When you wash your hands or sanitize your hands say 2 Hail Mary's. Can you imagine the amount of prayer this commitment can create? Can the heavens remain silent to this prayer?

We are already halfway through the month of May, our favourite time to turn to Mary. Pope Francis is leading us in the Rosary prayer to end the Pandemic. The Feast of the Ascension marking the approaching end of the Easter season occurs tomorrow. Let us spare ten mins and listen to Fr. Mike Schmitz who is famous of his "Bible in one Year" podcast, who explains today: "Why Catholics Call Mary Their Mother?"

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Matthias, whose name means “gift of God”,  was the disciple chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles.








The Acts of the Apostles state that he was also one of the 72 disciples that the Lord Jesus sent out to preach the good news. Matthias was with the Lord since His Baptism, and was “a witness to Christ’s Resurrection,” according to St. Peter in Acts. He remained with Jesus until His Ascension.

According to various traditions, Matthias preached in Cappadocia, Jerusalem, the shores of the Caspian Sea (in modern day Turkey) and Ethiopia.  He is said to have met his death by crucifixion in Colchis or by stoning in Jerusalem.

There is evidence cited in some of the early Church fathers that there was a Gospel according to Matthias in circulation, but it has since been lost, and was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius.

He is invoked for assistance against alcoholism, and for support by recovered alcoholics.​

(Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com)

1)   We hosted Ken Yasinski in Brantford for our Lenten Mission FULLNESS OF PURPOSE in 2019. Today Ken is explaining the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima in a brief video below. Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima in the Church liturgy. I will also include all your special intentions at the Holy Mass.

2)     "Fatima" is a latest big screen attempt to tell the story of the apparitions in Cova da Iria, Portugal, 104 years ago. Due to the Pandemic, its screening was delayed, and the movie is coming to theatres in USA now. Hopefully, we will be able to see the movie in Canada also. As Pope Benedict XVI said we are mistaken if we think that the store of Fatima is over.  You can see the official trailer, below. 

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"AMC Theaters will exclusively re-release Fatima on Fri., May 7. The film hits theaters just in time for Mother’s Day and shortly before the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13.
Fatima follows the miraculous story of the three Fatima children–Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. Our Lady appeared to them several times in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal ...."  (read the article here)​
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Fr. Casey who is popular on many social media with his Catholic message, offers this time 18 minutes of the "usual Catholic Trivia" as he described it. It doesn't look like it is something useless altogether when you watch the whole 18 minutes. There is lots of information and fun for everyone, not only a Catholic. 

Catholic Register reports about the March for Life 2021. After being cancelled for in-person attendance last year, it is back to the Parliament Hill in 2021. Read more about this story here ...

And incredible news from Mali in Africa, where the nation and government were involved and supporting an expecting mother. "Halima Cisse was expected to have septuplets but apparently gave birth to very rare nonuplets – five girls and four boys – at a hospital in Morocco."  The mother and all babies are feeling well. Read more about this story here ...

www.vaticannews.va

Jesuit Fr. Swamy: A caged bird sings for his birthday in prison. As Father Stan Swamy celebrates his 84th birthday in an Indian prison cell, numerous Church leaders voice calls for his release, with his fellow Jesuits saying “a caged bird still can sing.”
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It was surely not how he expected to spend his 84th birthday on Monday, 26 April. After over 6 months, Fr. Stan Swamy, SJ, an Indian priest with Parkinson’s disease, remains behind bars in a Mumbai prison.

He was arrested on 8 October last year in Ranchi. His crime? Alleged links with Maoist rebels who are said to be behind a 2018 riot in Maharashtra state. His plea? Not guilty. He said before his arrest that he had never even been to Bhima Koregaon village, where the riots took place.
Fr. Stan has spent his life serving the indigenous peoples of Jharkhand and elsewhere, standing up for their rights and speaking out on their behalf.

Now, 200 days later and despite numerous appeals for his release on bail for health grounds, apart from innocence, Fr. Stan remains locked up. One of his fellow Jesuits and social activists, Fr. Cedric Prakash, wrote an open letter to Fr. Stan, and recalled his life of mission and service.
“We continue to marvel at your unflinching commitment to the cause of justice,” said Fr. Cedric. “Over the years you have shown us all what it means to be a person for others, rooted in the non-negotiable faith-justice mandate.” He added that Fr. Stan lived his evangelical vow of poverty to the full and that he has taught countless people the true meaning of solidarity. 

(read more of the story here)