New This Month

Laudato Si’ is the encyclical from Pope Francis that presents the church’s teaching about our call to care for Creation. Each week will offer a personal study guide with reflection questions and action suggestions for 2 themes from the document.

• Laudato Si’ Personal Study Guide Week Two: this resource presents input, reflection questions and action suggestions for the themes of  We Are Not God & Integral Ecology from the Laudato Si’ document.
• Laudato Si’ document: this resource is the encyclical which can be read alongside the study and reflection guide

Saturday, September 5^th, is the feast day of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Here are a few resources reflecting on her life and some of her own words to guide our faith journeys.

• All for Jesus: Lessons from St. Teresa of Calcutta: this resource found on the Catholic Apostolate website gives us lessons from her faith journey that can help us in ours
• Mother Teresa: A Saint Who Conquered Darkness: this resource from the St. Anthony Messenger website speaks of St. Teresa’s dark night of the soul, how she kept her trust in God and continued to serve and love God’s people. A good reminder for us when we are suffering and feel God is far away from us.
• Words of Wisdom from St. Teresa of Calcutta: this resource is full of quotes from Mother Teresa

In the midst of the disaster in Nepal & Tibet a prayer for us to pray

• A Prayer for Nepal & Tibet: this resource is a prayer to unite us with the people of Nepal & Tibet after the recent disaster

• Reflecting on the Sunday Readings: this resource provides this Sunday’s readings, a reflection on them and questions to ponder.

• The Footprints Prayer: this resource is a prayer that reminds us of God’s love for us, especially in times of difficulty.

• What Does It Mean To Be Catholic?: this resource from the Archdiocese of Boston is a listing of some of the  basic beliefs and values of a Catholic.

• Commentary on the Readings for the Assumption: this resource provides a commentary on the readings and an image to pray with
• 12 Things to Know and Share about the Assumption: This resource from the National Catholic Reporter presents an overview of the teaching on the feast and an image to pray with
• Praying the Glorious Mysteries: this resource presents how to pray the glorious mysteries with images and aids to meditating on each mystery
• The Litany of Loreto: this resource from The Vatican is a traditional Catholic prayer of praise and petition to the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Lectio Divina on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary; this resource from the USCCB is a lectio divina model of prayer using the gospel and reflection questions for individuals or family or small group.

July 26 is the Feast of St. Anne and a global day dedicated to Grandparents and the Elderly. Here are a few resources to help you reflect on and pray with these themes:

• Prayer for Day of Grandparents and the Elderly: this resource is from Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
• Pope Leo’s Message for the Day of Grandparents and the Elderly: this resource is  from the Vatican
• Prayers to St. Anne: this resource from St. Anne’s Shrine in County Down, Ireland has a litany, memorare and prayer to St. Anne

This resource invites us to reflect on how we are living hospitality every day:

• Make Your Welcome Hearty: this resource from Ron Rolheiser OMI invites us to reflect on how we are hospitable and welcoming in our homes, our churches and communities.

Here is the July prayer intention from Pope Leo’s Worldwide Prayer Network:

• Pope Leo’s Prayer for Respect for Human Life: this resource is the prayer the pope invites us to prayer this month for respect for human life.

Here are a series of four articles on prayer from Canadian Oblate priest Ron Rolheiser OMI:

• Prayer as Seeking Depth 1
• Praying So As Not to Lose Heart 2
• Prayer as Seeking God’s Guidance 3
• Praying So As to See God’s Glory Inside Humanity 4

Here is list of web resources to help you pray with the Sunday readings, part one:

• Web Resources to Help you Pray with the Sunday Readings: this resource gives a brief description of each website and how to access.

Here is an example of each of the web resources mentioned in the above list:

• Diocese of Saskatoon Reflection
• Loyola Press Sunday Connection
• Maryknoll Families in Mission
• Maryknoll Reflection Guide

WORLD REFUGEE DAY (JUNE 20^th) RESOURCES: World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It honours the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

• I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: this resource is from The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and, although written in 2015, is still relevant today
• Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform: this resource is from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and presents 6 elements to keep in mind when looking at a nation’s immigration policy

Here are a few resources which reflect on elements of Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. The encyclical is available under New This Month:

• Three Ecological Themes in Magnifica Humanitas: this resource is from the Ignatian Solidarity Network
• Imaginative Intelligence as Resistance: Safeguarding the Human Person in the “Construction Sites of Our Time”: this resource is from the Ignatian Solidarity Network
• Five Quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas to Inspire Youth to Build a More Just World: this resource is from the Ignatian Solidarity Network

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Here are two resources for Trinity Sunday:

• Gospel Reflection on Trinity Sunday:  This resource is from the Irish Oblates and reflects on the Trinity .
• Rublev’s Trinity Icon: this resource is from The British Association of Iconographers and describes the Rublev icon of the Trinity with a copy of the icon image to use in prayer
• How to Pray with an Icon: this resource describes the process of praying with an icon

Here are some resources for Pope Leo’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas:

• Pope Leo’s Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas:  this resource from the Holy See is the official text of the encyclical
• A Complete Guide to Pope Leo’s Encyclical: this resource is from Ascension Press and gives an overview of the encyclical
• Vatican News Summary of Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: this resource from Vatican News gives a thorough summary of the encyclical.

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Here is a resource to help you pray with the Sunday Gospel:

• Reflection on the Gospel for the Solemnity of Pentecost : This resource presents a reflection on the Sunday Gospel with questions to ponder .

Here are a few resources for the feast of Pentecost:

• Pause and Pray for Mission: this resource invites us to ask the Holy Spirit to help us be missionary disciples
• Spirit of God: this resource from Education for Justice is a prayer to the Holy Spirit

Here is a prayer remembering Pope Leo’s first year as pope:

• Prayer for Pope Leo’s First Year: this resource is from Education for Justice

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Here are a few other resources for feasts and special days this month of May:

• Prayers for Mothers this Mother’s Day: this resources provides several prayers for moms
• The Story of Fatima and Links to Resources: this resource from the website mycatholic.life tells the story of Mary’s apparitions and links to resources to help you pray and reflect
• Pope Leo’s Message for the World Day of Social Communications: this resource from the Holy See is an important message inviting us to reflect on the power of Social Communications, including AI, and how we respond and live with our various screens.