Yesterday I was was updating the Louisiana Catholic events list for August , I came across a special event that will occur this Sunday at the Cathedral of St Joseph in Baton Rouge Louisiana. In their bulletin:
BLESSING OF THE SICK
Blessing of the Sick will be
held next Sunday, July 29, at
the 12:00 Noon Mass. We will
have the blessing with the
Blessed Seelos relic, along
with the Sacrament of the
Sick, for those who are ill or handicapped. Please
feel free to invite those you may know who are in
need of the Sacrament.
Who is Father Seelos and what is this relic business? I was introduced to Father Seelos by a roommate from College back in the 90's. This was before Father Seelos officially became "Blessed" which happened in the Solemn Jubilee Year of 2000. The only North American given that status during that blessed year.
My roomate was and is still is a good ole fashioned New Orleans Catholic even though he has lived now the majority of his years in Ruston Louisiana. He is a man of great faith. Father Seelos was a Redemptorist priest. A expert confessor and spiritual director. He dedicated himself to the life of an itinerant missionary preaching in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
Father Seelos finally ended up in New Orleans in 1866 to the Redemptorist community in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption. If you are an Ann Rice fan, I believe this is the Church the Family went to in the book "The Witching Hour".
Anyway ,he was known as a pastor who was joyously available to his faithful and was concerned for the poorest and the most abandoned. However, his ministry in New Orleans was brief. As his bio states "In the month of September, exhausted from visiting and caring for the victims of yellow fever, he contracted the dreaded disease. After several weeks of patiently enduring his illness, he passed on to eternal life on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and 9 months."
His Holiness Pope John Paul II, proclaimed Father Seelos Blessed in St. Peter's Square on April 9th of the Solemn Jubilee Year 2000. His Feast Day is October 5.
His National Shrine is also located there in New Orleans. For more info on him, the devotion to him, the shrine, and other activities go here. Of particular interest are the newsletters they put out. Here is the July newsletter. Besides the incredible information about him and testimonies, I could not help but notice that if one is a New Orleans area hospital that one can be obtain a Blessing of the Sick with a Mission Crucifix of Blessed F. Seelos. What a blessing. I think we Louisiana folks need to start spreading the devotion of one our own more effectively.
Now for the non Catholics here you might be going. Saints? Relics? What Catholic nonsense!!! Thank God we got away from all that superstitious nonsense
I shall hit on Saints and how they pray for us in a later post. But let me hit on the subject of "relics" . What is a relic? The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae ('remains'). It is an is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. There are different types of relics that I will not go into now. Now all Relics associated with Saints are the actual remains themelves.
God it appears loves matter. In fact he loves matter so much that he became "man". He still uses it to spread his ultimate end of reconcilling mankind to himself.
In 2 Kings 13:20-21 we see :
His National Shrine is also located there in New Orleans. For more info on him, the devotion to him, the shrine, and other activities go here. Of particular interest are the newsletters they put out. Here is the July newsletter. Besides the incredible information about him and testimonies, I could not help but notice that if one is a New Orleans area hospital that one can be obtain a Blessing of the Sick with a Mission Crucifix of Blessed F. Seelos. What a blessing. I think we Louisiana folks need to start spreading the devotion of one our own more effectively.
Now for the non Catholics here you might be going. Saints? Relics? What Catholic nonsense!!! Thank God we got away from all that superstitious nonsense
I shall hit on Saints and how they pray for us in a later post. But let me hit on the subject of "relics" . What is a relic? The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae ('remains'). It is an is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. There are different types of relics that I will not go into now. Now all Relics associated with Saints are the actual remains themelves.
God it appears loves matter. In fact he loves matter so much that he became "man". He still uses it to spread his ultimate end of reconcilling mankind to himself.
In 2 Kings 13:20-21 we see :
"Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. "
In Acts1 9:11–12, we see that Paul's handkerchiefs were imbued by God with healing power. From the early days of Christianity we know the bones of Martyers were highly venerated by the early Christians. A letter written by the faithful of the Church in Smyrna in the year 156 provides an account of the death of St. Polycarp, their bishop, who was burned at the stake. The letter reads, "We took up the bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy, and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.
Relics as the Council of Trent said :"The sacred bodies of the holy martyrs and of the other saints living with Christ, which have been living members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and which are destined to be raised and glorified by Him unto life eternal, should also be venerated by the faithful. Through them, many benefits are granted to men by God."
So do we worship these things or think they are "magic"? Heavens no!! As St Jerome who was was pivotal in giving us the bible as we know it said: "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are". That is the whole point and it has been a part of Christianity since the beginning. As this Louisiana priest said, "In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint and his cooperation in God's work. At the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind of faith-filled live."
So relics and the assistance of the saints have been part of Christianity since the beginning.
So if you or a loved one suffers an illiness and you are in the Baton Rouge area consider going to the Cathedral of St Joseph in Baton Rouge this Sunday. Where one can ask the assistance of Father Seelos to pray to the Lord for you or your friend in a special way. But most importantly you or your loved one shall be able to receive Christ's Body and Blood and obtain the special grace and healing power of the Sacrament of the Sick.
Relics as the Council of Trent said :"The sacred bodies of the holy martyrs and of the other saints living with Christ, which have been living members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and which are destined to be raised and glorified by Him unto life eternal, should also be venerated by the faithful. Through them, many benefits are granted to men by God."
So do we worship these things or think they are "magic"? Heavens no!! As St Jerome who was was pivotal in giving us the bible as we know it said: "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are". That is the whole point and it has been a part of Christianity since the beginning. As this Louisiana priest said, "In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint and his cooperation in God's work. At the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind of faith-filled live."
So relics and the assistance of the saints have been part of Christianity since the beginning.
So if you or a loved one suffers an illiness and you are in the Baton Rouge area consider going to the Cathedral of St Joseph in Baton Rouge this Sunday. Where one can ask the assistance of Father Seelos to pray to the Lord for you or your friend in a special way. But most importantly you or your loved one shall be able to receive Christ's Body and Blood and obtain the special grace and healing power of the Sacrament of the Sick.
Update-
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