Jacinta Marto later Blessed

Jacinta Marto bookmarker in Fr. Stephan's Daily Missal.
Front fly leaf, "To Patrick (Joseph) Murphy, from Daddy, March 1938." That would have made  Patrick 14 years.
From your Email, William, you give me clues to trace Stephens path, "... the small red book he always had with him when we met."
Sure enough we found his small book and so many other 'scribbles'.
Prominent was the Dailly Missal from his Daddy. The book markers told the story and chronology of of friends. First was a souvenir of a certain Br. Mark making his Solemn Profession in September 1968, and later the Ordination of Fr. Mark Caira.
Another picture, hidden among the leaves, brings a whole experience.
Two or three days before Stephen's death I had a dream, different from the usual chaotic dreams. But this 'encounter' was with an attractive and friendly young lady. The vivid face of the lassie was very familiar to me. It was the memory but no idea of the name or who she is. I Googled the PICTURES and scanned possible Saints or Blesseds, Venerables or any. Nothing turned up to suggest.
That is the surprise to find this picture in Fr. Stephen's Missal. At once seen, it was the face to recognize.  And it follows the whole story is to be found in the Internet; Blessed Jacinta Marto.

Apart from memory of the face, I had never learned anything about Jacinta, the youngest of the three children of Our Lady of Fatima. For the moment, the details are on the back of the old holy card in Stephen's Missal.
Thank you for for sending your pages from Stephen's "Understanding of Love" etc. So I even browsed to see if there was any mention of the Blessed Jacinta.

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JACINTA MARTO, born at Fatima in Portugal on March 11th 1910, died in hospital at Lisbon on February 20th 1920. aged nearly 10 years.

She was perhaps the most favoured of the three young shepherds, in spite of being the youngest. With her companions, she saw an Angel three times and Our Lady six times. But besides this she had the special privilege of seeing other appearances of the Blessed Virgin, and of the Holy Father. The theme of her life was to pray and make every possible sacrifice, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Before she died, she said: “In heaven I'm going to love Jesus very much, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary too."

God has already given many extraordinary graces through her in­tercession. The Process for the Beatification of the Servant of God, Jacinta Marto, was sent to the Sacred Congregation in Rome on the 2nd July, 1979.

PRAYER FOR JACINTA'S BEATIFICATION (For private recitation)

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee pro­foundly with all the powers of my soul, and I thank Thee for the Apparitions of the Most Holy Virgin in Fatima which have made man­ifest to the world the treasures of her Immaculate Heart.

By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary I implore Thee - if it should be for Thy greater glory and the good of our souls - to glorify in the sight of Thy Holy Church Jacinta the shepherdess of Fatima, granting us through her intercession the grace which we implore. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Please send deteits of any favours received through the interces­sion of this Servant of God, to the following address:

Vice-Postulador da Causa de Jacinta Marto - Apartado 6 P - 2496 FA TlMA Codex (Portugal).

IMPRIMATUR, Leiren, 20 Februarii 1980

+ ALBERTUS, Episcopus Leiriensis

 Below also a picture of the three children of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.

From left to right, Jacinta Marto, Lúcia dos Santos and Francisco Marto, 
holding their rosaries in 1917. 

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http://sicsempertyrannisjmj.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/feast-of-blessed-jacinta-and-francisco.html   

Monday, February 20, 2012

 I would then recommend three books:

 first, find and OLD (1940-50s) copy of Sister Lucia’s memoirs (before all the “editing” was done to it) and get the basic story; second I highly recommend the wonderful little book 

Jacinta: The Flower of Fatima by the Rev. Fr. Joseph Galamba de Oliveira, the English edition of which boasts a preface by a young Father Fulton J. Sheen; 

and finally a very recent work that deals with a lot of the controversy over the message of Fatima in the last few years and is extremely fair and well researched: 

The Fourth Secret of Fatima by Antonio Socci, a well respected Italian journalist who works in and around Rome, and is a personal friend of our Holy Father.

Stephen (Patrick Joseph) Murphy ocso

FEBRUARY 22 |  0 COMMENTS     PRINT

Cardinal O’Brien joins Cistercians to lay last remaining founder of Nunraw to rest

Cardinal Keith O’Brien joined the Cistercian community at Nunraw Abbey on Monday to pay tribute to the last founding member of the abbey. 

Nunraw Abbey OCSO. February 06, 2013 : Father Stephen (Patrick Joseph) Murphy was Born in 1924 in London, UK. He entered Mount St. Joseph Monastery in 1943, made solemn profession in 1948. Father was in his 89th year and had been in monastic vows for 68 years when the Lord called him.  

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Homily                     Funeral of Fr Stephen         11 Febrary 2013

Today we celebrate the life and death of our Fr Stephen who has been a gentle presence in the Nunraw community for over 60 years.

The members of the community are asked from time to time to write down any wishes they would have about their funerals among other things.  In the space given for the choice of hymns, etc., Fr Stephen wrote, perhaps with his tongue in his cheek, ‘Just silent prayer’.  This reminds me a little of the priest in the early days of the vernacular in the liturgy stemming from Vatican II.  He was not happy about losing his familiar Latin Mass.  His remarks about using English in the liturgy was, ‘Over my dead body!’.  So when it came to his funeral, the presiding priest recalled this and said, ‘So be it!’  To be fair to Fr Stephen, he did say that he was quite happy about whatever the abbot decided to do regarding his own funeral.

Whether we read the scriptures directly or as we pray them in the celebration of the Eucharist or the Divine Office, they are the key to eternal life.  They are also the nourishment that keeps us going till we get there. This seems all very simple, and they are part and partial of what made Fr Stephen the man and the monk that we knew.  But, it is not all as simple as we might think in Stephen’s case.

First of all, we knew he came from Roscrea in County Tipperary in the first years of the foundation here at Nunraw.  He was Irish.  What else, with a name like Patrick Murphy?  In fact this Irishman with the native Irish accent was born in London, albeit of Irish parents.  So he was not the genuine article!  Patrick was sent to Blackrock College for his education and, from there, eventually entered the community and given his new monastic name, Stephen. Within a few short years he joined the other founders at Nunraw.  It is very appropriate that Fr Richard, the abbot of Roscrea, has been able to be with us today for this Mass for this last founder of Nunraw.  As always, we are very pleased to have him with us.

Just last year, on a visit to Roscrea I met Fr Éanna, who was in the novitiate with Fr Stephen.  He told me that Stephen always had a copy of the New Testament in his hand.  I told Fr Éanna that, if that was the case, in his other hand would have been holding one of the books of P G Wodehouse.  In Fr Stephen were balanced the Word of God on the one hand and that fine writer of good English prose, humour and fun on the other.  We all knew that this fine specimen of a monk in our midst had a good sense of humour. 

In the final months, when we were pulling his leg, he would often say, accusingly, but with that familiar twinkle in his eye, ‘It’s no wonder it’s the way I am!’  And just a few days ago, someone remarking on Fr Stephen particular kind of jokes, said that God might already be warning him that if he didn’t restrain himself he might be sent back to Nunraw. 

On the coffin we have placed a copy of the scriptures - the love of his life; the rule of St Benedict – which was the rule of his life, and a priestly stole.  (There wasn’t a sufficiently well bound copy of one of P G Wodehouse’s books to put beside them.)

It may not have been known to many that Fr Stephen had to bear illness for most of his life.  He accepted that and yet managed to do a lot of little jobs that occupied his day.  He would take charge of little but necessary chores in our refectory in preparation for meals and he was the main producer of woollen socks for the community. 

In later years he spent a lot of his time welcoming visitors to the abbey.

In addition to feeding them with his spiritual thoughts, he would sometimes regale them the amusing and funny side of monastic life.  So, in spite of his long-lasting ailments, Fr Stephen gave health and cheer to others in their spiritual needs.  He who had ill health gave strength and help to those who were themselves needing support.  It was not unusual in the past couple of years to have people coming to see him or enquiring how he was keeping.  He had kind of effect on them.

During his declining health, especially over the past few months, the doctors and nurses gave unstinting help to relieve any pain he was experiencing.

On several occasions in the last months, when he was being given a cup of coffee and a biscuit, he would offer his carer the biscuit he had if he thought he didn’t have one himself.  It was the nature of the man.  That came from a long life of hardship and a great deal of suffering.  He could only have put up with that by not thinking too much about it and leaving his pain in God’s hands.  He accepted his bad health with good grace.  No doubt that is why he grew spiritually through it.  One effect of that was that people were drawn to him.

Fr Stephen had a great love of God and would say that all he wanted was to do God’s will.  He was more than ready to go when God called him in the end

As the Gospel says he who believes in the Son of God will be raised up to eternal life.  That is the story that has been lived out in the life of Fr Stephen.

May he now enjoy the new life of God in heaven.

Sancta Maria Abbey Nunraw                            

The Homily - Abbot Mark      

In celebration of Fr. Stephen Murphy OCSO

11 December 1924 - 6th February 2013  

Father
Stephen (Patrick) MURPHY OCSOof this community who died

on Wednesday 6th February 2013
in his 89th year and 
the 68th year of Monastic Profession.

Date of Birth                         11/12/1924

Entered Nunraw                    15/08/1943

Novice                                   19/09/1943

Temporary Profession           23/09/1945

Solemn Profession                 25/09/1948

Ordination                              01/05/1950

+

Ash Wednesday 13 Feb 2013

Begin Lent -
Cock Pheasant , far-carrying crowing call
often with a flapping of wings.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Abbot Mark ...     Sent: Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 15:47
Subject: Ash Wednesday 2013

 

Introduction to Mass                              Ash Wdnesday, 2013

‘Come, let us return to the Lord. . . After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up.’

These words of Hoseah, in a way, foretell the death and resurrection of Christ.  But they also refer to us as we journey this Lent to our own death and resurrection in him.  Lent is a time of struggle but it is also a means to joy and fulfilment in the Lord.

Homily

The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was symbolised by the palm branches we held in our liturgical celebration last Palm Sunday.  The remnants of these same branches were destroyed – burnt to ashes – to show how fragile is worldly glory.  With these ashes we will receive a sign of the cross on our foreheads, in a few moments’ time, to remind us of what happened to our Lord so soon after his welcome from the crowds.  That same sign is what we remember and walk with during these coming weeks of Lent.

But, destruction and death are not the meaning of our Christian lives.  We receive meaning from following the One who rose in glory and joy at Easter.  We do indeed have to endure the hardships and pain that that come from standing up to evil and the sin in the world and in ourselves, but we can do that with joy and peace in our hearts because Christ has already conquered in himself.

Lent therefore is not a time of gloom, whatever our sin and need of forgiveness.  It is the everlasting mercy and love of God shown us in his Son which gives meaning to life.  God created us without us but he cannot save us without us, as has been said so often.  Our part in our salvation is simply to be open and ready to receive this mercy and joy through the One who saves us.

We become passengers with Christ on this life journey of Lent – but willing passengers.  We are being carried through these Lenten days by Christ.  We cannot be saved without him.

Like Peter walking on the disturbed waters of the lake towards Jesus, we can do it so long as we keep looking towards him and thinking about him rather ourselves.  It’s when we look back at what we are doing that we lose confidence.  So, in this true spirit of trust and faith, let us begin our Lenten journey.

Thomas Merton Reading Ash Wednesday 13 Feb 2013

 

       ASH WEDNESDAY

Night Office -Alternative Reading

From  Thomas Merton, O.CS.O.

(Meditations on the Liturgy, 100-101)

A time of metanoia

The paschal mystery is above all the mystery of life, in which the Church, by celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ, enters into the kingdom of life which he has established once for all by his definitive victory over sin and death.

We must remember the original meaning of Lent in which the catechumens were prepared for their baptism, and public penitents were made ready by penance for their restoration to the sacramental life in a communion with the rest of the Church.

Lent is then not a season of punishment so much as one of healing.

There is joy in the salutary fasting and abstinence of the Christian who eats and drinks less in order that his mind may be more clear and receptive to receive the sacred nourishment of God's word, which the whole Church announces and meditates upon in each day's liturgy throughout Lent.

The whole life and teaching of Christ pass before us, and Lent is a season of special reflection and prayer, a forty day retreat in which each Christian, to the extent that he or she is able, tries to follow Christ into the desert by prayer and fasting.

Some, monks and ascetics, will give themselves especially to fasting and vigils, silence and solitude in these days, and they will meditate more deeply on the word of God.

But all the faithful should listen to the word as it is announced in the liturgy or in the Bible services and respond to it according to their ability.

In this way, for the whole Church, Lent will not be merely a season simply of a few formalized penitential practices, half understood and undertaken without interest, but a time.

of metanoia, the turning of all minds and hearts to God in preparation for the celebration of the paschal mystery in which some will for the first time receive the light of Christ, others will be restored to the communion of the faithful, and all will renew the baptismal consecration of their lives to God, in Christ.

Pope's - details of Last Audience

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:08 AM GMT

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Latest news

Pope Benedict's Message for Lent 2013 - details of last audience ‘Believing in charity calls forth charity’.. “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16) Dear Brothers and Sisters, The celebration of Lent, in the context of the Year of Faith, offers us a valuable opportunity to meditate on the relationship between faith and charity: between believing in God – the God of Jesus Christ – and love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and which guides us on the path of devotion to God and others. 1. Faith as a response to the love of God.... In my first Encyclical, I offered some thoughts on the close relationship between the theological virtues of faith and charity. Read More ... Posted: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 10:24 pm

COMMENT:

Resigned to Benedict's Resignation Dear Donald, Most people receiving this message love Pope Benedict XVI and find that they must greet the announcement of his impending resignation with, well, Christian resignation. Clearly the Pope hopes to avoid problems for the Church caused by his own declining strength and concentration, and yet a papal resignation has the potential to bring on its own special problems. As background, see these two commentaries: Benedict: Far from the First Pope to Resign (Jeff Mirus) The challenge Pope Benedict has left for his successor--and for ordinary Catholics (Phil Lawler) Needless to say, we will be watching everything carefully in the coming weeks. Two early stories today begin to show the responses of other leaders: President Obama issues statement on Pope's resignation Cardinal Dolan pays tribute to Pope's 'tender heart,' 'incisive mind' Radio, TV, Internet and print media around the world are full of mostly useless commentary and speculation. We will keep you posted, and all related news and commentary will continue to be listed here: Benedict XVI's Resignation: Rollup of All News and Commentary. Meanwhile, as Phil pointed out in his On the News piece listed above, in light of the Pope's resignation, the Season of Lent could not come at a better time. EnjoyShrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) today, and be ready for Ash Wednesday tomorrow! Again, the rules of fast and abstinence may be found here. Let us all use Lent to pray for wisdom and guidance for the Holy Father in this interval before his resignation date. And then, if the resignation takes place as planned, let us pray for the best possible successor! Jeff Mirus President Trinity Communications

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