Social networking, better known as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, occupies the time of many of us throughout the day. The largest companies in the world utilize various social networks to reach consumers where they live, mainly on the Internet via PDAs, computers, and cell phones. So it seems natural that the Catholic Church would utilize these websites as well and they have. I was reading an interesting story about the Church in France. They have created a Facebook page that is being used to recruit men to the priestly vocation. The campaign is being pitched using the slogan "Why Not Me?" I think this is very smart. It is where the young people have gathered to communicate, like it or not and it allows someone who is discerning their vocation to do it asynchronously. I will be anxious to see how successful this campaign becomes and urge all of you to pray along with me that many men will respond to God's call to become priests. I also noticed another interesting story about France that involves reconciliation. The story is called "Praying People into the Confessional." It describes how St. John Vianney was able to attract thousands of sinners to Ars so that he would hear their confession. St. John Vianney in his early life was judged by some in the hierarchy to be rather limited in potential. As it turned out, he become one of God's most fervent warriors and continues to be honored with the naming of parishes and schools all around the world. Today is the feast day for St. Catherine of Siena. Did you know that she was the youngest of twenty-five children? Did you know that she joined the Dominican Third Order at the age of eighteen? Did you know that she was able to mediate a conflict between the papacy and the city of Florence? Her life is truly remarkable and she is one of my favorite saints.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...
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