SIMBANG GABI ~ A PHILIPPINE CHRISTMAS TRADITION

SIMBANG GABI 2013

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DECEMBER 21, 2013  FILIPINO COMMUNITY SIMBANG GABI AT ST. JOAN OF ARC PARISH

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The Filipino Community of St. Joan of Arc Parish invites you to experience SIMBANG GABI ~ a Philippine Christmas Festivity.
Where: St. Joan of Arc Parish 9248 N. Lawndale Ave., Evanston, IL. 60203
When: Saturday December 17, 2011  Mass at 5:30 p.m.
RECEPTION AND PROGRAM will follow in the Auditorium immediately after the mass.  The program will feature performances by the SJA Filipino Teens, Loyola University Kapwa Cultural, and debut performance by SJA Lil' Dancers.
Simbang Gabi (night worship) is a Philippine tradition of celebrating a novena of Advent Masses in preparation for Christmas.  Simbang Gabi in the Archdiocese of Chicago is celebrated by participating parishes, each hosting an evening mass.  The St. Joan of Arc Filipino Community has been hosting Simbang Gabi every Christmas and this will be the 13th year.


Published 12/16/11  ust1611 multiply
Web Page: SIMBANG GABI ~ A PHILIPPINE CHRISTMAS TRADITION

A Thanksgiving blessing 2010

THANKSGIVING

BY

RACHEL SNYDER

Gratitude is so much more than uttering "Thank you" or sending off a quick note or e-mail.  Those things are lovely and appreciated, but Gratitude goes deeper and becomes a living part of who you are.  Being grateful means practicing gratitude all the time - not just after the good things have come your way and your dreams have materialized.  Try being grateful for the Pain that teaches you a lesson about your body or the rain that changes your plans and treats you to a quiet, reflective day indoors.  Able to make it out of bed and get dressed, albeit slowly?  Be grateful.  You know - who is still irritating you?  Be grateful that you have people in your life, that you have feelings and that you are able to feel.  Cultivating gratitude takes time in the beginning, tell yourself silently, I am grateful for this "and I am grateful for every challenge that helps me to grow and become more at home with myself and others."  In time, you will breathe gratitude in and out with a natural ease.  And when that time comes remember, be grateful.  

Have an attitude of gratitude!

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to You and Yours.

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Ditto!

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Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:29:27 -0800
From: tess
Subject: Fw: A Thanksgiving blessing to send to family and friends...
To:

Happy Thanksgiving.

Love, 

Tess

A Thanksgiving blessing to send to family and friends...

A short movie from Simple Truths: May You Be Blessed

If you received this email from a friend, don't forget to join our mailing list.

Take a few moments to watch this short movie and know that you are blessed this holiday season.

Just click here to watch.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
~William Arthur Ward

Forward this special Thanksgiving blessing to friends and family.

All the best to you and yours,

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

This email was sent to tess.josue@yahoo.com
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Published 11/26/10  ust1611 multiply

Web Page: A Thanksgiving blessing

USTPMTBBAA Grand Reunion News 2014

LATEST 2014 USTPMTBBAA REUNION NEWS AND INFORMATION... Looking forward to seeing you all in San Diego!

DINNER-DANCE INVITATION FORM

Marriott Hotel Reservation

SOUVENIR PROGRAM AD

USTPMTBBAA OFFICERS CONTACT

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

JUNE 27, 2013 
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP



Click Our Lady to enlarge and read

The image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help has been very popular among Filipinos of all generations.  The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also better known as the Redemptorist fathers, was founded by St. Alphonsus Liquori whose feast day is celebrated on August 1.  Among other ministries, the Redemptorists are most attached to the devotion of the image.

The original icon is believed to have been written by a person of Greek origin, specifically from the island of Crete, because of the style of the face that was given to Mary and the other figures in the image.  The icon was written on a hard nut wood with a gold leaf background.  

In this particular icon, the halos in the image along with the crowns on the heads of the Virgin Mary and Jesus were added later as originally sacred images were not depicted with a halo or anything of that nature.  The Virgin Mary is dressed in dark red which has been a symbol of Christ's passion.  She is covered in a blue mantle representing the Virgin Mary's perpetual virginity.  She has a star on her forehead pointing to her role as the Star of the Sea.  The stylized cross to the left of this star is said to be an indication of the particular school iconography that wrote the icon.  Our Mother of Perpetual Help carries Jesus in her arms with her fingers virtually pointing to him.  Looking closely, the Virgin Mary actually seems disproportionately larger than Jesus who is depicted to be more a young boy of perhaps ten or twelve years old rather than an infant.  It is said that this intentional so people's attention is drawn to what the Virgin Mary is conveying through the image.  As one looks at the icon immediately the eyes are drawn to the face of the Virgin who seems to make a plea to the faithful looking at her.

According to the legend of the icon, the young Jesus ran to his mother after being frightened by a visit by the Archangels Sts. Michael and Gabriel, both depicted in the icon.  On the left is St. Michael who carries with him the lance and sponge associated with Jesus' crucifixion.  On the opposite side is St. Gabriel who presents to Jesus the cross and nails that would become the instrument of his death.  In his haste to find the comfort of his mother, Jesus almost loses a sandal.  Popular religiosity has proposed the loose sandal to be the lost soul struggling to cling to Jesus as the saviour.  

The Redemptorists were not the original custodians of this image.  The original image was said to have been discovered by a merchant in the 15th century who tried to keep it as his collection.  It was stolen and recovered a couple of times.  Then, during the French occupation of Rome in the 18th century, the Augustinian friars rescued the icon from being destroyed.  Later, the Redemptorist fathers eventually purchased land that has been a site of an ancient church and was given the responsibility of guarding the icon along with the devotion attached to it.  The Redemptorists have been entrusted with the care of the icon since 1865 when Pope Pius IX requested that they become the official caretakers of the beloved image.  The original icon has been kept in the Church of St. Alphonsus Liquori in Rome.

The eyes of Our Mother of Perpetual Help seem to say it all -- Mary holds Jesus the Redeemer.  The instruments of Jesus' redeeming death may seem to be frightening and many faithful may also have become overcome by similar fears in life.  However, the eyes of Mary remind  the faithful that even though the Christian life can be scary she points to Jesus as if to tell his disciples "trust in him because he alone is your Redeemer."

The feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is June 27th.

Jesus the Redeemer - Rio de Janeiro  Brazil

In time of trouble run to Our Lady for help.  The more you honor Her, the more Her Son will bless you.

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Published  4/9/10  ust1611 multiply
Web Page: Our Lady
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This powerpoint was e-mailed by Sandy L. of Illinois, a UST Pharmacy-Medical Technology alumni.
The Ave Maria song is so beautiful.

Here's a PRAYER TO MARY ( by the Marist Brothers) before you click:
O blessed Virgin, pray to God for us always, that He may pardon us and give us grace.
O blessed Virgin, pray to God for us always, that He may grant us peace in this life.
O blessed Virgin, pray to God for us always, that He may reward us with paradise.
Amen.

Attachment: OurLadyofAngels.pps

Note: Attachment broken >  link from Multiply (defunct)


Published  6/22/13  ust1611 blogspot
Blog Page:  Our Lady of Perpetual Help



OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PARISH  GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS
Fake or Real?

Thank You Typhoon Yolanda Donors

GIVING A HELPING HAND TO OUR KABABAYAN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Jesus Knocking at the Door

THE DOOR: THERE'S A RELIGIOUS PAINTING OF JESUS STANDING BY A DOOR WITH NO DOOR KNOB.  What is significant about it is the reason why.  It's up to you, the homeowner, if you want to let Jesus in when He comes a-knocking and let him enter your heart.

UNUSUAL DOORS AND KNOBS

Gun owners

Fisherman

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 And you better believe it!

From: jpl
Subject: FW: This one got me!
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2011 13:12:10 -0500

.I believe in God & all the angels He sends to help  in ways we will never understand.

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This one got me.......He is there for us. This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician: I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast , cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes.  She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying 'I don't want my kids to see me crying! ,' so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, 'And you were praying?' That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, 'He heard you, and He sent me.' I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more,  and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little. She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City . Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan. 1, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spok en in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there. I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, 'So, are you like an angel or something?' This definitely made me cry. I said, 'Sweetie, at this time of  year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.' It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong. Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings.... Psalms 55:22 ' Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved' My instructions were to pick four people that I wanted God to bless, especially for the months left in 2011 , and I picked  you. Please pass this to four people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.. Here is the prayer: 'Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace, In Jesus' precious name. Amen.' I know I picked more than four -- you can, too. 'Friends are God's way of taking care of us.' Psalm 55:22 --- you really need to read this     __________________________ No virus found in this message.

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Published 10/9/11  ust1611 multiply

Web Page: God uses regular people