Fall Newsletter, 2012 Friends of St

Fall Newsletter, 2012…Friends of St. Peregrine

Dear Friends of St. Peregrine,

God’s Autumn blessings are coming your way! There is a wonderful change happening with St. Peregrine Ministries as we are growing as

a Servite Team. Together with Fr. Vidal Martinez, osm and many other Servites and Servite Secular Members, we are now called the St. Peregrine Ministers! I am very happy that we are together to share this important journey with you!

We are going on our January, 2013 trip to the Holy Land. Fr. Hugh Guentner, osm, Pastor of Mt. Carmel Church in Denver, CO and I are so grateful that many of you have responded to this pilgrimage. We are looking forward to being with our group as we will pray and remember all of your intentions at all the Shrines of Jesus in the Holy Land of Israel.

Let’s keep our prayers alive for a cure for the many cancers there are in all of our friends and family members. I am glad that there are more people helping like “Stand Up To Cancer” folks who would like to see many cures to cancer this day! We keep praying that more doctors and staff help those in need. Our spiritual help is with them too!

God’s blessing for healing strength for all of you!

Peace,

Fr. Chris Krymski, osm

St. Peregrine Minister

Prayer with St. Peregrine

O Gracious Lord,

we are reminded that we are afflicted…

but we are not crushed (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

And that is only possible because you

are at our side. With St. Peregrine

also at our side and the many persons

who are praying with us, we are very grateful

O Lord, for God’s continued support and

blessing.

We are encouraged to carry our cross

with you, (hear mention your intention…).

Bless our intention, Lord Jesus, and those of other

persons with cancer and serious illness.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord,

Amen!

Book Review on “Holy Vulnerability, A Spiritual

Path For Those With Cancer”by Rev. Donna Schaper

Rev. Schaper has written a wonderful book about a helpful, spiritual way of life for any cancer survivor. It is an eight step program of dealing with our mortality, accepting our responsibilities, managing pain, relying on our caregivers of family and outsiders, practicing compassion, relishing what connects in the surprises of life’s moments, living with our holy vulnerability and being close to God’s presence.

Rev. Schaper is also a cancer survivor and knows from first hand knowledge the goodness of this eightfold program with shared

examples and stories from her life. She also gives Christian exercises of what to look for in each of those eight steps and how to make those steps happen. She is very deliberate in helping any cancer survivor list their caregivers and how to help your caregivers in understanding your present walk of life. I truly recommend this book as a very practical tool of information with an eight page bibliography of other books in the back of the book that may help you. What a marvelous “God-given read” for those looking for care and hope! Here is a sample paragraph…

“Jesus knew these things because he risked linking to people and connecting to their pain. That connection is compassion.

Compassion also differs from control by being small, not large. Control is frequently ‘totalistic’ ---all will be well. When we can’t make all well, however, many of us give up on trying to make anything well. Compassion is not afraid of little stuff. What makes the difference more often than not is inches, not miles…Such regard for the small and habitual is interesting in a world of the large and hasty. One small compassionate act can equal a whole lot of fantasy about ‘becoming compassionate’.” (page 55 of Holy Vulnerability)

A Caregiver’s Reflection…

“Lord, we pray that you help us be caregivers like St. Peregrine, osm!”

St. Peregrine was a person who took care of other people who were afflicted with some type of ailment. In our lives, all of us, at some time or another, find ourselves assuming the responsibilities of a caregiver.

The responsibilities of a caregiver are very vast. A caregiver is a person who is responsible for attending to the needs of family, friends, co-workers, children, persons with ailments, helping those in need receive the things that they require. Caregivers may also perform a variety of tasks, such as providing proper nutrition by planning and preparing meals, doing laundry, dusting the house, making beds, assisting with

personal hygiene, organizing mail and keeping a calendar of appointments.

Most importantly, caregivers should provide interaction and good companionship. It is crucial that we not just listen to the person but actually hear the person’s requests. Compassion and empathy conveyed through a gentle touch and loving smile are necessary as we attend to those in need. While being a caregiver, we should not be bitter. We must be patient and understanding. We should count our blessings and give thanks that we are not in need of caregiver. These blessings will be evident as we see the look of appreciation in the eyes and on the faces of the persons we assist.

Let us remember that the Lord said, “I tell you, indeed, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.” (Mt. 25:40)

Submitted by: The Bailey Family…LaVonia Bailey, Ilene Bailey Hill, Roberta Bailey Covington, and Roslyn Bailey

Bishop Alberto Rojas Prays with Hispanics in Honor of St. Peregrine, osm

Bishop Alberto Rojas, auxillary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago and in charge of Vicariate III, celebrated the Mass in honor of St. Peregrine on Sept. 8, 2012 at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica and the National Shrine of St. Peregrine. Over 40 Hispanics attended the celebration that was help in Spanish, with lively music and prayers for those who came to ask for God’s healing grace and blessing. Special intentions were prayed for Cardinal Francis George whose cancer has returned and has asked for all of our prayers for his healing.

A first class relic of St. Peregrine was given to Bishop Rojas for his ministry to the sick and those who suffer this day. Bishop Rojas was very appreciative of such a gift and said that he would honor the many

persons who asked for God’s blessing through the intercession of St. Peregrine, osm. Many persons said that they were very grateful to see

Bishop Rojas and celebrate Mass with him at the National Shrine.

Thank you, O Lord for Bishop Rojas

and for his ministry to the poor and seriously ill.

Bless him with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Give him the strength and courage to unite

your people, O Lord, during this Year of Faith

and this Year of the Mass.

We ask for healing grace for Cardinal George and for all cancer

survivors, who ask the intercession of St. Peregrine.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord…Amen!

Thank You’s to God and St. Peregrine, osm

Holy Mother Mary and St. Peregrine: Thank you for being with my son in his hour of need. Thank you for blessing him!

I thank you Mother of Sorrows and St. Peregrine for guiding me and my family in the right direction, to watch over us and give us peace and health. We love you always…Thank you, Amen!

Thank you Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Peregrine for everything that you have ever done for us. Take care of my family, friends and most of all my Auntie Lupe, who has cancer and it disturbs me to see her like this. Thanks a lot with love.

Thank you Jesus and St. Peregrine for health in my family…for love and peace also! Thanks for the many past blessings all through the intercession of Our Mother of Sorrows as well.

Thank you, God for everything that you do for my family, to keep them healthy and God bless my daughter and her family too…Amen!