If you know of an interesting activity, have a story about a person or event, or have a thought to share, in
furtherance of the "Spirit of St. Paul", please emailyearofstpaul@sbcglobal.net.
The Statute of the Conversion of St.
Paul stands in front of the Seminary of the Missionary Society of St. Paul in Abuja, Nigeria.
On the road to Damascus, St. Paul was given a vision and the Gospel was brought to the
Western World. In the 1960s, Pope Paul VI challenged the Church in Africa to start sending its own missionaries to revitalize
the Church through out the world. "People of Vision" responded to the Papal challenge and founded the Missionary
Society of St. Paul. If you or your
organization has a similiar story, please share it with us.
Resources
Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor has online, some great resources to help celebrate The Year of St.
Paul. A fun resource is a crossword
puzzle testing your knowledge of St. Paul.Click here
The Vatican Homilies of His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican Basilica, Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, 2008.Click here
HOUSTON'S PETER AND PAUL
(June 29, 2008) The Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, not only marked the
start of the Pauline Year, but was the date sixteen year old Peter Schoeffield, a junior
at St. Thomas High School in Houston, began his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project that will benefit the Missionary
Society of St. Paul. Earlier this year, after touring MSP's recently completed USA Headquarters,
located in Schoeffield's hometown; the Scout noticed the empty courtyard that new buildings surround. Upon
learning that MSP lacked sufficient funds for any landscaping, young Schoeffield picked up the challenge, and selected the
project as his service project necessary for his becoming an Eagle Scout . A member of Scout
Troop 673, Schoeffield arranged for a landscape architect Rosemary Tureau to donate a professional plan calling
for soil, gravel, mulch, plants, and drainage. He also successfully solicited the services of General Contractor Tim
Kurtin of Kurtin Construction of Houston to donate his time and bobcat to the project. Members of
Scout Troop 673 and others will be recruited by Schoeffield to complete the project. On the first
day of the Pauline Year, the Scout began raising funds to cover the estimated $2,000 to $3,000 cost. Statutes of the
Blessed Virgin and St. Paul will be focus points in the courtyard. Over 40 to 50 plants costing between $25 and $30 are necessary
to complete the project which will also require approximately 50 yards of mulch, 20 yards of topsoil and 30 yards of gravel.
Any excess funds will be donated directly to the missions. For more information on how you can donate
to this project, contact yearofstpaul@sbcglobal.net
BASILICA OF ST. PAUL’S OUTSIDE THE WALLS
In April 2005, Pope Benedict made his first visit
outside Vatican City going to the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls to pay homage to St. Paul’s
legacy.
In his June 28, 2007 decree at the Basilica of
St. Paul’s Outside the Wall, the Pope declared, "Special attention can also be given to pilgrims who from various
places will want to go to the tomb of the Apostle in a penitential way in order to find spiritual benefits.”
Above is a short
documentary about the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, with Passionist priest and historian Fr. Victor Hoagland.(According to information from www.youtube.com, the entire DVD of
Pilgrim Churches of Rome can be obtained at telephone number 201-867-6400.)
A 30-Day Walk With Saint Paul
Prayer
Dear Holy Spirit, come into every part of my being and make
it a temple for Jesus Christ, to the glory of the Father. Pray for me, Saint Paul to be a worthy instrument of the Gospel.
Amen. Exercises
Step 1: Please observe silence for at least two minutes
asking the Holy Spirit to meet you where you are now. Step 2: Read God's word from Saint Paul or
the Acts of the Apostles. You may repeat what you have read once or twice. Step 3: Meditate on the word,
words or phrases and sentences that touched you. Step 4: Name the action to be taken. Step
5: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you put into action what He wants of you today. Step 6: Please
feel free to write some of the above in your journal at the close of the day.
Daily Reading
Day 1: Love of God, Romans 5: 8-10 Day
2: Love of Neighbor, Romans 13:8-10 Day 3: Reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 Day 4: Sin and grace, Romans 3:
23-24 Day 5: Faith, Romans 3: 25-26 Day 6: Hope, Romans 5: 5 Day 7: Joy, Philippians 4:4 Day 8: Peace,
Philippians 4: 8-9 Day 9: Mission, Romans 10: 14-15 Day 10: Baptism, Galatians 3:27-28 Day 11: New life, 2
Corinthians 5: 16-17 Day 12: Patience, 1 Corinthians 13: 4 Day 13: Kindness, Titus 3: 4-7 Day 14: Faithfulness,
1 Thessalonians 5:23-25 Day 15: Family, Ephesians 3: 14-18 Day 16: Humility, Philippians 2: 5-8 Day 17: Gentleness,
1 Thessalonians 2: 6-9 Day 18: Self-control: Romans 8: 14-17 Day 19: Resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15: 20-21 Day
20: Wisdom, Colossians 1: 9-10 Day 21: Counsel, Romans 11: 33-36 Day 22: Fear of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 7: 1 Day 23: Understanding, Colossians 2: 1-3 Day 24: Knowledge, Philippians 3: 7-9 Day 25: Unity: 1 Corinthians 3:
5-9 Day 26: Gospel: Romans 1: 16 Day 27: Death: Romans 6: 19-23 Day 28: Freedom: Galatians 5: 13-14 Day
29: Persecution, Romans 8: 35-39 Day 30: Prayer, Acts 16: 25-31
A JOURNEY OF 52 SUNDAYS WITH ST PAUL JUNE 29, 2008 TO JUNE 28/29, 2009
Compiled by Rev. Father Emmanuel Ayo Efodigbue, MSP
SUNDAY JUNE 29, 2008:
FEAST OF PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES.
Saints Peter and Paul are the principle pillars of the Church founded by Christ.
Saint Peter was chosen by Christ to be his first Vicar on earth; he was endowed with powers of the keys of the kingdom of
heaven (Mt 16:13-19) and charged with the role of Shepherd of Christ's flock (John 21:15-17). In St. Peter and his successor,
we have a visible sign of unity and communion in faith and charity. Divine grace led St. Peter to profess Christ's divinity.
St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in about the year 64 AD. He was buried at the hill of the Vatican; recent
excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of St. Peter's Basilica.
Saint Paul was chosen to form
part of the apostolic college by Christ himself on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-16). Selected to bring Christ's name
to all peoples (Acts 9:15), he is the greatest missionary of all time, the advocate of pagans, the Apostle of the Gentiles.
St. Paul was beheaded in the Tre Fontanne along the Via Osteen and buried nearby, on the site where the basilica bearing his
name now stands. ( Women for faith and family)
Peter may never have been perfect neither was
Paul but the love of Christ urged them to accomplish all they did.
“Be ambitious
for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them. If I have all the eloquence of men
or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding
all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without
love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to
burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever” -1COR. 12:31, 13:1-3
Vatican Annouces Plenary Indulgence for Bi-millennium
of St. Paul's Birth
The Vatican Information
Service has reported that Pope Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Pleanary Indulgence on the occasion of the two-thousand
anniversary of the birth of St. Paul during the Pauline Year.
For more information, read
the EWTN News report of this announcement click here.
Next Friday, May
30th will be thirty days until the start of the Pauline Year as declared by Pope Benedict XVI .
Fr. Efiri Matthias Selemobri, M.S.P. ("Father Matthias") has compiled a 30 day spiritual "Walk
with St. Paul". Please note the spritual walk on the left side of this page.
"So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. .....Working together,
then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain." (2 Corinthians 5:20; 6:1)
Brothers and sisters:On the subject of fraternal charity you have no need for anyone to write you,for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.Indeed, you do this
for all the brothers throughout Macedonia.Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more,and to aspire
to live a tranquil life,to mind your own affairs,and to work with your own hands,as we instructed you. 1 Thes 4:9-11
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is
weak in the world to shame the strong; . . . . so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."
1 Corinthians 1:27, 29
On June 28, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI decreed June 2008 to June 2009 to be "The
Year of St. Paul" commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of the Saint's birth.
The Pope declared:
"Meetings for study will be promoted and there will be special publications on
Pauline texts, to promote the immense richness of the teaching contained in them, true patrimony of humanity redeemed by Christ. .... Also, in every part of the world, similar initiatives will be organized in dioceses, sanctuaries and places of prayer
by religious institutions, institutions of study and assistance, which carry the name of St. Paul or which have been inspired
by him and his teaching."
Inspired by the Spirit
of St. Paul and the Pope's declaration, friends of St. Paul established this website for the purpose of facilitating and
assisting communications among the many others friends of St. Paul to honor St. Paul and his teachings.
This site is still under development. Please check back. In the meantime send us an
email at yearofstpaul@sbcglobal.net if you wish to add comment, input, questions or suggestions.
Please share with us your plans for the upcoming
Year of St. Paul.
"So we are ambassadors
for Christ, as if God were appealing through us." 2. Cor. 3:20
In the spirit of St. Paul, now you have an exciting new resource available. You can evangelize
your own circle of friends and contacts with great Catholic CDs by subscribing to the Lighthouse Catholic Media CD of the
Month Club.
CDs are talks by great Catholic Speakers like Dr. Scott Hahn, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Steve
Ray, Fr. Benedict Groschel, Fr. John Corapi and more!
Click on the picture below to
get more information of the CD of the Month Club. Order multiple copies to share with friends, family and contacts.
Proceeds to benefit the Missionary Society of St. Paul.
GREAT RESOURCE FOR AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
Events and Announcements Updated 8/28/2007
OCT.
21, 2007 Missionary Society of St. Paul to be featured on EWTN
Fr. Efiri Matthias Selemobri, MSP, Director of Mission Development for the
Missionary Society of St. Paul will be the featured guest on Sunday Night Live with Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR on World Mission
Sunday October 21st, 6 pm Central time, 7 pm Eastern Time . (Encore presentation at 1 AM and 8 AM on Monday and at 4
PM on Saturday, Central Time.) Friends of St. Paul are encouraged to watch with a friend,
email a notice to another, set their VCR, and phone in a questions. Guests in the United
States may call and become part of the program at 1-800-221-9460.
JANUARY 25, 2008 Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
