His favorite saying whenever he discussed such matters with his parishioners was “I have made a deal with God. I do His will on earth. And He takes care of the worries!”
He often prayed silently whenever a project or event was planned in the Parish and he offered the whole matter to God saying “Let it develop and work out according to your will oh Lord!”
One evening, during a Prayer Meeting at the Parish Hall, when all participants offered prayers and petitions for healings and other personal needs, Father Ignatius said:
“Let us pray for the success of the Young Peoples Retreat this weekend.
“The Youth Leaders and I are taking a few youngsters on Saturday morning to a Monastery in the countryside. It is run by Franciscan Monks.
“We hope to leave early on Saturday morning and the children will bring with them a packed lunch.
“Praise God we’ve already acquired two mini-vans donated for the weekend by one of our parishioners and the two Youth Leaders will drive them with all of the children. I will follow behind in my car carrying any luggage that will not fit in the vans.
“When we get there we hope to hold an open-air Mass in the grounds of the Monastery. Followed by a short Retreat and Prayers led by two of the Monks.
“We also hope to have a barbecue and the children will do all the cooking and preparations for the meal. Supervised of course! This will help them to work together and to take on responsibility for various tasks.
“We hope to return back here after Mass and breakfast on Sunday morning.
“We have everything organized, except for the food for Saturday night and Sunday breakfast.
“So please pray that the children enjoy the experience and are blessed spiritually as a result of this Retreat as they prepare for their Confirmation in two weeks’ time.”
At the end of the Prayer Meeting the priest was approached by two Americans from a nearby military base who had visited that evening for the first time as guests of one of the regular parishioners.
They asked Father Ignatius how many children he was taking on the retreat.
“Oh … about twenty or so …” replied the priest.
“Is that all?” they replied, “feeding them should be no problem!”
They offered to provide all food for the Saturday evening barbecue and the Sunday morning breakfast for children and adults alike.
And true to their word, on the day in question, they followed the convoy in their own van filled with food and the necessary equipment to ensure a successful barbecue. They stayed in a nearby hotel for the night and returned to the Monastery on Sunday morning to collect their utensils and equipments and go home.
Father Ignatius thanked the Lord for providing once again.
Based on a true story.
God always provides and sometimes, most times in ways we least expect.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Victor.
There is a gentleman at my Church that continually tells everyone one thing... "God will provide"
ReplyDeleteIts always nice to see/read proof of that.
God Bless.
I believe that too Victor, I always say a prayer as I hand my issue over to God, he never has let me down although there were times I didn't realize it......:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteIt's always encouraging to read about how God provides.
ReplyDeleteYou know, the more I read about Father Ignatius, the more I like him.
A beautiful and uplifting story, Victor. I have always thought that God cares about our lives even down to the smallest detail and your story proves this. My sister laughs at some of the things I pray about and says I should "save it for the big stuff". I, of course, ignore her ;)
ReplyDeleteHello Karinann, Michael, Bernie, Tracy and Mary.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see you visiting me here. Yes, you are right. God will always provide for our needs.
This story is based on true facts. I was there at that Prayer Meeting. Our church was not very rich and we hadn't enough funds to organise an outing for that many children. The generous gift of food from those two Americans was greatly appreciated.
God bless.
It was God's Providence that brought the Americans to the prayer meeting and moved their hearts. He has looked after me and my husband in many small things and in surprising ways. We are so lucky to have such a loving Father. He takes pleasure in our asking, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your faith with us Victor as well as the generousity of the American GIs. A very heart warming story! God bless everyone.
ReplyDeleteOh Victor, these wonderful things happen all the time, thank God. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAndie
Hi Barb, Booklady and Andie.
ReplyDeleteThanx for your visits and comments. God does indeed provide; and sometimes we don't even realise it.
God bless.
Amen!!
ReplyDeleteGod will provide!
Blessings,
Ann
P.S. Thanks for telling me about the St. Nicholas Church in Malta! Tell me, do you have any photos of it?
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you visiting me again. Thanx. Sorry I don't have photos of the Church but I have posted a link with photos on your Blog.
God bless.