Father Aniello Salicone, sx

 

Finally, after two years, a headstone was put on Father Aniello's grave.  The epitaph reads: As the Father loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. John 15: 9

This is perfect for Aniello.  His famous saying was "Thank you Jesus for loving me.  Help me to love You." Later he added, "...and my neighbor as You love them."

Prayer Has a Life

Living things grow.  Prayer grows, therefore it is living; it has life.  Father Aniello Salicone is a missionary priest.  He has been visiting Massachusetts about once a year, for a while. 

The first time he came, he gave us this prayer:

  Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.

The second time he came, he added this phrase:

Thank you, Jesus, loving me and making me Your number one.

The third time he came, he put a reciprocal twist on the prayer:

 Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and making me Your number one. Help me to make You number One.

The fourth time he came, he added a long thought:

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and making me Your number one.  Help me to make You number One and to love others as You love them.

This time, Father Aniello didn't add anything.  It's perfect the way it is.  What else could one add?

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and making me Your number one.  Help me to make You number One and to love others as You love them.

Mass and Healing Service

Father Aniello Salicone, s.x.

My prayer group was blessed tonight.  We went to see an old friend and mentor, spiritual advisor and priest.  Father Aniello Salicone celebrated Mass tonight and had a healing service afterwards.  I don't think he's changed at all.  His hair is thinner and whiter, but so is mine.  He's still the gentle, prayerful priest, I remember.

His teachings tonight were of God's love (of course).  That's his thing.  But he solved a problem that's been bouncing around in my head for awhile. You see one time when I was praying the thought occurred to me that I was kind of wasting my time because what I was praying for was something that God wants, too.  Father Aniello proved statistically that God answers prayers and either gives us what we want or something better.  I don't remember the exact figures, but I remember that we get what we ask for 4% of the time.  Yet 50 % of the time we get something better.  We also don't see immediate results.  Father Aniello quoted St. Theresa of Avila saying,  "Thank God, He didn't give me what I was asking for two days ago.  Because now I don't need it."

Father Aniello also talked of the evil one.  He's the one that causes pain, sickness, division, etc..  So don't blame God.  God only wants good things for His children.

The Holy Spirit was palpable, too.  I could feel Him.  The praising was uplifting.  I also saw some old friends.  God is good--all the time.

Day One Consecration to Mary for the 21st Century/A Lenten Journey

Day One 

Ash Wednesday

Prayers for Ash Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday after Ash Wednesday

All day, when you think of it, pray the ejaculatory prayer, "Come Holy Spirit."  End the day with an examination of conscience--even while in bed.

First Meditation

You have to get yourself a Rosary.  Put it in your pocket or in your purse.  The point is that you either feel it every time you put your hand in your pocket, or you see it every time you open your purse.  When you do see or feel your Rosary, think of Mary and pray, "Mary, pray for me now and at the hour of my death."

Second Meditation

There will be times when you have to remove your Rosary (to change pockets or when emptying your purse to search for something).  Every time you do this, hold your Rosary in your hand and kiss it, before you replace it.  Never mind who sees you.  You are giving witness to your faith; be proud of it.  Also pray, "Mary, pray for me now and at the hour of my death."

Third Meditation

Meditate upon Father Aniello Salicone's prayer, "Thank you Jesus, for loving me."

End your day with an examination of conscience--even in bed.

Come Holy Spirit

What good did I do today?

Where did I fail?

How can I do better?

Thank you Jesus for Loving Me

Yes, He loves me! He really does. He thinks I'm # 1. He's God and He truly loves me. Didn't He die for me? What more could He possibly do to prove His love?

I learned this more than ten years ago from Father Aniello Salicone, sx, and it was hammered home, again, last night, at Father Aniello's healing service.

Many people were there for many different reasons. I was feeling so helpless and sad when I saw these people so desperate for relief from their illnesses. Father Aniello explained to them that Jesus always answers prayers, and if you don't get what you want, he gives you something better. Spiritual healing is better than physical. God's ways are not our ways and His time is infinite, not according to our schedule. So we prayed to be touched according to God's Will, and the understanding to know and accept God's Will.

Thank you Jesus for loving me, is Father Aniello's favorite prayer, and has become his trademark. It's so easy; yet it says it all. I pray it every time I receive Communion.

Thank you Jesus, for bringing Father Aniello into my life.

Congratulations to the Xaverian Missionaries

Hey, I just read this from Zenit.  I've been out of it for a couple of weeks (due to the death of my brother, a minor injury, and hubby whisking me away from it all.)

Bishop Guido Conforti is a favorite of mine.  The Order that he founded, Xaverian Missionaries, ministers in my parish, and I've got to know them.  In fact, my very, best, favorite priest in the whole wide world, is Fr. Aniello Salicone, sx.  They're whom I think of when missionaries are mentioned.  I love these guys and  Bl. Guido Conforti's prayer is one of my favorites:

May you focus your life in Jesus.  May Jesus always be present in your thoughts and heart, in every encounter, with every person and place.   In Omnibus Christus.

I am very happy that Bishop Conforti is to be canonized.  This is a blessing.  Deo Gratias.

Missions and Social Work

Benedict XVI will lead an Ordinary Public Consistory on Monday to vote on the canonization of three Church blesseds -- two Italians and one Spanish -- who are testimonies to the Church's social and missionary outreach.

The Pope signed a decree in December that advanced their cause toward canonization.

Blessed Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931) had wanted to follow the example of St. Francis Xavier, the Jesuit who took the message of Christ to Asia. But he was unable to travel to the mission fields for health reasons, so instead he founded the Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (also known as the Xaverian missionaries).

He was made Bishop of Ravenna at the young age of 37 and became Archbishop of Parma in 1907, where he stayed for almost 25 years. As bishop, he also continued to guide the society he founded, and in 1912 had the joy of consecrating one of his missionaries, Father Luigi Calza, as Bishop of Cheng-Chow.

Blessed Conforti travelled to China in 1928, but was taken ill after his trip and died, after a long illness, in 1931. John Paul II beatified him on March 17, 1995.

Don Luigi Guanella (1842-1915), was a priest who founded two congregations, both of which helped the marginalized during the industrial revolution: the Servants of Charity and the Institute of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence. A great friend of Don Bosco, he wanted to join the Salesians, but instead was recalled to the diocese by the Bishop of Como.

For years, he was subject to misunderstanding, persecution and other obstacles but a turning point came when he was when he sent to the parish of Pianello where he met five religious prepared to undertake any service in Italy and abroad. This later gave rise to the two congregations he founded.

His apostolate to the poor made him a friend of Pope Saint Pius X who offered him much assistance. Blessed Guanella left a large legacy in Rome including the home of St. Pius X on the Janiculum hill where the Guanellian nuns care for elderly and disabled, the "St. Joseph" house on Via Aurelia Antica, and the parish of St. Joseph Cottolengo -- all of them visited by Pope John Paul II. He died Oct. 24, 1915, and Pope Paul VI beatified him on Oct. 25, 1964.

Lastly, the Pope will canonize Blessed Bonifacia Rodríguez de Castro (1837-1905), a nun from Salamanca in Spain who worked for the social advancement of women workers. She founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and created the "Nazareth workshop" to help poor or unemployed women.

Like many founders of religious institutes, Mother Bonifacia faced strong hostility and at one point was excluded from her own congregation, after which she founded the workshop, which she managed almost until her death in 1905.

The Vatican is expected to reveal the date of the three blesseds' canonizations after the consistory on Feb. 21. 

Crazy Baking Zest

I'll be crazy for another week.  Ever since I learned of the St. Rocco's Cookie Contest I've been racing around for ideas.  I want my health/diet/support group to enter.  That's TOPS!  Take Off Pounds Sensibly.

I think it's a wicked idea!  TOPS doesn't endorse any one diet plan.  In fact, we've had people in our club that also belong to Weight Watchers, or Jennie Craig.  We're about healthy life styles, rather than diets.  If you must pin us down to a "diet", then we'd say the Exchange Diet.  IOW, we exchange unhealthy food for healthy food.  Heavy cream would be exchanged for low-fat cream.  A slice of pecan pie would be exchanged for an apple.  Get the idea.  TOPS is about changing your life style.

So there I am reading my church bulletin and I see "St. Rocco's Cookie Contest."  How's that for Pastoral Reflection!  I immediately began to salivate think what cookie to make.  Gradually, I tried to think of "exchanges" I should use to make a cookie healthy.  Another thought:  I don't have any Italian cookie recipes. My mother is Lithuanian.

The biggest stumbling block is the fact that the parish, St. Mary's, is saturated with wonderful Italian cooks.  What was I thinking!

But I couldn't let go of the thought.  So I brought the contest to my TOPS meeting.  They latched onto the idea like a shy child on to his mother's skirt.  The recipes morphed into culinary baking concepts.  (Although Gen Gen, a purist, was horrified at the very idea of exchanging her Italian recipes.  Some just don't get the concept.)

I've been marauding Italian cookbooks and learning all about blanching, icing, piping, meringue, etc., because the club is having a sampling at the next meeting.  We will all bring our cookies to the meeting and we'll vote for the most tasty.  That's the one, TOPS 463 will enter in the St. Rocco's Italian Cookie Contest.

As for me, I asked my favorite priest, Father Aniello, who's Italian as you can get, his favorite.  He said,
My favorites are the sfogliatella from Naples and the Paste secche (the dry little cookies made from almond pastry).


Hmmmm.  Maybe I'll make karvojus.