Ubi Petrus

I’ve seen this in a couple of different places and although I doubt it’ll add much, every prayer counts.  It seems Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, inter alia editor of First Things, now has not only a return of his cancer to deal with but a sudden and severe health issue.  Raymond Arroyo of EWTN has more.  St. Peregrine, St. Luke, Mary Mother of us all, pray for him!

Update: As Keith noted in the combox, Fr. Neuhaus has passed to his eternal reward.  Let us pray for the blessed repose of his soul.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine:

et lux perpetua luceat ei.

+++

Lux aeterna luceat ei Domine:

Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.

Requiem aeternam dona ei Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat ei.

From the “wow, things move fast sometimes files“:

Following some discomfort experienced while exercising, Bishop McCormack consulted with his physician, who recommended a cardiac evaluation. Bishop McCormack underwent a scheduled cardiac catheterization on Friday, August 29, 2008, performed by Dr. Louis I. Fink of the New England Heart Institute at Catholic Medical Center.

Based on the results of this procedure, and at the recommendation of his physicians, Bishop McCormack elected to have coronary artery bypass surgery. The surgery was performed by Dr. Benjamin M. Westbrook of Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates at Catholic Medical Center at 2:00 p.m. Friday.

Bishop McCormack is now recovering at Catholic Medical Center and is expected to be released from the hospital within the next few days.

I know many have had and continue to have issues with many things in Bishop McCormack’s past, but it is the Catholic thing to do to pray for him now as he recovers from this surgery. At just over 73 I have to imagine, even with all the medical advances in this type of surgery in recent years, this is going to be quite a strain. May this experience help him grow closer to Christ and help him to become an even better shepherd. Mother Mary, pray for him!

Today being the Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Church asks us all to pray in a particular way for all priests. The Weight of Glory has the goods. Read. Listen. Pray. Just in case you’re not inclined to click over, I’ll cut-n-paste the prayer for priests – now you don’t have an excuse.

Prayer for Priests

Lord Jesus, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament,
and living perpetually among us through Your Priests,
grant that the words of Your Priests may be only Your words,
that their gestures be only Your gestures,
and that their lives be a true reflection of Your life.

Grant that they may be men who speak to God on behalf of His people,
and speak to His people of God.
Grant that they be courageous in service,
serving the Church as she asks to be served.

Grant that they may be men who witness to eternity in our time,
travelling on the paths of history in Your steps,
and doing good for all.

Grant that they may be faithful to their commitments,
zealous in their vocation and mission,
clear mirrors of their own identity,
and living the joy of the gift they have received.

We pray that Your Holy Mother, Mary,
present throughout Your life,
may be ever present in the life of Your Priests. Amen.

I found out last night that the husband of one of the women in my parish’s Tuesday night study group passed away a little over a week ago. Armand Rheault is survived by his wife, Mary, and seven children (if what I’m told is correct). Requiescat in pace. If you could find time, please offer a prayer for the repose of his soul and for peace in his family.

Driving home last night from our weekly Tuesday class at our parish I noticed a distinct wood smoke smell. The scent quickly grew stronger and just as I was about to turn down another road I saw the lights from several fire engines ahead. This was no little trash fire. Not by a long shot.

Roughly 100 people lived in the building; at this point it’s believed they have all lost everything. It goes without saying those affected could use your prayers. Ave Maria, gratia plena…

Everyone knows the Palm Sunday liturgies can be taxing on everyone. As the entrance to Holy Week they get attention and attendance that I’d venture to guess outstrip any of the mid-week liturgies until the Easter Vigil. Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen any priest decide to use the short form of the Palm Sunday readings and for that I am quite glad.

My son, apparently, had some sort of disagreement with that however. While I was in our RCIA session my wife and kids were at the Church for Mass; near to the end of the Gospel he, as my wife retells, turned his head up to the sky, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Needless to say that was not an event that went unnoticed. He had been sick earlier this week but everything at least seemed normal for the past couple of days. This, however, has us all a little on edge. He’ll be going in to see the doctor tomorrow; it was the doctor’s suggestion that since he was asymptomatic after the initial event we needn’t take him to the emergency room right away. We’re told that after some amount of bloodwork and whatever other tests they may decide to run we’re likely to find nothing and that it was an isolated incident. Some fat lot of consolation that is when you look in the eyes of your young child and can see a twinge of fear peaking back out at you. Ahh, sleep likely won’t be plentiful tonight.

Please, if you could, keep him in your prayers. And while you’re at it, throw a couple of prayers heavenward for his soon-to-be sleep-deprived parents. My kid instruction book didn’t come with pages for dealing with this. St. Luke, ora pro nobis!

Ignorant Redneck asks for our prayers for his daughter:

My youngest daughter was in an auto accident yesterday at about 2:30 PM. She sustained broken bones in her face, facial lacerations, and some brain injury. We have made the first 24 hour hurdle–no significant swellin of the brain, and a stable intercranial pressure. (She has a shunt and some monitoring equipment implanted in her head.) The facial fractures are considered minor–everything is in place and the fractures are clean.

Her updated status:

Meg is still listed in serious condition, but she is showing some signs of improvement. She opened her eyes a bit today. The nurse saw it ans asked her to do it again and she did. she also wiggled her fingers on request, and her toes. The wrong toes, but she did hear and understand, and wiggle them.

My sister was in a car accident as a teenager (she’ll admit, it was her fault) so I have a small idea of what IR is going through. St. Luke, pray for the doctors in whose hands she has been placed!