The Knights of the Holy Eucharist News and Updates

Happy Anniversary!

2010-06-24T22:55:00.001-04:00

We will be celebrating two important anniversaries over the span of a month. On the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29th, we will celebrate the second anniversary of our union with the Heralds of the Gospel. The second celebration will be held on July 25th, the feast of St. James, and will mark our community's 11th anniversary! Thank you for all your prayers and support!

The Knights Welcome Comunità Cenacolo to Alabama!

2010-05-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

As you have traveled to the Shrine over the years, you might have noticed a large Spanish-style home across the river bordering the Shrine property. For years it was speculated that this was part of the monastery, but it actually had been a private home. Recently Bishop Baker was very instrumental in assisting Comunità Cenacolo (Italian for “Community of the Cenacle”) in obtaining and opening this, their 61st house. (The picture is from the opening Mass celebrated by Bishop Baker and attended by over 300 people.) What a blessing it is to have a community of young hard-working men so dedicated to Christ as our new neighbors!

From their website, www.hopereborn.org, here is some background information: “Comunità Cenacolo America is part of the international Comunità Cenacolo…[a Public Association of the Faithful], founded in Italy in 1983… Sister Elvira felt that God was calling her to serve the poor of the modern world: disillusioned young men and women who live in desperation and hopelessness, convinced that life has no meaning or value….

“The Holy Eucharist is the heart of Comunità Cenacolo, which is committed to faith in the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for our salvation. We entrust ourselves to Mary, Mother of God, whom we know as our own mother, always protecting us and guiding us deeper into the heart of her Son Jesus….”

Our Newest Knight!

2010-04-29T22:40:00.001-04:00

We rejoice in the entrance of our newest Knight, Brother Patrick, who joined us on Holy Thursday, April 1. Brother Patrick is from Hanceville, AL.

2010-04-20T09:30:00.018-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO OUR DEAREST MOTHER!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

- YOUR SPIRITUAL SONS

2010-03-14T10:24:00.006-04:00

ST. JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF THE DIVINE CHILD AND FIGURE OF THE PRIEST

Greetings, Family!

On March 19, during this most holy season of Lent, Holy Mother Church celebrates the great Solemnity of St. Joseph, foster-father of Jesus and husband of Mary, ever-Virgin. St. Joseph's great role as guardian of the Divine Child is a profound and awe-inspiring mystery. For a creature to be entrusted with the care and protection of his Creator is a thought that is unfathomable, yet, like the priest, Joseph was given this very task. During His earthly life, Jesus subjected himself entirely to Joseph and Mary in all things. "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Lk 2:51).

It is a very efficacious meditation to meditate on Jesus' hidden life with Joseph and Mary. The great saint of the Eucharist, St. Peter Julian Eymard, speaks beautifully of this hidden life:

"(Jesus) concealed Himself below the simplest and most familiar exterior. He had the weakness of a little child in order to honor and sanctify weakness. He showed the perfect virtues of His soul only gradually, with increase of years. And why? In order not to draw attention to Himself and to live like an ordinary person. With great humility He obeyed creatures who, although very virtuous, were infinitely inferior to Him. He obeyed Joseph and Mary with great sweetness and joy because they took the place of His Heavenly Father. He submitted to all those in authority in order to impart to all His grace of obedience. At first, Jesus performed childish tasks at Nazareth, helping His Mother keep the in order, laying the table, serving Mary and Joseph, opening the door, sweeping the house, sharing the manual labor of Mary in spinning and weaving wool. ...Jesus wished...to raise the smallest things to the plane of the divine and to sanctify the home and the activities of domestic life. When He was older, Jesus worked with His foster-father at the rough trade of carpentry. He went out with St. Joseph to work by the day, serving as carpenter's helper at first and working for rude, exacting, and overbearing masters."

Through all this Joseph humbly cared for his Creator and Lord with utmost tenderness and love. He, in the depths of his pure and just heart, adored the Word made flesh.

A certain novena to St. Joseph touches on his special relationship to the priesthood. The novena tells of how Joseph possessed a wonderful power over our Savior. His life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Holy Eucharist. To some extent he was the means of bringing the redeemer to us--as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in the Mass. For he reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. St. Joseph was prefigured by the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he was the guardian of Jesus. Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. Good St. Joseph nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion. (www.ewtn.com)

As we approach this Solemnity of St. Joseph, let us pray to holy Joseph for the grace that we too may have so ardent a faith in Jesus' presence in the Holy Eucharist. In the same way he carried Jesus in his arms in this life, may he carry us in his arms to the life that never ends, where we will see Jesus face to face.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

Br. Laurence Mary, KHE

2010-02-24T16:15:00.008-05:00

FR. BENEDICT AND MORE...

Hello, Family!

We are all back into the swing of things here at Holy Apostles and the days seem to be flying by. On Feb. 5 we had a Day of Recollection with Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR and he was in top form! He spoke to us about the Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell) and reminded us to always keep death in mind. He also stressed the importance of praying daily that we will have the Last Sacraments at the time of our death. We were extremely grateful to have him with us and look forward to his next visit. In one week we will have Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City/St. Joseph giving us our March Day of Recollection. He is also one of the Knights friends and supporters. These Days of Recollection are always such a fruitful and thought-provoking time.

On January 22 Holy Apostles College and Seminary took several buses down to Washington D.C. to join thousands of others for the March for Life. It was very encouraging to see so many people committed to life. This year's March was one of the largest in its history.

Well, Lent, the great season of grace, is upon us. This 40-day period of self-conversion, prayer and penance is meant to bring us to a greater conversion of mind and heart. This season calls and prepares us to rise from our tombs of sin and darkness and "put on Christ." In his Lenten Message for 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said, "Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need—the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship." With this in mind, during this time let us seek God's mercy and continually recognize our need for conversion through personal prayer and mortification.

Please continue to keep all of the Knights in your prayers. As always, you are an indispensable part of our seminary life and continue to be in our prayers before Our Eucharistic King. Have a blessed Lent, Family.

- Br. Laurence Mary

(Photo Courtesy of Deacon Jim Papillo)

A New Knight!

2010-01-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

We have been blessed with a new Knight, Br. Schuyler from Columbia, Louisiana, who entered on October 1, 2009. Please pray for him.

Knight's Chapel Blessed!

2010-01-26T22:42:00.002-05:00

On January 2, the Knights’ chapel was blessed by our Bishop, Robert J. Baker. It was a joyous occasion for which we are grateful. Afterwards we hosted an Open House so that our local friends could see our chapel and share in our joy. In the spirit of knighthood, we have chosen the name of our chapel to be “Maria, Turris Davidica” (Mary, Tower of David). As knights of our Heavenly Queen, we, who are in the great battle for souls, take refuge in the secure and maternal walls of Mary’s Immaculate Heart. She, who is the Ark of the New Covenant, shares in a special way in Her Son’s great victory over the enemy; and in Her Triumphant Heart we shall dwell in peace and security. This chapel will be for us a place of unending prayer and supplication before the throne of our Eucharistic King. Be assured that you and your family will continue to be an indispensable part of our family, and you will be remembered in the daily prayers which we will offer in this beautiful house of prayer. For more information on “Turris Davidica,” you can visit www.virtualabbey.com/2008/01/turris_davidica.html.

The Start of a New Semester

2010-01-20T15:31:00.015-05:00

Thank you all for your prayers and support over the Christmas break! It was great to be able to be back at the Shrine in Alabama! Well, the semester is underway and hopefully we will be able to keep up with the posts as we did last year.

To Start the new academic year we had the great privilege of attending a week-long silent retreat, not far from the seminary, in Putnam, CT. It was a beautiful start to what looks to be a promising semester. I don't just say that because there is still hope of getting all those papers in on time, or because there are still hopes of good grades, but because this very day, the Bioethics Resources page has officially been launched on the Holy Apostles website. It was officially dedicated to Msgr. David Q. Liptak, whose picture is below. The site can be accessed from the Holy Apostles website at http://holyapostles.edu/link.php?action=expand&ID=115 . There are many great resources there, so check it out!

Also, we will be attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the 22nd, which is just two days away. Please join us in standing up for life!

Sincerely,

Br. Gregory

Hail, King of the World! Hail, King of My Heart!

2009-11-21T21:17:00.014-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Today the Church celebrates with great joy the Solemnity of Christ The King. This feast is meaningful in a special way for the Knights of the Holy Eucharist. After all, what is a knight without his King? Our knighthood exists by and for His Kingship. He is Our Eucharistic King.

Sacred Scripture, the prayers for Mass, and popular devotions are rich with references to God's Kingship. He is the King of Kings (1 Tim 6:15), the King of Ages (1 Tim 1:17), the King of the Universe (Opening prayer for today's Mass) and the King and center of all hearts (Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus).

Let us worship and love Him as Our King. Let us love Him totally holding nothing back.

"Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally." -St. Francis

Here is a beautiful hymn honoring Christ The King. I think it is very appropriate for our times. Thy Kingdom Come! I hope and pray that it inspires our loving devotion.

"Thou art my King and my God..." -Psalm 44:4

In Our Eucharistic King and His Queen Mother,
Br. Francesco Maria

"OUT OF THE DEPTHS..."

2009-11-10T10:39:00.005-05:00

Greetings, Family! Here at Holy Apostles we are beginning the stretch run. Papers are crying to be written, tests to be taken, and deadlines to be met. The spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral formation here is great, it really helps one to become a disciplined and balanced human being-If one is willing to be such. In all of us there is the need to be chiseled and formed, to become a new man in Christ, the Eternal Formater. For every way in which we are not conformed to Christ in this life, we will be made entirely like Him in the next life in Purgatory.

The month of November is the time Holy Mother Church has appointed for an increased offering of prayers and remembrances for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. If you consider that to love someone means to desire what is best for them, then how can we not want the Beatific Vision for these Poor Souls, especially our deceased loved ones. This practice is more than a pious devotion, it is an indispensable act of mercy. The fact of the matter is, most saved souls first go to Purgatory. Unfortunately, many fall into the trap that says everyone is in heaven and they don't need our help. However, not only do they need, long and pine for our prayers, but they also long for us to call upon the help of their most powerful prayers.

Some ways of praying for the Holy Souls are: 1) Reverently make the Sign of the Cross, 2) The sprinkling of Holy Water brings them relief, 3) Alms-giving, 4) Masses offered for the repose of their souls, especially Gregorian Masses (Masses said for 30 days), 5) Pray at a cemetery, 6) Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, 7) Make Holy Hours for them, 8) Offer acts of self-denial, 9) Gain plenary indulgences for the Poor Souls, 10) The Holy Rosary, 11) Pray in a special way for the souls of deceased bishops and priests, including those who dispensed the Sacraments to us during their lives. These souls will be eternally grateful for our merciful acts. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Mt. 5:7)

Let us, during this Month of the Holy Souls, generously offer prayers on their behalf and not to forget to ask for their intercession and help as well.

St. Gertrude's Prayer for Poor Souls in Purgatory

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen

All ye Holy Souls in Purgatory, pray for us!

- Br. Laurence Mary, KHE

Let Us Thank God for All the Saints

2009-11-01T20:29:00.006-05:00

Let us thank God for all of the Holy Saints, who believed with St. Paul that “by grace you have been saved through faith: and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2: 8), and who “work(ed) out [their] salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12), and “who endure(d) to the end,” as Jesus Christ taught. (Mt 10:22) I petition all of my Patron Saints a few of whom are Sts. Philomena, Fidelis, Stephen, Paul and Paul of the Cross to intercede before the throne of the Lord for all who read this blog and their intentions.

Today, I wish to focus on one important Theme which was brought to my attention while reading Peter J. Kreeft’s Because God Is Real: Sixteen Questions, One Answer for Apologetics class. The first, being peace in the world. I believe that Thomas Merton states it well, “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.” America... In order to solve the issues of today we must turn to God, and how better than to turn to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ; the Church which was given its authority to teach in His name (Lk 10:16), (See Kreeft p. 100) Particularly, through the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, THE HOLY EUCHARIST, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and the Anointing of the Sick.

To be continued…

Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host, KHE

Construction of a new Church for the Seminary

2009-10-29T19:54:00.012-04:00

Dear Family and friends, It has been very exciting over the past few months here at Holy Apostles Seminary. We are currently under construction of our new chapel: Our Lady Queen of the Holy Apostles. We had a ground-breaking ceremony for the new chapel last spring before we left for the summer vacation. The Seminary has been anticipating building the new church for a few years in honor of the Seminary's 50th year anniversary. Since the seminary is at "full capacity" with almost of of the dorm rooms filled, the old chapel was very cramped and not very "acoustically friendly". the old chapel was originally a long tool and paint shed that was converted into a chapel when Holy Apostles Seminary was founded. Over the years the chapel came to a point of disrepair. They demolished the old, smaller chapel over the 2009 Summer vacation months, and immediately began construction for the new church. All of the seminarians returned in the latter part of August and saw much of the ground excavated and concrete footer walls poured for the basement. Over the past week or so, there have been large cranes hoisting the large timbers used for the supporting wall structure. The new church will be octagonal in shape like the 8 sided Baptisteries in Europe. The new church will face the East (unlike the old chapel) so that the Holy Mass could be celebrated "ad orientum" with greater ease. I believe the new church will seat about 150-175 rather than the 80 that the old chapel sat. We pray like the Psalmist says: "If the Lord does not build the House, in vain do its builders labor." We pray that the Lord will continue to bless the construction of our new church and keep all of His laborers safe. Please continue to pray for us so that one day, we may offer in our new church the perfect prayer of worship to God; The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Mother Angelica and Dcn. Bill Receive Award from the Pope

2009-10-06T19:47:00.011-04:00

Dear Family,

It is with tremendous joy that the Knights of the Holy Eucharist watched last Sunday evening's Benediction on EWTN, on the feast of St. Francis. Our local bishop, Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham was the celebrant. It was wonderful to see the Shrine's pews filled and overflowing; not only were our sisters, the Knights, and the MFVA friars there, but members of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, the Benedictine monks from Cullman, and Dominican sisters were present for the great occasion. At the end of a beautiful homily, Bishop Baker announced that Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award ("for the Church and the Pope") on our own Reverend Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA, foundress of EWTN, and Deacon Bill Steltemeier, Chairman of EWTNs Board of Governors. This is the highest award that the Pope can give to a lay person or a religious.

We are very proud and grateful to see our foundress as well as our very close friend and spiritual father be so honored by the Vicar of Christ. It is an honor they have well deserved. They are both wonderful examples of being docile to the Holy Spirit, trusting in God despite tremendous trials, heroically relying on Divine Providence, and persevering in following God's will.

What makes this occasion more special for the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (a branch of the Heralds of the Gospel) is that the President and Founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, Monsignor John Cla, received the same Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award from Pope Benedict on the feast of the Assumption, August 15th, 2009. It is an amazing blessing that our community's foundress (Mother Angelica) as well as our community's ultimate superior (Monsignor John Cla) have been honored by the Holy Father in this way. We are very proud to be spiritual children of two great apostles of our times. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Congratulations again to Mother Angelica, Deacon Bill, and the whole EWTN family!

Feast of St. Francis!

2009-10-04T15:48:00.018-04:00

Happy Feast of Our Holy Father Francis!

Pax et Bonum!

What an awesome saint we have!
As you probably know, St. Francis is the special patron of the Knights of the Holy Eucharist. Our Franciscan roots come from our foundress, Mother Angelica. In particular, the Knights look to St. Francis as a model of total dedication to Christ. Even after his conversion, he retained a spirit of knighthood, but it was now a knighthood for the King of Heaven. St. Francis also had profound love for the Blessed Sacrament, and tremendous reverence for the holy priesthood.

What has struck me recently is how childlike he was. Over the last few days we have been hearing in the readings for Holy Mass how the kingdom of Heaven requires childlike-ness. Our Lord tells us, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Matt 18:3) Our Lord shows us here that being childlike is essential. But how do we do this? "Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." (Matt 18:4)Humility is the key. As Fr. John Corapi says, "No humility--no holiness; no holiness--no heaven."

The spiritual masters speak of this spiritual childhood. St. Therese, the little flower, whom we celebrated a couple days ago, particularly comes to my mind. One of the many things that strikes me the most about her is her purity and innocence.

Living spiritual childhood (and we were made children of God at Baptism) entails humility, purity, innocence, simplicity, meekness, gentleness, joy, trust in divine providence, and docility to the will of God; in a word, spiritual childhood is about radiating love. These are all the attributes of a young child. These are the ways a child approaches life and especially the way a child relates to his parents.

By cooperation with the grace of God, St. Francis possessed all these beautiful virtues. By uniting himself to Our Lord, sacrificed on the cross, the only sacrifice that perfectly pleases the Eternal Father, St. Francis could become more and more like Christ, the love of His life. And he did. The offering of his own life became a pleasing fragrance to almighty God. Holiness of life is so beautiful. It has an incredible ripple effect. It's contagious. We see somebody who has it (or read about them), and we desire that same joy and love, that same degree of spiritual perfection. It is for this reason that we can celebrate this year the 800 years of the existence of the Franciscan order. What a blessing for the Church! And this all happened, because a man surrendered the entirety of his life to God.

And God never leaves us empty-handed. "He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life." (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Inaguration of his Pontificate) Our Lord Himself speaks of the radical embrace of the evangelical counsels. "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)

May God bless you all with His Peace!

Br. Francesco Maria

Check out the Sister's cool little slideshow on St. Francis:
http://www.olamshrine.com/francis.html

SOLDIERS OF CHRIST

2009-09-29T09:27:00.014-04:00

Hi, Family! Life at seminary continues to get busier and busier, but is going very well. The first month has been an awesome learning experience. Now, more than ever, I realize what a great gift time is, and what a tragedy time wasted is. Every moment demands the trust of a child and the courage of a soldier.

This week, Holy Mother Church celebrates the feasts of St. Michael (Sept. 29) and St. Therese (Oct. 1), two valiant soldiers of Christ. The Knights extend their feast day wishes to our own Br. Michael Mary, KHE on his name-day! St. Paul tells us, "Labor as a good soldier of Christ." (2 Tim. 2:3) As we, the Church militant, labor here on earth for God's glory and the salvation of souls, our eyes look to Sts. Michael and Therese. Michael, the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, and Therese, the little and valiant flower of God's garden, show us what it means to be "a good soldier of Christ."

It is easy to see Michael as the epitome of militant action, casting down the devil and his minions from their self-erected thrones, but St. Therese? Therese's militant spirit is truly what defined her sanctity. Her courageous love for God and unwavering, yet childlike, spirit were made manifest by her great and persevering desire for martyrdom. This "flower", roots and all, completely surrendered herself to the merciful love of her Spouse and King. Not counting the cost to "die" for Him, Therese took the model of her fellow french-woman, St. Joan of Arc, and allowed the flames of Christ's love to consume her "little" holocaust. In our time, when women seek to be equal to or exceed men, St. Therese was a manly woman in a truly ordered and vir-tuous way. May Sts. Michael and Therese help us to be good soldiers of Jesus.

A word of thanks to Tom and Sonja for allowing us use of their home while we were in New York City this past weekend, which was a free weekend here at Holy Apostles. The Knights enjoyed spending time with Tom and his brother, Bob, as they showed us around the "Big Apple." We also appreciated Dr. Alphonso's hospitality and his guided tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All of us enjoyed spending Saturday evening visiting with Ted and Gloria, as well-Thanks guys, the view was awesome! Thank you, Family, for your continued support and prayers!

- Br. Laurence Mary, KHE

St. Wenceslaus

2009-09-28T16:04:00.020-04:00

Today Holy Mother Church celebrates the Feast of St. Wenceslaus. This feast is dear to my heart, because of my Czech heritage. St. Wenceslaus or Vaclav, born in 907 AD, is the Patron of the Bohemian People. He is a model for our times. Not only was he a just ruler whose faith guided him in his decisions as duke over his people, but he lived his Roman Catholic Faith. Wenceslaus encouraged the conversion of the Bohemian people from their semi-pagan ways back to the Latin Roman Rite. He also had a profound reverence for the Holy Eucharist. I believe this reverence guided him in all his actions.

May we all follow his example, first in his reverence and love of Jesus Christ truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and secondly, in asking Our Lord to guide our daily actions through the teachings of Holy Mother Church. Let us pray for all Christian, and especially Catholic, public officials or those discerning the calling to public office, that they, like St. Wenceslaus, may be guided by the true Catholic Christian teachings in their decisions regarding morality. God Bless!

Semper, (Always)
Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host, KHE

tomb of St. Wenceslaus

Servant of All

2009-09-20T22:10:00.005-04:00

Now that we are back at Seminary we decided to become more dedicated to keeping in touch with you all. Earlier in the week, Br. Michael asked if I could post an update. The thought struck me last night while reading a History text that I had not fulfilled the request. I was unsure what to write about, but figured I could write about the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, we have just experienced three feast days that are very much united with the Cross. The first and most prominent was on the 14^th, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross by St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. The second, was the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the third was the feast of the Impression of the Stigmata on our Holy Father St. Francis on the 17th.

With these three feast days in mind, I went into the chapel to pray for inspiration. I began to read the readings for today’s Holy Mass. As I was reading along, words from the second reading, from the letter of James, caught my attention. He wrote (from the Jerusalem Bible), “Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it;” I thought to myself, “Wow, this is good” then I thought, “Oo oo, I wonder what is going to come next, Is he going to teach me how to pray properly to get what I want?” As you can see the idea of the Cross was slipping from my grasp.

I read on, “When you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.” Then I looked up at the tabernacle and was overwhelmed with the love of God. In the words of Deacon Bill Steltemeier, “Thank You Jesus!”

But wait, that isn’t the end of the story. Holy Mother Church in her infinite wisdom offers us the Gospel of Mark (9:30-37) to conclude the Liturgy of the Word. This particular passage is about the debate the disciples had about who was the greatest. It says, “So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’” I knew then that this is what Jesus was asking of me.

We all have interest and desires, things we pray for, things we hope to achieve, but if they are not in accord with God’s will, they will lead us down the wrong path. This is evident in today’s Gospel were we encounter the disciples of Jesus, his closest followers, his intimate companions, arguing about who was the greatest. Why would they do such a thing? Surely they had great love, for they had given up everything to follow Jesus. The point is, when we take our eyes off the Lord we begin lose focus on who is really important.

It is said that “Love begets Love,” so let’s see how Jesus, who is love, handled the situation. Jesus saw the disciples vie for prominence and used the situation, not as a time for a reprimand, but as a time to teach. The first thing that I noticed that Jesus did, which struck me as something neat, was that He first “sat down and then called the Twelve.” I don’t know why, but I think it might have lessened some of the tension the disciples may have had. He then went on to teach them where true greatness is found.

Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.”

Back to School! (with 2 more Knights)

2009-09-06T14:55:00.007-04:00

From left to right: Br. Fidelis, Br. Francesco, Br. Juan, Br. Laurence, Br. Michael, and Br. Gregory.

We're back at Holy Apostles, Cromwell, CT to begin another year of seminary formation! This time we have 2 more knights with us, making a total of six Knight seminarians! Our new seminarians are Br. Laurence Mary and Br. Maria "Juan." We are very excited to have two more members beginning studies at Holy Apostles.

Our first week of studies went very well. We began the year with an opening Mass at which Fr. Douglas Mosey, our rector led a procession and blessed the grounds of the College and Seminary. We look forward to a new year of blessings and graces. We'll keep you posted on what we're up to as the semester goes on...

Br. Laurence and Br. Juan offer some reflections on what the priesthood means to them.

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mt 16:24)

What does the holy priesthood mean to me? First, it means to come after Jesus by humbly listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Second, to deny one's very self and all that he holds dear in this world. Then, to daily take up the Cross of the Lord with love and humility. Finally, and most importantly, to follow and emulate Christ in his priestly life by continually and lovingly sacrificing and offering it’s joys and sorrows through the humble recognition of his weaknesses and failings. As a priest he must say with St. Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:19b-20), and elsewhere, “This is my earnest longing and my hope…that this body of mine will do Christ honor.” (Phil 1:20) This is what it means to be priest-victim under the Great High Priest-Victim, Jesus Christ.

-Br. Laurence

To me the priesthood means to follow Christ in perfect imitation of His life, through the Sacramental life of the Church, for the salvation of souls. The vocation of the priesthood comes from the grace of the Holy Sacraments, to the individual souls who are called to the imitation and intimate union with Christ. With this call in mind, the priests are to totally give themselves to the sacred privilege of administering the Sacraments to Christ’s faithful, the Church.

In ministering to the needs of the lay-faithful; the priest must always bear in mind that he, in reflecting Christ’s love is also reflecting Christ’s bride the Church. In this way, the priest truly lays down his own life for the sake of the Church….

Striving to lead souls to Christ, the priest must mirror and reveal the purity and blamelessness of Christ; and, as Christ suffered and laid down His life for the Church: so must the priest, with his whole heart, do the same. For the priest to truly understand his vocation, as an alter Christus, he must remain loyal, first and foremost, to the Holy Eucharist but also, to a daily prayer-life.

-Br. Maria "Juan"

Community Retreat!

2009-08-12T22:20:00.008-04:00

Last week we had our annual 4-day silent retreat.

A retreat is always a great time to spend some extra time alone with God in silence. It is a time of renewing our spiritual lives and reorientating our life to God.
It was a really awesome retreat, led by Fr. Zachary of the Mother of God, SOLT. One of the many things Fr. Zachary shared with us was that in order to reach the heights of sanctity quickly, we should have a real, loving relationship with Our Blessed Mother. She will teach us, for she is the model, to have a real, loving relationship with the Blessed Trinity. We should cultivate this relationship with Our Lady if we wish to find the greatest fulfillment in life: great holiness, abiding in the love of God.

Br. Francesco Maria of the Life-Giving Sacrament, KHE

_________

During the retreat I chose to read our late Holy Father JPII's 1st encyclical, Redemptor Hominis. I found particularly inspiring the below quote. RH #20:

"When celebrating the sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord, the full magnitude of the divine mystery must be respected, as must the full meaning of this sacramental sign in which Christ is really present and is received, the soul is filled with grace and the pledge of future glory is given.(169) This is the source of the duty to carry out rigorously the liturgical rules and everything that is a manifestation of community worship offered to God Himself, all the more so because in this sacramental sign He entrusts Himself to us with limitless trust, as if not taking into consideration our human weakness, our unworthiness, the force of habit, routine, or even the possibility of insult. Every member of the Church, especially bishops and priests, must be vigilant in seeing that this sacrament of love shall be at the center of the life of the People of God, so that through all the manifestations of worship due to it Christ shall be given back 'love for love' and truly become 'the life of our souls.'(170) Nor can we, on the other hand, ever forget the following words of St. Paul: 'Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.'"(171)

Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host, KHE

KNIGHTLY REMINDER

2009-07-30T18:35:00.012-04:00

Hello everyone, may the Peace and Joy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Br. Michael Mary here. I hope that you all have watched the Knights featured on "Life on the Rock" this evening. We pray that the message of who we are, and the mission that the Lord has set before us, may be proclaimed to every young man that is discerning a call to follow the Lord in a more intimate way. It takes courage to to "set forth to the Plow and not look back." Check us out at www.knightsoftheholyeucharist.com

It is hard to believe that the Summer is almost half-spent. It seems like it was only yesterday that we all left seminary to return back home to Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. Many exciting things have taken place while we have been back Home. It has been great to be back with all our brother Knights, Poor Clare Sisters, Friars, and all our friends and family. I can't believe that in less then a month, six Knights will be departing for Holy Apostles Seminary for the 2009 fall semester.

As knights of the Holy Eucharist, We strive to live chivalrous lives, but you don't have to be a knight to do so. We are all called by God to be holy in the state of life that He has called us to, whether we are Priests, Brothers, Religious, married, or single.

Our Lady’s Academy of Sanctity

2009-06-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

For some time the Knights have had the desire to build a school. Recently we found a beautiful oasis of property located only 12 miles from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is well kept, and an ideal rural, peaceful setting for our proposed boarding academy, Our Lady’s Academy of Sanctity. Our plan is to accommodate 300 young men, grades 6-12, and give them a well-rounded education, especially in our Catholic Faith. It will prepare youth not only for their immediate future, but most importantly for their eternal future. We have invoked Our Lady’s assistance and have placed Miraculous Medals at the entry gates. Please pray for a generous benefactor to make this hope a reality. For many this will be a matter of eternal life or death. As Paul Claudel said, “Youth was not made for pleasure, but for heroism.” It is our desire to spur the young memon to holiness–love of God and neighbor.

"Life on the Rock"

2009-06-25T22:52:00.001-04:00

Next month, the Knights of the Holy Eucharist along with the Heralds of the Gospel will have the privilege of being interviewed by Fr. Mark Mary and Doug Barry on EWTN’s "Life on the Rock." The show will air on July 30th at 7 p.m. (CDT). For more information, please visit the official "Life on the Rock" website.

Pontifical Solemn High Mass

2009-06-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

On July 1st the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius will be here for a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Mass will be at 7 a.m. (CDT) and will be televised by EWTN. The celebrant will be Bishop Joseph Perry, assisted by the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. The Knights of the Holy Eucharist will host the Canons Regular during their stay and help serve in any necessary capacity.

Month of St. Joseph

2009-03-29T12:51:00.004-04:00

As the month of March comes to a close, let us recall that it is the month dedicated to St. Joseph. May we all recall that he was a Gentleman, Eucharistic Adorer (during the pregnancy of Our Lady, the Christ Child Jesus was being formed in her womb. St. Joseph adored Jesus within the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first tabernacle. May we recall that Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament awaits us in all the Church tabernacles of the world.), Foster-Father, Husband and Head of the Holy Family. Let us never forget his great zeal and humility as he led and taught Jesus Christ the God-Man, the second person of the Holy Trinity and the promised Messiah of the Jews... how to be a man.
Let us call upon st. Joseph and ask his intercession, before his Foster-Son, through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to make everyman become a St. Joseph in each of his own family and extended family. Especially during these times when the Family is so under attack. REMEMBER THE FAMILY IS THE BASE ON WHICH SOCIETY RESTS. St. Joseph, Pray for us! God Bless!

Semper (Always),
Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host

March for Life!

2009-01-20T19:24:00.009-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

The Knights are back! We did not intend to leave everybody wondering what we've been up to. As you might imagine, Christmas was wonderful! Our Christmas break was very busy but awesome.

The spring formation semester has begun here at Holy Apostles Seminary and we're all excited about our new classes. But for now, we want to hold-off on talking about ourselves.

This Thursday, January 22nd is the March for Life in Washington D.C. Our new president Barrack Obama, is ready to reverse practically everything that the Culture of Life has fought for up to this point. Obama is incredibly intent on passing FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act) into law, which would do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections. FOCA would compel taxpayer funding of abortions. It would also force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.

I encourage all of you to go to the March for Life and fight for the unborn, the most precious in our society, who cannot defend themselves, and who are legally killed every minute. There is an atrocious war going on in our own country. But we will fight back most especially with our prayer, because ultimately this is spiritual warfare, between Satan and the powers of Hell controlling the culture of death and God and the Heavenly Hosts leading the Culture of Life. The outcome has already been decided. Christ will triumph. But we must pray through the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of the Americas, as well as with the communion of saints. We must march (at least spiritually) with our rosaries, and with our humility, our earnest hope, our youthful joy, and most especially our love. Please support the marchers with your prayers. Prayer warriors are the most important!

May Our Lord bless you all abundantly with His grace,

The Knights of the Holy Eucharist

Cardinal Scherer ordained six priests and sixteen deacons of the Heralds of the Gospel

2008-12-22T23:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Cardinal Scherer ordained six priests and sixteen deacons of the Heralds of the Gospel. It was an exciting ceremony held at the newly opened Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The whole ceremony was accompanied by the choir of the Heralds and was broadcast live to dozens of countries by EWTN, the largest network of Catholic world, and the TV Arautos (Gaudium Press).

Br. David, Br. Michael, and Br. Francesco were able to travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for this wonderful occasion.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

2008-12-12T23:13:00.000-05:00

For the past year or so, the Knights of the Holy Eucharist have trained for and served many Low Masses of the Extraordinary Form. Today, for the first time, the Knights served the Missa Cantata (Sung Mass) unassisted. This great gift was made possible through the time, dedication, and training of Fr. Justin Nolan, F.S.S.P. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Family Visit!

2008-11-26T16:31:00.027-05:00

Recently, Br. Fidelis's parents to visit us up here at seminary, all the way from Texas. It was great to spend some time with them.

During their visit, we went to see the Knights of Columbus museum in New Haven, CT, where the K of C were founded.

Here's just a few of the interesting things we saw.

This painting was commissioned in anticipation of the pope's U.S. visit in April 2008. The statue of the angel on the pope's left holds the first encyclical letter by Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) and the parable of the good Samaritan.

A statue of St. Peter, a replica of the one in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

This is a sweet-look'n sword.

Artillery shell fragment from the August 1943 bombardment of Rome in World War II.

A very beautiful crucifix.

Br. Fidelis chows down with his parents. They took us out to eat after we went to New Haven.

We are very thankful for the support of our families.
Ya'll come back Ya hear!

My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph

2008-11-15T20:10:00.005-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This November 4th, the vast majority of Americans voted against life. This is a serious and devastating tragedy.
But we must not give in to distress or hopelessness. We need to pray all the more earnestly and work all the more diligently, trusting in the grace and mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The victory of LIFE has already been decided. Christ has conquered death! We must pray that we may cooperate in this victory, and pray that we may see sins and crimes against life abolished. Let us not forget that slavery was abolished in our nation not that long ago.
We need to pray to Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Life!

Her Immaculate Heart will triumph!

Oremus pro invicem!
(let us pray for each other)

AN IMPORTANT PLEA!!

2008-11-02T19:51:00.012-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Our country waits in anxious expectation to see who is to become the next president of the United States of America. As Catholics, we cannot sit back and simply watch. We must pray. And make sacrifices.

And friends, if you still don't know who to vote for, watch this short video.

The bishops from each corner of this nation have been preaching, teaching, and informing their flocks as well as the rest of the American people... to vote for life. Countless priests have backed them up and followed their lead. The Church has spoken.

Here are some words from Fr. John Corapi's election-alert message to Catholics in America. If you would like to see the full video, watch the three clips at the bottom of this post. Fr. Corapi tells us that we have to vote according to our conscience. However, he clearly points out that "conscience is not an independent entity. It's not something that operates in a vacuum, its something you have to actively work with; you have to form you conscience to the objective norm of Truth: Church teaching..."

Fr. Corapi continues, "in the last several decades the preeminent moral question of our society, of western civilization in general, comes down to one thing. Are there many issues? Yes. Are there many important issues? Yes. But there is an overriding, preeminently important issue. It concerns a right. It concerns a right to life. No other issue takes precedence over that."

Please see where the candidates stand on the key issues:
http://www.politicalresponsibility.com/

Pray, friends and family, that our country may have the courage to vote for life.

God bless you all, through Our Lady's intercession,

The Knights of the Holy Eucharist

9 Days 'Til the Presidential Elections

2008-10-26T20:34:00.006-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

There are 9 days left before the Presidential Elections. People everywhere are praying earnestly that God's will may be done. In Hanceville the Poor Clares, the Knights, and the families in the area will be praying the Rosary for the elections for these next 9 days leading up to election day. The Knight seminarians will be joining them in this prayer. Please join us in praying through Our Blessed Mother's intercession during this critical time in our country. The greatest issue is not money, as vital as it is. There is nothing more vital for our country than life itself, and defending it from conception until natural death.

Vote for LIFE!

Praying to End Abortion

2008-10-17T21:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

As our country continues to allow the holocaust of abortion, we must pray all the more. And it is for this reason that Christians have come together to stand up for life during the 40 Days for Life Campaign. For those of you have not been filled-in on what this is, 40 Days for Life is a nation-wide campaign of prayer and fasting, constant vigil and community outreach. From now through November 2, people in 179 cities in 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and two Canadian provinces are taking part!

Its not too late for you to take part!

The Knights pray and silently stand up for the unborn in front of Planned Parenthood, Norwich, CT.

Holy Apostles College and Seminary (where the Knights of the Holy Eucharist attend) is participating in the 40 Days for Life in several ways. On September 28th we had 24 hours of Eucharistic adoration to pray for Life. On October 4th we had a 12-hour prayer vigil in front of the abortion facility in Hartford, CT. On October 10th-11th we had a 24 hour prayer vigil in front of Planned Parenthood in Norwich, CT. We are very proud of all the seminarians, lay people, and especially the young people who dedicated themselves to stand up for the unborn. Michelle Poirier, a student at Holy Apostles College got some of her friends together and they were there praying, giving witness, and standing up for life in front of Planned Parenthood from 3:00 in the morning til 6:00 in the morning! This is just one example of dedicated and joyful sacrifice made for the sake of the unborn.

There will be another opportunity for the Holy Apostles community to participate in a vigil on Thursday, October 23rd: we will be helping David Bolio (Holy Apostles campus coordinator) and his wife Christine for their parish, Ss. Peter and Paul, to pray in front of the abortuary in Hartford from 6am to 6pm.

Fr. Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life and a truly tireless leader in the work for the end of abortion and the right to life, visited Holy Apostles Seminary recently to speak to us on life issues. I think he inspired all of us to keep praying and working earnestly for the cause of life.

Photos: courtesy of Deacon Jim Papillo

Fr. Frank Pavone was the main celebrant for our daily Mass in our Seminary chapel,
Queen of the Holy Apostles.

Fr. Pavone speaks to the seminary.

Our 82 seminarians, plus the faculty and staff, listening attentively to Fr. Pavone.

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

2008-10-04T09:22:00.006-04:00

Happy feast day to all Francisicans around the world especially The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the Francisican Missionaries of the Eternal Word and the Knights of the Holy Eucharist! In particular we would like to wish Br. Francesco a happy feast day!

Let us as St. Francis exorts us to, "Preach always and when necessary use words"

Happy feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Holy Face

2008-10-01T20:30:00.001-04:00

Today is the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

St. Therese can be a model for all of us to follow. Through following the "Little Way" we are able to offer all of our daily trails and sufferings to our Beloved Lord Jesus, no matter how small they may be. God always looks at our motives for doing things and not at how big or grand the action may be.

St. Therese had a great love for the holy priesthood. She would offer up much of her "Little Offerings" for the sanctity of priest. She even spiritual adopted two seminarians so she could pray for their perseverance to the holy priesthood.
I have taken St. Therese (along with St. Michael and St. Joseph)as my special Patron Saint. I pray that St. Therese will continue to intercede for us all as we continue to learn the "Little Way of Love".
By: Br. Michael Mary.KHE

Feast of the Archangels!

2008-09-29T11:50:00.019-04:00

Happy feast day, Br. Michael!

Br. Michael is pictured here with some props (parts of a recovered statue of St. Michael) from Fr. Kevin Lutz in Columbus, Ohio. We visited Fr. Lutz last summer before arriving at seminary.

St. Michael the archangel is an inspiration to the Knights of the Holy Eucharist as a warrior of Truth and guardian of the Blessed Sacrament. The Knights pray the chaplet of St. Michael after Evening Prayer every day.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!

Back at seminary!

2008-09-27T22:52:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends,

After a wonderful summer at the monastery, we're back at seminary! And there are four of us here now! We're very glad to have Br. Fidelis and Br. Gregory with us. We pray that they have a fruitful formation semester. Everything has been going very well these first days of school; we are keeping quite busy with our studies. The new Knight seminarians are finding there classes challenging but also enjoyable. This year about 25 new seminarians entered Holy Apostles Seminary; our total number is almost 85. It is a great experience to study with good Catholic men of all ages, places, and backgrounds.

Stay tuned...
-We'll keep you updated on some of the cool things we've been up to...

End of Spring Semester!

2008-05-03T19:34:00.000-04:00

Dear family and friends,

We would like to thank you so much for all your prayers during our final exams. By the grace of God, everything went well. The spring semester has now ended. On Friday, the 2nd of May, Holy Apostles College and Seminary had its graduation ceremony. Among the many Philosophy and Theology graduates, there were 7 deacons who will be ordained to the holy priesthood this summer (there are also 6 men being ordained deacons). We were privileged to have with us for the graduation Fr. Bill Casey and Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy. Towards the end of the ceremony, a 20 minute video clip of Fr. John Corapi was shown. He was not able to make it to the graduation, so he spoke to us through the video. Fr. Corapi studied at Holy Apostles for 3 years. He has many fond memories of our humble college and seminary. He couldn't say enough about how great Holy Apostles is as a place where one can find authentic Catholic education. He said he was indebted to Holy Apostles for the great professors that gave him the "hands of Philosophy to grasp theology". It was truly a wonderful night. Congratulations to the graduates, especially those who will be ordained.

We're back home at the Shrine! It's great to be back! We look forward to a great, hard-working, and prayerful summer.

May the Holy Spirit pour out his abundant graces upon you this Pentecost and always.

Happy Feast Day, Mother Vicar!

2008-04-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

Today, April 29th, is the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, Dominican tertiary (third order), mystic, stigmatist, and papal consultant. She wrote "Dialogue" also known as "Treatise on Divine Providence". In 1970, Pope Paul VI named St. Catherine, together with St. Teresa of Avila, as the first women doctors of the Church. Mother Vicar, Sister Mary Catherine, PCPA, of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, is named after St. Catherine. Please pray for Mother Vicar on this day.

God bless you, and Happy Feast Day, Mother! Please know that the Knights are praying for you here at seminary.

In Christ and His Blessed Mother,
Br. Michael Mary, KHE
and
Br. Francesco Maria, KHE

P.S. To all our friends, family, and prayer warriors... Today begins our final exams for this semester. Please keep us in your prayers. God bless you all!

Happy Feast Day, Br. Fidelis!

2008-04-24T20:46:00.000-04:00

Today is the feast day of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen. We would like to wish a blessed and happy feast day to Br. Fidelis, who is named after him. St. Fidelis was a Franciscan Capuchin Priest and the "protomartyr" (first martyr) of the Capuchin Order.

St. Fidelis trampling heresy.
Capuchin St. Joseph of Leonissa is on the right.

Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host,
Knight of the Holy Eucharist

"Woe to me if I should prove myself but a halfhearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain." -St. Fidelis

Happy Feast Day, Br. Fidelis!

Happy Birthday Mother Angelica!

2008-04-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Today, April 20th, we celebrate Mother Angelica's 85th Birthday!

Down at the monastery, Mother was able to spend some time with the Friars and the Knights. She was very happy to see them all! Let us keep her in our prayers.

God bless Mother Angelica!

Happy Easter!

2008-04-03T19:46:00.002-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen, Alleluia! The last few weeks have been very busy. We went back home to Hanceville for the Holy Triduum. It was wonderful to be back with the brothers and the sisters, and to see all the families down there. We were blessed to have some of the Heralds of the Gospel from Miami join us for Holy Week. Here are a few pictures with them during recreation:

Br. Pio practices his Spanish with Juan Jose.

It is difficult to beat Br. David at ping-pong.

And one of our favorite and most competive games... foosball!

Holy Thursday, of course, is a big solemnity for the Knights. That morning we had our commitment ceremony. The brothers renewed there commitment to live wholeheartedly the life of service as a Knight of the Holy Eucharist. Deacon Bill Steltemeier presided.

The Knights standing (and sitting: Br. Pio is in the wheel chair) while they recite Psalm 116 at the beginning of the ceremony.

Br. Michael renews his commitment in the presence of Mother Vicar.

Br. Michael leaves the sanctuary as Br. Philip enters.

Br. Philip and Br. Fidelis.

Br. Alexander, after making his commitment.

The newest member of our community, Br. Paul (joined on the feast of St. Joseph)

makes his commitment.

Br. Pio

Our brother guardian, Br. David.

After all the knights had made their commitments, Br. Alexander Rodriguez had his investiture ceremony. He received the holy habit as a novice of the community. The habit for a novice is a tunic (without the hood), a belt, and a medal with Our Lady holding the Divine Child in her arms and St. Francis receiving the stigmata on the reverse side of the medal. In order to begin his new life, Br. Alex received a new name: Br. Maria Juan Bernardino of the Most Holy Sacrament. Juan Bernardino was the Uncle of St. Juan Diego, who was healed through Our Lady of Guadalupe. As is our custom, Br. Juan Bernardino did not choose his name, but Mother Angelica did. He was quite happy with his new name, especially since he is of Mexican descent.

After being clothed in the holy garb, brother awaits his new name...

Brother Juan Bernardino signs the book of commitments after all the knights have signed.

The recession at the end of the ceremony. The knights, in pairs,

make a profound bow in front of the statue of Our Lady before exiting the chapel.

Br. Juan Bernardino, his dad, and his sister, with some of the Sisters.

One of the local families at the Shrine has brought a tradition from their previous parish to the Shrine. On Good Friday, they have a silent procession with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, it commemorates when St. John walked Our Lady home after the crucifixion and death of her Divine Son.

Our time in Hanceville was short but wonderful; we returned to Holy Apostles Seminary on Easter Tuesday. We have 3 weeks left before the semester is over and we return to Alabama for the summer break. These lasts 3 weeks will consist of several papers and final exams so we ask you to please keep us in your prayers.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! May God bless you all abundantly!

MORE NEWS AND PICTURES TO COME!

2008-03-03T12:10:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,
We hope and pray that you are all having a fruitful Lent and are growing closer to Christ. Everything here at seminary has been going very well. Our 40 Hours devotion with Fr. Bill Casey of the Fathers of Mercy was tremendous! The time of retreat in the presence of Our Lord was truly grace-filled. Father’s talks were incredibly inspiring, emphasizing the inestimable power of prayer, and the immeasurable power flowing from Our Lord’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist! Thank you Fr. Casey!
And thank you Lord Jesus! We have had a very interesting semester so far. One of the highlights was doing a 30-minute presentation on the 3rd Commandment for our Catechism class. Another exciting event was a recent Confirmation retreat. We gave a few short talks to the young adults on Prayer, the Holy Eucharist, Chivalry, and our own vocation stories. We pray that these young people will have the courage to follow Christ whole-heartedly in a world that has rejected God.
We only had one midterm this semester, and it went very well.
Tomorrow begins Spring Break! This is a good time to visit our families and catch up on studies –which is what we’re going do!
God bless you all and thank you for your prayers and support!
Br. Michael Mary and Br. Francesco Maria,KHE

Welcome to Our Blog!

2008-02-08T00:32:00.000-05:00

Good job Br. Gregory on creating our new blog! Everthing is going fine as we enter the season of Lent. We're in middle of a 40 hour devotion, being led by Fr. Bill Casey of the Father's of Mercy. In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Br. Francesco Maria, and Br. MIchael Mary, K.H.E.

Beginning of Spring Semester '08

2008-02-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
Our travels back to seminary was safe and sound. We began with a silent retreat to start the semester right. Our first day of school was supposed to be Monday, January 14th, but we got a snow day! We got about 6 inches of snow in 6 hours. So.... some of us had a snowball fight and went sledding... Classes began Tuesday morning. The beginning of a semester is just another drama... and it so happens that our first class this semester for our undergraduate degree is titled Introduction to Drama! Our other courses include Catechism, Latin, Humanities, and Philosophy. We pray that as our priestly formation continues, this semester may be truly blessed. We ask for your continued prayers that the seed that we are now sowing, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, may bear abundant fruit. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. God bless you all,Br. Michael Mary and Br. Francesco Maria,KHE

Final Exams, Fall Semester '07

2008-02-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
The fall semester is almost over! We are very excited about that--and our Christmas break to follow! It’ll be great to be back home! Everything has been going very well. God has truly blessed us through this first semester. The studies have not been too, too arduous, and He has helped us cope with them when they have been. Our midterm exams were fair as far as difficulty goes. And we are happy with our results! Currently we’re preparing our presentations for our Poetry class. We wrote a 10-page paper on a poet and now we have to give a 20-minute presentation on it. It should be fun. Please keep us in your prayers as final exams are just around the corner, and we have to write a paper for our Science class… Thank you all so much for all your prayers and support. May the Divine Child Jesus bless you abundantly, In Christ and His Blessed Mother,Br. Michael Mary and Br. Francesco Maria,KHE

October '07

2008-02-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

Your seminarians are doing very well!! Mid-term exams are next week...! We are getting used to everything here and are enjoying our time with the other seminarians (of all ages and all backgrounds). Br. Francesco is the youngest seminarian!
One of the things that's harder to get used to is, of course, the studies... But so far so good...
For a work assignment, Br. Michael was placed in the library (book logging)---God has a sense of humor! One day, Br. Michael asked if there was a circular saw on campus... and he was thereafter promoted to Vice maintenance man!
We thank you all for your prayers and support! We ask that you especially keep us in your prayers during our upcoming exams. May God richly bless you and reward you with His PEACE, JOY, and LOVE,

In Christ,
Br. Michael Mary and Br. Francesco Maria
KHE

After a long delay . . . we're back!

2007-10-02T23:19:00.000-04:00

Lots of wonderful things have happened since our last update. Let's try to recap:

*Our "Barn Addition" is 90% complete; the only thing left to finish now is the chapel.

*In late August Br. Michael and Br. Francesco headed off to study at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.

*On June 29th our community joined the Heralds of the Gospel as a confraternity, and each Knight received the Heralds' Medallion.

*Just two weeks ago, two of our brothers went to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend a Eucharistic Congress led by Bishop Peter J. Jugis; over 9,000 people attended.

*On September 14th, Knights served the Latin High Mass alongside the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. To watch, click here.

Special Update - We Have a New Bishop!

2007-10-02T23:15:00.001-04:00

We have a new Bishop! Bishop Robert J. Baker will be installed today in the Cathedral of St. Paul as the fourth Bishop of Birmingham. Statement of Bishop Baker

K.H.E. Spring Retreat!

2007-05-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

The Knights had their first community retreat this spring. Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy, the retreat master, delivered several excellent talks to the Knights as they spent three days in silent prayer.

Congratulations, Knights!

2007-04-05T23:23:00.000-04:00

This past Holy Thursday was one to remember as eleven Knights made or renewed their commitment to serve the needs of Mother Angelica and the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. Seven Knights were invested with the Holy Habit and received their new religious names. We would like to congratulate Br. Gregory Mary of Our Hidden God and Savior (Austin Smith), Br. Francesco Maria of the Life-Giving Sacrament (Daniel Heffernan), Br. Philip Mary of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (Nyles Johnasen), Br. Laurence Mary of the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus (Luke Johnasen), Br. Michael Mary of the Most Holy and Adorable Sacrament (Damien Pellerin), Br. Fidelis Maria of the Sacred Host (Stephen Vacek), and Br. Pier Giorgio Maria of the Immaculate Lamb of God (Gus Federle). Congratulations to Br. David Mary, Servant of Jesus, Our Eucharistic King and Br. Pio Maria of the Wounded Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, who renewed their promises again, and to Br. Alexander Rodriguez and Br. Joseph Howell, who made their promises for the first time! We were blessed to be able to spend this most special time with all our families present. May this be the first of many times that the whole Knights of the Holy Eucharist family is able to come together. As we continue to grow and serve Our Lord through the needs of Mother Angelica and the Shrine, please remember to keep us in your prayers. God Bless!

Knights at the Birmingham March for Life

2007-01-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

The Knights traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2007 Pro-Life March and Rally; they were joined by the Extern Sisters of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. The city of Birmingham has seen a drastic reduction in the number of abortion mills over the past fifteen years and is down to two remaining mills. With much work and prayer, Birmingham will soon be abortion free!

Welcome, Br. Joseph!

2006-10-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Knights would like to welcome Joseph Howell, the newest member of the community, who entered on October 19, 2006. May Our Lord bless him abundantly in his new life as a soldier for Christ!

Knights to travel to Europe!

2006-08-31T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Knights of the Holy Eucharist will be making a pilgrimage this fall to Medjugorje, Assisi, and Rome.

Addition to Knights' Barn approved!

2006-08-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

On August 2, the feast of Our Lady of the Angels, a new addition to the Knights' Barn was approved by the Sisters; and planning and construction have begun! The new wing will include twelve rooms for visiting priests, religious, and seminarians, as well as new kitchen and dining areas, offices, and an expanded library and work area.

In Loving Memory of Br. Charles Breaux

2006-07-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

In Loving Memory of Br. Charles Breaux,
Honorary Knight of the Holy Eucharist

Born August 27, 1918
Born into Eternal Life July 19, 2006 at 10:10 P.M.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

"Our dead are among the invisible, not among the absent." -Blessed Pope John XXIII

Happy Anniversary to the Knights!

2006-07-25T23:29:00.000-04:00

On July 25th, the Knights celebrated their eighth year of service to Our Lord at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. They had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to visit Stone Mountain and the Atlanta Aquarium, and to attend an Atlanta Braves game!