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. |
THE
INCREDIBLE CATHOLIC MASS: (10
min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Review
Chapter 4 – In the Holy Mass Christ Renews His Incarnation. |
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|
Reference:
The Incredible Catholic Mass by Fr. Martin von Cochem. |
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2. |
MARY IN
DOCTRINE & DEVOTION: |
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. |
THE
TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC LITURGY: (10 min. report; 10 min.
discussion) |
As
the Octave of the Feast continues, discuss the article, The Traditional Catholic
Liturgy – The Immaculate Conception. |
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|
Reference:
Salve
Maria Regina No. 150. |
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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. Sermons on Our Lady of Guadalupe by Bishop Francis Konrad Maria. |
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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; article on St. Peter Chrysologus in Salve
Maria Regina No. 150;
booklet
– St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; The Fourteen Holy Helpers by Fr.
Bonaventure. |
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THIRD
MEETING:
7. |
THE
TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC LITURGY: (15 min. report; 10
min. discussion) |
Discuss
the article on The Great Antiphons of Advent. |
|
|
Reference:
Salve
Maria Regina No. 150. |
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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). |
|
|
Reference:
The
Reign of Mary No. 52;
Salve Maria Regina No. 141. |
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9. |
THE
JOURNEY TO
BETHLEHEM: (15
min. report & discussion) |
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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CLOSING
PRAYERS: |
*
Advent Psalms and Prayers |
LEAFLETS
OF THE MONTH: |
Cell
Plan of Apostolic Action for December
¯ Make an act of love and devotion to
Our Immaculate Queen at every hour.
¯ To promote the
Message of Fatima ¯ Sanctification of
self, family, neighbor
¯ Conversion of
sinners, salvation of souls ¯ 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.