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Thursday, May 17, 2012

CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD : WED. MAY 16, 2012

 Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the SSPX, ordains a priest in Econe, Switzerland (Photo: CNS)
 
 
Communique on the Society of St. Pius X
Vatican City, 16 May 2012 (VIS) - Early this afternoon, the Holy See Press Office issued the following communique regarding the Society of St. Pius X: (IMAGE SOURCE: BLOGGER )
"As reported by news agencies, today, 16 May 2012, an Ordinary Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met to discuss the question of the Society of St. Pius X.
In particular, the text of the response of Bishop Bernard Fellay, received on 17 April, 2012, was examined and some observations, which will be considered in further discussions between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X, were formulated.
Regarding the positions taken by the other three bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, their situations will have to be dealt with separately and singularly".

AUSTRALIA : YOUNGEST SEMINARY CELEBRATES

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
15 May 2012


Father Eric Skruzny welcomes Cardinal George Pell at
opening of the new Redemptoris seminary at Chester Hill
The past 12 months have been a landmark year for Sydney's youngest seminary. In addition to moving from cramped temporary quarters at Pagewood to a handsome new purpose-built home at Chester Hill, the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way recently celebrated the first ordination to the priesthood of two its candidates and the ordination of a further four to the Sydney Diaconate at St Mary's Cathedral late last year.
A world within a world, the 22 seminarians in training for the priesthood at Chester Hill hail from 15 different nations. This international mix includes seminarians from Italy, Sudan, the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Columbia, Poland, Chile, India, Ecuador, Croatia, Venezuela, El Salvador and of course, Australia.
"One of the demons afflicting society is nationalism and by having seminarians from a wide variety of countries is a way of breaking down those barriers," says Fr Eric Skruzny, Rector of the Seminary, explaining that by living and studying together, Redemptoris Mater seminarians learn to understand and love one another regardless of culture, language or skin colour.

The new purpose built Redemptoris Mater Missionary
Seminary opened in February this year
As missionary priests of the Neocatechumenal Way, Fr Eric says it is also important that those entering the priesthood not only be open to the Lord but open to whatever corner of the world the Lord may send them.
The Neocatechumenal Way is a charism founded in the shanty towns of Madrid during the Second Vatican Council. Dedicated to the New Evangelisation lay communities not only lived and worked with the poorest of the poor, but brought them the great gift of Christ and the Gospels.
From Madrid, the Neocatechumnal Way quickly spread with communities established in poverty-stricken villages, towns and city slums in nations across the world. Offering hope and God's love as well as practical support, the Neocatechumenal Way founded its own Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary in Rome in 1987 in answer to Blessed Pope Paul II's call for a better distribution of priests worldwide and to tackle the problem of the scarcity of priests in many parts of the world.

Icon of the Virgin Mary
by Kiko Argüello,
the Spanish painter who initiated
the Neocatechumenal Way
Since then, more than 86 Redemptoris Mater Seminaries of the Neocatechumenal Way have been established across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Australia.
In 1994, Perth became the first city in Australia to have its own Redemptoris Mater Seminary and in 2003 this was followed by the establishment of the Sydney seminary. Initially the Sydney seminary was temporarily housed in a former Marist Brothers religious house at Pagewood. Then late last year, the first stage of the new purpose-built seminary at Chester Hill complete, Fr Eric, staff and the seminary's 22 priests-in-training were able to move in. Then in late February this year, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell officially opened and blessed the seminary, describing it as an important complement to the Seminary of the Good Shepherd at Homebush, comparing the them to "two lungs, each different, complementary and necessary."
Students of Sydney's newest seminary receive the same academic formation as those at Homebush, completing their theological and philosophical studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and the University of Notre Dame. Unlike seminarians at the Good Shepherd, part of their faith formation involves participating the life of a Neocatechumenal community. In addition before ordination, Redemptoris Mater seminarians are sent on missionary experiences not only across Australia but overseas well.
The completed Stage I of the new seminary includes accommodation for 30 seminarians and staff, three classrooms, a dining room and a temporary chapel. Fundraising for Stage II which will include further accommodation, a library, lecture theatre, gardens, a permanent chapel and belltower, is now underway.

Founder Kiko Arguello
Followers of the Neocatechumenal Way raised more than $1 million for the first stage with the rest of the monies needed obtained through the help and generosity of Cardinal Pell, the Archdiocese of Sydney and Archdiocese's Catholic Development Fund which arranged a loan to build the Chester Hill seminary.
"We are extremely grateful for all the help we have received and continue to receive," says Fr Eric and give special thanks to the Archdiocese of Sydney's Charitable Works Fund which covers the cost of tuition for the Seminary's 22 international student priests.
SOURCE: ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

EUROPE : OLYMPIC PRAYER RELAY

Historic Olympic prayer relay ready to start | prayer relay,Olympic Torch,Bishop of Truro the Right Rev Tim Thornton,  Rev Steve Wild,
IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT|:
A 70-day prayer relay, that mirrors the journey of the Olympic Torch through over 1,000 communities, is to be launched with a blessing ceremony in Cornwall tomorrow.

With the arrival of the Olympic Torch at Lands End on Friday, 18 May, the Anglican Bishop of Truro the Right Rev Tim Thornton and Rev Steve Wild, Chair of the Methodist Church in Cornwall will lead a special blessing ceremony for the prayer baton that is to be handed over from community to community.

The ceremony starts at 6pm at Chapel Carn Brea near Lands End Airport. Also being blessed is a Praise Bus from a Cornish Methodist church which is to travel much of the Torch Relay route and the staff and vehicle of More Than Gold, the inter-church agency organising the prayer relay.

The first exchange of the prayer baton is the following day when it travels to Plymouth. In Freedom Park, at 2pm, it will be received by local church leaders at a special prayer event.

Similar exchanges, accompanied by prayer for the 2012 Games and the communities of the UK, will continue daily. Among those involved with the prayer blessing exchange in their area are the Bishops of Durham, Newcastle and Whitby. Locations already confirmed include Berwick Bridge and Newcastle and Liverpool Cathedrals.

Jane Holloway, chair of More Than Gold’s Prayer Team says: "The Olympic Torch journey will pass through over a thousand communities. We would also like it to inspire a cascade of prayer and praise – with individuals and churches taking time to pray, alone and together, as it travels through their area."

Those wishing to follow the prayer relay, or post their own prayers, will be able to do so on Twitter using the hash tag #mtgprayer.
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AMERICA : PANAMA : 500 TH ANNIVERSARY OF DIOCESE

Agenzia Fides REPORT - The Primate Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, presided on Sunday, May 13 the celebration for the 42nd Eucharistic Meeting of Panama, as the initial part of the celebrations for the anniversary of 500th anniversary of the foundation in this country, of the first diocese in the American continent, with the name of "Santa Maria la Antigua". The celebration of the Mass, in the Rommel Fernandez Stadium in the capital, where thousands of faithful Catholics gathered united by the slogan "With Mary walking in hope", was also attended by the Archbishop of Panama, His Exc. Mgr. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., and the Apostolic Nuncio, His Exc. Mgr. Andrés Carrascosa Coso, and some members of the Panamanian Episcopal Conference.
During his homily, Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez recalled how the first diocese was established, in Panamanian territory, and noted that the festivities will extend throughout next year. According to the note sent to Fides, the Cardinal also stressed that "Latin America is a region with a rich culture that allows the approach of the people, leaving aside the suffering experienced". Speaking of the evangelization of the Americas, he also said that the faith of this region is always accompanied by the devotion to the Virgin Mary.
The Archbishop of Panama, Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa, in his speech to more than 20 thousand faithful who filled the stadium, asked politicians "not to act with moral ambiguity, as there should be no double moral" inviting everyone to promote and allow the culture of participation to grow and sincere dialogue, always with respect to the other.
The city of Santa Maria de la Antigua, which is in the forest area of the province of Darien, on the border with Colombia, was the first diocese on dry land, erected by Pope Leo X with the bull of September 9, 1513. On August 15, 1519, Pedrarias Davila founded the city of Panama, which then developed into a commercial center and main port of trade. In 1524, the second Bishop of the diocese, Fray Vicente Peraza, moved the seat of the diocese in the new city of Panama. The city was destroyed by the Welsh pirate Henry John Morgan in 1671, but the Spanish refounded it three years later, about 8 km west of where it was founded the first time. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 15/5/2012)

AFRICA : SOUTH SUDAN : BISHOPS COMMITTED TO PEACE

CISA NEWS REPORT:
South Sudan
YEI, May 15, 2012 (CISA) -Episcopal and Catholic bishops from South Sudan have said that together they “stand committed to do all in their power” to realize an end to war between Sudan and South Sudan.
Following a three-day meeting in Yei, South Sudan, led by Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro and Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, the 14 bishops issued a ‘Message of Peace’ which laid out their hopes and plans for an end to conflict.
Referencing the famous Martin Luther King speech, the bishop’s said: “We dream of two nations which are democratic and free, where people of all religions, all ethnic groups, all cultures and all languages enjoy equal human rights based on citizenship. We dream of two nations at peace with each other, co-operating to make the best use of their God-given resources, promoting free interaction between their citizens, living side by side in solidarity and mutual respect, celebrating their shared history and forgiving any wrongs they may have done to each other.
“We dream of people no longer traumatized, of children who can go to school, of mothers who can attend clinics, of an end to poverty and malnutrition, and of Christians and Muslims who can attend church or mosque freely without fear. Enough is enough. There should be no more war between Sudan and South Sudan!
“Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be recognized as children of God (Matthew 5:9). We take this very seriously, and we stand committed to do all in our power to make our dream a reality. We believe that the people and government of South Sudan desperately want peace. We believe the same is true of the people and their liberation movements in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. We do not believe, however, that a lasting peace will come unless all parties act in good faith. Trust must be built, and this involves honesty, however painful that may be. We invite the International Community to walk with us on the painful journey of exploring the truth in competing claims and counter-claims, allegations and counter-allegations. We invite them to understand the peaceful aspirations of the ordinary people, and to reflect that in their statements and actions.”
The bishops—who welcomed to the meeting England’s Archbishop John Sentamu and The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Ms Hilde Johnson—also committed themselves to renewed ecumenical efforts to build peace. “During the civil war the strength of the Churches’ role on the ground and in international advocacy lay in their unity and ecumenical spirit,” said the statement, “…since peace came in 2005 the ecumenical project has dwindled.”
“The Catholic and Episcopal Churches have much in common in their history, theology and praxis, both are Founder Members of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and both are international institutions with a great deal of influence in the world for the well-being of all. Working together we believe we have much to offer to SCC as it restructures to meet the new reality of two nations, and as it faces new challenges due to the current military and political tensions.”
Bishops from the Republic of Sudan were unable to attend the meeting due to the current political situation.

ASIA : PAKISTAN : MOTHERS BURN CANDLES AND PRAY FOR PEACE

ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Shafique Khokhar
In Faisalabad, Catholics organised a tribute to mothers with the participation of priests, young people, mothers and children. For a Catholic activist, mothers are called to play an important role in eliminating gender biases. For Fr Bonnie Mendes, Our Lady is an "example" for all mothers. Mothers should also give peace-oriented gifts, not war toys, Pakistani priest says.


Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - A "mother is like a candle who burns herself giving light to her children," a view shared by the people who took part in a seminar titled 'A Tribute to Mother' held last Sunday at the Centre for Peace and Harmony in Faisalabad. It was organised by the Arooj-e-Mariam Catholic Church (AMCC) to honour all mothers, who are the foremost symbol of life, sacrifice and love.

Dozens of people attended the meeting, scheduled to coincide with International Mother's Day. They included priests, youth, teachers and members of civil society groups. In plays, speeches, poetry, songs and quotations, they all stressed the role mothers and women play in society. Children offered gifts, like cakes, flowers and picture frames to their mothers.

"God filled women's hearts with love and concern for their children" irrespective of the way they look, their age, whether they are obedient or not, healthy or disabled, said Aqsa Kanwal, AMCC's women rights project coordinator. A mother's love is unconditional.

Mothers are called to be without any gender bias, showing as much care for their boys as for their girls, by providing them with an education and respect so that "they can play a positive role in improving society."

For Fr Bonnie Mendes, "The celebration of Mother's Day is a necessity in Pakistan" because a mother's teachings "are the bases for all knowledge."

Our Lady, he added, "is an example for all mothers" because she stood by her son's side until his death. Hence, "We must stand by all mothers so that they can raise their children who may in the future contribute to the nation's development."

"Mothers can play a positive role in promoting peace by giving toys that instil the value of peace rather than war and violence, like toy guns, rifles, swords, etc," said Fr Nisar Barkat, who is the priest of the parish where the AMCC is located.

They can do the same through the language they use within the home, he added.

TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : WED MAY 16, 2012


John 16: 12 - 15
12 "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

TODAY'S SAINT : MAY 16 : ST. SIMON OF STOCK

St. Simon Stock
CARMELITE
Feast: May 16


Information:
Feast Day: May 16
Born: 1165 in Aylesford, County Kent, England
Died: 16 May 1265 in the Carmelite monastery at Bordeaux, France
Major Shrine: Aylesford, England
Patron of: Bordeaux, France
He was descended of a good family in Kent. From his infancy he turned all his thoughts and affections to attain to the most perfect love of God, and studied to devote all his moments to this glorious pursuit. In this earnest desire, in the twelfth year of his age, he retired into a wilderness, and chose for his dwelling a great hollow oak tree; whence the surname of Stock wee given him. While he here mortified his flesh with fasting and other severities, he nourished his soul with spiritual dainties in continual prayer. His drink was only water; and he never touched any other food but herbs, roots and wild apples. While he led this course of life, he was invited by a divine revelation to embrace the rule of certain religious men who were coming from Palestine into England. Albert, the holy patriarch of Jerusalem, having given a written rule to the Carmelite friars about the year 1205, some brothers of this order were soon after brought over from mount Carmel by John lord Vescy and Richard lord Gray of Codnor, when they returned from the Holy Land. These noblemen some time after settled them, the latter in the wood of Aylesford, near Rochester in Kent, the former in the forest of Holme, near Alnewick in Northumberland; which houses continued the two most famous convents of this order in England till their dissolution in the thirty-third year of the reign of Henry VIII. But we are assured by Bale, who before his apostacy was himself a friar of the English province of this order, and by Lambert and Weaver in their accurate descriptions of the Antiquities of Kent, that the first or most ancient convent of these friars in England was that at Newenden in Kent, which was founded for them by Sir Thomas Archer or Fitz-Archer, whose family flourished for many centuries upon that manor. The first arrival of these friars in England is placed in the annals of the order, quoted by F. Cosmas de Villiers, in 1212. Simon, who had then lived a recluse twenty years, imitating the Macariuses and Arseniuses in the most heroic practices of penance and contemplation, was much affected with the devotion of these servants of God to the blessed Virgin, their edifying deportment, and their eremitical austere institute, and joined their holy company before the end of the year 1212. After his admission he was sent to Oxford to finish his studies; and having run through his academical course he returned to his convent, where so bright was the example of his piety, that the virtue of the rest seemed to suffer an eclipse by the extraordinary lustre of his sanctity. Such was his reputation, that in 1215 Brocard, prior of mount Carmel, and general of the order, appointed him vicar-general, with full power over all the western provinces. Many clamors being raised against this institute, St. Simon repaired to Rome in 1226, and obtained from pope Honorius III. a confirmation of the rule given to this order by Albertus; and another from Gregory IX. in 1229. Some years after, St. Simon paid a visit to his brethren on mount Carmel, and remained six years in Palestine, where, in 1237, he assisted at the general chapter of the order held by Alanus the fifth general. In this assembly it was decreed, that the greatest part of the brethren should pass into Europe, their settlements in the east being continually disturbed by the persecutions, oppressions, or threats of the Saracens. In 1240 many were sent to England, and in 1244, Alanus himself, with St. Simon, having nominated Hilarion his vicar on mount Carmel, and in Palestine, followed them thither, there being already five monasteries of the order erected in this island.

In a general chapter held at Aylesford in 1245, Alanus resigning his dignity, St. Simon was chosen the sixth general, and in the same year procured a new confirmation of the rule by pope Innocent IV., who at the saint's request received this order under the special protection of the Holy See, in 1251. St. Simon established houses in most parts of Europe; but this institute flourished nowhere with so great splendor and edification as in England, and continued so to do for several ages, as the annals of the order take notice. St. Simon, soon after he was promoted to the dignity of general, instituted the confraternity of the Scapular, to unite the devout clients of the Blessed Virgin in certain regular exercises of religion and piety. Several Carmelite writers assure us that he was admonished by the Mother of God in a vision, with which he was favored on the 16th of July, to establish this devotion." This confraternity has been approved, and favored with many privileges by several popes. The rules prescribe, without any obligation or precept, that the members wear a little scapular, at least secretly, as the symbol of the order, and that they recite every day the office of our Lady, or the office of the church; or, if they cannot read, seven times the Pater, Ave, and Gloria Patri, in lieu of the seven canonical hours; and lastly, that they abstain from flesh-meat on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; or if this cannot be done, that they double for each of these days the seven Paters, &c. St. Simon cured several sick persons by giving them the scapular; the reputation of which miracles moved Edward I., king of England, St. Louis of France, and many others, to enrol their names in this confraternity.

St. Simon governed the order with great sanctity and prudence during twenty years, and propagated it exceedingly from England over all Europe being himself famous for his eminent virtue, and a great gift of miracles and prophecy. He wrote several hymns and decrees for his order, and several other useful things for its service, says Leland. At length, in the hundredth year of his age, having a call to France, he sailed to Bordeaux, where God put an end to his labors some months after his arrival, in 1265, on the 16th of July. He was buried in the cathedral of that city, and was honored among the saints soon after his death. Pope Nicholas III. granted an office to be celebrated in his honor at Bordeaux on the 16th of May, which Paul V. extended to the whole order.


SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/S/stsimonstock.asp#ixzz1vAIhZKxT