Father John Joseph Reid and Father Larry Turner

                        Priests at Divine Mercy Chapel, 2749 NE 10 Ave., Wilton Manors, Fl.
www.newdivinemercy.org

Baptism of Benjamin's Video in our Chapel

Recently we had the pleasure of performing the Baptism of Benjamin in our chapel.  

In case you have not had the experience of witnessing the introduction of a new soul into the American New Catholic Church, we are going to give you the chance to watch.  Below is the video of the celebration of this new life and you can watch.  

If you enjoy this celebration, you can also come and visit us here at our chapel in Wilton Manors.  We would love to meet you, new friends.  You can also visit us on our home online at www.newdivinemercy.org for all of our up to date information.

Hear what?

Speak , Lord, for you servant is listening  1 Samuel 3:36-10,19.   Are we listening and what are we listening for?  Do we daily ask God to take our life and will and then during the day listen to what God is asking us to do? 

Some people are into meditating, being quiet for a period of time and open the mind and heart to hear what God may be saying to them.    One method is to repeat over and over a mantra such as Jesus I am love you, other use words like peace, Mary, God, God is love.    As they repeat the mantra  over and over they attempt to clear their mind of lifes distractions and go to that quiet place to relax and listen for God to speak to them.   For me I meditate for about 20 minutes.   This practice does not come easily to some of us.  But the accent is on practice and with time we will be able to do it.

I try to listen with my "gut" when I need to make decisions, sometimes I dont get answers ( thats like not yet) and other times God leads the way (once I get out of the way.)    If I have turned my life and will  over to God (and many times I take it back) answers come easier. 

The question today is what is God trying  to tell you to do with your life.    If you dont know, how about asking him?   He is waiting to help you.
 In the Chapel of Divine Mercy, American New Catholic Church,  2749 NE 10 Ave., Wilton Manors Fl. we have Holy Hour at 7:00 PM on Fridays  and this includes meditation time.  Come and join us and see what comes up for you.   954-567-1930 , Chapel of Divine Mercy, FAther  Father John Joseph Reid  www. newdivinemercy.org

Help people find jobs

Last week I went with a friend of mine Michael to get a fresh flower church  arrangement for the Christmas/winter season.  We went to Pottery Barn, Fort Lauderdale .  Got the fake flowers and then started walking around the big box store....every item I picked up was manufactured in China  the only thing I could find that wasn't made here was the bar of candy  at the check out register.  I looked at dishes, none made by our workers here, chairs, same thing, on and on.

Just recently a politician running for federal office berated black poor kids because of their work ethics.
He claimed they didnt have any.   What are we to do export all our youth to china to be able to help them find jobs?    Yesterday I went to Moroney's Religious Art Store, in Fort Lauderdale to buy the new renewed Roman Missal to use at the altar during our Mass.  The clerk told me the Missal was published by the Catholic Book Publishing Corp, New Jersey.  Good deal I said because I am not buying anything that has contributed to our people not being able to find work or being forced to work for minimum wages.  Lo and behold I tear off the cardboard packaging and read the first page and then turn over to the second page  and what jumps out to me is  that this 1341 page book was not printed by anyone in New Jersey, or let alone in the United States.   It was printed in Korea (it didnt say north or south).

And now i am finding the black clerical shirts that priests are putting on their back  are being made in China as well as vestments too.    The Pope yesterday came out talking abut distribution of wealth...there is really only two classes of people here   the super rich and the upper poor (which used to be called the middle class). and of course those at the bottom of the barrel the poor who never have a chance to make life better for themselves or their children.

My fellow church people have to make a stand now and reach to help those who are mentally physically and spiritually suffering because our jobs have been taken away  and sent off shore , the biggest  of which is China.    I personally wont buy any goods made in China.  I went to the less than a year Frigidaire  refrigerator in my kitchen and looked on the inside and saw it was made in Mexico, the Whirpool Microwave  read made in ROC (sneaky for the Republic of China)  Mr. Coffee Maker as well as the filters took more jobs away from us, made in China.    Been asleep all these years but not any more  I dont buy anything unless it is made in the USA  that includes cars, everything and if I cant find something made here I will be yelling and screaming.       Why dont you join me and help our brothers and sisters get back on their feet.....              Father John Joseph Reid

Mariage Equality

And what do you know about marriage, Fathers?  Well for one thing Father Larry and I are married according to the rules and regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Over 38 years we have been living in a loving relationship, and that includes the time we have been legally married .  We declared out love before God and for the past 38 years he has continually blessed us.  How do you like them apples.   There is a clergyman I know who now refuses to marry in his church unless all can marry and that means same and opposite genders. 

I marry opposite gender couples here in Florida, they appear with their license issued by the state and declare their love before God and all their family members and friends.  I bless their love and sign their legal papers.   Same gender couples also ask me to bless their love and legally we call it a Holy Union.  Of course this does not give them all the many many rights that opposite couples receive when they marry.  That is in the State of Florida.  Now if they were married in many other states these same gender couples would receive all that the state offers.

I say to those religious groups who are on the opposite side of gay marraiges, then dont marry them.  And dont worry you wont be getting many gay couples coming asking for it.  After all you have chased them
away from God's love because of your naming them evil and bad people. There are more and more religious organizations now willing to marry same gender couples and they are reaching out to help them see God loves them as he made them, gay.   And we will take in all those that you kick out.   Bring them on. 

So Father Larry and I can talk about love in a long term loving relationship.  We cant share with you the joys of giving birth but we sure can tell you about love, the love that God has for us and for others and the mandate he gave to us to love everyone (and that includes those religious groups who put down gay people).   So if you dont want to see love in action, dont come to us.  If you want to see loving people, both straight and gay, then come to Divine Mercy Chapel, 2749 NE 10 Ave., Wilton Manors, 954-567-1930  http://www.newdivingmercy.org/

St. Blaise Blessing, Feb. 3, what happens there ?

Growing up in Boston, the seat of Irish Catholicism, the kids in my block, on Feb. 3 would always be saying "you going to get your throat blessed?"  We heard about this Saint Blaise and he cured someone who choked on a fish bone. Of course we Catholics ate fish every Friday, 52 times at least and then we had days during the 40 days of Lent when we didnt eat meat but instead it was fish again.   And  now if St. Patricks Day fell on a Friday the Cardinal (an Irishman from my neighborhood) would give us a dispensation and we could eat cornbeef and cabbage.  

So this little catholic boy was not taking  any chances of choking on fish bones and so did the other kids.  Off we all went into the church and there were lines of people standing in front of the Priest.    He held two candles crossed up against our throats and said a prayer  that St. Blaise would intercede  for us to God and protect us from choking on those fish bones.    Of course the candles were not lit so we werent sacred of getting burned.    And that was back then.

And now.   We here in the Chapel of Divine Mercy, will conduct the age old blessing attributed to St. Blaise, the 4th century Bishop, who was martyred for this faith and who while in prison perfomed a miracle of saving a young boys life who was choking on a fish bone.    Father John Joseph will hold two gold candles (not lit) crossed against your throat and say "Through the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  He will also bless you with holy water.  You wil be holding a small white candle in your hand and you then take this candle home, as a reminder of the blessing you received today.   You might later also lite this candle should you be coming down with the flue, etc.     Father John Joseph Reid, Divine Mercy Chapel, 2749 E 10 Ave, Wilton Manors, Fl. 33334   954-567-1930     http://www.newcatholic.us/

SAINT BLAISE THROAT BLESSINGS

On February 3, 2011, from 7 PM to 8 PM in the Chapel of Divine Mercy, 2749 NE 10 Ave., Wilton Manors (954-567-1930) St. Blaise throating blessings will be offered to all.

 Heres a little history of St.Blaise, whose feast day we celebrate February 3.  St. Blaise was the Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and suffered martydom A.D.316.  While the persecution of Christians  was going on. St. Blaise moved from town to town  and also lived as a hermit in a cave.  Wild animals, according to tradition, visited him and he healed many that were sick and wounded,  After he had been captured and was being taken to prison St. Blaise encountered a woman whose pig was being seized by a wolf, St. Blaise commanded the wolf to release the pig and it was freed unhurt.

While he was in prison and before he was tortured and beheaded, he miraculously cured a small boy who was choking to death on a fishbone lodged in his throat.  By the 6th century, in the  East,  his intercession was invoked for diseases of the throat. In the 8th century records attest to the veneration of St. Blaise in Europe and he became one of the most popular saints in the spiritual life of the Middle Ages.   One reason St. Blaise's popularity  arose was the fact he was a physician who cured , even performed miraculous  cures  .  Eventually the custom of blessing of throats arose whereby the priest held two crossed candles, touching the side of the throat and invoking the prayer of the saint and imparting God's blessing.

Please come to St.Blaise Blessing,, Thursday, Feb. 3, 7-8 PM, Father John Joseph Reid, Fathers of Divine Mercy

We find Christ and He finds us.

Teaching An Older Priest New Tricks

At age 78 it was learning how to use the computer.  Thanks God the nuns in high school prevailed upon me to take a course in typing.  (A special thanks to Sister Wilma, Sister of St. Joseph, Gate of Heaven High School South Boston, Ma.)  So armed with the typing knowledge I muddled through learning the computer, the internet, deleting when I should have not and every few years getting a new computer as technology  grew by leaps and bounds.

Now we are blogging, trying to make Constant Contact work for us, building on our web page NewDivine Mercy.org, (thanks to Bill Woeppel of Wilton Manors guiding us along, )having a video  view of our Sunday Mass uploaded to you tube and reaching out on  Facebook.  And learning how to be sociable  in our social networking . More New Speak. 

Jesus  invited and used fishermen, the uneducated, former prostitutes, the despised,  the rejected and sinners to help him get his message out:  The message of love, acceptance and forgiveness.    No computer stuff for him back then.  Of course his miracles thrown in now and then helped.  But I marvel today how his message travelled all over the world.    In todays world a click of the computer key can be seen eveeerywhere. But yet, with all the magic of today, his message of love, acceptance and forgiveness gets lost .

May this priest in a small mission in Wilton Manors do his best to spread His message.  Love to you all.    A Servant of Divine Mercy, Father John Joseph Reid

Letting Go and Letting God

A very long time ago I thought I learned how to Let Go and Let God.  That is, get out of the way and let God run the show.  It seems my sometimes big Ego gets in the way and wants to do what it thinks is best.
Its then I get frustrated, angry with myself ,because it doesn't turn out just how I wanted it.  

A case in point:  my ego says that after all this time I should be running a church, the size of course of a cathedral.  After all I know how to run things.  The key word is run things.  Then God steps in and says wait a minute.  You want all the headaches of running a big church.  After all, there are just two of you and today a newspaper salesman try to sell you an ad for $50..00 and you don't get  anywhere that in donations  in your weekly Mass.  Then the lesson of being humble and accepting humility kicks in.

 Someones once said to me that  humility is knowing what you should be doing, when you should be doing it and how you should be doing.    Lesson learned, for today anyway, that by myself I have to let go and let God show me what, when and how.  And for me this has to be a daily petition to God as I look at the big mega churches and the voice says why haven't you accomplished this yet.? After all, you are 78 and you shcould be sitting back and enjoying a nice fat liturgical pension instead of getting a social security check every month.  And you really deserve a big crew of helpers out there to make the big show a reality.

I am laughing now as the salesman  just called back and said what can you pay and I said $10.00, he is going to his publisher and see what he can do.

In the meantime I will take some time and spend it quietly in the Divine Mercy chapel  and continue to learn more lessons.  And then be ready to get to work again.   Keep going I am hearing. 

Wilton Manors deleted scenes

Wilton Manors deleted scenes


Please take a moment and watch this. Thanks Father John Joseph Reid

Questions.

Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, suffering and injustice when He could do something about it.  But I'm afraid he would ask me the same question. 

ADVENT

Its getting ready to get ready time.  Getting ready to welcome the baby Jesus.
Lets start out by saying that the Christmas Holyday (holiday) that we celebrate does not begin the day after Thanksgiving and end Christmas Eve.  Rather our Holyday begins Christmas Eve and we celebrate until January 6, Little Christmas.   The Seasons Greeting Holiday celebrates the ringing of cash registers and the singing of, after the first day of Christmas, as they count the money, "what a friend we have in Jesus"..... we don't believe in him but boy does he help us get richer.  

So getting ready for his followers involves looking into our hearts, cleaning up  up our acts and giving of ourselves to him on Christmas morning.  This is the exchange of gifts that matters and carries no price tag.  

Consider during the Christmas Holyday Season..December 25 to January 6, to go into your immediate neighborhood, find those who are needy and give them cash not material things, cash so that they can use it to help themselves.  Many people are without work, losing their homes and there is a lot of stress in their lives.   I know a lady whose business takes her in daily contact with a lot of homes in my neighborhood, she is aware of the tough times people go through.  Out of her own pocket, when she receives gifts, she quietly passes it on to those who she finds needy.  It goes right into their hands no middle man.  This is what we are going to do this year, hand it to her and she can be the angel.  She is an angel already and she goes about her work quietly.

If you dont want to be seen giving money, put it in an envelope and slip it under their door when they are not around. 

We are getting ready to get ready.......We are getting the best gift of all.  Jesus and his love.        
  

Veterans Day

Seems Like Halloween was yesterday and All Saints and All Souls days were just last week.  Here we are approaching Veterans Day, November 11.  For the past three years I have been giving the invocation at the annual Veterans Day Ceremony here in Wilton Manors, Florida.  Being a veteran of the Korean War, Army and Father Larry also a veteran of the same War, he being Navy, I can remeber when this Holiday was called Armistice Day.  Armistice Day , was the anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty of Word War 1, 1918.. My father was a prisoner of war in Germany during that war .w
I also remember the ending of World War 11 and as a young , not yet teenager, glad the War was over.  Lo and behold I was called to go into the Army, at Age 19, because we were in another war to save us from Communism in a far away land called Korea.  Most of us young men from the working class neighborhoods were drafted while those who had the money went off to college and never saw battle.  The day after I set foot onto the soil of Japan, destined to go to Korea, the war ended and Korea was left a divided country.
Peace did not last too long because America was now off to Vietnam to fight another war against Communism and the working class men from my neighborhood were sent there and died there.  Father Larry's brother Donald got into a legal scrape and the judge said either prison or go into the Marines.  He chose the Marines and died in Vietnam. Here we are now fighting two other wars, the country is angry about the high cost of taxes and we do not see Peace anyway soon  Jesus forgive us.
.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars in my old neighborhood sponsor the St. Patrick's Day Parade and legally ban Gay people from marching.  Imagine Veterans who gave their life for others have their sisters and brothers banne dfrom marching by other Veterans..  Its OK to put yourelf in harms way  and also give up your life but not OK to march in a St. Patricks Day parade and that by your fellow Veterans.

The St. Patricks Day Parade is the reason I left South Boston.  The one time a small group of Gay people marched,, surrounded by a heavy presence of Police, I saw mobs throwing bottles at them, ready to come out as a group off the sidewalks and attack them let alone the hateful name calling. The Police put the small group of marchers into a truck with closed doors for their safety and never again did Gay people, to this day, ever march to honor theirSaint too, St. Patrick   This had become Selma - South Boston and I  could no longer ever remain in a sea of Hate  I will talk again about life here in Wilton Manors.  .         

SPIRITUAL COVER LETTER

I ran across an article in today's print newspaper written by Deb Dib, author of the Twitter Job Search Guide and she proposed that modern cover letters should be brief and attention getting.  Hmm I thought how could her concept be applied to our reaching out to those catholics who feel fed up, hurt and betrayed.  So, here goes. Oh by the way, she says, each sentence should be less than 140 characters.

1.  I am very aware of the many Roman Catholics who have left or on their way out the door
 .
2.  I found the solution of holding fast to those wonderful spiritual gifts we had received without giving it all up
     cause "they" said so

3.  I have been there, struggling with what I was hearing from the Pope and what I was not feeling in my heart.

4.  I faced there was no place left for me in the Roman Catholic Church but knew I could  not stay any longer.

5.  I had to face that I didn't abandoned the Catholic Church that it had abandoned me and it hurt
.
6.  It was when God  led  me to the Divine Mercy Chapel of the New Catholic Communities that healing began.

7..  Deep in my core I now  felt safe, whole and believed that I truly was loved by God and I was OK

8.   I continued going to the Chapel, talking to other ex Roman Catholic orphans like myself and that we
supported each other
.
9.  Another thing that really worked well for me was to remind myself  to always "Let Go and Let God", that
He would never really  abandon me.

10.  I am still catholic (not roman), I value myself and who God made me , and I now can help others heal too.

Thank you Deb for your help

A God Moment

As I am preparing for the 10:30 Mass this morning, the thought came to me that I never apologized to Gerry M. who 37 years ago worked with me in Boston.  It seems, in the final stages  of my alcoholism, I spent too many Fridays and Mondays calling in sick and when there I wasnt able to give my 10% to the job.  Gerry stepped in and literally ran the job till I was admitted to a hospital for my alcoholism. 

As part of my recovery program I was taught to make amends when able and I lost toch with Gerry.  But the voice was strong this morning urging me to try to find out where she might be.  Getting on the computer I typed in her name and up came a funeral notice covering her mother's death and included was her name, now she was married and she was living in Florida.  The  next step I searched out her name, address and phone number on the computer and lo and behold found that she was living about an hour away from me, she in Miami and me in Wilton Manors.   With 20 minutes to go before Mass I picked up the phone, got an answering machine, left my name and phone number and told here the nature of my call, that I was sorry for not being able to be there on the job  37 years go and the reason for it 

Shortly after the phone rang and on caller ID  I saw her name.  She wondered how I was able to find her after all these years and I explained it was what I called "God Moments" when God steps in and does what we are not able to for ourself.   Right away at the begininng of the conversation she told me that she was one of us and I said "you became a priest"  No she says I have been sober for 8 years.  and it was then I said "Wow"   So thats what all this pushing to find her was all about this morning:   for her to share the great things that ultimately happened to her as it had for me years before.   She had married, had two sons, a loving husband and is doing good. I left it, that we one day would have to have a cup of tea together, the old irish ways  from the old neighborhood.

I went into Mass very grateful for what  I had experienced and what I experienced in Mass was another God Moment .  This will be the text of my next blog.  In the meantime.   God Bless You all till we meet again. 

IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE

Due to unforseen circumstances, over which we find we have no control,  we will have to push forward the re dedication  of our Chapel from Sunday, October 10 to Sunday, October 17 at 10:30 AM.  You certainly are still welcomed to attend Mass  with us this coming  Sunday, October 11 ,10:30 AM. 

Divine Mercy Chapel, New Catholic Communities, 2749 NE 10 Ave., Wilton Manors, Fl.  954-567-1930

A View of our Chapel Blessed Objects

Crucifix behind our Altar

This is the 300 year old crucifix from a Monastery in France which was donated by Metropolitan Nicholas Poulas. This Crucifix is featured behind the altar, on the wall in the Chapel. This is the construction work and the design of George Molina of Fort Lauderdale.

This picture illustrates the Monstrance which is a sacred vessel for the Blessed Sacrament.  It is used during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Wednesday at 7PM.

Chapel Rededication

We are happy to finally be able to have you visit our liturgically redesigned chapel. The re dedication ceremony will take place Sunday. October 10 at 10:30 AM. Our address is 2749 NE 10th Avenue, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 and the chapel is attached to the Residence of the Fathers of Divine Mercy.

You can read more information about our mission at www.newdivinemercy.org

You may view the renovated chapel during our celebration of Mass at that time. We would welcome the opportunity to have you stay afterwords for light refreshments.

After a lengthy redesign, we have finally pulled the wraps off of the new chapel featuring new lighting, new color scheme, and new ceilings with bright golden beams. The space behind the altar has been completely redone centering on the 300 year old crucifix from the monastery in France donated by Metropolitan Nicholas Poulas, R.I.P.

We hope that you will consider making our chapel the center of your spiritual life.

Grand New Look

The NEW in the new divine mercy means just that. We are almost ready to show you the new look in our renovated chapel. We will be putting up a photo very soon. What can I say, its gorgeous and very fitting for a place of worship dedicated to Divine Mercy, the love given to us all.

And then Bill Woeppel is hot on the trail in redesigning our website to bring it into the 22nd century. Oof course along with this it will be changing with new pictures, ideas and news . And, I have to be more active in adding to the blog every week (he is pushing for every day). We do what God directs and he puts people into our lives to help us along the way. Life is grand, you are grand and until the next time You are loved. Father John Joseph