2010 Morning Star and Weekend Adoration Schedule
Morning Star Family Retreat Video
Western New York Catholic October 2009 Article
Western New York Catholic Article page 2
Testimonies
The above video of pictures is a little taste of the reTREAT we put together on August 14-16, 2009. Fr. Marek Stybor OFM Conv was our Retreat Spiritual Leader. We want to thank him dearly for his beautiful homilies and endless energy. Fr. Marek came with Morning Star families from Chicopee, MA. It gave our two groups a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better and share our prayerful experiences. It was edifying to hear testimonies that strengthened our dedication to provide our children special prayer time together before the Blessed Sacrament.
Michael John Poirier made a special appearance Saturday evening. He arrived hours after playing at Father John Corapi’s Conference in Buffalo. He spent a whole hour sharing his faith journey and taught us about the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Visit his website at www.holyfamilynow.com. We send a special thank you also to Quiet Waters Productions for arranging this visit. Check out their website at www.quietwatersproductions.com.
Special thank you goes out to Mr. Mark Baker from Hawk Hideaway in Olean for presenting a fascinating talk on raptors. The Clowns for Life from the Diocese of Buffalo Pro Life Office made a special appearance also. We thank all the teens from San Damiano and Morning Star for their beautiful music during Mass and campfires as well as helping out where needed.
We invite your family to come to our holy hours and share in the joy we find in learning about our faith, sharing it with others and deepening our love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Please come—you are most welcomed.
For those outside our area, find two other families that have the same desire to share family prayer time and start meeting. With the Holy Spirit’s help, everything will fall into place. Morning Star will be happy to share our prayer booklets and long-distance fellowship. E-mail us at morningstar2001@roadrunner.com.
ROSARY MUSICALS
JOY Rosary Musical 2009 was performed by our Morning Star Olean group in the parish and local nursing home. This is a beautiful way to share prayer time with others in the community. Music composed by Quiet Waters Productions. For more information on how to put on this musical with your prayer group contact www.quietwatersproductions.com.
VOCATIONS CHALICE PROGRAM
We have three tabernacle/chalice boxes traveling from home to home, inspiring families to pray for religious and priestly vocations.
MARCH FOR LIFE
Last year's attendance was official reported at 250,000. Though this year an official count was not released, bloggers are reporting anywhere between 300,000 to 500,000 marchers.
Twenty thousand young people woke up very early to make it in time to get a seat for the Youth Rally & Mass for Life. Steve Angrisano, Matt Mahar and other very talented singers led everyone in praise and worship songs. Prior to Mass everyone prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary. A silent and reverent hush fell upon the crowd as the procession of deacons, priests, bishops and cardinals came out. Prior to the closing, various bishops were acknowledged for their presence and were cheered by their diocesan pilgrims. Then the Most Reverend Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, mentioned that one archbishop was left, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi. He received an immediate standing ovation and cheers. He delivered a special message from Pope Benedict XVI. Moments like this are treasured in our hearts. Our nation's youth put their faith into action as they very respectfully filed out of the convention center and joined the rest of the March for Life participants congregating at the the National Mall. We encourage other families to plan ahead and take a stand for life next January 22nd.
National Prayer Vigil for Life
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America! It is the tenth largest in the world. Thousands of pro-life pilgrims converge for the Vigil Pro-Life Mass the night before the March for Life. Overflow pilgrims attend Masses in nearby churches. Televized on EWTN, this beautiful Mass begins with a long procession of 400+ seminarians, 500+ priests, bishops and cardinals. For us, this very reverent and prayerful gathering is an opportunity for our youth to witness and be a part of our young Catholic Church in a vibrant and glorious way. It was an honor to pray for a culture of life with a young generation that was so respectful, pious and full of zeal.
