BLESSING WATER

Sunday is the optimal time, liturgically, to bless water since holy water reminds us of our baptism, through which we were born again as adopted children of God through the suffering, death and resurrection of Our Lord.  This we celebrate every Sunday, which is liturgical Easter each and every week.

The Scripture lessons for this Sunday happened to be about baptism (Epistle) and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Gospel), so there was added relevance.

One of the prayers of the Rite of Blessing Water is so beautiful I wanted to put it on this blog :

O God, Who for the salvation of mankind has built Thy greatest mysteries on this substance, water, in Thy kindness hear our prayers and pour down the power of Thy blessing + into this element, made ready for many kinds of purifications. May this, Thy creature, become an agent of divine grace in the service of Thy mysteries, to drive away evil spirits and dispel sickness, so that everything in the homes and other buildings of the faithful that is sprinkled with this water may be rid of all uncleanness and freed from every harm. Let no breath of infection, no disease-bearing air, remain in these places. May the wiles of the lurking Enemy prove of no avail. Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by the sprinkling of this water, so that the healthfulness, obtained by calling upon Thy holy name, may be made secure against all attack.

MEET OUR SERVERS

ADAM CEPEDA

Adam just graduated from Okkodo High School.  From Dededo, he has been serving since he was in elementary school.  He hopes to study engineering in college, but he is also very skilled with the guitar.

FRIARY MASS ON WIKKIMISSA

If anyone passing through Guam wanted to go to Mass in the Extraordinary Form, all they have to do is go here

http://honneurs.free.fr/Wikini/wakka.php?wiki=GuaM

to find out accurate information.

This is also a good resource for you who travel the globe.

BLESSING OF WATER

We are running low on the Holy Water that was blessed a while back. So I will be blessing a new container before Mass this Sunday. You may want to take advantage of this and bring your own water in clean and appropriate containers (no product labels, for example). You may want to write your name with a marker or make some other sign, if possible, on your container in case someone brings an identical or similar container. Bring them FILLED with water and I will bless them along with the big one we keep in the sacristy. It makes no sense for you to bring an empty one and fill it with the water I am blessing to replenish our sacristy supply! : )

BIG FAVOR!  Not all in our community use the internet.  If you know their house phone numbers, please give them a call and alert them to this notice in case they'd like to bring their own containers this Sunday.  Thanks!

HOW TO ADDRESS A PRIEST

When I was living and ministering in the US mainland a few years ago, people there in the traditional Mass communities found it very difficult to call me "Father Eric."  This was because the tradition is to call priests by their last names; e.g. Father Smith, Father Jones, Father Baker.

But the Capuchins, and a few other religious Orders, are different.  Our tradition is NEVER to use our last names.  The reason?  Because, when we joined the Order, we left the world.  Diocesan priests in a sense remain in the world because they are able to own their own property, have full use of their income and can inherit from their natural families.  We Capuchins do not.

Our last names reveal our natural origins; our natural families, our race and sometimes even our social standing depending on the culture.  As Franciscans, we have left all that behind and are brothers (the meaning of "friar") to everyone, regardless of family, race or social status.

So Capuchins traditionally are known by the town they were born in or associated with; Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, Pio of Pietrelcina.  Before Vatican II, I would only be known as Father Eric of Sinajana, and I sometimes call myself that when I write books or articles.  Mostly, I just go by Pale' Eric as I am the only priest with that first name here.  You may notice that I avoid using my last name as much as possible.

But the traditional thing to do with diocesan (secular) priests and some priests of religious communities (like the Jesuits) is to call them by their last names : e.g. Msgr. Quitugua, Father Cristobal, Father McGrath, Father Moreau. 

On Guam, because the Capuchins were at one time the majority of the clergy, the local people got used to calling all priests, even the diocesans, by their first names, but this is not the tradition.