Nicky’s Blog

I have always enjoyed contemporary Christian music.  It has always appealed to my love of music, just as much as classical and traditional Christian and Liturgical music has.  So you can only imagine how excited I was when, at the recent World Youth Day 08 gathering here in Sydney, I opened up the programme listing for the week and saw that after the Stations of the Cross, Hillsong United and Darlene Czech were leading the young Catholic pilgrims in praise and worship!  This was the ultimate in ecumenism and I was not only proud to be Catholic, but so happy and impressed to be part of the Church today.

So, here is a video clip of one of my favourite worship songs from Hillsong with the most powerful clip from the film, The Passion of Christ.  These two sum up my life as a Passionist, my faith as a Christian and my admiration of God’s love for all of us.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

On 6th August 2008 Bishop Elect Neil Tiedemann, C.P. will receive Episcopal Ordination in Mandeville, Jamaica (West Indies).

On 28th May 2008 Pope Benedict XVI had named Fr. Neil from the St. Paul of the Cross Province (USA) as the third Bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica (West Indies).

The Mandeville Diocese was created in 1997. The total population is around 582,000 of whom some 8,800 are Catholics. The Diocese has 22 parishes, 43 priests (42 diocesan and 1 religious), 6 religious Brothers, 2 seminarians and 28 Sisters. The Diocese has been vacant since 8th August 2006, following the resignation of Bishop Gordon Bennett, S.J. due to health reasons. The first Bishop of Mandeville was the late Bishop Paul Michael Boyle, C.P. former Superior General of the Passionists.

Representing the current Passionist Superior General, Fr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, C.P. at the Episcopal Ordination on 6th August 2008 in Mandeville will be Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., and Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P., from the General Council.

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, 6 August 2008.

“Today the Church sings: “Jesus, to you who reveal yourself to little ones, be Glory!”  It is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  Reflect on these words which our Holy Mother chants, for they can teach you much”  (Letter #661 of St Paul of the Cross to Thomas Fossi, written 1749.)

These are the words our holy founder wrote to Thomas Fossi, and in a very real way, they are his words for me today too.  As it would happen, I have had some bad news this week which has kept my mood rather sombre and kept me in a state of meditation, not necessarily on the Passion of Jesus, but rather on the very “Passion” the news brings to me and those it has affected.

Bad news, or sad news, can too easily take control of our lives, our thoughts and our deeds, so much so that the last thing you would want to think about is God or the Kingdom of God.  However, St Paul teaches here that it is precisely at this time, our Holy Mother, Mary, teaches us never to loose sight of what really matters.  It is the Glory of God, the Glory of Christ through His Passion!  This letter addressed to Thomas Fossi, is in effect, addressed to me!

I have spent time in prayer today asking God to transform me into the likeness of His Son, so that His will be done, and in so doing He be glorified.

Pray with me today that this be done, not only in my life, but in the lives of every person you may know or come to know.

To Jesus all glory, honour and praise!!!!