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FORGIVENESS

Servant Song ~ Let us serve God throughout the world

The Catholic Church

CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS ~ CARE!

SEXUAL ABUSE

SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

A Talk With Cardinal Frances George

IN THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST, MAY THE BISHOPS DISCOVER THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVING EVERYONE WITH KINDNESS AND CHARITY

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sep 21, 2009 / 10:43 am (CNA).- As he does every year, the Holy Father hosted a congress for all the bishops who were consecrated this past year. Noting that helping priests is an essential task for a bishop, Pope Benedict reminded the prelates to urge priests to seek "intimate and personal union with Christ."

Addressing the recently-consecrated bishops at Castel Gandolfo today, the Holy Father recalled the importance of "not forgetting that one of a bishop’s essential tasks is that of helping priests – by example and fraternal support – to follow their vocation faithfully and to work enthusiastically and lovingly in the Lord’s vineyard."

Priests, said the Pope, must "remain united to the Lord; this is the secret of the fruitfulness of their ministry." Increased workload, difficulties, and the new requirements of pastoral care "must never distract us from intimate and personal union with Christ. Our readiness and openness to people must never diminish or overshadow our readiness and openness towards the Lord."

"The time that priests and bishops consecrate to God in prayer is always time well spent," he emphasized. "This is because prayer is at the heart of pastoral work, it is the ‘lymph’ which gives it strength, it is a support in moments of uncertainty and discouragement, and an endless source of missionary fervor and of fraternal love towards everyone."

Fr. Carlos Azpiroz Costa, O.P., Master of the Order of Preachers

Study and Contemplation in the Dominican Order

DOMINICAN "ORDER OF PREACHERS" LOOK AND SEE LIST

DOMINICAN PEACE AND JUSTICE

DOMINICAN LIFE

DOMINICANS IN THE WEST

DOMINICANS IN THE CENTRAL STATES

DOMINICANS IN THE EAST

DOMINICANS IN THE SOUTH

DOMINICAN HEADQUARTERS

FEDERATION OF DOMINICAN SISTERS ~ USA

DOMINICAN SISTERS

BECOME A DOMINICAN VOLUNTEER

DOMINICANS WHO LIVE AT HOME

NASHVILLE DOMINICANS

SISTERS MOTHER MARY OF EUCHARIST

DOMINICAN NUNS OF MT
THABOR

CATERINA BENINCASA DOMINICAN MONASTERY

DOMINICAN LIFE ~ NEWS

DOMINICAN NETWORK

1 of 8 The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

2 of 8 The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe,

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

The Church in the 21st Century ~ Fr. Timothy Radcliffe

SACRED CALLING FOR ORDINARY MEN

DOMINICAN VOCATION ~ IS GOD CALLING YOU?

DOMINICANS INVITE YOU

DOMINICANS INVITE YOU ~ 2

Dominican Order in Vietnam flourishes

Saigon, Vietnam, Nov 10, 2009 / 01:03 am (CNA).- In a celebratory event in Saigon on Saturday, Fr. Joseph Ngo Si Dinh announced to thunderous applause that the “number of friars, nuns, sisters, and lay Dominicans in our family in Vietnam has increased substantially and already reached to the population of a diocese!”

Fr. Joseph Ngo Si Dinh, Vietnam Dominican Provincial, spoke to attendants at the 2009 Dominicans’ Traditional Family Day held at St. Dominic Church on Nov.7. He reported that the Order now has 150 friars, and that the number of nuns and sisters has steadily increased at the rate of 200 annually.

Fr. J.B. An Dang told CNA that one of the main contributors to this rapid growth is the involvement of the Lay Dominicans, known as Third Order Dominicans, of which there are up to 103,000 professed in Vietnam. Lay Dominicans are reported to be actively involved in their parish activities and their Dominican formation is said to be well-supported by local parish priests and diocesan bishops.

Cooperation between the branches of the Dominican family and the diocesan structure in Vietnam is viewed by many as a primary reason for the steady growth of the order, despite the difficulties of living in a communist country.

The history of the Dominicans in Vietnam can be traced back to the 17th century, explained Fr. An Dang, with the arrival of missionary priests John of the Holy Cross and John de Arjona. Over the next several hundred years, the order continued to grow despite numerous violent persecutions against Christians.

In 1975, soon after the communist takeover of South Vietnam, all schools, social services centers, and formation houses of Vietnamese Dominicans were seized and all foreign Dominicans were expelled. The majority of native Dominicans survived by working on local farms and their religious lifestyle had to now accommodate harsher living conditions. Many lost their lives under the circumstances, while others returned to their families.

Despite this struggle, the order has continued to exist and flourish. Support for the Dominican Order in Vietnam has also come from overseas Dominican communities, including a regional vicariate based in Canada.

Making of a saint

Short Life of St Martin de Porres

A SHORT LIFE OF SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES


Saint Martin de Porres was born in 1579, in Lima Peru, the son of a black/mulatto freed slave and a Spanish nobleman. At first, because of the stigma of having dark skin in a culture dominated by Spanish aristocrats, Martin's father did not acknowledge Martin and his sister, and deserted Martin's mother leaving her to fend for herself and her children by bringing in laundry to her home in the slums of Lima.

By the time Martin was 10 or 12, however, his father had a change of heart for the better. He began to support the children, and aquired an apprenticeship for Martin as a barber/surgeon's assistant. Martin was overjoyed at this.

Having lived with discrimination of color and of lack of legal parentage all his life, he could have become bitter and troublesome, but instead he was blessed by God with a gentle spirit, a heart's understanding of humility, and a desire to serve God in prayer and charity, the positive fruits of this particular type of suffering.

Martin used his good fortune at his apprenticeship to further his opportunities to serve the suffering. Even this young, in his teens, his landlady (from whom Martin had begged used candles) spied him through the keyhole in ecstatic prayer.

At around the age of 15 he was received into the Dominican friary as a tertiary and servant, apparently quietly taking on the most menial of duties. After nine years of denying himself entrance into the order as a lay brother because of his self-held unworthiness, he finally relented and was made a Coadjutor Brother, and promoted to Almoner.

He is recorded as having begged and received $2000 per day, an amount many say was miraculous in origin, which he used to feed and care for the sick and poor of all races of Lima. He was also made head of the infirmary, caring for the sick of the Dominican order.

Life was not all joy for Martin at the friary. He was often in "trouble" with his superiors for what they perceived as overzealousness in his solicitude for the poor, hungry and sick. Hungry, dirty people in large numbers were forever "roaming" the friary in search of Martin's care as well as his prayers, creating quite an inconvenience for the other members of the community.

When upbraided for allowing a filthy man covered by sores to lie on his bed, his famous reply was, "Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."

The religious were also curious about Martin's gifts, and would sometimes play pranks on him to test him. But his spiritual gifts were witnessed by many, including his superiors, and there were many who experienced first hand his ability to pass through locked doors to care for the sick, to bilocate worldwide, and to heal with just a cup of water.

His love for creation did not end with man and woman, but was extended even to animals of home and field. While this is not so remarkable today, it was greatly so at his time and in this culture, where animals were mainly left to fend for themselves unless being a beast of burden needed for work. His started a shelter for cats and dogs at his sister's home, where he fed and cared for them in sickness and injury.

There is even a legend that he made a deal with the priory mice, warning them about the poison traps set for them and making a deal with them: if they left the priory, he would feed them at the back door. Having a gift of communication and mastery over all animals, including the mice and rats, they bought the deal, and left the priory, not to return. For these reasons, to exemplify his charity even to the beasts who were lower than even the slaves, Saint Martin is most often pictured with mice, birds a cat and a dog.

Saint Martin died in 1629 on November 3 of fever, and was venerated immediately at his passing. He was known as the "Brother of Charity" and the rich and poor mourned him and avidly sought relics of his habit. He was made Blessed by Pope Gregory, and in 1962 was canonized by Pope John XIII.

Military Prisoners Training Dogs to help the Wounded Vets

FAITH

AMAZING GRACE

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC ~ CLICK HERE

THE SPIRIT OF JONATHAN HEIDER

Watch CBS News Videos Online

I found Jonathan in an orphanage in Croatia where I knew that this was a very special child. Of all I have done in my life, finding Jonathan was one of the most special times of my life... and finding him a special family was even more special... and it is especially meaningful that Jonathan was honored today... October 2nd... The Feast of the Guarding Angels.

Sr Pauline Quinn

THE COURAGE TO NOT GIVE UP

Hi Sister Pauline,

I wanted to let you know about one of my pups who was slated to be a service dog/breeder. She had to be released due to prey drive, but this is what she's doing instead! She surfed with a 15 year old quadraplegic surfer, and completed the first ever tandem surfing ride between an adaptive surfer and a dog last Thursday!

PRISONERS BRINGING HOPE TO OTHERS~

Major Lori Kibler on left ~Warden Robert Shannon on right ~ trainers and pups

This is a NEW HORIZONS SERVICE DOG program in partnership with the Florida Department of Corrections where the inmates are doing a public service by helping to train future service dogs to help the disabled.

There are many disabled who waiting for a service dog to assist them and with the inmates help, more dogs are able to be ready to partner with someone who needs a dog to assist them.

Patty Armfield, an experienced dog trainer, comes twice a week to the prison to help the inmates learn dog training skills. She is teaching all aspects of dog care, which could lead further to employment once released. Her work is very much appreciated.

We need many items for this program: dog grooming supplies, crates, towels, dog toys, gift cards to buy dog food, plastic dog gates, leashes. A list of items can be obtained by contacting Janet Severt at New Horizons ~ 386 456-0408

JANET, PATTY AND THE TRAINERS

PATTY TEACHING THE MEN HOW TO CARE FOR THEIR DOG.

THEY ARE INTERESTED AND LEARN QUICKLY

LEARNING HOW TO GROOM THEIR PUPS

Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility ~ PRISON DOG PROGRAM

IN 1981 WHEN I STARTED THE FIRST PRISON DOG PROGRAM I HAD NO IDEA THAT SO MANY OTHER PROGRAMS WOULD START TO HELP THOUSANDS OF YOUTH AND ADULT PRISONERS FIND MEANING TO THEIR LIFE. SOME I STARTED BUT MANY MORE WERE STARTED BY DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAD A VISION. TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE THE EFFORT TO HELP THESE YOUNG AND OLD MEN AND WOMEN FIND MEANING FOR THEIR LIFE ~ THANK YOU!



Friday, July 10, 2009

Prison program gives second chance for man and beast

'Another Chance for Love' pairs dogs with men incarcerated in Chino.
By SAMANTHA GOWEN

The Orange County Register
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CHINO – In the visitors' center at the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility a young man sits with a small dog in his lap. He says hello in a high-pitched, sing-song voice most pet owners know well.

Squirt, a Yorkshire terrier mutt, wriggles happily and licks his face.

"If you stick around, you'll hear a lot of funny noises coming out of us," says Brandon Gilmore, laughing as he ducks another wet kiss from Squirt.

This is the beginning of a relationship that will rehabilitate both man and canine. For 10 weeks, Gilmore and Squirt will live together and learn from each other inside the walls of a facility that imprisons young men who ran afoul of the law.

Eight ill-fated dogs from the O.C. Animal Shelter in Orange arrived Friday at the correctional facility. The men, ages 19 to 23, waited anxiously for their new charges. It's been three weeks since a previous class of canines graduated from the popular program called Another Chance for Love.

Janette Thomas is the executive director of the program that pairs troubled and homeless dogs with men incarcerated with problems of their own.

"For many of these guys, it's the first time they have ever felt true love," Thomas says. The men echo her sentiments.

"I've never had this close a bond with anyone," says Josue Tellez as he strokes his assigned dog's head. Tellez of Santa Ana has been paired with Heidi, a skittish but friendly German shepherd who sticks close to his side.

It's hard to tell on arrival day who is having a better time, the men or the dogs. Smiles and happy chatter fill the yard outside the visitors' center. While beast and man get to know each other, Thomas gives these trainers – most of them veterans of program – some tips for the weekend.

"No training yet!" Thomas emphasizes. "Just get to know the dogs, and let them get to know you."

The dogs will live alongside the men 24-7 as they master behavior and training. After graduation, the dogs will be adopted to new families – minus the issues that likely sent them to the shelter in the first place.

Kevin Felan has trained six dogs with Another Chance for Love. The program veteran was given perhaps the toughest challenge: Spanky, a Cairn terrier, who struggles with control and basic dog manners.

"Love is a big part of a dog's life," Felan says. "Without the love, the dog isn't going to give love, and he's probably going to end up at a shelter."

The word love is used a lot here. Each of the eight men expresses a deep appreciation for a program that has taught them about affection, patience and parenting skills, all from four-legged fur balls.

Thomas avoids so-called bully breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers to offset any past experiences of the men. She intentionally pairs these reformed tough guys with 3-pound terriers and petite poodles, which often require a more gentle approach.

Los Angeles native Eric Alvarado has renamed his dog "Dodger." The flat-coated black retriever doesn't seem to mind. While the dog barks and strains his leash, Alvarado calmly explains how the dogs have helped reform him.

"I had no patience before this program," says Alvarado, who is training his third dog. "As much as we teach them, they teach us twice as much."

Andre Griffin sums up the experience for most of the men: "We give them another chance," he says. "I like the rehabilitation work we do here to get these dogs to new families.

"And you get a lot of love from the dogs," he says with a shy smile.

Stay tuned. The Register plans to follow the eight dogs and their trainers as they progress through the training program. You can read more online at ocregister.com/pettales.

MENDICANT'S MEET

MENDICANT'S MEET
Wood Block by Sr Mary Grace op
CONTACT SR MARY GRACE
CATERINA BENINCASA DOMINICAN MONASTERY
CONTACT MONASTERY
St Dominic Guzman

St. Dominic was the founder of the Dominican Order. Domingo Guzman (1170-1221) was born in Castile. At an early age he became canon of Osma Cathedral and accompanied his bishop to Languedoc to join the Cistercians in their efforts to convert the heretical Albigenstans. At the death of the bishop in 1207, Dominic became prior of the mission, preaching ceaselessly, living a simple life among the laymen and surrounded by a few companions with whom he prayed, studied and made penance. Dominic's apostolate failed, but in 1215 he travelled to the Lateran Council in Rome and the following year obtained approval from Pope Innocent III to found an order of Friar preachers. St. Dominic is nearly always depicted wearing the white robes and black cope of Dominican habit.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi was born into a wealthy family in Umbria, Italy, in 1182. His father was a prosperous merchant, and Francis planned to follow him in his trade, although he also dreamt of becoming a troubadour or a knight. In 1201 he took part in an attack on Perugia, was taken hostage, and remained a captive there for a year. As a result of his captivity and a severe illness his mind began to turn to religion, but around 1205 he enlisted in another military expedition, to Apulia. However, he had a dream in which God called him to His service, and he returned to Assisi and began to care for the sick. In 1206, he had a vision in which Christ called him to repair His Church. Francis resolved to become a hermit, and devoted himself to repairing the church. In fine art he is always depicted wearing a homespun robe, tied round his waist with a thrice-knotted cord, which evoke the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He bears the stigmata on his hands and feet, his chest wound is often depicted visible though a gash in his habit.
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Wheelie Catholic

Wheelie Catholic

THE JOURNEY

The only way to really understand someone's journey is to talk about it, yet to talk about something that was so traumatic to your life, happening as a child and for a very long time after, is difficult.

My desire to share is because if people understood what others can go through and still climb up and out of the pit that they were thrown in, they will see that all things are possible.

I give all my credit to God who walked with me through the most cruel and horrible experiences in my life and some of them happened right here within the church.

It is sad to say that in this great big world of ours, those that we look up to, to guide us down the path to Heaven, can be the greatest offenders, pulling people down by their indifference, by their insensativity and lack of understanding.

This doesn't mean that they are bad people or it is the fault of the church but rather it is the human conditions that does this.. that people, no matter how they are called, can fall and they can fail.

If people didn't fail me, I would never have been pulled toward God as much as I have... because I needed Him. So what might seem bad at the time, can really be a blessing. I was depended on God for everything and I used what He gave and turned it around and went out to help thousands of people, even though I was having a very hard time helping even myself.

God seems to work that way. Even though I have done a lot of good, I don't believe I have done much of anything. It is difficult to see any good I have done unless I am reminded.

I am sharing this little piece that was written about me because I believe that in order to understand that God really does help people, you would have to know the story of my Journey. No matter how rough the road for St St Paul, in the end won the race, and you will win the race, no matter what any one thinks of you, no matter how they treat you and no matter if you don't think you amount to much... God is there to help you win the race.

Sister Pauline–A Remarkable Woman

Patricia Kelley

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

The only way to truly understand the power of these prison dog programs and the driving energy behind them is to understand the amazing and selfless woman who started them. Out of the unspeakable abuse she suffered as a child and young adult, a phoenix has risen. Like a phoenix—Sister Pauline would not be destroyed by her circumstances.

This defines Sister Pauline. Tough, resilient, often outspoken, and sometimes irreverently defiant-she’s not your stereotypical nun. Yet, she is filled with a capacity to love and forgive that would challenge most of us. She rose up out of unthinkable abuse to change her corner of the world, guided by a promise she made to God in her darkest hour.

It is no wonder that this one very amazing woman would become the founder of, and leading light for, the rapidly expanding, highly regarded prison dog programs. Her love and compassion for society’s throwaway people, coupled with her deep love for dogs became a formula for healing and change unprecedented in our prison systems.

The direction her life has taken has challenged and changed old paradigms of thinking that previously dictated what is either worthy or worthless in life. Thousands of humans and canines are offered hope-and yes, even redemption in these prison dog programs. Many have met Sister Pauline-most have not—but each human and canine life she has touched directly or indirectly has made the world a better place for them—and us.

I interviewed Sister Paulie extensively and was amazed and moved by her commitment to make the lives of those that most of us would rather forget about a little better. To give them a sense that someone cared.
She is a remarkable woman.

Her organization is Pathways to Hope.

CHRIST CAME FOR THE POOR, UNWANTED AND THOSE OTHERS DESPISED

YOU CAN FIND CHRIST IN THE DARKNESS OF THE ALLEY WAYS, UNDER BRIDGES WHERE THE POOR SLEEP. HE IS WITH THOSE WHO HE LOVES.

"Christ remains with us not only through the Mass but in the 'distressing disguise' of the poor. To live with the poor is a contemplative vocation, for it is to live in the constant presence of Jesus"

Dorothy Day

“The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. They never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men. It then appears that we are among the privileged.

Helen Keller

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

In Today's Gospel John 10 1-15

The Good Shepherd

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.

But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."

Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

"In the Church Bulletin there was a comment by the pastor and it says:
St John narrates the storyof Jesus the Good Shepherd as part of the sixth sign in his gospel book of signs. Here, Jesus is the light of the world and St John explains this in the story of the man born blind. In this story, the religious leaders are blind but they do not know that they are blind. They are contrasted with Jesus who is the light that has come into the world. Then St. John tells the story of Jesus the sheep gate and Jesus the Good Shepherd. These stories are told to illustrate that Jesus is the one who loves humanity and cares for them as a good shepherd takes care of his sheep.

The story is told so that those who experience the neglect of their out-of-touch religious leaders and institutions know that Jesus is the one who is enlightened. Jesus understands their dilemmans and like a good shepherd takes cae of his flock, Jesus will take care of them. There is no need to think that God depends on incompetent and corrupt religious leaders. God accomplishes his purpose of nurturing his people and leading them to their destiny. Jesus is the one who knows the way."

This is helpful to reflect on this message because when our church leaders hurt us.. when they neglect the sheep, then often people will start thinking it is their fault and will be crushed by the weight of this cross, but if we reflect that there are times when our religious leaders are not leading us, when they don't care as what happened with the priest sexual abuse and the leaders turned their backs on the victims, then we have to looke to the Good Shepherd Jesus who won't abandon us and will reach out to us with the kindness and compassion of the Good Shepherd.

Never let incompetent and corrupt religious leaders to pull you down. Look to the heart of Jesus and you will find Love.

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VISIT CORPUS CHRISTI DOMINICAN MONASTERY BRONX NY 120 YEARS OLD

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THROUGH THE CROSS WE CAN FIND HOPE

The Hill of Crosses, Kryzių Kalnas, located 12 kilometers north of the small industrial city of Siauliai (pronounced shoo-lay) is the Lithuanian national pilgrimage center. Standing upon a small hill are many hundreds of thousands of crosses that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression.

In 1795 Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

Captured by Germany in World War II, the city suffered heavy damage when Soviet Russia retook it at the war's end. From 1944 until Lithuania's independence in 1991, Siauliai was a part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR. During the Soviet era, the pilgrimage to the Hill of Crosses served as a vital expression of Lithuanian nationalism. The Soviets repeatedly removed Christian crosses placed on the hill by Lithuanians.

Three times, during 1961, 1973 and 1975, the hill was leveled, the crosses were burned or turned into scrap metal, and the area was covered with waste and sewage. Following each of these desecrations local inhabitants and pilgrims from all over Lithuania rapidly replaced crosses upon the sacred hill. In 1985, the Hill of Crosses was finally left in peace. The reputation of the sacred hill has since spread all over the world and every year it is visited by many thousands of pilgrims. Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses in September of 1993.

The size and variety of crosses is as amazing as their number. Beautifully carved out of wood or sculpted from metal, the crosses range from three meters tall to the countless tiny examples hanging profusely upon the larger crosses. An hour spent upon the sacred hill will reveal crosses brought by Christian pilgrims from all around the world. Rosaries, pictures of Jesus and the saints, and photographs of Lithuanian patriots also decorate the larger crosses. On windy days breezes blowing through the forest of crosses and hanging rosaries produces a uniquely beautiful music.

NEADS PRISON DOG VIDEO

CLICK HERE

NEADS Dog Program NCCI was the first Massachusetts Department of Correction facility to incorporate National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEADS) back on December 23, 1998.

The program is a result of corroboration with Sister Pauline Quinn of , who has aided numerous correctional facilities across the country implement similar programs.

NEADS is a non-profit organization established to provide Hearing and Service Dogs for people who are deaf or who use wheelchairs. These Assistance Dogs become extensions of their owners and bring security, freedom, independence and relief from social isolation to their partners. NEADS is one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind.

CHRIST DWELLS WITHIN THEM ~

Blessed Margaret of Castello ~

HOMELESS AND A BEGGAR
CLICK HERE to see the stories

WHY FORGIVE?

Mehmet Ali Agca, the gunman who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, holds up an issue of Time magazine outside a military recruitment center after being released from prison in Istanbul on Thursday. Agca served more than 25 years behind bars in Italy and Turkey.

Pope John Paul II's prison visit with his would-be assassin demonstrates that the ability to forgive is a rare gift. But as the Pontiff has shown, it is possible. As a result, there is hope in this mad world.

FINDING FAITH

Subject: A Dog Named Faith

This is a story about a dog who was born on Christmas Eve in 2002.

He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which needed to be amputated.

He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

He was rejected and scorned.

His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of putting him to sleep.

At this time, his present owner Jude Stringfellow came into his life and wanted to take care of him.

She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. She thought, all we need is a little faith.

Therefore she named him 'Faith.'






In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements of the water.

Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and to reward him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home helped to encourage him to walk.

Amazingly, after only 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he can now walk like a human being.







Faith loves to walk around now.

No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him.

He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching job and plans to take him around the world to preach, 'that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul.'













In life there are always undesirable things.



Perhaps a person who feels things are not going as well as they could will feel better if they change their point of view and see things from another perspective.


Perhaps this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone.

Perhaps everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows.


Life is the continual demonstration of the power of thinking positive and having faith.

Believe in yourself.
Never lose faith..