News from the IVE Provincial Superior (Fr. Carlos’ and Fr. Fernando’s Superior)

PreachingAlexandria, Egypt, April 1, 2017

To our Province:

Thanks be to God we have a new Novitiate in the region! The San Francisco Javier Novitiate of Tanzania!

And we have a new missionary: Father Orazio Cangialosi, Very welcome!

God continues to bless us with abundant vocations in the two Provinces of the Region. Just like the rest of our little Religious Family around the world.

 We give thanks to the Lord and at the same time, we renew the effort to discover, propose and accompany vocations.They are a gift from Heaven! But the Lord often wants this gift to come through other people.

As beautifully expressed in our Directory of Vocations, nº 83: “Vocations exist, but we have to look for them. “God calls whom he wills by free initiative of his love. But he wants to call through our people … There should be no fear to propose directly to a young, or not so young person, the Lord’s call “[1]. “The Lord is always the one who calls, but it is necessary to favor the listening of his call and to encourage the generosity of the answer” [2]. 

Currently the IVE (Institute of the Incarnate Word) in the Middle East has 4 minor Seminarians (Egypt); 31 postulants (Tanzania, Tunisia, Egypt and Syria); 4 novices (Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Rome); 4 senior seminarians and deacons (Egypt and Rome).

We know that every vocation is a fruit of God’s love, absolutely undeserved. None of ever deserved, neither the first call of the Master nor the constant call to persevere. It is a free gift from God!

Let us give thanks to God for these blessings and work hard to spread the Kingdom of Christ over the whole earth: “As long as there is a corner of the world without praising the one who came to save us, the Earth has no end!” (The Divine Impatient).

Let us celebrate these gifts of the Lord and try to continue living, albeit costly, in “righteousness, joy and peace” in the Holy Spirit.

The faithfulAs John Paul the Great, Father of our religious family said, “Every call of Christ is a unique and unrepeatable love story” (World Day for vocations 1984).

In Domino

P. Gabriel Romanelli, IVE
Provincial Superior in the Middle East

MASS SCHEDULE FOR HOLY WEEK 2017

  • Palm Sunday 9 Apr: Masses on normal schedule (just longer than usual)
  • Monday 10 Apr and Tuesday 11 Apr: Mass at 9am
  • Wednesday 12 Apr: 11am Adoration, 12pm Mass

Paschal Triduum

  • Holy Thursday: Mass of the Last Supper 8pm (NO 9am Mass)
  • Good Friday: Passion of our Lord at 3pm (NO 9am)
  • Holy Saturday: Vigil Mass 8pm (NO 6pm Mass or 4pm at LPH)
  • EASTER SUNDAY: Masses normal schedule (just longer than usual)
  • Easter Monday Mass 12noon.

Light up a life

The anual Light up a life event where we remember loved ones and those that have passed on made 1,500€ for the Hospice. The church was ablaze with the lights of many candles lit during the service each one representing the soul of a departed.

 

Divine Mercy Prayer Group

On Sunday  6 November, 2016, St. Paul’s celebrated with great joy the 5th Anniversary of our Divine Mercy Prayer Group. We had (plenty of) food, music and dances by the DMPG, El Shaddai, and even our priests showed some of their talents. 

It is a grace to have these prayer groups in our parish, we give thanks to God and pray that He may continue blessing us all.  We also commend ourselves to the protection of our Lady the Virgin Mary. 

World Youth Day 2016

By the grace of God, St. Paul’s Parish was able to participate in the 2016 World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. Our Cyprus group was an interesting mix of St. Paul’s parishioners, some members of the Maronite community, two religious sisters, and two priests, Fr. Akl Abou Nader and Fr. Carlos Ferrero IVE, our parish priest leading the group. The fast paced pilgrimage covered many interesting sites in and around Krakow, Czestochowa and Wadowice, and it was a great opportunity to see amazing places such as the Convent of the Holy Cross, several magnificent churches, the Pinczow synagogue, Auschwitz etc. They also saw the relics and sanctuaries of St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II, even the cassock which the Polish Pope was wearing during the first assassination attempt in 1981, and to top it off … Mass with Pope Francis!

We give thanks to God for this opportunity and keep praying for the fruits of the World Youth Day, may all the pilgrims be blessed with many graces for themselves and for their parishes back home.

God bless our Catholic Youth.