CONFIRMATION NAME OF TARYNN LYNN

TARYNN ANNE LYNN

Patron Saint: ST. ANNE

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CAROLYN HERNANDEZ

Anne (Hebrew, Hannah, grace; also spelled Ann, Anne, Anna) is the traditional name of the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
All our information concerning the names and lives of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, is derived from apocryphal literature, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Protoevangelium of James. Though the earliest form of the latter, on which directly or indirectly the other two seem to be based, goes back to about A.D. 150, we can hardly accept as beyond doubt its various statements on its sole authority. In the Orient the Protoevangelium had great authority and portions of it were read on the feasts of Mary by the Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Arabians. In the Occident, however, it was rejected by the Fathers of the Church until its contents were incorporated by Jacobus de Voragine in his "Golden Legend" in the thirteenth century. From that time on the story of St. Anne spread over the West and was amply developed, until St. Anne became one of the most popular saints also of the Latin Church.
The Protoevangelium gives the following account: In Nazareth there lived a rich and pious couple, Joachim and Hannah. They were childless. When on a feast day Joachim presented himself to offer sacrifice in the temple, he was repulsed by a certain Ruben, under the pretext that men without offspring were unworthy to be admitted. Whereupon Joachim, bowed down with grief, did not return home, but went into the mountains to make his plaint to God in solitude. Also Hannah, having learned the reason of the prolonged absence of her husband, cried to the Lord to take away from her the curse of sterility, promising to dedicate her child to the service of God. Their prayers were heard; an angel came to Hannah and said: "Hannah, the Lord has looked upon thy tears; thou shalt conceive and give birth and the fruit of thy womb shall be blessed by all the world". The angel made the same promise to Joachim, who returned to his wife. Hannah gave birth to a daughter whom she called Miriam (Mary). Since this story is apparently a reproduction of the biblical account of the conception of Samuel, whose mother was also called Hannah, even the name of the mother of Mary seems to be doubtful.
The renowned Father John of Eck of Ingolstadt, in a sermon on St. Anne (published at Paris in 1579), pretends to know even the names of the parents St. Anne. He calls them Stollanus and Emerentia. He says that St. Anne was born after Stollanus and Emerentia had been childless for twenty years; that St. Joachim died soon after the presentation of Mary in the temple; that St. Anne then married Cleophas, by whom she became the mother of Mary Cleophae (the wife of Alphaeus and mother of the Apostles James the Lesser, Simon and Judas, and of Joseph the Just); after the death of Cleophas she is said to have married Salomas, to whom she bore Maria Salomae (the wife of Zebedaeus and mother of the Apostles John and James the Greater). The same spurious legend is found in the writings of Gerson (Opp. III, 59) and of many others. There arose in the sixteenth century an animated controversy over the marriages of St. Anne, in which Baronius and Bellarmine defended her monogamy. The Greek Menaea (25 July) call the parents of St. Anne Mathan and Maria, and relate that Salome and Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, were daughters of two sisters of St. Anne. According to Ephiphanius it was maintained even in the fourth century by some enthusiasts that St. Anne conceived without the action of man. This error was revived in the West in the fifteenth century. (Anna concepit per osculum Joachimi.) In 1677 the Holy See condemned the error of Imperiali who taught that St. Anne in the conception and birth of Mary remained virgin (Benedict XIV, De Festis, II, 9). In the Orient the cult of St. Anne can be traced to the fourth century. Justinian I (d. 565) had a church dedicated to her. The canon of the Greek Office of St. Anne was composed by St. Theophanes (d. 817), but older parts of the Office are ascribed to Anatolius of Byzantium (d. 458). Her feast is celebrated in the East on the 25th day of July, which may be the day of the dedication of her first church at Constantinople or the anniversary of the arrival of her supposed relics in Constantinople (710). It is found in the oldest liturgical document of the Greek Church, the Calendar of Constantinople (first half of the eighth century). The Greeks keep a collective feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne on the 9th of September. In the Latin Church St. Anne was not venerated, except, perhaps, in the south of France, before the thirteenth century. Her picture, painted in the eighth century, which was found lately in the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome, owes its origin to Byzantine influence. Her feast, under the influence of the "Golden Legend", is first found (26 July) in the thirteenth century, e.g. at Douai (in 1291), where a foot of St. Anne was venerated (feast of translation, 16 September). It was introduced in England by Urban VI, 21 November, 1378, from which time it spread all over the Western Church. It was extended to the universal Latin Church in 1584.
The supposed relics of St. Anne were brought from the Holy Land to Constantinople in 710 and were still kept there in the church of St. Sophia in 1333. The tradition of the church of Apt in southern France pretends that the body of St. Anne was brought to Apt by St. Lazarus, the friend of Christ, was hidden by St. Auspicius (d. 398), and found again during the reign of Charlemagne (feast, Monday after the octave of Easter); these relics were brought to a magnificent chapel in 1664 (feast, 4 May). The head of St. Anne was kept at Mainz up to 1510, when it was stolen and brought to Düren in Rheinland. St. Anne is the patroness of Brittany. Her miraculous picture (feast, 7 March) is venerated at Notre Dame d'Auray, Diocese of Vannes. Also in Canada, where she is the principal patron of the province of Quebec, the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupré is well known. St. Anne is patroness of women in labour; she is represented holding the Blessed Virgin Mary in her lap, who again carries on her arm the child Jesus. She is also patroness of miners, Christ being compared to gold, Mary to silver.


Saint Anne (also Ann or Anna, from Hebrew Hannah חַנָּה or Channah‎, meaning "favor" or "grace.") of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. Her name Anne is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Hannah. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical Gospels and Qu'ran.

According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, Anne and her husband Joachim, after years of childlessness, were visited by an angel who told them that they would conceive a child. Anne promised to dedicate the child to God's service. Joachim and Anne are believed to have given Mary to the service of the Second Temple when the girl was three years old.[1] Anne is the patron saint of Quebec, Brittany, the Mi'kmaq peoples, women in labor, and miners.
The story bears a superficial similarity to that of the birth of Samuel, whose mother Hannah had also been childless. Although Anne's cult receives little attention in the Western church prior to the late 12th century,[2] dedications to Anne in the Eastern church occur as early as the 6th century.[3] In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Anne is ascribed the title Forbear of God, and both the Birth of Mary and the Dedication of Mary to the Temple are celebrated as two of the Twelve Great Feasts.
In Western iconography, Anne may be recognised by her depiction in red robe and green mantle, often holding a book. Images may also be found depicting Anne holding a small Mary who in turn holds an infant Christ (see gallery). Such trinitarian representations mirror similar depictions of the Trinity, and were sometimes produced as pairs.[4]
Varying theologians have believed either that Joachim was Anne's only husband, or that she was married thrice. Ancient belief, attested to by a sermon of St John Damascene, was that Anne married once. In late medieval times, legend held that Anne was married three times, first to Joachim, then to Clopas, and finally to a man named Solomas, and that each marriage produced one daughter: Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Salomae, respectively.[5] The sister of Saint Anne was Sobe who was the mother of Saint Elizabeth.
Similarly, in the 4th century, and then much later in the 15th century, a belief arose that Mary was born of Anne by virgin birth. [6] Those believers included the 16th century mystic Valentine Weigel who claimed Anne conceived Mary by the power of the Holy spirit. This belief was also condemned as an error by the Catholic Church in 1677. Instead, the Church teaches that Mary was conceived in the normal fashion, but that she was miraculously preserved from original sin in order to make her fit to bear Christ. The conception of Mary free from original sin is termed the Immaculate Conception—which is frequently confused with the Virgin Birth or Incarnation of Christ.
The iconographic subject of Joachim and Anne The Meeting at the Golden Gate fitted both views, and was a regular component of artistic cycles of the "Life of the Virgin". The couple meet at the "Golden Gate" of Jerusalem and embrace. They are aware of Anne's pregnancy, of which they have been separately informed by an archangel. For those believing in the virgin birth of Mary, this moment stood for her conception, and the feast was celebrated on the same day as the Immaculate Conception. The Birth of Mary, the Presentation of Mary and the Marriage of the Virgin were usual components of cycles of the Life of the Virgin in which Anne is normally shown.
Anne is never shown as present at the Nativity of Christ, but is frequently shown with the infant Christ in various subjects. She is normally shown as present at the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Circumcision of Christ. There was a tradition that she went (separately) to Egypt and rejoined the Holy Family after their Flight to Egypt. Anne is not seen with the adult Christ, so was regarded as having died during the youth of Jesus.[7] Anne is also shown as the matriarch of the Holy Kinship, the extended family of Jesus, a popular subject in late medieval Germany. In modern devotions, Anne and her husband are invoked for protection for the unborn.
The feast day of Anne is 26 July (Western calendar) and 25 July (Eastern calendar).
[edit] Patronage
Saint Anne is patron of the following places: Brittany, Castelbuono,(Sicily, Italy); Canada; France; Fasnia; Brittany; Quebec; Adjuntas, Puerto Rico; Norwich, Connecticut; Santa Ana Pueblo; Seama, New Mexico; Taos, New Mexico; Chiclana de la Frontera, Spain; Marsaskala; Tudela, Navarre; Philippines; Santana (São Paulo); (a neighbourhood of São Paulo,) and South Vietnam. She is also the Patron Saint of housewives, grandmothers, cabinet makers, and women in labor.
[edit] Islamic view
Though unnamed in the Qur'an, Islamic tradition identifies Anne (Hannah) as the mother of Mary. The daughter of Faqud, Hannah was childless until old age. She saw a bird feeding its young while sitting in the shade of a tree which made her want children of her own. She prayed for a child and eventually conceived. Her husband, called Imran by the Qu'ran, died before the child was born. Expecting the child to be male, Hannah vowed to dedicate him to isolation and the service in the Temple.[N 1] [8][9]
However, Hannah delivered a daughter whom she named Mary. Her words [N 2] after the birth of Mary reflect her status as a great mystic. Hannah wanted a son, but she believed that the daughter was God's gift to her.[8][9]
[edit] Gallery

CONFIRMATION NAME OF UGONNA MBAGWU

UGONNA MARK MBAGWU

Patron Saint: ST. MARK

(Greek Markos, Latin Marcus).
It is assumed in this article that the individual referred to in Acts as John Mark (12:12, 25; 15:37), John (xiii, 5, 13), Mark (15:39), is identical with the Mark mentioned by St. Paul (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24) and by St. Peter (1 Peter 5:13). Their identity is not questioned by any ancient writer of note, while it is strongly suggested, on the one hand by the fact that Mark of the Pauline Epistles was the cousin (ho anepsios) of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), to whom Mark of Acts seems to have been bound by some special tie (Acts 15:37, 39); on the other by the probability that the Mark, whom St. Peter calls his son (1 Peter 5:13), is no other than the son of Mary, the Apostle's old friend in Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). To the Jewish name John was added the Roman pronomen Marcus, and by the latter he was commonly known to the readers of Acts (15:37, ton kaloumenon Markon) and of the Epistles. Mark's mother was a prominent member of the infant Church at Jerusalem; it was to her house that Peter turned on his release from prison; the house was approached by a porch (pulon), there was a slave girl (paidiske), probably the portress, to open the door, and the house was a meeting-place for the brethren, "many" of whom were praying there the night St. Peter arrived from prison (Acts 12:12-13).
When, on the occasion of the famine of A.D. 45-46, Barnabas and Saul had completed their ministration in Jerusalem, they took Mark with them on their return to Antioch (Acts 12:25). Not long after, when they started on St. Paul's first Apostolic journey, they had Mark with them as some sort of assistant (hupereten, Acts 13:5); but the vagueness and variety of meaning of the Greek term makes it uncertain in what precise capacity he acted. Neither selected by the Holy Spirit, nor delegated by the Church of Antioch, as were Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-4), he was probably taken by the Apostles as one who could be of general help. The context of Acts 13:5, suggests that he helped even in preaching the Word. When Paul and Barnabas resolved to push on from Perga into central Asia Minor, Mark, departed from them, if indeed he had not already done so at Paphos, and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). What his reasons were for turning back, we cannot say with certainty; Acts 15:38, seems to suggest that he feared the toil. At any rate, the incident was not forgotten by St. Paul, who refused on account of it to take Mark with him on the second Apostolic journey. This refusal led to the separation of Paul and Barnabas, and the latter, taking Mark with him, sailed to Cyprus (Acts 15:37-40). At this point (A.D. 49-50) we lose sight of Mark in Acts, and we meet him no more in the New Testament, till he appears some ten years afterwards as the fellow-worker of St. Paul, and in the company of St. Peter, at Rome.
St. Paul, writing to the Colossians during his first Roman imprisonment (A.D. 59-61), says: "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, touching whom you have received commandments; if he come unto you, receive him" (Colossians 4:10). At the time this was written, Mark was evidently in Rome, but had some intention of visiting Asia Minor. About the same time St. Paul sends greetings to Philemon from Mark, whom he names among his fellow-workers (sunergoi, Philem., 24). The Evangelist's intention of visiting Asia Minor was probably carried out, for St. Paul, writing shortly before his death to Timothy at Ephesus, bids him pick up Mark and bring him with him to Rome, adding "for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). If Mark came to Rome at this time, he was probably there when St. Paul was martyred. Turning to 1 Peter 5:13, we read: "The Church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you, and (so doth) Mark my son" (Markos, o huios aou). This letter was addressed to various Churches of Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1), and we may conclude that Mark was known to them. Hence, though he had refused to penetrate into Asia Minor with Paul and Barnabas, St. Paul makes it probable, and St. Peter certain, that he went afterwards, and the fact that St. Peter sends Mark's greeting to a number of Churches implies that he must have been widely known there. In calling Mark his "son", Peter may possibly imply that he had baptized him, though in that case teknon might be expected rather than huios (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Timothy 1:2, 18; 2 Timothy 1:2; 2:1; Titus 1:4; Philemon 10). The term need not be taken to imply more than affectionate regard for a younger man, who had long ago sat at Peter's feet in Jerusalem, and whose mother had been the Apostle's friend (Acts 12:12). As to the Babylon from which Peter writers, and in which Mark is present with him, there can be no reasonable doubt that it is Rome. The view of St. Jerome: "St. Peter also mentions this Mark in his First Epistle, while referring figuratively to Rome under the title of Babylon" (Illustrious Men 8), is supported by all the early Father who refer to the subject. It may be said to have been questioned for the first time by Erasmus, whom a number of Protestant writers then followed, that they might the more readily deny the Roman connection of St. Peter. Thus, we find Mark in Rome with St. Peter at a time when he was widely known to the Churches of Asia Minor. If we suppose him, as we may, to have gone to Asia Minor after the date of the Epistle to the Colossians, remained there for some time, and returned to Rome before I Peter was written, the Petrine and Pauline references to the Evangelist are quite intelligible and consistent.
When we turn to tradition, Papias (Eusebius, Church History III.39) asserts not later than A.D. 130, on the authority of an "elder", that Mark had been the interpreter (hermeneutes) of Peter, and wrote down accurately, though not in order, the teaching of Peter (see below, GOSPEL OF SAINT MARK). A widespread, if somewhat late, tradition represents St. Mark as the founder of the Church of Alexandria. Though strangely enough Clement and Origen make no reference to the saint's connection with their city, it is attested by Eusebius (op. cit., II, xvi, xxiv), by St. Jerome ("De Vir. Illust.", viii), by the Apostolic Constitutions (VII, xlvi), by Epiphanius ("Hær;.", li, 6) and by many later authorities. The "Martyrologium Romanum" (25 April) records: "At Alexandria the anniversary of Blessed Mark the Evangelist . . . at Alexandria of St. Anianus, Bishop, the disciple of Blessed Mark and his successor in the episcopate, who fell asleep in the Lord." The date at which Mark came to Alexandria is uncertain. The Chronicle of Eusebius assigns it to the first years of Claudius (A.D. 41-4), and later on states that St. Mark's first successor, Anianus, succeeded to the See of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (61-2). This would make Mark Bishop of Alexandria for a period of about twenty years. This is not impossible, if we might suppose in accordance with some early evidence that St. Peter came to Rome in A.D. 42, Mark perhaps accompanying him. But Acts raise considerable difficulties. On the assumption that the founder of the Church of Alexandria was identical with the companion of Paul and Barnabas, we find him at Jerusalem and Antioch about A.D. 46 (Acts 12:25), in Salamis about 47 (Acts 13:5), at Antioch again about 49 or 50 (Acts 15:37-9), and when he quitted Antioch, on the separation of Paul and Barnabas, it was not to Alexandria but to Cyprus that he turned (Acts 15:39). There is nothing indeed to prove absolutely that all this is inconsistent with his being Bishop of Alexandria at the time, but seeing that the chronology of the Apostolic age is admittedly uncertain, and that we have no earlier authority than Eusebius for the date of the foundation of the Alexandrian Church, we may perhaps conclude with more probability that it was founded somewhat later. There is abundance of time between A.D. 50 and 60, a period during which the New Testament is silent in regard to St. Mark, for his activity in Egypt.
In the preface to his Gospel in manuscripts of the Vulgate, Mark is represented as having been a Jewish priest: "Mark the Evangelist, who exercised the priestly office in Israel, a Levite by race". Early authorities, however, are silent upon the point, and it is perhaps only an inference from his relation to Barnabas the Levite (Acts 4:36). Papias (in Eusebius, Church History III.39) says, on the authority of "the elder", that Mark neither heard the Lord nor followed Him (oute gar ekouse tou kurion oute parekoluthesen auto), and the same statement is made in the Dialogue of Adamantius (fourth century, Leipzig, 1901, p. 8), by Eusebius ("Demonst. Evang.", III, v), by St. Jerome ("In Matth."), by St. Augustine ("De Consens. Evang."), and is suggested by the Muratorian Fragment. Later tradition, however, makes Mark one of the seventy-two disciples, and St. Epiphanius ("Hær", li, 6) says he was one of those who withdrew from Christ (John 6:67). The later tradition can have no weight against the earlier evidence, but the statement that Mark neither heard the Lord nor followed Him need not be pressed too strictly, nor force us to believe that he never saw Christ. Many indeed are of opinion that the young man who fled naked from Gethsemane (Mark 14:51) was Mark himself. Early in the third century Hippolytus ("Philosophumena", VII, xxx) refers to Mark as ho kolobodaktulos, i.e. "stump-fingered" or "mutilated in the finger(s)", and later authorities allude to the same defect. Various explanations of the epithet have been suggested: that Mark, after he embraced Christianity, cut off his thumb to unfit himself for the Jewish priesthood; that his fingers were naturally stumpy; that some defect in his toes is alluded to; that the epithet is to be regarded as metaphorical, and means "deserted" (cf. Acts 13:13).
The date of Mark's death is uncertain. St. Jerome ("De Vir. Illustr.", viii) assigns it to the eighth year of Nero (62-63) (Mortuus est octavo Neronis anno et sepultus Alexandriæ), but this is probably only an inference from the statement of Eusebius (Church History II.24), that in that year Anianus succeeded St. Mark in the See of Alexandria. Certainly, if St. Mark was alive when II Timothy was written (2 Timothy 4:11), he cannot have died in 61-62. Nor does Eusebius say he did; the historian may merely mean that St. Mark then resigned his see, and left Alexandria to join Peter and Paul at Rome. As to the manner of his death, the "Acts" of Mark give the saint the glory of martyrdom, and say that he died while being dragged through the streets of Alexandria; so too the Paschal Chronicle. But we have no evidence earlier than the fourth century that the saint was martyred. This earlier silence, however, is not at all decisive against the truth of the later traditions. For the saint's alleged connection with Aquileia, see "Acta SS.", XI, pp. 346-7, and for the removal of his body from Alexandria to Venice and his cultus there, ibid., pp. 352-8. In Christian literature and art St. Mark is symbolically represented by a lion. The Latin and Greek Churches celebrate his feast on 25 April, but the Greek Church keeps also the feast of John Mark on 27 September.

CONFIRMATION NAME OF SARAH O'CONNOR

SARAH ANASTASIA O'CONNOR

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Patron Saint: ST. ANASTASIA

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ASHLEY O'CONNOR

Sponsor

This martyr enjoys the distinction, unique in the Roman liturgy, of having a special commemoration in the second Mass on Christmas day. This Mass was originally celebrated not in honour of the birth of Christ, but in commemoration of this martyr, and towards the end of the fifth century her name was also inserted in the Roman canon of the Mass. Nevertheless, she is not a Roman saint, for she suffered martyrdom at Sirmium, and was not venerated at Rome until almost the end of the fifth century. It is true that a later legend, not earlier than the sixth century, makes Anastasia a Roman, though even in this legend she did not suffer martyrdom at Rome. The same legend connects her name with that of St. Chrysogonus, likewise not a Roman martyr, but put to death in Aquileia, though he had a church in Rome dedicated to his honour. According to this "Passio", Anastasia was the daughter of Praetextatus, a Roman vir illustris, and had Chrysogonus for a teacher. Early in the persecution of Diocletian the Emperor summoned Chrysogonus to Aquileia where he suffered martyrdom. Anastasia, having gone from Aquileia to Sirmium to visit the faithful of that place, was beheaded on the island of Palmaria, 25 December, and her body interred in the house of Apollonia, which had been converted into a basilica. The whole account is purely legendary, and rests on no historical foundations. All that is certain is that a martyr named Anastasia gave her life for the faith in Sirmium, and that her memory was kept sacred in that church. The so-called "Martyrologium Sieronymianum" (ed. De Rossi and Duchesne, Acta SS., 2 November) records her name on 25 December, not for Sirmium alone, but also for Constantinople, a circumstance based on a separate story. According to Theodorus Lector (Hist. Eccles., II, 65), during the patriarchate of Gennadius (458-471) the body of the martyr was transferred to Constantinople and interred in a church which had hitherto been known as "Anastasis" (Gr. Anastasis, Resurrection); thenceforth the church took the name of Anastasia. Similarly the cultus of St. Anastasia was introduced into Roman from Sirmium by means of an already existing church. As this church was already quite famous, it brought the feast of the saint into especial prominence. There existed in Rome from the fourth century, at the foot of the Palatine and above the Circus Maximus, a church which had been adorned by Pope Damasus (366-384) with a large mosaic. It was known as "titulus Anastasix", and is mentioned as such in the Acts of the Roman Council of 499. There is some uncertainty as to the origin of this name; either the church owes its foundation to and was named after a Roman matron Anastasia, as in the case of several other titular churches of Rome (Duchesne), or it was originally an "Anastasis" church (dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ), such as existed already at Ravenna and Constantinople; from the word "Anastasis" came eventually the name "titulus Anastasix" (Grisar). Whatever way this happened, the church was an especially prominent one from the fourth to the sixth century, being the only titular church in the centre of ancient Rome, and surrounded by the monuments of the city's pagan past. Within its jurisdiction was the Palatine where the imperial court was located. Since the veneration of the Sirmian martyr, Anastasia, received a new impetus in Constantinople during the second half of the fifth century, we may easily infer that the intimate contemporary relations between Old and New Rome brought about an increase in devotion to St. Anastasia at the foot of the Palatine. At all events the insertion of her name into the Roman Canon of the Mass towards the end of the fifth century, show that she then occupied a unique position among the saints publicly venerated at Rome. Thenceforth the church on the Palatine is known as "titulus sanctx Anastasix", and the martyr of Sirmium became the titular saint of the old fourth-century basilica. Evidently because of its position as titular church of the district including the imperial dwellings on the Palatine this church long maintained an eminent rank among the churches of Rome; only two churches preceded it in honour: St. John Lateran, the mother-church of Rome, and St. Mary Major. This ancient sanctuary stands today quite isolated amid the ruins of Rome. The commemoration of St. Anastasia in the second Mass on Christmas day is the last remnant of the former prominence enjoyed by this saint and her church in the life of Christian Rome.

CONFIRMATION NAME OF YARLIE ROSE PIERRE-LOUIS

YARLIE ROSE GENEVIEVE PIERRE-LOUIS

Patron Saint: ST. GENEVIEVE

Patroness of Paris, b. at Nanterre, c. 419 or 422; d. at Paris, 512. Her feast is kept on 3 January. She was the daughter of Severus and Gerontia; popular tradition represents her parents as poor peasants, though it seems more likely that they were wealthy and respectable townspeople. In 429 St. Germain of Auxerre and St. Lupus of Troyes were sent across from Gaul to Britain to combat Pelagianism. On their way they stopped at Nanterre, a small village about eight miles from Paris. The inhabitants flocked out to welcome them, and St. Germain preached to the assembled multitude. It chanced that the pious demeanour and thoughtfulness of a young girl among his hearers attracted his attention. After the sermon he caused the child to be brought to him, spoke to her with interest, and encouraged her to persevere in the path of virtue. Learning that she was anxious to devote herself to the service of God, he interviewed her parents, and foretold them that their child would lead a life of sanctity and by her example and instruction bring many virgins to consecrate themselves to God. Before parting next morning he saw her again, and on her renewing her consecration he blessed her and gave her a medal engraved with a cross, telling her to keep it in remembrance of her dedication to Christ. He exhorted her likewise to be content with the medal, and wear it instead of her pearls and golden ornaments. There seem to have been no convents near her village; and Genevieve, like so many others who wished to practise religious virtue, remained at home, leading an innocent, prayerful life. It is uncertain when she formally received the religious veil. Some writers assert that it was on the occasion of St. Gregory's return from his mission to Britain; others say she received it about her sixteenth year, along with two companions, from the hands of the Bishop of Paris. On the death of her parents she went to Paris, and lived with her godmother. She devoted herself to works of charity and practised severe corporal austerities, abstaining completely from flesh meat and breaking her fast only twice in the week. These mortifications she continued for over thirty years, till her ecclesiastical superiors thought it their duty to make her diminish her austerities.

Many of her neighbours, filled with jealousy and envy, accused Genevieve of being an impostor and a hypocrite. Like Blessed Joan of Arc, in later times, she had frequent communion with the other world, but her visions and prophecies were treated as frauds and deceits. Her enemies conspired to drown her; but, through the intervention of Germain of Auxerre, their animosity was finally overcome. The bishop of the city appointed her to look after the welfare of the virgins dedicated to God, and by her instruction and example she led them to a high degree of sanctity. In 451 Attila and his Huns were sweeping over Gaul; and the inhabitants of Paris prepared to flee. Genevieve encouraged them to hope and trust in God; she urged them to do works of penance, and added that if they did so the town would be spared. Her exhortations prevailed; the citizens recovered their calm, and Attila's hordes turned off towards Orléans, leaving Paris untouched. Some years later Merowig (Mérovée) took Paris; during the siege Genevieve distinguished herself by her charity and self- sacrifice. Through her influence Merowig and his successors, Childeric and Clovis, displayed unwonted clemency towards the citizens. It was she, too, who first formed the plan of erecting a church in Paris in honour of Saints Peter and Paul. It was begun by Clovis at Mont-lès-Paris, shortly before his death in 511. Genevieve died the following year, and when the church was completed her body was interred within it. This fact, and the numerous miracles wrought at her tomb, caused the name of Sainte-Geneviève to be given to it. Kings, princes, and people enriched it with their gifts. In 847 it was plundered by the Normans and was partially rebuilt, but was completed only in 1177. This church having fallen into decay once more, Louis XV began the construction of a new church in 1764. The Revolution broke out before it was dedicated, and it was taken over in 1791, under the name of the Panthéon, by the Constituent Assembly, to be a burial place for distinguished Frenchmen. It was restored to Catholic purposes in 1821 and 1852, having been secularized as a national mausoleum in 1831 and, finally, in 1885. St. Genevieve's relics were preserved in her church, with great devotion, for centuries, and Paris received striking proof of the efficacy of her intercession. She saved the city from complete inundation in 834. In 1129 a violent plague, known as the mal des ardents, carried off over 14,000 victims, but it ceased suddenly during a procession in her honour. Innocent II, who had come to Paris to implore the king's help against the Antipope Anacletus in 1130, examined personally into the miracle and was so convinced of its authenticity that he ordered a feast to be kept annually in honour of the event on 26 November. A small church, called Sainte-Geneviève des Ardents, commemorated the miracle till 1747, when it was pulled down to make room for the Foundling Hospital. The saint's relics were carried in procession yearly to the cathedral, and Mme de Sévigné gives a description of the pageant in one of her letters.
The revolutionaries of 1793 destroyed most of the relics preserved in St. Genevieve's church, and the rest were cast to the winds by the mob in 1871. Fortunately, however, a large relic had been kept at Verneuil, Oise, in the eighteenth century, and is still extant. The church built by Clovis was entrusted to the Benedictines. In the ninth century they were replaced by secular canons. In 1148, under Eugene III and Louis VII, canons from St. Victor's Abbey at Senlis were introduced. About 1619 Louis XIII named Cardinal François de La Rochefoucauld Abbot of St. Genevieve's. The canons had been lax and the cardinal selected Charles Faure to reform them. This holy man was born in 1594, and entered the canons regular at Senlis. He was remarkable for his piety, and, when ordained, succeeded after a hard struggle in reforming the abbey. Many of the houses of the canons regular adopted his reform. He and a dozen companions took charge of Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont, at Paris, in 1634. This became the mother-house of a new congregation, the Canons Regular of St. Genevieve, which spread widely over France. Another institute called after the saint was the Daughters of St. Genevieve, founded at Paris, in 1636, by Francesca de Blosset, with the object of nursing the sick and teaching young girls. A somewhat similar institute, popularly known as the Miramiones, had been founded under the invocation of the Holy Trinity, in 1611, by Marie Bonneau de Rubella Beauharnais de Miramion. These two institutes were united in 1665, and the associates called the Canonesses of St. Genevieve. The members took no vows, but merely promised obedience to the rules as long as they remained in the institute. Suppressed during the Revolution, it was revived in 1806 by Jeanne-Claude Jacoulet under the name of the Sisters of the Holy Family. They now have charge of over 150 schools and orphanages.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 SESSION

DECEMBER 13 - SESSION WITH SPONSORS

ACTIONS:
11:30 AM - Mass with active participation in the Liturgy

12:30-1:00 PM - light lunch
· Please take note that the Sponsors will also join the candidates for lunch.
· Please plan to prepare the Food and Beverages in the Rectory Meeting Room before or around 11:30 since the person at the front desk leaves at 11:30. After that time, nobody will open the door for you.

Christine Etienne
Janet Bastien
MarlenyAlvarado
John Kosowatz

We still need volunteers to provide lunch on the following Dates:
January 10: - 2 volunteers
February 7: - 1 volunteer
March 7: 1 volunteer
April 11: - 2 volunteers


1:00 - 2:30 PM : Fourth Session: Joint Session with Sponsors

Presentation of Sponsors
1. (Candidates)

a. Introduce your Sponsor to the group
b. Why did you choose him/her as your sponsor?
c. What significant Role your Sponsor has in your Christian Life?

2. (Sponsors)
a. Why did you agree to be a Sponsor?
b. What specific role do you think you will have to play in the Christian Life of the candidate?


Presentation of Confirmation Name Project

Candidates will be asked to present their Confirmation Name Project to the group.

1. Why did you choose the saint as your Confirmation Name?
2. What inspired you to choose that name?
3. How will you imitate his/her life as you live as a Christian?

Service Requirements:
At this point, the candidate is expected to have completed a total of 6 hours of the Christian Service Project. Forms will be collected during the session.

GROUP ACTIVITY - November 25, 7PM
Parish Rectory
(Attendance Required)

· To set-up the Christmas Giving Tree for people to take tags for the gifts that the parish will share to the poor and needy parishioners our parish and St. Mary’s Parish in Newark.
· To wrap 9 dozens of bread to be distributed to parishioners after Thanksgiving Mass on Thursday at 9am.
· To change the Missal (Service Books) in Church from Year B to Year C.


DECEMBER 13 - SESSION WITH SPONSORS

GOAL: The candidates focus on the strength given in Confirmation, that comes from the increased measure of the treasures of God’s life in the sacrament - the gift of the Spirit. The candidates are helped to expand their understanding of the meaning of the Gift of the Spirit that they will receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

ACTIONS:
11:30 AM - Mass with active participation in the Liturgy
12:30-1:00 PM - light lunch

Lunch Volunteers:

1. Christine Etienne
2. Janet Bastien
3. Marleny Alvarado


1:00 - 2:30 PM : Fourth Session: Joint Session with Sponsors

PRESENTATION OF CONFIRMATION NAME:
Candidates present to the group their Confirmation Name.
Why did you choose the name?
What do you know about the saint that you have chosen as your Confirmation Name
and Model.

PRESENTATION OF SPONSOR:
Candidates present to the group their sponsors.
Give a little backgrounder about your sponsor>
Why did you choose him to be your sponsor?


THE SESSION: In the Strength of His Love: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

SERVICE REQUIREMENTS:
At this point, the candidate is expected to have completed a total of 6 hours of the Christian Service Project. Forms will be collected during the session.

NOVEMBER 8 SESSION AND PROJECT TO BE SUBMITTED

NOVEMBER 8

GOAL: Candidates are prepared for a lifelong journey - Confirmation strengthens us to learn and grow as followers of Christ.


ACTIONS:
11:30 AM - Mass with active participation in the Liturgy
Please plan to be at Church at 11am
12:30-1:00 PM - light lunch

Lunch will be provided by:
Estela Carr
Janet Bastien
Tom Dowd

1:00 - 2:30 PM : Third Session:

Service Requirements:

At this point, the candidate is expected to have completed 4 hours of the Christian Service Project. Forms will be collected during the session.

PROJECT - to be submitted this Sunday, November 8 - CONFIRMATION NAME

Selecting a Confirmation Name
Candidates must create Poster that shows a knowledge and understanding of the saint whose name they are choosing as their own Confirmation name. Candidates may also choose to just retain their Baptismal name.

Projects will be presented at the November 8 session and then displayed for the entire parish community during Confirmation week! Candidates may work together with family, friends, and/or fellow candidates to complete this project.

The Program Coordinator reserves the right to return projects to candidates for further work if the submitted work does not reflect the individual’s attention, care, effort, and/or reverence required for participation in this program.

A good place to start researching saints is the Catholic Online website, www.catholic.org/saints/. There you will find an alphabetical index of saints, an index of patron saints, and a calendar with saints’ feast days, among other useful tools.

In starting to research saints and complete their projects, candidates may want to consider the following questions:

· How and why did your parents choose your baptismal name?
· What activities, places, people, etc. interest you? Is there a patron saint associated with any of these?
· Which saints have their feast day on your birthday?
· Which saints inspire you? Why?
· When and where did the saint you are interested in live?
· When was he/she canonized? By which pope?
· How did this saint die? Was he/she persecuted and/or martyred for his/her beliefs?
· What was this saint’s occupation?
· What did this saint’s mission look like?
· What virtues did this saint practice in his/her life? Did this saint always practice these virtues? Did this saint experience a conversion?
· How would you describe this saint’s personality?
· What miracles did this saint perform?
· Are there any symbols associated with this saint?
· What are their meanings?
· In what ways is this saint a model for Christians today?
· How would this saint act/react if he/she were living in today’s world?


WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
GROUP ACTIVITY - Helping Hands (Required Attendance)

7PM - Rectory For Thanksgiving and Giving Tree

SECOND SESSION- OCTOBER 11

GOAL:
Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace, candidates are encouraged to continue on the path of Christian Life through the grace they received in the Sacraments of the Church.

ACTIONS:
11:30 AM - Mass with active participation in the Liturgy (please plan to arrive at 11AM)
12:30-1:00 PM - light lunch
1:00 - 2:30 PM : Second Session:
Meeting God: Sacraments: the Channels of Grace.

SERVICE REQUIREMENT:
At this point, the candidate is expected to have completed 2 hours of the Christian Service Project. Forms will be collected during the session.

LUNCH VOLUNTEERS

Here is the List of Lunch Volunteers

OCTOBER 11
1. Lauren Hargraves
2. Carmen Acevedo
3. Sandra Best

NOVEMBER 8
1. Estela Carr
2. Janet Bastien
3. Tom Dowd

DECEMBER 13
1. Christine Etienne
2. Janet Bastien
3. MarlenyAlvarado

JANUARY 10
1. John Kosowatz
2.
3.

FEBRUARY 7
1. Colette Durkin
2. Jackie O’Connor
3.

MARCH 7
1. Karen Hilton
2. Athalie Pierre Louis
3.

APRIL 11
1. Jackie O’Connor
2.
3.

SERVICE PROJECT OPPORTUNITY

On Saturday, October 3 at 11 AM, St. Joseph Parish will celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, an annual event intended for:
-Those of the faithful whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age
-A person facing surgery
-Elderly people who have become notably weakened even though no serious illness is present
-Sick children or people of any age in need of healing
-Those suffering mental or spiritual illness in search of healing in a time of crisis or pain.

A light luncheon will be served for participants after Mass.

Christian Service Opportunity for Confirmation Candidates:
1. (BEFORE MASS) to help and assist the sick and the elderly as they arrive in Church, help set up the reception and food table which begins at 10:30 AM. (30 Minutes)

(Note: Being at Mass is a Catholic Way of Life and does not count as a Christian Service Opportunity)

2. (AFTER MASS) to help and assist the elderly after the mass of the Anointing of the Sick (approxiamtely 12 Noon until 12:30 PM) (30 Minutes)

Since help has to be assured, I ask those who will avail of this opportunity to call Kathy at 973-761-5933 on or before Thursday, October 1.

Please remember that during our next Session which is on October 11, you are already expected to have rendered 2 (two) hours of Christian Service.

The Picnic T-Shirt

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 - CONFIRMATION PROGRAM GROUP ACTIVITY

THE 4TH ANNUAL PARISH FAMILY PICNIC

As Catholics, our faith is both of a personal nature and a faith in and of community. As we continue the journey of our faith formation it is important that we become active participants in the community life of the Church. Here at St. Joseph Parish, we strive to have all formation awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church as well as the parish community. As the young people of today's church, your part in the community life of the parish is vital. This is your parish and we are your community.

Your role as young parishioners of St. Joseph Parish is important in contributing to the overall spirit and life of St. Joseph Parish, by supporting parish wide events, inviting, encouraging and assisting other young parishioners to feel and be a part of the parish community.

Our Annual Parish Family Picnic is one of those avenues where you can feel you belong to a parish community in a relax family setting. During the picnic, you will be asked to play an active role in various events and help in some committees.

Please plan to arrive at 1pm and stay until the end of the event. You are also expected to invite a friend (a friend who is not in the confirmation preparation program) to come to the picnic. It is also encouraged if you could order and wear this year’s Picnic T-Shirt.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 - SESSION 1 - CONFIRMATION PREPARATION PROGRAM

GOAL:
Generate or renew the candidates’ interest in what we profess as Catholics. A review of the basic tenets of the Catholic Faith.

ACTIONS:
11:30 AM - Mass of Enrollment
(Please plan to arrive in church at 11:00 A.M. and see Fr. Manolo for instructions)
During this Mass, candidates will make a simple declaration that they officially wish to become candidates for Confirmation.

Meeting with Parents following Mass in Bernard Hall
12:30-1:00 PM - light lunch
1:00 - 1:30 PM - A Growth Interview: Candidates to Parents
1:30 - 3:00 PM - First Session:
I believe: The Faith by which We Were Baptized

WELCOME TO THE CONFIRMATION PREPARATION PROGRAM 2010

Welcome!

Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life.

Thank you for choosing to participate in the Confirmation Preparation Program at St. Joseph Parish. Your willingness to commit yourself to completing the program and receiving the sacrament of Confirmation convey to the entire faith community how much you value both your faith and your community. Your faith formation throughout the Confirmation preparation program will both assist you in identifying the gifts and talents you possess and challenge you to put these gifts and talents to use in our community. You will be invited to take responsibility for your own faith formation, as well as to assist others in that same endeavor.

The Confirmation preparation program here at St. Joseph Parish assumes that: 1) you are regularly participating in Sunday Liturgy, and 2) you are exploring and learning about your faith with your family. The individual sessions, while containing some catechetical formation, will primarily focus on creative faith-building and reflective faith-sharing exercises. This program aims to provide participants with both a more profound understanding of their faith, as well as the tools they will need in order to be able to continue to grow in faith after having received the sacrament of Confirmation.

The model of formation this year could be very different from what many of your parents probably experienced in their own Confirmation Preparation Programs. Why? Because the Church’s understanding of the Theology of Confirmation has evolved over the years – and it will continue to do so. This handbook contains some information concerning the theology of Confirmation, an overview of the program, program expectations and requirements, as well as other sources of information intended to be both helpful and useful for you as a candidate for Confirmation. In addition, supplementary communications and materials will be distributed to you throughout the course of the program. All of our Confirmation information can be found at our blogspot.

http://sjpm-the-journey.blogspot.com

This blogspot is interactive so you can leave your comments, suggestions and messages. However, this does not take away the importance of direct and open communication with us. If you would like additional information or resources, please do not hesitate to contact me at the rectory or my email address: boytee2764@yahoo.com

Thank you once again for your commitment and dedication to your own faith formation and to our entire parish community. May God continue to bless us all as we work, play, and pray together in the year ahead.

Fr. Manolo