Jesuit Father John Hardon lived from 1914 to 2000. I only met him once, briefly, and heard him give a talk at a fund-raiser for a private Catholic academy in Milwaukee. Archbishop Raymond Burke has opened up his cause for canonization and the more I learn about him the more I find myself enlisting his intercessory support for the work of the Apostleship of Prayer. Fr. Hardon was a true apostle of the Sacred Heart. He was on fire with the same love that burns in the Heart of Jesus. He couldn't keep the fire to himself and did everything he could to spread it. He was a teacher, the author of numerous books and articles, a retreat director and the spiritual director of countless individuals, including Blessed Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, the founder of the Institute on Religious Life and the Marian Catechists Apostolate. A Media Apostolate was founded at his request after he died.
The Fr. John Hardon, S.J. Archive and Guild is located in St. Louis. Its web site has a number of striking photos of Fr. Hardon including one in which he is visiting Blessed Mother Teresa in the hospital near the end of her life. The Institute on Religious Life has created a web site on which people who knew Fr. Hardon can share their stories.
The following is a prayer for the beatification and canonization of Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.:
Almighty God, You gave Your servant, Father John Anthony Hardon of the Society of Jesus, the grace of consecration as a religious dedicated to the apostolate and the grace of consecration as an ordained priest, after the Heart of Your Divine Son, our Good Shepherd.
Through Father Hardon, You provided Your Flock an extraordinary teacher of the faith.
You entrusted Father Hardon into the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose counsel, "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn. 2: 5) he faithfully followed and whose intercession he unceasingly invoked.
If it be Your holy will, please grant the request I now make, calling upon the help of Father Hardon, so that his herioc sanctity may be recognized in the whole Church.
I ask this through Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with You and the Holy Spirit, is one God forever and ever. Amen.
What a wonderful man he must have been! I remember reading a story about a woman who was at a conference and people would sign up for the priest they wanted to confess their sins to. Fr. John Hardon was one of them, and his list filled up immediately. Then someone took pity on this woman and gave up her time slot so she could get to confession. This woman in the story didn't know who the priest was until after she received the sacrament. When she realized what a great gift she was given she couldn't wait to share the news with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI suspect there are a lot more Fr. John Hardon's out there, and we just don't realize it. I bet you're one of them, and one day we'll be praying for your intercession! Thank you Fr. for writing this blog and sharing your story and the story of the Apostleship of Prayer. I am learning so much from you and it is a blessing! Can't wait to read that homily you promised a few posts back!
Thanks, again, Anne, for the kind words. I'm glad that this blog and the Apostleship of Prayer are helpful to you. From a recent post of yours, it sounds as though you have some things to "offer up" as well. I pray that the "shaking" is from the Spirit and not a reaction to medication or anxiety.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to see someone in the Society pay this holy man tribute. He was persecuted by his own, ie, the Society and the Society sought to silence him and this a martyr--a "white martyr". You are doing a great work and I will pray for his intercession, asking that he bless all of your efforts. It was through Fr. Hardon that I came to understand the meaning and value of uniting my sufferings with Christ crucified. He has this way of making our Faith crystal clear--like no other.
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