I share this email received 5 days ago with a very sad heart…

Greetings from Pittsburgh! We will be celebrating Jennifer’s birthday on Monday. This past year has had its joys and its many health challenges. As Jennifer starts a new year of life, we continue to pray that we increase our faith in God’s Providence.

As we near the end of 2019, we want to thank everyone for the great support you have shown us, and the Cause for Elisabeth Leseur we have collectively been working to advance. Joe and I have come to the difficult decision to bring our work on the cause for Elisabeth Leseur to a halt. Despite twice traveling to France to petition the Diocese of Paris, they continue to reject all our efforts. With no way to move forward, we have decided we want to use the precious non-working time we have in more constructive ways. We will continue to maintain ELCause.org and share out significant updates through the website, but we will stop posting prayer requests, monthly reflections and offering prayer cards. The Catholic Church’s lack of support for this lay initiative has impacted us both, draining our energy and our resources. We believe that God, and the Diocese of Paris, know where to find us when it is finally time to move forward with the cause. In this decision we place great trust in Divine Providence. We are sad but at peace, and hope you can understand we gave our absolute best effort for more than three years.

For a short final reflection, we have chosen some words Elisabeth wrote about Divine Providence and surrendering herself to it as part of a letter to Sr. Goby.

November 7, 1911
How beautifully you speak of our beloved heavenly home. There are times I yearn for it; then I tell myself that I must be completely flexible in the hands of divine providence, fully surrendered to the good God, knowing that whatever he sends me is good: joys or sufferings, sickness or health, life or death.

With our gratitude and prayers,
Jennifer and Joe

Spiritual Weapons of Fasting

As we prepare for the St. Nicholas FAST this Friday, December 6, I thought this video very timely.

Where there is FAITH there is HOPE!

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your martyr, St. Barbara, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the strong courage she showed in refusing to renounce her faith despite torture and great suffering. St. Barbara, you knew that your decision to become a Christian could cause you much suffering at the hands of those in your society who hated Christians. Your own father tried to strike you with a sword when he learned of your conversion. When he turned you over to the prefect of the city, you underwent great sufferings. You had the opportunity to escape your sufferings by renouncing your faith. But you did not give in. Instead, you faced your sufferings and ultimately your death with great courage and faith. Pray for me, that I may be as courageous in holding fast to my faith as you were. Pray that I won’t let my fears stop me from following Christ and following your example. Amen

Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-barbara-novena

O my Lord Jesus!

Teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve You as you deserve;
to give, and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to ask for rest;
to labour, seeking no reward,
save that of knowing that I do Thy will. Amen.

(By St Francis Xavier)

St Francis Xavier, Pray for Us

Let us prepare ourselves for the FAST of Saint Nicholas of Myra at the request of 4 holy Exorcists of the Church, this is just 3 days away depending where you are in the world. This is such a special request and honor to be a part of one body the Church, uniting and offering our littleness to Jesus. During “The Fast of St. Nicholas: A Request from Four Exorcists“, we will find ourselves instead of feasting this coming first Friday we will be FASTING for the coming of the Christchild and a great healing in HIS Church.

Recommendation for the day of FASTING:

We are, therefore, encouraging all Catholics who recognize the evil of the events to join us in a day of prayer and penance on December 6th, for the purpose of driving out any diabolic influence within the Church that has been gained as a result of these recent events — along with any other events.

We are asking all of those who participate to do the following for this intention:

1.) say the Rosary;

2.) take on some form of penance, such as fasting, abstinence and other forms of mortification;

3.) to offer the prayers to the Sacred Heart, as seen below.

Other recommended acts which we encourage others to do for this intention is make a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament and attend Mass that day, offering the merits of the Mass for this intention.

May the Divine Mercy rest upon all of us.

Go-to Fr. Z’s blog

Please pray the Chaplet of Hannah’s Tears each day from December 1 – 9, in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception on Monday, December 9, also a Holy day of Obligation.

We also will remember Saints Hannah & Juan Diego on this day.

Bishop’s approval letter within the link below.

https://hannahstears.org/2019/07/08/the-chaplet-of-hannahs-tears/

Run to Our Lady who is ALL loving and most pure.