Letter to the Messengers

of
Mary, Immaculate Queen

A JOY EVER NEW

N 60 December 2013
The Lord, your God is in your midst,
a warrior who gives you the victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing,
as on a day of festival.

Zephaniah (3:17 )

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Dear friends,

Editorial
We send you our warmest Christmas greetings in this Newsletter! A joy ever
new is the theme that runs throughout and it is our prayer for each of you that this joy
would be yours!
We were just beginning our preparations when Pope Francis letter arrived.
Evangelii Gaudium overflows with enthusiasm, and is both challenging and inspiring as
it calls us to be renewed in The joy of the Gospel. It reminds us of the source of our joy
and the mission that is ours: to bring that joy to the world. If you have not already read
it, you will find extracts here which we hope will encourage you to read it in full!
When we welcome the Lord we are transformed by Him and like the Magi, we
are changed and continue our course by another way (Mt 2: 10-12). In this edition we
include some of the stories, teachings, events and new missions that have raised our
hearts and minds to God over the last months.
I take this opportunity to thank you for all your help and encouragement over the
last year. We are truly grateful and rely on your continued support. It has been an
intense time with many developments in the community. We have worked on the
charism, in particular deepening our understanding of the Royalty of Mary in Gods plan
of salvation as revealed to us in Scripture and Church teaching and also the
development of the representations of this mystery in Sacred Art down through the
ages! These efforts to draw from these sources and build on firm foundations have
brought many blessings. We have been enriched and we hope that especially through
the retreats, activities and publications we propose that we will be able to share this
with you.
Our experience in Hampton has been blessed. Carried by the prayer of so many
who have lived here before us, we have been renewed in our desire to have Christ as
the centre of our life and to provide a place of welcome and prayer where others too
can come to know Him more deeply. For those who havent visited us here yet, we
hope to see you here in 2014!
So with Mary this Christmas and all throughout the year, may we learn to
recognise Christ and His presence in our lives. May we welcome Him, bow down before
Him, worship Him, praise Him! May we be filled with confidence and the unshakeable
hope that He makes all things new and may we be ardent in reaching out and
communicating to others the joy of knowing Him!

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 The Nativity of Jesus
in Magadan, Siberia
Witness

Magadan is Russias Auschwitz. It was the administrative

centre of Stalins Kolyma arctic death camps where some two million people perished
from exposure, starvation, and execution between 1932 and 1954. Many were
imprisoned for their religious beliefs or ethnicity, and the few Catholics who survived
and live today in Magadan bear witness to a profound and heroic faith. For decades
they prayed for the chance to live their faith openly.
In 1990 their prayers were answered. After the fall of the
Berlin Wall Archbishop Francis Hurley of Anchorage, Alaska and
one of his priests, Father Michael Shields, flew to Magadan,
rented a theatre, and celebrated the citys first ever public Mass.
Two hundred and seventy people attended. This planted the
seeds of what was to become the Parish of The Nativity of Jesus,
where Fr. Michael has served as pastor since 1994.
At first he lived and celebrated Mass in a renovated apartment. Building began
in 2001, to provide a Mercy Centre to serve the poor, and a chapel to commemorate
the millions who died or suffered in the camps and be a source of inspiration for the
local population. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church on Christmas, 2002.
Fr Michael first came to visit us in Hampton in August 2013 and during his visit
gave a talk on Freedom which inspired all of those gathered. We were delighted to
welcome him back in December and this time he spoke on From Brokenness to
Wholeness and Holiness. Over breakfast he told this Christmas story of forgiveness:

44 Church of the Nativity - Magadan

This is about a woman whose name is Luda. She is an upogovi, a saint in our parish. In
Russia you have levels of sainthood and one of the levels, the lower level, is the upogovi.
This is a person who is mentally or physically challenged and the Russians
hold them very deeply in respect.
Once, when we were celebrating mass, a young woman came in,
rather dishevelled and obviously from the streets. She stayed at the back
of this small apartment Church and after Mass I went to her and asked if I
could help her. She simply replied: I want to pray . And so she did.
I had seen her going through the garbage looking for food in the bins,
so the next day when she came I said to her: Can I help you? Can I give
you some food ? to which she replied: No, no. Its better to give that to
the poor. Im just here to pray. She was obviously in need, but felt that
the need of others was greater than her need. Week after week this
happened until finally I was getting very frustrated - because as a Christian youre meant
to help! Now sometimes when the poor dont want your help you have to make up the
rules. So, as this was just before Christmas, I said to her: Listen, theres an ancient
Catholic tradition where the pastor gives away food and the people cannot refuse it. They
have to receive a package of food. You have to take it. So finally she took it!
She showed up on Christmas day, wearing a brilliant red dress
covered in coffee stains that she had found in the garbage bins, and
we had Christmas together, then a few days later she came back
again and this time she had a black eye.
Now, we call Luda Bolwia Luda, or Big Luda, because shes
very big and shes a non-stop talker! She comes in and tells the
truth about everything! You could say she reveals the truth. Shell
say things to you like: Why are you overweight?... Why arent
you smiling today ? ... You didnt pray during mass. Thats the
way of an upogovi: an immediate conscience prick. Luda goes Leon Gaspard
Siberian woman
immediately to the truth. Its not done with any kind of vengeance or
any kind of judgment - but there is an immediacy about what she says. So Luda came in to
me three days after Christmas with a black eye and still in her red Christmas dress with
coffee stains.
She speaks very loudly and leans down to speak into your ear even though you dont
need it, so this is what she did and she said to me: I sinned! I said: Luda, what do you
mean you sinned ? And again she said: I sinned! When I asked her how this had
happened, she answered: You know that package of food you gave me? I gave it away.
And I said: Ah, Luda I dont think thats a sin. Who did you give it to? And
she replied: I gave it away to the people who beat me up, because I realised they were
poorer than I was .
I said: Luda I dont think thats a sin. I think thats the Beatitudes! I think thats loving
your neighbour
We are all broken pots holding a treasure.
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 The Joy of t
Evangelii Gaudium

t. M a y y ou always
suppor
you for your love and pu tting Christ at
the
T hank es f rom
r ienc e th e joy that com
expe 3)
e of y ou r lives. , 8 th F ebruary 201
inal tweet
centr 2
icts f
(Pope Bened

In hope we were saved

... God is Love
...The Light of Faith ...
The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) is the first
Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis. The following are extracts
which we hope will give you the desire to read more...

THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.
Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness
and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to
encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization
marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Churchs journey in years to
come.
The great danger in todays world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the
desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of
frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes
caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place
for the poor. Gods voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt,
and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall
prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and
fulfilled life; it is not Gods will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source
in the heart of the risen Christ.
I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal
encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask
all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not
meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord. The
Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards
Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is
the time to say to Jesus: Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have
shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need
you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace.
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the Gospel
How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are
lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of
forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his
mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another seventy
times seven (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has
forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he
bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the
dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing
love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is
always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible
for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee
from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come
what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which
impels us onwards!
The books of the Old Testament predicted that the
joy of salvation would abound in messianic
times Perhaps the most exciting invitation is that of
the prophet Zephaniah, who presents God with his people
in the midst of a celebration overflowing with the
joy of salvation. I find it thrilling to reread this text:
The Lord, your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives you the victory; he will rejoice
over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud
singing, as on a day of festival (3:17).
The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christs cross, constantly invites us to
rejoice. A few examples will suffice. Rejoice! is the angels greeting to Mary (Lk 1:28).
Marys visit to Elizabeth makes John leap for joy in his mothers womb (cf. Lk 1:41). In
her song of praise, Mary proclaims: My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour (Lk 1:47).
There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course
that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great
difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of
our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are
infinitely loved. I understand the grief of people who have to endure great suffering,
yet slowly but surely we all have to let the joy of faith slowly revive as a quiet yet firm
trust, even amid the greatest distress...
I never tire of repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very
heart of the Gospel: Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty
idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a
decisive direction. Thanks solely to this encounter or renewed encounter with Gods
love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our
narrowness and self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than
human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of
our being. Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization.
For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to
share that love with others ?
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 Why did the Word
Catechism

become flesh ?
To celebrate the birth of Our Lord more fully, we may ask ourselves again: Why did the
Word become flesh? The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides us with an opportunity to
reflect on this and dedicates a section to answer this question:
With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: For us men and for our salvation he came down
from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who loved us and sent
his Son to be the expiation for our sins: the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world, and he was
revealed to take away sins (Jn 4:10; 4:14; 3:5).
Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was
necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Saviour;
prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it,
since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state?1
The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God's love: In this the love of God was made
manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him (1Jn 4:9). For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life (Jn 3:16).
The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. I
am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me (Mt 11:29; Jn 14:6). On the
mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: Listen to him!" (Mk 9:7; cf. Dt 6:4-5). Jesus is the model for
the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12). This love implies
an effective offering of oneself, after his example (cf. Mk 8:34).
The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature. (2 Pt 1:4). For this is why the Word
became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the
Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.2 For the Son of God became man so
that we might become God. 3 The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity,
assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods 4
(CCC Articles 456-460).

Notes:
1
St. Gregory of Nyssa, Orat. catech 15: PG 45, 48B.
2
St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 19, 1: PG 7/1, 939.
3
St. Athanasius, De inc. 54, 3: PG 25, 192B. George de Latour,
4
St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57, 1-4. The Newborn Christ,
c. 1645-1648, Rennes (France)

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 Marian Day of Prayer

Events
Living our Christian life with Mary is very much part of the charism of the Fraternity. As a
community, together we had been looking at ways of sharing it more deeply with others.
We have chosen Saturday, a day on which Mary is traditionally honoured and our first Marian
day took place on the eve of what would have been the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, hidden
this year in the Second Sunday of Advent and celebrated exceptionally on the 9th December. There was
Mass, some talks, a DVD and discussion and we were joined throughout the day by different people,
culminating in an early evening candlelit rosary procession through the gardens of Hampton. Together
we explored the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, through Scripture, Church teaching and
tradition and through Sacred Art, noting how Christ-centred this feast and indeed Marys life is. Mary
is always present with us sometimes we are not very tuned into that presence This day was a chance
for us to tune in. Four characteristics of Marys action in our lives are considered during these Marian
days:
Mary leads us to her Son: That is Marys mission in the Church. Her desire is that our lives
might be Christ-centred. We began our day with the Eucharist and spent an hour in front of the Blessed
Sacrament from 4-5pm, a quiet time in the presence of Our Lord and Saviour. During this time the
sacrament of confession was available.
Mary intercedes for us : They have no more wine that was Marys quiet prayer to Jesus at
the Wedding in Cana, that hastened the start of his apostolic life. As the intention basket full to the brim
was a sign, everyone took seriously this part of the day. In preparation for this special feast, we took the
opportunity to ask Mary to intercede for those we love in a special way, and for ourselves to reach out
and touch her Mothers heart and to have confidence in her prayer to the Lord. We prayed the Rosary
together, inspired to meditate on the mysteries with the Word of God and placed all our petitions at the
foot of Marys statue. These many intentions we carried with us during our procession that evening and
still remain in our prayer.
Mary walks with us: Mary walks with us everyday, so we decided we would walk with her
through procession, praying with our bodies and acknowledging that yes Mary is walking with me in my
life today, as she did yesterday and will do tomorrow. Funny how many pilgrimages have been inspired
by Mary. She asks us to get up and go, just as she hastened across the hill country to her cousin
Elizabeth, or made the journey with Joseph to Bethlehem, or to Jerusalem, or
to Calvary with her Son.
Mary teaches us: Like any good mother, Mary wants our minds to be
nourished and to be awakened to the story of salvation. She wants us to find
true meaning in our lives and be fully alive. As St Catherine of Siena said : If
you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire Another element
of our day was formation. Discovering Mary through the beautiful tradition of
the Church, through Sacred Scripture, through the teaching of the
Magisterium, through Sacred Art, poetry and music.
We ended as Pope Francis ended Evangelii Gaudium, with his
powerful prayer to Mary which you can read overleaf.
9
Anne
 Mary,
Pope Francis

Virgin and Mother,

you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely
to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own yes
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
making him exult in the womb of his mother.
Brimming over with joy,
Filled with Christs presence,
you brought joy to John the Baptist,
you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,
and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit
so that the evangelizing Church might be born.
Obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection,
that we may bring to all the Gospel of life
which triumphs over death.
Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,
that the gift of unfading beauty
may reach every man and woman.
Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,
pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are,
that she may never be closed in on herself
or lose her passion for establishing Gods kingdom.
Star of the new evangelisation,
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world.
Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for Gods little ones,
pray for us.
Amen. Alleluia!
Prayer to Mary Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis (24th November 2013)
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 Hampton, Dublin

Fraternity Diary
*Faith Formation : DVD & Discussion
F ri da y 1 0 th Ja nua r y 8 -9pm N ew
Evangelization (3 part DVD series by Fr Robert
Barron). Part 2 : New Expressions. This series
is as visual and thought-provoking as the
Catholicism series and encourages us to reflect
on what we mean by "New Evangelization".
*Faith Formation : Reading Sacred Scripture
Thursday 6th February 8-10pm Looking for keys to unlock the riches of
Sacred Scripture ? Join us again with Fr Chris Hayden for the second part of
this series, exploring Sacred Scripture.
*Young Adults (18-35) Scripture Group: Every second Friday beginning 3rd
January (also 17th and 31st) 8-9pm. Cracking open the Scriptures together.
Prayerful reading of the Gospel, followed by a cuppa and a chat.
*Spirituality Series: Friday 17th January 8pm. First in the series, exploring
Carmelite Spirituality with Fr John Hogan.
*Family Retreat Day: Sunday 6th April, including childrens adoration and
activities. See website for more details.
*Marian Days of Prayer: Saturdays (see website for dates) devoted to
deepening our appreciation of the mystery of Mary according to Church
teaching and tradition. Each Saturday looking at a particular aspect of Marys
identity. Ending with candlelit rosary procession. Further details available
soon on the website or contact us at Hampton for dates.
*Childrens Adoration: Introducing children (aged 5 and over) to adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament. Contact us for more details.
*Oasis Days: Come and spend a day of rest and prayer away from it all.
possibility of adoration, confession, sharing in the life and prayer of the
community, or time of solitude.

Sol Dchais, Galway

*See website or contact us for next Barna weekend event in the New Year.

This Newslettter is produced by the Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen, an Association of the
Faithful in the Roman Catholic Church, under the authority of the Archbishop of Lyons, France.
The Fraternity has been present in the diocese of Galway since 1995 and in Dublin Archdiocese
since 2012. The Fraternity welcomes people of all ages for times of retreat.
Suggested subscription: Europe 12, GB 10, other countries US $15 (3 issues a year). Donations
appreciated! Cheques payable to Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen Ministries.

Illustrations
Front cover: Nativity, Gerrit van Honthorst, 1620.
Back cover: Dream and Return of the Magi, Evangeliar of Spire, c.1220
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 And

having

been

warned

in dream

not to

return

to Herod,

they departed for their country by another way.

Matthew 2: 10-12

Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen.

Monastery of the Incarnation, Hampton,
Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Ireland
Tel: +353-(0)1 837 7657
Sol Dchais, Ballard, Barna, Co. Galway, Ireland
Tel: +353-(0)91-592 196
Website: www.fratmiq.comemail: miq.hampton@gmail.com

Charity No: CHY 20195 (Republic of Ireland)

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