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Monday, August 31, 2009

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: TUES. SEPT. 1, 2009









Catholic world news: Tues. Sept. 1, 2009: headlines-
VATICAN: PRAYER INTENTION FOR SEPTEMBER-
AUSTRALIA: TELEVISED MASSES-
EUROPE: ENGLAND: BLAIR: "VOICE OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE HEARD"-
AMERICAS: CUBA: ARCHDIOCESE TO OPEN A NEW SEMINARY-
ZIMBABWE: ORDINATION OF FR. KALIYANIL-
ASIA: INDIA: GOVERNMENT SEEKS AID FOR POOR-


BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2009 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for September is: "That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy". His mission intention is: "That Christians in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discouraged from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit".


BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/SEPTEMBER/... VIS 090901 (80) OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed: - Fr. Adel Zaky O.F.M., pastor at Boulacco in Cairo, Egypt and secretary of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs in Egypt, as apostolic vicar of Alexandria of the Latins (Catholics 14,298, priests 103, permanent deacons 5, religious 922), Egypt. The bishop-elect was born in Luxor, Egypt in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1972. - Msgr. Jean-Marie Musivi Mpendawatu, official of the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Ministry, as under secretary of the same dicastery.NER/.../ZAKY.MUSIVI VIS 090901 (90)

AUSTRALIA

TELEVISED MASSES
Director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting and regular celebrant on Mass For You At Home, Fr Richard Leonard often speaks in a tongue and cheek manner about his frustration that this television program is not recognised by the industry for its long running and durable nature.
Mass For You At Home has been broadcast by the 10 Network since August 1971. The show's basic premise is to allow viewers to participate in a Sunday Mass from their homes. It is viewed by thousands of people across Australia every Sunday and this Mass is repeated on the Aurora Channel on Foxtel twice a day throughout the week.
Mass For You At Home, Channel 10, Sundays at 6pm or check local guides.
http://www.mfyah.com.au/index.html






EUROPE

ENGLAND: BLAIR: "VOICE OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE HEARD"

CNA reports Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who converted to the Catholic faith a few years ago, addressed participants at the Rimini Meeting in Italy, saying, “The voice of the Church should be heard” and “it should speak confidently, clearly and openly.”
During his speech the former Prime Minister underscored, “Faith and reason are in alliance, not opposition,” and that therefore “the Church can be the insistent spiritual voice that makes globalization our servant not our master.”
After praising the Church’s untiring social work, Blair went on to say, “There is not just room, but a growing space today for organizations of civic society to step forward and do things that neither market nor state can do.”
Blair said his conversion to the Catholic faith was due in part to his wife Cherie. “I began to go to Mass and we went together. We could have gone to the Anglican or Catholic church – guess who won?” he joked.
“As time went on, I had been going to Mass for a long time ... it's difficult to find the right words. I felt this was right for me. There was something, not just about the doctrine of the Church, but of the universal nature of the Catholic Church,” Tony Blair said.
Despite these words, Blair and his wife maintain positions on contraception and gay unions that are contrary to the Church’s teachings.(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16984
AMERICAS
CUBA: ARCHDIOCESE TO OPEN A NEW SEMINARY
CNA reports that the Archdiocese of Havana announced this week that it will open a new seminary in 2010, the first such building project the Church has undertaken in Cuba in the last 50 years.
John Paul II blessed the cornerstone of the seminary during his visit to Cuba in 1998. The construction has been financed by numerous international institutions, including the Knights of Columbus.
The seminary will be able to house 100 candidates for the priesthood and will be inaugurated in 2010 as part of the closing of the Year for Priests.
The new formation center will be named after St. Charles Borromeo and St. Ambrose and will be located in historic downtown Havana. The former seminary will be converted into a cultural center named after Fr. Felix Varela. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16989

AFRICA
ZIMBABWE: ORDINATION OF FR. KALIYANIL

CISA reports that the Archbishop for Bulawayo Diocese, Father Alex Thomas Kaliyanil, is to be ordained on 12 September, at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair show grounds, the Zimbabwe Telegraph has reported.A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Father Nigel Johnson, said the event would be attended by eight archbishops from all over the country. The Apostolic Nuncio George Kocherry from Harare will represent Pope Benedict.Fr Thomas was appointed Archbishop for Bulawayo Diocese in June.The Diocese has been led by Fr Martin Schupp who was appointed apostolic administrator after the resignation of Archbishop Ncube in 2007.Archbishop Kaliyanil was born in Chananacherry, in India in 1960. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1988 he served as a Divine Word missionary priest in Zimbabwe.Archbishop Kaliyanil also holds a degree in Economics. Since 2001, he has been the Caritas ex-officio advisor to the Catholic Development Commission and has also served as a diocesan economist.In 2008 Kaliyanil was appointed the regional superior for the Divine Word Missionaries in Zimbabwe.The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe is divided into two metropolitan provinces, Harare and Bulawayo, each with three suffragan in Chinhoyi, Gokwe and Mutare, Gweru, Hwange and Masvingo. The archdiocese of Bulawayo was established on 1 January 1995 and comprises 14 civil districts and is home to 116 000 Catholics, 40 parishes, 87 priests and 11 religious orders.
(SOURCE: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4099

ASIA

INDIA: GOVERNMENT SEEKS AID FOR POOR

UCAN reports that the government of Jharkhand has sought the Catholic Church's help to distribute food relief to people reeling from drought in the eastern Indian state. T.P. Sinha (left) seen with Cardinal Telesphore Toppo T.P. Sinha, advisor to Jharkhand Governor K. Sankarnarayanan, met Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi on Aug. 30 to make a formal request for assistance. The government on Aug. 2 declared the entire state drought-affected. Farmers in the state could sow only 20 percent of rice paddy this year because of lack of water, local media reported. People in a drought-hit area are eligible for government aid, free grain, interest-free loans and other assistance. The government has decided to distribute grain to families living below the poverty line and set up grain storage centers. It has also decided to allow women living below the poverty line and self-help groups to run 12,500 new shops to distribute the grain and earn an income. The government said the administration had approved 111.9 million rupees (US$2.38 million) for the project. Sinha, who met the cardinal at the prelate's residence, declined to talk to the media but Cardinal Toppo later told UCA News the government wants to use the Church's vast infrastructure and network in the state. "We are fully devoted in serving the poor. We are only too willing to extend our fullest cooperation to the state," Cardinal Toppo said. The drought has resulted in famine in many areas and has affected even those living above the poverty line. As drought relief is meant only for the very poor, there have been reports of attacks on grain depots and looting in some areas. "The entire state is reeling under drought conditions and we would collaborate with the government to ensure proper distribution of food grains," Cardinal Toppo said. The prelate says the Church would first chalk out "an effective and transparent system" and implement it in collaboration with the government. The state has eight Catholic dioceses and allied organizations engaged in serving the poor. "All our dioceses can be harnessed for this noble job," the cardinal said. He added that he would send out an urgent message and organize a meeting of directors of diocesan social development societies. The Church would then finalize the plan after discussing it with the governor adviser. Father Jaiman Xalxo, director of Ranchi archdiocese's Catholic Charities, says the government move has excited Church workers. "We are very excited to take up this most challenging work," he said. He said the Church people plan to work with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the social action wing of the American bishops' conference, which is present in the state. "We have been working together with CRS for a long time. It has much experience in the field of relief work," he said. The priest also said the Church would take up the job as soon as the government hands it over officially. (SOURCE:http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/31/government-seeks-churchs-help-in-fighting-famine/

TODAY'S SAINT


St. Giles
ABBOT
Feast Day:
September 1
Born:
Athens, Greece
Died:
France
Major Shrine:
St. Giles' Cathedral (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Patron of:
beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; epilepsy; fear of night; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; noctiphobics; outcasts; poor peoples; rams; spur makers; sterility;

An Abbot, said to have been born of illustrious Athenian parentage about the middle of the seventh century. Early in life he devoted himself exclusively to spiritual things, but, finding his noble birth and high repute for sanctity in his native land an obstacle to his perfection, he passed over to Gaul, where he established himself first in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone and later by the River Gard. But here again the fame of his sanctity drew multitudes to him, so he withdrew to a dense forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a hind. This last retreat was finally discovered by the king's hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. The king [who according to the legend was Wamba (or Flavius?), King of the Visigoths, but who must have been a Frank, since the Franks had expelled the Visigoths from the neighbourhood of Nîmes almost a century and a half earlier] conceived a high esteem for solitary, and would have heaped every honour upon him; but the humility of the saint was proof against all temptations. He consented, however, to receive thenceforth some disciples, and built a monastery in his valley, which he placed under the rule of St. Benedict. Here he died in the early part of the eighth century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles.
His cult spread rapidly far and wide throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as is witnessed by the numberless churches and monasteries dedicated to him in France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the British Isles; by the numerous manuscripts in prose and verse commemorating his virtues and miracles; and especially by the vast concourse of pilgrims who from all Europe flocked to his shrine. In 1562 the relics of the saint were secretly transferred to Toulouse to save them from the hideous excesses of the Huguenots who were then ravaging France, and the pilgrimage in consequence declined. With the restoration of a great part of the relics to the church of St. Giles in 1862, and the discovery of his former tomb there in 1865, the pilgrimages have recommenced. Besides the city of St-Gilles, which sprang up around the abbey, nineteen other cities bear his name, St-Gilles, Toulouse, and a multitude of French cities, Antwerp, Bridges, and Tournai in Belgium, Cologne and Bamberg, in Germany, Prague and Gran in Austria-Hungary, Rome and Bologna in Italy, possess celebrated relics of St. Giles. In medieval art he is a frequent subject, being always depicted with his symbol, the hind. His feast is kept on 1 September. On this day there are also commemorated another St. Giles, an Italian hermit of the tenth century (Acta SS., XLI, 305), and a Blessed Giles, d. about 1203, a Cistercian abbot of Castaneda in the Diocese of Astorga, Spain (op. cit. XLI, 308).

TODAY'S GOSPEL

Luke 4: 31 - 37
31
And he went down to Caper'na-um, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath;
32
and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.
33
And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice,
34
"Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
35
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
36
And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."
37
And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: MON. AUG. 31, 2009















Catholic world news: Mon. Aug. 31, 2009: headlines:


VATICAN: POPE PROTECT CREATION
EUROPE: ENGLAND: ARCHBISHOP BACKS RELEASE OF CONVICTED MAN:
AUSTRALIA: FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS -
ASIA: VIETNAM: PRIEST REMAINS IN PRISON-
AFRICA: GUINEA-BISSAU: CATHOLIC & ISLAMS JOIN FOR RADIO-
AMERICA: THE LATE TERRI SCHIAVO'S FATHER DIES-
TODAY'S SAINT: RAYMOND NONNATUS





VATICAN
POPE:PROTECT CREATION


For a second time in just one week Pope Benedict has called for more to be done for the protection of Creation. In his Angelus address yesterday, he particularly encouraged industrialised countries to work together so that the poorest populations are not the ones to bear the heaviest burden for climate change. Pope Benedict was looking towards a conference that opened today at the United Nations in Geneva. René Gommes is a Senior Officer at the UN’s Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization. He said that getting long term forecasts right is key to helping prevent ruined crops and stave of starvation for many poor nations:



(SOURCE:http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=313144cana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=313144






EUROPE
ENGLAND: ARCHBISHOP BACKS RELEASE OF CONVICTED MAN

The Catholic Herald reports that Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow has backed the release on compassionate grounds of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill released Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi from prison last Thursday after doctors said he had prostate cancer and has only months to live. Faced with mounting domestic and international pressure, the Scottish Parliament was recalled on Monday to discuss the matter. Opposition politicians strongly criticised Mr MacAskill's decision, and President Barack Obama also called it a "mistake".Archbishop Conti, however, said that he, and many other Scottish Catholics, "admired the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on grounds of compassion", as this was "one of the principles inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament by which Scotland's government should operate".The archbishop said: "The showing of mercy is not a sign of weakness."Indeed, in this situation, with the pressures and circumstances of the case, it seemed to me a sign of manifest strength."Despite the barrage of criticism justice minister Kenny MacAskill has received, the archbishop said he believed the decision ultimately to release Mr Megrahi would "be respected in the international community"."I have been impressed by the expressions of understanding and insight from Dr Jim Swire and other relatives who lost loved ones on the Pan Am flight who have acknowledged both the rightness of the gesture of compassion and their doubts as to the safety of the original conviction," the archbishop said. Like them, the archbishop said, he did not believe the full truth of the Lockerbie bombing had emerged."I would welcome any move which would try to find clearer answers as to what happened and why," he added.The Justice Minister said this week the decision to release the 57-year-old on compassionate grounds was his alone.Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied he had any role in the decision, adding that he was "angry and repulsed" at Libya's welcome home for Mr Megrahi.Mr MacAskill added that Megrahi's release had not been contingent on the Libyan dropping his appeal."In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity," he said."The perpetration of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live."However, Mr MacAskill faced harsh criticism when the Scottish Parliament reconvened to discuss the affair. Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said the Scottish Executive made the "wrong decision, in the wrong way, with the wrong consequences". Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said Mr MacAskill's decision was not made in the name of Scotland.As we went to press the opposition parties were preparing a motion of censure for Mr MacAskill.Archbishop Conti's comments echoed the words of Canon Patrick Keegans, the Galloway priest who served at Lockerbie when Pan Am flight 103 was blown out of the sky, killing 270 people.Mgr Keegans said: "I am very pleased that the Scottish government has agreed to release Mr Megrahi on compassionate grounds. He is a dying man and the best way to deal with him is in a true and proper fashion as a human being and let him die at home with his family and friends."Mgr Keegans, a parish priest in Lockerbie at the time of the disaster and now the administrator of St Margaret's Cathedral in Ayr, Scotland, said he had befriended many families of the American victims and had presided over the marriage of Kara Weipz of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, whose 20-year-old brother, Richard Monetti, was a Syracuse University student on board the flight."I have been in contact with American families ever since the disaster happened and I admire them very much," Fr Keegans said. "The American families have always known that I believe Megrahi is innocent. They find it hard that I have spoken out for Megrahi and argued that he should be released on compassionate grounds. I have said that irrespective of the guilt he should be released home on compassionate grounds," he added.Fr Keegans, 63, visited Megrahi in prison days after returning from a Lockerbie memorial event in the US in December 2008. "After speaking with him I was more convinced than ever of his innocence," he said. "He spoke about his trial, how the trial had gone and how a UN official observer had said to him three days before the verdict that he was going home. Imagine how he felt when he was convicted."He spoke of his respect for Christianity and how he read the Bible every day and the Koran every day. He spoke of his desire to clear his name. He said: 'I want the tag of the Lockerbie bomber to be removed; I want to clear my name.' "Megrahi, 57, lost his first appeal against conviction and launched a second appeal after a 2007 review of his case by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission found that there might have been a miscarriage of justice.In a statement issued last week, Megrahi maintained his innocence but said he dropped his appeal after he was "faced with an appalling choice: to risk dying in prison in the hope that my name is cleared posthumously or to return home still carrying the weight of the guilty verdict, which will never now be lifted."Canon Keegans said he also believed that Megrahi's decision to drop his appeal to secure a compassionate release meant that the truth about Lockerbie might never be established.Peter Kearney, spokesman for Cardinal Keith O'Brien of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said that "the [Scottish] bishops' conference has not taken a position" on the release of Megrahi. (SOURCE:


http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000625.shtml







AUSTRALIA






FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS





CathNews Australia reports that Sacred Heart School Cabramatta, in the Archdiocese of Sydney, is one school benefiting from the Federal Government's investment in schools under its economic stimulus package.
Today The Australian featured an article about a former Sacred Heart primary school Cabramatta student, Jim Zuma (pictured right), who is now working on the school's refurbishment as a result of the funding. He has employed three others and will be hiring two more in coming months.
The report used the men's activities, purchases and routine as an observation on how the local economy is being stimulated.
Sacred Heart Cabramatta received $3 million under the government's primary schools building program, comprising $1.8 million to build a state-of-the-art multi-purpose school hall and $1.2 million to refurbish Mr Zuma's old kindergarten classrooms.

The Catholic Education Office, Sydney, is overseeing almost $300 million worth of building projects in its 147 schools, which project manager Bovis Lend Lease estimates is supporting about 2300 jobs, either by creating new jobs or preventing companies from shedding staff.
(SOURCE:http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16143

ASIA
VIETNAM: PRIEST REMAINS IN PRISON



CathNews Australia reports that Vietnam will free more than 5000 prisoners as part of an annual prison amnesty program to mark the country's National Day this week, but the government isn't budging on the detention of a dissident priest.
Father Nguyen Van Ly (photo), who was sentenced to eight years in 2007 for anti-government activities after he helped organise a pro-democracy party, would not be released this time for lack of "sincere repentance," Vice Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem was quoted as saying in an Associated Press report published by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Activists and politicians around the globe, including US Senators, have called for Fr Nguyen's release since his incarceration and trial. He was not represented by a lawyer and he was repeatedly silenced during his trial in July, the report said.
An Australian is among 5459 prisoners who will be released by President Nguyen Minh Triet to mark the National Day, which falls on Wednesday.
Others include four from China, one from the United States and two from Canada. The government did not release their names or disclose their crimes.
Also among the number are 794 women and 13 reported "national security offenders", the Vietnam News Agency is qouted reporting by Thanh Nien News.
(SOURCE:http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16142

AFRICA






GUINEA-BISSAU: CATHOLIC & ISLAMS JOIN FOR RADIO




CISA reports that a Catholic and an Islamic radio stations have signed an accord to air each others programs in order to promote interfaith dialogue, a local missionary has reported.“A priest will speak of the Gospel in an Islamic radio and a Muslim shall speak Islam at a catholic radio,” Fr Davide Sciocco told MISNA.The accord will be a “unique and important aspect for interfaith dialogue” in a country where Muslims represent some 40 percent of the population and Christians 12 to 13 percent,” said the missionary from the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions (PIME).According to Fr Sciocco, the two radios, Radio Sol Mansi ‘the risen sun’ and the Quranic school radio in Mansoa, Recom have actually maintained ties for some time; the signed accord gives it a more symbolic and official value.“I’m not sure if this is the first experience of this type but it is surely one of the first. I will refer to the Gospel every time in telling a story. I shall speak addressing a non-Christian audience. Our radio will reciprocate hosting various Recom programs, confirming the space that already gives an imam the chance to discuss Islam to an audience of non-Muslims,” Fr Sciocco said.The goal is to “promote and strengthen interfaith dialogue, already strong in Guinea Bissau as it is; opening to various forms of collaboration, technical and journalistic,” said Fr Sciocco.The PIME missionary said, “If we wish to live together we must learn each other’s faiths very well.”Abubacar Djaló, the director of Recom has confirmed that cooperation, established by a written accord, is in fact the conclusion of a path started a long time ago as he notes some of the basic steps such as the participation of Muslim representatives to a seminar of catechists from the Mansoa catholic mission.However, Fr Sciocco says the experiment also represents a message that appears to be challenging the recently adopted security laws also featured in most European Union (EU) countries in Italy, which do not reconcile dialogue and mutual respect.He concluded, “What we propose is peaceful cohabitation of people of different faiths who want to get to know one another.”
(SOURCE:http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4084






AMERICA



THE LATE TERRI SCHIAVO'S FATHER DIES

CNA reports that the father of the late Terri Schindler Schiavo, Robert S. Schindler, Sr., died of heart failure on Saturday at the age of 71. He had struggled to save the life of his brain-damaged daughter in 2005, when Terri’s husband successfully sought to remove her feeding tube, causing her death.
In the wake of Terri's death, Robert, with his wife Mary, daughter Suzanne Vitadamo, and son Bobby Schindler, founded the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation in St. Petersburg, Florida. The foundation is dedicated to support other families who must fight for the rights of their disabled or otherwise vulnerable loved ones.
His son issued a statement at his father’s death saying his was “heartbroken” over the loss of his father, but added “I know at this moment he is rejoicing with my sister, Terri.”
“My dad was a man of integrity, character and compassion who was blessed with a close and loving family. He taught all three of his children to respect and value life and to love our fellow man.
“Even at the height of the battle to save my sister Terri’s life, when his patience and temperance was near exhaustion, he managed to display a gentleness of spirit. Yet it was his unfathomable strength that allowed him to shoulder up his own heartache and lead us through our darkest hour.”
“What greater legacy could a man leave behind?” the younger Schindler added.
Fr. Frank Pavone, president of Priests for Life, said Schindler remains “an inspiration.”
“In spite of enduring the heartbreaking, court ordered killing of his daughter, Terry Schiavo, Bob never stopped fighting for the rights of others who were disabled or medically vulnerable. His quiet strength in the face of persecution and his compassion for those who were too weak to defend themselves will forever serve as examples of how we should show Christ's love.”
Wanda Franz, president o f National Right to Life, said his death was a “profound loss” for the pro-life movement.“Today, our thoughts and prayers are with his loving wife, Mary and their children, Bobby and Suzanne.”
A public visitation for Schindler will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Southampton, Pennsylvania on September 4 at 10 a.m. A funeral Mass will be held at noon, followed by a private burial service at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Philadelphia.(SOURCE:http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16982

TODAY'S SAINT








St. Raymond Nonnatus
CARDINAL AND MERCEDARIAN
August 31
Born:
1204, La Portella, Comarca of Segrià, Catalonia, Kingdom of Aragon
Died:
August 31, 1240, Cardona, Province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Kingdom of Aragon
Canonized:
1657, Rome by Pope Alexander VII
Patron of:
Childbirth; children; expectant mothers; falsely accused people; fever; infants; midwives; newborn babies; obstetricians; pregnant women

Born 1200 or 1204 at Portello in the Diocese of Urgel in Catalonia; died at Cardona, 31 August, 1240. His feast is celebrated on 31 August. He is pictured in the habit of his order surrounded by ransomed slaves, with a padlock on his lips. He was taken from the womb of his mother after her death, hence his name. Of noble but poor family, he showed early traits of piety and great talent. His father ordered him to tend a farm, but later gave him permission to take the habit with the Mercedarians at Barcelona, at the hands of the founder, St. Peter Nolasco. Raymond made such progress in the religious life that he was soon considered worthy to succeed his master in the office of ransomer. He was sent to Algiers and liberated many captives. When money failed he gave himself as a hostage. He was zealous in teaching the Christian religion and made many converts, which embittered the Mohammedan authorities. Raymond was subjected to all kinds of indignities and cruelty, was made to run the gauntlet, and was at last sentenced to impalement. The hope of a greater sum of money as ransom caused the governor to commute the sentence into imprisonment. To prevent him from preaching for Christ, his lips were pierced with a red-hot iron and closed with a padlock. After his arrival in Spain, in 1239, he was made a cardinal by Gregory IX. In the next year he was called to Rome by the pope, but came only as far as Cardona, about six miles from Barcelona, where he died. His body was brought to the chapel of St. Nicholas near his old farm. In 1657 his name was placed in the Roman martyrology by Alexander VII. He is invoked by women in labour and by persons falsely accused. The appendix to the Roman ritual gives a formula for the blessing of water, in his honour, to be used by the sick, and another of candles.((SOURCE:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/R/straymondnonnatus.asp)





SAINTLY QUOTE




The sickness of a family member, friend or neighbor is a call to Christians to demonstrate true compassion, that gentle and persevering sharing in another’s pain. Pope John Paul II


TODAY'S GOSPEL



Matthew 25: 1 - 13
1
"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
4
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6
But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
7
Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
8
And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
9
But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.
11
Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.'
12
But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
13
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Catholic world news: Sun. Aug. 30, 2009












Catholic world news: Sun. Aug. 30, 2009: headlines-
VATICAN: POPE: POINTS TO THE EXAMPLE OF ST. MONICA-
ASIA: IRAQ: CHRISTIANS & MUSLIMS MEET TO DISCUSS PEACE-
AMERICA: EPISCOPAL NUNS JOIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH-
EUROPE: 25 YEARS FOR THE SERVANTS OF JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST-
AFRICA: UGANDA: NEW BISHOP OF KOTIDO-
AUSTRALIA: DIOCESE RECEIVES PRAISE FOR WYD LOGISTICS-
TODAY'S SAINT: St. Pammachius


VATICAN:
POPE: POINTS TO THE EXAMPLE OF ST. MONICA


Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the life and example of St. Monnica, the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and doctor of the Church, both of whose liturgical memories were celebrated this past week.The Holy Father said St. Monnica was a Model and patron saint of Christian mothers, who prayed incessantly for her son, St. Augustine - prayers that were answered, so that her son would later say she conceived him twice.The Pope went on to say that, when couples devote themselves generously to the education of children and guidance to explore the loving plan of God, they prepare the intellectual breeding ground from which arise vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, and in which those vocations are matured.

The Holy Father recalled that this coming Tuesday, Sept. 1st, Italy celebrates the "Day for preservation of Creation." Noting the ecumenical significance of the reccurrance the Holy Father encouraged industrilized countries to work responsibly for the future of the planet. He said, "It is the poorest among us who end up paying the highest price for climate change."(SOURCE: http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=312919



ASIA


IRAQ: CHRISTIANS & MUSLIMS MEET TO DISCUSS PEACE




AsiaNews reports at the invitation of Msgr. Sako, 50 religious leaders are meeting during Ramadan to launch an appeal to political leaders for an end to conflicts and divisions. "We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country."
Kirkuk (AsiaNews) – A strong appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence from religious leaders, Christians and Muslims, in Kirkuk. Gathered in the Cathedral at the invitation of the Archbishop Louis Sako, 50 Christian and Muslim representatives will have dinner together. The archbishop explains that this is "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country. " "Iraq - said Msgr. Sako - needs reconciliation and dialogue”.
The participants include representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr. The message, of which AsiaNews publishes a translation, will be distributed to media and policymakers in the city.
"On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, we would like to express our warmest and sincere greetings to our Muslim brothers, so this may be a distinct and strong time for prayer, forgiveness and reconciliation, so it may create a safe environment in which our wounds may be healed and our concerns may recede, so that we can live in a climate of peace and joy.
We are men of religion, Christians and Muslims, from all seven parts of Kirkuk, and without interfering in politics and controversy, but based on our humanitarian and religious commitment, we call on all parties concerned to solve the problem of Kirkuk, to adopt the language of reason and to sit together and engage in dialogue in order to find a political solution which safeguards the security of the people of the city and its unity. Allowing all components of the city brotherhood and coexistence.
Factious words could lead to conflict, which leads to disaster for everyone, and does not resolve the issues. Therefore we ask all who have the power to take responsibility for finding the best way to solve existing problems and make the country safer and more stable, which contributes to the unity and cooperation. Iraq needs to be brave and responsible to its history. ... No more wars and violence, we want peace and stability.
For our part, we recognize our ties. We are waiting for your prayers and good offices, and the construction of your dialogue to consolidate peace and promote stability. "

(SOURCE: http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=16181&size=A




AMERICA
EPISCOPAL NUNS JOIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH




Catholic.org reports that after seven years of prayer and discernment, a community of Episcopal nuns and their chaplain will be received into the Roman Catholic Church during a Sept. 3 Mass celebrated by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien. The archbishop will welcome 10 sisters from the Society of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor when he administers the sacrament of confirmation and the sisters renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the chapel of their Catonsville convent. Episcopal Father Warren Tanghe will also be received into the church and is discerning the possibility of becoming a Catholic priest. Mother Christina Christie, superior of the religious community, said the sisters are “very excited” about joining the Catholic Church and have been closely studying the church’s teachings for years. Two Episcopal nuns who have decided not to become Catholic will continue to live and minister alongside their soon-to-be Catholic sisters. Members of the community range in age from 59 to 94. “For us, this is a journey of confirmation,” Mother Christina said. “We felt God was leading us in this direction for a long time.” Wearing full habits with black veils and white wimples that cover their heads, the sisters have been a visible beacon of hope in Catonsville for decades. The American branch of a society founded in England, the All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor came to Baltimore in 1872 and have been at their current location since 1917. In addition to devoting their lives to a rigorous daily prayer regimen, the sisters offer religious retreats, visit people in hospice care and maintain a Scriptorium where they design religious cards to inspire others in the faith. Throughout their history, the sisters worked with the poor of Baltimore as part of their charism of hospitality. Some of that work has included reaching out to children with special needs and ministering to AIDS patients. Together with Mount Calvary Church, an Episcopal parish in Baltimore, the sisters co-founded a hospice called the Joseph Richey House in 1987. Orthodoxy and unity were key reasons the sisters were attracted to the Catholic faith. Many of them were troubled by the Episcopal Church’s approval of women’s ordination, the ordination of a gay bishop and what they regarded as lax stances on moral issues. “We kept thinking we could help by being a witness for orthodoxy,” said Sister Mary Joan Walker, the community’s archivist. Mother Christina said that effort “was not as helpful as we had hoped it would be.” “People who did not know us looked at us as if we were in agreement with what had been going on (in the Episcopal Church),” she said. “By staying put and not doing anything, we were sending a message which was not correct.” Before deciding to enter the Catholic Church, the sisters had explored Episcopal splinter groups and other Christian denominations. Mother Christina noted that the sisters had independently contemplated joining the Catholic Church without the others knowing. When they found out that most of them were considering the same move, they took it as a sign from God and reached out to Archbishop O’Brien. “This is very much the work of the Holy Spirit,” Mother Christina said. The sisters acknowledged it hasn’t been easy leaving the Episcopal Church, for which they expressed great affection. Some of their friends have been hurt by their pending departure, they said. “Some feel we are abandoning the fight to maintain orthodoxy,” said Sister Emily Ann Lindsey. “We’re not. We’re doing it in another realm right now.” The sisters have spent much of the past year studying the documents of the Second Vatican Council. They said there were few theological stumbling blocks to entering the church, although some had initial difficulty with the concept of papal infallibility. In addition to worshipping in the Latin rite, the sisters have received permission from the archbishop to attend Mass celebrated in the Anglican-use rite – a liturgy that adapts many of the prayers from the Episcopal tradition. Mother Christina said 10 archdiocesan priests, including Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden, have stepped forward to learn how to celebrate the Anglican-use Mass. The sisters expressed deep affection for Pope Benedict XVI. The pope exercises an authority that Episcopal leaders do not, they said. The unity that Christ called for can be found in the Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope, they said. “Unity is right in the midst of all this,” said Sister Catherine Grace Bowen. “That is the main thrust.” The sisters noted with a laugh that their love for the pope is evident in the name they chose for their recently adopted cat, “Benedict XVII” – a feline friend they lovingly call “His Furyness.” (SOURCE: http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=34329








EUROPE

25 YEARS FOR THE SERVANTS OF JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST

Kath.net reports of the 25 years of tireless work of the "Servants of Jesus in the Eucharist". "" In the summer of 1984, Nuns from Karaganda in Kazakhstan came to Marx to the Volga because more Russian Germans returned in their homes or their ancestors, from which they were been deported by Stalin's Decree 28.August 1941.
1984 there were no Catholic priest in the entire South of European Russia. Confession and holy mass the sisters went several times to another city- 920 km with the railway. The local parish priest, p. Joseph Werth SJ, Marx visited three times a year, received but by the authorities often no permission to stay in the city.
The sisters taught people the prayer, preparing it to baptism, confession, communion and celebration of marriage. They lived for 17 years in a little wobbly House which outwardly differed from others.Internally everything was different but: clean, quiet, cheerful. It was a "monastic", in human beings with God umgingen like with her best friend. Worked or learned at school.
The annual construction of the House took a long time. The small kitchen walls were black of the many cooking for sometimes about 100 people a day, namely during the three summer months are characterized by working with children and young people.
This House began to explode from the seams. A second floor aufgesetztes from beams and particle board could remedy on life. There were "too many" new sisters."" Every year young girls came communities, most infected by the natural and Merry example of sisters in their.
20. November 2001 Nuncio from Moscow and the former Parson Marx (1987-1991), today the Episcopal Conference Chairman, Bishop Joseph Werth, inaugurated in the presence of Apostolic a new House for the sisters. It is right next to the Church. At that time a great deal from Germany was helped in building.
Today, 14 Nuns live in Marx. Their main concern is the concern for the education of children and young people, in fact help with actively in all other everyday needs of the parish. Daily spent four hours in their Chapel before the Lord. (SOURCE: http://www.kath.net/detail.php?id=23757


AFRICA

UGANDA: NEW BISHOP OF KOTIDO

CISA reports that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Rev Father Guiseppe Filippi, MCCJ, until now Provincial Superior of Comboni Missionaries in Uganda, as bishop of Kotido.The pope made the appointment on Monday.Bishop-elect Filippi was born in Balsega del Bondone, Archdiocese of Trento, Italy, on March 17, 1945.He did studies for primary and secondary schools in Italy. He then studied Philosophy and Theology in the National Major Seminary Ggaba, Kampala (1974 - 1978).He pronounced his first religious profession on May 4, 1974, and the perpetual profession on April 28, 1977.Filippi was ordained a priest on June 26, 1978, as a member of the Comboni Missionaries. Before his appointment as bishop he served in various positions and places as follows: 1978 - 1980: Vocations Director for the Comboni Missionaries in Uganda Province;1978 – 1980: Assistant Priest of Morulem Parish, then Diocese of Moroto;1978 - 1980 Director and vocations promoter of Diocese of Moroto;1980 – 1991: Spiritual Director, Teacher, Dean of studies, Vice Rector and Rector in Nadiket diocesan seminary in Moroto;1982 General Secretary of the I Synod of Moroto Diocese;1990 General Secretary of the II Synod of Moroto Diocese; Pastoral Coordinator of Moroto Diocese; Member of Board of consultors of Moroto Diocese; 1991 – 1997: Assistant of the General Council of the Comboni Missionaries in Rome;1998 – 1999: Parish Priest in Morulem, Diocese of Kotido;1999 – 2004: Novice Master of Comboni Missionaries Noviciate in Zambia - Malawi;2004 – 2009: Provincial Superior of the Comboni Missionaries in Uganda. (SOURCE:
http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4092


AUSTRALIA
DIOCESE RECEIVES PRAISE FOR WYD LOGISTICS

Scoring a first for a church or religious organisation, the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn received national recognition from The Australian Institute of Project Management for its delivery of the WYD Days in the Diocese.
AIPM acknowledged the Archdiocese for its professional delivery of the eighteen month preparation programs, pastoral care, and related logisitics such as food, shelter, entertainment and travel to over 4,000 international pilgrims who were in Canberra between July 10 to 14, 2008 according to a media statement.
Shawn van der Linden, the Archdiocesan Director of CatholicLIFE (Learning Institute for Faith and Evangelisation), thanked the extended community for their assistance in the final delivery of the overall project.
"The size, complexity and the inherent variability of the task exceeded all expectations," he said. "But, what truly is remarkable is that much of the work was carried out by selfless volunteers working long hours and facing great challenges ... and did so with cheery optimism, amazing ingenuity, and can-do attitudes."

"With no pre-existing culture or expertise in project management, we applied key project management principles in the context of highly significant time, financial and quality constraints ... which enabled such success."
Mr van der Linden said the project has "laid down the foundations for partnerships with lay people, other Archdiocesan agencies and the local community with the sharing of skills, expertise and resources to ensure the success of many more of our projects across the region."
Among the project outcomes recognised by the AIPM Award include a Commissioning Mass event that drew some 8,000 people; the 'Home Stay' billeting of 4,400 pilgrims from 27 countries with hundreds of local families, parishes and schools with daily guided tours and a festival attracting up to 10,000 attendees and integrating info workshops, artistic exhibitions, music performances, prayer. http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16041

TODAY'S SAINT


St. Pammachius
ROMAN SENATOR
Feast Day:
August 30
Born:
340
Died:
409 at Rome

Roman senator, d. about 409. In youth he frequented the schools of rehetoric with St. Jerome. In 385 he married Paulina, second daughter of St. Paula. He was probably among the viri genere optimi religione præclari, who in 390 denounced Jovinian to Pope St. Siricius (Ambrose, Ep. xli). When he attacked St. Jerorme's book against Jovinian for prudential reasons, Jerome wrote him two letters (Epp. xlviii-ix, ed. Vallarsi) thanking him; the first, vindicating the book, was probably intended for publication. On Paulina's death in 397, Pammachius became a monk, that is, put on a religious habit and gave himself up to works of charity (Jerome, Ep. lxvi; Paulinus of Nola, Ep. xiii). In 399 Pammachius and Oceanus wrote to St. Jerome asking him to translate Origen's "De Principiis", and repudiate the insinuation of Rufinus that St. Jerome was of one mind with himself with regard to Origen. St. Jerome replied the following year (Epp. lxxxiii-iv). In 401 Pammachius was thanked by St. Augustine (Ep. lviii) for a letter he wrote to the people of Numidia, where he owned property, exhorting them to abandon the Donatist schism. Many of St. Jerome's commentaries on Scripture were dedicated to Pammachius. After his wife's death Pammachius built in conjunction with St. Fabiola (Jerome, Epp. lxvi, lxxvii), a hospice at Porto, at the mouth of the Tiber, for poor strangers. The site has been excavated, and the excavations have disclosed the plan and the arrangement of this only building of its kind. Rooms and halls for the sick and poor were grouped around it (Frothingham, "The Monuments of Christian Rome," p. 49). The church of SS. John and Paul was founded either by Pammachius or his father. It was anciently known first as the Titulus Bizantis, and then as the Titulus Pammachii. The feast of Pammachius is kept on 30 August. (SOURCE:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpammachius.asp)

TODAY'S MASS READINGS
Deuteronomy 4: 1 - 2, 6 - 8
1
"And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you.
2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
6
Keep them and do them; for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, `Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
7
For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
8
And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?
Psalms 15: 2 - 5
2
He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart;
3
who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
4
in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5
who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

James 1: 17 - 18, 21 - 22, 27
17
Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
18
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
21
Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
GOSPEL
Mark 7: 1 - 8, 14 - 15, 21 - 23
1
Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,
2
they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed.
3
(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders;
4
and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.)
5
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?"
6
And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
7
in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'
8
You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men."
14
And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand:
15
there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him."
21
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,
22
coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
23
All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

Saturday, August 29, 2009

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SAT. AUG. 29, 2009










Catholic world news: Sat. Aug. 29, 2009: headlines:

VATICAN: ORIGIN FOR YEAR OF THE PRIEST-


EUROPE: ENGLAND: BISHOP PROVIDES MASS FOR TRAVELLERS-
ASIA: KOREA: MASS AT THE BEACHES FOR TOURISTS-
AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA: COUNCIL OF PRIESTS GENERAL MEETING-
AMERICA: VATICAN APPROVES CHANGES TO CATECHISM-
SOUTH PACIFIC: EAST TIMOR: POVERTY REMAINS IN REGION-
TODAY`S SAINT: MARTYRDOM OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-








VATICAN


ORIGIN FOR YEAR OF THE PRIEST



CNA reports that yesterday Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone revealed the origin of the Pope's idea for a Year for Priests in an interview with L'Osservatore Romano. According to the cardinal, the idea was sparked by a proposal to mark the 150th anniversary of St. Jean Vianney's death with a year of prayer for priests and the problems they face. Cardinal Bertone explained that the proposal, made at the end of the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word, quickly found its way to the Pope’s desk and called for a year of prayer reflecting on the Word of God. In addition, he added, “the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Cure of Ars and the emergence of the problems involving many priests led Benedict XVI to promulgate the Year for Priests, thus demonstrating special attention for priests, priestly vocations and promoting in all the people of God a movement of growing affection and closeness to ordained ministers.” Cardinal Bertone also underscored that the Holy Father has always shown great affection for priests, especially in his meetings with priests where he addresses the concrete aspects of their lives, giving pointed responses to their questions. He went on to note that the Church hopes to re-establish contact and reach out to priests who have abandoned their ministry for different reasons. Many initiatives “are directed at strengthening the awareness of the identity and mission of the priest,” who is called to teach by example in the Church and in society. “The holy priests who have been present throughout the history of the Church will not cease to protect and sustain the path of renewal proposed by Benedict XVI,” the cardinal explained.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16968

EUROPE`


ENGLAND: BISHOP PROVIDES MASS FOR TRAVELLERS







Bishop Bernard Longley, Auxiliary in Westminster, celebrated a Mass for the Travelling community at the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham last week. The popular Manchester-born bishop enjoyed strolling around and meeting all-comers in the balmy sunshine of the August Norfolk afternoon. Each year Walsingham welcomes the Traveller community to its shrine. The pastoral team performs outreach work and traveller children enjoyed craft and faith sharing activities.The Catholic Association for Racial Justice takes a particular interest in the support of Travellers through the provision of suitable sites for their encampments. Last November the CARJ said it was a moral and legal imperative of local authorities to meet the need for sites for travellers without trampling on the rights of local people. Last year Travellers flocked to the shrine to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. Prayer meetings were held each evening in the fields and on the feast-day there was a procession with Travellers leading the rosary and carrying the statue of Our Lady.Walsingham, in north Norfolk, has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times. The original Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, founded in 1061, was destroyed at the Reformation.Many years passed until the Slipper Chapel, a 14th-century wayside chapel, was restored and pilgrimage to Walsingham began once more. In 1934 the English bishops named the Slipper Chapel the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/life/cl0000443.shtml








ASIA

KOREA: MASS AT THE BEACHES FOR TOURISTS




UCAN reports that a parish near a popular beach helped Catholic vacationers this summer fulfill their Sunday obligations, while giving parishioners a chance to evangelize at the same time.
People attending the Aug. 22 beach Mass
Every Saturday evening from July 18 to Aug. 22, Father Jeong Seong-yong, parish priest in Seocheon, on South Korea's southwest coast, celebrated Mass on Chunjangdae beach for about 150 people, on average.
Father Jeong said Catholic residents in the area do not receive adequate pastoral care, so his idea was to serve them too, not only vacationers.
"This beach area is 25 kilometers away from our church. We celebrated Mass here even as we dream of building a church in this area," he said.
According to the priest, the open-air Masses attracted more people than he expected, so he plans to hold them next year as well.
The last Mass, just like its predecessors, took place amid the sounds of music, singing and laughter from nearby beachgoers.
In his homily, Father Jeong urged: "We have had our spiritual yearning for God met during the Masses here. Let's go forward to bring forth ‘good fruit’ in this area."
Joseph Roh Hee-surb, a vacationer from Seoul, said he, his wife and two daughters were happy to be able to fulfill their Sunday obligation, thanks to the special Mass.
Wearing shorts and sandals, he said that his family did not dress in their usual Mass attire but “felt comfortable and happy."
Much work went into organizing the Masses. Before each one started, Father Jeong would send "mission teams" of 15-20 people each to the beach area to publicize the event.
Members of these teams said the effort was difficult at times but valuable.
Selina Hong Bok-sun, in her 60s, was one of 14 Legion of Mary members sent to a village near the beach two hours before Mass started.
Holiday makers at Chunjangdae beach
Her task was to inform villagers and vacationers, both Catholics and non-Catholics, about the Mass and share about Catholicism with non-Catholics.
Team members also distributed a pamphlet on the Catholic Church, a copy of the local Catholic weekly and an invitation to join the Seocheon parish.
"Since it was my first experience talking to people about the Catholic faith, I felt shy,” Hong admitted. “But the topic of the beach Mass was a good conversation starter, and then it became easier to talk about Catholicism."
She recalled that even though some people ignored her, while others rejected and even taunted her, she did not allow this to dishearten her.
Michaela Chae-seon, 60, shared: "The beach Mass has given us an opportunity to spread the Catholic faith with all our heart and knowledge. We need this kind of practical activity."
Seocheon parish, part of Daejeon diocese, has nine mission stations and more than 1,600 Catholics.
http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/28/%e2%80%98beach-masses%e2%80%99-a-boon-to-holiday-makers/






AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA: COUNCIL OF PRIESTS GENERAL MEETING


CISA reports that a communiqué issued at the end of the Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Council of Priests: The representatives of the Priests of the territory of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference held their Annual General Meeting at the Mariannhill Monastery, Kwa Zulu Natal from 17 to 21 August 2009.During the meeting, the priests expressed gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for his ‘Year for the Priest’ initiative. Many dioceses reported on the enthusiasm with which this concept has been taken up by both clergy and laity alike. The Priests also thanked the Bishops of the Conference territory for their prayers for priests during the recent plenary meeting of the Conference.Priests lamented the violence experienced by many confreres. In the last year, three priests have been murdered. Many others have been attacked and hijacked. This is a cause of grave concern as it is symptomatic of the levels of violence that pervade our society.We remain concerned for the welfare and safety of Fr Onias Maropola, priest of the diocese of Pietersburg, who has been missing since 2007.Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM, spoke at the opening mass of how a priest is not a priest for himself, but a priest for the Church and for the ‘heart’ of God.Bishop Stephen Brislin, SACBC Liaison Bishop to SACOP, reflected on the need for priests to be focussed on the good that they could do and the good they were already doing. All too often, the priesthood is weakened by a loss of a fundamental Catholic Identity. As priesthood is not a job, but a vocation and a state of being, the priest should take responsibility for his own priesthood. This is achieved by human development, sound relationships, living celibacy that does not cause counter witness, developing the spiritual life and a deep personal commitment to ‘doing what the church intends’.Bishop Brislin pointed out that obedience is not mere compliance, but the ‘abandonment of Christ and the ‘Yes’ of Mary.’The Attitudinal Survey of Priests, inspired by a SACOP resolution, driven by the Ongoing Formation Committee of the SACBC and approved by the august 2009 plenary session of the SACBC, was extensively discussed. Priests were asked to participate as fully as possible to ensure the accuracy of the survey. The confidentiality and non-judgemental nature of the survey was stressed.Many speakers asked that priests also take responsibility for their ongoing intellectual development, be it by ongoing formation programmes, reading, self-appraisal, peer support and challenge or further studies.Priesthood is celebrated in a particular context.Fr Peter-John Pearson of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office of the SACBC provided a clear and extensive overview of the socio-political situation on the Sub-Continent. He spoke of the fact that South Africa was in a space for more open dialogue and that dialogue meant ‘holding the tension’. He pointed out four challenges facing Southern Africa – lack of capacity in the public service, the business culture of ‘profit at all costs’, the bargaining power of big business and how Southern Africa’s rapid transition and integration into the global financial order had been both positive and harmful.On a global scale, South Africa was preparing to host the FIFA 2010 World Cup. This presented the church with the opportunity to showcase the dynamism of african catholicism. Priests were encouraged to volunteer during the tournament. The SACBC initiative www.churchontheball.com was presented as the central contact point for information, ideas and celebration both for the local church and for international visitors.In the light of the World Cup, Sr Melanie O’Connor HF of the SACBC/ LCCL SA counter trafficking in persons desk highlighted the challenge of human trafficking and how the catholic community and the priests could play a vital role in exposing trafficking rings and providing assistance to victims. Horror stories of sold children, drugging and sexual and physical abuse pointed to the important place the church has in countering trafficking in persons, the modern day slavery.The Council of Priests remains interested in and concerned about the formation and training of future priests. The Presidents of St John Vianney Seminary and St. Joseph’s Theological Institute, the Rector of St. Kizito’s Orientation Seminary and the Vice Rector of the Cape Town Diocesan Seminary all reported on the progress of students. The Priests expressed their appreciation and solidarity with those who were involved in formation work. All reports noted the difficulties involved in formation in the Southern African context.The Priests expressed concern at the decline in interest in vocations and welcomed the appointment of Fr Mosebetsi Mokoena as Vocations Director for the Conference area.Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, President of the SACBC, challenged the delegates with his honest and straightforward presentation on finding new ways of relationship between Priests and their Bishops. He pointed out that often a Bishop was caught between the legitimate demands of both clergy and laity. He discussed various causes of tension between Bishops and Priests and offered a number of suggestions, including that bishops and priests embrace self-assessment and critique as a central pillar of improved relationships. He pointed out that he found it easier to be a brother than a friend. Friendship could be uncritical and blind to correction.Bishop Edward Risi gave a candid address on the challenges faced by the Bishops and the Catholic Community over liturgy. The Liturgy was a common work, but one that needed clear directions. He said that the Southern African Church had ‘jumped the gun’ by implementing the new translation in english of the people’s parts of the Roman Missal, but nonetheless these parts have received recognitio from Rome. The process of implementation was a valuable lesson on the need for proper preparation.Reports from the dioceses highlighted:* An ongoing concern about the provision for the medical care and retirement needs of priests.* Economic disparity among priests* Priests from other countries need proper orientation into the Southern African Church.Formal resolutions:1. SACOP encourages all delegates and all dioceses to initiate programmes to promote the celebration of the ‘Year for the Priest’.2. SACOP resolves to encourage all priests to actively promote prayer for and reflection on the ministerial Priesthood in the communities they serve. Prayer should be ‘for ALL priests, for YOUR priests and for MORE Priests.’3. Delegates are asked to go back to their dioceses to discuss mechanisms for effective representation and communication of the concerns of the priests to SACOP and among priests.4. SACOP resolves the Convention of Priests go ahead in August/ September 2011. Fr Rohan Smuts is appointed to co-ordinate the team preparing for the Convention.5. SACOP expresses thanks to those Bishops who, mindful of the future of the church, have sent priests for further studies. SACOP requests that priests are not only sent for theological and philosophical disciplines but also studies in formation.6. SACOP expresses gratitude to the Knights of Da Gama and all other benefactors who have assisted with the Annual General Meeting.Visit the Southern African Council of Priests website: http://www.sacop.org.za/ s






AMERICA


VATICAN APPROVES CHANGES TO CATECHISM



The USCCB reports that the Vatican has given its “recognitio” to a change in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, which is set to go into a second printing.The change clarifies Catholic teaching on God’s covenant with the Jews. The first version, in explaining relations with the Jews, stated, “Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them.” The revised text states, “To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his Word, ‘belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ.’ (Romans 9: 4-5; cf. CCC, no 839)The change was approved by the U.S. bishops following the bishops’ 2008 June meeting in Orlando, Florida.The clarification is not a change in the Church’s teaching.The clarification reflects the teaching of the Church that all previous covenants that God made with the Jewish people are fulfilled in Jesus Christ through the new covenant established through his sacrificial death on the cross. Catholics believe that the Jewish people continue to live within the truth of the covenant God made with Abraham, and that God continues to be faithful to them. As the Second Vatican Council taught and the Adult Catechism affirms, the Jewish people “remain most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts he makes nor of the calls he issues.” (Lumen Gentium, no.16).The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2004 as a basic and concise introduction to the Catholic faith. It is a catechetical text rather than a theological textbook. A “recognitio” is a statement from the Vatican that a document is in keeping with Catholic teaching.


(SOURCE:





SOUTH PACIFIC

EAST TIMOR: POVERTY REMAINS IN REGION



Long term development in East Timor will be "seriously hindered" if justice for past crimes remains undelivered, international development agency Progressio has warned, Ekklesia reported.
Despite the upcoming 10th year anniversary of its vote for independence on August 30, East Timor is still the poorest country in the region and one of the least developed nations in the world, the report said. An estimated 40 percent of the East Timorese people live on less than a dollar a day.
"Ten years ago this Sunday, the East Timorese people bravely voted for independence and a new beginning following a quarter century of Indonesian occupation. Yet justice for the crimes committed during that dark period of the country's history, when an estimated 100,000 people lost their lives, has still not been delivered," said Progressio's Advocacy Coordinator for Asia, Dr Steve Kibble.
"Without justice, instability and impunity will continue to seriously hinder East Timor's development."
No one has yet been prosecuted for the human rights violations identified in the final report of an independent Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR).
Rameiro Ximenes dos Santos, survivor of a brutal massacre in Liquica in April 1999, said: "Justice for the past needs to take place. If not, everything gets stuck. If we don't sort it out, then we will have more problems."
"I hope that the violence that happened here during the Indonesian occupation will not be repeated and that the next generation, our children, will be aware of these violations and justice will be done," said Julinho Ximenhes, who survived the 1999 massacre in Santa Cruz and now works for a human rights organisation in Dili.
"Those who are responsible for the crimes in East Timor should be held accountable."
(SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16049




TODAY'S SAINT

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
Feast: August 29
Information:
Feast Day:
August 29

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST was called by God to be the forerunner of His divine Son. In order to preserve his innocence spotless, and to improve the extraordinary graces which he had received, he was directed by the Holy Ghost to lead an austere and contemplative life in the wilderness, in the continual exercises of devout prayer and penance, from his infancy till he was thirty years of age. At this age the faithful minister began to discharge his mission. Clothed with the weeds of penance, be announced to all men the obligation they lay under of washing away their iniquities with the tears of sincere compunction; and proclaimed the Messias, Who was then coming to make His appearance among them. He was received by the people as the true herald of the Most High God, and his voice was, as it were, a trumpet sounding from heaven to summon all men to avert the divine judgments, and to prepare themselves to reap the benefit of Vie mercy that was offered them. The tetrarch Herod Antipas having, in defiance of all laws divine and human, married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, who was yet living, St. John the Baptist boldly reprehended the tetrarch and his accomplice for so scandalous an incest and adultery, and Herod, urged on by lust and anger, cast the Saint into prison. About a year after St. John had been made a prisoner, Herod gave a splendid entertainment to the nobility of Galilee. Salome, a daughter of Herodias by her lawful husband, pleased Herod by her dancing, insomuch that he promised her to grant whatever she asked. On this, Salome consulted with her mother what to ask. Herodias instructed her daughter to demand the death of John the Baptist, and persuaded the young damsel to make it part of her petition that the head of the prisoner should be forthwith brought to her in a dish. This strange request startled the tyrant himself; he assented, however, and sent a soldier of his guard to behead the Saint in prison, with an order to bring his head in a charger and present it to Salome, who delivered it to her mother. St. Jerome relates that the furious Herodias made it her inhuman pastime to prick the sacred tongue with a bodkin. Thus died the great forerunner of our blessed Saviour, about two years and three months after his entrance upon his public ministry, about a year before the death of our blessed Redeemer.(SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/M/martyrdomofstjohnthebaptist.asp)


SAINTLY QUOTE


Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd. Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity. Pope Benedict XVI


TODAY'S GOSPEL


Mark 6: 17 - 29
17
For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.
18
For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
19
And Hero'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,
20
for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.
21
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee.
22
For when Hero'di-as' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it."
23
And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom."
24
And she went out, and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer."
25
And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
26
And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.
27
And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,
28
and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
29
When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Friday, August 28, 2009

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: FRI. AUG. 28, 2009














Catholic world news: Fri. Aug. 28, 2009: headlines:
VATICAN: YEAR DEDICATED TO POPE CELESTINE V:
EUROPE: ENGLAND: NEWLY ORDAINED PRIEST DIES: FR. HOUGHTON :
AMERICAS: BISHOP MARTINO OF SCRANTON TO RESIGN :
AFRICA: BISHOPS CONFERENCE POSTPONED:
AUSTRALIA: RESTORATION ON CATHEDRAL:
ASIA: PHILIPPINES: 100th ANNIVERSARY OF DIVINE WORD SOCIETY:
TODAY'S SAINT: ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, ST. MOSES THE BLACK:



VATICAN: YEAR DEDICATED TO POPE CELESTINE V

The Apostolic Penitentiary is granting a special plenary indulgence to those who pray before the remains of Pope St. Celestine V during the year dedicated to him, which opens this evening in the earthquake-stricken central Italian town of L’Aquila, with a ceremony presided over by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone.

Pope who lived as hermit, resigned the papacy after only 5 months in office.

He founded the Celestine order in the Abruzzi region. He was born in 1215 and died in 1296.


EUROPE


ENGLAND: NEWLY ORDAINED PRIEST DIES: FR. HOUGHTON


The Catholic Herald reports that a 40-year-old parish priest was fatally injured in a car accident in north Yorkshire last week. Fr Edward Houghton, assistant priest at the Church of Our Lady of Grace and St Edward in Chiswick, had recently celebrated the first anniversary of his ordination.He was reportedly driving to a family funeral when a collision took place. A spokesman for north Yorkshire Police said the incident involved a car, a van and a heavy goods vehicle, and occurred shortly after 10am. Fr Houghton was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.Mgr Seamus O'Boyle, vicar general for the Diocese of Westminster, spoke of "a profound sense of shock and sadness" at his death. He said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Fr Edward's immediate family, his sisters and brother, at this time. We remember also the parish communities at Chiswick where he was assistant priest, and at the Cathedral where he served his year as a deacon." Fr Anthony Dwyer, parish priest at Our Lady of Grace and St Edward, Chiswick, said: "Fr Edward's untimely and tragic death has come as a huge shock to the parish, and has caused immense sadness. "Fr Edward was a gifted young priest, and although he had only been here since last September he had made a significant contribution to the life of the parish; he had an ability to relate to people of all ages, from the elderly to the very young - as was obvious from his popularity with the pupils of St Mary's Primary school. "Many people have commented on his gentle presence, his warm smile, his spirituality and his thought-provoking preaching. His death leaves a huge gap. May he rest in peace."Fr Edward Houghton, known to parishioners as Fr Ed, was born in Preston and prior to studying for the priesthood worked as an English and religious education teacher at St Charles Sixth Form College in Ladbroke Grove, west London. He had been a resident at Newman House, central London, as a student.


(SOURCE: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000628.shtml


AMERICA
BISHOP MARTINO OF SCRANTON TO RESIGN

CNA reports that Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, will resign as head of the Diocese of Scranton next week, sources within the diocese confirmed to the local press today.
The sources did not explain the reason for the 62-year-old bishop’s decision. The sources also did not specify if the Bishop’s resignation was going to be presented or if it had been already submitted and accepted by the Vatican.
When asked by CNA to confirm Bishop Martino's resignation, diocesan spokesman William Genello said that the diocese will hold a press conference next Monday for media members only.
According to Canon law, a Bishop can present his resignation to the Holy Father for reasons other than the age limit (75), but he remains the head of the diocese until his resignation is accepted.
Speculation about the bishop's future began earlier this week when the local press in Scranton reported that his belongings were being moved from the rectory of St. Peter's Cathedral, to a retreat house in Dalton, Pa.
Joseph Martino was installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in October, 2003, and rapidly became one of the stronger pro-life voices in the U.S. episcopate.
In a pastoral letter issued last year before the presidential election, Bishop Martino wrote, “To begin, laws that protect abortion constitute injustice of the worst kind. They rest on several false claims including that there is no certainty regarding when life begins, that there is no certainty about when a fetus becomes a person, and that some human beings may be killed to advance the interests or convenience of others.”
On February this year, he wrote to Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey concerning his vote against the Mexico City Policy, expressing his “deep concern” that the senator’s staff was misrepresenting the vote as "pro-life."(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16966



AFRICA


BISHOPS CONFERENCE POSTPONED



CISA reports that the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has announced the postponement of its 15th plenary assembly which was scheduled to take place at Frascati, near Rome, Italy, from September 27 to October 3.The postponement is due to circumstances beyond the control of the Standing Committee and the Secretariat of SECAM, the body’s president, Cardinal Polycarp Pengo of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, said in a statement on Monday.The Plenary Assembly may be held from July 25 to August 2, 2010, to coincide with the celebration of the foundation day of SECAM. The proposed venue is Ghana, the host country of SECAM Secretariat. All other issues relating to the 15th Plenary Assembly shall remain the same, Cardinal Pengo said.A meeting shall be held by representatives of member-episcopal conferences of SECAM during the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops in October 2009 in Rome to decide on issues pertaining to the 15th plenary assembly and the 40th anniversary of the Symposium.


(SOURCE: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4089

AUSTALIA
RESTORATION ON CATHEDRAL



CathNews reports that Queensland Premier Anna Bligh pledged $100,000 for restoration work on Rockhampton's St Joseph's Cathedral, in response to requests of support from Rockhampton Bishop Brian Heenan and Member for Rockhampton Robert Schwarten.
Ms Bligh said the government recognised the 110 year old cathedral as a vital community asset, the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reported.
"I trust that this contribution, together with funds raised from the local community will realise your vision for the restoration of St Joseph's," she said in a letter to the Bishop.
The $100,000 will be sourced from the Department of Premier and Cabinet and follows a $100,000 grant to St Joseph's to conduct a structural assessment of the Cathedral in 2005. The restoration will cost and estimated $5 million, the newspaper has previously reported. (SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16048



ASIA
PHILIPPINES: 100th ANNIVERSARY OF DIVINE WORD SOCIETY

UCAN reports that missionary work started 100 years ago in the northern Philippines by foreign priests from the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) is now largely continued by Filipinos.
A Divine Word priest conducting a program for Philippine teachers
Much of the society’s work now involves local laypeople, Divine Word Father Antonio Pernia told about 5,000 people gathered at a thanksgiving Mass at Our Lady of the Pillar Church in San Isidro, Abra province, on Aug. 23.
The Filipino priest is the first Asian to serve as superior general of the society, founded in the Netherlands. The Mass he led capped a three-year celebration of SVD missioners' arrival in the country.
Fathers Ludwig Beckert and John Sheiermann arrived on horseback in San Isidro, then called Cagutongan, on Aug. 22, 1909, exactly one week after they arrived in Manila.
Bangued diocese, which was established as a prelature in 1955 and became a diocese in 1982, now serves the area. Only eight of the 21 Bangued parishes listed in the Catholic Directory of the Philippines still are administered by Divine Word priests, who serve mostly in the mountains far from towns.
However, more than 300 Divine Word and diocesan priests in the northern Philippines concelebrated the Mass at the site of the first SVD mission station in the country.
Father Pernia, in his homily, called on SVD priests serving in the region today, as heirs to the Church their pioneering predecessors established, to live a life of missionary service in honor of those early missioners.
Be disciples who are “chaste, poor, obedient,” he urged them, noting that it was these virtues that helped Fathers Beckert and Sheiermann persevere in the “rough and difficult beginning” of the Philippine mission.
Today the Filipino SVD contingent of about 530, including seminarians, makes up the fourth-largest national grouping of Divine Word members. About 160 work in foreign missions.
The Divine Word priests and brothers in the Philippines engage in ministries such as running parishes, missions, schools, universities, formation houses and retreat centers, as well as biblical and communication apostolates. They minister to indigenous peoples, street children, the poor and marginalized, and the Filipino-Chinese community.
Father Pernia, who is based in Rome, also led centennial celebrations in the Manila area and in the central provinces of Bohol and Cebu.
Father Bernard Teneza, formation director of the SVD Philippine Northern Province, noted the “good number” of Divine Word aspirants to the priesthood in the Philippines, where about eight men are ordained SVD priests annually. (SOURCE:
http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/28/divine-word-society-marks-100-years-in-philippines/


TODAY'S SAINT

St. Augustine
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, WESTERN FATHER OF THE CHURCH
Feast Day:
August 28
Born:
November 13, 354, Tagaste, Numidia (now Souk Ahras, Algeria)
Died:
August 28, 430, Hippo Regius, Numidia (now modern-day Annaba, Algeria)
Major Shrine:
San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Pavia, Italy
Patron of:
brewers; printers; theologians

Augustine was born at Tagaste on 13 November, 354. Tagaste, now Souk-Ahras, about 60 miles from Bona (ancient Hippo-Regius), was at that time a small free city of proconsular Numidia which had recently been converted from Donatism. His father, Patricius, one of the curiales of the city, was still a pagan. However, the admirable virtues that made Monica the ideal of Christian mothers at length brought her husband the grace of baptism and of a holy death, about the year 371. Augustine received a Christian education. His mother had him signed with the cross and enrolled among the catechumens. Once, when very ill, he asked for baptism, but, all danger being soon passed, he deferred receiving the sacrament, thus yielding to a deplorable custom of the times. "From my tenderest infancy, I had in a manner sucked with my mother's milk that name of my Saviour, Thy Son; I kept it in the recesses of my heart; and all that presented itself to me without that Divine Name, though it might be elegant, well written, and even replete with truth, did not altogether carry me away" (Confessions, I, iv).
Before long he was obliged to confess to Monica that he had formed a sinful liaison with the person who bore him a son (372), "the son of his sin" -- an entanglement from which he only delivered himself at Milan after fifteen years.In 373, Augustine and his friend Honoratus fell into the sect of the Manichæans.
But the religious crisis of this great soul was only to be resolved in Italy, under the influence of Ambrose. In 383 Augustine, at the age of twenty-nine, yielded to the irresistible attraction which Italy had for him At first he turned towards the philosophy of the Academics, with its pessimistic scepticism; then neo-Platonic philosophy inspired him with genuine enthusiasm. At Milan he had scarcely read certain works of Plato and, more especially, of Plotinus, before the hope of finding the truth dawned upon him. Monica, who had joined her son at Milan, prevailed upon him to become betrothed, but his affianced bride was too young, and although Augustine dismissed the mother of Adeodatus, her place was soon filled by another. Thus did he pass through one last period of struggle and anguish. Finally, through the reading of the Holy Scriptures light penetrated his mind. Soon he possessed the certainty that Jesus Christ is the only way to truth and salvation. After that resistance came only from the heart. An interview with Simplicianus, the future successor of St. Ambrose, who told Augustine the story of the conversion of the celebrated neo-Platonic rhetorician, Victorinus (Confessions, VIII, i, ii), prepared the way for the grand stroke of grace which, at the age of thirty-three, smote him to the ground in the garden at Milan (September, 386). A few days later Augustine, being ill, took advantage of the autumn holidays and, resigning his professorship, went with Monica, Adeodatus, and his friends to Cassisiacum, the country estate of Verecundus, there to devote himself to the pursuit of true philosophy which, for him, was now inseparable from Christianity.
It was this Divine grace that Augustine sought in Christian baptism. Towards the beginning of Lent, 387, he went to Milan and, with Adeodatus and Alypius, took his place among the competentes, being baptized by Ambrose on Easter Day, or at least during Eastertide. The Augustine remained several months in Rome, chiefly engaged in refuting Manichæism. He sailed for Africa after the death of the tyrant Maximus (August 388) and after a short sojourn in Carthage, returned to his native Tagaste. Immediately upon arriving there, he wished to carry out his idea of a perfect life, and began by selling all his goods and giving the proceeds to the poor. Then he and his friends withdrew to his estate, which had already been alienated, there to lead a common life in poverty, prayer, and the study of sacred letters.
One day, having been summoned to Hippo by a friend whose soul's salvation was at stake, he was praying in a church when the people suddenly gathered about him, cheered him, and begged Valerius, the bishop, to raise him to the priesthood. In spite of his tears Augustine was obliged to yield to their entreaties, and was ordained in 391. The new priest looked upon his ordination as an additional reason for resuming religious life at Tagaste, and so fully did Valerius approve that he put some church property at Augustine's disposal, thus enabling him to establish a monastery the second that he had founded. Enfeebled by old age, Valerius, Bishop of Hippo, obtained the authorization of Aurelius, Primate of Africa, to associate Augustine with himself as coadjutor. Augustine had to resign himself to consecration at the hands of Megalius, Primate of Numidia. He was then forty two, and was to occupy the See of Hippo for thirty-four years.
of evil have a more zealous defender than this bishop." Nothing is more opposed to the facts. Augustine acknowledges that he had not yet understood how the first good inclination of the will is a gift of God (Retractions, I, xxiii, n, 3); but it should be remembered that he never retracted his leading theories on liberty, never modified his opinion upon what constitutes its essential condition, that is to say, the full power of choosing or of deciding. He was stricken with what he realized to be a fatal illness, and, after three months of admirable patience and fervent prayer, departed from this land of exile on 28 August, 430, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.
(Edited from: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/staugustine.asp
St. Moses the Black
ABBOT
Feast: August 28
Information:
Feast Day:
August 28
Born:
330; Ethiopian ancestry
Died:
405, Scetes, Egypt
Major Shrine:
Paromeos Monastery, Scetes, Egypt
Patron of:
Africa

Moses the Black, sometimes called the Ethiopian, was a slave of a government official in Egypt who dismissed him for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits who roamed the Nile Valley spreading terror and violence. He was a large, imposing figure. On one occasion, a barking dog prevented Moses from carrying out a robbery, so he swore vengeance on the owner. Weapons in his mouth, Moses swam the river toward the owner's hut. The owner, again alerted, hid, and the frustrated Moses took some of his sheep to slaughter. Attempting to hide from local authorities, he took shelter with some monks in a colony in the desert of Scete, near Alexandria. The dedication of their lives, as well as their peace and contentment, influenced Moses deeply. He soon gave up his old way of life and joined the monastic community at Scete.
Attacked by a group of robbers in his desert cell, Moses fought back, overpowered the intruders, and dragged them to the chapel where the other monks were at prayer. He told the brothers that he didn't think it Christian to hurt the robbers and asked what he should do with them. The overwhelmed robbers repented, were converted, and themselves joined the community.
Moses was zealous in all he did, but became discouraged when he concluded he was not perfect enough. Early one morning, St. Isidore, abbot of the community, took Brother Moses to the roof and together they watched the first rays of dawn come over the horizon. Isidore told Moses, "Only slowly do the rays of the sun drive away the night and usher in a new day, and thus, only slowly does one become a perfect contemplative."
Moses proved to be effective as a prophetic spiritual leader. The abbot ordered the brothers to fast during a particular week. Some brothers came to Moses, and he prepared a meal for them. Neighboring monks reported to the abbot that Moses was breaking the fast. When they came to confront Moses, they changed their minds, saying "You did not keep a human commandment, but it was so that you might keep the divine commandment of hospitality." Some see in this account one of the earliest allusions to the Paschal fast, which developed at this time.
When a brother committed a fault and Moses was invited to a meeting to discuss an appropriate penance, Moses refused to attend. When he was again called to the meeting, Moses took a leaking jug filled with water and carried it on his shoulder. Another version of the story has him carrying a basket filled with sand. When he arrived at the meeting place, the others asked why he was carrying the jug. He replied, "My sins run out behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another." On hearing this, the assembled brothers forgave the erring monk.
Moses became the spiritual leader of a colony of hermits in the desert. At some time, he had been ordained priest. At about age 75, about the year 407, word came that a group of renegades planned to attack the colony. The brothers wanted to defend themselves, but Moses forbade it. He told them to retreat, rather than take up weapons. He and seven others remained behind and greeted the invaders with open arms, but all eight were martyred by the bandits. A modern interpretation honors St. Moses the Black as an apostle of non-violence.
The lives of St. Moses the Black and St. Norbert, contain some interesting parallels. Both lived rather dissolute lives in their younger years. Both had conversion experiences in which they heard and heeded the call of God. Both were leaders in their respective religious communities. Both are known as men of peace, having spent much of their ministry calling people to reconciliation and forgiveness by word and example.

SAINTLY QUOTE
It often happens that we pray God to deliver us from some dangerous temptation, and yet God does not hear us but permits the temptation to continue troubling us. In such a case, let us understand that God permits even this for our greater good. When a soul in temptation recommends itself to God, and by His aid resists, O how it then advances in perfection.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori
TODAY'S GOSPEL

Matthew 25: 1 - 13
1
"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
4
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6
But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
7
Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
8
And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
9
But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.
11
Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.'
12
But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
13
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.