by Arnold Troeger | Sep 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
“The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. It was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful.
The feast was introduced by Pope St. Pius V (1504-1572) in the year 1571 to commemorate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The pope attributed more to the “arms” of the Rosary than the power of cannons and the valor of the soldiers who fought there.
Legend tells us that the Rosary as a form of prayer was given to St. Dominic (1170-1221) by Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, who entrusted it to him as an aid in the conflicts with the Albigensians. The Dominican pope, St. Pius V, did much to further the spread of the Rosary and it thereafter became one of the most popular devotions in Christendom. It was the same Pope St. Pius V, who in 1569 officially approved the Rosary in its present form with the Papal Bull, Consueverunt Romani Pontifices. It had been completed by the addition of the second half of the “Hail Mary” and the “Glory be to the Father” at the conclusion of each mystery.
Middle Ages where it came into being in various medieval monasteries as a substitute for the Divine Office for the lay monks and devout lay persons who did not know how to read.”
In line with the Church’s devotion to Mary, our Mother, and the Church’s tradition, the archdiocese has its annual, rosary campaign during October, asking the faithful to pay special attention to offering the daily rosary. As part of that campaign, they ask us to keep count of how many rosaries we pray and register that number each Sunday at church.
by Arnold Troeger | Apr 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
This church group of the Philippines is offering a Christian Life Program here in Bangkok.
For Whom: Catholic businessmen and businesswomen
Where: St Gabriel Foundation Building, Thong Lor 25, Sukhumvit 55.
When: Saturdays 6, 13 and 20 May
If anyone is interested. please contact Fr John osa
by Arnold Troeger | Apr 11, 2023 | Assumption Cathedral, Father John, News
In the Acts of the Apostles, “when Peter says he is a witness to Jesus’ resurrection, he does
not only guarantee the truth of Christ’s rising – though that statement is itself momentous. What
lends force to his words is his assurance of the fact that Jesus, who was dead, is alive and
exerts a transformative influence beyond constraints of time and space. The world is forever
changed as a result. Peter’s life is changed. Your life too, he tells Cornelius (and us), can be
changed.”
(Erik Varden – Entering the Twofold Mystery – 2022, pp192-3).
Transformation is the key word. It is not an original insight to stress that the Gospel is a
transformative, living document of faith. The first Christians experienced first-hand the transformative
power of Jesus’ resurrection in their lives. Knowing the Risen Jesus, they were forever changed.
The same reality is true for us. Do we honestly believe that?
Sadly, some 2,000 years later, we can take too much for granted. We may too easily be born
into the Church, just passively receiving what we are told, thus missing the full message about who
we are as church, in relationship with God and each other. The basic fact is that the Gospel acts to
change our lives here and now, so that we may know God’s glory, thus becoming attuned to the full
possibilities of life. Do we appreciate this? I can understand if we don’t. No matter our reluctance
or reticence, our transformation into participating more fully in the divine life, here and now, is offered
to us through the resurrection.
Here the danger is I may just be theorising. So I will put it another way. I see this transformation
happening in little ways, in real ways, in the life of our own faith community. My honest experience
is that I see ‘spiritual enlightenment’ happening in our midst. I see the goodness of people and know
their generosity in reaching out to others who have less or suffer. I see people making decisions to
make something more of their lives, to live their faith more deeply and to make life commitments for
the sake of love, for the sake of others. I see people humbly placing their lives before a forgiving
God, being intent on making a fresh start.
Transformation is happening. The resurrection is real and happening today in Our Bangkok.
The Lord has risen, as he said he would. Easter unfolds God’s unending promise to every person
enjoying their true dignity, in the light of the resurrection. Nothing in this life can kill our Easter faith.
Thus, Alleluia is our song and we are an Easter people.
John P Murray osa
by Arnold Troeger | Apr 11, 2023 | Assumption Cathedral
Wednesday this week is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the holy season of Lent. As such, it is a day of universal fasting and abstinence in the Church. Ashes will be conferred after mass next Sunday.
For the sake of clarity, on such a holy day, the Church asks everyone of age 14 and up to abstain from meat and everyone from 18 to 59 to fast, which means eat less or give more to help those in need.
Of course, act wisely if you are sick or have a medical condition.
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