Fr Thomas Dubay Dies: World-Renowned Retreat Master, Author & Popular Spiritual Director to Priests

Fr Thomas Dubay has died. Many would say a saint has entered heaven!
He was one of the well loved priests from EWTN a spiritual master on Contemplative prayer, the spirituality of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross. He was a Marist Priest; the Marist charism is…

to think as Mary, judge as Mary, and feel and act as Mary in all things…

He instructed many Catholics through his 20 spiritual masterpieces on the spiritual life and prayer, his forte was Spiritual Direction for priests and religious. He practiced what he preached in his example of holiness and a Christ-like life.

Rev Thomas Dubay, SM - RIP September 26, 2010

"From the Little Sisters of the Poor who cared for him - From Washington, DC:
This morning at 4:45, the Lord welcomed into His Kingdom Rev Thomas Dubay, SM, after suffering kidney failure and massive bleeding in the brain. Father’s frail health had been declining ever since his admission to the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Washington more than a year ago, but his suffering was even more noticeable in recent months. Despite this fact, Fr Dubay was just as witty as ever.

When Father’s superior, Fr. Bruce Lery, SM, called the Little Sisters on Sunday morning to tell them, he said, "We have a saint in heaven" –how true! Fr. Dubay was hospitalized about a month ago and then transferred to a rehabilitation facility for specialized treatments but his health was steadily declining. Yesterday he was re-admitted to the hospital with bleeding in the brain, and he was put in coronary intensive care. Although the ventilator was removed, he continued to breathe on his own.

Although he suffered from his loss of independence, he was happy to concelebrate Mass almost every day in the chapel of the Little Sisters Home in the shadow of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in our nation’s capital.

The Marist priests and brothers visited him almost daily, and Father depended very much on his superior, Fr. Bruce, who was always there for him. In a few words, Fr. Dubay literally practiced what he preached! Father was happy to give weekly classes to the Little Sister postulants –classes which he enjoyed as much as they! From his room, Father continued his spiritual direction with many persons who called on him and this also was extended to letter writing.

We can render prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful support Father gave to religious communities spending a good part of his life giving conferences and retreats. Although his preaching and spiritual direction was delivered to contemplative communities, his teaching was not for them alone. Religious the world over benefitted of his spiritual wisdom and guidance for years. He will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace after leading so many souls to true spiritual peace during his lifetime! The opening prayer of today’s liturgy says it all: “Help us hurry toward the Eternal Life you promise and come to share in the joys of your kingdom”.

In this video below Fr Dubay offers insights into his Call to the Priesthod and how to recognize a personal Call from God to the Religous Life or the Priesthood. His wisdom will be surely missed.



Here is a good article written by Catholic journalist Tim Drake who over the years spoke to and interviewed Fr Dubay a number of times.

I can imagine Father Dubay saying this prayer as he greets Our Lady as she escorts him to his mansion in a special place in heaven.

I greet thee, Mary,

Daughter of God the Father.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother of the Son of God.

I greet thee, Mary,

Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

I greet thee, Mary,

Temple of the Blessed Trinity.

I greet thee, Mary,

White Lily of the resplendent Trinity.

I greet thee, Mary,

Fragrant Rose of the heavenly court.

I greet thee, Mary,

Virgin full of meekness and humility,

of whom the King of Heaven willed to be born

and nourished by thy milk.

I greet thee, Mary,

Virgin of virgins.

I greet thee, Mary,

Queen of martyrs,

whose soul was pierced by the sword of sorrows.

I greet thee, Mary,

Lady and Mistress,

to whom all power has been given

in Heaven and on earth.

I greet thee, Mary,

Queen of my heart, my sweetness,

my life and all my hope.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother most amiable.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother most admirable.

I greet thee, Mary,

Mother of beautiful love.

I greet thee, Mary,

Conceived without sin.

I greet thee, Mary,

Full of grace, the Lord is with thee,

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed be the Fruit of thy womb.

Blessed be thy spouse, Saint Joseph.

Blessed be thy father, Saint Joachim.

Blessed be thy mother, Saint Anne.

Blessed be thy angel, Saint Gabriel.

Blessed be the Eternal Father,

Who has chosen thee.

Blessed be thy Son,

Who has loved thee.

Blessed be the Holy Ghost,

Who has espoused thee.

May all those who love thee bless thee.

O Blessed Virgin,

bless us all in the name of thy dear Son.

Amen

O Virgin most kind,

Mary, Mother of God,

most loving consoler of those in distress,

commend to your Son the souls of the Faithful Departed,

so that, because of your motherly intervention,

they may joyfully arrive in your company

as their longed-for home in heaven.

Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Please pray for Australia - VIP Priest in Focus

Dear ladies, Sorry for the stillness of the blog these days. Life has been so busy for both Anne and I. She has just had months of rehearsals in a stage play and has had major computer difficulties over the last six months. I have been very busy with my husband who is fighting on the forefront of the pro-life movement here in Australia, who always needs my support and with our 7 children, six of whom have just started a new study programme; time has become very scarce.

God has called us to be wives and mothers, to focus on our duties in our own domestic churches where we are working toward heaven being the hearts of the home. Here, where our prayers for our own families and being spiritual mothers' of priests unite. As I go through my day I am always offering little things for all those who have asked for or need prayer. Consequently even though this blog may have slowed I know as I am doing, so are many other women who go throughout their day in a mode of contemplation suitable to their circumstances, are doing too; praying for others but especially for our priests.

This week-end here in Australia we are about to under go one of the most crucial elections ever. Christian values, life issues, morality issues, freedom of religion and many of our vital values will be under threat if the current government returns to power. There will be a big possibility that we could be living under a gradual regime of socialism that will be unprecedented in this country and could alter our way of life forever. This party currently has momentum and is ahead in all the polls however these are secular media polls who have a strong bias toward this Labor government. We hope and pray they do not get back into government.

Please pray for our country! Australian Catholics have been sharing around a request to pray the Nine Hour Novena to The Infant of Prague; a very efficacious prayer, the one prayer that we are trying to encourage everyone to say. In the hope of uniting our hands, hearts, souls and minds toward heaven to save our country from a Fabian form of Obama style government which Ms. Julia Gillard would decisively implement. Join us here on the blog or here on the Facebook page.

For any Australians looking to educate themselves on the candidates for your electorate and how to help you cast your vote consistent with your Christian values, Family Life International has put together a very helpful comprehenive Pro-Life voting guide.

Ladies I hope you don't mind if I deviate a little from the spirit of this blog to ask you all to please pray for our country this week. This week I have intervened on the PIF list to add these two principal men of the Church here in Australia;

His Eminence George Cardinal Pell - Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and
Most Reverend Bishop Geoffery Jarrett - Bishop of the Diocese of Lismore

who have both spoken about this coming federal election. It's times like these that we pray for the hierarchy of the Church to be courageous over the pulpit and over the media.

Priest in Focus for this week is:

His Eminence George Cardinal Pell

Bishop Geoffery Jarrett

Please Pray this NOVENA TO THE INFANT OF PRAGUE for Australia:

(This Novena is to be said at the same time every hour

for nine consecutive hours in just one day).

O Jesus, Who hast said,

ask and you shall receive,

seek and you shall find,

knock and it shall be opened to you,

through the intercession of Mary,

Thy Most Holy Mother,

I knock, I seek,

I ask that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

O Jesus, Who hast said,

all that you ask of the Father in My Name,

He will grant you.

Through the intercession of Mary,

Thy most Holy Mother,

I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father

in Thy Name that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

O Jesus, Who hast said,

"Heaven and earth shall pass away

but My word shall not pass",

through the intercession of Mary,

Thy Most Holy Mother,

I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.

(Make your request)
Please pray for Australia

Fr Robert J Fox - A Tribute

We have been richly blessed this week. We have a guest writer from Fatima Family Apostolate (Australia) posting on the life and holiness of Fr Robert J Fox from
Please continue to pray for Fr Fox's eternal soul, for all his good works; may they continue to be fruitful including the Fatima Family Apostolate and for many people to be inspired by his holiness and devotion to Our Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Fatima.

TRIBUTE TO FATHER ROBERT J FOX, VALIANT SON OF THE CHURCH

Thursday, November 26, 2009 was the day when Father Robert Joseph Fox, (USA) was called to eternal life after a recent incapacitation by cancer, and after a long and tireless life in the service of His Lord Jesus Christ, and His Blessed Mother.

Many of us - grandparents, parents, young adults, and children - have been educated, formed and inspired by this valiant son of The Church who fearlessly defended the Truths of Christ made known to us through the Magisterium of the Catholic Church which he loved so ardently.

Having written some fifty books on the Catholic Faith under the patronage of Our Lady of Fatima to whom he always had recourse in his teaching, Father Fox was the founder of the Fatima Family Apostolate International, for the sanctification of families and individuals; an apostolate that he was encouraged to found some 25 years ago by Cardinal Gagnon, then Prefect for the Congregation for the Family. To that end Father wrote books, and produced audio and video cassettes as tools for families. For some twenty years he would take youth on two fortnightly summer pilgrimages to Fatima - for 2

weeks he would take male youth, then for a further 2 weeks he would take female youth. Over the course of these pilgrimages, many holy vocations to the Priestly and Religious Life eventuated, as well as many holy Marriages.

Father was a favourite presenter on the Global Catholic Television Network, EWTN, founded by Mother Angelica of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. Here Father Fox offered Mass daily at the Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament during the last seven years until incapacitated recently by cancer.

He contributed many articles to leading Catholic papers in USA. His magazine, The Immaculate Heart Messenger which he began 25 years ago and being the vehicle of communication between FFA members, has a world wide circulation, including Australia. He was invited to speak in several capital cities here in Australia in 1996 and again in 2001.

The message of Our Lady of Fatima was fundamental to Father Fox's untiring catechesis. He constantly reiterated what successive Popes stated: "Fatima is a reaffirmation of the Gospel." On September 21, 1998, Father was able to take to the Carmelite Monastery in Coimbra, Portugal a special 4’2” statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary destined for the first Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima in Russia which was dedicated in St. Petersburg.
 

 Our Lady of Fatima.

With all who knew him, with all who attribute their faith formation and education to him, with all who have aspired to holiness through his encouragement, in this Year of the Priest we now pray through the intercession of the Blessed Mother Whom he loved so well:

O Immaculate Conception, Pure radiance of Purity, Mother of unutterable Splendour, take this faithful son of Yours and our brother, Father Robert Fox.

Present him to Your Beloved Son Whom we beseech to give him the reward for which he so tirelessly laboured. Let him hear those indelible words,

"Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

FFA

Australia

 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Amen.

Fr Casey tells us straight.

Fr Casey isn't known for his gently, gently attitude to living out our duties as Catholics. He says it like it is, with passion, zeal and fearlessness.
Here he hits hard on the realities of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. He gives it to us straight why there may be a shortage in vocations to the priesthood, and how we as Catholics can assist in bringing forth vocations through a change in our demeanour when visiting Our Lords Holy House.

Father Benedict Groeschel CFR 50th Anniversary video - Grassrooots films.

Fr Benedict Groeschel on Eucharistic Adoration: "Silence, reverence, gratitude, loving devotion can flood the soul if one is blessed to do this for an hour."

One of the commitments of the Spiritual Motherhood for Priests devotion is to offer one hour a month in Eucharistic Adoration for priests. This is just a suggestion for those ladies who already practice this devotion and any others who would like too; this month could you spare a prayer and moment with our Lord for Fr Groeschel (and the order he founded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal; CFR'S) he has given Our Lord and His Church so much and been a tireless Shepard to His flock. Fr Groeschel who by the way took his name not from the famous St Benedict but from St Benedict Labre a homeless man in Italy that couldn't get accepted into any religious order and died on the steps of the church destitute. St Benedict Labre's influence certainly has been profound in Father’s, mission wouldn’t you say!

Happy Anniversary Fr Groeschel.