Group:
 Leeds
Celebrant:
 Fr. Bryan
Theme:  What roots mean for a tree, what foundations mean for a house, that is what the Covenant of Love means for our family.”

We’ve all heard the allegations. Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped Church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. Nothing could be further from the truth. The origins of Halloween are, in fact, very Christian. Halloween falls on October 31 because of a pope, and its observances are the result of medieval Catholic piety. Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Feast of All Saints or “All Hallows” falls on Nov. 1. The feast in honour of all the saints in heaven used to be celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved it to Nov. 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. And so the holy day spread to Ireland. The day before was the feast’s evening vigil, “All Hallows Eve” or “Hallowe’en.” In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in Southern France, added a celebration on Nov. 2. (more…)

On the  18th October  each year Schoenstatt celebrates its ‘birthday’ – the day marked by the events on that day in 1914. The students at the college had been involved in two groups since 1912; one was more like a prayer group the other a group for action -’ the Missionary Section’. On that fateful day Fr. Joseph Kentenich held a talk which afterward became known as the founding constitution of the Schoenstatt Movement. That’s why we are celebrating the centenary of the Covenant of Love in the year 2014. (more…)

Welcome to our Family Mass in October. This coming Sunday we celebrate the Taste and See Mass in October. Through out the year we have considered the graces of the Shrine: to find a home, to be changed and live in God’s presence and to become apostle of his Good News. We will continue our theme of spreading this Good News. When he first became Pope The Holy Father said: “There is nothing more beautiful than to know Christ and to speak to others of our friendship with him”.  (Benedict XVI, April 2005) Our home is the place where we tell our story and within our family and beyond we want to share this joy. I look forward to seeing you at our Mass. Mass at 3.30pm followed by a shared meal. To download the poster click here

The word Rosary means “Crown of Roses”. Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important one. The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow and the glory of Jesus and Mary. It’s a simple prayer, humble so much like Mary. It’s a prayer we can all say together with Her, the Mother of God. With the Hail Mary we invite Her to pray for us. Our Lady always grants our request. She joins Her prayer to ours. Therefore it becomes ever more useful, because what Mary asks She always receives, Jesus can never say no to whatever His Mother asks for. In every apparition, the heavenly Mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace. With your prayer made together with Your heavenly Mother, you can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer you can drive away from yourselves and from your homeland many dangers and many evils. It can seem a repetitive prayer but instead it is like two sweethearts who many times say one another the words: “I love you”…  The Blessed Holy Father John Paul II on October 16th, 2002 with the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae on the Most Holy Rosary has added 5 new mysteries of the Rosary: The Mysteries of the Light.

“Say the Rosary every day… Pray, pray a lot and offer sacrifices for sinners… I’m Our Lady of the Rosary. Only I will be able to help you. …In the end My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Prepared by the Family Branch

Like the little old lady who returned your wallet yesterday.
Like the taxi driver who told you that your eyes light up the world, when you smile.
Like the small child who showed you the wonder in simple things.
Like the poor man who offered to share his lunch with you.
Like the rich man who showed you that it really is all possible, if only you believe.
Like the stranger who just happened to come along, when you had lost your way.
Like the friend who touched your heart, when you didn’t think you had one.
Angels come in all sizes and shapes, all ages and skin types.
Some with freckles, some with dimples, some with wrinkles, some without.
They come disguised as friends, enemies teachers, students, lovers and fools.
They don’t take life too seriously, they travel light.
They leave no forwarding address, they ask nothing in return.
They are hard to find when your eyes are closed, but when you choose to see, they are everywhere you look.
So, open you eyes and count all your Angels — for you are truly blessed!