Celebrating Saint Thorlak!
The second half of December brings us to the days leading up to Þorláksmessa, the Feast of Saint Thorlak, December 23.
We are very pleased to share two ways to celebrate our patron saint this year.
First, the Novena in Honor of Saint Thorlak, December 14-22, is being prayed by the faithful worldwide, and also as a spiritual bouquet to the clergy and people of Iceland by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlak. The schedule of daily intentions can be found below.
Second, we are invited by Fr. Jakub Budkiewicz to the December 23 YouTube premiere of a 37-minute animated film, Saint Thorlak: The Patron of Iceland, by FableDock productions. The trailer for this project may be viewed here. Fr. Jakub was ordained in Iceland in 2007 and currently serves as a parish priest in a small town in Poland. The film has been in the works for several years and brings together Fr. Jakub’s love of St. Thorlak, talent in graphic design, and desire to create “Christian content and the teachings of the Catholic Church presented in a stunning, artistic, and fairytale-like visual form” (as quoted from FableDock’s YouTube channel).
Let us pray for all the intentions brought to Autism Consecrated from around the world as we celebrate our patron and mentor in faith on Þorláksmessa!
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Daily intentions of St. Thorlak Novena for the Clergy and People of Iceland:
12/14 We pray today for St. John the Evangelist Parish, Westfjörds: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/15 We pray today for St. Peter Parish, North Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/16 We pray today for St. Thorlak Parish, East Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/17 We pray today for St. Mary Parish, Reykjavik/South Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/18 We pray today for St. Joseph Parish, Hafnarfjörður: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/19 We pray today for St. John Paul II Parish, Southwest Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/20 We pray today for Parish of the Holy Cross, South Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/21 We pray today for St. Francis of Assisi Parish, West Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.
12/22 We pray today for Christ the King Parish, Reykjavik; for Bishop David Tencer, and for all clergy and religious in Iceland: for blessings upon all souls harbored in St. Thorlak’s homeland, that they may know the love of God and the Peace of Christ.
DECEMBER 23 = FEAST OF SAINT THORLAK 😊
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This bouquet reflects the prayer on a regular basis throughout the year by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, a volunteer corps of missionaries-in-place whose work is to pray from where we are, in our current circumstances, in our present states of body and mind. We strive to exemplify what a fully accessible, universally-designed ministry can be for people of all abilities to pray side by side, neurodivergent and neurotypical. We are “domestic,” meaning, staying in place; we pray from wherever we are able to be, transforming “everywhere” into one, common household, one family of God: “Domestic” Missionaries of St. Thorlák do our work from within the “home” of God’s Household. This Domestic form of missionary work differs from that of missionaries who leave home to do their work elsewhere, publicly.
The Domestic Prayer Missionaries’ focus is prayer in any way we are capable, including all forms of communication: fully spoken, low speaking, variably spoken and non-speaking. Our prayer takes the form of however we best express our hearts and intentions to God, in the place best suited to our abilities: at home, in chapel, outdoors; standing, kneeling, sitting, walking; wherever we connect fully with God at any given moment. Many Domestic Missionaries spend their time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, but others may pray better in motion. Some “practice the presence of God” throughout the day, offering as we go, and some simply focus on the breath in prayer (e.g., breathe in “My Jesus,” breathe out “Mercy”) to create a “chapel of the heart” wherever we happen to be. Domestic Missionary prayer deliberately minimizes physical and social demands to keep our efforts focused on prayer. We draw special inspiration from the ways of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, whose Practice of the Presence of God is an excellent model for anyone, in any state of ability or disability, to offer prayers efficaciously and sincerely alongside those called to more conventional and active forms of missionary work.
To learn more about the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, or to become a Prayer Missionary yourself, download our prayer manual or contact us at AutismConsecrated.Com.
Domestic Missionaries of Saint Thorlak – Prayer Booklet
