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FLC - Family Life Chaplain - FAQ
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Diocesan Centre for
Marriage, Life, and Family / Office for English Pastoral Services - Montréal
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© 2006-2020 All
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House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2020
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Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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What is a Family Life Chaplain? What does a FLC do? To whom is this
service offered?
Actually, "Family
Life Chaplain" is in fact a "modern" term or title for the parish priest
sent by Jesus to each parish through the supervisory authority of the local
bishop or archbishop (in the case of an archdiocese). As Jesus received all
those who came to Him with any ailment, complaint, need, or request while He
walked this Earth in the Holy Land of Palestine / Israel; so now Jesus continues
to receive all those who seek Him today all over this Earth through the pastoral
presence and kindly services of the local parish priest. Priests don't
necessarily have a charism of healer; so we continue to employ health services.
The priest continues to be a simple human being like all of us, a sinner; he
isn't perfect yet. This means that we need to love him as we are called to love
one another in our family and close personal circles; as well as our enemies and
all those we don't necessarily like or enjoy.... Those we don't like give us an
opportunity to practice perfect, unselfish love; since we don't expect anything
good from such people. At such times God blesses us through the love we give
rather than receive.
When the priest offers the Holy Mass, the Holy Eucharist, it is Jesus Himself
who is there, offering Himself anew to his Father for us. The Holy Spirit
gathers all our prayers, adoration, supplications, praise, contrition, and
thanksgiving - the whole offering of our self and our life since the last time -
and places our offering on the altar with the bread and wine. Through the
priest, Jesus offers us, our offering, along with his own of himself, to the
Father. Then, at Holy Communion, the Father answers our prayers by accepting our
offering and in response, He gives us the best that He has to give, which is his
only-begotten Son, Jesus, in Holy Communion. Jesus gives us a "transfusion" of
the divine life and love He has with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Most
Holy Trinity. With each Holy Communion we become more and more able to live,
love, forgive, and serve as children of God, living images of Jesus in our world
today; in this way He shines his divine light for the world.
It is the same with all of the
sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation (Penance or Confession),
the Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage. We see and hear the parish priest, but
always it is Jesus who receives us, listens to us, speaks to us, prays with us,
offers us words of instruction and encouragement, extends his hands over us in
blessing, anoints us with holy oil, offers us forgiveness and absolution of our
sins, challenges us to make better efforts to approach God, get to know Him and
his ways, and give Him a return of love for all of the love He constantly pours
into us in the Holy Spirit.... No matter how "distressing" we may find the
"wrapping" - the human limits and failings of the priest - we can be assured
that it is Jesus who is there, before us, serving and blessing us. Jesus
promised He would be with us all days until the end of time, and He is faithful.
Jesus, in union with his Eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, is faithful and
ALWAYS keeps his promises.
We began to
employ the title
Family Life Chaplain in 2013.
First, as
intended in September 2013 by Auxiliary Bishop Tom Dowd, the FLC had the effect
of a “ploughshare” to break open new ground as a form of “spiritual direction”
for couples and families in accompanying them. This new service also served as a
support to parish faith communities and their parish priests, who are sent by
the Lord Jesus and appointed by the Archbishop as the immediate, "front line
pastors of couples and families" - the regular or "ordinary" Family Life
Chaplains.
Second, the Family Life Chaplain served for 7 years as a “lightning rod” for
couples and families searching for support in their faith and vocation to
marriage and family life: to give them an opportunity to better understand their
faith and to enter more deeply into their relationship with God and with
other human beings. Faith is God's gift to all who accept it to give them "new
eyes, ears, minds, and hearts" to live their life no longer as isolated
individuals crushed by heavy burdens, feeling abandoned, unwanted, unloved, but
rather to live life as children of God who have come to know that the one true
God and Creator of all is a triune community of divine persons who truly love
them and offer them all the spiritual and supernatural gifts they need to endure
the troubles of life and to safely navigate through all the obstacles and
dangers of life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus as
the Son of God and Saviour of all, and welcome Him as our Lord, He pours into us
the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, who fills us with supernatural gifts
enabling us to follow Jesus in this life as his disciples.
Third, the Family Life Chaplain acted as “spiritual advisor” and
became familiar with movements that support couples and families and as needed
offered them accompaniment, encouragement, and spiritual advice.
Fourth, the Family Life Chaplain served as a member of the
Diocesan Center for Marriage, Life, and Family: to collaborate and help to
develop within the Diocese its concerted multilingual and multicultural mission
to couples, families, and society at large. The
DCMLF is networking with other pastoral agents labouring courageously and
generously within
The Office for English
Pastoral Services,
Mission Jeunesse,
Social Action,
Faith Education, and
Pastoral Home Care.
Fifth,
the Family Life Chaplain served as “spiritual advisor” and member of Montreal's
first English language "Team of Our Lady",
a worldwide Catholic movement that forms teams of 4 to 6 married couples with
their children and one priest. Jesus intends for the complementarity between
these two life vocations of Marriage / Matrimony and Holy Orders / Priesthood to
provide an ongoing opportunity for mutual help and encouragement in living out
their respective vocations and call to holiness as missionary disciples of our
Lord Jesus and enthusiastic witnesses to Jesus and divine love and mercy in the
world.
So, today, you who are engaged
or married couples and parents have much to gain by developing your connection
with God into a more personal relationship. The Holy Trinity – Father, Son
(Jesus), and the Holy Spirit – are always “at work” within us, and they only ask
that we “pay attention” and “be open” to their love, “light”, and “guidance” in
order to "make themselves at home" within us and in our married couples and
families. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trusting in God!
Don't hesitate to approach your local parish priest to get to know him and allow
him to get to know you and your family. If until now you have not been offering
God worship and adoration on Sunday, the Lord's Day, now would be a good time to
begin. You can find your local parish by going to the Diocese of Montreal's
website
here.
Use the search tool to find your local parish. You may find you live near two or
more parishes, English and French, as well as other churches which gather people
from various cultures and linguistic backgrounds. Introduce yourself and your
family to your parish priest. Remember, your parish priest is truly your Family
Life Chaplain, and in him you will find Jesus present, waiting, and eager to
welcome you; however imperfect the priest may be humanly speaking. Who among us
is perfect, anyway, right? Make an act of faith and trust in Jesus, and open
yourself to the services Jesus offers you through his priests. God bless you and
your family!
"Our Lady of Ville Marie, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady
of Fatima, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, please pray for our married couples,
for our families, for our children, parents, and siblings, and lead us into the
peaceful, loving, and joyful life you lived with Joseph and Jesus in Nazareth.
Amen."
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
Our Lady of
Guadalupe - Her Apparitions
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness
and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do
Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God cast into
hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking
the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Fatima -
all
about the apparitions in 1917 and later
Fatima - Angel’s Prayer
“O Most Holy
Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I
offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus
Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation
for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is
offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”
“Most Holy
Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most
Blessed Sacrament.”
The importance of
silence + + +
penance &
Penance
Fatima - Pardon Prayer
“My God, I
believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I beg pardon for all those
that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love
Thee.”
Our Lady of Fatima's plan for peace -
Faith, Prayer, Penance,
Devotion, and Consecration of Russia, the World, and us....
Fatima - Decade Prayer
(at the end of each
decade of the Rosary)
“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the
fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in
need of Thy mercy. Amen.”
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