Ite bloggus est, alleluia, alleluia.

Well, this is it. Tomorrow I will be leaving for the monastery in Norcia.

I will just say that the blog won't necessarily die, it will go dormant for now. Maybe in the future it can be started up again. Even though I cannot blog in the monastery, I will leave it up as a source for translation comparisons and quirky humor. It's been a fun three years.

Again, I ask for your prayers and will be praying for all those supporting me with their prayers.

Pax et Bonum,
The Roman Sacristan

Pray for the Earthquake victims

Please pray for the earthquake victims in Italy. There was a strong earthquake just north of the city of L'Aquila which has done a lot of damage and at least 50 people have died.

At my monastery in Nursia, the people there pray to Our Lady under the title of the Addolorata (image seen above). They specifically ask her to protect them from earthquakes.

I talked with one of the monks there, and he said they felt the earthquake, but it was not very strong by the time it got up to Norcia. However the L'Aquila area suffered greatly.

Pray also that there are no dangerous aftershocks.

RS

Vocational Discernment and Prayer Request

Blogging will be light for the next few months as I begin some intense vocational discernment for 2009. So I'd humbly ask you to please keep me in your prayers.

However, do not fret. I have pre-posted some posts for you, especially all the Sunday prayer translations while I'm not blogging, so they will automatically post for the appropriate Sunday. So continue to check back. And I may occasionally post anything of great interest or importance should the circumstances arise. They should appear underneath this post when they do post (assuming I have figured out how to make blogger keep this post on top).

To all those who have used my Liturgy of the Hours Ordos over at semperficatholic, I apologize that I will not be able to keep those up during this time. However, we have a substitute plan to at least link to the site liturgyhours.org. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience on that front.

Anyway, please keep me in your prayers.

RS

Prayers for a friend.

For a friend.



Please pray for the repose of the soul of a good friend who passed away today. This has been a rough week.

I don't recommend any other videos by this band, but this video and song are just amazing. And the video actually sort of parallels these last few weeks of his struggle with inoperable cancer.Lyrics.

RS

Back from Rome

Well, I'm back from what I'd say was a very fruitful trip and pilgrimage.

I am kind of hitting the ground running since I have parish work to do this weekend.

I'd also ask you to keep several private petitions in your prayers, as there are several special intentions I was given by friends and for a personal one of my own as well.

I'll see if I can get some summary of Saints up when I get a bit more time. But let's just say I've inlisted A LOT of Saints.

RS

Father Carl Vogel - Requescat in pace

Please pray for a priest friend of mine who died last week, and whose funeral is today.

He was a very good priest who did quite a bit of priestly work even though he was "retired." He died at the age of 89.

Father Carl Vogel
Requiescat in pace.

Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace.

EDIT - The funeral was packed.

RS

Novena to Saint Benedict

Statue of Saint Benedict in the piazza in Norcia
It's a simple yet beautiful little novena:

I would also ask your prayers for a "brother" of mine, (we were novices together), Brother Benedict, a deacon and monk of Norcia, who is preparing for priestly ordination this Fall.

Novena to Saint Benedict

Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.
To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His Kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore.
[mention your petition]

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving Will, and to attain the eternal happiness of Heaven.
Amen.

"Saint Benedict Writing His Rule" by Hermann Nigg
RS

Prayer Request

Please keep dadwithnoisykids and his family in your prayers.

RS.

Please vote again.

Is this logo from Blogger's Choice Awards a true picture of cheaters running away with the trophy?
I don't know what is going on over at the Blogger's Choice Awards. It looks like the entire thing has been reset. Hardly any blogs have votes now, and when I logged in, it said my account had not voted for anything. I know they have had some problems with cheating in the past, but if they are having to do this, I am starting to take this contest much less seriously. Anyway, if you wouldn't mind, please vote for me ... again. This time it is OK to do so. You have to have an account, but if you've signed up before, then your account should still exist. Otherwise, it is free and easy to create an account. (And vote for the blogs in my sidebar as well).

Roman Sacristan page on Blogger's Choice Awards

RS

Power of Intercessory Prayer

Praying
I would just like to say a thanks to all the readers who have included me in their prayers. I know that some of the difficulties I have had to face lately have been made more possible to deal with through your help.

I continue to ask for prayers as another big situation has popped up in my life. It's something I don't feel very prepared to deal with, so I am going to need quite a bit of Divine help.

So, thanks again for your prayers and please keep them up. When I pray for all my family and friends, I include my readers as well in that.

RS

Prayer request for dadwithnoisykids and his family

Please pray for dadwithnoisykids and his family. This family is amazing not only in their openness to life, but also in their courage and faith in the midst of difficult times.

Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and earth, pray for us.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us.

Tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena at Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy.
(click picture to embiggen)
RS

Thanks for the prayers.

Thank you for your prayers. The abbot I mentioned Monday is fine. Turns out it was a false alarm, so he is back on his feet and doing well.

But please keep the prior who is battling cancer at the other monastery in your prayers.

Thanks,
RS

Prayer Request for two monks

Speaking of monks, I have a prayer request.

Please pray for an abbot I know who was taken to the hospital last night. As of this morning they were still trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Also please pray for the prior of another monastery. He is battling cancer and is in the midst of recovering from a bone marrow transplant.

Finally, please also pray for the monks of both of these monasteries since these are the spiritual fathers of each community. For the monks it is the same thing as having the father of your family being seriously ill. And the devil loves to take advantage of situations where the father of a family is down.

I'll also tack on one more request. Please pray for a friend who's two year old son had a fever related seizure yesterday. His son seems to be fine and stable, but they are still waiting to see if it is bacteria or virus related. One is apparently more dangerous than the other, so pray that it is the less serious one.

RS

Reading List Bleg

Quick blog question (bleg) for any readers.

I am about to finish the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy" (actually five books) and was thinking of what leisure reading to do next.

I was wondering if anyone has read A Canticle for Liebowitz and whether that was enjoyable, especially from a Catholic perspective. Honestly, I don't want to know anything about the book, just whether it is worth reading or not. I prefer getting into a book with no preconcieved ideas or expectations. (I think that is why I enjoyed Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy so much.)

I am also mildly curious about The Illuminatus! Trilogy. I would love a book that makes fun of conspiracy theories, but I can't really tell what the angle is of this work.

RS