Fatima
Cell Program for December
Themes
Advent: The Liturgical Year opens with the holy
Season of Advent. This period of preparation
for the great solemnity celebrating the coming of the Son of God among men represents the
long centuries of eager waiting which preceded the appearance of the Redeemer. It is a time of hope, full of the longings and
aspirations of the Prophets who announced the promised Messiah. But in particular it is the season of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, who awaits the fulfillment, in her own sacred person, of the message brought
by the Angel Gabriel. Holy Mother Church
wishes us to be filled with the interior dispositions in which the Just among the Chosen
People lived before the coming of the Messiah. We
shall thus prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ into our souls by faith and Divine
charity, as well as for His final Coming, on
the Day of Judgment. In union with the Prophets, and especially with Our Lady, we should
yield ourselves up to a joyful and fervent preparation of our hearts for Him Who is to
come. As St. John the Baptist preached a
gospel of repentance to “prepare the way of the Lord,” let our hearts be truly
humbled and contrite, that the graces of His Nativity may be brought to us in abundance,
and Jesus may be truly born anew in our hearts.
Our
Lady of Guadalupe: The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a
lowly Aztec Indian, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. As
a proof of her identity, she caused her image to miraculously appear on the poor Indian's
cloak, or tilma. Although executed on poor
material that should have perished centuries ago, her beautiful image remains intact to
this very day. More important than the
picture, however, is the manifestation which Our Lady gave to us all of her loving and maternal heart through Her
words to Juan Diego: “I urgently desire a temple to be built here... to bear witness
to my love and compassion, my assistance, and protection.
For I am a merciful Mother to all who love me and trust me and invoke my help. I will hear their weepings and supplications that
I may give them consolation and relief… Am I not here, who am your mother?” Our own beloved country, America, is dedicated to
Our Lady under the glorious title of her Immaculate Conception, and when she appeared on
this continent, the symbols of her Immaculate Conception were included in the apparition. Our Lady of Guadalupe, “She who crushes the
head of the serpent,” symbolizes her triumph over Satan's seduction of Eve and the
resultant original sin, her triumph over the serpent-god of the pagan Indians, and the
ultimate triumph of her Immaculate Heart over the legions of Hell and the forces of
Anti-Christ. “Let us gather round her
altar, let us raise her banner high.” Let
us implore the Immaculate Virgin of Guadalupe to protect our homes, our families, and our
country, against the raging tide of Materialism and moral decay, the threatening menace of
the police state and the oppressive slavery of worldwide Socialist or Islamic terror and
domination.
OPENING
PRAYERS: |
* Come Holy Ghost
* The Rosary with meditation on each mystery *
Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
* Hymn: Macula non est in Te |
MEDITATION: |
*
from the Imitation
of Christ or the Glories of Mary on the Immaculate Conception |
STUDY
& DISCUSS: |
*
Officer's reports; Cell Memos; reading of the Salve Maria Regina
(a portion should be |
FIRST
MEETING:
1. |
WHAT
FAITH REALLY MEANS: (15
min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Discuss
parts 4-6 of Chapter Eight: Some Objections Considered – pgs. 80-89. |
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|
Reference:
What Faith Really Means by Rt. Rev. Henry G. Graham. |
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2. |
MARY IN
DOCTRINE |
The
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – discuss this wonderful prerogative
of our Immaculate Queen, especially the power which she thus exercises over Satan and the
legions of Hell as the “Woman who crushes the head of the Serpent”; discuss the
solemn definition of the dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854, and the affirmation given by Our
Lady herself at Lourdes to St. Bernadette. |
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|
Reference: The
Glories of Mary;
excerpt from “Ineffabilis Deus” of Pope Pius IX,
defining the Immaculate Conception. |
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3. |
THE
LITURGICAL YEAR: |
Discuss
the article, “The Holy Season of Advent” by Abbot Guéranger;
also the practices and prayers for the Season of Advent (see Theme
above). |
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|
Reference:
Salve
Maria Regina No. 141; Advent Psalms and Prayers with December Novenas. |
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SECOND
MEETING:
4. |
TRAIL
OF THE SERPENT: (15
min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Discuss the
errors of evolutionists pointed out in the article, “Creation Out of Nothing.” |
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Reference: The Reign of Mary No. 52 (pg. 3-4). |
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5. |
MARY IN |
Our
Lady of Loreto (Dec. 10) – discuss the history of the Translation of the Holy House
of Loreto; also, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas (Dec. 12) – review
the beautiful story of the apparitions, read the words of her consoling message, and
discuss their practical significance for each of us as her consecrated slaves and apostles
in the midst of today's universal apostasy (see Theme above). |
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Reference: Article, “Translation of the Holy House of Loreto”; Salve Maria Regina No. 128 – articles on Our Lady of Guadalupe. |
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6. |
COURT
OF (Choose
two or three of the Saints listed for a 10-15 min. report & reflection; discuss
briefly the lessons learned and virtues taught by their lives, and how to practically
apply these virtues in our own daily lives.) |
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Reference:
Martyrology; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; The
Fourteen Holy Helpers by Fr. Bonaventure. |
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THIRD
MEETING:
7. |
THE
JOURNEY (15
min. report; |
The Feast of
the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 18) helps us to prepare for the Nativity
of Our Divine Lord in the best possible way—in
union with Mary. Discuss a truly Christian observance of this glorious Feast
throughout the entire Christmas-Epiphany Season which is celebrated for a full forty days,
a distinct liturgical season like Lent or Eastertide. |
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|
Reference:
Article,
“Jesus Living in Mary” (Salve
Maria Regina No. 135);
“The Expectation of Christ’s Holy Birth” (Salve
Maria Regina No. 117);
The Glories of Mary
and The Incarnation, Birth and
Infancy by Liguori. |
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8. |
MARY IN
DOCTRINE & DEVOTION: (10
min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Discuss the
articles on Maria in der Tanne (Our Lady of Triberg – Dec. 20) and on Our
Lady of Beauraing (Nov. 29-Jan. 3). |
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|
Reference:
The
Reign of Mary No. 52
(pg. 2); Salve
Maria Regina No. 141. |
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9. |
TITLES
OF OUR LADY FROM THE LITANY OF LORETO: (10
min. report and discussion) |
Discuss
the
Title from the Litany, “Mother Most Amiable.” |
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|
Reference:
The
Reign of Mary No. 52. |
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CLOSING
PRAYERS: |
*
Advent Psalms and Prayers |
LEAFLETS
OF THE MONTH: |
* "Peace be to You" |
Cell
Plan of Apostolic Action for December
R To promote the
Message of Fatima R Sanctification of
self, family, neighbor
R Conversion of
sinners, salvation of souls R Adoration,
reparation, total consecration
· Eucharistic
all-night vigil on First Friday—First Saturday of the month.
· Personal resolve to
honor Our Lady in a special way on Saturdays.
· Family practice:
Daily observance of family Advent customs, such as lighting the Advent Wreath, recitation
of Advent Psalms and Prayers; follow your sacrifice program for the Season of Advent; the
children should place straw in the manger for each of their sacrifices, to symbolize
making their hearts a welcome place for the Baby Jesus.
· Put up a literature
rack (or use existing ones) in airports, hospitals, etc. (keep them stocked!); a special effort this month to distribute leaflets to
promote the message of Our Lady of Fatima and the true Catholic Faith.
· Make visits to
hospitals and homes for the elderly. Brighten their day with spiritual encouragement and
distribute Fatima pledges, brown scapulars, Miraculous Medals, and leaflets to those open
to receiving these spiritual aids. Explain to them the great value of offering their
sufferings for the missions of the Religious and the work of the Fatima Crusade, for the
conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls.
· Special observance
of the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Loreto, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and
the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
· Celebrate in a
worthy manner the glorious Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
gathering of the firs and greens on the several days leading up to Christmas Eve;
decoration and blessing of the Christmas Tree—which is a symbol of Christ, the Light
of the World—and Christmas carols to mark the Birthday of Our Divine Infant King.