Martyrs, monks, soldiers and skateboards
Blessed Dedë Maçaj
Though little is documented on this 27-year-old martyr, let us take a moment of silence to reflect on his life and the entirety of the 38 Martyrs of Albania who fell over the course of a 29-year Communist regime:
Dedë Maçaj was born in Mal i Jushi (Shkodër), on February 5, 1920. He received his first lessons at the Pontifical Seminary in Shkodra, and theology in Rome. During his military service, although disciplined, because of his Catholic religion he was always despised and mistreated, as his comrades have testified. He was ordained a priest on March 19, 1944 and was appointed deputy parish priest of Shkodra. He was a perfect priest, diligent and afflicted, loving, willing.
He was taken into military service, then arrested as a Vatican spy on March 10, 1947. After indescribable torture, he was shot on March 28, 1947, in Përmet (Southern Albania), in front of the soldiers of the regiment and trampled by communist fanatics. The eyewitness, his co-conspirator Nikolle Koleci from Delbnisht (Kurbin) testified about this.
Born: 5 February 1920 in Mali Jushit, Shkodrë, Albania
Died: 28 March 1947 in Përmet, Albania
Translated from here. The 38 Martyrs and their pictures can be found here.
Martyrs of Albania, pray for us.
Monks, Parents and Prayer
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Mike and Alicia Hernon
Messy Family Podcast
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Lent is a great time to take inventory of our spiritual life and ask ourselves, “How am I doing in my relationship with God?” To help us all do that, we decided to interview Mike’s spiritual director of many years, Fr. Boniface Hicks. Fr. Boniface is a director of directors! A Benedictine monk, he runs the Institute for Ministry Formation at St. Vincent Arch Abbey and is the author of several books on spirituality. But more important than that, he is a spiritual father giving guidance, encouragement, and sharing the Father’s love to many people around the country and even the world. In this interview, we discuss why we should pray at all! We also get into the practicalities of prayer – how to do it, how to make the time, and the effect it can have on our lives. Jump in and listen to this discussion we had with Fr. Boniface and our members on our most recent Neighborhood Date Night.
(1h 20m Listen)
“While the man was on his way back, his servants met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, 'The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.' The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, 'Your son will live,' and he and his whole household came to believe.”
– Jn 4:51-53
Evangelism through skateboarding, surfing and more… 🤙🛹🏄
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Motherboards
Sacred art skateboards and more
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“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” Mt 4:1-2 #skate #snow #surf #snowboard #desert #lent #catholic #friar #prayer #fasting #almsgiving #persevere
And yes, they really are monk and friar approved 🙏
A Soldier’s Way of the Cross
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Lynda MacFarland
Blogger and author of Drowning in Lemonade
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Today I am posting a Stations that I composed several years ago at the request of a friend who is a member of the clergy. It was written with Soldiers in mind and, I have been told, a couple of Army Chaplains have actually used this with Soldiers during Lent. Differing from the traditional Stations, it is referred to as the Scriptural Way of the Cross and was shared for the first time by St. John Paul II in 1991. As the link states, this is not meant to invalidate the traditional Stations, but to “add nuance” to Christ’s suffering. It does include some traditional scenes from His tortuous journey on the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering) that leads Him to Calvary.
(2 Minute Read)
Let us take a moment to thank God for the blood of the martyrs and the sacrifice of soldiers who have given everything to protect us. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
A.M.D.G.