mass.

 The ordination complete, our two new Deacons process out of the seminary chapel.

 Continuing the seminary custom, the newly ordained kneel before the image of Our Lady and chant the Salve Regina invoking her protection over their ministry.

Br Martin Mary and Br Peter Mary with Fr Magdala Maria following the ordination.

Thanks be to God for this, His gift for our Congregation.  May He protect our new Deacons, and our entire Congregation from all harm, and make our work fruitful for the salvation of souls. Amen.

The Rosary of Balloons

On Sunday 15 October,

the third day of the celebrations

in honour of the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima,

a Rosary made of balloons was launched in a park near the Oratory in Christchurch. 

The beautiful photos that follow were kindly taken by Mr. Daniel Lim.  

This devotional celebration had been well prepared. 

 If we said our prayers and prayed our Rosaries

with faith the size of these blue balloons

the world would be a different place!

 The Rosary Procession was over

its Litanies had been sung

the Holy Mass had been chanted

the day was sunny 

and the celebration was blessed with joy.

Moment of wonder.

Before the Rosary of balloons could be launched

it was necessary to obtain permission from the

Christchurch International Airport Control Tower:
"Go ahead Rosary Balloons!"

 It slowly lifted off.

Polyphonic hymns accompanied it.

 What a sight!

The crucifix gleamed in the sunlight.

The air was still.

We watched what we had launched. 

And indeed it was a beautiful sight

thanks to the care and precision with which it was organised.

For each balloon could lift only 1 gram of weight

and the balloons together had to lift the Rosary's 

golden Crucifix and Miraculous Medal.

Well done! 

Up and up it went until it was out of sight.

May our humble prayers pierce the clouds

and not depart until the Most High hears them

through the intercession of Holy Mary.

Profession of Fr Celestine Maria, F.SS.R.

On the Feast of St Alphonsus, 2nd August,  Fr Celestine Maria of the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary, F.SS.R. made his temporary profession of the Vows of Religion: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

  The Novice is questioned by the Superior regarding his desire to give his life entirely to God in Holy Religion, and his firm resolve to persevere therein.

 Prostrate on the ground and covered with the funeral pall while the Veni Creator Spiritus is chanted by the community, the Novice prepares to die to the world.

 Fr Celestine Maria, F.SS.R. pronounces his vows, kneeling before his God and ours; Him Who will judge us on the last day.

 Father receives the Pallium of the professed monk.

 All kneel while the newly-professed recites a prayer of thanksgiving.

Deo gratias et Mariæ! 

We wish Father Celestine all the best, and pray that he, and we persevere in this most excellent vocation of Religious Life.

Written in Her Heart

On Sunday, 8 May, 2016, 

the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer in Christchurch,

 New Zealand, had the joy of once more 

organising what would become the 

fifth annual Maryfest and Grand Procession

 in honour of Our Lady of Christchurch. 

The first procession took place in 2011,

after the terrible earthquake of 22 February that year, 

when the image of Our Lady

 which was standing in the (since collapsed) Cathedral tower

 was seen to have turned to face out towards the torn city;

reminiscent of the Salve Regina:

"Turn then, Most Gracious Advocate, 

thine eyes of mercy towards us."

Much work of preparation bears fruit 

in the rapid assembly of everything required 

in the church hall of the 

Christchurch parish of Our Lady of Victories.

Our Lady's bellringers await the moment 

when they will ring the glory or their Heavenly Queen.

This year a very beautiful crown was 

made painstakingly by the hand 

of a hidden servant of Our Lady 

and offered to her by 

the little cortege of the 

Crown Bearer, May Queen and Train Bearer.

The bier leaves the church borne by the sedarii, 

assisted by the ribboniers and flanked by the torch bearers.

Our Lady's flower girls and bell ringers go ahead 

strewing the ground with petals

 and ringing little bells.

The Mother of God represented as 

Our Lady of Christchurch is borne aloft 

through the streets 

wearing her silver tiara in preparation for the coronation.

As we process along Main South Road 

the Holy Rosary is played,

the band taking up the Gloria 

and interspersing the decades with 

a verse of the Fatima Ave.

A dozen garlanded banners add to the spleadour of the occasion.

The return to the Church of Our Lady of Victories.

This year for the first time, 

His Lordship Bishop Barry Jones

 was sadly absent, having passed away 

on 13 February this year.

In his stead

Very Rev. Fr Rick Loughnan, 

our Diocesan Administrator, 

consecrated the city and diocese once again to 

the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary 

and gave the Solemn Benediction

of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

As the fanfare resounded through the church...

....our May Queen crowns the image of the Queen of the May.

A miniature orchestra accompanies the congregation 

during the exposition of 

the Blessed Sacrament, 

playing "Jesus my Lord, my God, my All" 

and the "Tantum Ergo".

Unfortunately pictures cannot sufficiently capture the 

 moving witness of hundreds of souls from the Diocese 

kneeling, singing sweetly to this accompaniment 

in adoration of Our Eucharist Lord.

For the first time Our Blessed Lady 

was, this year, offered an antique votive heart

 enclosing the names of more than 1500 souls

 who had been enrolled

 from all around the diocese.

The very large number of sheets of names 

were gathered, printed in miniature 

and enclosed in the receptacle in the back of the heart

... literally "written in Our Lady's heart"... 

This was formally offered to Our Blessed Mother 

by our Very Rev. Diocesan Administrator.

This year the sedarii were 

captained by Mr Matthew Green 

and the men of our city,

 proud to serve under the banner of Heaven.

Surely another crown is to be found for 

Our Lady in the 

beautiful and innocent souls

 of the children of our Oratory

 pictured here after the procession  

with their chaperons.

They are truly "building Jerusalem" 

once more here in the South Pacific.

May she keep them always as the apple of her eye.

***

Our human eyes see perhaps

the beauty of the day,

but the wonder of a city placed under 

the mantle of our Heavenly Queen is far greater. 

Everything we saw was brought to

 the feet of their Queen

 by those who live in our city and its environs,

 a truly remarkable witness to their faith.

Our Lady of Christchurch,

turn always thine eyes of mercy towards us!

A large album of photographs may be found here: 

Our Lady of Christchurch's facebook page.