Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 20, 2010 by Administrator
 _January 31 was the feast of Saint John Bosco and, therefore, was a great feast in the “Oratory” of our Parish of “San Apollonio” in Lumezzane. We also celebrated a Day for Peace, as it was the last day of the month dedicated to peace.
In the morning, there was a special Mass at 10:30am. After the Mass, there was a March for Peace through the local streets, in which the children carried balloons with messages for peace. When we reached Paul VI Square, which is just behind our house, we all prayed the Angelus, praying especially for peace and the children let their balloons go into the air.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 04, 2010 by Administrator
On Saturday, January 16, Rosa Duque, pediatrician and member of the Groups of Prayer of the Sacred Heart, came from Madrid to Alcala de Guadaira (Seville) on a “quick apostolic trip” to give a talk on sexual education entitled: “Created to Love.”
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 04, 2010 by Administrator
 On Saturday, January 30, we left by bus for Montilla, Cordoba, with the mission of gaining an indulgence. We were a group of about 40 people: adults, several married couples, young people, two children, and one that was still yet to be born...and the four Sisters here in the Servant Sisters' community in Alcala (Seville, Spain). Montilla is famous for its wine, but we had come to see two great saints: Saint John of Avila, Patron of Spanish Priests, and Saint Francis Solano, whose Jubilee Year is being celebrated.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 04, 2010 by Administrator
The girls from the Home of the Mother residence in Jacksonville organized a retreat for young men and women from the 29th to 31st of January 2010. 55 young people attended.
The retreat was lead by Fr. Colum Power and with the help of Fr. Eamon MacManus. God who is abundant in generosity gave many graces to all those who opened their hearts to Him. The following are testimonies of some of the young people who attended the retreat.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 03, 2010 by Administrator
 The weekend of January 29-31, the Servant Sisters of Getafe (Madrid) had a get-together for girls ages 12-17. There were girls from Mostoles, from the parish we work in, as well as others from Toledo and Saragossa. The get-together began on Friday, January 29 by popular demand, as the girls had the day off from school. The girls came for dinner. They got to meet some new friends (not all of them knew each other before), we showed them their rooms, and they watched a photo slideshow of the past get-togethers we've had. Then, we prayed the Salve Regina and they went to bed.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 02, 2010 by Administrator
 At the “Maria Elisabetta” Farm, the Home of the Mother is working to help several poor families, as well as to provide for the children's soup kitchens in the area. Bananas have been grown for exporting.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 02, 2010 by Administrator
 The weekend of January 30-31, the Department of Campus Ministry at the Ave Maria University Latin American Campus (AMULAC), under the leadership of Sr. Marta, offered a “conversion retreat” for university students. 55 students from the “Skylar Retreat Center” on the outskirts of San Marcos, Nicaragua came to attend. There were talks, activities, and games, as well as times of prayer, discussion groups, and songs, all meant to help motivate the young people present.
Matthew Hambleton helped the choir with his guitar-playing. Fr. Jose Javier gave a talk on salvation through Christ and Fr. Dominic gave a talk on conversion. The two priests were hearing confessions during the other talks, which were given by other young people and Sr. Marta.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on February 02, 2010 by Administrator
 We had a get-together for girls in Chone, Ecuador, on the weekend of January 30-31. We went to the “Santa Maria Bernarda” Parish Center, where they let us use the facilities free of charge and where we were able to fit a group of about 90 girls.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 31, 2010 by Administrator
2010 is a Jubilee Year for St. James and the Servant Brothers are organizing a walking pilgrimage for boys to visit his tomb! Check out the schedule below and sign up now!
Dates: July 1st-17th, 2010.
Where: The walk will start on the Portuguese border and will end in Galicia, Spain.
Why: Jubilee Year of St. James.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 29, 2010 by Administrator
 On January 26-27, the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference held its bi-monthly Ordinary Assembly in the “Monte Carmelo” Retreat House, located in San Marcos, Carazo. They celebrated their Opening Mass at Immaculate Conception Parish in the town of Concepcion. The Servant Priests of the Home of the Mother were invited to concelebrate the Mass, which was at 5pm and was presided by Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes of Managua. Along with Archbishop Brenes were the Bishops of the Dioceses of Esteli and Matagalpa, the Apostolic Vicar of Bluefields accompanied by his Auxiliary Bishop, and the Apostolic Nuncio in Nicaragua.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 27, 2010 by Administrator
 On January 21, 2010, the Sisters in Jacksonville drove by van, along with 9 girls, to Washington, DC, for the March for Life, which would take place the next day. On January 22, we started the day with a Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was the third Mass being celebrated that day, but even still there were thousands of people at the Mass.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 25, 2010 by Administrator
 As the students of Ave Maria University's Latin American Campus were unable to participate in the March for Life held in the United States on January 22, they decided to organize a Pro-Life Week in San Marcos, Nicaragua. All the Masses celebrated that week were offered for pro-life intentions.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 24, 2010 by Administrator
 On Sunday, January 3, several families from our parish came to eat lunch at our house. They had been begging us, for some time now, to make them paella (a typical Spanish dish) as they have a special love for it. It was a beauiful day for all of us. They came over after the 9:30am Children's Mass, to help prepare the paella. A total of 10 couples came with their children, for a grand total of 40-45 people.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 17, 2010 by Administrator
 The community of Betania, which works in the parish of “Dolores”, in Carazo (Nicaragua), asked us if one of the priests of the Home of the Mother could celebrate Sunday Mass, as there would be no priest available that Sunday in the parish. Fr. Jose Javier, one of the Servant Priests of the Home of the Mother, went to complete this service for the people of Betania. He celebrated the Mass and later, baptized two children: Angelica Francheska (age 1 ½) and Emily de los Angeles (age 4), the daughter of one of the Library Staff members at Ave Maria University in San Marcos (Nicaragua).
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 15, 2010 by Administrator
 On January 6, we Sisters organized a live nativity scene and a “re-enactment” of the visit of the Three Kings in Lumezzane, Italy, with the adults of our parish. Fr. Tino, our Pastor, was very enthusiastic about the idea of bringing back this old tradition that had not taken place for the past several years. At first, it seemed that the parishioners were not too keen on the idea, but little by little their enthusiasm increased and in the end, there were about 80 participants, adults and children included.
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 12, 2010 by Administrator
 January 1-5, 2010, we had a get-together for girls in Barcenilla, Cantabria (Spain). Some of the girls wanted to share there testimonies with us:
Posted in JANUARY 2010 on January 12, 2010 by Administrator
 On January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, we had the opportunity to participate in the entrance of one of the girls from the Home of the Mother of the Youth in Ecuador, as a Carmelite Sister.
That day, we left Playa Prieta at 9:30am in two vans. We were a total of 25 people on our way to Montecristi, where the Carmelite Monastery is located. Once we got there, we had Mass at 11am with Fr. Patricio, from Manta (Ecuador).
|
