New book: “L'AMOR CHE MUOVE IL SOLE E L'ALTRE STELLE"

- The love that moves the sun and the other stars.

Few people have immersed themselves so deeply into the life and writings of Blessed Alexandrina as Eugénie Signorile; she has tried to express her huge fascination for the Beata in a succession of books that she has written.
The last, issued a few days ago, has a very original title: "L'Amor che Muove il Sole e l'altre Stelle", "The Love that moves the Sun and other Stars." The sentence is the last verse of Dante's Divine Comedy .
Let's look at the full verse:

A l'alta fantasia qui mancò possa;
ma già volgeva il mio disio e 'l velle,
sì come rota ch'igualmente è mossa,
l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle.

That is, literally:

To the high fantasy here failed the forces,
But already moved my wish and sails,
Like a wheel that is moved,
The love that moves the sun and other stars.

The author once wrote that she had an obsession with love. She was sure that she wanted to fill the pages of the book with this theme. Love is in the headings of its four parts:

The original title of the book was "The Protagonists of Love." Naturally, they were the protagonists that appear in these titles: Jesus, Alexandrina and the Mother of God.

The book closes with a vision of Alexandrina's, told to Fr. Pinho in a letter of 10 th September 1940:
"Last Sunday (the 8th) , the birthday of our Heavenly Mother (this is the reason for this ecstasy on Sunday, perhaps the only one), arose a picture in my soul that has not yet disappeared. (...)

On the back cover is one of those extraordinary eulogies that Jesus often addressed to Blessed Alexandrina and that naturally place her among the highest names of holiness:

" I want everything that is mine to shine out from you.
I want your looks to have the purity of mine;
I want your lips to have the smile, the sweetness of mine;
I want your heart to have the tenderness, the charity and the love of mine.
In short, I want everything about you to imitate Me, I want you to be identical to Me.”

The authorship of the book is attributed to Blessed Alexandrina; it contains several original illustrations (two by Brenda Hunter and the other by Elisabeta Alberti): The publisher is Mimep-Docete.

New book: The Blood of the Lamb

Fr Granja, the parish priest of Balasar, has approved the publication of a book in Portuguese by Alphonse Rocha on Blessed Alexandrina, titled O Sangue do Cordeiro  (The Blood of the Lamb). The author says: "The subject that we are going to try to develop here is not easy, but we hope, with God's help and the protection and inspiration of Blessed Alexandrina, to be able to demonstrate the extraordinary charism of the "transfusion" of the Divine Blood, becoming food for the soul and the body of his dear spouse of Balasar".

BALASAR MAY HAVE THE FIRST EUCHARISTIC SHRINE OF PORTUGAL
On July 11, 2008, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Braga Diário do Minho carried the following piece about Balasar:

A major desire of the Parish of Balasar is to build a shrine that will be the first Eucharistic Shrine in Portugal, namely, a large temple dedicated to the Eucharist.
The parish priest of Balasar states that he wishes to meet this challenge, because he sees that, every Sunday, many pilgrims from all over the archdiocese and even the country come to Balasar to worship the Blessed Sacrament.

I would like to see the type of worship somewhat similar to that made in the Shrine of Lourdes, in France, where there is Eucharistic Processions with blessing of the sick', says the priest Fr José Barbosa Granja.

According to Fr José, the current infrastructures do not allow such a procession to take place, because the churchyard is small and has much traffic all around, which makes much noise. 'It is impossible to make a procession in silence', he adds.
This dream could yet be achieved, as Fr José Barbosa Granja has pointed out that the parish owns a field with four and a half hectares, which is near the house of Blessed Alexandrina. 'It's a quiet place, and I think would be suitable for a temple with a square to allow the celebration of outdoor Mass and where there can be Eucharistic Processions' he states.

When asked why such a Eucharistic Shrine hasn't yet been realised in Balasar, the priest replied that there is a time to conceive the idea, another for gestation and another for implementation. 'I think that the last four years after the Beatification were important to see if the movement around Blessed Alexandrina was consolidated. Now, the final decision lies with the prelate' he states. Thus, in the opinion of Father José Barbosa Granja, what is lacking at the moment is a higher ecclesiastical decision, in particular, of the Archbishop of Braga, D. Jorge Ortiga, since Balasar is already a place of pilgrimage for many believers who come from various parts of the world, including Lebanon, where Catholics are in the minority. Fr José believes that the Archbishop is interested in such a Eucharistic Shrine being constructed, because, he reveals, this is a subject that both have often conversed about.

Currently, there is no doubt that Balasar is already part of the ‘itinerary of faith' in Portugal. There is no village in the country that does not know or has not heard of this place where Blessed Alexandrina was born, lived and died. And, if the Archdiocese of Braga authorizes the construction of the Eucharistic Shrine, it will surely confirm the trajectory of this place of faith.

'Balasar is already on the roadmap of faith because we do not have tourists here, we only have pilgrims. People come on foot or by car, but the reason is always the same, namely pilgrimage' states Fr José.

Another question is whether there will be enough money for this construction. For the parish priest, before moving forward with any project, it needs to be seen, as the Gospel recommends, if there are enough resources to end the work. In his opinion, this is a long-term plan, devising a religious and pastoral structure to be implemented in stages and as the financial means arise. 'But it is also true, that, if the work is of God, then the necessary means will be provided. I am sure that the people of God who come here will help. It is usual that when people see a work in progress, they collaborate and co-operate', he points out. Moreover, Fr José Barbosa Granja hopes that, in addition to the ecclesiastical authorities, the civil authorities - including the Municipality of Póvoa de Varzim - also shows good will in implementing this project. 'I think that the civil authorities are showing goodwill and sensitivity to this. Although a lot depends on the economic crisis', he says.
According to Fr José, accessibility to Balasar is where most investment needs to be made. In his opinion it was important to improve the local roads.