Dear Brothers,
The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. On October 7th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in honor of the Blessed Mother. October was also the month in which Mary appeared for the last time to shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, urging them to “say the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.
Say a rosary to Our Lady today! Your prayers will not go unanswered!
May Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary pray for us now and forever!
In our motto,
James Russell
Catholic Action Chairperson,
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
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Dear Brothers,
Peace and all good! This is how St. Francis would greet his brothers.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Blessed with vast spiritual insight, Francis’ love for Christ permeated every aspect of his life and showed through in everything he said and did.
What better time than his feast day to reflect on this beautiful expression of St. Francis’ guide for living and to think about how each of us can show our love of Christ through everything we say and do each day. Are we understanding of others? Do we strive to forgive what we perceive to be a wrong done to us by another? When we see sadness in others, do we offer consolation and seek to bring them joy? By doing so, we can help others — and ourselves — to heal in mind, body and spirit.
On this special day my prayer is that we put into daily practice the spiritual values of St. Francis of Assisi and become the light of Christ by bringing joy, hope, compassion and love to all whom we encounter.
Peace Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
As I close this reflection, I invoke the words of St. Francis, “Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words.”
Let us continue to welcome the stranger among us!
Let us continue to pray for one another!
Jim Russell
Catholic Action Chairman
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
]]>The apparition in County Mayo in Ireland of Our Lady of Knock is reported to have occurred on the evening of August 21, 1879, the vigil of the octave of the feast of the Assumption. Those who witnessed the miracle ranged in age from five years old to seventy-five.
The apparition was described as follows: “Our Lady was wearing a large, brilliant crown and clothed in white garments. On her right was Saint Joseph, his head inclined toward her and on her left Saint John the Evangelist. To the left of Saint John was an altar on which stood a cross and a lamb.” Standing only a few feet off the ground, the Blessed Virgin wore a white cloak and was described by witnesses as being incredibly beautiful. She wore a bright golden crown, and appeared to be praying with her eyes looking toward heaven with her arms bend in front of her with her palms facing inward.
Fifteen parishioners stood to witness the apparition for two hours as they recited the rosary. Although it was daylight when the apparition began, the weather turned for the worse and it began to rain heavily. The area around the apparition appeared unaffected, however, as the ground remained dry as long as the vision lasted. She did not speak, but the gable of the church where the manifestation was made was covered with a cloud of light.
Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, also wore white robes and stood on the Virgin’s right. He inclined his head respectfully toward the Blessed Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist wore a miter, and appeared to be preaching as he held a book in his left hand.
Since then thousands of people have gone to Knock to pray to Our Lady. Their prayerful, penitential and reverential spirit has been commended again and again by visitors from other lands. No sign of commercialism detracts from the purely religious atmosphere of that hallowed spot. People from all walks of life kneel in humble supplication before the shrine of Our Lady, fully confident that she has sanctified that spot by her apparition.
Organized pilgrimages from various dioceses are conducted frequently to the shrine of Our Lady of Knock. The rosary comprises the main portion of the devotion; the shrine is therefore appropriately called the Rosary Shrine. The “Knock Shrine Annual” relates many interesting stories of cures and conversions effected at the shrine.
Brothers, in today’s world, might I suggest a prayer to Our Lady!
Our Lady of Knock, Pray for us!
In our motto,
James Russell
Catholic Action Chairman,
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc.
Note: Since August 17th, 2025 falls on a Sunday this year, the feast day is not celebrated.
]]>Celebrated every year on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is important to many Catholics and Orthodox Christians as the day that Mary was received into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. This is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year; please stop into a Church to pray during the day to honor our Blessed Mother on this special day.
Can you imagine what a moment the Assumption must have been for Mary! In describing the scene, some Church Fathers spoke of Jesus Himself coming back to Earth to take His mother and bring her to her Heavenly home.
Many years ago, St. John Paul II said that the Assumption truly was an event of love, in which Mary’s ardent longing to be with her Son was finally fulfilled. In fact, many paintings of the Assumption portray Mary rising in splendor on a cloud to Heaven, received by the angels with trumpets and celebration, and reunited joyfully with her beloved Son.
In light of the Assumption of Mary, it is easy to pray her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) with new meaning. In her glory, she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and finds joy in God, her Savior. God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognize God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to Heavenly heights.
Who can describe the benefits of devotion to Mary? She not only listens, she anticipates our petitions, and grants them beyond all expectations. Let us make every effort to guard our devotion to Mary as a precious treasure.
Let us take Mary for our Mother and let us pray to her every morning and evening, and in life’s difficult trials Mary will comfort and save us.
On this special day, let us join in her joy and happiness.
The Almighty has done great things for me, And Holy is His Name.
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The Feast takes place ten days before Pentecost; thus taking on a special anticipation of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
It does not commemorate a departure. Oh, no! It celebrates a presence and a promise:
I am with you always, even to the end of time. Jesus is with us at all times and in all places. This sentence is the core of our faith.
During the 40 days before the Ascension, Jesus continues to fortify our faith. He appears to many, that they might see that He is truly risen. The Apostle Thomas famously bears witness to the Lord’s wounds, which he recognizes on Jesus’ Risen Body. The Lord eats and drinks, proving He is not a ghost or apparition. Jesus strengthens our faith by leaving the Church with credible evidence that He was indeed
raised from the dead.
Jesus commissioned His followers to spread the Good News to the ends of the Earth and promised His Spirit as a helper and advocate.
After this promise, “He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). His followers are left behind, looking up at where He went, and then two figures appear and say, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven.”
The reality of Christ’s Ascension is so important that the Creeds (the basic statements of our belief) of Christianity all affirm that “He ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”
Jesus’ Ascension should point our entire being towards Heaven, and guide our every thought and deed. We should have Heaven as our goal and seek it, using whatever means are most fruitful.
This coming Thursday, celebrate the Ascension! Hear the promise! Believe the Word!
Receive new hope!
Let us continue to pray for one another!
New York — May 8, 2025 — The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America (AOH) extends heartfelt congratulations and prayerful best wishes to His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, on his election as the 267th successor of St. Peter. His election marks a special moment for American Catholics as the first pope born in the United States.
“We offer our prayers and support to Pope Leo XIV as he begins his ministry as Bishop of Rome and Pastor of the Universal Church,” said Sean Pender, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Ad Multos Annos, Pope Leo XIV.
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Mary has a unique place in salvation history and in the Church. Because she responded yes to becoming the Mother of God, she is our first model of discipleship and our model of grace and trust in God.
Among Catholics, May is most well known as “Mary’s Month,” a specific month of the year when special devotions are performed in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ancient Greek and Western cultures view May as a month of life and motherhood. This was long before “Mother’s Day” was ever conceived, though the modern celebration is closely related to honor mothers during the spring months.
In the early Church there is evidence of a major feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated on the May 15th each year, but, it wasn’t until the 18th century that May received a particular association with the Virgin Mary. It was a Jesuit priest in Italy who asked his students to make a vow to devote the month of May to Mary. This practice spread to other Jesuit colleges and to the universal Church.
In 1945, Pope Pius XII solidified May as a Marian month after establishing the feast of the Queenship of Mary on May 31st. After the Second Vatican Council, this feast was moved to August 22nd, while May 31st became the feast of the Visitation of Mary.
The Month of May is one rich in tradition and a beautiful time of the year to honor our heavenly mother.
Below are some Marian Celebrations and Feast Days:
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (January 1st)
Our Lady of Lourdes (February 11th)
The Annunciation (March 25th)
May Crownings
Our Lady of Fatima (May 13th)
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church (Day after Pentecost)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16th)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th)
Our Lady of Knock (August 17th)
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8th)
Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7th)
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21st)
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8th)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th)
May Our Lady, Queen of Ireland continue to watch over us and protect us!
Peace and Prayers,
Jim Russell
Catholic Action Chairperson
National Ancient Order of Hibernians
]]>“We look forward to working with Bishop Elect Keehner as he assumes the office of Bishop for the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa”, said Sean Pender, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians President. As our immediate past National Chaplain, I have worked with Bishop Elect Keehner on a number of different projects. Our Brother Hibernians in Ohio have sung the praises of Bishop Elect Keehner. We look forward to working with him now as the Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa in the future.
Immediate Past National President Daniel J. O’Connell echoed that praise, stating, “Father Keehner is a natural leader. His sincerity and wisdom guided the AOH on all levels of our Order. His commitment to our faith and his work ethic is second to none. I am confident in his continued success.”
Father Keehner, 59, is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and is one of five children. He attended Austintown schools and graduated from Austintown Fitch High School in 1984.
Father Keehner earned a B.A. in English in 1988 from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He then began studies at Mount St. Mary Seminary of the West in Cincinnati where he earned his M.Div. and M.A. in biblical studies in 1993.
He was ordained a priest in 1993 by Bishop James Malone at St. Columba Cathedral. His first assignment was parochial vicar for St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Boardman, Ohio. Father Keehner began canon law studies at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome and earned a licentiate in canon law in 1999. The priest was then assigned as a judge to the diocesan Department of Canonical Services.
He has served as vice rector and later rector of the St. Columba Cathedral, director of campus ministry at Youngstown State University. He has served as pastor of St. Casimir Parish, St. Christine Parish in Youngstown as well as St. Luke in Boardman, St. Paul in North Canton and Holy Spirit in Uniontown.
The bishop-elect currently serves as dean in Ashtabula County, Ohio, and is pastor of four parishes in the Diocese of Youngstown:
– Our Lady of Peace Parish in Ashtabula, Ohio
– Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Geneva, Ohio
– Corpus Christi Parish in Conneaut, Ohio
– St. Andrew Bobola Parish in Sheffield, Ohio
Father Keehner served as adjunct instructor of canon law at St. Mary Seminary in the Diocese of Cleveland from 2021-24.
In additional pastoral assignments, the bishop-elect has served on the diocesan board of religious education, priest council, board of mediation and arbitration for the Office of Conciliation, presbyteral council and the priest personnel board. Father Keehner has served as a spiritual director for the permanent diaconate.
The bishop-elect has served as state chaplain and national chaplain for the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
“The National Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes you to the episcopate!”
“ Beannacht Dé leat agus go gcoinní Dia thú”
We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). He wasn’t rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).
Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph’s genealogy but they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as “son of David,” a royal title used also for Jesus.
We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his, but, was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He knew women accused of adultery could be stoned to death, so he resolved to send her away quietly to not expose her to shame or cruelty. However, when an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins,” he did as the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:19-25).
When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).
We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22)
Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.
Joseph is the patron saint of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus’ public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.
Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.
We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker. March 19 has been the most commonly celebrated feast day for Joseph, and it wasn’t until 1955 that Pope Pius XII established the Feast of “St. Joseph the Worker” to be celebrated on May 1. This is also May Day (International Workers’ Day) and believed to reflect Joseph’s status as the patron of workers.
In art, Joseph is typically portrayed as an older man, with grey hair and a beard, often balding, sometimes appearing frail and a marginal figure next to Mary and Jesus, if not entirely in the background. Some statues of Joseph show his staff topped with flowers. St. Joseph is shown with the attributes of a carpenter’s square or tools, the infant Jesus, his lily blossomed staff, two turtle doves, or a spikenard.
There is much we still wish we could know about Joseph — exactly where and when he was born, how he spent his days, exactly when and how he died. But Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was — “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:18).
Prayer:
Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son. Amen
James Russell
Catholic Action Chairperson
]]>St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world’s most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. In The Confession, he wrote:
“The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”
Patrick’s captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britain and was reunited with his family.
A few years after returning home, Patrick saw a vision he described in his memoir: “I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: ‘The Voice of the Irish.’ As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea-and they cried out, as with one voice: ‘We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.'”
The vision prompted his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years, and was later ordained a bishop and sent to take the Gospel to Ireland.
Patrick arrived in Slane, Ireland on March 25, 433. There are several legends about what happened next; with the most prominent claiming he met the chieftain of one of the druid tribes, who tried to kill him. After an intervention from God, Patrick was able to convert the chieftain and preach the Gospel throughout Ireland. There, he converted many people -eventually thousands – and he began building churches across the country.
He often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity and entire kingdoms were eventually converted to Christianity after hearing Patrick’s message.
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. His grave was marked in 1990 with a granite stone.
In His Footsteps:
Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. So complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission, he feared nothing -not even death.
“The Breastplate,” Patrick’s poem of faith and trust in God:
“Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”
St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, Pray for us!
]]>Do you remember a time when someone or something changed before your eyes and even though you were afraid, you saw the beauty of that moment? Jesus’s transfiguration is a glimpse of transformation to which we are all called to experience in the resurrection. However, we are called to live day by day, remembering that God is faithful to his promise. While we must endure many fears, hardships, and pain on our journey of life, the only thing that will endure is God’s love for us.
The call of God is not just for us to have a mountain-top experience but to live this mountain-top experience on the ground in the midst of those who hunger and thirst to hear that they are God’s beloved. We will forever hold sacred and be encouraged on our faith journey by our experience and memory of Jesus, transfigured and broken for us. We worship Jesus as one who was sent from God to show us what it means to be human. Jesus invites us, with our many weaknesses, to grow in holiness. We may not see great visions, but we must still follow God faithfully. Without faith, we cannot please God.
No matter what’s going on in your life, God is in control. Never lose heart. Do not be afraid. God’s plan for our lives will always lead us through whatever we are experiencing. We trust in the power of God to see us through this difficult and uncertain time. During this season of Lent, we are called to be the dream of God living in this world. Our transfiguration comes when we are willing to place before God all that blinds us and keeps us from trusting him.
We need a revival. A moment to lift our voices with strength and call on the name of the Lord. Let this moment be our moment of transfiguration. We ask God to break the chains that bind us! We ask God to speak a healing word into our lives. We ask God to lead us and guide us on this journey as we strive to change. Jesus is pardon for the sinner and a shepherd who invites us to listen. We all can change. We are never alone. God’s mission has a church and a people who seek what is right and just. We are his pilgrim people following Jesus, the one who God calls his beloved.
Our lives are filled with transfigurations and change. These moments can cause us fear, surprise, and hope. We are called to be attentive to moments where God is revealed in our lives. We are called to open our eyes and hearts to deepen our relationship with Jesus in our lives.
Let us continue to pray for one another
James Russell
Catholic Action Chairperson
National AOH
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Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Whether we attend mass or a scripture service, our foreheads will be marked with ashes as a sign of repentance. Some might question us when they see the cross on our foreheads, “Did you remember to wash up this morning when you got up.”
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that we are God’s creation, made from the dust of the Earth. This season of Lent might I challenge each one of us, to see the beauty and awesomeness of God’s creation. This Ash Wednesday also reminds us that it is good to remember that we are God’s Beloved. We might hear one of these statements as the ashes are rubbed on our heads:
Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.
Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
Repent and believe the Good news.
So on Ash Wednesday, we receive the ashes on our heads with a sense of sorrow for our shortcomings, but also with a sense of hope. With God’s grace we can repent and continue on our road of life together.
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