Nathan, our new aspirant

The Knights are happy to announce their new aspirant, Nathan. Nathan is from Kentucky and is the oldest of 12 children. He loves to play the piano, which he has been playing for 10 years. May our Blessed Mother intercede for and form him as he begins his time with the Knights. Welcome, Nathan!

Some of the Knights at the Holy Thursday ceremony

On Holy Thursday, each Knight made a one-year commitment to serve our Eucharistic King. This is both an exciting and tense time for our members. Within our modern culture today is a built-in fear of commitment. It always amazes me to watch the struggles and torment of the soul when a young man struggles to make this commitment; some leap into the way of life with both feet, while others step so gingerly. This is why we count on your prayers so heavily, that young men might have the courage to trust the promise made by our blessed Lord: “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands [here comes the hard part!], with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30; emphasis added).

Our beloved foundress, Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, celebrated her 89th birthday on April 20. I have very fond memories of time spent with her. She made us feel so loved and appreciated. I especially loved the excitement she naturally created. When we were with Mother, there was never a dull moment. Now that I have been in community for 14 years, I can attribute my perseverance in part to the very important lesson that Mother would often teach us: She insisted that if we want to make the spiritual life easier to live, we need to live in the present moment at all times. This takes a profound trust in the good Lord, but has brought much peace to my soul and has deepened my conviction. Despite her physical limitations, she continues to live her vocation faithfully to the edification of us all. We are so grateful to God for her life of prayer, work, and suffering. May 20 marks 50 years since she came to the great state of Alabama. God is good! Please continue to remember Mother Angelica in your prayers.

In 1955 Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which is celebrated on May 1. When the Knights first arrived at the Shrine back in July 1998, St. Joseph the Worker was the first image selected to be painted on the door. The Knights spend their lives dedicated to work and prayer; therefore, St. Joseph is our role model. We encourage the Knights never to be idle, for an idle soul becomes the playground of the evil one. We look to St. Joseph to assist us in understanding the dignity of work and keeping it in balance with our interior life. St. Joseph was given the task to look after the Holy Family while performing manual labor. When young men enter our community, we teach them to work hard for the glory of God. We strive to carry out our daily tasks only for the love of God and His Holy Church.

Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

1:00 P.M.: Confessions

3:00 P.M.: Divine Mercy Holy Hour (televised)

4:00 P.M.: Holy Mass

Holy Thursday

9:00 A.M.: Confessions
11:30 A.M.: Divine Office and Divine Mercy Chaplet
3:00 P.M.: Confessions
5:00 P.M.: Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Night Prayer
The Shrine will close at 7:00 P.M.

Good Friday

10:15 A.M.: Stations of the Cross (in the Temple)
11:00 A.M.: Confessions
11:30 A.M.: Divine Office and Divine Mercy Novena/Chaplet
3:00 P.M.: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion followed by Night Prayer
The Shrine will close immediately following Night Prayer.

Holy Saturday

10:00 A.M.: Confessions
11:30 A.M.: Divine Office and Divine Mercy Novena/Chaplet
3:00 P.M.: Confessions
The Shrine will close at 4:00 P.M. and re-open at 7:00 P.M.
8:00 P.M.: Easter Vigil Mass

Easter Sunday

The Shrine will open at 6:00 A.M. as usual.
7:00 A.M.: Easter Sunday Mass in Upper Church
10:00 A.M.: Easter Sunday Mass in Lower Church
5:00 P.M.: Vespers (no Benediction)

Mass at the Church of the Annunciation

On Ash Wednesday, February 22, Br. Juan and a group of about two dozen others, with Fr. Zachary of the Mother of God, S.O.L.T., as the retreat master, made a pilgrimage retreat to the Holy Land. This twelve-day pilgrimage took Brother to all the major sites of Jesus’ birth, hidden life, public ministry, passion, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. Br. Juan was able to assist daily at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at all these holy sites. Beginning in Nazareth and ending in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the group chronologically followed the life of Jesus. Since this was a pilgrimage retreat, each day Fr. Zachary gave both a retreat talk and, later, a reflection at one of the day’s visited holy sites.

Br. Juan at the Sea of Galilee

The pilgrimage began in Galilee as our good Brother visited Cana and Nazareth. He later climbed Mount Tabor and visited Mount Carmel, the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, and St. Peter Church of the Primacy (where Jesus appeared to the Apostles after His Resurrection and Peter was made the first Pope). The town of Caesarea Philippi was another destination. One day Br. Juan was able to ride in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Before leaving Galilee, he and the group visited the site of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes and later renewed their baptismal promises in the River Jordan. It was then on to the Holy City of Jerusalem via the centuries-old pilgrim route.

Stanley, our new aspirant

On Monday we welcomed our new aspirant, Stanley, who hails from Texas. We are thankful for his arrival and are happy to have him with us. Welcome, Stanley!

Fr. Robert Pecotte

On February 8, the Knights participated in the annual Shrine Employee Retreat. The retreat master for this year’s retreat was Fr. Robert Pecotte of the Diocese of Fargo, ND. Father gave the Knights and the employees three conferences that focused on Jesus’ words “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Father provided rich insights into what true meekness and humility are. It was obvious that these insights flowed from his deep personal life of prayer. The retreat closed with a Holy Hour and Benediction in the Shrine’s Lower Church. We thank Father for taking time out of his busy schedule to afford us this time of retreat.

In May Br. Michael Mary graduated from Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, Connecticut. After four years of dedicated studies, he received his B.A. in Philosophy. Along with his parents and siblings, Br. David and Br. Laurence were in attendance as he walked to receive his diploma. Congratulations, Br. Michael!

Two thousand eleven saw us complete more finishing work on our Maria, Turris Davidica (Mary, Tower of David) Chapel. Among other improvements, we received new hand-carved statues of Our Lady of Fatima and the Divine Child Jesus. The many murals that adorn the chapel were completed and now add a stunning touch. In 2012 we will be installing three new stained glass windows depicting the Annunciation, the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple, and the Wedding Feast of Cana. Thank you to all who have helped make this Chapel a fitting dwelling place for Jesus, Our Eucharistic King.

Through the instrumentality and support of Bishop Robert J. Baker, Bishop of Birmingham, the Lourdes Grotto at the Shrine was gifted with an indulgence for those who visit it. Also, His Excellency was able to obtain permission for this diocese to celebrate the first liturgical memorial of Bl. John Paul II on October 22.

A couple of years ago, Comunita Cenacolo was able to open a house in Hanceville due to the diligent efforts of Bishop Baker, who as a priest assisted in opening Cenacolo house in St. Augustine, Florida. The Knights joined the men of Cenacolo for various events during the year (softball, pizza, soccer, etc.). It is always a blessing to visit with Bishop Baker and the Cenacolo Community.

We continue to expand our promotional efforts, thanks to the work of JonMarc, our webmaster/consultant, and Kevin, our Internet marketing expert/consultant. Two thousand eleven saw the launch of our Knights of the Holy Eucharist Facebook page and other promotional ventures. On our website we added a section on the Holy Eucharist, which we hope to expand so that it becomes a viable and vibrant resource for all things Eucharistic.

This past July 25^th we celebrated the 13^th Anniversary of the Knights’ founding. On that day we were honored to have a Filipino Bishop offer Mass for us in our Chapel. We played volleyball, swam in the river which surrounds the Shrine property, barbecued, and roasted marshmallows. We also spent an hour reflecting back on the early years of the Community.

For recreation on October 3, the vigil of the Solemnity of St. Francis, the Knights went to see “Courageous,” an amazing movie about fatherhood. As a community we thoroughly enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it.

We thank the good Lord for His continuously generous Providence. He has used many of you to manifest this Providence and we ask him to bless you for your cooperation. Have a great 2012!