Every year, we as Passionists look forward to celebrating these two very special days: the Triumph of the Cross (Sept 14) and Our Lady of Sorrows (Sept 15). Even though the latter feast is not celebrated liturgically this year (since it falls on a Sunday), it is still a festive and joyous occasion in community!
Read MoreThe arms and heart of Jesus Crucified are wide open to receive us all. It is good to be here with Mary, so good. Yet how can we be glad, how can we lift up songs of rejoicing, here of all places? What place can joy possibly have on Calvary?
Read MoreIn God’s infinite generosity and love, He gives us the dignity of “making up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, on behalf of His body, the Church” by the sufferings of our lives. Nothing is wasted! The first person to share in the sufferings of Christ was His Mother Mary. As we ponder the Passion and seek to be united with Jesus, Mary’s Mother-heart gives us a unique entryway into the sufferings of Christ.
Read MoreSeptember 14th and 15th are very special days in the heart of every Passionist, and we look forward eagerly each year to the “double feasts” that so beautifully sum up our charism.
Read MoreYou are all in our hearts and prayers as we celebrate two of the most important feasts in our Passionist calendar! May our Sorrowful Mother lead each one of you to a deeper appreciation and love of her Son’s saving Cross!
Read MoreThe Blessed Virgin Mary, especially under her title of Our Sorrowful Mother, has been central to Passionist life throughout our history. It was she who gave the habit to St. Paul of the Cross, and it was in her Roman basilica (St. Mary Major) that our Holy Founder first made the “Passion Vow.”
Read MoreSister Cecilia Maria takes us to the scene of Our Lady’s seventh Sorrow: the Burial of Jesus. Though Holy Saturday is often forgotten in the rush to prepare for Easter, this is the Marian day par excellence; let us live it in a close spiritual union with her, even if our external lives are busy. Then, on the long-awaited third day, we can rejoice with the Church and with all of creation in the Resurrection of Christ!
Read MoreTomorrow, Palm Sunday, we celebrate the glory of Christ our triumphant King, Who conquered by His death on the Cross. In this week’s video, Sister Frances Marie brings us in spirit to the site of this great victory, Calvary. There we contemplate with her the Sixth Sorrow of Mary: the taking down of Jesus’ lifeless Body from the Cross. The Passionist Fathers’ Jubilaeum reflections take us into the heart of today’s unique Liturgy of the Word: the solemn reading of the Passion according to St. Mark.
Read MoreToday, Sr. Cecilia Maria takes us right to the heart of that great Paschal Mystery as she discusses the fifth sorrow of Mary — the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Passionist Fathers’ Jubilaeum reflection this Sunday also focuses on the heart of our charism, the Passion of Jesus. What does Jesus Crucified mean to each of us?
Read MoreThis Laetare Sunday, as we mark the halfway point of Lent, Sister Frances Marie leads our meditation on the fourth Sorrow of Our Lady: the meeting with Jesus as He carried His Cross to Calvary. In the Jubilaeum reflection for this week, the Passionist Fathers delve into this Sunday’s Gospel — including the famous and often-quoted verse, John 3:16.
Read MoreThis Saturday, we continue our journey through the Sorrows of Mary as Sr. Cecilia Maria’s speaks on the Third Sorrow: the three days’ loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem. We also share with you a Jubilaeum reflection by Fr. Gwen Barde, CP, on the Passionist Mission and Evangelization— an appropriate theme for this Lenten season of ongoing conversion!
Read MoreIn our next video on the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Sr. Frances Marie leads us in considering the Second Sorrow: the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. We also continue our series of Jubilaeum Lenten reflections this week with a meditation on the Gospel for this Sunday. What lessons does the Transfiguration of Jesus hold for our lives today?
Read MoreOn this first Saturday of Lent, we share a video reflection on the First Sorrow of Mary, the Prophecy of Simeon, and the next Jubilaeum prayer guide for the First Sunday of Lent, in which we focus on solitude and temptation, as we accompany Jesus into the desert and consider the truth about ourselves.
Read MoreJoin us on Saturday, Sept 15, Feast of Our Mother of Sorrows, for a Holy Hour of Reparation to atone for the sins of sexual abuse and cover-up and to ask God’s healing for all abuse victims.
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