Prayer Partners

November 2018

We celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints by doing some extra reading on the lives of a few saints. The "Personal Portrait" of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Fr. Leo Maasburg has been a treasure to read. She established communities of her sisters in many different countries, so the stories of what she did and how she did it are most pertinent.

We just finished listening to "The Life of Padre Pio," a CD published by Lighthouse Talks. His life certainly teaches us many valuable concepts on the spiritual life, especially how very remarkable are the blessings that can come to us through uniting our sufferings to those of our Lord. As always, thank you for the invaluable help your prayers and spiritual life are for our mission.

1. We thank you for your prayers for the retreats that were held here and in Vladivostok recently. The results were amazing for all who attended. We are looking forward to many more retreats both here and in Russia. Now that we own all 7 apartments in our building on Russian Island, we can do some much-needed renovations and have, for the first time, a comfortable place for the participants who come from various places in our large diocese. I can remember a few years ago when we had one of our first retreats in Vladivostok, the retreatants slept on the floor. Soon to change. Alleluia.
2. You have been praying for several years for the purchase of our convent building on Russian Island, and we are most grateful for your successful prayers. Please continue to pray that we make wise decisions to find and hire some skilled, quality workmen to help us with the renovations. In Russia a foreigner cannot buy land and build a new building, so our only option was to buy what was available and renovate it for our needs. We are most blessed with the building we now have, especially its excellent location. Again, we could not have done this without your faithful prayers.
3. Your prayers are especially important for our sisters and the seminarians of our brother community who are studying so that the Holy Spirit helps them to have a most blessed formation time. Please also pray for our sisters, both here and in Russia, who are either teaching the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classes or studying to obtain the certificates necessary to conduct these classes.
4. Please help us thank and praise God for His many blessings. It is not easy for people to come to Faith in God and His church after being told for years that there is no God, but every year more have come. Prayers for a most blessed and joy filled Thanksgiving or you and your loved ones.

Prayer to Our Suffering Savior For the Souls in Purgatory by St. Alphonsus Liguori

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them, O Lord, Have mercy on them.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel crucifixion, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the cross, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. Have mercy on them O Lord.

Prayer Partners: Please pray that young women who have a vocation to the missionary life will come, and that our community will develop according to God's plan.

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for our mission work would be most appropriate.

Our community, Sisters in Jesus the Lord, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) who was a sister of the Visitation Order in France was responsible for spreading the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the Church. She said in one of her letters:

"It seems to me that our Lord's earnest desire to have his sacred heart honored in a special way is directed toward renewing the effects of redemption in our souls. For the sacred heart is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.

A prayer that we sisters say daily is the following:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Have Mercy on us
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Inflame our hearts with Your love
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Help us to make You known and loved by all