General

Having contracted Covid-19 at our mission in Gabon in the early part of the pandemic, Canon Fragelli has undergone intensive treatment since he became very poorly.

He was initially brought to Italy for treatment and has now joined his family in Brazil for further convalescence.

Please keep him in your prayers

Thank you for your continued prayers for Canon Altiere.

Canon Altiere was hospitalised on the 9th January and has had an unusually protracted hospitalisation as a result of a previous underlying lung condition in 2019.

Canon Altiere has reached a major milestone in his slow but steady course to regaining his health. He will be discharged from the hospital and will be moved to a pulmonary rehabilitation facility. Canon’s lungs are healing nicely and he now needs minimal oxygen support through his tracheostomy without any mechanical ventilation. He has already begun to speak again and to walk a few steps with help. Moreover, over the last few days, he has shown definitive signs of kidney recovery.

The medical team are optimistic that his tracheostomy will be reversed and that he will not need dialysis indefinitely.

Canon has expressed how deeply grateful he is for everyone’s prayers. saying that he almost has a sensible awareness of how much spiritual support he has been receiving from many of you from far and wide.

A prayer from ‘THE RACCOLTA’

MICHAEL, glorious Prince, chief and champion of the heavenly host, guardian of the souls of men, conqueror of the rebel angels, who art set over the palace of GOD, our worthy captain under JESUS CHRIST, endowed with superhuman excellence and virtue; vouchsafe to free us from every evil, who with full confidence have recourse to thee; and by thy powerful protection enable us to make progress every day in the faithful service of our GOD.

V. Pray for us, most blessed Michael, Prince of the Church of JESUS CHRIST.
R. That we may be made worthy of his promises.

Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and eternal GOD, who in thy own marvellous goodness and pity didst, for the common salvation of man, choose the glorious Archangel Michael to be the Prince of thy Church; make us worthy, we pray Thee, to be delivered by his beneficent protection from all our enemies, that at the hour of our death no one of them may approach to harm us, and that by the same Archangel Michael we may be introduced into the presence of thy high and heavenly Majesty. Through the merits of JESUS CHRIST our LORD, Amen.

It was with great distress that we learned that dear Canon Francis Xavier Altiere has been hospitalised in the United States since Sunday as a result of Coronavirus. We understand from our American confrères that Canon is now stable but receiving supplemental oxygen, but not using a ventilator.

Canon served at Ss Peter & Paul and St Philomena, New Brighton for 12 months as a deacon before being ordained by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at St Francis de Sales Oratory, Saint Louis, Missouri on the 5th August 2014. He was then assigned as the first Rector of St Walburge, Preston before being reassigned to the United States.

We have now learned that Canon Joel Estrada, Pastor and Rector of St. Patrick’s in Waterbury, Connecticut, has also been diagnosed with the Coronavirus and was hospitalised on Wednesday. He is responding well to therapy.

Of your charity, please pray for their speedy recovery.

Sancta Maria ad nives, ora pro nobis
[Photo: Canon Altiere as deacon of the Mass on the occasion of the Latin Mass Society pilgrimage to Holywell, July 2016]

Meanwhile, prayer and the God given skills of the medical staff treating Canon Henrique Fragelli are bearing great fruit as he continues to take steps toward recovery. Treatment has been every effective. He can now sit up, communicate normally and resume a normal diet. Further rehabilitive treatment will commence in January. Once again, we thank you for your prayers, which we request continue. Canon is in a far better place now than he was only a short time ago.