Dear friends of Fr. Benedict,

Today is Tuesday, February 17. Here is the latest update on Fr. Benedict.

Today's message will be short and sweet - very sweet!

I called Florida this evening to get our daily update and received some interesting news. Maybe, just maybe, Father will soon receive the "green light" from his attending physicians so that he can soon return to New York. He was off the respirator for close to seven hours today, which the doctors see as a very good sign. He was also in his "lounge chair" most of the day - another positive indication that he is well on the way to recovery!

I have yet to speak to the doctor personally, but I suspect he believes that Father will heal quicker if he is closer to home. Psychologically he would be in a "better space" in New York and although he is receiving the best of care, he does want to be home. Remember, we are dealing with a "people person" par excellence and he understandably feels isolated. He wants to go home in the worst way. So, if his doctors say "okay", then we'll take the next step and take a look at the calendar.

If Father is able to return home before being taken completely off the respirator, he'll be taken to a hospital here in New York. Then, when he is off the respirator completely, he will take his next step, rehabilitation. No doubt, Father is anxious to get back into the saddle, but in the beginning, he will have to settle for a very slow horse. I remember one priest describing Father as "the grey whirlwind". Only God knows if Father will be spinning about so quickly again. We'll see.

So, friends, there it is, the latest news. Please pray that Father will continue to surrender himself to Divine Providence. His life is not in his hands. He will go home when others say so. Will he be disappointed? Perhaps. Yet, will he trust? Surely! Feelings of anxiety, impatience, and loneliness don't just disappear even in holy people; they simply take the back seat. Together with Father, let us trust in God's providence. God doesn't want to be our co-pilot; he wants to drive the car. That's God's message to us today - short and sweet.

Until next time, if God wills. God bless you!

Fr. Glenn Sudano, C.F.R.
Community Servant (superior)
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

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Dear Fr. Benedict how blessed we are that God continues to teach us through you...even now. Patience, trust, and faith. - Tom, Friendswood, TX

Dear Father Benedict, I see from Father Glenn's updates that you have been fitted with an artificial elbow, plus pins and various other kinds of hardware. What I am wondering is, Where is all this stuff made? We might have to sew a label onto your gray habit: "Made in U.S.A., reconstructed with foreign parts."...I am one of the thousands, maybe millions, who are praying for you every day. My family and I prayed for you before our dinner together last Sunday. May Jesus and Mary ease your pain and speed your recovery. Know that you are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Please come back soon to the Capital of the World. We're waiting eagerly, keeping the light on for you. And I hereby reserve a copy of your next book. God bless you and give you strength. With prayers and best wishes. - Claudia, Larchmont, New York

Dear Fr.Benedict I am a revert to the Church because of you. I watched you on ETWN for two years before coming back home in 2000. I can't thank you and Our Lord for you enough. I have a renewed love so deep for our Church because of listening to you and reading the books you wrote. May God bless you and get you back on your feet soon. I know you have impacted the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I love you deeply father and I will continue to pray for your recovery and thank Our Lord for defenders of Truth like you. God Bless you and Ave Maria! - Rick, Colorado Springs, Colorado

A big thank you to Fr. Glenn and the people maintaining this web site. Because of you we are able to keep abreast of Fr. Groeschel's progress. We visit the web site every day. Dear Fr. Groeschel, we watch you regularly on EWTN - both your Sunday series on Hope and your Wednesday series with Dr. von Hildebrand on Suffering. I'm a convert and my husband is a revert. We have greatly benefited from your shows and have a profound respect for you. We have been praying and will continue to pray for you each and every day. We are members of the Cathedral of St. Paul parish in St. Paul, Minnesota. And also a big thanks to the Brothers who are there with you and all your caregivers. You have been a gift to all of us. - Michal & Elizabeth, Eagan, Minnesota

His videos and programs are my life. - Emmett, San Antonio, Texas

Dear Fr Benedict my dear Father you are continual in prayers here in magadan. I will be giving a retreat to the Sisters of mother Theresa in Moscow and recently relistened to your tapes of the Holy the Trinity and the Passion of Our Lord and will use some of these profound truths. But the real truth is I know your suffering Father is being used for the Glory of the Lord. Praised be to Jesus Christ and His Saving Cross. - Fr Michael, Russia

Our prayers are with you at St. Michael-St. Edward church. From an old student and friend. - Fr. Jim, Brooklyn, New York

Dear Father Benedict, I am here in Fort Polk Louisiana. My husband is deployed right now in Iraq since almost a year now. Sometimes the loneliness becomes unbearable but you are teaching me right now how to suffer, how to take hardship with a cheerful heart and without complaint. I watched you many times on EWTN and my Husband and I and my two kids Dominic 8 and Julia 4 pray for you and for your speedy recovery. We love you. May God bless you and bless all the friars. Thank for your tireless work. May our holy Mother and all the angels and saints be with you and ease your suffering. Father Benedict please be assured of our prayers and our love. - Annette, Fort Polk, Louisiana

I am so sorry to hear of what happened. But just reading the updates on the webpage give me a renewed sense of hope. I am praying for you all the way down here in Mexico and wish for a speedy recovery. Keep everyone the hospital smiling and take care. - America, Mexico

Fr. Benedict: All of us at St. Anthony Messenger Press and Servant Books continue to pray for your full recovery and healing. We are proud to be your publisher. As one who is a miracle of modern medicine and nursing after almost dying from a pulmonary embolism 5 years ago, I know full well how important prayer is to the body's recovery. I wish I could send my husband, Bob, to you, who every night during my long recovery prepared a dish of chocolate ice cream with sliced bananas! Manna comes in many forms! Blessings to you from your Franciscan friends in Cincinnati! - Lisa, Cincinnati, Ohio

Dear Father Benedict- My name is Lora, I just was at the Mount 2000 and beyond retreat this weekend and it was truly a powerful experience to have 1500 people praying a hail mary for you. We are all praying for you and I continue to pray for you each day. I wanted to let you know that I firmly believe I owe the confirming of my vocation to the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration to you, since I have been praying for you I have recieved the grace of knowing my home and now I am in formal application with the Sisters. Thank you so much for your prayers. I will continue to pray for you :) In Christ- Lora , Laurel, Maryland

I am writing on behalf of my third grade class. We wanted to tell you we are praying for you as you continue to fight the battle. We pray for you every morning in our intentions. We pray for your healing and that your suffering may be used to bring more souls to Christ. We also pray that others may see your perserverence as a challenge in their lives to continue to press forward no matter what may stand in out way. I also wanted to add on a personal note that Fr. Benedict you have been a great example to many people in their conversions and in their growing in holiness. It is now our chance to give back to you all you have given to us. We are praying for you and asking God's healing power to anoint you and run through you like His Precious Blood. God Bless you Fr. Benedict and continue to push forward, with our prayers,- St. Mary's Third Graders, Westville, Illinois

I have been praying for you since I heard of the accident. I love your book Arise from Darkness, I use it often. God bless you and I will keep praying for your healing and grace to handle the suffering. - Kristina , Alexandria, Virginia

Hello dear Father Groeschel - you have given me many a chuckle, and many a blessing. Now YOU are blessing Our Lord. THere is an old, old prayer to Jesus, venerating the painful wound in His Shoulder, Which He said gave Him the most pain of all His Wounds during the carrying of His Cross.. Now you are blessing, and comforting Him. What a silent ministry. At this time in Massachusetts, when same sex marriage is up for the senate vote, you are suffering with Our Lord, for yet another social sadness. I love you Father, Don't despair. He will surely embrace you, and you can put your head on THat Very Wound, and weep for joy. - Marsha, Framingham, Massachusetts

Fr. Benedict, As I watched your message today on love and it's power, I was brought to tears because love is the foremost precious action that we can give anyone. May my love be brought to you in your complete recovery through our Lord, Jesus Christ! Love to you! Pray for me! Leslie, Rosharon, Texas

Send your greetings to Fr. Benedict

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