Winter 2016

Light of the World

L e t te r fr om th e F r at er n it y o f
M a r y, I m m a cu l a te Qu e en - I r e l an d
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
Psalm 42

2
 Winter 2016
Dear Friends,

Editorial
Happy Christmas to you all!
The Flight into Egypt is the image we chose for the cover and as a theme which runs
throughout this Christmas edition of the Newsletter. The Gospel of Matthew records
the story of how Joseph took the infant Jesus and Mary his mother and fled from
Bethlehem to keep them safe from Herod (Mt. 2:13-18). When we hear this story
today we can only be struck by the fact that the Holy Family shared in the experience
of so many today. They too had to flee in search of shelter, and experienced exile,
persecution and humiliation. This story also tells us how from the start Jesus went to
Egypt which is the great biblical symbol of captivity and slavery. Then, in a way which
recalls the great Exodus story - when Moses led the people from slavery, through the
wilderness, towards the Promised Land - Jesus came from Egypt and is presented as
the definitive liberator of Gods people (CCC 530).
Amoris Laetitia, the Joy of Love is proclaimed by Pope Francis in his Apostolic
Exhortation issued after the Synod on the Family this year. This exhortation reminds us
of the mystery of Christmas and the secret of Nazareth; the vocation of the family, in
that every family, despite its weaknesses, can become a light in the darkness of the
world. We hope the extracts here will encourage you to read it in full!
Every family has their own faith story. We share with you here one familys journey as
a mother tells us something about the way her family lives and prays together. The
Nativity scene is brought to life for us through the simplicity of one childs question:
Poor Jesus, was he very cold? We are reminded of the power of prayer in the
account of this little family praying for the children in Aleppo as part of their Advent
journey.
For many families the present is fraught with danger and the future uncertain.
Thousands of people have had to flee their homes in search of safety. Pope Francis has
repeatedly called attention to their plight. We introduce here the recently canonised
Middle East saint, St Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and an update on those Iraqi
Dominican Sisters of Mosul, who were particularly close to our thoughts at our vigil for
persecuted Christians that some of you may have attended in Hampton.
We are pleased to have this opportunity to give you news also of ourselves! The
Fraternity finally left Hampton this summer. Sincere thanks to those of you who helped
us in the move and offered so much encouragement. A special thanks to the Parish of
Marino where we were welcomed so warmly during our years there. We continue to
look for a suitable house in the archdiocese of Dublin and we have continued some of
our activities there. In the meantime, we have been travelling quite a lot and have had
Barna as our base. We had the joy of participating in a Dominican Jubilee Year
pilgrimage to Italy and before the Year of Mercy came to a close we remembered you
all especially in our prayer in the Holy City.
As we celebrate the coming of the Saviour this Christmas may we rejoice,
strengthened in our hope that the Lord is indeed with us: Light of the World.

3
 On love in the
Pope Francis

family.
From the Post Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Amoris Laetitia

The incarnation of the Word in a

human family, in Nazareth, by its
very newness changed the history of
the world. We need to enter into the mystery of Jesus birth, into that yes
given by Mary to the message of the angel, when the
Word was conceived in her womb, as well as the
yes of Joseph, who gave a name to Jesus and
watched over Mary. We need to contemplate the joy
of the shepherds before the manger, the adoration of
the Magi and the flight into Egypt, in which Jesus
shares his peoples experience of exile, persecution
and humiliation. We need to contemplate the
religious expectation of Zechariah and his joy at the
birth of John the Baptist, the fulfilment of the promise
made known to Simeon and Anna in the Temple and
the marvel of the teachers of the Law who listened to
the wisdom of the child Jesus. We then need to peer into those thirty long years
when Jesus earned his keep by the work of his hands, reciting the traditional
prayers and expressions of his peoples faith and coming to know that ancestral
faith until he made it bear fruit in the mystery of the Kingdom.

Every family, despite its weaknesses, can become a light

in the darkness of the world.

This is the mystery of Christmas and the secret of Nazareth, exuding the beauty
of family life! It was this that so fascinated Francis of Assisi, Theresa of the
Child Jesus and Charles de Foucauld, and continues to fill Christian families
with hope and joy. The covenant of love and fidelity lived by the Holy Family
of Nazareth illuminates the principle which gives shape to every family, and
enables it better to face the vicissitudes of life and history. On this basis, every
family, despite its weaknesses, can become a light in the darkness of the world.

4
Nazareth teaches us the meaning of

Amoris Laetitia
family life, its loving communion, its
simple and austere beauty, its sacred
and inviolable character. May it teach
how sweet and irreplaceable is its
training, how fundamental and
incomparable its role in the social
order (Paul VI, Address in Nazareth, 5
January 1964).
No family drops down from heaven
perfectly formed; families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to
love. This is a never-ending vocation born of the full communion of the Trinity,
the profound unity between Christ and his Church, the loving community which
is the Holy Family of Nazareth, and the pure fraternity existing among the
saints of heaven. Our contemplation
Prayer to the Holy Family of the fulfilment which we have yet to
attain also allows us to see in proper
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
perspective the historical journey
in you we contemplate
which we make as families, and in
the splendour of true love;
this way to stop demanding of our
to you we turn with trust.
interpersonal relationships a
Holy Family of Nazareth, perfection, a purity of intentions and a
grant that our families too may be consistency which we will only
places of communion and prayer, encounter in the Kingdom to come. It
authentic schools of the Gospel also keeps us from judging harshly
and small domestic churches. those who live in situations of frailty.
All of us are called to keep striving
Holy Family of Nazareth,
towards something greater than
may families never again experience
ourselves and our families, and every
violence, rejection and division;
family must feel this constant
may all who have been hurt or
scandalized find ready comfort
impulse. Let us make this journey as
and healing. families, let us keep walking together.
What we have been promised is
Holy Family of Nazareth, greater than we can imagine. May we
make us once more mindful of the never lose heart because of our
sacredness and inviolability of the family, limitations, or ever stop seeking that
and its beauty in Gods plan. fullness of love and communion
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which God holds out before us.
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen.
5
 The Rosary is your treasure
Saints

St Marie Alphonsine Ghattas (1843 - 1927)

On 17th May 2015, Pope Francis canonized Sr Marie Alphonsine Ghattas
one of only two saints from the Holy Land to be canonised since the early
years of Christianity. It was hoped they may be a source of encouragement
at a time when violent persecution and discrimination continue to drive
many Christians from the region of Christ's birth.
Born in Jerusalem in 1843, she was given the name Soultaneh Marie
(Mary the Queen). As a child, her devout parents frequently attended
Mass and would often welcome neighbours into their home to pray the
rosary. Educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, Soultaneh
soon entered the convent and there received the religious name Sister Marie Alphonsine.
She was known to be a calm, devoted sister and, while her community was dedicated to
teaching and the care of the poor, she was also able to maintain a deep contemplative spirit.
While praying at the Convent of Bethlehem, the Blessed Virgin called on her to create a
congregation focusing on the prayer of the Rosary. Over the following years and in
collaboration with Fr Joseph Tannous, OP, a Nazareth born priest, she brought together
young women, forming the nucleus of this new religious and apostolic family. Finally, in
1880, she received a dispensation from the Holy See to leave the Sisters of St. Joseph of the
Apparition and she became a member of the community she had helped to establish.
On the 25th of July, 1885, while Mother Marie Alphonsine was assigned to Jaffa, Galilee,
with another sister, a miracle happened: Nathira, a young girl, fell into a deep cistern filled
with water. The only thing that Mother Marie Alphonsine could do was to throw her large
rosary of 15 decades into the well, to invoke Our Lady to help them and to go into the church
with other girls to pray the Rosary. Nathira came out safe and sound, saying that she saw a
great light and a ladder shaped like a Rosary to help her climb out.
Saint Marie Alphonsine is the apostle of hope and trust in God and Our Lady, and the apostle
of the Rosary. She firmly believed in our Ladys words: The Rosary is your treasure!

Iraqi Sisters of St Catherine of Siena, Erbil

Those of you who were with us in Hampton
for our vigils for persecuted Christians will
remember the testimonies of the native Iraqi
Dominican sisters of St Catherine of Siena
who were forced like many to flee their
convent in Mosul in the dead of night with
little or no warning and seek refuge in safer
areas of north-eastern Iraqi Kurdistan as I.S.
took over Christian towns and homes in the
Nineveh plains. Camped in the outskirts of
the town of Erbil, they have spent the last two
years setting up schools, clinics and helping
other internally displaced persons (IDPs)
in the difficult situations that they all face.
Recently, some sisters were able to return to
visit their convent in Mosul, recently partially
liberated by the Iraqi army. On return, they
faced scenes of devastation with homes and
6
churches vandalised
and destroyed. A
new no less
uncertain period of
history begins, as no
one knows what will
happen next and many feel they will never be
able to return to their homes. Sr Marie
Therese Hanna, Superior of the Order writes:
"Our faith in God and His grace sustain us in
the midst of this hard time. Our prayers and
our community life helps us to be strong and
not to collapse. The Word of God strengthens
our faith and our perseverance although we
are weak. What pushes us to be hopeful is
our faith in the crucified and risen Jesus. Our
feeling of responsibility to our people and
how to be the sign of hope to them keep us
aware and hopeful."
 Prayer and the family.

Testimony
Prayer is such an integral aspect of our family
life, imbuing every facet of our day,
intertwining all our familial activities. A
relationship only flourishes if we spend time
with someone; this is true of our relationship
with Jesus, where each encounter with Him
through prayer is a means to grow in love with
God and one another. Prayer is not something
that is compartmentalised into one or two
weekly events, such as attending mass, but is
part and parcel of all that we are and all that we do.
However, it is essential that we set aside specific times for prayer throughout the
day, following explicit rituals and practices, which ground us in the reality that
God is always present; we just need to tune in. Our daily prayer ritual starts in
the car on the way to school. We say the guardian angel prayer, asking the angels
to be with us throughout the day. We ask God to bless us and to bless Daddy at
his work. It only takes a minute but it sets the tone for the day ahead. As I do my
housework in the morning I light a blessed candle and in doing so try to remind
myself that God is there in the most mundane of tasks and duties. At meals we
always sing our grace, something the children really enjoy. After supper we light a
candle and try to say a rosary. I say try as one often wonders if Our Lady can
hear anything over the racket! The children do the opening prayers and the final
decade taking turns to say the Hail Mary. My husband and I say the other four
decades while the children play. What is important is that they have a love for
the rosary and dont have to endure it. Then their Dad blesses each one of them
individually with blessed oil and they kiss the cross and the statue of Our Blessed
Lady. One evening after kissing the cross one of my daughters said Mummy why
did the soldiers kill Jesus? Poor Jesus!. It was moving to see her
heartfelt compassion. When they are tucked into bed after a
bedtime story we say the last prayers of the day. We name all
the people that we would like God to bless and then thank Him
for all his blessings and gifts throughout that day. Thank you
God for my teddy, for the pancakes tonight, etc
The children find Sunday mass a struggle, complaining that
its boring or too long. My husband Diarmaid tries to make it
more accessible by telling them the gospel story beforehand. He
makes it interesting, relating it to their own little lives, imagining the scene and
sometimes getting them to act it out in role play. They absolutely love this and it
always helps them to be more attentive to the Sunday mass readings.
7
As the earth has seasons, so does the church, and the rich
liturgical feast days and times such as Christmas and
Easter are deeply enrooted in our lives.
This Advent we have our own advent calendar which is
filled with ideas for random acts of kindness. We open
the little door on our advent calendar to discover a piece
of paper with concrete things to do every day: Say a
prayer for the children in Alleppo, do something kind
today, phone someone who is lonely etc.. Together we
prepared the crib, lit a candle and prayed before it. They
wanted to know why there was no baby Jesus in the cradle; when I told them that
he wasnt going to come until Christmas Eve their little eyes became as round as
saucers. They just love a little mystery! The wonder of the crib speaks to all our
hearts but even more so to that of a child. Grace wanted to know why there was a
cow and a sheep in there, while Marc declared that it must have been very smelly!
I told them Mary and Joseph had looked everywhere for somewhere to stay but as
there was no room in any inn they had to stay in a shed. Poor Jesus, was he very
cold?. No, I answered Mary wrapped Him up lovely and warm, just like I did
when you were babies!. This seemed to satisfy them all that Jesus was in good
hands. They can imagine Jesus and his life so easily, He is real and present in all
things. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5:8). And of
course they know that baby Jesus was the first person that Santa Claus brought a
present to and because it is His birthday Santa now brings a present to every child!

Possibly the greatest gift we can give Jesus and to spend a little time with
our children is our own life of prayer, a Him. When there is a difficulty in the
love of the sacraments and a thirst for family we always ask Jesus and Our
God. How can we pass on what we Lady to help us; we dont always get the
dont have? If they see that Jesus is a answer we expect. God knows
real person for us, the most important everything and He knows what is best
person in our lives, hopefully they will for us. This is an important lesson for us
also want to all, a journey in trust and surrender.
learn how to 0 to 7 years are the mystical years when
pray and to so many seeds can be sown for life,
know God. when the soil is fertile and growth rapid.
Sometimes my We ask the One who provides the water
son asks me not and the sunshine of His grace to
to go to evening continue to nurture and watch over our
Mass. I tell him children so that their lives may bear
that I want to abundant fruit in the vineyard of His
have a chat with Kingdom. Sharon
8
 Jubilee Pilgrimage in the footsteps

Ot
of Dominican saints.
This summer, we had the great privilege of joining the Dominican
Jubilee Pilgrimage, celebrating 800 years of the Dominican Order. A
diverse group of pilgrims joined Dominican priests and brothers to
visit those places, significant in the life and mission
of St Dominic and other Dominican saints and
blesseds such as Catherine of Siena, Thomas
Aquinas, Fra Angelico, Agnes of Montepulciano.
The saints are our elder brothers and sisters in the faith. The
Church proposes them to us as models and intercessors to sustain
the hope of believers. They have always
been the source and origin of renewal in the
most difficult moments in the Churchs
history and these were no exception.
Although St Dominic began his Order in Mass at Reliquary of
St Dominic, Bologna
southern France, as it spread, he travelled
the roads of Europe, preaching, visiting and establishing the
friars in new territories. The churches of Santa Sabena and
San Clemente in Rome bear his mark. In Santa Sabena, we
visited the small cell that he used when staying in Rome and
celebrated mass in the beautiful
Church.
Prayer at the reliquary contain- Our pilgrimage also brought us to
ing the head of St Dominic Siena, which in part still largely

resembles the Siena St Catherine would have known.

We visited her home and the small cell, where as a
young girl, she withdrew from the world to deepen her
relationship with Christ in prayer and contemplation, emerging to take on a mission
in the Church, beyond anything she could have imagined. Her head is venerated in
Siena in the Church of St Dominic, where she prayed in a small side chapel as a
tertiary Mantellate. She
received exceptional graces
and described how she would
walk around the church
reciting the Divine Office with
Jesus. She was summoned to
Rome to support the papacy
towards the end of her life and
her body is venerated there in
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. The remains of Fra Angelico lie near those of St
Catherine in Rome and our pilgrimage also took us to Florence where we visited the
Convent of San Marco, in which Fra Angelico depicted scenes from the Gospels on
the walls of the cells of the friars. They are astounding in their simplicity and draw
us into the mysteries they represent. That is but a glimpse, but a blessed, prayerful
and joyful adventure was had by all. Anne
9
 The Christmas Mystery
Catechism

The Catechism looks at the Mysteries of Jesus infancy and hidden life. It first
considers the way in which the coming of Gods Son was prepared over the
centuries until John the Baptist who was the immediate precursor or forerunner of
the Lord and sent to prepare his way (CCC 522-524). It then goes on the consider
The Christmas Mystery (CCC 525 - 526) which we include here:

525: Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family1. Simple shepherds
were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven's glory was made
manifest.2 The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night:
The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
and the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angels and shepherds praise him
and the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us,
Little Child, God eternal! 3
526: To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the
kingdom.4 For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to
become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God". 5
Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in
us.6 Christmas is the mystery of this "marvellous exchange":
O marvellous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin.
We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to
share our humanity.7

The Catechism continues with the mysteries of Jesus infancy with the circumcision
(CCC 527), Epiphany (CCC 528), Presentation of Jesus in the temple (CCC 529) and
the flight into Egypt (CCC 530).

530: The flight into Egypt and the massacre of the innocents8 make manifest the
opposition of darkness to the light: "He came to his own home, and his own
people received him not".9 Christ's whole life was lived under the sign of
persecution. His own share it with him.10 Jesus' departure from Egypt recalls
the exodus and presents him as the definitive liberator of God's people.11

Notes: 4.cf. Mt 18:3-4. 8. cf. Mt 2:13-18.

5. Jn 3 7; 1:13; 1:12; cf. Mt 9. Jn 1:11.
1.cf. Lk 2:61
23:12. 10. cf. Jn 15:20.
2. cf. Lk 2:8-20
6. cf. Gal 4:19. 11. cf. Mt 2:15; Hos 11:1.
3. Kontakion of Romanos,
7. LH, Antiphon I of Evening
the Melodist
Prayer for January 1st.

10
 Fraternity Diary

Fraternity Diary
For up-to-date information on events organised by the Fraternity, please consult our
website: www.fmiq.com. If you would like to be informed of events by email or
webtext, please email us your details. You can do this using the link on our website or
email directly to: miq.hampton@gmail.com. If you do not have the possibility of
receiving emails or accessing the internet and would like to receive a paper copy of our
program of events, please write to us at our Barna postal address or phone 087 1949552.
Please note that we are no longer in Hampton and so there are no prayer times or events
with the Fraternity taking place there.
Enthronement of Mary as Queen in the home:
The enthronement of Mary, as Queen in the home is a specific apostolate of the
Fraternity. By the enthronement, the faithful are invited to respond to Christ's call made
at the moment of his blessed Passion, to take Mary into their homes. It is a simple
ceremony in the home, promoting family prayer and mutual forgiveness. Please contact
us if you are interested and would like more information
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. We gather for celebration of the Mass,
recitation of the rosary and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We reflect on a particular
aspect of Marys identity or a particular theme generally connected to the liturgical
season or feast day being celebrated. For venue and dates please consult our website.
DVD & Discussion: The Pivotal Players with Bishop Robert Barron
Bishop Robert Barrons new series The Pivotal Players provides the opportunity to
discover the figures who shaped the Church and changed the world. Amongst the
figures explored are St Augustine, St Benedict, St Francis, St Thomas Aquinas, St
Catherine of Siena, St Ignatius, Michaelangelo, G. K Chesterton, Blessed Cardinal
Newman. You can see a trailer online at http://pivotalplayers.wordonfire.org/. For venue
and dates please consult our website after the New Year.
Divine Mercy Conference: Friday 24thSunday 26th February
The Fraternity will have a stand at the annual Divine Mercy Conference again this year.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Childrens Adoration:
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for children aged over 5 takes place regularly in
Fairview Church, Dublin 3. If you are interested, please contact us for more details.

This Newsletter is produced by the Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen-Ireland, an Association

of the Faithful in the Roman Catholic Church in Dublin Archdiocese.
Due to increases in postage costs, we have reduced the number of issues of the Newsletter to 2 per
year (Summer and Winter). Suggested subscription: Europe 12, GB 10, other countries US $15 (2 issues a
year). Donations appreciated! Cheques payable to Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen Ministries.
Letter to the Messengers by email: We can send you this magazine by email (pdf attachment, 3.8 MB
approx.). If you would like to opt for this format instead of the print edition, just email:
miq.newsletter@gmail.com.

Illustrations: Front page: Adeodato Malatesta, Flight into Egypt, 1856.

Inside page: Pope Francis at the Crib in St Peters Square.
Back page: Fra Angelico (1396-1455), The Nativity.
11
 Come, let us adore Him.

Fraternity of Mary, Immaculate Queen-Ireland

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)

12