CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: OCT. 1, 2009

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: OCT. 1, 2009: HEADLINES-

VATICAN: PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN MEETS THE HOLY FATHER -

EUROPE: ENGLAND: BISHOP LONGLEY ARCHBISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM -
AMERICAS: CANADA: BISHOP RESIGNS & TURNS HIMSELF INTO CUSTODY -
AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA: AID TO CHURCH IN SIERRA LEONE-

ASIA: INDONESIA: EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE -

NEPAL: 23 PEOPLE KILLED IN CHURCH COLLAPSE -
AUSTRALIA: NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATION COMMITEE ASSESSMENT -

VATICAN

PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN MEETS THE HOLY FATHER

(VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today: "Today, 1 October 2009, in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Asif Ali Zardari, president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. President Zardari subsequently went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States. "The cordial discussions provided an opportunity to examine the current situation in Pakistan, with particular reference to the fight against terrorism and the commitment to create a society more tolerant and harmonious in all its aspects. "Talk then turned to the positive role played by the Catholic Church in the social life of the country through her educational, healthcare and aid activities. Evoking recent episodes of violence against Christian communities in some localities, and the elements that have favoured such serious incidents, emphasis was given to the need to overcome all forms of discrimination based on religious affiliation, with the aim of promoting respect for the rights of all citizens".OP/AUDIENCE PRESIDENT/PAKISTAN VIS 091001 (190)

BENEDICT XVI BIDS FAREWELL TO CASTELGANDOLFO VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today bid farewell to Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano (the diocese in which Castelgandolfo is located), local religious communities, the civil authorities and the personnel in charge of security during his stay at the summer residence. After thanking everyone for their service during the last two months the Pope - who is due to return to the Vatican on Saturday - recalled the fact that today marks the Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun of the convent of Lisieux. "Her witness", he said, "shows that only the Word of God, accepted and understood in its concrete requirements, can become the source for renewed live. To our society, often permeated by a rationalist culture and widespread materialism, St. Theresa of Lisieux shows, as a response to the great questions of life, the 'little way' which looks to the essence of things. It is the humble path of love, capable of enveloping and giving meaning and value to all human affairs". This evening Benedict XVI is due to bid farewell to the staff of the Pontifical Villas at Castelgandolfo.AC/FAREWELL/CASTELGANDOLFO VIS 091001 (200)

HOLY FATHER TO CANONISE FIVE BLESSEDS ON 11 OCTOBER VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. on Sunday 11 October the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Square, during which he will canonise five blesseds, according to a communique released today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. The five future saints are: Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski (1822-1895), Polish former archbishop of Warsaw and founder of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary; Francesc Coll y Guitart (1812-1875), Spanish professed priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Jozef Damian de Veuster (1840-1889), Belgian professed priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar (PICPUS); Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938), Spanish oblate friar of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, and Mary of the Cross Jugan (nee Jeanne) (1792-1879), French virgin and foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor.OCL/CANONISATIONS/... VIS 091001 (190)

CARDINAL BERTONE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - A communique published today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff announces that at 5 p.m. on Saturday 3 October, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. will take possession of the suburbicarian Church of Frascati.OCL/TITULAR CHURCH/BERTONE VIS 091001 (60)

RATIFICATION OF TREATIES ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - Between 22 and 26 September Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Holy See secretary for Relations with States, participated in a number of meetings held at the United Nations in New York. On 24 September he addressed participants in the UN Security Council summit on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. Speaking English, the archbishop said that "the Holy See urges concerned States to adopt clear and firm decisions and commitments, and strive for a progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament". Likewise, the Holy See encourages "the nuclear-weapon States and those which possess such weapons to ratify all the protocols to the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaties and strongly supports efforts to establish such a zone in the Middle East". Also on 24 September, Archbishop Mamberti participated in the sixth conference for the facilitation of the implementation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). He invited all States that do still not form part of the CTBT to adhere to it as soon as possible, and those "whose ratification is necessary in order for it to come into force" to do likewise. "For these States, the present moment is a unique opportunity to show the entire human family valiant leadership and an exalted sense of political responsibility", he said. "The conference due to examine the non-proliferation of nuclear arms and the process of universalisation of the CTBT will generate important guidelines for creating a climate of confidence for multilateral dialogue, through coherent and responsible co-operation among all members of the international community".DELSS/NUCLEAR ARMS/MAMBERTI VIS 091001 (260)

POPE TO ATTEND A CONCERT FOR WORLD WAR II ANNIVERSARY VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - At 6.30 p.m. on Thursday 8 October Benedict XVI is due to attend a concert at the Auditorium on Via della Conciliazione in Rome. The event, entitled "Young people against war (1939-2009)", is being held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. The concert, by an orchestra of young musicians from ten countries, has been organised by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism, the German embassy to the Holy See and the European "KulturForum" of Mainau. The International Jewish Committee for Inter-religious Consultations is sponsoring the event, which has been financed by ten German and Italian organisations. The programme includes pieces by Gustav Mahler and Felix Mendelsshon, Jewish composers who were later baptised becoming, respectively, Catholic and Protestant. "Both of them", notes a communique on the concert released today, "experienced strong anti-Semitism during their lives, ... and their music was banned during the Nazi period".OP/CONCERT/... VIS 091001 (180)

AUDIENCES VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences: - Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. - Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.AP/.../... VIS 091001 (50) OTHER

PONTIFICAL ACTS VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed: - Bishop Bernard Longley, auxiliary of Westminster, England, as metropolitan archbishop of Birmingham (area 9,936 , population 5,333,791, Catholics 275,621, priests 391, permanent deacons 76, religious 669), England. The archbishop-elect was born in Manchester, England in 1955, he was ordained a priest in 1981 and consecrated a bishop in 2003. - Bishop Felipe Padilla Cardona of Tehuantepec, Mexico, as bishop of Ciudad Obregon (area 88,350, population 1,051,000, Catholics 906,000, priests 124, permanent deacons 1, religious 182), Mexico. - Bishop Joel Zamudio Baylon of Masbate, Philippines, as bishop of Legazpi (area 2,552, population 1,263,000, Catholics 1,176,000, priests 133, religious 153), Philippines.NER/.../LONGLEY:PADILLA:BAYLON VIS 091001 (120)

EUROPE

ENGLAND: BISHOP LONGLEY ARCHBISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM

The Catholic Herald reports that Bishop Bernard Longley has been named as the new Archbishop of Birmingham - effectively the second most senior post in the English and Welsh Church. Bishop Longley, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, was announced this morning as the successor to Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who was moved to Westminster in April. His new archdiocese will next year host one of the most significant events in English Catholic history: the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. The ceremony could even be attended by Pope Benedict XVI when he visits in September. The bishop, popular among London's Catholics, was reported to be considered for the Westminster archdiocese before the eventual appointment of Archbishop Nichols. He was tipped for the post in March by veteran Vatican commentator Paolo Rodari. A musician and theologian, Bishop Longley, 54, studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and New College, Oxford, and enjoys reading Russian literature. "I love Pushkin," he told the Herald this year. He was ordained to the priesthood in December 1981 and started out as assistant priest at St Joseph's, Epsom, Surrey, and as chaplain to psychiatric hospitals. In 1996 he became national ecumenical officer at the bishops' conference and for nine years was on the staff of St John's seminary, Wonersh, teaching dogmatic theology. In 1999 he was appointed Moderator of the Steering Committee of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and also assistant general secretary of the bishops’ conference with responsibilities for ecumenism and interfaith affairs. As Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster he had pastoral responsibility for the north London areas of Camden, Hackney, Islington, Marylebone, as well as Tower Hamlets and Westminster. Bishop Longley said he was "immensely honoured" by the appointment but that he would not find it easy to leave Westminster. He said: "I feel immensely honoured and very humbled that the Holy Father has appointed me to succeed Archbishop Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Birmingham. I look forward to serving the priests and deacons, the religious and all the people of the archdiocese and to working alongside my brother bishops there. "I also look forward to knowing and appreciating the life of the diocese and the many ways in which it reaches out with the love and truth of Christ, in its parish and school communities and through ecumenical and inter-religious friendships. I am grateful to Bishop William Kenney for his faithful service as diocesan administrator over recent months and for the welcome that he has already shown to me. “It won’t be easy to leave the Diocese of Westminster which has been my home for the past seven years. It will be sad to say goodbye, especially to the east and central London parishes where the priests, parishioners and religious have become good friends. "It has been a privilege to work with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and my fellow auxiliary bishops and more recently with Archbishop Vincent, and I thank them for all that I have learnt from their insights and experience.” Archbishop Nichols welcomed the appointment, praising Bishop Longley's qualities of "gentleness and sensitivity; his firmness and intelligence; his profound and joyful faith; his willingness to listen". He said: “I am sure, too, that Bishop Bernard will grow to love this fine archdiocese, just as I did." Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who ordained Bishop Longley as priest and bishop, said he had been an "exceptionally good priest and bishop, exhibiting at all times those Christian qualities of kindness and compassion in his ministry". He added: "The priests and people of the Archdiocese of Birmingham should rejoice and be glad in welcoming their new archbishop who will, I know, prove a most generous and caring shepherd.” Bishop William Kenney, diocesan administrator for the Birmingham archdiocese, said he was "delighted" at the appointment. "We look forward to Bishop Bernard becoming a follower in the footsteps of Bishop Ullathorne, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham and to his taking a lead in the preparations for the beatification of Cardinal Newman," he said. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000650.shtml

AMERICAS

CANADA: BISHOP RESIGNS & TURNS HIMSELF INTO CUSTODY

CNA reports that Bishop Raymond Lahey of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia resigned and turned himself into police after being charged with possessing and importing child pornography. The accusations have particular significance because of his role in addressing sexual abuse accusations against his diocese’s priests.
Officers conducting a search at the Ottawa Airport found images “of concern” on Bishop Lahey’s laptop and seized it along with other media devices when the 69-year-old prelate reentered Canada on Sept. 15. When a forensic examination revealed child pornography, files were charged against the bishop and a warrant was issued for his arrest last Friday, the Globe and Mail reports.
The bishop turned himself in to Ottawa police on Thursday.
On Saturday, September 26, Archbishop of Halifax Anthony Mancini was named apostolic administrator of Antigonish, according to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
The CCCB reported that Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of the accused bishop, who asked to leave office for “personal reasons.”
“I have already left the diocese to take some much-needed time for personal renewal. I simply ask for your prayers, as I assure you of my continued prayers for you all,” the bishop wrote in a letter to his diocese.
According to the Globe and Mail, Diocese of Antigonish spokesman Fr. Paul Abbass said there had been “a ton of speculation” about the reasons for the bishop’s resignation, with many believing it was due to stress or his health.
“We know the reason now and now we have to deal with that,” he remarked.
He described the former bishop as warm, respectful and “very pastoral.” In the priest’s view, Bishop Lahey was “absolutely committed” to resolving allegations of clerical sexual abuse, but the new charges were “pretty devastating” in light of the recent sexual abuse settlement.
In August the diocese reached a $15 million class-action settlement with known and alleged former child victims of sexual abuse by its priests dating back to 1950.
The Globe and Mail reports that Bishop Lahey, who was not implicated in the allegations, apologized to those abuse victims.
“Sexual abuse, indeed any abuse, is wrong. It is a crime and it is a serious sin in the eyes of God,” he had told a press conference. “I want to assure you that for some time our diocese, like others throughout Canada, have been taking steps to protect children and youth.”
A Wednesday press release from the Archdiocese of Halifax reported that Archbishop Mancini learned of the charges against Bishop Lahey through the news media.
“I am shocked and saddened by this devastating news. For the priests and people of Antigonish Diocese, this is a terrible moment,” the archbishop said.
Archbishop Mancini told CTV News that he assumed that Pope Benedict knew “the gravity of the matter” when he accepted the bishop’s resignation.
Bishop Lahey had been bishop of Antigonish since June 2003. Previously, he had been Bishop of St. George’s, Newfoundland and Labrador since July 1986.
According to the CCCB, the Diocese of Antigonish has a Catholic population of 129,730 in 118 parishes and missions. They are served by 114 diocesan priests, three religious priests, one permanent deacon and 272 religious sisters. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17281

STATEMENT FROM THE CANADIAN BISHOPS

“I have learned from media reports of the charges brought against Most Reverend Raymond Lahey, former Bishop of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. While shocked and saddened by the accusations, as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, I am not in a position to comment on them. At the same time, I share with all Canadians, and particularly my Catholic brothers and sisters, a profound understanding of the importance of such serious charges being fully and carefully investigated by the appropriate legal authorities.” (SOURCE: http://www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/2716/1217/lang,eng/

AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA: AID TO CHURCH IN SIERRA LEONE

CNS reports that Catholic officials in South Africa will use their experiences of rebuilding after apartheid to help the church in Sierra Leone rebuild after its 11-year civil war, South African Catholic leaders said.While a U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone and the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission have completed their work, restitution to victims of the war that ended eight years ago is due to begin in October, said Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, vice chairman of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference justice and peace commission.Bishop Dowling and Father Sean O'Leary, director of the Pretoria-based Denis Hurley Peace Institute, visited the West African country Sept. 12-18.The church in Sierra Leone "needs to help the country deal with the underlying causes of the civil war," Bishop Dowling said in a Sept. 28 telephone interview, noting that this is "a big challenge."The war in the West African nation, which left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more, was "most brutal," Bishop Dowling told CNS, noting that rebel groups in Sierra Leone were notorious for chopping off the limbs of their victims, instilling fear throughout the population."The dynamic between justice, peace and reconciliation is complicated, and often justice is sacrificed in the interests of peace," he said.Helping the church in Sierra Leone set up structures to facilitate reconciliation and "build sustainable peace" will be a priority for the South African church, Bishop Dowling said.The South African church "will use its resources," including the justice and peace commission, the Denis Hurley Peace Institute and the Cape Town-based parliamentary liaison office, "to strengthen church structures in Sierra Leone and support local efforts to rebuild," Bishop Dowling said.Perpetrators and victims of the civil war "come from the same society, and the rebuilding of the community needs to be done on a basis of trust and forgiveness," he said, noting that "internal wounds need to be healed."Huge damage was done to Sierra Leone's infrastructure in the war, said Bishop Dowling, who with Father O'Leary visited Bishop Patrick Koroma of Kenema, "whose entire diocese was destroyed in the war and is now being reconstructed."During the war, priests and religious were expelled, church property was looted and vandalized, and many church-run clinics, schools, orphanages and church buildings were burned.In the capital, Freetown, Father O'Leary and Bishop Dowling met with the government-backed national committee for social action, which has assessed the needs of 29,000 war victims who will receive government compensation, Bishop Dowling said."I was very impressed at the thorough and holistic way the assessments were done," he said."The needs of individuals have been assessed and the committee has passed on documents to the departments of health and education to make sure that children who have had limbs hacked off get proper schooling and medical care," he said, noting that the committee is "not just handing out money."In a Sept. 29 telephone interview from Pretoria, Father O'Leary told CNS that $3 million has been allocated to compensate war victims, who have been divided into "amputees, war-wounded, victims of sexual violence, war widows and orphans of the war.""There are parallels" with South Africa in that the South African government made payments to apartheid victims in 2003, seven years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began its investigations into human rights abuses under apartheid.South Africa's system of apartheid, or racial segregation, lasted from 1948, when the nationalist government came into power, until the country's first all-race elections in April 1994.Father O'Leary and Bishop Dowling held workshops in four centers in Sierra Leone, discussing South Africa's reconciliation process with local church leaders, victims of the war, members of civil society and truth commission members.Despite the country's rich mineral resources, including diamonds, most of Sierra Leone's 5.3 million people are extremely poor, Bishop Dowling said.Life expectancy at birth is 41 years and the likelihood of dying before the age of 40 is 47 percent, according to U.N. Development Program statistics. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904368.htm

ASIA

INDONESIA: EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE

UCAN reports that the Catholic Church and its agencies are organizing emergency assistance for victims of a powerful earthquake that struck West Sumatra's coastal area on the afternoon of Sept. 30.
"Our priority is to recruit and send volunteers to the place as soon as possible to help save people trapped under collapsed buildings and to collect the dead. Material aid will follow," Father Paulus Sigit Pramudji, head of Caritas Indonesia or Karina, told UCA News Oct. 1.
"This afternoon, a Karina team will leave for Padang to observe the situation there," he said. "Based on their report, Karina will immediately arrange to send medical workers and volunteers and material aid."
The undersea earthquake measured 7.6 on the Richter Scale and, according to media in Jakarta, has left at least 464 people dead and 500 injured. The death toll is expected to rise with hundreds still trapped under collapsed buildings.
Thousands of people's homes, public buildings and facilities, including hotels, hospitals, mosques and schools have been severely damaged.
A multi-story Catholic-run foreign-language school collapsed trapping many students in the debris, although there have been no reports of churches being destroyed or damaged.
The damage from the quake is estimated at trillions of rupiah.
The Karina team comprises volunteers and medical workers from the Jakarta-based Atma Jaya Catholic University, and Perdhaki, an umbrella organization for 440 Catholic healthcare services.
Jesuit Father Yosephus Edi Mulyono of Jakarta archdiocese said the archdiocese plans to hold a special cash collection during Oct. 11 Sunday Masses for the quake victims.
"The fund will be channeled through the Padang diocesan commission for socio-economic development," said the head of Jakarta archdiocese's socio-economic development commission.
The quake occurred in the Padang diocesan territory.
Irene Kusuma, head of the Perdhaki voluntary team, told UCA News that Perdhaki has prepared medicines. "A team of three doctors and four nurses are ready to leave for Padang," she said.
The Indonesian branch of the international lay Catholic association, the Sant'Egidio Community (SEC), is also collecting material aid from members in the form of tents, blankets, mats, mosquito nets, medicines, generators, food, drinking water and clothes.
"We will immediately send a team with the aid to Padang to help the victims," Eveline Winarko, head of SEC Indonesia, told UCA News.
Padang has experienced earthquakes before. Two strong quakes struck on March 6, 2007, killing 72 people.
West Sumatra is also earthquake prone and the Dec. 26, 2004 quake that sparked the tsunami was felt there. More than 170,000 people were killed in Aceh and Nias at that time, although mainly in the ensuing tsunami. Another quake in Nias on March 28, 2005, killed about 1,000.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/10/01/church-organizes-emergency-aid-for-quake-victims/

NEPAL: 23 PEOPLE KILLED IN CHURCH COLLAPSE

At least 23 people were killed in the eastern Nepal when the three-story bamboo structure in which they were sleeping collapsed. The building was sometimes used as a church, and police said several children were among the victims. Police superintendent Rajendra Man Shrestha said the accident took place in the city of Dharan, some 124 miles east of Katmandu. Sixty-two people were left wounded by the collapse and taken to a local hospital. Christians are less than one percent of the Nepalese population. The vast majority of the 27 million inhabitants of the country are Hindus. (SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17283

AUSTRALIA

NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATION COMMITEE ASSESSMENT

Cath News reports that the National Human Rights Consultation Committee handed over its final assessment about a possible bill of rights for Australia to the Federal Government on Wednesday, after perusal of more than 35,000 public submissions.

The committee headed by Jesuit priest Father Frank Brennan also held more than 65 public hearings. Views were heard from government ministers, lawyers, activists, academics and an asylum seeker among others, in one session in Canberra, The Age reported.
The committee's report and the government's official response would be released "in the coming months", Attorney-General Robert McClelland was cited saying.
Opinions varied whether Australia, the only western common law democracy without a bill of rights, should institute one.
A recent Amnesty International poll of 1,000 Australians found that more than 80 percent would be in favour of a charter but there is also fierce opposition to the move, The Age said.
The federal opposition's submission said it would transfer decision making powers from elected parliamentarians to unelected judges and bureaucrats.
The Australian Christian Lobby was also opposed to it, saying judges would have too much power to determine moral and social policy and concerned that Christians would lose their rights to discriminate on religious grounds. (SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16810

TODAY'S SAINT

St. Therese of Lisieux
DISCALCED CARMELITE MYSTIC, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Feast: October 1
Information:
Feast Day:
October 1
Born:
January 2, 1873, Alençon, France
Died:
September 30, 1897, Lisieux, France
Canonized:
May 17, 1925 by Pope Pius XI
Major Shrine:
Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux, France
Patron of:
AIDS sufferers; aviators; bodily ills; florists; France; illness; loss of parents; missionaries; tuberculosis

The spread of the cult of St. Therese of Lisieux is one of the impressive religious manifestations of our time. During her few years on earth this young French Carmelite was scarcely to be distinguished from many another devoted nun, but her death brought an almost immediate awareness of her unique gifts. Through her letters, the word-of-mouth tradition originating with her fellow-nuns, and especially through the publication of Histoire d'un ame, Therese of the Child Jesus or "The Little Flower" soon came to mean a great deal to numberless people; she had shown them the way of perfection in the small things of every day. Miracles and graces were being attributed to her intercession, and within twenty-eight years after death, this simple young nun had been canonized. In 1936 a basilica in her honor at Lisieux was opened and blessed by Cardinal Pacelli; and it was he who, in 1944, as Pope, declared her the secondary patroness of France. "The Little Flower" was an admirer of St. Teresa of Avila, and a comparison at once suggests itself. Both were christened Teresa, both were Carmelites, and both left interesting autobiographies. Many temperamental and intellectual differences separate them, in addition to the differences of period and of race; but there are striking similarities. They both patiently endured severe physical sufferings; both had a capacity for intense religious experience; both led lives made radiant by the love of Christ.
The parents of the later saint were Louis Martin, a watchmaker of Alencon, France, son of an army officer, and Azelie-Marie Guerin, a lacemaker of the same town. Only five of their nine children lived to maturity; all five were daughters and all were to become nuns. Francoise-Marie Therese, the youngest, was born on January 2, 1873. Her childhood must have been normally happy, for her first memories, she writes, are of smiles and tender caresses. Although she was affectionate and had much natural charm, Therese gave no sign of precocity. When she was only four, the family was stricken by the sad blow of the mother's death. Monsieur Martin gave up his business and established himself at Lisieux, Normandy, where Madame Martin's brother lived with his wife and family. The Guerins, generous and loyal people, were able to ease the father's responsibilities through the years by giving to their five nieces practical counsel and deep affection.
On September 8, 1890, at the age of seventeen, Therese took final vows. In spite of poor health, she carried out from the first all the austerities of the stern Carmelite rule, except that she was not permitted to fast. "A soul of such mettle," said the prioress, "must not be treated like a child. Dispensations are not meant for her." The physical ordeal which she felt more than any other was the cold of the convent buildings in winter, but no one even suspected this until she confessed it on her death-bed. And by that time she was able to say, "I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more, because all suffering is sweet to me." (SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/T/stthereseoflisieux.asp

TODAY'S GOSPEL

Luke 10: 1 - 12
1
After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.
2
And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
3
Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
4
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.
5
Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!'
6
And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you.
7
And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house.
8
Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
9
heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
10
But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
11
`Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'
12
I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town.