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April 2004
A happy and peaceful Easter to you all. The Easter story tells of the heartening news that we will all share in the victory of life over death, of optimism over despair - the central truth concerning Christ and Christianity. In our own little way, we too hope that our ‘Resurrection Day’, when Edmund will be called ‘St Edmund’, is not too far distant. Please keep those prayers going for a speedy response to our plea that Blessed Edmund may soon be canonised. If any of your loved ones happens to be ill or in any kind of urgent need, put Blessed Edmund on the job! Saints need to be kept under pressure to show them the seriousness of our requests! The day has now come when we can fruitfully add such a phrase as “and hasten the day when Blessed Edmund will be declared a saint of the Church” to the various Edmund Rice Prayers that we use in different parts of the world. If any of you feels like writing a new Edmund Rice Prayer, please do so and send me on a copy. I can then arrange, as Postulator, to get official approval for the new set of words.
Last month I included a possible outline for an international novena in honour of Blessed Edmund Rice (ER Novena). The good news is that we now have a Spanish version (ER Int. Novena) for those who wish to pray in that beautiful language. This may be accessed by clicking on the buttons on the top of this page or the highlighted phrases above. Others may wish to provide Irish, French, Italian,… or other translations. Please let me know of your willingness to provide such a service.
*Special Intention for the International Novena: The good news is that Br Philip Pinto, Congregation Leader of the Christian Brothers, has provided us with a heartrending intention for the Novena. Writing from Chicago (23 March 2004) where he is on a pastoral visit to the Brothers, Philip explains:
“I am writing to ask if you would please be able to ask the Brothers and others to pray for a special intention as we prepare for Edmund’s feast in May. They might also like to make this the focus of the prayer for the Novena you are preparing.
We have here in Chicago the two-and-a-half year old grandson of our novice, Mike La France. Quincy has epilepsy. For the past eighteen months he has had thousands of seizures, and horrible reactions to various combinations of drugs. In seizures his body twitches and then becomes rigid. He has lost the ability to walk and talk and function normally. American medical science has had no remedial answer for Quincy. The seriousness of the seizure makes it a life and death situation any given day.
Given the fact that Edmund had a daughter who was ‘delicate’, he would be a wonderful intercessor for Quincy. I would be grateful, Donal, if you would use your role as Postulator to ask the prayers of the Brothers and the Edmund Rice Network for this little child.”
What more need I add? Of course, little Quincy will be a perfect focus for our Novena in honour of Edmund. Let us also include his parents, relatives and friends. The joy of the Risen Lord be with you all and may Blessed Edmund guide you.
Br. Donal Blake CFC,
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