We were very fortunate this past week to spend an evening with many of our benefactors, old and new, at Old St. Pat’s in Little Italy. It was a fitting venue because for many years it was home to an extraordinary man, Archbishop John Hughes (a.k.a. Dagger John). 

Archbishop Hughes came to New York and found a growing population of Catholics who had no means to learn about, develop, or practice their faith. He had the vision and vigor to create the long standing institutions which would allow the faithful to practice and their faith in New York City and beyond. 

Some 36 years after the death of this extraordinary man, an extraordinary woman, Margaret Coffey faced a similar challenge.  Margaret was a faithful Catholic and a teacher of children who were blind and visually impaired - and she herself was blind.  Margaret Coffey recognized that these children did not have the means to learn about, develop, and practice their faith.  It was difficult, if not impossible, for them to actively participate along with sighted friends and family in religious instruction, Mass, and the Sacraments, because they did not have the books in braille which would allow them to do so. She partnered with a Jesuit priest, Fr. Joseph Stadelman and a group of women volunteers at Xavier College (now Xavier High School). In addition, she secured the funding, the equipment, and the materials, to produce the books in braille to assist Catholic children learn about their faith. But to me, the most extraordinary thing about Margaret was her vision to create and incorporate an institution that would carry on this work for many years to come – Xavier Society for the Blind. 

Today there are many ways in which you can support our mission, including of course your generous financial support.  We can’t continue to do what we do free of charge without the generous support of our many benefactors. I hope that you will continue to support our mission in whatever way you can and help us spread the word about the work that we do.

Malachy Fallon 

September has been a busy month for us, and last night we enjoyed a tour of the Basilica of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral and a reception that followed in its historic church's Parish House. Our event was sold out and we were delighted to meet with old friends and make some new ones.

We were also joined by some clients, and our Advisory Group member Sharlene made a moving speech to the crowd about her association with Xavier Society. You may recall she appeared in a segment on NET TV a few months back discussing the materials she receives from us in braille.

Pictured above is our Executive Director Malachy Fallon with the Chair of the Event, Beata Harvin. Beata is also on our Board of Directors, and with the help of Bob Pedersen, came up with the idea of the event. Thank you to both Beata and Bob for their hard work and guidance.

Thank you to all of our clients, donors and friends who were able to join us, and to our sponsors for supporting the event! Also, our thanks to Tommy Wilkinson of Tommy Tours, Chris Flatz, Monsignor Donald Sakano, Frank Alfieri and all at Old St. Pat's for their assistance. It was a beautiful night. 

We will soon be announcing the date of our second session on awareness and prayer based on principles developed and taught by the late Fr. Tony de Mello, a Jesuit priest who was the director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling, near Pune, India. 

This upcoming session will explore "Body Sensations." After each exercise, there will be time for discussion and questions. For those who are interested in the first session, you can check it out by clicking this link. 

We have worked with Desmond Towey and Fr. Leo Daly, SJ to develop this program. Des and Fr. Leo are trustees of the de Mello Spirituality Center. In the spirit of Fr. Tony, the de Mello Center presents, through books, recordings, articles, and conferences, spiritual themes and exercises designed to enrich and transform your life.

We recently added Fr. Tony's books Wellsprings and Sadhana to our audio library on Mp3 disc (and we are working to make it available on digital talking book in the near future). If you would like to request these, please let us know and we can send them to you.

Thank you to all who participated thus far. We look forward to our ongoing sessions!

St. Lucy Mass

Our annual St. Lucy Mass, celebrating the patron saint of the blind, will be held on Thursday December 13th at 12:00 p.m. at the Church of St. Francis Xavier located at 46 West 16th Street between 5th Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) in New York City. Over the past few years we celebrated the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but this year we are returning to our roots and namesake!

Father Jamie Dennis (pictured above), Parochial Vicar of St. Mary of the Woods in Whitesville, KY, will be celebrating the Mass once again and we encourage all our clients and friends to attend if you will be in the area! We expect that the new time and location will make it easier for more of our clients and supporters to attend.

Gearing Up for 2019

We are getting ready for 2019 and for braille clients we will have our pocket calendar of Saints’ Feast Days and other holidays. We no longer send out the braille calendars automatically anymore, so if you are a braille client and would like to request one please get in touch and we will put you on the list!

Did You Know...?  

We have the Catechism of the Catholic Church available for braille clients to keep. This important text approved by the U.S.C.C.B. comes in 14 thin volumes and arrives in two boxes. Please let us know if you would like us to send it to you.

Although we do not have the entire New American Bible in braille to send out anymore, we do have individual books in stock that can be sent. Let us know if you'd like to order any of the following one-volume books (please note there is limited stock of some volumes, so it is strictly on a first come first served basis):

• Book of Isiah
• Book of Jeremiah
• Books of Lamentations, Baruch, and Ezekiel
• Books of Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah and Jonah
• Book of Micah
• Book of James
• Various volumes of notes and Cross References

In addition, three times a year we produce The Catholic Review – a compilation of articles from various Catholic magazines that may be of interest to our readers. The Catholic Review is sent out on request to our braille clients on a free subscription basis but it is also available for download from our website in BRF and audio! Below are some of the articles that are featured in our most recent Catholic Review, and an archive in either format can be found by clicking here. Many of our clients already download materials in audio and BRF from our website. If you need your log-in details please get in touch. We would be happy to assist you!

Articles from America

• Catholics at a Crossroads: An On-the-Ground Report on the Church in China by Ian Johnson
• Did the Erie Canal Help Put An End to Slavery? by S. Brent Rodriguez Plate

Articles from Catholic Digest

• Prison Ministry: From Convict to the Diaconate by Lori Hadacek Chaplin
• What Does Islam Believe about Jesus and His Death? by Fr. David Endres

Article from Spirit and Life

• The Spirituality of Dr. Seuss by Sr. Jeanette von Hermann, OSB

Articles from St. Anthony Messenger

• A Franciscan in Syria by Father Ibrahim Alsabagh, OFM
• Baseball's Ed Lucas By Peter Finney Jr. (*please note we also have Ed Lucas’ autobiography Seeing Home in braille and audio!)
  

Articles from U.S. Catholic

• What Do We Know about St. Francis, America's Most Popular Saint? by Kathleen Manning
• The Organization That Puts on Retreats for the Homeless by Jeff Parrott                                    

Large Print Materials

Father Hank's Homilies

Top 10 Titles in September

Braille:
1. Stations of the Cross (B0926, 1 volume) by Joan Czaia

2. The Grunt Padre: Fr. Vincent R. Capodanno, Vietnam 1966-1967 (B1458, 3 volumes) by Rev. Daniel L. Mode

3. Beautiful Hope (B1622, 2 volumes) by Matthew Kelly

4. A Rosary for Life: The Luminous Mysteries of Pope John Paul II (B1625, 1 volume) by U.S.C.C.B.

5. Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too) (B1626, 2 volumes) by Brandon Vogt

6. The Wilderness Within You: A Lenten Journey With Jesus, Deep In Conversation (B1633, 2 volumes) by Penelope Wilcock

7. Total Consecration Through the Mysteries of the Rosary  (B1634, 5 volumes) byFather Ed Broom

8. Married Saints (B1635, 2 volumes) by John Fink

9. In the School of the Holy Spirit (B1642, 1 volumes) by Jacques Philippe

10. Discernment: The Art of Choosing Well, Revised Edition (B1645, 2 volumes) by Pierre Wolff

Audio:
1. Body of Christ (D0047) by Earnest Larsen

2. The Poetry of Saint Teresa of Avila (D0991) by St. Teresa of Avila

3. Tell Me Why: A Father Answers His Daughter's Questions About God (D1217) by Michael and Jana Novak

4. Saint Joseph and Daily Christian Living : Reflections on His Life and Devotion (D0381) by Fr. Francis Filas, SJ

5. Living the Sacraments: Grace into Action (D0906) by Bert Ghezzi

6. Saint Margaret Mary: Apostle of the Sacred Heart (D0672) by Ruth Fox Hume

7. Women in the Eyes of Jesus : Yesterday, Today and Forever (D0813) by Antoine Nachef

8. Come to the Feast: An Invitation to Eucharistic Transformation (D0746) by Richard Fragomeni 

9. Audio Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (D0889) by Marians of the Immaculate Conception

10. Spiritual Riches of the Rosary Mysteries (D0421) by Charles Calland

Hot Off the Shelves!

For patrons interested in some of our most recent titles, we have braille and audio materials to meet your every need! Don't forget to check out our Facebook page and Twitter feed for all our newest additions and daily suggested reading!

BRAILLE - Please let us know if you would like any of these braille titles in BRF, as we can make them available to download from the website as requested! It saves on the cost of braille paper and is not as labor intensive. Thank you in advance!

- True Devotion to Mary by Eddie Doherty (B1659, 2 volumes): Provides meditations and exercises which can bring you a life lived more closely in conformance with the teachings of Jesus Christ, through the emulation of the perfect virtues and example of his mother, Mary.

- I Want to See: What the Story of Blind Bartimaeus Teaches Us about Fear, Surrender and Walking the Path to Joy by Roc O'Connor, SJ (B1660, 2 volumes): In his inspiring and lucid exploration of the gospel, O'Connor shows us how Bartimaeus sits not only at the roadside but at the center of everything Mark wants us to know about being a disciple of Jesus. Bartimaeus knows he is blind and living in poverty and despair. And in knowing this, he cries out for help and ends up following Jesus on the path to life.

- The Proverbs Explained: A Blueprint for Christian Living by Father Mitch Pacwa (B1661, 2 volumes): Fr. Mitch Pacwa does a fantastic job of organizing and explaining the inspired words of Sacred Scripture. This book should be on the shelf of anyone wanting solid biblical guidance on family life, money-matters, business ethics, chastity, growth in virtue, and a host of other topics relevant to everyday life.


AUDIO

**Thank you for your patience as we convert our audio library to Digital Talking Book format. If any braille clients would like a braille catalog of our current audio library please let us know. We would be happy to send it out to you.

- Wellsprings: Guided Prayer Exercisesby Anthony De Mello, SJ (D1225): De Mello here presents a way toward peace of mind, inner power, and joy through simple spiritual exercises that blend the ancient traditions of the East with the psychological and philosophical perspectives of the West. "Wellsprings" is intended to guide us to a deeper appreciation of the physical and mystical realms within us.

- Sadhana - A Way to God: Christian Exercises in Eastern Form by Anthony De Mello, SJ (D1226): De Mello offers here an unparalleled approach to inner peace that brings the whole person to prayer - body and soul, heart and mind, memory and imagination. In forty-seven exercises that teach things such as awareness of physical sensations, stillness, healing of hurtful memories, and consciousness of self and world, de Mello succeeds in helping all who have ever experienced prayer as difficult, dull, or frustrating.

- If I'm a Christian, Why Be a Catholic: The Biblical Roots of Catholic Faith by James Hanson (D1219): How the Bible supports the Catholic faith over just being a Christian.

- Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other? by Peter Kreeft (D1220): Kreeft invites the reader to explore often contentious issues with respect for both perspectives, and with genuine hope for resolution and reunion.

- Go Into the Streets! The Welcoming Church of Pope Francis edited by Thomas P. Rausch, SJ and Richard R. Gaillardetz (D1221): This book calls on ten distinguished theologians to explore the ecclesial vision of the first pope from the global South. Key chapters also explore the tension between the church universal and local churches, Francis' understanding of the importance of popular religion, and his particular vision of social justice.

- Growing Old Gratefully by William J. Byron, S.J. (D1222): As we reflect on our life, we develop a personal spirituality that sustains us as we grow older. Far from shutting down our life and waiting for death, Growing Old Gratefully provides hope and presents a roadmap for navigating the challenges and adversities that are yet to confront us in the elder years. As Christians, it affirms that death is not what we are moving toward, it's what we are coming from.

- Maximilian Kolbe: No Greater Love by Boniface Hanley (D1224): Kolbe was a deeply spiritual, heroic Franciscan priest, who in living the Gospel built a vast publishing network, worked for years in the missions, faced down the evils of Nazism and Communism, and who finally gave his life for another in the death camp at Auschwitz in 1941.

Next month we celebrate the Memorials of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Isaac Jogues, and Saint Pope John Paul II. Here are some books for the upcoming special occasions in October! 
 
BRAILLE

- A Retreat with Thérèse of Lisieux: Loving our Way into Holiness by Elizabeth Ruth Obbard (B1097, 1 volume): Seven days of prayer and deepening acquaintance with Thérèse of Lisieux.

- Storm of Glory:The Story of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by John Beevers (B1348, 3 volumes): The classic and seminal biography of the Little Flower.

- Maurice and Thérèse by Most Rev. Patrick V. Ahern (B1044, 2 volumes): The story of how the commonplace spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux  ministered to an aimless young priest unsure of his vocation and unstable in his devotion.

- Twelve Little Ways to Transform Your Heart: Lessons in Holiness and Evangelization from St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Susan Muto (B1528, 2 volumes): Explains how twelve facets of the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood can enhance the evangelical mission of the Church.

- Salvifici Doloris: On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering by St. Pope John Paul II (B7424, 1 volume): Papal encyclical on the meaning of human suffering.

- Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot, SJ (B1283, 7 volumes): The life of the Jesuit priest who devoted his life to bringing civilization and Christianity to the Native Americans of New York and Canada and was martyred for his efforts.

- Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi (B1514, 1 volume): A poem written by St. Francis of Assisi praising God for some of the wonders of the world.

- I, Francis by Carlo Carretto (B0958, 1 volume): First-person narrative of the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

AUDIO

- Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, translated by John Clarke, OCD (D9039): Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

- The Happiness of God: Holiness in Thérèse of Lisieux by Susan Leslie (D0647): A new look at Thérèse as a contemporary source of inspiration (can also be downloaded from the website).

- Thérèse of Lisieux: Wisdom's Daughter by Professor Keith J. Egan, Ph.D. (D1017): Discover why this woman who thought of herself as "a grain of sand" was described by Pope Pius X as "the greatest saint of modern times."

- Strike a Giant Bell: Gifts of Pope John Paul II by John F. Davis (D0682): Close-ups and personal observations of John Paul II.

- Day by Day with Pope John Paul II: Reflections for Each Day of the Year by St. Pope John Paul II. Daily meditations based on Papal calendars, with meditations by Pope John Paul II.

- Easter Vigil and Other Poems by Karol Wojtyla (D0113): Written by John Paul II while he was a parish priest and auxiliary bishop of Krakow.

- The Peace of Saint Francis by Maria Sticco (D0328): Life of the beloved saint of Assisi.

- Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton (D0535): A classic biography by the beloved British Catholic author, Chesterton.

Ways You Can Help!

Since 1900 we have been providing religious and spiritual materials to blind and visually impaired people in their required formats in order for them to be able to learn about, understand, and practice their Faith. Some of our braille books in particular can often cost upwards of $500, taking up to 6 months to produce. Yet on a weekly basis, Xavier Society for the Blind ships reading materials to people all over the United States and throughout the world. Please help us continue this important ministry by sending your gift today.

Donate securely on our website by clicking here. If you wish to donate, but prefer to do it over the phone you can always call our office at (212) 473-7800 or (800) 637-9193. Our Coordinator of Communications and Fundraising, Aisling Redican, will be happy to assist you.

Masses may be said at your request not only when someone dies but also to celebrate a special event. And the stipend for the Mass card helps support the work of Xavier Society for the Blind. If you are a client or would like to send one to someone who reads braille, we can also do a braille overlay on the Mass card. Call us at (212) 473-7800 or email us at info@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org for more information.

If you use Amazon.com for any of your purchases, help out Xavier Society for the Blind at the same time. Go to www.smile.amazon.com and sign up. Or use the direct link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/13-5563026

There is no charge to you, and when they ask you what charity you wish to support, type in Xavier Society for the Blind. Any time after that, if you go to Amazon through the smile entry, a percentage of whatever you spend comes to us.

Upcoming Calendar

October 1, 2018 - Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

October 2, 2018 - Memorial of the Guardian Angels

October 4, 2018 - Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

October 8, 2018 - Columbus Day (XSB Offices closed)

October 15, 2018 - Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

October 17, 2018 - Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

October 18, 2018 - Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

October 19, 2018 - Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

October 22, 2018 - Memorial of St. Pope John Paul II

If you missed any of our previous newsletters which feature patron stories, Board Member profiles, and other news, here are some links to keep you up to date:

August 2018

July 2018

June 2018

May 2018

April 2018

Xavier Society for the Blind
248 W. 35th Street, Suite 1502,
New York, NY 10001
(800) 637-9193
info@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org


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