CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: TUES. DEC. 21, 2010: HEADLINES-
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 21: ST. PETER CANISIUS
TODAY'S GOSPEL: DEC. 21: LUKE: 1: 39-45
VATICAN CITY, 21 DEC 2010 (VIS REPORTS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Pasig, Philippines, presented by Bishop Francisco C. San Diego, upon having reached the age limit.
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VATICAN CITY, 21 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:
- Cardinal Michele Giordano, archbishop of Naples, Italy, on 2 December at the age of 80.
- Bishop Michael Bunluen Mansap, emeritus of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, on 2 December at the age of 81.
- Bishop Bernard Patrick Devlin, emeritus of Gibraltar, on 15 December at the age of 89.
- Bishop Ambrosio Echebarria Arriota, emeritus of Barbastro-Monzon, Spain, on 6 December at the age of 88.
- Bishop Jose dos Santos Garcia S.M.P., emeritus of Pemba, Mozambique,, on 11 December at the age of 97.
- Bishop Raymond Philip Kalisz S.V.D., emeritus of Wewak, Papua New Guinea, on 12 December at the age of 83.
- Bishop Ferenc Keszthelyi O. Cist., emeritus of Vac, Hungary, on 6 December at the age of 82.
- Archbishop-bishop Julio Tavares Rebimbas, emeritus of Porto, Portugal, on 6 December at the age of 88.
- Bishop John Thomas Steinbock of Fresno, U.S.A., on 5 December at the age of 73.
- Bishop George Otto Wirz, former auxiliary of Madison, U.S.A., on 23 November at the age of 81.
ASIA: BETHLEHEM: RE-OPENING OF NATIVITY MUSEUM
INT. NAT. MUSEUM REPORT: In an evocative environment and in the heart of Bethlehem, at a walkable distance away from the Nativity Church lies the International Nativity Museum of Bethlehem. It is one of the richest and valuable collections of cribs in the Holy Land. The Museum has a collection of over 200 Nativity representationsof different styles and dimensions. It is located in the ground floor of the historical Salesian convent of Bethlehem. The variety of the cribs exposed, originating from all around the world, creates a rhapsody of customs, liturgy and rituality from all continents and ethnic groups.
The exposition of the collection reflects the role of the religious and artistic history of Italy according to the tradition of making cribs in different parts of the world, beginning with the living crib of St. Francis in Greccio and from the first sculpted crib of Arnolfo di Cambio in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. With the help of secular Sicilian and Neapolitan traditions, the fresh Ligurian representations and the contemporary Venetian sculptures, the atmosphere of the Museum is elevated to level of historical research criteria, miniature reproductions, scenographic reconstruction of the landscapes and spectacular original representations. Expressive representations of the event of Nativity are filtered through the soul of the contemporary artists and offered to the public in the form of sinuous bronze sculptures or eccentric ceramic creations.
No historical or geographical philology is violated in the representation of Nativity: the birth of Christ is realized at the present time and every time and in every place. That is why the content of the Museum is International, if not Universal. That is why the baby Jesus has almond eyes and Thailandese dresses, and close by he is kept warm by Lamas. The Afflatus of universal event is reflected also in the ecstatic pleasure of admiring the artistic taste of almost all the countries of the world at one and the same time: the wooden carved crib from Africanhas no end for its astonishment. The poetry of Andine and south American woods-cribs, the charm of theAsiatic pieces, the European scene, which space out from the rigorous traditional representation to the most original pieces.
The Museum is located along the “Star Street”, the same way traditionally covered by the three Wise Men in order to meet the baby Jesus in the Nativity Grotto. The way even today leads to the Manger Square, where is the Nativity Church.
The International Nativity Museum is ready to welcome Pilgrims every day according to a flexible timetable (morning, afternoon and evening). The visit of the Museum is guided by the collaborators or by the Salesians themselves in different languages.
Adjacent to the Nativity museum there is the Salesian Artistic Centre. There you can admire some youngsters of Bethlehem who are learning the traditional manufacturing of olive wood, mother of Pearl and Ceramics.
ENTRY TICKET:
Full pay: 4 Euro - 20 NIS
Reduced: 3 Euro -15 NIS
To BOOK YOUR VISIT CALL:
+970 598911511
Convention with Tour Operators and agency are foreseen.
The Agencies and the groups are encouraged to contact the Director of the Museum to reserve a Tour or to stipulate a Convention:
Elisa Nucci - International Nativity Museum - Artistic Director
316, Star Street, Bethlehem
E-mail: nativitymuseum@salesianbethlehem.com
Office: +972 (2) 2760076
Palestinian Mobile: +970 597 392809
Israeli Mobile: + 972 548 197986
http://www.salesianbethlehem.com/welcome/international_nativity_museum
EUROPE: ENGLAND: ARCHBISHOP NICHOLS' MESSAGE FOR CHRISTMAS
Archbishop Nichols said the Christmas message is one that emphasises the need to give a priority to serve other, especially those who are vulnerable and dependent.
Later this week Archbishop Vincent Nichols will celebrate Midnight Mass at Westminster Cathedral.The Mass will start at 11pm on Friday 24 December 2010. During Midnight Mass, Archbishop Vincent Nichols will deliver his Christmas Homily. Anyone wanting to attend Midnight Mass will need to be seated by 10.30pm at the latest and the Cathedral doors will close at 11pm
The full text of Archbishop of Westminster’s Reflection at ‘A Christmas Celebration’ follows:
‘O Rising Sun, you are the splendour of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.’
These are the words of a special anthem for this evening in the Prayer of the Church. They add to the beauty of our evening celebration. But they also raise a question.
As we enjoy the splendour of this celebration, do we think of ourselves among those who sit ‘in darkness’? It doesn’t seem too appropriate, really!
Yet there is a sobering thought that will not leave us. It will return the minute we step outside this Cathedral: our society is experiencing some hard times. And during them some are being hurt, and some are angry, as we have already seen.
So as we absorb this Christmas message, as we proclaim that the ‘Rising Sun is the splendour of eternal light and the sun of justice’, we must reflect on how we are responding. As a society we are, more often than not, capable of great generosity in the face of adversity. Every disaster illustrates this. Charity appeals are met with generosity. When hardship is before our eyes, a sense of solidarity will emerge. This is surely one of our sources of hope.
But it is difficult to sustain. In an emergency, we trust that life will quickly get back to normal so that we can each resume our customary patterns and get back to our own business. But what if this ‘emergency’ lasts? What if it becomes a lasting reality? Do we, then, simply turn back to our own and turn our backs on those in need? Or does the very nature of ‘our own business’ actually change?
In facing this challenge, the truth we proclaim this evening has something to say. Religious truth may not be particularly popular at the moment and easily mocked. Yet it has resilience. Our Christmas story is being told and retold at this time, in the half remembered words of the carols, in many homes as families set up a crib or display their Christmas cards. It is sung and celebrated in churches up and down the land. And it contains a message which is immediately relevant to the times we are facing.
The figures in the crib form a community. They come together in adversity and are there for each other. At their centre is the most vulnerable of their number: the child Jesus. Even the natural world, in the shape of ox and ass, seems to play its part.
At the heart of this story is a revelation of something crucially important about our nature. In contrast to a prevailing culture, here we learn that we are made for each other, that we belong together. In contrast to the view that puts the individual first, constantly emphasising the importance of individual needs and rights, and well practised in the culture of blame, this story tutors us in the priority we are to give to each other and to our common good. Here the call to community is the fundamental good, and not seen as a necessary constraint on individual freedom. Here fulfilment is found in the service of others, rather than in the pursuit of self-interest, especially the service of those who are vulnerable and dependent.
The true impact of this story and the truth it conveys are only fully grasped if its deeper religious truth is also remembered. Here, in the manger, is a child who is not just caught in poverty and so attracting our sympathy; here is a child who will not just grow into a preacher of extraordinary power and gain our admiration; here, rather, is a human being who is also and totally God. This truth, the truth of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word, raises the lessons of the crib to a new and transforming height. The child, in his birth, and the man in his teaching, his death and his resurrection, is proclaiming the truth about us with all the authority that is of God. It is the ultimate authority, for God is the ultimate author of life.
Here we come to sources of strength and inspiration whatever we face. Here, in the presence of the Christ, we are not only taught about our solidarity with one another but we are also given the where-with-all, the grace, to sustain that solidarity even in the most taxing of times.
Faith has an important contribution to make. This Christian faith not only makes clear the challenge facing us – to act together, consistently, in community for the common good – but also gives us the means to sustain that effort through a power that is not our own. Rather that power, that grace of God, comes to us always as a gift of love that is for our good. We come to Christ to receive that love. We open our hearts that it may fill them. Then we know how we must act in our world today.
We wish each other a very happy and holy Christmas. I willingly do so this evening, to you all.
May God bless you this night and in this coming feast. Amen.
AMERICA: USA: CREATION MUSEUM TO BUILD FULL-SIZED NOAH'S ARK
CBN REPORT: The developers of Kentucky's Creation Museum have another biblical entertainment venture in mind.
They plan to build a full-sized replica of Noah's Ark as a part of a $172 million theme park.
The museum opened three years ago south of Cincinnati, Ohio, and has already drawn more than one million visitors.
Museum officials believe the Noah's Ark Park could attract 1.6 million visitors a year. They are looking at a 800-acre site near Williamstown, Ky., just off Interstate 75.
They said the project also would include an ancient walled city, a petting zoo, live animal shows featuring giraffes and elephants and a replica of the biblical tower of Babel.
The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority has granted preliminary approval for state tax incentives for the project. An economic analysis must be done before being considered for final approval.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/December/Creation-Museum-Eyes-172M-Noahs-Ark-Park-/
AFRICA: SUDAN: BISHOP FEARS VIOLENCE
“We fear attacks both during the Christmas period and in early January, when a referendum on the independence of southern Sudan is to be held,” said Bishop Kussala. “Right now the population is increasingly concerned about possible violence by the LRA. So-called “Arrow Boys” have been set up as self-defense militias, armed only, however, with bows and arrows.”
Bishop Julian Andavo Mbia of Isiro-Niangara, Equatoria province, in north-east DRC, tells Fides that in his region, “the alarm is issued in the face of possible attacks by the LRA as a form of prevention. At the moment we have no concrete evidence of actual attacks by the Ugandan guerrillas in our diocese.” At Christmas time in 2008, in a series of attacks in some villages in the province of Equatoria, LRA guerrillas killed about 900 people and abducted another 700.
AUSTRALIA: FIRE DESTROYS BLUE MOUNTAINS HISTORIC CATHOLIC SCHOOL
The fire broke out early Tuesday and was extinguished by 9am (AEDT) and destroyed four English classrooms and two food technology classrooms, a statement on the school's website said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with the NSW Fire Brigades saying it is still too dangerous for investigators to go into the building.
"The damage is in around six classrooms in the newer part of the site and the main damage seems to be in the roof," school principal Delma Horan told ABC Radio, but added that the school would open as normal in the new year.
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 21: ST. PETER CANISIUS
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TODAY'S GOSPEL: DEC. 21: LUKE: 1: 39-45
| Luke 1: 39 - 45 | |
| 39 | In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, |
| 40 | and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. |
| 41 | And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit |
| 42 | and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! |
| 43 | And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? |
| 44 | For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. |
| 45 | And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." |
