Monday, April 14, 2008

The Pope is Almost Here!

Are you ready? Get your heart and your children's hearts ready tonight! Here are some wonderful resources.

Did you know that the Pope's favorite drink is orange soda? Do you know why our Pope chose to place a bear with a backpack on his papal seal? Check out fun facts, papal coloring pages and more at this site. ht: Cottage Blessings

There is still time to read Spe Salvi before Thursday's Mass homily. To find a copy of "Christ is our Hope" along with an excellent study guide,click here.

My parish is participating in a "Hunger to Hope" Food drive. The goal is to fill up the area food banks in honor of the Pope's visit. Even more importantly, we registered for a "Spiritual Bouquet" in honor of the Pope's visit. Catholics pledged to do a certain number of any of the following acts: Attend Daily Mass, Spend time in Adoration, read Scripture for at least 10 mins, pray alone, pray as a family, offer up Holy Communion, help the poor, etc. A letter containing the total number of each act will be forwarded to the Vatican Embassy. You don't have to be in D.C. or NYC to join in these beautiful acts of homage to our Holy Father.

The Pope needs our prayers! Please pray for the conversion of hearts by the hears of his message. We should also pray for his safety and his health during his visit to the United States. (There are intended protests/disruptions of all of his public speeches.) Good times to pray for specific intentions during his trip to D.C.:

Tuesday: The Pope lands on US Soil
Wednesday: The Pope celebrates his 81 birthday & meets with the President of the United States
Thursday: The Pope celebrates his First Public Mass around 10 AM.