Acies Held March 18th at St. Matthew
The Tidewater Curia held its Acies at 3:00 P.M. at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, VA.
Around 250 Legionnaires from all over Hampton Roads, including our hosts, Jr. Joseph C. Facura and Deacon Bill Blatnik of St. Matthew Catholic Church, and also including Fr. Cristiano Brito of St. Gregory’s Church and Fr. Jay Biber of St. John Apostle Church. ACIES means an army formed in battle array, and the Acies included the recitation of the Rosary, the singing of the “Ave Maria,” a reading from the Sacred Scriptures & the homily, individual & collective acts of consecration to Mary, the recitation of the Catena & the Exposition & Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Afterwards, there was a social in the cafeteria.
Fr. Joseph C. Facura is the spiritual director of Our Lady of Fatima, and Our Lady of Antipolo Praesidia at St. Matthews, as well as spiritual director of the newly forming junior praesidium, which will likely take the name Our Lady of Victory.
Sacramentum Caritatis Issued
Sacramentum Caritatis, addressed to, not only the clergy and religious, but also to the “lay faithful,” is simply a must-read for Catholic who have ever attended, or feel they may one day wish to attend Holy Mass. Our Holy Father writes, in his introduction:
The sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God's infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that "greater" love which led him to "lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). Jesus did indeed love them "to the end" (Jn 13:1). In those words the Evangelist introduces Christ's act of immense humility: before dying for us on the Cross, he tied a towel around himself and washed the feet of his disciples. In the same way, Jesus continues, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, to love us "to the end," even to offering us his body and his blood. What amazement must the Apostles have felt in witnessing what the Lord did and said during that Supper! What wonder must the eucharistic mystery also awaken in our own hearts!